The South Bayview Bulldog

The Liberals will set up a four-member independent panel to examine whether Canada Post should end mail delivery. The  Prime Minister, Mr. Trudeau, promised to restore home-delivery during the election campaign but so far he has only put further cuts on hold. The Public Services Minister Judy Foote says “all options” will be on the table including a genuine blast from the past — post office banking.  It is a curiosity which has outlived the memory of most people having been eliminated in 1968. The five big banks won’t be so keen on this idea.

Michael Ford will run to occupy the Toronto Ward 2 seat on City Council seat left vacant by the death of his uncle, former Mayor Rob Ford.  Young Ford has served as a Toronto District School Board trustee. The byelection is set for July 25.

A wildlife expert, Brad Gates, has concluded that damage done to at least one of the new lockable green bins was caused by rats or squirrels. He concludes this based on the size of the teeth marks in the plastic lids as shown in a photo taken by a Scarborough householder. Mr. Gates also says it appears the new bins have been made of a lighter plastic which permits smaller creatures to penetrate the bins. He also guesses that the lighter plastic was used to accommodate the weight of the locking mechanism on the lid. Mr. Gates may not be the final word on the useability of these bins but his knowledge of animal teeth marks seems sound.

Toronto City Council has voted 38 to 3 in favour of the pilot project that would see bicycle lanes along a section of Bloor n St. W. from Shaw Street to Avenue Road. The decision will see the removal, at least for the length of the pilot and maybe permanently, of 135 parking spaces and $840,000 in parking revenue. The much-hyped debate and vote on Wednesday suggested that the outcome of the vote would be much closer than it was. The issue of bike lanes has something for everyone. Advocates say it will make the City greener, help business and speed cyclists safely on their way.

SCEPTICS

Sceptics and those simply against more bicycles on the road say such lanes are an attempt to forcibly limit the use of automobiles, a waste of roadway and an attack on small businesses on the street.  The pilot may start as early as August and is set to last for one year. One complaint was that there were no criteria for deciding whether the pilot has been a success. Among the many voting in favor was Ward 25 Councillor Jaye Robinson who previously had opposed it but had been converted by staff information. Indeed, many supporting the scheme are not in the cycle lobby but like Mayor Tory say the pilot is “the right thing to do.” It could mean anything.

As suits the business of the client, Metro-owned Food Basics, it doesn’t take much to make a commercial for the budget food store (East York Town Centre). There were a couple of trucks, a personnel trailer and a cluttered front lawn at the Bessborough Drive site on Wednesday. But where do they really shop?

This girl has been found safe

Restoring power to 66 Rowanwood

It was a big one — who knows how many years old — but last night it finally gave up. This huge tree collapsed across sidewalks and driveway on Rowanwood Ave. near Cluny Drive. No one was hurt.

This is terrifying scene through the windshield as one family fled Fort McMurray

Thousands of residents of the northern Alberta town of Fort McMurray have fled through flames leaping at them across the only highway out of town as a wildfire seemed set to destroy the community. The local hospital was said to be on fire and many homes and camp grounds have been wiped out. Brian Jean, the member of the Legislature for the area, said flames were encroaching on the city centre and the city’s evacuated hospital was on fire. “Our hospital is on fire, where my children were born,” a sombre Jean told The Canadian Press in an interview. “My home of the last 10 years and the home I had for 15 years before that are both destroyed. “I’m just hoping that the home I grew up in isn’t, but I’m afraid it probably is.”He said businesses that have been in his family for three generations have been destroyed. “It is a devastating impact but I’m hoping that we’ve had no loss of life,” he said. Spectator Global

York Regional Police have identified the owner of a car seen speeding the wrong way in Markham but they are still uncertain it seems as to who was behind the wheel. The car,  a beige Toyota Corolla,was hurting along 16th Avenue, just east of Markham Road, in front of St. Brother Andre Catholic High School. Based on the video of the car an informant told cops the  vehicle plate number. On Wednesday, police located both the vehicle and the owner of the vehicle but they say they are still looking to identify the person who was behind the wheel.