Leaside Life Issue 124 September 2022

New beginnings

As LRA’s co-president Carol Burtin Fripp says in her column this month, “I’ve always felt that it’s the begin ning of September that feels like the start of a new year. The weather begins to change, summer vaca tions end, schools reopen. Life changes and becomes more orga nized. There’s a new energy, a sense of fresh starts. It’s an opportunity for rebirth.”

I couldn’t agree more. There’s something about the (almost) end of summer, the start of a new school year, the hint of leaves tinged with colour that spells renewal.

With that renewal also comes a sense of optimism. And, after the lazy days of summer there’s that burst of energy.

This issue we’re featuring a number of Leasiders who are filled with energy and, dare I say, passion. Here are two you’ll want to read more about:

Susan Scandiffio profiles 76-yearold Avtar Dhanota, who just won the lightweight Masters race at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.

Jane Auster Editor Leaside Life

This is one of many race wins for Dhanota, who, at age 76, is faster than many much younger athletes. This Leasider has never met a chal lenge he didn’t want to meet. He’s unstoppable!

Janis Fertuck spoke with Leaside’s Ironman couple, Brandon and Fiona Whitby, who will once again chal lenge the World Championships in Hawaii in early October.

Remarkably, this will be Brandon’s seventh and Fiona’s fifth time partic ipating in the event.

Glenn Asano, back in the pages of Leaside Life after a summer break, brings us up to date with big changes coming at Leaside Memorial Gardens. A great read!

And let’s not forget that next month there’s an election. (Wait! Didn’t we just have an election?) We’ll be sure to feature election coverage in our next issue. More renewal! n

Don’t drink the water: Leaside, Toronto and the great fluoridation controversy

by TED DEWELLES, Leaside Heritage Preservation Society

As the COVID pandemic has shown, some people will always suspect – and resist – public health measures. This was certainly true in Leaside during the mid-20th century. The issue was fluoridation – adding fluoride to water to help prevent tooth decay. On Jan. 1, 1956, Toronto’s Municipal Council planned to introduce the substance into the city’s water supply. This seemed like sensible public policy. But it quickly became an eight-year ordeal – and Leaside was in the thick of it.

The appeal

From the start, several Metro munic ipalities opposed the plan, arguing that Metro Council had no authority to impose fluoridation across all of Toronto. Forest Hill led the fight and was strongly supported legally and morally by Leaside and East York –with Leaside mayor Howard Burrell stating that Leaside was opposed

to “mass medication.” As a Metro Municipal Council member, Burrell had voted against fluoridation when Council approved it in May 1955. Backed by Leaside and East York, Forest Hill mounted an appeal to block fluoridation that effectively stalled Metro’s launch date. The appeal went all the way to the Supreme Court of

Canada, which in June 1957 ruled in favour of the three municipalities –further preventing Metro Council from implementing its plan.

The petition

Metro Chairman Fred Gardiner responded by imploring the Ontario

Leaside Life

by LORNA KRAWCHUK

Scott Steele is finally following the path he set out on as a young man.

Now in his 50s, the former Leasider has become a full-time artist. Growing up in what was then small-town Niagara-on-theLake, Scott always had an interest in the arts. After high school, his first foray into continuing his edu cation was to study graphic arts at George Brown College in Toronto. That lasted for 18 months until he decided he “didn’t like this course.”

Instead, he took up employment at Apple Canada in its early days – he was employee 112, not actu ally interacting with computers, but working in the warehouse. Another 18 months, and he was off again. This time, though, a friend in the fashion business encouraged him to try modelling. This enabled him to travel to Paris, Milan, Japan, South America, but without a lot of money, he ended up spending a lot

Former Leasider Scott Steele found his muse in art

of his free time in galleries, enjoying magnificent art.

Back in Canada, wanting to return to school, he worked as a bicycle courier while attending and graduat ing from the International Academy of Design and Merchandising. With his then-girlfriend and future wife, Judy Petersiel, the two started a business – Petersiel Steele Design. They chose Leaside as a location for the business, and for their home. It had that “great feel of a small town” while also being part of the big city. Leaside turned out to be a place they wanted to stay while raising their two children as well.

On an outing to the Distillery District, by complete happenstance, Scott acquired the lease for prime space to set up a gallery. His intent was to “create something like an artist commune, but that didn’t work out,” so after seven years, the time came to let it go. One visitor to the gallery, artist Ken Danby, intro duced him to Louis K. Meisel, who owned a gallery on Seventh Avenue in New York City. Meisel asked if Scott would like to show at his gallery. Who could say no to that offer? Those works sold, and were a huge validation of Scott’s ability as an artist.

This leads to the next chapter. Two years ago, after painting on the side for all these years, Scott decided the time had come to go full-time as an artist. On the down side, this deci sion meant ending his marriage and leaving his family in Leaside.

