The South Bayview Bulldog

A young woman who was slashed by a still unidentified man on Danforth Ave. east of Pape Ave. Saturday, June 27 has been befriended and given support by a local mother’s Facebook group. Alicia Taylor, 24, was slashed twice on the face in an unprovoked attack by a man she had never seen before. As reported by the CBC, she fell backwards, blacked out and lost a litre of blood before paramedics could help her. A member of the East Toronto Young Mothers Facebook group, Tiffanie Yarema, heard about Alicia and flagged the case to the 2,400 members. She learned that Alicia had a five-month-old baby and works two jobs to make ends meet. She works full-time for Canada Post, and also works as a bartender. Sunday  night Alicia was able to meet Tiffanie and receive the gifts and donations offered by the group valued at more than $1,000. Police say the man is believed to be black and was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. CBC

Photo Courtesy Alicia Taylor via CBC

The Pokemon Go app will seem curious to many people who have real things to do with their time but there is no denying this variation on a previous generation’s pastime is very hot with kids. It is not your dad’s Pokemon and it may be dangerous. If a “beacon” tells kids to head down a dark alley at 2 a.m. we’re hoping young fans will think twice. Still to be released in Canada and how to get it now. 

A story in the Wall Street Journal has taken note of the not-so-new trend in mall shopping away from full up department stores. Some may ask so what. It’s now 17 year since Eaton’s went bankrupt and there are kids who ask “Mom, what’s an Eaton’s?” But the finer points of this trend include the capacity of malls to do better with something like the Cheescake Factory where there used to be a Sears or J.C. Penney. Today, according the WSJ, customers are less interested in hulking department stores than speciality shops and places with racks and racks of fashions. At mall operator Simon, for example, new tenants are Forever 21 (fashion) Target and European fast-fashion shop Primark, which entered the U.S. market by slipping in into former Sears stores. Then there’s Canadian owned (The Bay) Nordstrom which is said to be soldiering on against slumping times in the U.S. Let’s hope this mark and its parent are able to attract customers here.

Yes, it’s true that Theresa May will become prime minister on Wednesday when David Cameron resigns, but the UK, and the rest of the civilized world, is waiting for Ghostbusters, the women’s edition. Helping this along is the appearance out of the floor of London’s Waterloo station of the menacing Stay Puft man. From the trailer above, the sequel is just as loony as the original. What fun. It opens in Toronto Friday.

The Ontario government has reached a tentative four-year understanding with doctors. The deal was announced Monday morning by Health Minister Eric Hoskins. The negotiations leading to this settlement — still to be approved by the Ontario Medical Association — has been burdened by the cabinet’s need to control costs. (The provincial debt is more than $3 billion). In some cases, the breathtaking pay of some specialists, has been used to apply pressure. The OMA council votes Saturday August 6 on the deal. The specifics are not known but there is apparently agreement on “annual increases to the physician services budget that are limited to the costs of population growth, an aging society and funding for continued growth in doctors supply.”

A car smashed through the iron fence of Mt. Pleasant Cemetery on Moore Ave. at Brendan Road Monday morning leaving an eight foot gap. It may be that the vehicle was making a quick turn left out of Brenden in morning traffic and jumped the curb instead. Westbound drivers were turned back at Brendan with some making a U-turn and others, like the red dump truck in the bottom photo, finding their way back through Bennington Heights.

The Honda Indy Toronto will be held from Friday, July 15, 2016 to Sunday, July 17, 2016 with road closures starting Wednesday, July 13, 2016:  They are: From noon, southbound Strachan Avenue, from Fleet Street to Lake Shore Boulevard West and from 8 p.m., Lake Shore Boulevard West, from Strachan Avenue to British Columbia Drive  The closures will remain until Sunday, July 17, 2016, 11 p.m. Police say the extensive road closures will cause significant delays in the area. Anyone attending the Honda Indy Toronto is encouraged to take public transit. Both the TTC and Go Transit will provide increased service to Exhibition Place. With TPS release. 

Twitter has been filled overnight with messages of opposition to the digital sign proposed for the Leaside Memorial Community Gardens. The sign would sit on Millwood Rd near the location of the present billboard. According to the posts, the vote on the new sign comes Tuesday at City Council. One tweet from Change.org writes in detail of resident opposition. It says eleven ratepayer groups oppose the sign apparently fearing a precedent for such signs near homes and low rise-shopping districts. These bodies are petitioning Mayor Tory to defer the sign matter. Twitter

John Tory: Defer the Leaside Digital Billboard – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/GwJOqKU5aK via @CdnChange

— Ken Gilmour (@kennethjgilmour) July 11, 2016

Toronto is looking at a week of withering hot weather under a warning for all southern Ontario of humid weather expected to settle on the region. “A hot and humid air mass from the Gulf of Mexico will affect most of southern Ontario from Tuesday through Thursday,” an Environment Canada notice says. Most of southern Ontario could see highs between 30 C and 33 C from Tuesday to Thursday, with overnight lows of 20 to 23 C. But the whole week with the exception of Friday will be very hot.  Some showers are expected Thursday.

Canada Post has withdrawn its threat of a lockout against some 50,000 postal workers in the expectation that this will lead to “serious negotiations.” The lockout deadline had been set for Monday, July 11, 2016.  “We are also expecting the union to honour their repeated public statements that they have no plans to issue a strike notice,” says a new release from Canada Post. “Assurance from both parties that the postal system will remain open for business while we negotiate will provide the certainty that Canadians and our employees are looking for.” The Crown corporation’s news release followed a statement earlier Sunday from Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk, who encouraged the two sides to continue discussions beyond a deadline of 12:01 a.m. ET Monday that Canada Post had set.