The South Bayview Bulldog

Toronto already has the authority to legislate against texting while walking on the sidewalk and other walkways, the Ontario Transportation Minister says. Stephen Del Duca told reporters that it is up to the City if it wishes to do this. His remarks came after Council voted 19 to 10 to ask the government to examine such a ban. Global News noted that Josh Matlow (Ward 22) voted against the motion and said he was surprised that it had passed in council. He is quoted as saying: “I honestly I think the motion itself is a distraction, never mind preventing distracted walking,” he told Global News. “The police don’t enforce distracted driving and speeding well enough, never mind have the resources to go after everyone walking looking at their cellphones”

JAYWALKING IS SAFER

All of which is true but may not be the most compelling reason not to examine the matter. Police don’t enforce (or enforce very well) jaywalking and phone-distracted driving. It is easily argued that an alert jaywalker is many times safer than a texter wandering out into traffic at an intersection. It’s complex. Our 21st Century technology is the devil’s work, except when it’s a pleasant convenience. The South Bayview Bulldog is the heart and soul of personal freedom from government bureaucracy but as long as we profess to care about each other, there is cause for concern when it comes to distracted walking. .

DEL DUCA SAYS NO

But Ontario quickly made up its mind that everything is fine. It will not legislate a ban on walking and texting. Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca says pedestrians should keep their heads up while on the road and always be aware of their surroundings. So helpful. That should get through to practically no one.

It has been two years since Georgia Walsh was killed at the corner of Millwood Rd. and McRae Drive in an accident which even now seems beyond belief. Ranko Stupar said he did not see the little girl. Jillian and John Walsh responded to this explanation with remarkable generosity. They forgave Mr. Stupar. Now Georgia’s mom has spoken again about that terrible day to Ashley Molnar of Global News. Here is an excerpt of her report with the full video seen here.

France 24 English is live and is reporting on the horrifying incident in which 84 people are now reported dead. A truck rammed into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the French Riviera city of Nice in a premeditated attack. The truck struck the crowd on the Promenade des Anglais, a seaside walk in the centre of the city in southern France, authorities said. More than 50 people were reported injured. The driver fired on the crowd before being shot to death by police, officials said. Prime Minister Trudeau tweeted the thoughts and condolences of Canadians. Federal Opposition leader Rona Ambrose also expressed her shock as did former prime minister Stephen Harper. Many other leaders also responded.

City Council has voted 36-3 in favour of establishing supervised injection sites at three Toronto health centres. The supervised injection sites have been approved for the Queen West-Central Toronto Community Health Centre, the South Riverdale Community Health Centre and the Toronto Public Health facility located at 277 Victoria St. All three centres have existing needle exchange programs. There is much public relations to the effect that this makes everything safer and that may be true. In the Netherlands, addicts get free heroin, although some addicts complain that this makes them feel dependent. Please do not snicker. Favorable media says that statistics show this largesse had led to a decline in the number of addicts (once said to number 20,000 in Holland) because they aren’t seen. Or maybe because drug peddlers can’t get traction. Let’s see what happens.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has had its ups and downs in Canada but it seems the company has not gone away. It has opened a store in Kensington Market and now Chris Lindsay, owner of the Canadian arm of Krispy Kreme, says he intends to build new stores in Ontario and Quebec in the next few years to a total of maybe 50.

It may be a dumb plan but it’s our plan. So it is that City Council voted 27-18 Wednesday to build the one-stop Scarborough subway extension rather than a more efficient, and cheaper, multi-stop system of LRT lines. The one-stop subway has been championed by Mayor Tory despite widespread belief that the plan is an expensive boondoggle.  The one-stop extension from Kennedy to Scarborough Town Centre will leave 6 kilometres between stations. Josh Matlow (Ward 22) has been a proponent of a seven-stop LRT which would serve more people for less money. Toronto Star 

A funeral service will held Thursday July 14, 2016 for Dr. Jim Gracie at Eglinton St. George’s United Church on Lytton Blvd. Dr. Gracie was a much admired general practitioner in North Toronto for 25 years. For ten years, he was the medical director of Union Carbide of Canada. Dr. Gracie was a winner of the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded for heroic service as a bomber pilot during World War II. Dr. Gracie was 94 when he died peacefully with four generations of his family nearby. James Paton Gracie obit

The Ontario government says Wednesday that it will build 500 electric car charging stations in more than 250 locations across the province by 2017. The numbers are confusing because locations may have multiple stations that charge cars at different speeds. The most powerful stations are level three that top up a car to 80 per cent in something like 30 minutes.The list at this link shows the proposed Toronto stations and there are not too many very convenient to South Bayview.

DON MILLS AND EGLINTON

One is slated for the Foresters property near Eglinton Ave. E and Don Mills Road but the list does not name the level of recharging capacity. Drivers will be able to pay to charge their vehicles with their credit cards, similar to paying for gas at a regular gas station. But as the electric car world well knows, the time required to charge a vehicle (unless it is plugged in overnight at home) sometimes seems prohibitive.

Lincoln Electric is 100 years old. The firm is a leading industrial welding service and is still on Wicksteed Ave, that location opened in the summer of 1940.

https://twitter.com/jon_burnside/status/753280019095486464

Reuters