One capybara as been captured and sent off to some sort of rest and recovery location, according to High Park Zoo officials. It will be back at the zoo in short order. But the second of two of these large rodent-like creatures continues to elude capture. It appears the mixed team of expert and amateur capybara capturers needs a bigger net or better bait.
Elusive capybara captured
https://t.co/ysROdcJn1l pic.twitter.com/JS3wrx7HTK— Toronto Sun (@TheTorontoSun) June 13, 2016
Police will launch a one-week campaign related to safe driving and safe cycling on Monday. It will last over until Sunday, June 19, 2016. Below is the TPS release.
The Service will be launching the S.P.A.C.E. to Cycle campaign, starting on Monday, June 13, 2016. The campaign (Safety, Prevention, Awareness, Courtesy, Education) will conclude on Sunday, June 19, 2016. This one-week campaign is designed to promote awareness and education by reducing the potential for cycling and wheel-sport-related injuries. Building partnerships and mobilizing local communities to respond to local traffic problems will assist in sustaining successful efforts and improve neighbourhood roadway safety
CARS AND BIKES
Education and enforcement of cycling offences are critical to ensuring safe roadways for our communities. All frontline officers will be paying particular attention to those motorists whose actions endanger the lives of cyclists, for example, drivers failing to proceed through turns safely, opening vehicle doors improperly, and driving/parking in designated cycling lanes, all contribute to reduce cycling safety. Officers will also be paying attention to cyclists who commit offences that endanger all road-users, including the cyclists themselves. Parking Enforcement Officers will assist with this initiative by concentrating on parking offences that may compromise the safety of cyclists.
SIDEWALKS
Editors remarks: One of the great dilemmas of cycling is the final safe refuge for cyclists of the sidewalk. It’s common on Bayview Ave. Cycling on the sidewalk, which is illegal, is tolerable if it is done slowly and doesn’t approach pedestrians from behind. Otherwise, walkers can choose to hide in a doorway or try to read just where the cyclist will go. Not a good bet. It is an issue on which more than one public meeting with the police has broken down. Cyclists say they don’t feel safe on the road and pedestrians don’t feel safe dodging bikes.
Erica Stark
A parkette on Bain Ave in Riverdale has been named for a former Leaside woman, Erica Stark. She was killed in 2014 when a minivan jumped the sidewalk and struck her while she was walking a dog in Scarborough. The accident occurred at the corner of Gilder Rd. and Eglinton Ave. Stark, 42, was honoured by friends and family, including her husband David, at a ceremony in the parkette Saturday. It is located near Pape and Danforth Ave. and was the former Bain Ave. Parkette. Erica Stark was born Erica Bissinger and spent her formative years in Leaside. She has three children, all boys. Erica Stark (Bissinger) formerly of Leaside
CBC Photo via Twitter
Bayview Avenue shoppers will want to keep in mind the 70th Anniversary Sale event at Dolly Jewellers, 1699 Bayview. It coincides with the BIA’s Sidewalk Sensation Sale on Saturday, June 25. There will be cake and refreshments as Dolly Jewellers marks this birthday. Dolly Jewellers marks 70 years in business in Toronto Sidewalk Sensation If you are a merchant on Bayview Ave., tell The South Bayview Bulldog what you plan for the Sidewalk Sensation.
Leaside Library, McRae Drive
Bob’s Garden Centre, 959 Mr. Pleasant Rd., north of Broadway
Royal LePage Real Estate, 1391 Bayview Avenue, at McRae Dr.
Stars Food Shop, 900 Millwood Road, at Randolph Rd.
Urban Nature Store in the mall on the west side of Brentcliffe south of Eglinton
Write impressions, 1515 Bayview Avenue, at Millwood Rd.
Wisey’s Pies & Bakehouse, 874 Eglinton Ave. East, at Laird
1st Place Winner Category Early French Immersion: Mubeena Mistry. Speech: "L'islamophobie" from Leaside High School https://t.co/KfzcIuSjnw
— CPF Ontario (@CPFontario) June 8, 2016
Tree blooms stuff for girls
The annual offering of many households (15 this year) drew a local crowd Saturday. The event takes place on Banff between Eglinton and Soudan Ave. One mom with three daughters used the front-yard tree to showcase this year’s cast offs.
