For two minutes on November 11, at the 11th hour, Canadians are invited to remember, in silent reflection.
Canada has declared that the date is of “remembrance for the men and women who have served, and con tinue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace,” particularly the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and all conflicts since then in which members of the Canadian Armed Forces have participated.
When I first moved to Canada, Remembrance Day was a much bigger deal. While not a statutory holiday in all provinces and ter ritories, there was still a sense of the weight of gratitude we owed to those who battled and those who continue to fight for this country in conflicts. Now, many seem content to wear poppies and dedicate two minutes of silence.
But, is that enough? Should November 11 be a proper national statutory holiday? Many at Leaside
Jane Auster Editor Leaside Life
Life do consider Remembrance Day to be a very big deal indeed. And they are represented in our pages this issue. Geoff Kettel attended a special ceremony honouring the 80th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid. Heritage columnist Ted DeWelles profiled Ernest Glover, a Korean War ace who lived, albeit briefly, in Leaside. And Janis Fertuck uncovered an interesting connection to a story she wrote a while ago, on Rob Hughes, home technician to the (Leaside) stars. His grandfa ther founded Plywood Fabricators, a company that played a significant role in supplying landing craft for the war effort in World War II. These (and more stories in this issue) make for meaty reading and something to digest when we consider the importance of Remembrance Day. Lest we forget. n
by TED DEWELLES, Leaside Heritage Preservation Society
The Korean War (1950-1953) is sometimes called Canada’s “Forgotten War,” despite the participation of over 26,000 Canadians in the United Nations-led initiative to halt Communist aggression against South Korea. One of those participants was Flight-Lieutenant Ernest A. Glover, a Leaside resident who received not one –but two – Distinguished Flying Crosses for his heroism during the conflict. Born in Niagara Falls and raised in Toronto, Ernest Glover (19221991), loved to fly. Shortly after WWII began, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), earning his wings in 1941. Posted to England, he flew nearly 100 combat missions for the Royal Air Force, piloting both Hurricane and Typhoon fighters. Shot down by flak over France in May 1943, he spent the remainder of the war in a German POW camp – the same camp made famous in the 1963 movie The Great Escape
Glover returned to Canada in 1945, working briefly for the Dominion Bridge company in Montreal. But flying was in his blood, and in 1948 he re-enlisted in the RCAF. By 1951 he was flying and mastering the new British-made Vampire fighter jets. The Korean War was at its height then. And so, when the opportunity arose to par ticipate as an “exchange pilot” flying state-of-the-art F-86 Sabre jets with the US Air Force, Glover jumped at the chance. By June 1952, he was in Korea. It was about this time that Glover and his wife Ruth bought a house in Leaside – a bungalow at 153 Glenvale – where they would live during his Korean tour.
Glover was in Korea only a few months, but he made his mark. From June to October, he shot down two Communist MIG fighters, caused another to crash by outmanoeuvring it, and seriously damaged two (by some accounts three) more. In total, he flew 58 combat missions. For his heroism,
Fall market is well underway!! or are you contemplating a spring move?
More change is coming to the small retail strip on Millwood Road between Rumsey and Airdrie.
In April, Leaside Hair Design came to the end of its 25-year stretch. Now, the building housing Bella Rouge at the south end of the strip has been sold, and Rhona McDonald, its owner, has decided this would be a good time to retire – at least for now.
If you’re an avid Leaside Life reader with a good memory, you will know that I wrote about Rhona, Michelle and Manush in the October 2019 issue. And now I’m back as they bid the neighbourhood farewell. That same grace was on display as the business closed, with clients and friends dropping by, enjoying refresh ments, and yes, shedding tears. Because while Bella Rouge existed for 12 years, Rhona has clients who have been following her around the neighbourhood for the past 40 years. She didn’t actually sell her equipment – it went into storage in Sundridge, Ont. for the time being.
ROUGE
Those of us with a regular hair stylist know that it’s not just getting hair trimmed that happens when you show up. Clients in Rhona’s salon knew that even if they came in feeling sad, they’d leave with a smile – having enjoyed the conver sation, the beverage selection, and maybe a chocolate too – as well as having their hair treated/coloured/ cut – whatever.
It has always been a point of pride for that large front window to be sparkling clean, for there to be a dog dish with water outside, dog cookies available inside, and seasonal plant ers gracing the curb. It may not be legally binding, but Rhona has asked that the new owner continue these niceties.
What’s next for everyone? In the short term, Rhona is having chemo treatments as a precaution following surgery in June, with a good progno sis. Her daughter Michelle, the salon manager who originally trained as an interior designer, “hasn’t a clue as to what is next, but there are opportunities both in Toronto and in Sundridge.” Manush, the salon’s artistic director, has taken a short break to go home to Albania, before making a decision on her future. Bella Rouge is keeping up both its Facebook and Instagram pages for the time being.
You may also remember that “Absolute Beauty by Jess” had space at Bella Rouge as well. (Read Leaside
Life, September 2019) Jess Puentes was on site, without clients coming in through out Covid, develop ing her own skincare line. Because she was there, she could keep on top of snow shov elling, mail delivery, and more for Rhona during that time. You can now find Jess at 862 Eglinton Ave. East, Suite 205, at Laird Drive.