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Now he has a home studio in the Annex “with a beautiful view of the backyard.” He doesn’t rely on natural lighting as he “works all hours of the day and night.” His style is realism, with influences from Edward Hopper, Alex Colville and Mary Pratt, among many others. Several of his paintings, he says, are “structures that remind me of my youth and remind me of simpler times.” Other paintings, of sunsets, for example, are done with “no direction. I work on them until I feel they give some kind of emotion, lighting effect or simply look pretty.”

Where to see Scott’s work? Art Interiors on Spadina – www.artin teriors.ca.

He also takes commissions: @scott steeleartist on Instagram. n

SCOTT STEELE

An apple a day? Practising naturopathy in Leaside

by SUZANNE PARK

As a kid, my family had many home remedies for alleviating symptoms of common health issues. Although most may not have been supported by evidenced-based research, in my experience some were more suc cessful than others: cold wet mud smeared on bee stings to reduce pain and suction out the stinger; cooled tea bags applied to relieve the pain of sunburn, leaving unsightly stains on the skin for days; mustard plas ters on the chest to clear a cold; no swimming for an hour after eating.

Health remedies continually evolve, but many today have their origins in ancient wisdom. Fast forward to current wellness health care in Leaside and you’ll find Emily Martin, Doctor of Naturopathy at the Bayview Chiropractic Health Centre.

Emily grew up in Leaside but during her first year at Queen’s University was diagnosed with Celiac disease. “My family doctor recommended I see a naturopath to support me in restoring my digestive health,” she says. “As you can imagine that

resulted in a lot of wellness research on my part and my becoming pas sionate about naturopathy. I gradu ated from Queen’s with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and then, four years later, from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine as a Doctor of Naturopathy (ND),

and then licensed, which is regu lated by the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.”

She has continued upgrading her skills and experience. At the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic, she completed a clinical intern ship with a focus in pediatrics and trained as a naturopathic doula through the Association of Perinatal Naturopathic Doctors.

Setting up a naturopathic practice has not been without its challenges. “I did find setting up my business challenging,” Emily says. “Yet once the office systems and apps for scheduling, accounting and social media were in place I was able to fully focus on patient intake and patients’ wellness goals.”

Early on she realized areas of par ticular focus included women’s fer tility and supporting childbirth and optimizing family wellness for kids and partners. Not surprisingly, given her own experience and recovery, she also focuses on digestive issues such as Celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome and bloating, and the beneficial effects of nutrition, sleep, lifestyle and stress manage ment options for all wellness goals.

“I’m aware that many people have no experience with naturopa thy or have yet to clearly articulate their wellness goals. I invite anyone who is curious to book a compli mentary call and get their questions answered,” she says.

So, will an apple a day keep the doctor away? n

PAULA SANDERSON

Emily Martin

New faces, new energy, new seasonLeaside Gardens, game on!

Leaside Memorial Community Gardens (LMCG) is open. For the first time in two years the headline is not about shutting down, or dis infecting, or rules, or lack of rules, or reopening.

With seven ‘waves’ behind us all, the grit and now resiliency demon strated by LMCG and its user groups have ensured we are still standing! It’s that same spirit that Leasider Dr. Ben Chan personifies in his entertaining and heartfelt cover of Elton John’s popular song. It cel ebrates the resilience and determina tion of our local businesses and the same could be said about LMCG’s amazing user groups ( https://you tu.be/n8sQEXsFOlY).

On the path back to normal, the Toronto Leaside Wildcats hosted over 140 teams at their tournament in March. In late June the facil ity hosted three graduation parties for local schools (Rolph Road, Bessborough, and Northlea) helping Grade 6 and 8 students celebrate their accomplishments. And, at the end of the school year we hosted

the second annual George Turrell Memorial Food Drive in support of the TNO Food Bank.

The rinks have been busy all summer long with hockey camps, ball hockey games, and roller derby practices. With the ice in the Grant rink going back in mid-August, Leaside Gardens is booked solid for the last week of summer with camps and team training leading into September and the return of programs from the Leaside Skating Club, Leaside Hockey Association, and the Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association.

The William Lea Room has been bustling with engagement parties, family reunions, birthday celebra

tions, memorials and weddings. Not to mention that bridge is back, as the Toronto Bridge Club returned this May with plans to expand to two to three times weekly in the fall. For those that didn’t know, dozens of games are played at Leaside Gardens each week and new bridge players have an opportunity to learn the game.

Capping it all off is the welcome announcement that Leaside Gardens snack bar will re-open after Labour Day weekend and now accepts con tactless payments for both debit and credit cards.

New board members, new management

On June 29, the City appointed three new members to the LMCG board of management: Lisa Villeneuve, David Bannon and Dan Teguh. Lisa is an alumna of Leaside Girls Hockey and went on to play hockey in the UK for the University of Oxford where she earned her PhD. She has worked in a variety of roles in the financial sector and is an active volunteer with non-prof its. David coached minor hockey for many years at both Leaside and Victoria Village. He is a partner at Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart & Storie, representing employers in all areas of labour and employment law. Dan began his career at Ernst & Young and is currently the CFO at HIRE Technologies.

