Toronto Starts first Post-season Appearance in 22 Years

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Edward Brain
Darren Oliver pitching in the 7th inning for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Blue Jays on the field at SkyDome!

The Toronto Blue Jays start their quest for their first World Series title in 22 years with their first appearance in the post-season on October 8th, 2015 with the first game of the American League Divisional Series (ALDS) at home against the Texas Rangers.

The best of five series sees Games 1, 2, and 5 (#5 if necessary) will be played in Toronto with Games 3 and 4 being played in Arlington, Texas.

The Blue Jays roster consists of the following players: Continue reading →

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Condominium Owners Protest Raises Questions

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Edward Brain

The CBC has an interesting article on-line: Etobicoke condo owners demand ‘justice’ after fee increase

I want to discuss this issue as it raises some questions.

Firstly, the article does not state why an Administrator was called in in the first place.  Usually this only happens when the condominium is poorly run by the elected Board of Directors.  So there are more than likely a lot of issues. Continue reading →

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Queen Elizabeth II Sets New Record

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Edward Brain
Queen Elizabeth's Statute

Queen Elizabeth’s Statute

September 9th, 2015 will go down as the day Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest reigning Monarch in the history of Canada and 15 other realms.  Her Majesty’s reign surpasses the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria who reigned for 63 years and 216 days.

Her Majesty ascended the throne of Canada on February 6th, 1952 when her father, King George VI, passed away. Continue reading →

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94th Warriors’ Day Parade

Posted on August 23, 2015 by Edward Brain

On Saturday August 22nd, Toronto celebrated the 94th Warriors’ Day Parade at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE).  This year’s Warriors’ Day Parade also commemorated the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The Parade started at 10:30 a.m. at the Princes’ Gate, at the east end of the CNE grounds, and continued past the Direct Energy Centre, before turning south and ended just east BMO Field.

The parade also gave us a chance to thank our veterans and current members of the Canadian Forces. Continue reading →

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2015 CNE is Underway

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Edward Brain
Canadian National Exhibition poster, Toronto, ...

Canadian National Exhibition poster, Toronto, 1919. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, August 21st, 2015, the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) opened for the 2015 season.  The CNE runs until Labour Day, September 7th.

The Buildings are open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the grounds remain open until midnight.  The Midway operates from 11 a.m. to midnight on weekdays, and from 10 a.m. until midnight on weekends.

Labour Day sees reduced hours, with the buildings closing at 7 p.m., and the grounds and Midway at 9 p.m.

The grounds and gates officially open at 10 a.m., although people are usually allowed to enter a little earlier.

Admission to the CNE is $18 for General Admission (14-64 years old), $15 for Seniors (65+), and $15 for Children 5-13.  A Family rate is $52 (either 2 adults and 2 kids or 1 adult and 3 kids).  Prices include HST.

For the Midway, an unlimited pass costs $40.  4 Coupons are available for $5, 22 Coupons for $22, and 55 coupons for $55. Continue reading →

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David Price Debuts for the Blue Jays

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Edward Brain

August 3rd, 2o15 will be remembered in Toronto as David Price made his first ever Blue Jays start.  Price started his first game since being traded from Detroit to Toronto on July 30th.  In nine previous starts in Rogers Centre/SkyDome, David Price had a record of 7-0.

Price would pitch eight innings of one run ball.  He would give up only three hits and two walks, and would strike out 11 batters (a new Blue Jays record for a pitcher in his first game for the team.)

The offence would help him, by scoring five runs. Continue reading →

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Canada Succeeds at Toronto Pan Am Games

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Edward Brain
2015 Pan Am Emblem

2015 Pan Am Emblem

Team Canada has pulled off a success at the 2015 Pan Am Games held in Toronto, Ontario.  In total, Canada finished with 217 medals (78 Gold, 69 Silver, and 70 Bronze.)  This was good enough for second place behind the United States with 265 medals (103 Gold, 81 Silver, and 81 Bronze.)  The third place team was Brazil, hosts of the 2016 Summer Olympics, with 141 medals (41 Gold, 40 Silver, and 60 Bronze.)

Canada was represented by 720 athletes competing in all 36 sports, the most athletes to represent Canada at any multi-sport event. Continue reading →

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Jon Vickers has Passed Away

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Edward Brain

Jon Vickers, the legendary Canadian heldentenor, has passed away at the age of 88.  His family announced that he had been suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease for a number of years.

Mr. Vickers was born October 29th, 1926 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.  He was the sixth of eight children.

Mr. Vickers sang in a number of leading opera houses, including the Royal Opera, The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and La Scala.  He also sang with at the Salzburg and Bayreuth Festivals. Continue reading →

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Omar Sharif is Dead at 83

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Edward Brain

It has been announced that Oscar nominated actor Omar Sharif has passed away.

Mr. Sharif became famous for starring in such movies as Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.  Other movies included The Fall of the Roman Empire, Funny Girl, The Pink Panther Strikes Again (uncredited), Juggernaut, and Monsieur Ibrahim. Continue reading →

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MLB All-Star Teams Announced

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Edward Brain

Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced the players who will be the starters for the 2015 All-Star Game on July 14th in Cincinnati.

With the exception of the starting pitcher for both teams, each position player starting the game is voted in through popular voting.

The following players were voted to start the All-Star game: Continue reading →

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