And the building itself? According to Alan Redway, it started as a barber shop, with the barber’s wife as a hairdresser in the back. Then it was the original home of Sandy’s Cycles before that business moved to Laird, and then Research Road. Many of us also remember the heyday of Video Variables until the business owner decamped to Prince Edward County. Back to hair again with The Bayview Clipper, and until now, Bella Rouge. Next up? n
Alan Redway remembers the building whose most recent occupant was Bella Rouge on Millwood...
The first barber I remember was Arnold Smith. He was my dad’s and my own barber. My mother and my wife, Louise, went to Mae and Mary and later Cathy, the hair dresser behind the barber shop. Mae was from Nova Scotia, and when she retired told customers she was returning there, but Louise was invited to lunch with Mary and Cathy more than once.
Later, Frank Sirovic was the barber and owner of the building. Frank was my barber off and on. He was originally a barber in the Royal York Hotel and later had a barber shop on Yonge St. north of my law office. The priest at St. Anselm’s introduced him to the woman who became his wife. He died of a heart attack and fell down the stairs from his apart ment in that building. Memories.
Alan Redway is a former Leaside alderman, East York mayor and federal cabinet minister. n
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by KEN MALLETT
Consider the humble brick. You can make a fair case that the history of human civilization, from the Pharaohs to the present, has been built with bricks.
Certainly, Toronto was. The redbrick bungalow was the standard for home construction in the old city for well over 125 years – including in Leaside, where a slightly grander version is still considered a classic Leaside house.
Bricks are made of clay mixed with an adhesive – the ‘straw’ Pharaoh denied the Israelites – formed into moulds and baked hard.
For much of the city’s history, the bricks that built Toronto came from the (Evergreen) Brick Works, orig inally the home of the Don Valley Pressed Brick Company, but now a thriving cultural centre.
The Taylor brothers, John, William and George, began making bricks there in 1889, and after a major fire
in 1904 destroyed most of down town Toronto, the siblings provided most of the brick used to rebuild the
city. At their peak they were produc ing 100,000 bricks a day.
Bricks are at once as common as earth and as unique as the local environment, and the local clay pit.
That presents a problem when any of the grand old brick buildings of the last century – like Massey Hall – have to be repaired or restored. The new bricks don’t match the old. That’s where Kreitmaker enters the picture.
When the Massey Hall restoration committee needed to match the colour and texture of the 125-yearold bricks used for the original music hall, they chose Kreitmaker, a Leaside company, for the job.
Kreitmaker is a brick, block, stone and concrete supplier on Industrial St. just off Laird.
“After looking through our options with the builder, the best match was the Aldridge Red Smooth brick by Ibstock Brick, a UK brick manu facturer for whom we hold exclu sive distribution rights for all of Canada,” says Kreitmaker’s general manager Chris Cameron. “We supplied 20,000 pieces for the restoration.”
The $184 million revitalization job completed last spring and the his toric music hall is more beautiful than ever and lovingly restored to its 19th century glory.
Leaside residents who frequent the Loblaws store on Redway Rd. or enjoy hikes in Crothers Woods may be surprised to learn they are near the site of Plywood Fabricators, a company that played a significant role in supplying landing craft for the war effort in World War II.
The company was an offshoot of the Howard Furnace Company, which was acquired by Toronto businessman Robert Hughes in 1915. Robert is the great-grandfa ther of local home technician Rob Hughes, who was featured in our May 2022 issue. Robert’s sons, King (Rob’s grandfather) and George, took over the business in the 1930s.
During the war years, the company also manufactured furnaces for the Department of Defence, providing heating systems for barracks and hangars across Canada.
On one of King’s regular visits to Ottawa to discuss heating systems with the Department of Defence, he learned that the government
was looking for a company to build landing craft called Ramped Cargo Lighters (RCLs), which could be assembled on ship or land. The brothers and their friend and consul
tant on naval matters, Ted Shipley, worked out a manufacturing process, and after, making a presentation, were granted the contract and asked to complete the first order for 200 craft as soon as possible.
King then set up a separate company for manufacturing the RCLs called Plywood Fabricators. (The furnace company continued with its produc tion at the same time.)
He purchased property in Leaside near where the Loblaws sits today, as it had to be close to a railway line for easy transport.
Because the order was required immediately, Rob explains that the construction of the RCLs started in the parking lot close to the rail spur line even before the plant was com pleted. In fact, the factory was built over the spur line so craft could be loaded in all weather conditions.
The lighters were built in sections of plywood over wooden frames to sim plify shipping, then were transported to the east coast, and shipped to war zones where they were assembled in the theatre of operations. The craft were described as “shallow-draft, barge-like boats,” 52 feet long and 18 feet wide, and equipped with two 100 bhp Gray Marine six-cylin der engines. The craft, which had a crew of four, could be used to carry troops, two light tanks, one heavy one, or four Bren Gun Carriers.
According to Rob, King Hughes was a pragmatic businessman who saw the work as “a challenge to be
addressed, rolled up his sleeves and took it on.” Apparently, a recruiting officer told him that he was needed where he was, in his manufacturing role, to support the war effort.
The last contract was filled in 1944. By the end of that year, Plywood Fabricators had built 345 of the landing craft.
