Leaside Life Issue 90 November 2019

N O V E M B E R 20 19

Leaside Life

Oliphant wins re-election.

Wrap-up on page 17

leasidelife.com

No. 90

LEST WE FORGET: Celebrating two living Leasiders who served with distinction

Major-General Fraser Holman Al Wallace, RCAF

BY SUSAN SCANDIFFIO Ninety-nine-year-old Al Wallace sits in a chair at the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre and recounts that as a pilot fighting in World War II, one never knew “whether a mission would be a one-way or a return trip.”

For 15 missions, Wallace made return trips. But on the night of May 13, 1943, he, along with six crew members, was en route to Duisburg in Germany’s Ruhr valley when their plane was shot down. What followed was a harrowing two-year experience for Wallace as a prisoner of war. Story continues on page 20.

PLUS: OUT OF TRAGEDY COMES KINDNESS PG. 4 MEET THE LEASIDE SPORTS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES FOR 2019 PG. 10

Leaside Life • November 2019

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EDITOR’S WELCOME Introducing Leaside Life’s Green Team! Every time I read features by Leaside Life columnists Cheryl Vanderburg (Leaside Litterati) and Debora Kuchme (Leaside Gardener), I feel inspired – to do more, to lighten my carbon footprint, to be more mindful...to be “greener.” I look forward to my monthly consciousness-raising.

You can imagine my excitement when Cheryl and Debora approached me with an idea for a joint column to raise eco-awareness at a higher level while at the same time offering quick-win tips a n d i d e a s for Leasiders who want to do their bit right now, right here.

For years Cheryl has amused and often scolded readers in her column Leaside Litterati, and pointed a finger at those who ignore their litter foot-

Jane Auster Editor Leaside Life

print. Now she will raise her litter game to a new plane. Debora, with her column The Leaside Gardener, has always had an eye on the importance of trees, native plants, vertical gardening, pollinator gardens and water conservation. Now she will help elevate our eco-consciousness to a new level.

To g e t h e r, these eco-warriors will make all of us look differently at our green footprint. Look for the new Leaside Green column in this issue on page 24 and get ready to have your consciousness raised. ■

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Fill a purse for a sister recipient agencies reminds us of how meaningful the purses are to the women who receive them. “Your kindness and generosity greatly assist the women in alleviating the stresses that come with not having access to the day-to-day necessities that most of us take for granted. Your meaningful donation reminds each woman who uses the services of Sistering that she is celebrated and her life has Kyra & meaning and value.”

Charlotte There is still time for our readers to help.

Scandiffio will be collecting gently used purses and practical items to fill them until the middle of November. Most needed – shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste and tooth brushes, deodorant, lotion and sanitary products. This year the group have outgrown their basements and with a generous offer of free storage from XYZ Storage on Laird, the hope is to surpass last year’s success. Donations can be dropped off at 131 Hanna. For more information contact: susanscandiffio@gmail.com ■

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Homelessness continues to be big a problem in Toronto. Almost 30 per cent of people living on the streets or in shelters every night in Toronto are women, and many more women – the ‘hidden homeless’ – are staying with friends or family trying to escape domestic violence or other precarious circumstances.

For the second year, Leaside resident (and Leaside Life columnist) Susan Scandiffio has joined forces with Karen Siddiqi to help bring a sense of dignity to vulnerable women by providing the gift of a purse filled with everyday personal essentials. The local midtown group has united with a larger movement started in 2014, known as Fill a Purse for a Sister, whose goal is to collect 12,000 purses.

Locally last year, with the help of a community of volunteers and a couple of special students, Kyra Hillier and Charlotte Tilley, 566 purses were collected and donated to local shelters.

A note received from one of the

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Just Do Kindness, born out of the 2018 Danforth tragedy and Leasiders’ inspiration

Leaside Life • November 2019

by SUZANNE PARK Kindness and caring go hand in hand, and both appear to be in ample supply in Leaside.

