The South Bayview Bulldog

The best advice would be — Noooo!

 Gwen Boniface, Kim Pate, Tony Dean, Howard Wetston, Sarabjit Marwah, Lucie Moncion 

In Ottawa, the prime minister has appointed six senators for Ontario. These are the new improved non-partisan kind. They are estimable men and women so let’s wait and see. They are Gwen Boniface, the first woman to preside as Commissioner of the OPP,  Kim Pate, executive director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies and an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, Ontario cabinet secretary Tony Dean, former Scotiabank vice chairman Sarabjit Marwah, Howard Wetston, a former federal court judge and head of the Ontario Securities Commission and Lucie Moncion, president and CEO of a network of credit unions that serve Ontario francophone communities

GASP, WE DON’T LIKE ROAD DELAYS

It’s big news to Forum Research apparently that Torontonians do not support the long-term closure of sidewalks and traffic lanes in the city due to lengthy construction projects. The poll showed 76 percent opposed. As Clark Kent’s editor Perry White might have said: “It would news if they weren’t.”

SMARTTRACK AND TAXES

SmartTrack and associated transit improvements are estimated to cost seven billion dollars and Toronto will ante up $3.7 billion of that, City Manager Peter Wallace reports Monday in details of the sharing agreement with the City. It may mean tax increases and that is the best reason yet that Toronto should have nothing to do with spending billions more on Expo 2015. CBC

An embarrassing little sign in the corner of the dirty window at 732 Mt. Pleasant Rd. makes it official in a dog-eared way. Dollarama is about to open in the former Rexall Pharma Plus just north of Briton House. The sign asks applicants to call or send mail to jobs-31@dollarama.com. Hey, it’s a job.

A theatre group which intends to open a venue in the Newbigging Funeral Home building at 733 Mt. Pleasant Rd.  is organizing tours of the building Monday (October 31, 2016). These tours will be conducted by director Mitchell Cushman between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Mr. Cushman is founder of Outside the March, the theatre group which has obtained the building and has renamed it the Aorta Theatre. The tour will offer scenes of the cast rehearsing the first production, Tomorrow Love. It opens November 19. Mr. Cushman is a regular Stratford director, and co-creator of the smash hit musical Brentwood (2015 Audience Choice Dora Award)  www.outsidethemarch.ca.

New York Times Game Six in Cleveland Tuesday.

are these not the most AWESOME teeter-totters you ever saw?
brand new installation at Leonard Linton Park #Leaside pic.twitter.com/yvwLFEU0Yy

— Rudy Limeback (@rudydotca) October 31, 2016

As tweeted by Rudy Limeback, new teeter-totters in Leonard Linton Park on Vanderhoof Ave. at Brian Peck Crescent are something to see. They have seats molded to provide back support and both handlebars and foot support for stability. Nice.

Leaside Wildcats defeated London Devilettes 3-1 Saturday night and then battled perennial contenders Durham West to a 2-2 tie Sunday afternoon. Leaside scored at merely ten seconds into the tilt with Durham when Captain Kristin Della Rovere caught Lightning goaltender Danika Ranger by surprise. Myah Bowal and Quinn Johnston assisted. Durham scored twice in close succession in the second and led the game until Megan Pardy popped the puck past Ms. Ranger on the inside during a furious six on five attack with the Leaside netminder on the bench. Assists on the tying goal came from Chloe Gonsalves and Mariah Hinds. Tempers were frayed but sportsmanship prevailed.  This shot was taken from inside the left face off circle proving again that closer is better.  Durham stopped 35 shots and Shanna Dolighan for Leaside 23.

Demolition has begun on the properties known as 3-5 Southvale Drive to make way for a condominium apartment. The project is to be built by Shane Baghai and was the subject of negotiations which reduced the height of the building from eight floors to seven and moved the driveway entrance to underground parking onto Southvale Drive. Previously, the proposal called for the garage driveway to enter/exit off the road into the arena.

The Toronto Police Service has recognized members of its Auxiliary Police at a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the volunteer service. It was held Wednesday, October 27. The video embedded here and the story on the TPS website are informative.

Italy has been struck by another earthquake overnight but it doesn’t appear to have been too serious. There was some panic as reported here by Euronews. In Mexico City, the Day of the Dead has dawned Saturday with events portraying the depiction of this holiday in the James Bond movie Spectre. Day of the Dead will be marked at the Evergreen Brickyards Sunday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has signed the CETA trade deal with the European Union in a ceremony conducted almost entirely in French and with slant toward the French-speaking Belgian district of Wallonia. It has threatened to refuse to sign but in the end arm-twisted by the rest of Belgium and the EU into agreement. Trudeau arrived in Brussels to meet the European leaders amid questions from the reporter as to whether he was angry with the Walloons. Trudeau just smiled. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement must still obtain ratification but this seems routine.  The prime minister was delayed in leaving Ottawa by aircraft maintenance matters but arrived Sunday in good time for the signing.

After flight delay, Trudeau arrives in Belgium to sign CETA https://t.co/eEAtxXmTUi

— CTV News (@CTVNews) October 30, 2016

Volunteers planted more than 150 trees supported by @TDFEF, @BCG and Urban Forest Associates from Leaside! pic.twitter.com/xL1rRUMKyB

— Rob Oliphant (@Rob_Oliphant) October 29, 2016

On Saturday (October 29, 2016) members of the 132nd Leaside Scouts were joined by other volunteers in Taylor Creek Park fulfilling the Scout mission “to foster, plan and maintain a natural urban forest/vegetation environment area within easy reach of the 132nd Scouts and Cubs.” Tweet from MP Rob Oliphant makes note of the worthy activity. 132nd website.