75th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings

Posted on June 6, 2019 by
Juno Beac

Juno Beach (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, June 6th 2019, marks the 75th Anniversary of Canada‘s involvement in the D-Day landings in Normandy France.

On June 6th 1944, members of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division and the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade, with the help of the Royal Canadian Navy and the British Marines, landed on the beach code named JUNO in the early morning.

The Canadians had some of the best results on the first day of fighting – some troops progressed further on the first day of fighting than any other units.  Canadians were dealt with 359 dead, 574 wounded, and 47 captured on the first day of fighting.

Let us not forget the sacrifices made that day, and throughout the war, to fight for the freedoms we enjoy today.

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2019 Stanley Cup Finals

Posted on May 26, 2019 by

The Stanley Cup Finals is now set with the Western Conference Champions the St. Louis Blues taking on the Eastern Conference Champions the Boston Bruins.  The series begins Monday night, May 27th.

This is the third postseason meeting between the two teams with the Bruins winning both of the previous meetings in 1970 and 1972.  The teams split their two games during the regular season. Continue reading →

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Farewell to ALRV #4243

Posted on May 24, 2019 by

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has officially retired Articulated Light Rail Vehicle (ALRV) #4243.  I have always had a soft spot for this particular streetcar, perhaps because of its number – ’42’ followed by ’43’, I am not sure.  But it has always been my favourite ALRV.

The ALRV fleet, along with the fleet for which its’ design is based on – the Canadian Light Rail Vehicle (CLRV), are being retired by the TTC as their new streetcars, the Flexity Outlook, are entering service.

As a farewell to this streetcar, here are some pictures I have taken over the years of #4243: Continue reading →

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Happy Victoria Day 2019

Posted on May 20, 2019 by
Queen Victoria (State portrait) by Sir George ...

Queen Victoria (State portrait) by Sir George Hayter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, May 20th 2019, is Victoria Day in Canada. I want to wish every Canadian a very happy and safe Victoria Day.

Today marks the celebration of the birthday of Canada’s first monarch, Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901 and was Monarch when four British colonies – Canada West (Ontario), Canada East (Quebec), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia – were combined together to create the Dominion of Canada.

Queen Victoria would see Canada grow rapidly, with the purchase of Rupert’s Land to form the Northwest Territory, as well Manitoba, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island all joining Confederation. Continue reading →

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Owners can Remove Directors not Officers

Posted on May 18, 2019 by

Gerry Hyman has another article for the Toronto Star.  Let’s discuss some of the questions raised:

QUESTION:  We are wondering if the condominium unit owners have the right to vote for the removal of the president of the board? The owners believe that he has acted improperly. Continue reading →

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2019 NHL Conference Finals

Posted on May 9, 2019 by

The Conference Finals for the NHL Playoffs are now set.

One Original Six Team remains as the Boston Bruins beat out the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round and then the Columbus Blue Jackets to make it to the Conference Finals.

No Canadian teams remain in the post-season and both teams in the Western Conference played seven game match-ups. Continue reading →

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How to Fix Region of Peel’s Council

Posted on May 2, 2019 by

Peel Region Logo (Copyright Region of Peel)

There has been a lot of discussion recently about the City of Mississauga wanting to separate from the Region of Peel as the Province of Ontario (Queen’s Park) is currently reviewing the operation of its Regional Municipalities.

While on the surface it sounds easy for Mississauga to leave the Region of Peel, as the City only receives half of the seats on regional council, yet has the majority of the region’s population (62%), and provides a majority of the revenue it receives from property taxes (66%), it would likely not be an easy situation to accomplish.  Just looking at what is occurring in the United Kingdom over Brexit is an example of how this could become very complicated very quickly. Continue reading →

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2019 NHL Conference Semi-Finals

Posted on April 25, 2019 by

The second round match-ups of the 2019 NHL playoffs are now set and are set to start tonight, April 25th 2019.

Only one Original Six team remains in the postseason – the Boston Bruins who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games.  There are no remaining Canadian based team, so for the 26th consecutive year no Canadian team will win the Stanley Cup.

The match-ups are as follows:

Eastern Conference

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins

Boston won two of the three match-ups between the two teams this year and this is their first ever post-season meeting.  The Bruins knocked off the Maple Leafs in the first round for the second consecutive year (and the third time in six years) while the Blue Jackets defeated the reigning Presidents’ trophy winners, the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Look for the Bruins to win in six games.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders

The Islanders won two of the three match-ups this year.  This is their first post-season match-up.  The Islanders beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in four games while the Hurricanes beat the Washington Capitals in seven games, including a double overtime game seven.  Look for the Islanders to win in seven games.

Western Conference

Dallas Stars vs. St. Louis Blues

In four regular season match-ups this season The Stars won three.  This is the 14th post-season match-up between the two teams with The Blues winning seven of those times .  The Blues won their last match-up, in the second round of the 2016 playoffs.  The Stars beat the Nashville Predators in six games to get to this round while the Blues beat the Winnipeg Jets in six games.  Look for the Stars to win in six games.

Colorado Avalanche vs. San Jose Sharks

The Shrks won all four games this season.  This is their fifth meeting in the post-season with each team winning twice, the last time being in 2010 when the Sharks won.  Look for the Avalanche to win in six games.

So, look for the following teams to win:

Eastern Conference:  Boston Bruins and New York Islanders
Western Conference:  Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars.

I was 1-7 in my predictions for the first round.  Let’s hope I made better predictions this time.

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Idomeneo at Opera Atelier

Posted on April 13, 2019 by

I caught the last performance of Mozart’s Idomeneo by Opera Atelier on April 13th, 2019 at the Ed Mirvish Theatre.

The performance starred Colin Ainsworth (Idomeneo), Measha Bruggergosman (Elettra), Wallis Giunta (Idamante), Meghan Lindsay (Llia), Bradley Christensen (Priest), Olivier Laquerre (Arbace), and Douglas Williams (Neptune.)

The production was directed by Marshall Pynkoski and conducted by David Fallis. Continue reading →

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First Round of 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Posted on April 9, 2019 by

The first round of the National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs are now set with the end of the 2018-2019 regular season.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are the Presidents’ Trophy winners while the Pittsburgh Penguins have made the playoffs for the 13th straight year.  The New York Islanders have home ice advantage for the first time since 1988, while both south California teams, the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.  The Carolina Hurricanes also ended a 10 year post season drought by making the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

Out of seven Canadian teams, three made the playoffs:  Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets.  Two Original Six teams made the playoffs:  Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs. Continue reading →

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