The South Bayview Bulldog

The Prime Minister is saying that the government will be more hands off than the Conservatives were in 2011 in dealing with a postal lockout. That was the last time there was a stoppage of mail and the Harper regime enacted legislation to send CUPW back to work. This time the Liberal government says there are no plans to send the union members back because he respects labour. “We do not feel, unlike previous governments, that it is the immediate responsibility to be heavy-handed,” he told reporters at a press conference in Quebec City. “We respect labour. We respect the need to come to terms at the bargaining table and that is what we are going to continue to work on.” It was a nice little lecture however sooner or later the government will have to sing a different tune if there is a cessation of delivery.

It looks like the entire population of Iceland (330,000) turned out in Reykjavik Monday to honour their upstart soccer club to a hero’s welcome following a Cinderella run at Euro 2016. The tiny Nordic nation surprised the world with its run to the quarter-finals at the European soccer championships, knocking out England before falling to host France 5-2 on Sunday. It is a nation not known for soccer prowess but it has one dandy sports war chant as seen here.

Wiseys Pies and Bakehouse at 874 Eglinton (at Laird) has introduced an additional New Zealand delicacy to its summer menu — ice cream pies. The dining culture of meat pies and related pastries has caught on among many South Bayview consumers since Wiseys opened two years ago. But ice cream pies have a similar tradition down there. Hearing of the ice cream pie arrival, Graeme Beresford, owner of Kiwi Landscaping, wants to know whether the pies are of the Tip Top or Frosty Tip kind, two New Zealand brands which we can only hope continue to flourish. Here’s Wiseys co-owner Anthony Spinley on his new website.

Canada Post has issued a 72-hour lockout notice to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) bringing the the prospect of a halt to mail delivery by Friday. The notice came hours after Canada Post said its latest offer presented on June 25 was fair and reasonable and that it still hoped to negotiate a deal with the union. In the statement, Canada Post said it plans to suspend the collective agreement as of Friday.  CUPW said the corporation is using the lockout notice to drive 50,000 workers “out onto the streets without pay in an effort to impose steep concessions on them.”

PENSIONS THE ISSUE

The two sides have both said the issue is changes to employee pension plans. The Crown corporation claims CUPW’s demands are “not affordable” and would add $1 billion in costs over the life of a new contract. The union accused Canada Post of preparing to lock workers out, and creating uncertainty by warning the public to avoid the post office. The Canada Revenue Agency has deemed Old Age Security, Canada Pension Plan, Working Income Tax Benefit and the Canada Child Benefit cheques “essential” — even during a labour disruption. Spokesman Jon Hamilton said Canada Post has a memorandum of agreement with the union “where the federal socio-economic cheques will be delivered.”

The popular drive-up parking spaces and the underground spots at the TD Canada Trust branch at Millwood Rd. and Bayview Ave. will be closed until September.  The street-level Green P next door at 1503 Bayview remains open.

Times Square is a long way from Battle Creek Michigan, the place historically connected to cereal-maker Kellogg’s. But today, July 4, Kellogg’s has opened its first “cereal bar” in Times Square. It’s an attempt to revive interest in cereals and the prospect of more such places is open. The restaurant had dessert chef Christina Tosi (owner of Momofoku Milk Bar and a judge on Master Chef US) create six recipes made with different Kellogg’s cereals: Pistachio & Lemon, The Circus, Berry Au Lait, Berry Me In Green Tea, The Chai Line, and The Corny Blues.

A poll which is ongoing on Monday morning on the CP24 website indicates that fewer than two in ten Torontonians had much interest in the Pride Parade. More than 3,000 people have so far responded to the poll question which asked “Are you taking part/watching the Pride Parade today”. Eighteen per cent (384) had answered “Yes” by 9 a.m. and 82 per cent (1,786) had answered “No”. There is no measure of just why this result occurs but a simple lack of interest seems likely. In Toronto, both City and Ontario governments rank the embrace of Pride and all diversities as the mark of superior citizenship. Tolerance is okay but embrace is better. Pride is apparently happy to see anyone marching along with it, except maybe the police. We’ll see. Do the St. Patrick’s Day Parade or Greek Independence rank higher than 18 per cent?  Who knows, but these days there are certainly non-Irish who wish to honour the wearin’ of the green. The Stanley Cup, now that’s a different sort of passion. Easy to embrace as well at less an 11 inches around.

OPP allege an argument between two strangers in a Walmart parking lot in Midland has ended with one of the two using his car to hit and kill the other. It was just  before 2 p.m. when 29-year-old Corby Stott, a mechanic with two children, was hit by a vehicle following an argument. The accused, Jason Heffernan, 25, of London, is behind bars and will appear in court Wednesday in Barrie.

Mississauga library workers go on strike Monday closing all buildings. It’s about money. The Canadian Union of Public Employees says 96 percent of members rejected a 1.5 per cent pay increase because, according to CUPE, inflation was two per cent.