When the war ended, Plywood Fabricators started building houses in sections with their surplus mate rials. These homes were assembled
on site, some of the first “prefab ricated” houses built for returning war veterans and shipped to areas in Toronto, such as Pharmacy and St. Clair, Oakville and Hamilton. King eventually refocused his efforts on the heating and cooling business, Plywood Fabricators was wound down, and the building in Leaside was sold to a glass manufac turer. The company had been very successful in serving Canada and its war effort. n
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As I write this, we’ve just arrived home from our traditional Thanksgiving weekend at the cottage – an annual affair we’ve enjoyed for more than… well… I’m just not up to the math right now, but since 1964. So, yes, a long time. And over so many decades, rituals and traditions are observed year in and year out.
Friday night traffic is probably the first tradition we encounter every Thanksgiving weekend. I’d be quite happy to forego the annual stop and go, bumper-to-bumper tailgate party on the 400, but I appear to be alone in advocating for this, as there were still thousands of drivers on the highway, some of them even honouring the rules of the road. So, the trip to the cottage took some what longer than usual.
Then, right on schedule, and not for the first time, our next task was to evacuate the chipmunk who had taken up residence in the south bedroom. Now, I know by calling it the south bedroom, it makes our
Terry Fallis Columnist
cottage sound palatial, with mul tiple wings. Nope. There are two bedrooms in the cottage, creatively and geographically known as the north and south bedrooms. We don’t know how the chipmunk got in, but s/he had stored enough peanuts under both pillows to support an entire chipmunk family at least until the summer of 2023. It only took a few hours, but we did manage to “relocate” the squatter safely and gently to more appropri ate lodgings outside.
I was up early Saturday morning to fulfill my annual responsibility of
making the stuffing for the modest 25-lb. turkey that was straining the top shelf in our refrigerator. I like to think I’ve become an expert on stuffing over the many years I’ve been making it. I have been called the sage of stuffing seasoning. While I was up to my elbows in onions and bread, my wife was making her legendary pumpkin muffins to help tide us over until Thanksgiving dinner. We barely squeezed the bird into our gigantic roasting pan and then into the oven just as the rest of our clan arrived to bring our numbers up to a respectable 14 for turkey dinner that night. Then in the afternoon, we had our annual walk along our cottage road, taking in the colours, throw ing the frisbee, and picking wild flowers and greenery for the table’s centrepiece. The real reason for the walk is to allow the cottage to fill
up with the singular and welcome aroma of a cooking turkey to greet us on our return.
By this time, I’d led a small team in peeling an entire 10-lb. bag of potatoes to be mashed with butter and sour cream. Turnip had been prepared and was waiting in the microwave to be warmed up –there was no room in the oven for turnip or anything other than the 25-lb. turkey. Then the table was set, including the artistic position ing of the centrepiece that, as usual, was too big for the table.
By then, peas, corn and carrots were nearly ready on the stove, leaving but one more crucial task –in fact, it’s mission critical – before we sat down to dig in. My twin brother Tim has always been in charge of making the gravy. Well, there was a time when I too had that privilege, but that all ended very badly the year I mistook icing sugar for flour! (Well, you have to admit, they do look similar!)
Anyway, this Thanksgiving dinner was another memorable meal. There was much groaning from those who ate too much – okay, I was one of them. In fact, I was forced to retire to the couch to cat alyze my digestion.
The next day, I was the first one up and, as one does the morning after Thanksgiving dinner, I obviously avoided typical breakfast foods and made myself a plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, and lots of gravy. You may think I’m making this part up, but I’m not. I microwaved my breakfast plate and sat down to relive the previous night’s repast. It took me about four or five big mouthfuls to determine that some thing was amiss. It just didn’t taste quite as good as it had 12 hours earlier. I finally figured it out. A little piece of crystallized ginger was the tipoff. Instead of gravy, I’d smothered my plate with leftover pumpkin muffin batter that looked exactly like – you know – gravy. You can’t make this stuff up. A new Thanksgiving memory to haunt me for years to come.
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 in bookstores. You can also subscribe to his newsletter: https://terryfallis. substack.com. n
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It’s that time of year again! Early snowflakes dancing! Scouts selling Christmas trees! And John Masterson sporting his famous moustache at Leaside Presbyterian Church!
Scouts at Leaside Presbyterian, annual Christmas tree sales, and John Masterson have been intertwined for nearly three decades. Scouting has been sponsored at the church since 1946, Christmas tree sales started in the early 1990s, and John arrived as a leader in January of 1993.
A full-page ad in the October issue of Leaside Life promotes Scouting for boys and girls, starting at age 5 – and promoting the joys of volun teering as a leader too. The current Scouting program at the 132nd starts with Beavers, then advances to Cubs and Scouts.
In John Masterson’s family, Scouting comes naturally. Both his parents were leaders at home in Scotland –his father in Scouting and his mother
in Guiding. John fell into the 132nd when he was working at Rumble Pontiac, Buick, and part of his job was to take a snowplow around the
neighbourhood to help out. He hap pened upon a crew hand-shovelling the parking lot of the church when it was Christmas tree sale time in December 1992, and proceeded to lend a hand, and a snowplow. He came back to sign up as a leader the next January. He’s been there ever since, long past the time his three children were involved.
Legend has it that in the early days of their Christmas tree sales, the kids and their leaders would go to a Christmas tree farm to cut trees one
weekend, with the trees delivered for them to sell the next weekend. No longer. For the past 25 years, the trees have come from Drysdale Tree Farm, and this year, as in the past few years, they will all be six-toeight-foot-tall Fraser firs. The usual order is 100 trees.