Throughout the past year the board has been working to opti mize its organizational structure – one that had remained largely unchanged since 1951 – to reflect the skills required to meet the needs of the post-expansion facility. The role of general manager has now been replaced by two new posi tions: Director of Operations and Director of Business and Finance.

In January Shawn Mackay took on the operations role. He worked pre viously as the facilities manager for the Toronto Cricket Club and before that was a service technician for the Toronto Blue Jays. Shawn spends most of his spare time in rinks, soccer fields and baseball diamonds supporting his two sports-loving daughters, Charli (13) and Ali (12).

In May Jennifer Smith took on the business and finance role. No stranger to the facility, Jennifer was a member of the arena board

Glenn Asano

for several years. A long-time volunteer in youth and adap tive sport (North York Lynx, Withrow Park Ball Hockey, Invictus Games) and past-presi dent of the Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association, Jennifer has a background in business including leadership roles with Canadian and multi national publishing companies.

Leaside Gardens management team is gearing up for the new season. Jennifer Smith, Director of Business and Finance, with Shawn Mackay, Director of Operations.

In addition to the new faces, there have also been departures. The LMCG board thanks former board member and trea surer Chris Forbell for his years of service and commitment to Leaside Gardens and former board member Jennifer (Jenni) Purves for her contributions.

Safety doesn’t happen by accident

In preparation for the new winter season, visitors will notice several

improvements designed to increase the safety of its users. There has been an increase in the number of drivers using the parking lot as a shortcut or throughway to Laird Drive, often with speed. To reduce this risk, new signage will help

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LEASIDE MEMORIAL COMMUNITY GARDENS

The great summer of ’65 backyard tomato massacre

It was sometime in the summer of 1965. I don’t precisely know the date or even the month. Let’s just say it was high tomato season. I was five years old. Perhaps predict ably, my identical twin brother, Tim, was also five years old. Our cousin, Bobby, born exactly one month after we were, was also, you guessed it, five years old. We loved spending time playing and goofing around with Bobby.

On this fateful day we were in our backyard, but not of our Leaside home on Parkhurst. This was the year before we landed in Leaside. This was our first family home,

Fallis Columnist

Well, stuff happened. It was a Sunday afternoon and our cousin, Bobby, and his family, were visiting from their home near London, Ont., and staying for dinner. While the

younger and perhaps not quite as mature a five-year-old as Tim and I. So, I’m just going to assume that Bobby was the first to pick one of the dozens of giant, ripe beefsteak tomatoes my mother had lovingly planted, watered, fertilized, nurtured, soothed, serenaded and raised from seed to ready-to-eat. She was about to harvest the entire crop yielding enough tomatoes to make Chef Boyardee’s mouth water.

I was standing near the back of our house when the grape fruit-sized red, ripe tomato smashed into the brick wall just beside me, showering me with

Terry

Leaside Life

More than 50 Ironman competitions for Leaside’s top-performing couple

by JANIS FERTUCK

Leaside’s Ironman couple, Brandon and Fiona Whitby, will once again challenge the World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii in early October. Remarkably, this will be Brandon’s seventh and Fiona’s fifth time participating in the event tra ditionally held in Hawaii.

The aptly named Ironman is a long-distance triathlon compris ing a 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike ride and 42.2 km run for a total of 226 km, which takes the Whitbys between 9.5 and 11 hours to com plete. Fiona describes the Hawaii event as “next level, only for the ultra-fit” and says this venue on a volcanic island can provide all the extreme elements of “hot, humid, windy, cloudy, rainy and sunny weather all packed into one day.”

The couple met at a local bike shop, Enduro Sport, in 1999, and started dating the next year. They both grew up doing several endurance sports, so triathlon was a natural fit for them. Brandon started his tri

athlon career in 1984 and Fiona in 1989, and each spent a few years as pro-triathletes. They started doing Ironman competitions in 1998 and

2001, respectively, and Brandon proposed to Fiona at the finish line of Ironman Lake Placid in 2003.

In total, Brandon has completed 33 full Ironman competitions and Fiona, 22, in addition to numer ous other races. They love travel ling to take part in races around the world, including the Canary Islands, France and Brazil.

The inspiration for all of their training and competition comes from their “love of the challenge, the pursuit of health and longev ity and the desire to be fit, strong and dedicated role models” for their 10-year-old son, Myles, who is involved in a number of sports himself such as swimming, running, karate, basketball and skiing. Fiona says her “passion and strength” is cycling, while Brandon is an allround athlete in swimming, running and cycling.

In terms of training, Fiona writes their programs for each week including biking, swimming, running, strength training and body maintenance. While they enjoy training together, it can be tough juggling their schedules to do so.

Fortunately, Fiona’s career dove tails perfectly with her sport. She is an associate coach for NRG Performance Training, her broth er’s company, where she coaches 15 to 20 athletes for distance triath

MYLES WHITBY

The Whitbys at Hidden Valley, Huntsville.

Leaside Life

No challenge too big, too far, too high for Leaside’s Avtar Dhanota

by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO

If you ever peek at retirement cards, you’ll see messages such as “relax and enjoy!”, “time to kick back!” and pictures of rocking chairs and slippers. This is SO not the life of retired Leasider Avtar Dhanota.