Tragedy brings pain and suffering yet one Leaside family has transformed their pain into a precious gift honouring and celebrating the life of 10-year-old Julianna Despina Kozis, their beloved family member who lost her life in the Danforth shooting rampage last summer.

Julianna’s cousin, Leasider Anastasia Kanellakis, and her family were devastated by the horrifying events of that July day in 2018. But instead of standing still in their grief, later that year, Anastasia approached her dad Steve and wondered what could they do to encourage kindness in the face of all the violence. Steve embraced the idea.

They got busy organizing, with three guiding goals. “The core of Julianna was kindness, so one of the most powerful tributes is ensuring her bright light continues to shine,

Anastasia Kanellakis with her dad Steve.

SUZANNE PARK

4

inspire, and bring hope to the lives of others who most need it,” said Anastasia. “This entire event will

feature kindness. We’ll paint kindness messages on rocks and place them where they may inspire others

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to Just Do Kindness. The second goal is to manifest Julianna’s spirit of fun with a slime booth – she loved slime – jumpy castles, face painting, a silent auction, and food, lots of Julianna’s favourite food.”

Steve added, “The third goal was to raise funds for a worthy cause, in Julianna’s memory. And did we ever. We’d hoped to cover our costs, yet the proceeds of the event and the kindness t-shirts and pins we sold exceeded $25,000.”

Anastasia recalled, “As the plan emerged, we reached out to a few people asking for donations." Added Steve, “We were overwhelmed with gratitude for all the offers we received. Family and friends stepped up. The Markham community where Julianna lived opened their hearts and wallets, offering a multitude of volunteers and all the necessary elements, including Markham’s Mayor Scarpitti’s ensuring Fincham Park, which backs onto the school Julianna attended, was theirs for the day.”

The beneficiary of the funds raised is Dr. Jay Children’s Grief Centre, to commemorate Julianna Kozis. It

offers grieving families and children respite and community with other families suffering profound loss.

The funds included additional donations after the event, including generous gifts from family and caring friends. On Oct. 1, 2019, the JDK Foundation presented a cheque for $75,000 to Dr. Jay Children’s Grief Centre, enough to run the Kindness Camp for three years and provide a small seed fund for future initiatives.

Most of the $75,000 was raised the day of the event.

“We can all honour Julianna and celebrate her life by being kind, so that kindness becomes an instinct and ripples everywhere,” said Anastasia. Hand-painted Just Do Kindness rocks have shown up in places as far-flung as Thunder Bay, Fiji, Venice, Lake Louise, Mexico, Tuscany, Fenway Park and one at the bottom of a lake, placed by a caring young swimmer, his kind message rippling through the water.

To learn more: Just Do Kindness Foundation: visit justdokindess on Instagram or Facebook. Dr. Jay Children’s Grief Centre’s Camp Kindness: https://drjaychildrensgriefcentre.ca/the-jdk-foundationcamp-kindness. ■

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Leaside Life • November 2019

KINDNESS continued

Tennis champ Glen Harwood heads to the Worlds

by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO There is an old adage that says one should “work hard in silence, and let success be your noise.”

Leasider Glen Harwood exemplifies this precept. A humble man who works hard in life and sport, Harwood has seen extraordinary success in the game of tennis.

It was his humility, in fact, that led him to first turn down his wife Leila’s suggestion to share his story of success with the community. He only agreed at her insistence that the story might inspire youths and adults to stay active.

And it is an inspiring story.

Harwood headed to Miami to play in the Young Seniors World Team Championships from October 20th to the 25th. This came after he was chosen by Tennis Canada to represent the country in the International Tennis Federation’s Young Senior Team Championships in Miami for the past two years. “It is such an honour,” he says, “to represent the country.”

Harwood started the game at the age of 7, was teaching it by 15, and

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Leaside Life • November 2019

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Serving at the 2018 worlds in Miami and inset: Glen (left) with his doubles partner Jason Christie. played at the University of Western Ontario. Inspired by his mother, who played well into her 70s, and other role models playing well into their 80s, Harwood has continued to play into his adult years and

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A father to Owen,10, and Lauren, 8, Harwood met his wife, Leila, while they were both members of the Davisville Tennis Club. Playing in mixed doubles together, the two are (insert terrible tennis pun) a true match. Harwood, in fact, envisions the two travelling the world and playing in tournaments well into retirement.

