Volume 46 No. 18
November 29, 2016
Tree lot move explained By Anna Killen
WHILE SOME in the Beach are crying “Grinch!” at the relocation of the Beaches Lions Christmas tree lot from Kew Gardens to Woodbine Beach, city officials stand by the decision, noting that the move signifies a new way of doing business in Kew Gardens. That new way means commercial business will be strongly discouraged in the Queen Street East park, with the newly refurbished grounds instead acting as a place that is open to the public at all times with opportunities for nonprofit groups to apply to host small, local events in the park. “We really don’t want any commercial permits at any point in that area,” said James Dann, City of Toronto’s waterfront parks manager. The Lions Christmas Tree Sale, a fixture at Kew Gardens for 25 years
that acts as a fundraiser but also as a commercial operation, does not fit parks management’s intention for the park, explained Dann. “We just spent a substantial amount of money making sure that area was completely refurbished and we want it open to the public all of the time,” he said. It also does not fit with the city’s intention to maintain the grounds and keep trucks and vehicles off of the new cobblestones, away from the cenotaph, and out of parks in general, he said. Loading and unloading trucks and having them on the park grounds is a major part of the tree lot’s operation. “We’ve had issues in the past with trucks being right on the hard surface in Kew Gardens, which was just destroying the existing slate that was there,” he said.
PHOTO: LARA O’KEEFE
Jumping for joy The Beach Cheer Athletic team show off their moves during Community Centre 55’s annual Christmas parade. For more photos of the parade, see Page 12 and 13.
Continued on Page 2
East End elves learn about life’s necessities - and give back By Lara O’Keefe
MOTHER AND daughter duo Katharina and Angelina Tropper are on a mission to spread the joy this holiday season. Their tool of choice? The Care Gift Elves, an initiative started by Katharina this year with the goal of providing children the opportunity to give back to the community and make a difference by helping those in need. The “elves” collect donations and then carefully put together gift boxes filled with toiletries, sweets, toys, and warm clothing among other items. This year they will be giving all donations to The Red Door Family Shelter, a service that provides shelter to families in crisis and helps them to establish a stable life beyond the shelter.
The idea came to Katharina earlier this year when Angelina, 9, began repeatedly asking for a cell phone. “We started talking about things that are necessities in life and things that are not and you know,
there are some kids in her present school that are in the Red Door [Family] Shelter so I said let’s find a way to volunteer together at the shelter,” said Katharina. Unfortunately, they discovered the shelter does not allow volun-
PHOTO: LARA O’KEEFE
The Care Gift Elves: Isabel Birett, Kala Crawford, Sophie Chanzy, Angelina Tropper, and Georgian Russell.
teers under the age of 15 but that detail wasn’t going to stop the Tropper’s from finding another way to help. They brainstormed and came up with a plan to put together packages for the families in the shelter. “Since I couldn’t volunteer, my mother and [I] had this idea where we can basically do like a little group and still help the shelter in a way that my friends can help too,” said Angelina. The hope was that it would spread some joy and ensure none of the women or children in the shelter would feel forgotten or left behind by their community this holiday season. At first, Katharina said they just thought they would make one box each, “but then it took off. Angelina’s friends really loved the idea
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of being a part of something bigger and doing something for their community,” she said. So with the help of a few more elves, who include Isabel Birett, Kala Crawford, Sophie Chanzy, and Georgian Russell (pictured at left), they began collecting items and putting together more boxes. “We thought about, you know, getting shoe boxes and ziplock bags and we also did posters and we went around on the block where the stores are and we asked them if we can hang them up so people can bring more stuff,” explained Angelina. At present, they’re aiming to create 100 in total – 40 for the women and 60 for the children, as per the suggestion of the shelter. Continued on Page 19