At 76 years young, Dhanota has probably never even worn slippers. Trade slippers for trekking shoes and you’ll get a picture of Dhanota’s retirement.

Born in India, Dhanota grew up working on his family’s farm. While he was never a part of any organized sport, farm work kept him in great shape.

Fitness has always been important in Dhanota’s life and, as he notes with a smile, “being fit is good for you and good for the government!”

After teaching in India for several years, Dhanota and his wife Raj moved to Canada so he could pursue a Masters program at the University of Toronto.

The couple moved to Leaside in

1984 and raised their three children in the same house where they cur rently live.

In his 22 years of employment at the TDSB, the healthy Dhanota only took two days off. Slowing down has never been a part of his vocabulary.

Before retiring at 55, Dhanota ran full and half marathons, cycled, sky dived, trekked, conquered Machu Picchu and worked out at a local gym, Pure Fitness.

Since retirement, he has climbed Mera Peak and Annapurna IV, both in Nepal. Annapurna IV is consid ered a training peak for Everest and at an elevation of 7,525 metres is, as Dhanota describes it, “humbling.”

He has also trekked twice to Everest base camp (the world’s highest base camp) as well as Mont Blanc, the Annapurna Circuit, the Annapurna base camp, Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Grand Canyon, and the Grandview and Hermit trails.

At one point Dhanota decided to take up a hobby that would make him money, so he trained to fly. He soon discovered though, that “single engine planes were too slow for my taste.”

At 64, Dhanota decided to try his hand at a sport he’d been interested in for years.

He messaged the Hanlan Boat Club in the Toronto port lands. Familiar with seeing the sport but not having taken part, Dhanota asked if he could participate in “skulling.” “I didn’t even know how to spell it!”

Sculling (with a “c”) is a watersport in which an individual uses two oars versus a rower with one.

This August, Dhanota won the lightweight Masters race at the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta.

Janet Bolton, president of the Hanlan Boat Club, notes that “this is a significant achievement and one of many race wins for Avtar, who, at age 76 is faster than many much younger athletes.”

And Dhanota will not be slowing down anytime soon. He has a bucket list which includes trekking Patagonia, the Canadian Rockies, the Camino de Santiago in Spain and Island Peak in Nepal. He would also like to row from Toronto to Ottawa in a coastal boat and cycle multi-day trails in different Canadian provinces.

He hopes to motivate other seniors to get active and lives by his dad’s wise words: “do your best and you won’t regret anything.” n

A tale of two mid-rises: how did we make a difference?

Two recent projects whose appeals were recently settled at the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) demon strate the benefits of active resident involvement in development plan ning. The two mid-rise projects, at 1710-1736 Bayview (Gairloch) and 126-132 and 134 Laird (Core Development Group), are similar in size, height, and impact, though Bayview comprises one building, and Laird has two buildings, sepa rated by Stickney Avenue.

As mid-rise projects (defined as ranging from 5 to 12 storeys), they have many similarities and only a few differences. They both have similar approved heights in the range of 30-32 metres, and 9 and 8 storeys, respectively. They have similar lot coverage ratios (0.52) and density (floor space index of just over 4). And they have similar total number of residential units (197 and 241).

But here the similarities end. 17101736 Bayview has fewer small units (35% one-bedroom or less and 65% 2- and 3-bedroom units) whereas

Geoff Kettel Saving old Leaside

126-132 and 134 Laird has 54% 1-bedroom or less and 46% 2- and 3-bedroom units.

Generally larger units are con sidered to signify they are likelier to house families and owner-oc cupancy, whereas smaller units suggest that the building is oriented to singles and the rental market. What about resident involvement? In both of these projects resident

involvement was similar. With the Bayview development, located on the west side, the South Eglinton Davisville Residents’ Association (SEDRA) took the lead, with the LRA in a secondary role, whereas on Laird it was the LRA. In both cases the affected neighbours (on Mann Avenue and Randolph Road, respec tively) were very much engaged.

How did resident involvement affect the outcome? This is possible to measure by changes that were made to the plans as a result of the settle ment process. Another similarity: the mediator responsible for managing the settlement process was the same (James Mackenzie) in both cases!

1710-1736 Bayview improvements

• No rear laneway behind Mann Ave. homes resulting in trees along the lot line remaining undisturbed.

• Agreement that the equivalent of the laneway width will now be a Privately Owned and Publicly accessible Space (POPS), with a POPS connection from the rear of the building to Bayview and a pathway network accessible to the public (with rear townhouses along the pathway).

• The entrance to the garage relo cated to the north end of the development (with the entrance at a much lower level), exiting onto Bayview.

• The underground garage being set back from the west property

MID-RISES continued

line by 4m, sparing the trees of the Mann Ave. homes and those at the western edge of the development.

• Lowering of the height of the building by about 1.5m.

• “Live-work” units on ground floor to instead become retail.

126-132 and 134 Laird Drive improvements

• Reduced building height by 0.4m.

