#RECYCLELEASIDE

by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO

Ahhhhh spring! Thoughts of flowers growing, baby animals, warmth and sunshine, and, obviously, cleaning, of the heavy-duty vernal variety.

Spring is the time to open the windows, let in the fresh warm air, and for those with cupboards or garages like mine, start to clear out.

Leaside has both Rotary and City of Toronto Recycling Days (see page 29), but if you’re like me, once you’ve decided you want things gone, you want them gone now.

There are definitely items which you can bring to thrift stores, but there are also many places around Leaside where you can drop items for recycling or safe disposal (some I never would have thought of recycling).

Got stuff and want to keep it out of landfill? We’ve got you covered –

Medications

If you’ve got unused or expired medicines (both prescription and over the counter), avoid flushing or throwing them away. Keeping medications out of landfill or water ensures the leaching of chemicals is avoided.

Take medications out of their packaging, place them in a paper bag and bring them to a Rexall or Shoppers Drug Mart in the neighbourhood for safe disposal.

Books

Got books you’ve finished with? Deposit them in one of the Little Free libraries around Leaside or bring them to Leaside Library.

AUTO-RELATED ITEMS

be recycled at Staples at 945 Eglinton Ave. East. (I may or may not have gone through three kids’ worth of markers and brought a LARGE number to be recycled.)

Electronics

Cellphones, batteries, ink cartridges, cables, monitors, laptops, etc. can be dropped for recycling at Best Buy at 147 Laird Drive.

Bring your old tires, motor oil or car batteries to Canadian Tire at 825 Eglinton Ave. East for safe disposal.

Eyewear

From 9 to 5, Monday to Friday, eyewear can be dropped at the Toronto Finnish Seniors Centre at 795 Eglinton Ave. East.

Plastic Plant Pots

Bring back dirty or clean plastic pots to Home Depot at 101 Wicksteed or at the garden centre at Valumart at 1500 Bayview.

Shoes

Have you outgrown or just plain dislike shoes in your closet? Bring your gently-worn shoes of all sizes and styles to Sportchek at 147 Laird, Bioped at the Whole Foods Plaza at 1864 Bayview Ave. or Enduro Sport at 812 Eglinton Ave. East.

The shoes are distributed through the Soles4Souls program to people in need in Canada and abroad.

Small Metal Bike Parts

Do you have parts such as bike chains, derailleurs, spokes, etc. for disposal? Bring them to Enduro Sport at 812 Eglinton Ave. East.

Hearing Aids

Bring hearing aids to Global Hearing Aid Clinic at 1386 Bayview Ave. Hearing aids are passed along to people in need in developing countries.

Know of any other spots in Leaside which recycle products to keep them out of the landfill? Let us know at: leasidelife@gmail.com.

You can also join the Recycling in Toronto - Midtown and Leaside page on Facebook for discussion and advice. n preventing jockeys from lining up for the next race. They hurled mud and stones at the horses. One jockey was struck in the head with a rock. A horse was also hit.

Meanwhile, another crowd stormed the ticket booths demanding their money back. In the ensuing melee, someone threw a brick through a window.

Over loudspeakers, officials pleaded with the protesters to disperse, but to no avail. A small contingent of East York police were on hand, but their numbers were too small to quell the disturbance.

Eventually, 25 special constables had to be deputized on the spot – including Maple Leafs hockey star Charlie Conacher – to forcibly restore order. The riot lasted twoand-a-half hours.

Aftermath

All three Toronto dailies reported the story – as well as at least a dozen other Canadian papers, the major wire services, and seven U.S. newspapers – including the New York Times. Coverage was often sensational. The Globe & Mail called the riot “a disturbance unparalleled in the history of Canadian racing,” while the Ottawa Citizen termed it “one of the most turbulent scenes ever witnessed on a Canadian track.”

One rioter was arrested and charged with assault; another was fined $10. Some blamed the East York police for not acting quickly enough to stop the riot.

Others, like the Toronto Telegram newspaper, blamed union activists and communist agitators for the disruption.

Most people, however, agreed that Thorncliffe track officials were at fault for failing to explain fully to the crowd why the second race was being rerun. Track officials were also blamed for not giving the horses sufficient time to rest between the falsestart and the make-up race.

Track officials presumably learned their lesson. No further riots seem to have occurred at Thorncliffe – right up to the day the racetrack closed, in June 1952. n

HELLO LEASIDE! IS YOUR BIKE READY FOR SPRING?

Proper maintenance is essential for carefree riding. Give us a call to discuss how we can get your bike ready for the outdoor season.

LOOKING TO GET STRONGER?

We work one-on-one with you to help you reach your fitness goals! Regardless of your level we will help you keep moving forward.

YEAR-ROUND CYCLING PROGRAMS ON-LINE

Using your own bike and Smart Trainer our program will help you achieve next level fitness.

We Are Local

Just down the street in the Leaside industrial area. Although new to the neighborhood, mindset CYCLING has been in operation since 2015.

We are a cycling-focused fitness centre. Come ride with us!

“Your little newspaper stinks!”

That’s what a reader of Leaside Life recently called to tell us.

I replied that I was sorry to hear this and tried to reassure her that our writers and editorial team worked very hard to produce what we and many others believe is a quality publication, one that shares the important and interesting stories with our community.

She continued, “I put your paper in my office last night and when I went there in the morning to read it, my entire office smelled bad, you must be cutting corners and using cheap ink.” Aha, that kind of stink – the nose kind.

This prompted us to reach out to our printer and see if anything had changed in the printing process we use. The printer assured us “that we use the same standard printing process as always. Our inks are vegetable-based inks and are widely in use on many of the coldset web presses. The paper we use is from quick growth sustainable renewable plots of land.”

And we do want our readers to