In terms of his game, the Granite Club head tennis pro, Timm Fisher, notes, “Glen is known for his unbelievable coverage at the net and his lightning quick reflexes.”

Harwood’s doubles partner for the last eight years, Jason Christie, also mentions that “in the tennis community Glen is known for amazingly fast hands and incredible movement at the net. He’s known as the ‘stunt man’ for all of the high-risk shots he pulls off, surprising opponents and (at the same time) making it look easy.”

Both Fisher and Christie note that Harwood is both a player and a man with a positive attitude, who is well respected on and off the courts.

His skills and attitude have resulted in many, many successes over the years. Harwood and his doubles partner Christie have finished first in Canada in their category in three of the last four years, and second in the other.

A husband, a father, a national and international tennis star, and a guy who does it all with a humble spirit.

Game. Set. Match. ■

Leaside Life • November 2019

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Leaside Grand Slam scores home run LEASIDE SPORTS

by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO Often times a sporting event ends with two groups of winners – the victorious team and those who bet on them.

In the case of the recent Leaside Grand Slam Tournament, though, many experienced, and benefited from, the thrill of the win.

On Sat., Sept. 28th, 130 dads from five local elementary schools faced off in a softball battle at Talbot Park.

Not allowing a little rain to dampen their spirits, the winning squad from Rolph Road defeated teams from St. Anselm’s, Bessborough, Maurice Cody, and Bennington Heights in a hard-fought contest.

The tournament was a day-long event with games beginning at 8:30 a.m. and an after-party wrapping up in the late hours of the night. With a chip truck churning out delectable fare, kids, spouses, and friends joined in the stands to cheer on the teams during the day. And with dinner from multiple gourmet food trucks and a selection of “adult” beverages available, parents danced the night away in a tent set up right

at Talbot Park.

According to the lead organizers of the event, Tyler Lang and Shane Skillen, the highlight of the event wasn’t just the baseball or the winning teams, but “getting all the ’hoods together. In this era of social media, the more digitally connected we are, the less we are truly enjoying authentic human connections. It was so great to see moms, dads, and kids hanging out having fun.”

It was also a chance to raise $2,500 for the winning school to be used for

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Leaside Life • November 2019

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school technology, the arts, and gym materials. An additional $5,000 donation was made on behalf of all five participating schools to purchase a Sick Kids Empower Reading Program for a school in need.

With sponsorships from several individuals and companies including Access Self Storage, Left Field Brewery, Patrick Rocca, Flow Water, Neal Bros, Vonterra Wines, Leaside Orthodontic Centre, and Lexus on the Park, and invaluable assistance from the Leaside Baseball Association, the organizational team of 17 dads from Bessborough School pulled together a logistically impressive day.

Lang and Skillen would love to see this neighbourhood event become an annual tradition.

There’s a great quote that reminds us that “social media connects us to those far away but disconnects us to those next to us.” Events such as the Leaside Grand Slam are an enjoyable and memorable way to maintain, and expand upon, the close neighbourhood bonds we’re lucky to have in our community. ■

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Leaside Life • November 2019

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Leaside Sports Hall of Fame celebrates inductees

by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO Since 2013, the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame has recognized and celebrated the talent of local athletes and the invaluable contributions of volunteers in sports.

This years’ four new members, along with the Hall of Fame’s Athlete of the Year, will be inducted at a community reception on Friday, Nov. 15, at Leaside Gardens’ William Lea Room. The new inductees are: Paul Gardner: Hockey Paul grew up in Leaside playing with the Leaside Hockey Association and was a member of a 1968 Leaside team, which played in the Quebec International P e e - We e Hockey Tournament. He went on to play in the MetJHL with the St. Michael’s Buzzers, the OMJHL with the Ottawa Generals, and in 1976 was drafted by both the NHL Kansas City Scouts and the WHA Toronto Toros. Paul played an impressive 477 games with five GREETING CARDS • STAMPS

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NHL teams, and notched 201 goals and 201 assists. Paul has since gone on to coach in Canada, the U.S., and Europe.

hosted an annual charity backyard croquet tournament in Leaside for the past 19 years, raising $26,000 for various charities.

