Prime Minister’s message on Canada Day 149

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EAST YORK: Rainy, then sunny, then rainy, then sunny

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The East York Canada Day parade preparations took place in damp weather Friday morning at Dieppe  Park on Cosburn Ave. But the 47th annual parade began on time and headed off to Stan Wadlow Park. The day was rainy, then sunny, then rainy, then sunny. The video shows the crowd and some old police cars. Also present was Phillip Wilson of East York with his 1948 Monarch (Mercury) showing a mere 31,000 miles on the odometer. The Monarch, like the lower-end Meteor, was produced by the Ford Motor Company solely for the Canadian market.  East York Canada Day Schedule.

monarch

Phillip Wilson shows off 1948 Monarch produced by Ford

Reflections on a Canada still going strong 149 years later

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It is undeniably a blessed place. Some might say that the wealth of Canada is still the space, water and minerals found so plentifully. They are the foundation of the many happy lives that are lived here. Greatness? Well, Canada has certainly done great things but it is good to remember that all our memorable efforts in war and peace must be seen through the human eyes of our diverse peoples. Opinions may vary. As flesh and blood Canadians, it may be said that our open and democratic ways have served us well. The pioneer leaders of the few souls who inhabited the colonies in 1867 were lucky to escape being gobbled up by the emerging United States at the end of their Civil War. It is said the purchase of Alaska from the Russian Czar by the Americans earlier in 1867 shocked the Queen and Foreign Office. Canada was forged and declared a Confederation within three months of the American move.

PEACE, ORDER, GOOD GOVERNMENT

Since then we have fought wars and recessions, welcomed immigrants and educated many generations in peace and stability. Who can forget that our founding bywords were “Peace, Order and Good Government.” Some say that’s dull stuff but just ask those who don’t have these things how critical they are. Along the way, Canadian democracy talked Quebec separatism into exhaustion. That was a victory. And it is well to remember that although we nearly all became Americans, it is upon the U.S. that we have relied in modern times for a strong friend against more populated countries which might have wished to poach land from this enormous but sparsely-populated Canada. So far so good. Have a good one.

Bar fight at Eglinton and Sutherland settled quickly

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Readers may guess for themselves where this call originated but as the second TPS Ops tweet confirms, there wasn’t much to it.

City takes possession of new parkland on Manor Road

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lawn club signs The City has taken possession of a large piece of land on Manor Rd. on which it will build a park. Here we see Councillor Josh Matlow (Ward 22) neighbor Derek Tilley and Lucas Barredo, son of neighbors Sandy and Frank Barredo holding a freshly sawn off sign placed there by the previous owner. The land is the former Manor Road Lawn Bowling Club property which came into the possession a contractor. This was the result of a disputed transaction carried out by former executives of the club. The developer wanted to build homes across the width of the frontage but was forced into negotiation by the City, which wanted it as a park. The saw-off compromise permits one home on the east end of the property while the rest will become a park. Councillor Matlow said that in the fall he will hold meetings to discuss with residents how this park, and another new park at Manor and Foreman Rd.will be configured. One may be more kid-friendly while another is designed with benches for sitting.

Michael Warren excoriates Mayor Tory on 1-stop subway

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The former head of the TTC Michael Warren has written another op-ed in the Toronto Star excoriating Mayor Tory for his commitment to the one-stop Scarborough subway. The link was tweeted by Josh Matlow, Ward 22, a determined opponent to this project. Previous link: Matlow declares Tory remarks sad, desperate and shameful 

Obama lays it on with a trowel, takes a shot about NATO

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U.S. President Obama rolled out the flattery for Canada in his remarks to the House of Commons Wednesday. No doubt it got the MPs thoroughly chuffed up, at least on the government side. There was a mild shot about money, specifically how little Canada contributes to NATO. It is a common failing among NATO members. At the Granite Club, Canada would be expelled for being in arrears

Summit sees soul-searching about non-democratic EU

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The elected governments of member EU states have had to come to grips with the non-democratic decisions of the huge bureaucracy that has been built up over the decades in Brussels. In legal declarations both sweeping and insufferably intrusive, the EU functionaries have regulated everything from the curvature of bananas to be sold in European markets to trade with Canada because of the seal hunt.

Sunnybrook to get super-precise tumour-targeting tool

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A revolutionary six-tonne piece of machinery will be lowered through the roof of Sunnybrook’s Odette Cancer Centre and into a specially constructed radiation treatment bunker. It will be a huge undertaking – the equipment is so massive the roof is the only way in. But the effort will be worth it because the new diagnostic device (known as an MR-Linac) will permit the precise targeting of even the most elusive tumours with high-powered radiation. The MR-Linac is manufactured by the Swedish firm Elekta and Phillips. It carries out high-definition imaging of tumours in real-time during radiation therapy. This will allow Odette Cancer Centre specialists to target tumours with extraordinary precision – even as a tumour moves inside the body – and to quickly see the radiation’s effect on the tumour. Sunnybrook Health Matters — edited. 

Police confirm body of Nadler and wife found in wreckage

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Peel police confirmed Friday that the man’s body found in wreckage of a home on Hickory Drive in Mississauga is in fact that of the owner, Robert Nadler, 55. They had earlier identified a woman’s body as that of his wife, Dianne Page 55.  Authorities continue to work to confirm the cause of the explosion which has been widely speculated as a natural gas build up inside the home. But no determination has been revealed. Police also continue to review the many handwritten notes which are said to complain about ill health, a lack of money and seemed apologetic in nature.

 

Hydro continuing to work on Riverdale area outage

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Sobey’s parent takes stunning $1.3 bln charge on Safeway

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Empire Co. Ltd., the parent of Sobeys, has taken a $1.3 billion impairment charge over its disastrous acquisition of Safeway in western Canada three years ago. The hint of serious problems arose last fall when Empire announced massive difficulties integrating Safeway stores into its sales and inventory systems. Empire shares plummeted close to 10 per cent Wednesday as the firm conceded there is much work to be done in order to remedy problems in its supply chain, rationalize private labels and try to squeeze a profit out of the disappearing margins of the grocery business.

INSTRUCTIVE STORY

It is an instructive story for those wondering why Whole Foods isn’t just keen as can be to open a store at 1860 Bayview. In a word, it is a rough business and the competition isn’t getting any easier.  “It’s not simple promotional fixes that will get the job done,” Empire CEO Marc Poulin told analysts. “It’s more fundamental changes that will adapt the business for our customers.” Empire, second largest grocer after Loblaws, has suffered amid stiff competition from lower-priced discount chains such as No Frills and Walmart.