The South Bayview Bulldog

The Toronto Maple Leafs tweeted some history Friday to show the team’s new logo being painted on centre ice at the Air Canada Centre. The design, commissioned to mark the team’s centennial season, was revealed in February. It was the first time in 45 years the Leafs introduced a new logo. The new look is a fresh take on the classic Maple Leaf emblem that was used from the 1940s to the 1960s. It will serve as the team’s primary crest beginning in the 2016-17 season. The logo, with some slight alterations, aligns most closely to a version used from 1963 to 1967. Will the new logo inspire a whole string of Stanley Cups. It is a dreamers paradise.

Maple Leafs' new logo unveiled on centre ice at the ACC – CBC.ca https://t.co/35hJ4dp3um

— TM Leafs Tweet (@TMLeafsTweet) September 2, 2016

Police want to talk to this man about break-ins in the Bayview Village area. The photos below show the perpetrator walking through a home in the neighborhood in the early morning hours of Sept. 1. He gets into homes where doors are not secured. He is between 20 and 30 years old with a medium build and a goatee. This time he was wearing a baseball hat, a grey hoodie with ‘Nike’ on the front, long, grey athletic-type shorts and dark running shoes.

Don Valley West MP Rob Oliphant continues his public meetings into September and October focussed on electoral reform. In a release this week he recalls that the Liberal government in Ottawa promised a new voting system. The prospect of such a thing — in whatever form — has the potential to both terrify and delight partisans. The commonest reforms discussed by those who think about the matter are proportional representation and so-called ranked ballots. Proportional representation is intended to somehow give parties that don’t actually win in the conventional fashion a limited place in the Legislature.

PIZZA PARLIAMENT?

It is seen in Italy where it has given rise to the derisive term “pizza parliament” — a place sliced up into assorted parties. It is also seen in Israel where proportionality seems to be the sole determinant of how seats are distributed. Critics say it tends to make the “big tent” parties less inclusive and encourage single issue splinters. It may well militate against conventional majority governments such as we have at present in Liberal Canada. Ranked ballots are intended to ensure that the winner in a riding indeed has a majority of the popular vote. That system has been most notoriously in the news this year after City Council voted to introduce it for the next election and then stunningly reversed itself saying ranked ballots would be too complicated. 

CHURCHILL

Democracy needs to be taken seriously but proponents of this form of government have said some amusing things about it. The quote below is famous. Less so  but just as provocative is Winston Churchill’s observation that “the best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” Nothing personal anyone. Mr. Oliphant’s meetings are September 18, October 12 and October 13. (416) 467-7275

Raymond Cho

PC candidate and City Councillor Raymond Cho (Ward 42) has won the Scarborough-Rouge River riding, defeating the Liberals in a seat they have held since it was created in 1999. Cho will now quit his municipal office. It’s the third byelection in a row the Tories have won since Patrick Brown became leader last year and a breakthrough for the party in Toronto, where they hold no other seats. Brown crowed about the win saying:  “There is not any riding in the province of Ontario that Kathleen Wynne’s Liberal party can take for granted,” he said. For her part, the Premier said the loss was a cause for reflection. It is said that the MPP for Don Valley West has a personal popularity standing of 16 percent across Ontario. The margin of victory was 2,429 over the Liberal, a percentage gap of 39% to 29 percent.

Lun Lun the giant panda at the Atlanta Zoo is expecting to give birth.  When, is the question on everyone’s mind.  One Facebook user says that she has been watching the Panda-cam for 9 days hoping to catch some action.  According to the Zoo’s website, the giant panda birthwatch officially began on Monday, August 22, 2016. If you have the patience to watch paint dry then maybe you will catch a miraculous panda birth.  Have a look…

Toronto Public Health issued a press release on Thursday.  “Toronto Public Health has received laboratory confirmation that an adult resident in Toronto has tested positive for West Nile virus. This is the first human case testing positive for West Nile virus in Toronto for 2016. Two probable cases of West Nile virus have also been reported to Toronto Public Health and are under investigation.  “While the risk of becoming infected with West Nile virus in Toronto remains low, we ask that residents take the proper precautions to protect themselves,” said Dr. Howard Shapiro, Toronto’s Acting Medical Officer of Health.”   Press Release

SpaceX rocket: Explosion at Cape Canaveral ahead of launch

SpaceX has released a statement to say: “The pad was clear and there were no injuries”.

Mother Nature is treating us to some near perfect weather this Labour Day long weekend.  The sun will be out so we can enjoy those final rays before school starts next week and the lazy days of summer become a memory.

Caution tape and barricades abound as small sections of sidewalk are being repaired around the neighbourhood.  We would have to assume that the crews are pushing to get everything done before young feet are pounding the pavement on their way to school next week.

The weather forecast is looking perfect, so if you’re looking for a City pool to take a dip, here is the scoop:

The following 10 outdoor pools will be open from noon to 5 p.m. on Labour Day (September 5):
Alex Duff Memorial Pool, 779 Crawford St.
Donald D. Summerville, 1867 Lake Shore Blvd. E.
Grandravine Outdoor Pool, 23 Grandravine Dr.
Heron Park Outdoor Pool, 292 Manse Rd.
McGregor Park Outdoor Pool, 2231 Lawrence Ave. E.
Pine Point Outdoor Pool, 15 Grierson Rd.
Pleasantview Outdoor Pool, 545 Van Horne Ave.
Riverdale Park, 550 Broadview Ave.
Sunnyside-Gus Ryder Outdoor Pool, 1755 Lake Shore Blvd. W.
West Mall Outdoor Pool, 370 The West Mall

The City’s other outdoor pools will close for the season at 4 p.m. on Sunday, September 4. An exception is Alex Duff Memorial Pools, which will remain open for part-time operation during evenings and with reduced hours on weekends until September 18. Wading pools will close for the season on Sunday afternoon.

All indoor pools will be closed on Labour Day and will re-open on Tuesday, September 6.

Toronto’s 11 designated swimming beaches will be open and supervised until 6 p.m. on Labour Day, weather permitting.

Splash pads will be accessible on Labour Day from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and will remain open through Sunday, September 18.

Parents are reminded to supervise children at all times when children are in and around water. More information about swimming is available at http://www.toronto.ca/swim