Bob Weir: Long Distance Swimming Bob has lived in Leaside for almost 50 years. An accomplished swimmer in his youth, Bob first tackled distance swimming at the age of 21 when he crossed Lake Winnipeg. He then became the first person to cross Lake Manitoba, and at age 23, tackled four marathons in one summer on the professional circuit. In 1985, Bob joined Ontario Masters Swimming and soon after began winning titles in his age group. In 1989, at the age of 46, he became the 23rd person to successfully cross Lake Ontario. He then ran the 1990 Toronto Marathon, conquered a 57 km swim of Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, crossed Lake Erie, and at the age of 50, became the first person to swim the 34 km of Lake Winnipesaukee. Continuing his involvement in swimming, Bob was the president of Masters Swimming Ontario from 1991 to 1994. He was also the president of Solo Swims of Ontario, and has coached more swimmers across Lake Ontario than any other person.

Kim McCullough: Hockey/ Community Sports Builder Kim began playing with the Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association (TLGHA) in the early 1990s as a pre-teen. Her outstanding play earned her a scholarship at Dartmouth where she captained the team to two national appearances.

Upon her return to Canada, Kim became an original member of the National Women’s Hockey League, the forerunner of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

In the 15 years since her player days, Kim has become an instructor and coach.

She has coached more than 5,000 youth hockey players on multiple teams, including the province’s U18 team, which won bronze and silver medals at the National Championships in 2012 and 2013.

Kim is currently the coach for the Toronto Leaside Junior Wildcats, which plays in the Provincial Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).

In 2016, in only her second season as a coach with the league, Kim was chosen as the PWHL’s Coach of the Year.

Philip Parsons: Croquet/ Community Sports Builder A life-long Leasider and an outstanding contributor to his community, Phil attended Northlea and Leaside High School playing multiple school sports, as well as hockey at Leaside Gardens. As an adult, Phil coached Leaside hockey and soccer for many years.

He has been involved in croquet for over 35 years and has represented Canada as a player both nationally and internationally with outstanding success. He has also served on the board of directors of Croquet Canada.

In 2016, Phil initiated, and ran, a croquet program for cardiac graduates of the Toronto Rehab - Rumsey Centre. He and his wife have also

Athlete of the Year: Brian Periku A recent Leaside High graduate, 18-year-old Brian is now studying engineering at Waterloo. In 2016, he started training as a weightlifter and in 2018, placed second provincially. In 2019, Brian came fourth in the Junior National Championships, and then went on to compete in the men’s senior (20+) age category placing fourth provincially and seventh nationally. During this time Brian maintained an excellent academic record and was involved in numerous volunteer activities.

Information on ticket sales for the celebration is available at leasidesportshalloffame@gmail.com. ■

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Leaside Life • November 2019

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The roots of seniors’ housing go back 30 years Welcome to Leaside Life’s new real estate column, where different Leaside real estate agents and experts offer their unique take on housing in the community. For our first column, Roy St. John, broker & V.P. at REMAX Condos Plus Corp., uncovers the roots of seniors’ housing in Leaside. dark. He took me on a tour, which The Leaside community has always family home from being a happy, included looking at a very old been blessed with great leaders supportive place to raise a forced-air, gas furnace. We ended up and creative thinkers. In the family to housing seniors in the kitchen sitting at a small table. mid-80s, two individuals in who were often living I looked at the counter and saw a particular stood out and alone, sometimes having LEASIDE LIVES CO detector sitting on its back. I joined forces to develop trouble making ends meet said, “We should plug the detector housing solutions for retiron a fixed income. in.” He replied, “Heck no. It makes ees in Leaside.