• Increased floor set back on Stickney by 1m (ground floor only).

• Increased rear setback to 10m (3m landscape and 6m drive aisle + 1m buffer) at ground and second floors.

• Increased step back of 3rd floor overhang to 7.5m (from 7.2m).

• Front (Laird) setback to 2nd floor rather than 1st floor (allowing for mature tree growth).

• Shifted mechanical penthouse on south building to be less visible.

• Rear balconies now compliant with angular plane.

• “Live-work” units on ground floor to instead be retail.

• Commemoration of Laird site’s connection with Leaside auto mobile related history and architecture.

• Consideration for neighbouring properties at rear – tree protection and hydro lines.

What the residents brought more than anything else was an under standing of the details of the site, and the suitability of the plans in context. For example in the Mann Ave. case, the residents pointed out the unsuit ability of the original plan for the rear lane because of the steep terrain, and the concern for protection of boundary (and adjacent) trees.

While the settlements in these two cases were not guaranteed, settlement was likely due to the fact that the parties were not that far apart. This is clearly not always the case, and current applications like 1837-1845 Bayview appear unlikely to go to mediation and potential settlement.

Acknowledgements are due to Andy Gort, SEDRA past president, and Doug Obright, LRA, for their leadership on the two cases, and the neighbouring residents (Lesley Smythe, Andrew Smyth, Donna Smyth and Merzana Martinakis on the Laird project) for their engage ment without which the improve ments would not have been pos sible. And, of course, thanks are due to the office of Councillor Jaye Robinson for her strong support. n

Leaside Village Medical Clinic

The new Leaside Village Medical Clinic is thrilled to provide many medical services for our Leaside Community.

We offer Family Medicine, Dermatology, Cosmetic Services, Cardiology, Urology, IV Iron Infusions and Orthopedic services in our newly built, comfortable and easily accessible medical clinic. In addition, we offer Physiotherapy and Orthotic services powered by the experienced team from Foundation Physiotherapy. We are honored to welcome psychologist Dr. Jennifer Brownstein, who now offers individual and group therapy to increase your overall well being.

Check out our website at www.LVMC.ca or call us at (416) 487-2442.

We look forward to serving our community!

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Leaside Life

Here’s to a Cycling Network Plan for Leaside

by HOLLY REID

Were you excited to learn that our Neighbourhood Transportation Plan was moving ahead? It was a hot topic at the most recent meeting of Cycle Don Valley Midtown, the local chapter of Cycle Toronto.

Members of the group who live in Leaside (full disclosure: I am one of them) see it as a timely oppor tunity to make our neighbour hood safer and more enjoyable for everyone. The plan’s stated goals to address road safety for vulnerable road users, excessive speeding and cut-through traffic are something I think we can all agree on, whether we drive, walk, ride a bike or take transit.

“Leafy Leaside” is changing quickly, with increased density and intensification proceeding along Line 5 Eglinton Crosstown LRT. We know that we can’t turn back the clock and miraculously reduce traffic in the area. Our focus needs to be on managing and mitigating the impact of higher vehicle traffic to ensure safe and efficient travel for everyone. The good news is that

Toronto already has the policies, tools and plans on hand to do this. Vision Zero prioritizes actions to reduce deaths and injuries on our roads to zero. Toronto Complete Streets Guidelines details the road designs needed to get us there. And the TransformTO Climate Action target of having 75% of trips to work and school of 5km or less walked, biked or on transit by 2030 provides the motivation to

get it done. Furthermore, already approved plans, such as Laird in Focus and Eglinton Connects Streetscape, need to be implemented if we are to have a liveable neigh bourhood that supports multimodal mobility and calmer traffic, and protects vulnerable road users, particularly seniors and parents with young children.

With proposed high-quality cycling infrastructure on Eglinton and Laird, Leaside will have a com plete street on two of its arterials. Remaking Bayview as a complete street would enhance connections for people to the schools and insti tutions along Bayview to the north and to downtown via the Bayview Extension and Nesbitt Drive to Sherbourne. And within the neigh bourhood, a network of safe routes will encourage more people to make those shorter trips by bike and aid in traffic calming and pedestrian safety.

So, what could a Cycling Network Plan for Leaside look like? The rendering above illustrates the possibilities.

None of these routes represents a quick win and will require con sultation, analysis and thoughtful design. But Leaside has the potential to be a leader in achieving the goals of Vision Zero and TransformTO while making our neighbourhood a safer and more pleasant place to be.

A Neighbourhood Transportation Plan that prioritizes active transpor tation and protects the most vulner able is how we can do it.

Holly Reid is a recreational road rider and cycling commuter. An advocate for safe cycling, she is a member of Cycle Don Valley Midtown, Cycle Toronto’s advocacy group for Wards 15/16.

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New faces are coming to Leaside’s schools

As I write this column on a hot and sunny August day, it is hard to imagine we are just three and a half weeks away from the first day of school, scheduled for Wed., Sept. 7. While most kids are still basking in the summer days, many of us here at the TDSB are gearing up for the first day.