John was a youngster when his family moved to Saint John, New Brunswick, so you won’t hear a Scottish accent. After one year at the University of New Brunswick, he got a summer job at a camp in Ontario and has been here ever since. After a few false starts, he realized that car sales were the right fit for him – which led to Rumble Pontiac and living in Leaside –“a little town in the city.” Other positions called later, but John and family stayed in Leaside. And what about John’s famous moustache? In the early 1970s, he had a full beard and flowing locks –his wedding photos provide proof. In the hot summer of 1972, he shaved and cut off everything, except the moustache. It was just an ordinary ’stache until 1978, when a manager said, “why don’t you curl your moustache? You look as if you’re moping.” So, there you have it, the man who is always smiling, courtesy of his premium moustache wax. n
Over the years I have written often about the Leaside Business Park, its remarkable history, promise, chal lenges and importance to our com munity as a whole. But most impor tantly, about the entrepreneurs and their businesses that call Leaside home. With the recent, and hope fully ongoing reopening of things as they nearly were…I had the plea sure of attending the first Leaside Business Park Association (LBPA) event in more than two and a half years. Rubbing elbows with the busi nesses and organizations that care about Leaside’s core employment zone at the meet & greet, I couldn’t help being amazed at all the talent.
In addition to the local busi nesses that participated, our new MPP Stephanie Bowman dropped by as well as representatives from Metrolinx. But it was the presence of Leaside’s entrepreneurs with their can-do attitude and the creative, problem-solving energy they bring that bodes well for the park’s future success. One such Leaside-based busi ness that always stands out to me is Amsterdam Brewery.
Perhaps it is the affable and generous nature of its owner Jeff Carefoote, or the fact that the LBPA meet & greet was hosted at the brewery, or maybe it is Jeff’s deliberate effort to engage the community by support ing so many initiatives we Leasiders care about (think of 2013’s Leaside Lager), or the recent fifth anniver sary celebration of Amsterdam’s Barrel House, or maybe it was the July news that Royal Unibrew was buying the brewery for $44 million. Regardless, Jeff’s story of purchas ing the brewpub in 2002, and then proceeding to build a successful busi
Asano The Business of Leaside
ness worthy of attracting interna tional investment, is a testament to Carefoote and the team he’s put in place. The fact he chose Leaside as the home for his growing enterprise is the icing on the cake. When you get a chance to sit down with Jeff, you listen and learn!
Owning a business is like being a farmer...
On that note and with the permis sion of the LBPA, I am sharing a recent Q&A with Jeff (courtesy of the Leaside Business Park Association) as an introduction to a follow-up story about the Amsterdam Brewery that Leaside Life is keen to publish
when Jeff and his leadership team can discuss their future and the opportu nities they see.
Tell me a bit about yourself Born and raised in Toronto, spe cifically Scarborough. I went to the University in Waterloo and studied at Wilfrid Laurier University; after wards I attended Ohio University for a Master’s degree in business admin istration. When my studies were com pleted, I realized I liked two things: drinking beer and sports.
I worked in professional sports in Toronto for a couple of years and then joined Molson Breweries. In 1989, I moved to Reston, Virginia to work for Molson and subsequently to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to work for the Miller Brewing Company. Later in 1998, I returned to Canada to work for Molson again and in the year 2000 decided to tackle the entre preneurial life of craft brewing.
I have been married for a long time and have three daughters, two who work in the business with me and one who is attending school in the United States. We have been living just north of Leaside at York Mills and Bayview since 1998.
Since early 2002, I have owned Amsterdam; I purchased it as a brewpub on King Street West. Before my purchase, the Amsterdam was Toronto’s first brewpub, located on John Street, and it was established in 1986. We moved to Bathurst and Front Street for six years and then to Leaside in 2012. We added the Amsterdam BrewHouse at Queen’s
The demolition in late September of Leaside’s former Canadian Pacific Railway Station has evoked a mixed response. Some were concerned about loss of heritage, but others were skeptical – “the most ugly cladding from the 1970s I ever saw. Personally I was ‘creeped out’ when I went there, it is so isolated and shielded by shrubbery and quiet” (from fellow Leaside Residents Association director Paul Green)!
So, how did this demolition happen? The first I heard about Metrolinx’s plan was a commu nity notice issued in June saying that 50 Village Station Road was to be demolished. No mention that this was the former Leaside railway station! It appeared to be a com munication intended to follow a requirement to inform, but not designed to elicit interest. Their strategy clearly worked!
The property had been provincially owned since 1998, apparently pur chased by GO Transit for “future use” in connection with a commuter
Geoff Kettel Saving old Leaside
line. But plans (and governments!) change.
What about heritage? Frankly, the building was a dilapidated mess having been vandalized and covered in graffiti tags since its most recent
use as an office over a decade ago (see photo). The building no longer demonstrated the Streamlined Moderne lines of its “as built” struc ture, as described in a March 2018 Leaside Life article, “Leaside Art Deco Lost.”
It was not heritage designated and even if it was, the province has the power to override any municipal heritage designation.
On seeing the demolition notice I contacted Metrolinx to ask them to (1) document the building to archi val standards and (2) commem orate the building in some way, perhaps with a plaque? I never got a response.