I observed the problem a terrible racket!” I looked straight Bob Hart was an excepfirsthand when I was invited into his eyes and asked, “Where do tional man, who built several into a semi on Airdrie to give a your children live?” condo buildings in Ottawa and in senior a price for his place. When He said, “We never his youth worked under the goverI entered his home, it was cold and nor in Hong Kong. He introduced outboard motors to the fishermen in the harbour. Bob was also LEASIDE REAL ESTATE STATISTICS, JAN-OCT 2019 the brother-in-law of Dr. Orville P. Hossie, the minister at Leaside The “workhorse” property of Leaside is the semi-detached house United Church. This gave him unrewith a mutual drive. This is the transition of condo owners stricted access to the congregation and renters into Leaside housing: that would become very supportive of his initiatives. The second leader Semi-detached: 31 sales • Low price $960,000 • High price $1,640,000 • DOM* Avg 8 was Edna Beange, well-known to Detached: 72 sales • Low price $1,399,000 • High price $4,895,000 • DOM Avg 15 Leasiders as a former Borough of The “endangered” bungalow: 9 sales • Low price $1,185,000 • High price $1,555,000 • DOM (median) 12 East York alderman and director of Toronto East General Hospital.

True Leaside condos: 44 sales • Low price $428,888 • High price $1,877,000 • DOM Avg 18 Bob and Edna observed that the *DOM: Days on the market.

80s started to see a transition of the had any.” I told him he needed the services of Community Care East York (CCEY) and made the referral.

This scene has played out many times since then. Sometimes family simply live too far away to really know what’s going on, and many seniors refuse to get a smartphone or computer.

The birth of SAHIL So, Bob and Edna decided to tackle the issue head-on. Downsizing was only part of the solution. It made costs more controllable and removed most of the concerns surrounding the physical maintenance of a house, but where to go? Leasiders generally don’t want to move to Don Mills, Yonge and St. Clair, etc. Their solution? Build apartment buildings, in Leaside, designed for Leaside seniors! Hence the birth of SAHIL, Stay at Home in Leaside.

When I was president of the Leaside United Church Youth Group, I met with Edna and Bob many times. They invited me to join the SAHIL group and together we made plans for seniors’ housing. At the time, I was the national training director and vice-president of the residential division of Royal LePage Residential Real Estate Services. It was a good fit! ■

Surgery helped turn Phillip Francis into a big lawn bowler

Phillip was first elected to the board of directors of the Ontario association in 2015 and now starts his twoyear term as president. There are 118 clubs in Ontario, with some 6,700 members, and many of Ontario’s lawn bowlers are competitive nationally.

Phillip is also busy with another lawn bowls project. What is now known as the Commonwealth Games, originally the Empire Games, held its inaugural event in Hamilton, Ont. in 1930 where lawn bowling was a core sport.

Phillip is hoping the 100th anniversary games will return to Canada – with lawn bowling a key event. ■

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Leaside Life • November 2019

How does a relative novice to lawn bowling become the first member of the Leaside Lawn Bowling Club to become president of the Ontario Lawn Bowls Association?

Phillip Francis grew up in Tasmania, was employed by the Defence Department for 20 years, and then as a civilian in senior administrative and management roles. In 1984, he met Adele, a Canadian working in Sydney. Two years later, they decided to move to Canada if he could find a decent job. His timing was right, and he enjoyed a successful career with major telecommunications companies.

Phillip expected that with retirement he would play a lot of golf. Surgery on his right arm put paid to that idea, but as a left-hander, he figured he had other options. At the time, he and Adele lived at Eglinton and Bayview, close to the Leaside Lawn Bowling facilities behind Leaside High School.

He decided to give lawn bowling a try in 2006, and Adele joined him a year later. He insists he is never going

to be a great bowler, but he enjoys the sport, and its sociability too. He describes the sport as “low impact and low cost.”

Gone are the days when everyone had to play with heavy black bowls.

Now, there is wide variety in the weights, the colours, and even in competition, where those playing against each other can choose the style of bowl they prefer.