As your trustee for Ward 11, I have already set up two virtual commu nity events: a back-to-school coffee morning, scheduled for the morning of Sept. 28, and an evening ward forum on Oct. 3. These coffee mornings are informal – we will be joined by our two Ward 11 super intendents – and these are meant to be casual conversations with attend ees about the new school year and education in Ward 11. The evening event will be more structured, focusing on school space, planning and development, and featuring a presentation by two TDSB plan ners. With so much development taking place all over midtown and in Leaside, I am hopeful attendees will find this event to be of value. As Leaside families turn their

Rachel Chernos Lin Trustee, Ward 11

attention towards the start of a new school year, they may notice a few new faces among our administra tive teams, particularly in our ele mentary schools. This is not uncom mon, as one change often produces a domino effect, requiring multiple changes system-wide.

At Northlea, outgoing principal Barbara Sandler is moving to Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy, making way for Suzy Papadopoulos to join the Northlea community. Ms. Papadopoulos was recently promoted to principal after highly successful Vice Principal postings at Howard PS in High Park and Jackman PS in the Danforth area – where both schools had commu nities similar to Leaside. This will

prepare her well to serve Northlea. Over at Bessborough, Principal Dima Nijmeh-Mantia is moving closer to home, and is being replaced by Janet Bambrick, who comes to Bessborough after being promoted from VP at Gledhill Junior Public School. Ms. Bambrick also brings a wealth of experience involving music programming, having served as central coordinator for music at the TDSB prior to becoming a school administrator.

At Rolph Road PS, Principal Sandra Larosa has retired, and is being replaced by the VP at Bessborough – Frances Themeliopoulos – who has been promoted to principal. Clearly, Ms. Themeliopoulos’s experience and personal relation ships with many Leaside families from her years at Bessborough will be an asset as she steps into her new role at Rolph. And finally, to fill this added vacancy at Bessborough, the community will welcome new ly-promoted VP Lynette Bacon, who comes to us with stellar reviews from Brown PS.

These changes clearly provide an example of the domino effect I mentioned above. It is also a reflec tion of the makeup of our leader ship team, where we have seen many retirements but also have a wealth of younger, fresh adminis trators, system-wide. With so many newly-minted administrators, we can expect a lot of youthful energy coming into our schools, with leaders who understand the impor tance of modern curriculum leader ship and connection with students and their families. At the same time, it is wonderful to know our veteran superintendent of Leaside schools, Andrew Howard (a former Northlea principal himself), will be alongside these new leaders to mentor them and ensure their success.

If you have children at any of these schools, I hope you will join me in welcoming all of them to our won derful community, and I encourage families to introduce themselves to these new Leaside leaders who are very excited to get this new school year started!

To learn more about my coffee mornings, upcoming ward forum, or to sign up for my e-newslet ter, please check out my TDSB web page: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/ Ward11/. n

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Leaside pollinator garden has it all: beauty, purpose and practicality

When Connie and Jack Uetrecht moved into their Mallory Crescent home in 1985, it came with a large front lawn on a hill with small gardens on both sides of a walkway. The foundation plantings consisted of a few shrubs along with some added daffodils and tulips for the spring and peonies and phlox for the summer. Yes, a classic Leaside front yard.

But the hill was becoming more and more of a challenge to manage. It was too steep for mowing and for navigat ing in the winter. Connie fell taking out the recycling bin and broke her wrist. The Uetrechts definitely needed a railing of some sort. That’s when they decided to redesign the land scape, omit the grass, and turn their garden into a pollinator haven.

Connie, a long-time member of the Leaside Garden Society, has been gar dening for her entire life. She learned from her mother and both grand mothers how to grow vegetables and flowers. And oh, it helps that she loves to experiment.

So, here was an opportunity to use this south-facing site to its full poten

The Leaside Gardener

Debora Kuchme Columnist

tial and a place where Connie could really embrace her love of pollinator plants. She had the vision.

But even the most experienced gar deners know when they need a pro fessional’s help. Enter Karen Keay of keay+summers landscape design inc. Connie and Karen are both members of the LGS and have

worked together many times as coor dinators of the flower shows.

“Karen is so much fun to work with and listens to her clients,” Connie told me. “She’s also knowledgeable about plants as well as sustainability and I liked that she wanted to incor porate plants that I already had in

Before

After KAREN KEAY

DEBORA KUCHME

my garden.” Together, they came up with a great plan.

By turning this deep slope into multi-levels, there is now a place to sit and rest. There is comfort able access to the many plants that need tending to, and the strategically placed railings help both Connie and Jack navigate each level with ease. In just two short years, this pollina tor garden is so lush and full, it looks as though it’s been there forever. That’s all due to good plant choices and some clever planting such as the sedum mats used to address the soil that slopes to the driveway. Brilliant! But what Connie loves most about her new garden is the visual interest of texture and colour throughout the year and watching the several types of bees that feast on the hyssop and echinacea flowers. The day I was there, bees were enjoying the wild geraniums too, and I am confident those bees (and butterflies) have a lot more to look forward to.

