Coach bags Kate Spade with flashy $2.4 US billion purse

Coach has bagged competitor Kate Spade in a deal worth $2.4 US billion. Coach will pay $18.50 in cash for each Kate Spade share — an increase of nearly 30% from where the stock was trading prior to rumors of a sale. Coach said it expects the transaction to close by the end of the third quarter. It plans to preserve Kate Spade’s “brand independence” and retain key staff.

Landslide drops Rose Park backyards into Yellow Creek

In the wake of landslides that wiped out at least two backyards Friday, the Moore Park Residents Association will meet Wednesday for its annual general meeting. Ravines are always high on the Moore Park agenda where two great divides run through the area of fine homes, most built there in the 1920s. Friday’s collapse occurred behind at least two homes on Rose Park Crescent north of St.Clair Ave West and west of Inglewood Drive. This land overlooks David Balfour Park and the Yellow Creek. It seems steeper generally and maybe less stable than properties that line the Moore Park Ravine in Moore Park and Bennington Heights. Many such properties on both ravines are landfill, added by residents. The Toronto Conservation Authority spends millions to keep the ravines stable but the repair cost after such landslide is the  responsibility of homeowners. And although owners rightly find such collapses frightening it is said to be the view of the conservation authority that the foundations of homes along the ravine are stable. The Moore Park AGM begins Wednesday at 7 p.m. at OLPH school on Garfield Ave.

SERRA hears of “greedy” and “inane” Midtown developers

The Annual General Meeting of the South Eglinton Ratepayers and Residents Association (SERRA) has heard Josh Matlow (Ward 22) call the planned apartment towers at 18 Brownlow Ave the work of a greedy developer. The City and SERRA are locked in dispute with the Montreal firm whose appeal of Toronto’s rejection of the plan will be heard at the OMB on Monday, May 29.  It calls for two 24 storey towers which Matlow said will “forever change the character of that area of Soudan and leave no reasonable transition from the neighbourhood area (single family homes) to the south and the apartments of the Yonge-Eglinton area. It was, he said, “really bad planning, a really greedy application.”

1951 YONGE

The Councillor had similar harsh words for the Times Group development at 1951 Yonge centred on the now razed former LCBO building at Yonge and Millwood Rd. This proposal asks for towers 25 and 35 floors each. This was an area that is zoned mid-rise (seven or eight floors). The proposal was “inane.”  Matlow also raised the spectre of “blockbusting” techniques seen in the 1960s highrise development. Times, he said, had two houses on Millwood which they were permitting to decline as a form of incentive to the community to see them razed. This was a ruse he suggested. The homes are within a single famly dwelling zone and their demolition would open the flood gates to a challenge of the entire street.  He also said Times has been working on buying the few low-rise properties on the east side of Yonge down to Davisville. The corner property is the original store of John Davis (now a Starbucks). Matlow said he told Times that if they ever tried to knock it down he would “chain myself to the door.”

CANADA SQUARE

This is TTC property on the southwest corner of Yonge and Eglinton now being used as staging land for construction of the Crosstown LRT. Oxford Property Group will build on it and Matlow repeated his determination to see a very large public space on the corner, not a token green space. He said that he insisted on written assurance — apparently not yet  done — that Oxford would not be permitted to appeal any objection by the City to the as-yet undecided development on this public land to the OMB. The well-attended meeting was held in the newly-built meeting hall of Greenwood College School at Mt. Pleasant Rd. and Davisville Ave.

Gullible victims sought by crooks using “sharing” scam

Gullible residents of Midtown are at risk if they swallow the bait arriving in the mail this week from a writer posing as an exile of the African country of Ivory Coast. In the letter, which seems to arrive at homes which still have a landline telephone with a listed address, the writer offers to share 30 per cent of $77.8 million if the sucker who gets the letter helps “my mother and myself” to get the cash out of some sort of political limbo. The recipient is invited to get in touch with the man who claims he is the son of a former president of Ivory Coast, by email or telephone, in the United Kingdom. The letter is postmarked in Malaysia. .