While he and Adele were enjoying playing with the club, he couldn’t let his past experience with management go to waste. He was first elected as a vice-president of the club in 2007, followed by president for four years starting the next year.

During his time, the clubhouse was renovated to the tune of approximately $300,000 under the Federal Recreation Infrastructure Program.

Various organizations have used the club facilities, with the help of club volunteers, to take part in money-making team-building programs.

The club also helps other not-forprofit organizations with their fundT:6.875” raisers – most notably the Cystic Fibrosis Association.

LORNA KRAWCHUK

by LORNA KRAWCHUK

13

#MyEglinton

In November, my mind often turns to golf. I know what you’re thinking. Golf? November? But you see, for the avid golfer (and to be clear, “avid” is not the same as “talented”), November marks the end of the season if you happen to reside north of the 49th but not in Victoria.

I know this because last year at about this time, my son, Calder, and his cousin, Chris, took my brother Tim and me golfing for our last game of the season. It was a tad nippy that morning. In fact, had I owned a snowmobile suit I would surely have worn it. I remember thinking as I stepped out of the car that it was a day better suited to running the Iditarod dogsled race through the wilds of Alaska than playing golf in Aurora. But we persevered and had a great day, the frostbite notwithstanding. One suffers for a game one loves (and/or hates, depending on my previous shot).

My 45-year love-hate relationship with golf began on the schoolyard at Bessborough. You see, in Grade 8, my two option courses were boys cooking and golf. I believe you’ve already suffered through a column on my culinary misadventures in boys cooking class. Who could

Terry Fallis Columnist

forget that classic recipe, Rodeo stuffed hotdogs? (Believe me, you don’t want to know.) I was somewhat more successful in golf. In the first few classes, we learned the grip and then practised a rudimentary swing in the gym (in this instance, “rudimentary” is the very definition of euphemism).

Eventually the class ventured out into the schoolyard where we made sporadic contact with plastic whiffle balls. I don’t know if you’ve ever struck a whiffle ball with a golf

club, but it bears only a remote sensory connection to the feeling of hitting a real golf ball. Of course, we didn’t know that then. I was using my grandmother’s golf clubs in the class. Like most grandmothers, she was quite a bit older than I, and so were her clubs. Some of the wooden shafts were even straight. But I loved banging that whiffle ball around the playing field, and occasionally into the air where it was supposed to go.

We also learned the rules of golf and the esoteric etiquette that governed the sport, which was less interesting, but still important if you hoped to play the game with any frequency.

The culmination of the class was a trip to Flemingdon Golf Club to play a round on the nine-hole course.

It was the first time most of us had actually hit a real golf ball. That was the day my obsession with the game was forged. I loved it. I scored a 53 on my nine-hole round that day. I was going to include a photo of that first scorecard alongside this humble column but I couldn’t find the key to my safety deposit box. (Of course, I’m kidding. I have the key, but the bank was closed when I thought of it.)

You might think that my first nine

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Leaside Life • November 2019

holes would be my worst round.

That’s how most sports work. Not so with golf. To this day, I still occasionally fire in the 50s on the front or back nine, before uttering an expletive-laced, but hollow, pledge to give up the game.

Shortly after I started playing golf, brother Tim began his golf journey.

I attribute my continuing superiority, if not dominance, on the golf course to my slight head start in the game, though I suspect Tim would quibble with “superiority” and flat out reject “dominance.” For years we kept a running tally of all our games together – hundreds of games – and only a handful of strokes separated us, in my favour I might add.

In my life as a novelist, I’m a charter member of the “write what you know” school. While my novels are decidedly not autobiographical, I know a lot about the worlds I write about. In my latest, Albatross, my narrator grows up in Leaside and becomes the best golfer in the world.

Well, I did grow up in Leaside.

Terry’s seventh novel, Albatross, was published by McClelland & Stewart in August and is available in bookstores everywhere. ■

Leaside Life • November 2019

16

A community beacon that unites Leaside A major asset to the community, Leaside Memorial Community Gardens (LMCG), is a gem, hosting an average of 5,000 Leaside community members and their associates each week. Yes, 1073 Millwood Rd. is a place uniting Leasiders – a place where you can witness triumph and defeat, cheering and consoling, lessons learned, veterans honoured, dreams being made, and friendships forged each and every day.

