Famed television producer Norman Lear passed away this week at 101.
Mr. Lear was well known as the producer of a number of hit TV shows, including All in the Family, Maude, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, and Good Times.
Continue readingOn December 2nd, 2023, the Etobicoke-Lakeshore Santa Claus Parade took place. The parade took place along Lake Shore Boulevard West from Dwight Avenue to 30th Street in the communities of New Toronto and Long Branch.
This is the second year of the parade since the pandemic.
There were several floats, some marching bands, local politicians, and some local sports groups.
Here are some pictures and videos of the parade:
Continue readingWith the worst of the pandemic seemingly behind us, and almost all restrictions removed, or rarely applied, I think it is time to discuss how condominiums hold meetings of the owners going forward.
During the pandemic, condominiums were legally given the right to hold meetings virtually regardless of whether or not a condominium had rules about this.
Continue reading
Today marks the 60th Anniversary of the JFK Assassination. On this day in 1963, while riding through Dallas, Texas, U.S. President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald. Many people still remember where they were when they heard the news of his assassination.
The official report of the assassination, the Warren Commission, stated that Lee Harvey Oswald acted on his own on November 22, 1963 when he shot and killed the President, and also concluded that Jack Ruby acted on his own when he shot Oswald two days later.
Continue readingOn November 19th, 2023 the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) restored all day streetcar service to Long Branch Loop after streetcar service was suspended since January 2021 due to work at the King-Queen-Queensway-Roncesvalles (KQQR) intersection.
At the same time, the TTC announced that service between Long Branch Loop and Humber Loop would operate separate from the rest of the 501 Queen line, but also would be renamed the ‘507 Long Branch’. The 507 Long Branch ran as a separate line, between Long Branch Loop and Humber Loop for many years before being merged into the 501 Queen line in the mid-1990’s.
I ventured out on the first day of service to get some pictures and videos:
Continue readingToday, November 11th 2023, we mark Remembrance Day in Canada and the sacrifices made by our military during the many conflicts Canada has been involved in.
Canadians have a long tradition of joining its allies in conflicts when required and to successfully fight in many difficult situations in order that we all may enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy today.
Continue readingA new statue of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II have been unveiled at Queen’s Park in Toronto, Ontario – the home of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario – on November 7th, 2023.
The statue waas originally planned to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of Her Majesty’s ascension as Queen of Canada, which occurred in 2022. Issues over funding the statue delayed the installation of the statue.
Present at the ceremony were Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Premier Doug Ford, Speaker Ted Arnott, and Chief R. Donald Maracle of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.
Continue readingFor the first time in two years and ten months, or since January 2021, the TTC has resumed streetcar service on their 501 Queen line as far west as Humber Loop on October 29th, 2023.
The service was suspended as work occurred at the King-Queen-Queensway-Roncesvalles (KQQR) intersection and the surrounding area.
Now that work is completed there, service has resumed to Humber Loop all day, every day. Service west of Humber Loop continues to see shuttle bus service all day until November 19th when all day streetcar service resumes. However, 508 Lakeshore streetcars will operate all the way to Long Branch Loop during rush hours starting October 30th, 2023.
Here are some pictures from the first day of service to Humber Loop:
Continue readingI attended the October 14th, 2023 performance of Ludwig van Beethoven‘s only opera, Fidelio, at the Canadian Opera Company (C.O.C.)
The production, by Matthew Ozawa, is presented in a modern day prison. The set is a large cuve placed on a turntable, so that it could be moved to show different scenes within the prison. The production seemed to work well to demonstrate the story and to show off that tyranny and corruption still exists today and that we cannot deny this.
The production stars Miina-Liisa Värelä (Leonore), Clay Hilley (Florestan), Dimitry Ivashchenko (Rocco), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Don Pizarro), Anna-Sophie Neher (Marzelline), Josh Lovell (Jaquino), Sava Vemić (Don Fernando), Wesley Harrison (First Prisoner), and Alex Halliday (Second Prisoner.)
Continue readingAs this is the second Monday in October, I would like to wish everyone in Canada a Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving traditionally marks the end of the harvest season in Canada and has been celebrated in Canada since 1879 and the date varied each year until 1957.
Let’s discuss the history of Thanksgiving in Canada:
Continue reading
Edward Brain's Blog 