What’s next? The LRA, together with Leaside Business Park Association (LBPA) and Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office (TNO), are asking for a meeting with Metrolinx to address this and other “Early Works,” as well as to get an update on other Ontario Line plans affecting Leaside and Thorncliffe Park. Let’s hope the communication improves! n
by SUZANNE PARK
“Every journey starts with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
At every stage of life, we encounter and navigate both new and familiar journeys. They can be comforting or confusing, exhilarating or exhaust ing, joyful or mournful, and present many opportunities and challenges. How reassuring it is to already know, quickly discover or be guided along a wise and pleasant route.
Leaside’s Karen Linker, founder and CEO of Family Navigator for Seniors is one such skilled and caring guide. As she explains, “I love working with seniors, their adult children and care givers, and I specialize in dementia care and housing whether home care, retirement homes or long-term care.”
Karen adds, “We all want our loved ones to live independently as long as possible yet when dementia pro gresses and we’re without a roadmap or someone to guide us, the number of complex issues and decisions we face is overwhelming. I encountered this during a visit to my parents, who lived hours away. Upon arriv
ing I realized that although my mom was doing an amazing job, my dad was in need of much more special ized care. Dad had a previous dementia diagnosis, yet it had progressed and we were ill equipped and had no plans in place to deal with the situation. My mom’s fall, breaking her hip a few weeks later, added much pain and additional complications to our dilemma.
“There were so many complex issues to deal with and despite my career background I was in need of guidance.”
Karen has enjoyed a rewarding career spanning decades in many diverse roles. She began as a regis tered nurse working in specialized coronary and heart transplant units.
She next worked with a medical heart device manufacturer where she taught medical practitioners proper devise use and care. She then moved onto a seven-year leadership role with a large retirement living corporation where she learned about seniors’ housing.
“All this experience was inade quate preparation for dealing with my parents’ dilemma,” she says. This encouraged me to follow my passion and transition from corporate life to entrepreneurship. I started my business to share the many lessons and copious research I’d assembled, working through my family’s chal lenges, all in service to support those encountering similar issues with their loved ones.”
Karen’s business now provides the services that would have eased her own family’s journey. “In a brief discovery call potential clients can determine if there is a fit between their needs and my services. If yes, then we proceed to an assessment phase where we clarify requirements. I then set to work researching and recommending options. My ongoing research and key links and collabo rations with other professionals in the field, many in Leaside, provide a current and comprehensive roadmap for my clients.”
A few signs Karen urges watching your loved ones for include deterio rating grooming and housekeeping, spoiled fridge food, difficulty per forming familiar tasks, and unusual sleep patterns.
Learn more at her website: www. familynavigatorforseniors.ca n
Love sports and are looking for ways to engage with like-minded people in the ’hood? Need encouragement to get moving or to try a new sport? Want to read interesting articles about move ment and nutrition?
Pamela Haines has your back.
The energetic Leasider has founded the “Leaside Active Women’s Group,” on Facebook.
Haines is what you might refer to as a multi-multi-multi-sport athlete whom her friends call “a machine.” The dieti cian and real estate agent has what she calls “boundless energy.”
Perhaps you’ve seen her cross-coun try skiing through the neighbourhood. But skiing is only one of her many activities.
Her sports include swimming, tennis, ultimate frisbee, squash, curling, hiking, rowing, walking, hockey, skateski, ball hockey, paddle boarding and daily HIIT (high intensity interval training). Phew, I’m tired just writing this list.
During the lockdown, Haines keenly missed the interaction she enjoyed on a tennis court or in an ice rink.
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With the majority of restrictions lifted, she was eager to reconnect with other likeminded folks. And what better way than through sports?
In her introductory post, Haines described the Leaside Active Women’s Group as “a forum for bringing great bodies and minds together to discuss,
challenge, engage and recommend how to stay physically and/or mentally active. This group can also be a spring board for actually meeting up and engaging with others physically and mentally through sports and leisure activities.”
Women in the Facebook group have already organized and met up for runs, paddle boarding excursions, bike rides, hikes and walks/runs on the dreaded, yet awesome stairs at Talbot Park.
There is also a regular Monday evening walk, which occasionally ends with a well-deserved libation at a local establishment. And if you don’t have the time to meet, the site is a great place to read articles on nutrition, the benefits of movement, and ways to begin or return to being active.
Women have also shared links to classes, sales on sports equipment (high fives to those who purchased their paddle boards on sale!), and provided tips on great local spots to hike or bike.
Sports have a way of bringing people together. And the Leaside Active Women’s Group on Facebook is a ter rific spot to meet neighbours virtually, arrange to join them in person, and learn about nutrition and movement. n
Last month we offered a list of options within Leaside to keep active without having to commit to a team or class (because sometimes our schedules can be just a little “loosey-goosey.”)
We asked if you had any good sug gestions and you came through!
Located behind the Leaside Arena and beside the Leaside Pool, the curling club is an extremely popular spot for curlers across the city.
The club, in fact, has more than 1,100 members and 12 leagues for curlers of all ages and abilities, making it the province’s largest curling club. The club pro is John Epping, who is top-ranked on the World Curling Tour.
But anyone, from rookie to bon spieler, can curl at the club on Saturdays.