Here’s a beautiful Leaside garden that’s helping both the environment and the gardener. Inspirational!

Visit leasidelife.com for the extended version of this article along with more photos! n

Conveniently located at 3300 Yonge St. (Yonge and Fairlawn) Register at www.tandemstudiostoronto.com or give us a call at 647-348-4953.

direct traffic and provide clarity (e.g., Stop, No Through Road, No Exit, Drop-Off Zone Parking). Speed bumps are being installed, parking spot lines are being repainted, non-functioning lights have been repaired or replaced, and the police and parking authorities will provide additional patrols for enforcement.

A second hygienic water bottle filling station has been installed on the lower level to complement the existing one on the upper level near the Pashby rink. By adding the second filling station, Leaside Gardens is on track to begin the move away from the sale of bottled water, which aligns the Gardens with City of Toronto recommendations.

Leaside Gardens considers the safety of users and staff its highest duty and obligation to the commu nity. With the support of the Dr. Tom Pashby Sports Safety Fund, the Leaside Gardens Safety Committee works to champion safety initia tives with the goal of creating one of the safest recreational facil ities in the province, if not the country. The committee comprises two LMCG board members, two nominees of the donors, and one nominee each of the LSC, LHA, TLGHA, and Hockey Extreme. LMCG’s staff and the director of operations are also invited to join the committee.

The next major event on the committee’s agenda takes place on September 28th when experts from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Concussion Centre will conduct a concussion education seminar in conjunction with Rowan’s Law Day. Now that our young athletes are returning to the ice, it is important for volun teers, coaches, trainers, instructors, administrators, parents and players to get the latest information on pediatric concussion.

I can confidently report that Leaside Gardens and its community of passionate users are brimming with optimism for the new upcom ing season. Game on!

Attention all community-focused non-profits: Did you know that the big, Laird-facing full-colour digital screen is available for use by notfor-profit community organizations to promote your events at no cost? Contact the main office for more details. n

garage, prompting another tomato detonation. Within 15 minutes, Tim, Bobby and I plucked every last one of the dozens of big tomatoes from my mother’s treasured vines and threw them at one another in the most epic backyard battle ever recorded, at least until the invention of the water balloon.

When we ran out of tomatoes, we negotiated an immediate ceasefire. The three of us were completely encased in tomato entrails. Their carcasses stuck to the brick wall at the back of our house and covered the side of our garage. And don’t get me started on how the back lawn looked. It was like the final scene of a teen horror film. It had all hap pened so fast. We seem to have been entranced or hypnotized by a kind of Lord of the Flies vibe. We completely took leave of our senses. That’s when our mother happened to stick her head out the back door to check on us. Then she completely took leave of her senses.

I honestly do not remember what retribution was in store for us. But I vividly recall the look on her face as she surveyed the carnage splayed and sprayed before her. Yes, that look, etched in her facial features, has stayed with me to this day. And you thought General Norman Schwarzkopf coined the term “shock and awe” during the Gulf War. Nope. I came up with it when I was fiveyears-old looking into my mother’s crazed eyes as she saw her prized and abundant tomato crop harvested in a most unconventional way. I’m told that, for starters, Tim, Bobby and I spent the next two hours gathering up every last one of those pulverized tomatoes. I must have blotted out the supplementary disciplinary action meted out for the great Summer of ’65 Backyard Tomato Massacre, but I think it involved planting a new crop of replacement tomatoes and being exiled to our bedroom to serve out our sentence with no chance of parole.

Our loving mother eventually laughed about it all...but it took several years, perhaps even a decade.

A two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Terry Fallis grew up in Leaside and is the award-winning writer of eight national bestsellers. His most recent, Operation Angus, is now in book stores. You can also subscribe to his newsletter: https://terryfallis.sub stack.com. n

132 nd. Toronto Scout Group

Leaside Presbyterian Church 670 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto, Ontario, M4G 2K4

August 2022

An open letter to the Families of Leaside. . . .

The 132nd. Toronto Scout Group has a distinguished history of helping the youth of Leaside to mature and grow into better citizens since our inception in 1946

At the same time, local adults who have volunteered to become Scout Leaders have themselves become better parents !

Through a combination of training courses, mentorship, and hands -on experiences combined with the satisfaction of seeing our own children develop greater life skills. . we have all become better parents and highly respected members of our community

If you were a Scout or Girl Guide in your youth . . and know the value of the program …we need YOU as part of the next generation leadership team … to carry on the legacy of the adult volunteers who have made the 132nd. the premier youth organization in Leaside for over 75 years !

Join us today. . . and don’t forget to bring along your kids

Scouting offers inclusive educational programs for Boys & Girls aged 5 ~ 20 and involves working in small groups, leadership opportunities, outdoor activities and camping Check out the great programs for kids at www.scouts.ca and www.132nd.com

Contact our Group at - PatLawrance@132nd.com Or call - (416) 702 -0969

Leaside Life

Help us better understand brain aging in adults with autism by contacting us today.

Participants will receive $100 per study session as reimbursement.

