The South Bayview Bulldog

Debris flying around Bayview / Branch & minor scratches my surprise this car owner

The winds have been just strong enough to irritate some people around South Bayview this afternoon.  It’s recycling night and Mother Nature has decided to mix things up a little before the Waste Management trucks could pick up their loot.  The alarming sound of popping could be heard as cars drove over coffee cups flying down the road.

88 South Leaside diverting both ways via Moore, Southlea due to a fallen tree branch blocking the roadway at Sutherland and Leadale. #TTC

— TTC Service Alerts (@TTCnotices) August 16, 2016

Look at the backup of streetcars in this CBC photo

One of the new Bombardier streetcars has derailed on King Street while it was pushing another older model streetcar which had also derailed. A spokesman said the new streetcar derailed because of debris in the tracks left by the morning rainfall. Both streetcars were empty at the time. The lesson for anyone who thinks about this is not so much that streetcars can derail (we wish they didn’t). No, the unbelievable profligacy of streetcars is this. They require an entire stand-by system of buses to take over when one — just one — streetcar blocks the tracks. The shuttle buses were in service Tuesday afternoon. Bus systems are flexible. A bus can sit idle by the side of the road while the others continue service. They don’t require a back-up system of streetcars to replace all the buses.

So here it is. The heavy to moderate rain began about 4 a.m. and will continue in what Environment Canada calls a periodic fashion. That means we may see some breaks. In the meantime, there is local flooding in all the known spots. The underpass on Bayview south of Moore will be showing water. The rain may fall heavily at times and a few thunderstorms are likely as well. Rainfall amounts are expected to be highly variable, with 20 to 40 mm likely. A few areas may even exceed 50 mm where showers and thunderstorms are most prevalent. The system responsible for this rainfall is a moisture-laden low pressure disturbance from Texas.

Transformer fire Yonge St near Roxborough Rd, report that a truck may have struck the pole and left the area ^ma

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) August 16, 2016

https://twitter.com/tpscalls/status/765533831491383296

Hazard calls now for traffic signals out at many locations along Danforth Ave. Obey the rules of the road at uncontrolled intersections ^ma

— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) August 16, 2016

The Skyway bridge at Burlington was closed to all traffic on the QEW Monday afternoon for several hours as OPP and medical personnel negotiated with a “distressed man”. This drawn-out discussion came to an end with the man being taken for medical care about 6.30 p.m.

UPDATE: Burlington Skyway re-opens after police investigation resolved https://t.co/E41Ami8Xpr pic.twitter.com/SQHWjklVHG

— Hamilton Spectator (@TheSpec) August 15, 2016

Ontario doctors have voted by 63.1 percent to reject a fee agreement hammered out between the MInistry and the Ontario Medical Association. The OMA says the vote means it will immediately request a meeting with the provincial government to communicate its expectations for renewed negotiations. Voting took place Sunday during a town hall-style meeting in which doctors argued over the agreement. In rejection the deal doctors turn down a 2.5 percent a year increase to the $11.5-billion physician services budget. The undertaking that doctors would  co-manage the deal is also  rejected with many physicians suggesting their real influence in such an arrangement was largely fictional.

Analysts predict a price war nastier than anything seen so far as Loblaws tells its suppliers to reduce the price of everything the grocer buys by 1.45 percent. In response, the huge wholesale buyer United Grocers, which buys for Metro and other Loblaws competitors, has told manufacturers that it wants the same cut in prices. The meanness of the atmosphere is revealed by a threat to simply reduce all invoices by that amount if the sellers don’t comply. What’s going on? Many informed business sources say it’s about the ambitions of Walmart and Costco to muscle their way further into the Ontario grocery market. It is said these two mammoths have already made inroads in Quebec, controlling as much as 15 percent of the market.

This parade of four Hydro bucket trucks is finishing up the connection of new, taller hydro poles that were planted throughout Midtown (and South Bayview) last summer.  Welland Ave in Moore Park appears to be one of the last streets to be fully converted.

The Blue Jays will introduce flex pricing to season ticket holders next year. That’s a system by which the price of games go up according to demand.  Toronto Sun

Councillor Jon Bunside has sent a reminder to constituents about the Ward 26 Community Environment Day to be held on Sunday, August 28. Come by Leaside High School between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. You can drop off electronics, household hazardous waste, fluorescent bulbs, unused medications, oils, solvents, pesticides, propane tanks, and batteries. Please note that the following items will not be accepted: construction waste, gasoline, garbage, wood, cassette and videotapes, commercial/industrial hazardous waste, and scrap metal.
When: August 28, 2016
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Location: Leaside High School, Parking Lot, 200 Hanna Rd.