From late September through late April, Leaside Curling Club rents its ice to individuals or groups for two-hour games or an entire day’s bonspiel.
No experience required and the club will even provide instructors if needed. The club will also assist if you’d like to organize your own bonspiel.
Call or email the club in advance to book at 647-748-2875 or info@ leasidecurling.ca.
Ever had the sudden urge to pull out the racquet and hit the court? No need to join a club.
Head to Leaside High School/ Talbot Park where two courts are available for public play.
Courts are open on a first-come, first-served basis to anyone with a racquet and ball. Strawberries and cream are optional.
Located on Esandar Drive beside the Amsterdam Brewery, Sky Zone is the ultimate spot to jump, dodge, flip and bounce.
With wall-to-wall trampolines available for all age groups (includ ing toddlers and adults), the play space is open seven days a week.
Our list of spots in Leaside to be active without officially joining a club or class now stands at: Leaside Pool, Leaside Library, playgrounds, Leaside Arena, the outdoor rink in Trace Manes park, toboggan ing at Leaside High School, hiking/ walking/biking in multiple parks and ravines, curling at the Leaside Curling Club, tennis at Leaside High School/Talbot Park and jumping at Sky Zone.
Have we missed any no-commit ment-required active recreations in Leaside? Let us know! n
• E xercise with friends in a controlled situation.
• Small classes, 8 people per session.
• Class times: lots of weekday options and open class weekends.
• A ll classes are instructor led and 75 minutes in length.
• A ir purifiers in the facility along with fans and dehumidifiers to make your ride experience a great one.
• A ll rides are on our Wahoo Kick’rs that are brand new connected to PerfPro and multimedia for your entertainment.
To reserve your spot, call Peter at 647-545-6587.
42 Industrial St, Unit 108 Tel. 647 545 6587 pete @mindsetcycling.ca mindsetcycling.ca
In the blink of an eye, our garden season has come to a rest, and the same goes for me. Honestly, I found this season exhausting, with so much going on. It’s no wonder we forget and the very reason most gardeners keep a journal.
Now is a good time to look over those journals and remember. How did we do? What did we learn? Can we do better?
There’s even more we can learn beyond our own yards. Let’s look back at a few of the highlights (and lowlights) from the Leaside gardening year of 2022: good, bad, even ugly.
This was the Year of the Garden, and even though we got a late start celebrating, the gardening year began with a lot more hope and an eagerness to do better.
In April, I wrote about dandeli ons and was overwhelmed by the favourable response. Who knew there were so many dandelion lovers in the ’hood?
In June, the Leaside Garden Society brought back their in-person garden tour after two long years and we got to see some pretty amazing backyards. There were pollinator gardens, food gardens and even a ‘mini forest’ garden.
We saw a lot more balconies come alive this year too! So many were filled with flower boxes and potted evergreens.
In August, I did a feature story about a new front yard pollinator garden that not only helped nature, it helped the gardener as well.
And for the annual Harvest Report in September, I shone a well-de served light on volunteer gardeners at the St. Cuthbert’s Community Garden.
Yes, there was a lot of good gar dening going on in Leaside this year.
It was both bad and sad when Davenport Garden Centre closed their Bayview location. I will miss the convenience and great selec tion of quality organic, native and neonic-free plants, along with their knowledgeable staff.
In July, I had a long conversation with Carla Rose (one of the owners) to get her take on this year’s garden season and find out what our local gardeners were buying.
“It was a strange season, people were buying like they did in 2019,” Carla said. “Maybe it was because of the cold spring, maybe people were just too busy. I don’t know. But it was like they just wanted a quick fix and needed some instant
gratification.”
That statement broke my green heart because numbers don’t lie. During both spring and summer, Davenport’s Bayview location saw an increase in sales of annuals (in particular hanging baskets and prefilled planters) while vegetables and herbs fell behind. Interesting.
Any garden practice that harms the environment should be considered bad. Yet no matter how much infor mation is out there, it’s clear some old habits die hard. Most of us are guilty of this to some degree and we all need to do better.
But for me, the biggest of the bad was definitely the weather.
For three years in a row, Leaside experienced a cold and late spring, followed by extreme heat, humidity and drought. Should we be getting used to this? Weather forecasters were useless with their predictions. There were days calling for rain (90%) and we didn’t see a drop. When it did rain (which was rare) even downtown got more rain than Leaside. This year ‘record-breaking’ was starting to sound like a broken record.
OK, calling a garden ugly is pretty harsh. But what would you call a biological dead zone?
A garden buddy of mine lives in a Leaside condo that overlooks a few ravine lots. I’ve never seen them, but it must be a special feeling to over look a forest.
Unfortunately, this year, one of those backyards got a makeover. With a bird’s eye view, my friend watched in horror as the plants were removed. The deep slope was carved into tiered levels and a layer of something that looked like cement (more likely compacted limestone) was installed. Then it was all car peted with artificial turf. To me, the only thing worse than paving over paradise is topping it off with plastic grass.
Very soon, a blanket of snow will cover every Leaside garden (good, bad and ugly) like a clean canvas awaiting the next masterpiece. I wonder. What will we create next year? Hopefully a lot more good!
Visit leasidelife.com for the extended version of this article along with photos! n
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Since November includes Remembrance Day (November 11th) I always like to see some commemorative content in the November issue of Leaside Life.
