The South Bayview Bulldog

We're doing it again! You know, because we have nothing else on the go 😉 Awesome Furniture-Only Sale Sep 24 10-2 https://t.co/VEMLIe0ZOD

— LeasideUnitedChurch (@LeasideUnited) September 13, 2016

Toronto Blue Jays won a thrilling 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays Monday night to give their fans something t believe in. The Jays had fallen into an alarming slump which saw them lose three consecutive series. But good fortune and managerial savvy paid off when pinch-hitter Ezequiel Carrera hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the eighth inning. Carrera slammed a first-pitch fastball from Brad Boxberger over the left-field wall. It was the first pinch-hit homer for any Blue Jay since Carrera did it last July 25 in a game in Seattle. Roberto Osuna sent the Rays down quickly in the top of the ninth to clinch the victory.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited a gender-segregated mosque Monday morning whose imam is a member of a group considered a terrorist organization abroad. The Toronto Sun names Samy Metwally, the lead imam at the Ottawa Muslim Association, as “a member of the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS)”, a body on United Arab Emirates list of designated terrorist organizations. Story The CBC has offered three minutes of actuality of Mr. Trudeau’s remarks to those present including “the sisters upstairs.” See what you think.

Jennifer Pagliaro of the Toronto Star tells how City staff  — plus the Mayor and Deputy Mayor — seem to have outflanked Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong Tam on an 80-storey tower at Bloor and Yonge. It will rise where Stollery’s stood for so many decades. The surprise sudden demolition of that historic old building is just one of the high-powered moves employed in the scheme to build The One. Behind it all is the presence of the Ontario Municipal Board. The OMB is the ultimate reality that the municipalities in Canada are the creatures of the provinces. Cities — even enormous ones like Toronto –need a Big Daddy it seems to make sure they are not unfair to developers.

The Liberal government says it will remove the Ontario portion of the HST from hydro bills. In Ontario, the provincial portion of the 13 percent HST is eight percent. It was just nine months ago that Ontario scrapped the Clean Energy Benefit, which provided a 10-per-cent reduction on all parts of electricity bills, including the HST. But the Liberals aren’t through with spending. They announced a commitment to create an additional 100,000 licensed child care spaces for kids aged four and under over five years, starting in 2017. The government also promises to put a new emphasis on math skills after half of all Grade 6 students failed to meet the provincial math standard this year, continuing a steady decline in test scores over the past five years.

Services for former Toronto police chief William McCormack were held at St. Paul’s Basilica Monday. Here is an excellent summary from the Toronto Police website.

The family of fmr Toronto police chief Mike McCormack has arrived for the funeral service pic.twitter.com/RR7EsY0PlJ

— Cindy Pom (@CindyPom) September 12, 2016

WATCH LIVE: Funeral for former police chief William McCormack https://t.co/sfPSR2hcob pic.twitter.com/Gf4O5sFlok

— CP24 (@CP24) September 12, 2016

PHOTOS Funeral for former @TorontoPolice Chief Bill McCormack https://t.co/YAJnK5aBt0 pic.twitter.com/hpw23GUeEh

— Kevin Masterman (@tpspix) September 12, 2016

Stephen Harper has accepted an affiliation with the large multi-national law firm Dentons. The former prime minister and his firm, Harper & Associates Consulting, will work out of Dentons’ Calgary office and be engaged as a consultant with the firm’s worldwide staff and clients. Although Dentons is huge, it is far from being a household name. Check out Dentons by Wikipedia

Prince George and Princess Charlotte will join their parents on a tour to Canada which starts a week Saturday, Kensington Palace confirmed today. The three-year-old Royal and his one-year-old sister are expected be the star attractions when they touch down in Victoria with William and Kate on September 24. The visit is confined to British Columbia and the Yukon with George and Charlotte being based at Government House in Victoria with their nanny Maria Borrallo. The royal kids will be photographed as they arrive and leave the country and will also be seen during at least one official engagement during the trip.

It will be nice but cooler to begin the week and temperatures will start their slow downward slide as the days of Autumn approach.

A smokey fire of tires and railways ties caused a spectacle in Mississauga at Dundas Street East and Cawthra Road in Mississauga at around 5 p.m.

Fire at Dundas & Cawthra @MissiNewsRoom @MississaugaFES @CP24 pic.twitter.com/CJhjEomHVJ

— I Saw This Stuff (@ISawThisStuff) September 11, 2016

The Leaside Wildcats held their FUNdraiser skills event Sunday at Leaside arena. Girls with a competitive sense and skating skills were there to see just how far they might go toward winning a berth on the Junior Wildcats team in the years to come. Big sisters from the big-league Cats were there personally to coach the tykes (7 and under) novice (9 and under) and atom (10 and under) girls. Below we see the Atoms in part of their exercises.  Watch the little girl in the gray jersey and red socks with the word “Fierce” on the back. Not her family name but it looks like she may live up to that description just the same.

Big and Little Cats as tweeted by Coach Kim McCullough @coachkim88

A fire alarm brought crews running from the McRae Drive fire hall midafternoon Sunday when bells started ringing at the Winners store in the SmartCentre on Laird Drive. The alarm was a false one but it took a while for staff to trickle back into the store as customers waited while the manager shouted “Back to work!”