Contact: Daman Rehal 416.425.6220 x3740

government to pass legislation empowering Toronto Council to mandate fluoridation. After several years of delay, the province passed leg islation in early 1961 giving Metro’s 13 municipalities – including Leaside – the option to: (1) enact fluorida tion; (2) hold a referendum on the issue; or (3) launch a petition to force a referendum. By now, Leaside had a new mayor, Charles Hiscott. He, too, opposed fluoridation, but was not supported by Leaside Municipal Council, which was split on the issue. Anti-fluoride Leasiders took matters into their own hands and organized a referendum-petition of their own. In just one night – on April 10, 1961 –canvassers visited households across the community and obtained more than 1,170 of the 1,248 required sig natures. The rest were obtained soon thereafter, for a total of over 1,800 sig natures. Other municipalities had sim ilarly successful campaigns. Since only 10 per cent of eligible voters needed to be signed, a plebiscite was assured.

The referendum

divided. Those opposed to fluori dation believed it would make the water impure, taste funny and even harm teeth. Many simply didn’t like the idea of being forced to put something into their bodies they didn’t want. These people tended to be older, less educated and have lower incomes. Pro-fluoride residents tended to trust government and the experts more – especially their den tists. They were often professionals, better educated and more affluent. When all the votes were tallied, flu oridation won by a handy margin of more than 3,700 votes. Ironically, both Leaside and Forest Hill were among the municipalities that voted in favour of the measure – despite their earlier opposition. This was attributed to the relative wealth, education levels and professional status of many of their residents. The people had spoken.

Learn more: Hollandbloorview.ca/aging-and-autism

A Toronto-wide referendum was set for Dec. 3, 1962. Leasiders were

Note: The Leaside Heritage Preservation Society is pleased to announce that starting in September it will be displaying historical arte facts and memorabilia at its new location at Apple Self Storage at 20 Research Rd. n

Leaside Life

September feels like the start of a new year

I’ve always felt that it’s the beginning of September that feels like the start of a new year, not January 1st. The weather begins to change, summer vacations end, schools reopen. Life changes and becomes more organized. There’s a new energy, a sense of fresh starts. It’s an opportunity for rebirth.

At the same time, many of Leaside’s continuing development and traffic challenges remain unresolved or only partially solved. The LRA has been working through the summer and now looks ahead to addressing these challenges as we approach the fall season.

If you are an LRA member, you fre quently receive informative e-blasts from the LRA on topics of local inter est and importance. One of our most recent focused on the City’s Leaside Neighbourhood Transportation Plan, which will be reactivated following the October municipal elections. We are looking forward to making progress.

It has been interesting to review the range of comments residents have sent to the LNTP. Many reflect prob lems which are far from new, and in fact are all too familiar.

Carol Burtin Fripp Co-president, LRA

Some examples: Why do we have traffic rules at all, if they are not going to be enforced? Local streets experi ence 40km/60km traffic although signed 30kph, and there’s truck traffic on streets clearly marked No Trucks.

What can be done to reduce traffic volume, especially on our residential streets, without diverting the problem to other ones? Do one-way streets encourage speeding, or do they offer a solution to gridlock? Are bumps, or pads, an effective way to slow traffic, or are there better ways to calm? If so, what are they, and why have they not been used more widely?

What kind of quick wins can Leaside look forward to from the LNTP? What has happened to the traffic calming study which the LRA (then LPOA) submitted to the LNTP four years ago?

And why is it taking so long to make Leaside streets safer?

These are all reasonable questions. All of them need to be addressed. We will do our best to keep you posted on any progress on this file.

Vote – again!

Municipal elections take place on October 24th. By the time you read this issue of Leaside Life we should know who and how many candidates are officially running for office. As noted in my column last month, the LRA is in discussion with other Ward 15 residents’ groups to ensure there will be local all-candidates meetings, so you can ask questions directly about your priorities. Further details are likely to be publicized in Leaside Life, both online and here, as soon as they are available.

Join us

Why not catch up on local Leaside matters, now that summer is ending? Our next LRA monthly board meeting is on Wed., Sept. 7th, at 7:30 p.m., on Zoom. If you’d like to watch or participate, please let us know by that date and we’ll send you the Zoom access details. Visit us at www. leasideresidents.ca

lon events. She is also a registered kinesiologist and athletic therapist, treating sports injuries and fitting people on their bikes in her home and mobile practice.

Brandon, a financial advisor, sometimes finds it hard to devote time to training. But his clients, many of whom are athletes them selves, are supportive of his athletic endeavours.

Both Fiona and Brandon have had very busy competition schedules so far this summer. Fiona won her age group in competitions in Des Moines and Muskoka, qualifying her for Hawaii. Brandon had good experiences at Mt. Tremblant and Muskoka, but actually qualified for this Ironman with a pre-pandemic win in Wisconsin.

The upcoming trip to Hawaii is a special one for the couple. As Brandon explains, “We are excited about sharing the experience with family members including Myles, as well as a group of our greatest friends, who are also our train ing partners, some of whom are race veterans and others who are first-timers.” n

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