This year I have chosen to high light the 80th anniversary com memorative events on August 19 for the Dieppe Raid in 1942 that occurred at the Old City Hall Cenotaph and later that day at Dieppe Park in East York.
On August 19, 1942, more than 6,000 allied troops embarked on 250 vessels from Southern England on a daylight raid on the Germanoccupied French resort town of Dieppe. Almost 5,000 of these sol diers were young Canadian men. Of the Canadians who embarked on the raid, nearly 4,000 were killed, wounded or taken pris oner. Of the 1,000 soldiers who returned to England, 600 of them were wounded.
Dieppe was a pivotal lesson for the Allied nations and would be useful in D-Day preparations that would turn the tide in World War II two years later, in 1944. But it came at a steep price for Canada and many Torontonians.
Dieppe resulted in the highest number of Canadian casualties in a single day during World War II, and the impact of this day was keenly felt in Toronto. More than 200 soldiers, or one-quarter of the 807 Canadians who died that day, had links to Toronto. On January 11, 1943, East York Township Council designated a site on Cosburn Avenue as Dieppe Park to honour the brave soldiers who fought and
died for our country.
On August 19, 2022, the City of Toronto held two ceremonies to commemorate the 80th anniver sary of the Dieppe Raid. In the morning, at a ceremony held at the Old City Hall cenotaph the mayor of Toronto and other representatives lay wreaths to honour Canadian sol diers who made the ultimate sacri fice at Dieppe on August 19, 1942.
The evening commemoration at Dieppe Park in East York brought together family members who shared stories of relatives from Toronto who were killed in action, taken prisoner of war, contributed on the home front, and those who returned home as veterans. Poppies were placed below an exhibit to represent the 209 Torontonians who never returned home. Before this ceremony, the Royal Canadian Legion held a wreath-laying cere mony at the East York Civic Centre Cenotaph followed by a march to Dieppe Park.
The ceremony included the unveil ing of commemorative panels which were on temporary display at Dieppe Park but will again be on display at Toronto City Hall – Rotunda from November 4–11, 2022.
How does this relate to Leaside today? Alan Redway, former Mayor of East York and former Member of Parliament, Leaside resident and long-time Leaside Life con tributor, championed the event locally, and was instrumental in linking the City and the East York Foundation (Chair, Ray White) with the East York branches of the Royal Canadian Legion to support the Dieppe Park commemorative events on August 19. Thank you! n
Quay in 2013 and the Amsterdam Barrel House on Laird in 2016. This is the 35th year of Amsterdam doing business in Toronto.
I had watched the craft beer segment develop in the United States. I thought the two major brewers in Canada at that time were less atten tive to consumer tastes and saw that as an opportunity to build a business. Amsterdam had built a decent repu tation in downtown Toronto over 15 years and it seemed a good base to build upon so I acquired the business from the founder.
What challenges have you faced?
There have been numerous chal lenges but in Canada, we have a lot of reliable government support pro grams that have helped. As well, I have a very supportive board of directors. Recently, two of my daugh ters have joined me in the business. Owning a business is like being a farmer; there is always something you should do.
What do you enjoy about being in Leaside and the community?
Leaside is a great community, they tend to treat their own with care and compassion and it is a great thing. The community is growing very fast, and changing; but to me, it seems to be able to maintain its history and personality, due to the many people who dedicate themselves to the mul titude of activities taking place. We are proud to participate in the events when called upon but it is the tireless work of many that makes it happen. It is a place where I am grateful to work and reside close by.
Any words of advice for the next generation?
I think three things are required for ultimate happiness. Your family, where you live and what you do. Working and living in the area have provided me with the ability to achieve all three, for which I am very grateful.
What is your favourite Amsterdam brew? Do you know successful entre preneurs in Leaside? Do you know growing businesses that would benefit from locating to Leaside? Let us know at leasidelife@gmail.com.
About the next LBPA event: the AGM will take place on Nov. 9th in person and virtually. Interested indi viduals can learn more and register to attend either online or the in-per son event at the LBPA’s website (lea sidebusinesspark.com).
he was awarded the Commonwealth Distinguished Flying Cross and the USAF Distinguished Flying Cross – the only Canadian airman to receive these awards while Canada was technically still at peace.
Back in North America, Glover’s success received extensive media cover age. Over a dozen newspapers carried stories of his exploits – including the Globe & Mail, Toronto Star as well as newspapers in Whitehorse, Saskatoon, Calgary, Vancouver and even Texas and Philadelphia. Virtually every article noted that the Canadian war hero was also a Leaside resident. The Toronto Star even quoted Ruth Glover affirm ing to reporters that “Leaside is our home, and we intend to keep our bun galow there.”
Unfortunately, it was not to be. By 1954 he had left Leaside. Soon after his return to Canada in 1952, he was assigned to Europe and later to Chatham and Trenton, Ont. He retired from the RCAF in 1970 and settled in Frankford, where he lived until his death in 1991. He and his wife called Leaside home for little more than a year – but what an unforgettable year it was. Let us remember. n
As you read my column this month, the municipal election will just have taken place, and we will still be in that period during which results are being sorted and interpreted.
City government has the greatest direct, day-to-day impact on our lives, and one would have expected more heat and light and public involvement in the period leading up to Election Day.
Yet it’s been a strangely low-key, even passive, election season this year, although filled with import ant issues to deal with and major problems to resolve.
