Toronto....Heat Wave Makes City Stink & Tempers Flare

[Tropicana]

At this time of year it's always the same story, the city smells horrible. It absolutely stinks. I spent most of the day downtown and I just couldn't believe it. It is also making people cross.

I know I was not amused when I pointed to a pair of socks and asked the clerk how much they cost. She told me the price. I pointed to another pair (I was looking for pink socks but didn't find anything in that colour) and she asked me if I was looking for cheap socks. I was stunned and said "Did I tell you I was looking for cheap socks?" She stammered and sputtered.

When I paid for the 2 pairs of socks I let her know I was not pleased with her question and that I was a regular customer. She said "I am sorry for offending you." I said "Yes you did, you did offend me and I would suggest that in future you don't make assumptions."

If she was blonde I would have really taken her head off and complained to the manger......

...but this is NOTHING compared to what happened next.

Mi have to type it. Stand by.

[Tropicana]

So, I got to my appointment and I was relaxing. After a while, another customer came in and said there was a BIG fight outside. I went outside and saw one of the young Korean brothers who owns a business I patronize whenever I go downtown with blood pouring from his eye and covering his face. (Their business is around the corner.) There was a crowd and lots of yelling and screaming.

I went back inside and said, call 911. Apparently 3 people did. Well the cops came - 2 police cars.

Anyway couple of hours later when I was done, before heading home, I went to see the brothers. One police car was there. One brother (the one who was hit) has a very heavy accent and since he was upset it was hard to understand him. One lense of his glasses was gone and his eye and right eye and part of his face was bandaged. So the brother's fiance who is also Korean but doesn't have a strong accent told me what happened.

I am typing as fast as I can....

[Tropicana]

Okay so she said that the people from the building in front of which there was an altercation, kept leaving their garbage cans in front of their back door. Especially with the heat, every time the door was open, the smell would come into the building. Both businesses are on the same corner but different streets and there is a lane at the back.

So, they asked one of the ladies from the other building (a White lady) to please move the garbage cans to behind her own building as the smell was bothering customers. She said the bins had been bleached 2 days earlier and they did not smell, stuck her head in it and invited them to do the same. They declined. She said she would move them. She asked if their car could be moved up a bit so that there would be room for one more car.

So the fiancée went back inside and told her boyfriend about the request. He went to move the car and found the garbage bins had not been moved. So he approached the lady again. This time she started yelling and some White and Native Canadian guys came out on the back balcony and started hurling insults and yelling. The brother (the one with the fiancée said how dare you yell at me from there, if you have anything to say be a man about it and come down. So a whole bunch of guys came down. By then both brothers and the fiancée were outside. Yelling was going back and forth when all of a sudden one of the guys charged forward and punched one of the brothers in the eye. He had taken the chain from around his neck, wrapped it around his fist and punched him. The brother had to have 4 stitches.

What drama!! Come to think of it, I passed somewhere else yesterday on the way home and there were about 6 police stations....some gas station. Unbelievable what the heat wave does to people. We need some rain or a couple of cool days before people kill each other.

It is still 33°CFeels like 40

[j-kid]

Soh who did yuh cuss out dung town tudey?

[Tropicana]

Soh who did yuh cuss out dung town tudey?

Nobody but I did let the clerk at the socks store know in no uncertain terms that I was not amused. Since I am getting into fewer arguments on here...well except for this morning seems that I am speaking up more IRL. That is NOT a good thing.

[My Looh]

I live out yonda (a one hour drive from Toronto in a small community) and I work a ten minute drive away from where I live. I use to work downtown on the corner of College & Bay in the city when I was younger and then out in Etobicoke. I don't miss the city in the winter nor the summer. I'm making less money now but when you factor in the cost of gas and all the extra driving, I am breaking even.

I remember driving in on a day like today and you could see the huge cloud of brown haze hanging over the Toronto skyline.

[Tropicana]

If the air quality is this good, why does the city smell so bad.
Toronto Downtown: Current Air Quality Index

Date: Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Time: 8:00 pm EDT
AQI: 28
Reason: Ozone (O₃)
Health Effects: No health effects are expected in healthy people.

[j-kid]

Maybi dem using ah special meter, an by bad air standards, it is actually pretty good?

[Tropicana]

Maybi dem using ah special meter, an by bad air standards, it is actually pretty good?

Must be.

[bonita83]

I live in Toronto. It does stink here and the air quality depends on the location. Its interesting how people with asthma here get asthma attacks more here and when they go to let's say jamaica the problem goes away.

[j-kid]

You are correct. It works di same way fi sinus issues also!