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CTV News
01-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
‘That was unreal': Toronto dad sets world record pushing his son in a stroller
The idea came to Brendan Neely while he was out for a run last year, pushing his two sons in a stroller. 'I just thought, 'Maybe there's some sort of record or something',' the Toronto firefighter told CTV News Toronto minutes before his world record attempt on Thursday. Neely, an accomplished runner and obstacle course racer, set his sights on the Guinness World Record (GWR) for 'fastest time running one kilometre while pushing a baby stroller.' There are a number of criteria that must be followed in order to achieve the record, according to Andy Glass, an official adjudicator from the GWR organization. 'He has to push a living individual – his son who's going to be safely strapped into the stroller. The stroller cannot be modified in any way shape or form,' Glass said. 'He has to be in constant contact with the stroller for the full one kilometre and he's not allowed to use the pram to support his body weight. He's got to push that thing.' On Thursday morning, at an overcast Downsview Park, cheered on by friends and family, Neely went for the record. Son Jack was buckled in to a Baby Jogger stroller. The company sponsored the record attempt. 'My youngest who's going to be in the stroller he has no idea what's going on,' said Neely. 'But my oldest son he's been my biggest training partner throughout this. He's a little bummed out he's not going to be in the hot seat for it.' The previous Guinness World Record in this category was held by a man from the United Kingdom, who ran one kilometre in three minutes and nineteen seconds while pushing a stroller. Neely managed to do it in two minutes and fifty-one seconds, setting a new record. 'That was unreal,' he told CTV News Toronto minutes after finishing his run. 'That was smoother than I ever thought. Conditions were great the whole way and Jack was kicking his legs, just having a great time so that was an ideal effort.' With the world record under his belt, Neely is now getting ready to head to Saudi Arabia next week to a race. He says he's also thinking about attempting another stroller running world record, but this time with both of his sons together. 'It's really so much more than the record. Just the amount of hours I put in with these guys is truly what means the most to me, so it's been quite the wild ride,' Neely said.
CTV News
01-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
‘Increased discomfort': Laboratory predicts ‘intense' allergy season for Toronto
Allergy sufferers in Toronto got a brief break from their seasonal sneezing and itchy eyes this year thanks a recent spell of cool weather. But one laboratory says as warmer temperatures make a comeback this month, so too will their symptoms. Ottawa-based Aerobiology Research Laboratories (ARL) said southern Ontario's mild weather in March and April brought with it early pollen to start the spring. Now, after a period of cooler conditions leading into May, the mercury is set to rise again and give way to a 'significant' increase in highly allergenic pollen, that could lead to 'increased discomfort' and an 'intense' allergy season for some. 'Now it's heating up. And so what we're seeing is pollens were sort of delayed. They had a bit of a start, and then they said, 'Oh no, it's cold. I'm going to go dormant.' And then they started up again. And now we're getting into some of the really bad pollen types, like birch - which is highly allergenic - ash and oak,' ARL director Daniel Coates told CTV News Toronto in an interview. 'By the weekend, it's going to be a very high level for birch and ash…and then oak is starting to rise as well, and that's extremely allergenic for people.' Coates said that while most of May is likely going to be 'really bad' for allergy sufferers, he stopped short of prognosticating a 'pollen apocalypse' for the months ahead. 'We're predicting more of an average season. So yes, it will be bad, but it won't be catastrophic, per se,' he said. Beyond this month, Coates said 'tree season' usually drops off by mid to late June, before grass and weed seasons set in during the summer, the latter of which he described as 'horrible' in Toronto due to the large presence of ragweed. Although ARL has 30 collection sites across Canada, including one in downtown Toronto, which it uses to collect air samples and make its forecasts, Coates admits it has becoming increasingly difficult to determine exactly when the pollen seasons will start and end due, in part, to climate change. At the same time, and much to the dismay of allergy sufferers, he said the volume of pollen in Canada has jumped from 500,000 grains in the late '90s to just under one million grains today. 'Pollen is like a business, you know, it has its ups and downs, ups and downs. But, like a business, you look at trend lines, and trend lines show that we've almost doubled our pollen grains nationally over the last 25 years.' Tips to mitigate your seasonal allergies Coates offered up a handful of tips to combat your seasonal allergies this spring and summer. Talk to an allergist Coates said, if you suffer from allergies, it's important to find out what pollen you're having a reaction to. 'You feel like you have a cold 24/7, but you don't know what you're allergic to. Find out what you're allergic to, and then you can better prepare programs that will actually help you to minimize the health effects of the pollen on your health.' Check the forecast Once you know what type of pollen you're sensitive to, Coates said it's a good practice to check when it's in the air. 'That way you can adjust your schedule. So, if you know you're allergic to birch and it's a high day today, don't run outside – run on a track,' he said, adding that you can check the daily pollen forecast on the ARL website. Don't let the outdoors in Once you're back indoors, Coates said there are a few other tweaks you can make to keep pollen outside, including keeping pets off the bed and taking your shoes off outdoors.