For those new to the community, LMCG was originally built with fundraised dollars and a $200,000 loan from the City. It opened its doors in 1951 and hosted its first hockey game on October 6, 1952. The pool opened in 1958. A registered war memorial, LMCG was named in honour of our war veterans. The plaque outside reads: “In memory of the men of the Town of Leaside who gave their lives for their country in the Second World War – 1939-1945.” Full disclosure: I’m an exceedingly proud LMCG board member.

Gender diversity on full display In addition to 50 city arena facilities operated and managed by the

Glenn Asano The Business of Leaside

Parks, Forestry and Recreation division, LMCG is one of eight arenas in Toronto operated by Arena Boards of Management. The board’s mandate is to operate the facility on behalf of the community and the City of Toronto; ensure the arena is safe, well-maintained and accessible for use; manage the use of the arena facility in a way that balances the needs of the local community residents, organizations and user groups; and allocate ice time to users in consultation with the City.

This year, the LMCG board of management welcomed five new members and held its first meeting in September following the summer break. At a time when less than 20 per cent of board directorships in Canada are held by females (Statistics Canada, 2016), the LMCG board was pleased that 60 per

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cent of its members are now women.

The infusion of new, highly capable individuals to the board ushers in an era of renewed enthusiasm and new ideas necessary to tackle the challenges ahead.

Unleashing the power of the Leaside community From its initial founding and at other times (e.g. in the 1970s when $500,000 was raised to replace the roof), the community has rallied in support of LMCG to ensure that we as a community have access to the facilities we need. For example, the fundraising model was the only way a desperately needed second rink could come to fruition. In fact, the Dr. Tom Pashby Play Safely Rink was the first new rink built by the City in 40 years. Just as in 1951, without the Leaside community jumping in to fundraise, the second rink would never have been built. Jane Pitfield in her book about Leaside wrote, “Leaside Memorial Community Gardens is considered to be a model for other facilities with community involvement at the local level.”

The National Post ran a story at the time acknowledging the indomitable force that is Charlene Kalia, who led the community campaign that raised about $2.25 million towards the project from 839 individual and corporate donors. The Post reported that “under the proposal, the city will front the arena management board $7.5-million (called “recoverable debt”) and contribute $1-million; Ontario will loan the project $1.5million…the board plans to pay back the loans over 25 years. [Thus] Toronto gets a new public rink at minimal cost to taxpayers.” So yes, Arena Facts: Did You Know?

• Mission to be one of the safest facilities in the country • 5,000 average weekly visitors to the facility • 2,500+ members with our major user groups • 50 per cent of current users are girls • 60 per cent of the board of management are women • 7 NHL players got their start here • Home of the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame

Don Valley West Liberal Rob Oliphant soars to election victory

17

The new board: Standing l-r: Navin Katyal, Donna Howard, Treasurer John Masterson, Chair of the Operations & Community Relations Committee Janice Ivory-Smith. Seated, l-r: Jennifer Smith, Karen Pugliese, Vice-Chair Glenn Asano, Chair Kathleen Mackenzie; Absent: Chris Forbell, City Councillor Jaye Robinson.

LEASIDE GARDENS continued taxpayers were spared, but the fact remains that LMCG was built with a “down payment” and a commitment to repay a loan with interest on behalf of the community.

Outwardly, it is undeniable the pride that Leasiders feel when they visit Leaside Gardens and see all the championship banners on display (intimidating for our competitors too), or when a young swimmer finally hoists that 20 lb brick for the required time or a group of elder adults makes new friends while playing bridge in the William Lea room. Behind the scenes though, fiscal responsibility remains one of the biggest challenges facing the board today, but not the only one.

In addition to paying back the recov-

erable debt, the board must also (1) meet the rising demand for ice time, (2) work to stay competitive compared to newer arenas in neighbouring 905 communities that have more customer amenities, and (3) where possible, modernize and repurpose underutilized space for the benefit of the broader community. The new board is confident it will be up to the challenge!