In an attempt to provide more detailed information on those issues and potential solutions, in mid-October the Leaside Residents Association joined a consortium of six other neighbourhood groups in Don Valley West to present a virtual candidates’ debate. We part nered with residents’ associations in the Bedford-Wanless, Don Mills, St. Andrews, Yonge-Ridge, and York Mills areas. Did you listen in? Or participate?
I was interested to note that the
Carol Burtin Fripp Co-president, LRA
big issues, such as the new ‘strong mayor’ policy recently announced by Premier Ford, did not attract major debate in our DVW meeting, although it will deter mine how things work (or don’t) at the upcoming City Hall session. Housing affordability was cited (how do we define affordability?) as was traffic congestion.
The Committee of Adjustment came in for well-deserved criti cism and calls for reform. There was support for a formal enquiry into Metrolinx’s repeated delays in completing the Eglinton LRT. There were questions on whether term limits should be imposed on coun cillors and mayors, and candidates expressed support for bicycle lanes but asked if the City was using road space properly.
There was criticism of the reduced enforcement of City bylaws during the pandemic (and since), and of Toronto’s failure to maintain stan dards and a good state of repair. And, not least, there was an aware ness of climate change and the need to make Toronto a greener city, but disagreement regarding how to do so.
Post-election, we now enter a period where Toronto is at a kind of crossroad, with many urgent needs requiring funds which are in short supply, and with big changes in governance and balance of power at City Hall still to be defined. What changes, positive and nega tive, loom ahead? Stay tuned....
The next monthly board meeting of the Leaside Residents Association is on Wed., Nov. 2nd, at 7:30 p.m., on Zoom. If you’d like to partici pate or watch, please let us know by that date and we’ll be glad to send you the Zoom access details. You can find us at www.leasideres idents.ca. n
“We are very proud to be a part of this project as Massey Hall has played such a huge role in the history of Toronto and has shaped the culture of our city too,” Cameron added.
“We also worked on the Campbell block building at Dundas and Keele, one of the more historic buildings in the Junction area. For that res toration job, we supplied another Ibstock brick – Orange Stock, a very popular colour when it comes to res toration jobs in Toronto.
“As most buildings from old Toronto were built using bricks from the Don Valley brickworks, we have found that our bricks from Ibstock can perfectly match the oldstyle bricks produced at the brick works. We have worked on many residential projects using Ibstock brick to properly match the old Toronto design, which is a favour ite among builders across the GTA.
The company chose Leaside because it is a perfect fit for their work, and being a part of the busi ness park has helped greatly as the land was ideal for an industrial con struction business.
“When the land was purchased in 2004, we saw a lot of potential in the area. Now it has become a part of the community’s growth with new shopping centres and housing expansions,” Cameron said. And the perfect home for a company grounded in Toronto’s finest brick. Thick as a brick, for all the right reasons. n
One day, these hands will save lives, solve problems, explore new frontiers, and build a world we've only dreamed of.
As it did for Plato, DaVinci, Jane Austen, or Einstein, music is waiting to enhance your child's potential too.
Scotland’s National Curling Team made a surprise visit to the Leaside Curling Club. The team captured the Silver medal at the recent Beijing Olympic Games. Team Canada, led by Brad Gushue, won the Bronze medal. The Leaside Curling Club is Ontario’s largest curling club hosting over 1,100 members annually.
Thurs., Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m. In-person at Northlea United Church, 125 Brentcliffe Rd. Presentation: Re-imagining Dementia: A New Movement of Hope. Speakers: Jenn Hicks, Creative Movement Instructor and Speech Language Pathologist, and Robin Gertin, Certified Expressive Arts Therapist. www.cfuwleasideeastyork.ca
NORTHLEA UNITED CHURCH
125 Brentcliffe Road. www.northleaunited.ca 416 425 5252
MEDITATION TIME WITH LEE-ANN
Join Rev. Lee-Ann Ahlstrom for an hour of calm and centring in the middle of your week. Tuesdays, Nov. 8, 15, 22; Dec. 6, 13, 20 in our Sanctuary. For information and to register, contact our office at office@northleaunited.ca or 416 425 5252.
ST. CUTHBERT’S ANGLICAN CHURCH
1399 Bayview Avenue www.stcuthbertsleaside.com 416 485 0329 stcuthbertleaside@toronto.anglican.ca
TAI CHI
Tuesdays 1:30-2:30 p.m. Donation $3
CHRISTMAS FAIR
Sat., Nov. 12 – 11 a.m to 2 p.m. A slimmed down, but still special in-person event. Baking, preserves, toys, jewellery, Christmas items and more.
CHEESE FOR CHRISTMAS from the Empire Cheese and Butter Co-op in Campbellford. Order by the end of Nov. and pick up on Tues., Dec. 13 at the church. Gift baskets, gift boxes and individual packages of award-winning Ontario cheese.
HOLIDAY SHOW AND SALE
See 100+ new artworks in the Gallery and 300+ artworks online! More than 100 members offer a variety of mediums, subject matter and style. Nov 9-20 Papermill Gallery: Todmorden Mills, 67 Pottery Rd. Nov 9-27 Online: www.donvalleyartclub.com/ artshowandsale
Gallery Hours: Wed to Sun 11am to 4pm (closed Mon and Tues). n