The Opera Atelier Sale at All Canadian Storage at 1 Laird Drive Saturday drew a large crowd and pretty much sold out the inventory three hours before the sale was scheduled to end at 5 p.m. Here was see Jennifer Peattie of Bayview Ave. trying on a lively costume suitable to a 17th Century courtier. She bought it. Baroque Begot By Gosh. The annual event is sponsored by Hal Spadling of All Canadian Storage whose large facility across from the Leaside Gardens is suitable for this and many other events.
Jennifer Peattie
The Toronto Star has published a profile of Ward 27 Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam. It’s worth a read. Ms. Wong-Tam presides over a huge ward, one which is not just large but quite possibly diverse beyond help. It should probably be broken up. The writer, Alex Ballingall quotes the Councillor as saying her constituents range from the top of the one per cent to the bottom of the 99 per cent. Residents of Rosedale and Moore Park might dislike being included in that largely fictional “one percent” category of scapegoats. But they might agree that hard-working as she is, one percent is about as much of the Councillor’s time as they get. Alex Ballingall, Toronto Star
The threat from Walmart being reported Saturday to stop accepting Visa cards may be a bluff, but that will depend on whether it spooks Visa into giving Walmart a break on fees. Retailers everywhere know too well the cost of accepting credit cards. Dollarama, the wildly successful Canadian low-end chain, accepts only cash or debit and appears happy with that arrangement. There was a pilot project to see if credit cards cannibalized its cash and debit revenues but nothing seems to have come of it. In 2004 in the U.S. the huge drugstore chain Walgreen (not connected with Walmart) stopped accepting American Express cards because the fees were too high. It may also have had to do with the Amex practice of holding the receipts for a while. Later, after some sort of deal, Walgreens accepted Amex again.
WHO GETS HURT?
The question is, who gets hurt. The conventional guess is that Walmart sees a lot of Visa business, It’s customers may be close to maxed most of the time. In the Walgreens-Amex tiff, it was agreed that Amex was the loser because well-heeled drugstore customers had cash or other means of paying for prescriptions and sundries. At Dollarama, there is no doubt that Visa and MasterCard are the losers. CBC
The citizens group known as Concerned Residents of Leaside has sent general e-mail asking for financial support to fight RioCan over the redevelopment as proposed of Sunnybrook Plaza. The giant REIT has appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board to overturn the City’s refusal to permit high-rise towers 13 and 19 floors at the site. The mail, which was forwarded by Geoff Kettel, says the City has completed its assessment of RioCan’s proposal, “which is largely in favour of the community. We have a few more points to add, but this is very positive for us. Nonetheless, to fully represent the community’s interests, we will be hiring a lawyer and city planner for representation at the OMB to oppose RioCan’s appeal.”
GO FUND ME
The mail asks people to contribute to a fund at the Go Fund Me site to raise as estimated $30,000 to hire a lawyer and cover other costs related to winning at the OMB, It extends an open invitation to a “community lawn meeting” on Saturday June 18th at 9:30 AM, at 281 Bessborough Dr. to discuss the strategy and answer any questions. It say to bring a lawn chair.
CITY’S ADVICE TO RIOCAN
The mail summarizes the City’s advice to RioCan about this project as follows:
– Revise the proposal to predominantly mid-rise form (9 to 11 storeys)
– Comply with angular planes of neighbouring sites
– Increase the amount of non-residential gross floor area
– Provide an additional setback for the townhouses along the private driveway
– Continue to refine the private driveway to improve the pedestrian environment
– Adjust the setbacks around the buildings for better pedestrian flow and accommodate road widening
– Increase the amount of outdoor amenity space
OMB PRE-HEARING JULY 26, 2016
The matter will be discussed at the North York Community Council meeting on June 14th, at around, but not before, 2 p.m. at the North York Civic Centre (5100 Yonge Street) on the lower level in the Council Chamber. The OMB pre-hearing is set for July 26, 2016 at which the group must seek standing for the November meeting where the final decision will be taken.