Trauma dog Dandy shows how she can comfort victims

Dandy, a trauma dog has recently completed her training and certification and is set to provide support and comfort for clients of Victims Services Toronto, a non-profit organization associated with the TPS. VST provides immediate crisis response, intervention and prevention services which are responsive to the needs of individuals, families and communities affected by crime and sudden tragedies. Bobbie McMurrich, VST’s associate executive director, conceived the trauma dog program.

John Tory Show features Andrea Horwath, money for Pride

Mayor Tory was busy Monday with political programming unlike any seen during his hitch at NewsTalk1010. First he had Andrea Horwath down at City Hall promising to offer Toronto money to fix up social housing (if the NDP is elected). No one from the Liberal cabinet found this prospect threatening enough to dash down to Nathan Phillips Square and gripe about the challenge to Grit hegemony. Then, a tight-rope act to beat them all as his honour said he favours giving Pride its full measure of taxpayer funding this summer, even if it does ban the police from the parade. The mayor issued a statement which said: “This year, our Police Chief Mark Saunders decided in the prevailing circumstances, to withdraw police from marching in this year’s parade – and to focus on working with the LGBTQ and Black communities to ensure that we have a strong foundation of trust and partnership going forward.” Yeah. It’s the chief’s fault. Such a troublemaker.

Furious work at 850 Millwood to ready for chocolate shop

Hammers were flying at Millwood and Rumsey Rds. Monday as preparation begins for the installation of Avoca Chocolates. Right, remember the short-lived boxing gymnasium here? The Kit-Kat sign of the previous and long-time variety store is still hanging in this January 2011 photo by The South Bayview Bulldog. Chocolate shop will open on Millwood beside Trace Manes

BMW caught out on untrue mileage claim for electric car

A Toronto man is upset because he leased a BMW electric vehicle on the basis of online advertising that  said it had a 200 kilometre-range on a charge. He realized right away, having leased the car, that this was not true. On review, he found that the online claim had been changed to 160 kilometres. The CBC says, yes, Internet archives show that BMW changed the figure without explanation or comment some 11 months after the man leased the car. CBC

Nominations event for East York Hall of Fame Monday

Official nominations for candidates to the East York Hall of Fame will take place today (Monday,  May 8, 2017) at 2 pm. at the East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Avenue in the True Davidson Council Chambers “The East York Hall of Fame is a new volunteer organization that’s committed to recognizing those special individuals who have made a real difference in our community,” said Justin Van Dette of the East York Hall of Fame.  “There are so many special East Yorkers that warrant recognition and we’ll be able to start doing that in 2017.”  Speakers will include Councillor Mary Fragedakis, Justin Van Dette, President, East York Hall of Fame Association, Ray White, Chair, East York Foundation and Marinela Ggheorgh, Porter Airlines Inc. Check the website here

Summerhill lot has plans, permits to build for $4,999,999

A Toronto woman has listed a lot at 61 Roxborough Street West for $4,999,999. It comes with plans, permits and a completed basement for a smashing residence in Summerhill. As told in Toronto Life and verified by MLS details the 32-by-158-foot lot was until recently the site of an original Roxborough home purchased by Elise Latner-Assaraf, daughter of Albert Latner, real estate developer and business magnate who died in 2015. Toronto Life notes a bitter struggle for control of his estate among his heirs. Ms Latner-Assaraf is married to fashion designer Patrick Assaraf. She bought the property for $2.8 million in 2015. A year later, she applied for permits to demolish the existing structure and replace it with a new three-storey home (pictured above) with a detached garage. But since demolition her plans have been changed by circumstance that are not discussed in the story. Who will wish to bargain from a listed figure of  $5 million for the opportunity to then construct the home? Dollars and sense must apply and as always, time and the marketplace will tell the story. .