CTV News
28-04-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Beloved children's bookstore in Toronto forced to move due to proposed condo development, owner says
Children's bookstore Mabel's Fables, currently located at 662 Mount Pleasant Road, is set to close by almost the end of August. (Courtesy of Eleanor LeFave) An independent children's bookstore, which has called one street corner of Toronto's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood home for more than three decades, is turning the page to a new chapter as it is forced to set up shop elsewhere to make way for a new condo building. Mabel's Fables, which has remained at 662 Mount Pleasant Road since September 1988, must move out by Aug. 23, as the store owner says their landlord informed them that the building is set to be demolished within the next couple of years for a new condo development. 'I've pretty much known for probably six or seven years since the building was sold,' Eleanor LeFave, the owner of Mabel's Fables, told CTV News Toronto. 'Since then, the developer has been purchasing all of the properties to the north of us with the intention of building. So, I certainly knew that the day would come at some point.' According to LeFave, one of her landlords had offered to find the bookstore a temporary location for them as construction started. But, she says construction would last for at least a couple of years and that could cause a 'massive disruption' for Mabel's Fables customers. So, LeFave hit the books and took matters into her own hands. 'I just said, 'We have to be proactive and find a new home for Mabel's Fables,' and we were very lucky. We found a place on the (same) street,' LeFave said. The site for the store's new home is precisely 422 steps south, located at 540 Mount Pleasant Road. LeFave says it was 'pure luck' that they happened to find a spot just down the street, but the store owner said the opportunities on Yonge Street were too expensive. 'Mount Pleasant has this really nice, independent main street vibe with interesting shops, and I think we're an anchor, kind of, on Mount Pleasant,' LeFave said. Though they were quick to find a new store, LeFave says there are a lot of additional moving expenses that they are struggling to independently afford. After the financial setbacks incurred from the COVID-19 pandemic and the slowing of general foot traffic with the Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction, LeFave says they have had their challenges. 'We have to do the GoFundMe because we don't have a whole lot of money right now,' LeFave said, after going through those setbacks. She says the goal is to raise enough money to cover expenses like new flooring, electrical work, building a story room to host their baby classes and store events, as well as custom bookshelves that fit the character of Mabel's Fables. 'All the bookshelves that we have here—that kind of oddball, kind of fantasy bookshelves—they wouldn't move very well. They'll probably disintegrate, but we need to have all the bookshelves built and painted and stained,' LeFave said. The store has nearly reached a quarter of its $150,000 fundraising goal. LeFave says they are planning to be closed for about a week to 10 days near the end of August to move into their new home. 'I just feel relieved that we've been able to move on the same street,' LeFave said. 'I expect that everything will be a little exciting for a while, while everybody comes to see the new spot. We'll just carry on and we'll be looking after families for another generation or two.'
