The South Bayview Bulldog

Take a good look. This mural is going to grace (if that’s the word) the west side of the tower on the southwest corner of Yonge St. and St. Clair Ave. It seems to show a woman portrayed in abstract form revealing a complexion of bricks and mortar Toronto. Why this muse of St. Clair is rolled in a fetal ball will perhaps become clearer. It is the creation of a British muralist named Phlegm (not his real name) and like other modern street painters (Banksy for example) he does not go by his real name. So far as we know. It’s a mystery, you know. The work has been commissioned by Slate Asset Management which is said to own all four corners of the Y and St. C. The painting may grow on residents. Happily it seems to have avoided political statement.  The work is being streamed here.

This remarkable comeback story from the Canadian Olympic Team official website. Raonic reaches Wimbledon final by beating Federer.  Below is quite good edited radio account of Raonic’s the afternoon with Roger Federer.

RADIO: ICYMI – @milosraonic became the first Canadian to reach the Men's #Wimbledon Final! Here's how he did it: https://t.co/cVBgYnCQxa

— Wimbledon Radio Channel (@WimbledonChnl) July 8, 2016

Bus stops on Cleveland Street north of Davisville are about to be removed because of the discontinuation of the 11B rush hour short-turn service. The TTC decided the service, which had been in place for many decades as the 28A, has been superseded by the new daily 28 Bayview service. The removal of the stops at Millwood and Belsize (at Cleveland) may work a hardship on commuters in the winter. Some closer to Bayview may wish to walk to Bayview and Millwood to catch the 11 Bayview to Davisville subway station.

Marc Poulin

The architect of Sobeys disastrous purchase of Safeway Canada has paid the price. Marc Poulin, chief executive officer of Sobeys parent Empire Co. is gone, the company said Friday morning. The firm took a 1.3 billion impairment charge this week as Sobeys struggles with the integration of Safeway. Empire is replacing Poulin on an interim basis with chief financial officer François Vimard. Empire paid $5.8-billion to take over Safeway in 2013. Its stock has plunged 25.6 per so far this year, as of the close of trading Thursday. Last fall the firm admitted that the cost of lost and misplaced stock and confusion at the cash desk was costing it millions. All of this, it said, because Safeway employees had not been able to deal with Sobeys inventory and checkout software.

Mark Grimes

Ward 6 Councilor Mark Grimes will have to explain himself to his fellow Council members next week. This in the light of a report from the integrity commissioner, Valerie Jepson, that he acted in a way that assisted high-rise developers in his ward. In one instance Mr. Grimes went around City staff and Council to reduce the amount of a development tax to be paid from $250,000 down to $100,000. In all of this, Jepson has concluded that the Etobicoke lakeshore member did not benefit personally although he apparently tried to persuade a developer to do business with one of his friends. Jepson is persuaded nonetheless, that the Councillor has learned from her investigation and says she will not recommend action against him at Council. John Lancaster, CBC.

Members of the Leaside Chit Chat page have posted pictures and compared notes on Thursday’s lightning-like rainstorm between about 2 and 3 p.m. Susan Ferguson posted pictures of the inundation in the SmartCentre parking lot. There’s no drainage it seems. Sandra Creighton noted that the wild and crazy LRT corner of Bayview Ave. and Eglinton Ave. E was well-flooded as well. And indeed, the rain was torrential for nearly half an hour and quite a surprise it seems to forecasters. No thunder was noted throughout the rain storm as recorded in the south end of Leaside and in Bennington Heights/Moore Park. But the rain was selective. Paddy Duncan says she was downtown at an appointment where there wasn’t much more than a sprinkle.  Leaside Chit Chat 

Photo Susan Ferguson via Facebook

The fifth annual Lawn Summer Night benefit in aid of research into Cystic Fibrosis saw a sold out crowd of competitors at the Leaside Lawn Bowing Club on Hanna Road Thursday. The event is sponsored by KPMG and was inspired by a much-loved colleague, Eva Dien Brine Markvoort, who died in 2010 at the age of 26 of the disease. The usual madcap get-ups and team names were plentiful. Above is the Team Sausage squad of (l to r) Thomas, Verity, Murilo, Geoff and Brandon. Like so many good names, Team Sausage was an act of whimsy related to past and best-forgotten cottage hijinks. Other wonderful names abounded: The Bowlevardiers, The Lawn Whisperers, Great Bowls of Fire, The Bowled and the Beautiful, The Bowlerinas and the Barack O Bowlers. Congratulations all.

The torrential rain that thundered across Toronto between 2 the 3 p.m. Thursday seems to have come as a total surprise to forecasters. Morning predictions spoke of sweltering temperatures and zero precipitation.

Toronto is under a severe thunderstorm warning. 30-55 mm of rain is likely over the next hour, Environment Canada says.

— CBC Toronto (@CBCToronto) July 7, 2016

The push to save the dilapidated Davisville Junior Public School has been effectively stopped by a successful motion at Toronto and East York Council to defer discussion indefinitely. This is good news for those who work at the school and for proponents of a so-called neighborhood hub which would see additional community facilities built on the site of a new school. The motion to defer a discussion to declare the 1960 school a heritage site came from Josh Matlow (Ward 22). It passed 8-0 with four members absent. Locally, Councillor Wong-Tam was present and voted in favour. The Toronto Preservation Board had previously voted unanimously to save the school. Among the most compelling speakers at TEYC was Shona Farrelly, principal of Davisville PS.

Here we are outside the Leaside Home Depot Monday night where the Bulldog was drooling over this (we’re sure) 1958 Corvette (and if the year is wrong, let us know). Hat’s off to the owner.

In the U.S., Walgreens and Rite Aid are said to be on track for a merger of their stores. It might mean the closure of as many as 500 pharmacies.  Walgreen already owns names like Duane Reade (New York City) and Boots (Europe). Walgreen is the second biggest U.S. drugstore chain (after CVS) and Rite Aide fourth largest. Many will wonder about the recent sale of the Rexall chain in Canada. In May it moved from the hands of Edmonton Oilers owner Daryl Katz to those of the U.S. firm McKesson for $3 billion. But then there is the entrepreneurial Galen Weston recently winner of a deal to own Shoppers Drug Mart. Does he have further plans?  It is all speculation of course but remember that the wealthy buy things because they can.