Oh yeah, please save the date: Nov. 22 for LMCG’s “Leaside On Ice” annual fundraiser – featuring snacks, skates, smiles and hot chocolate.

What can LMCG do to reach more groups in the community? How can LMCG pay down the debt to the City faster? How would you like to see Leaside Gardens evolve and grow over the next 10 years? Let us know at leasidelife@gmail.com. ■

Liberal Incumbent candidate Rob Oliphant will once again represent the constituents of the Don Valley West riding as part of a Liberal minority government. Winning handily, Oliphant received 55% of the 51,017 votes cast with 12,445 votes more than second place Conservative candidate Yvonne Robertson. Oliphant increased his margin of victory from the 2015 election when he defeated Conservative John Carmichael by 8,266 votes.

At dissolution of Parliament, Oliphant was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland. He was the co-chair of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association and the Canada-Pakistan Friendship Group.

As a seasoned parliamentarian, Mr. Oliphant is expected to continue playing an important role in the new Liberal government.

Along with the victory here in Don Valley West, the Liberal Party were able to win all 25 seats in the Toronto area. In spite of continued success with urban voters, nationally, the Liberals lost their majority in the parliament, dropping below the 170seat threshold and winning 157 seats.

The Liberals are expected to receive support from the NDP to manage their minority government. October 21, 2019 results: R. Oliphant/Liberal/28,426/55.7% Y. Robertson/Conservative/15,981/31.3% L. MacDowell/NDP/ 3,758/7.4% A. Kistindey/Green/2,140/4.2% I. Prittie/PPC/439/0.9% (Source: Toronto Star) ■

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Leaside Life • November 2019

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Leaside Life • November 2019

18

The road less travelled to Yellowknife

by JANIS FERTUCK When Thomas Parker, a Leaside resident and graduate, told his parents, Beth and John, that he and wife Katie O’Beirne were moving to Yellowknife seven years ago, his parents were thrilled for them to embark on a great adventure. As Beth commented, “If you don’t take opportunities when you’re young, they slip away from you.”

Before making the momentous decision to move to Yellowknife for “work and adventure,” Thomas and Katie, who met while at the University of Waterloo, had spent some time teaching English in Europe. Then, back at home, struggling with student debts and looking for work, they heard about great job opportunities in Yellowknife from friends living there. These friends found them a place to stay and introduced them to the community. The area was also appealing because of its abundance of outdoor activities.

Today, Thomas works for the territorial government, managing operations and maintenance of parks in the area. Katie manages a clothing

Where are they now?

THOMAS PARKER & KATIE O’BEIRNE boutique and teaches yoga, but is currently on maternity leave with their son Patrick, born last October.

Patrick’s birth has also led to a lifestyle change. For three years, they lived off grid on a houseboat heated by a wood stove and powered by solar panels. As Thomas says, “Keeping everything running was hard work, but very rewarding.”

This included many time-consuming chores such as chopping wood for

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the stove, pumping water from the lake and going to the laundromat, but with their parenting duties, they no longer had any down time.

So, they recently moved to a fourplex apartment close to downtown with the conveniences of central heating, a washer and dryer, and plumbing, all making life with a baby more manageable.

Their biggest challenge in Yellowknife is the length and harshness of the winters and the shortness of the summers. They also miss being close to their families and being able to buy fresh Ontario produce. On the other hand, the greatest reward in living there is the easy access to nature with plenty of trails for skiing, biking and hiking, not to mention their growing involvement in the community. Thomas and Katie both volunteer on the board of the Snowking Winter Festival, a music festival held in a castle made of ice and snow, and Katie is also involved with some local arts organizations.

They also enjoy the surprising diversity of cultures in such a small and remote place, starting with the strong northern Indigenous culture and now including Filipino, Muslim, Maritime and Quebecois communities.

Thomas compares Yellowknife’s close-knit feel to Leaside, which he describes as “a small community in a big city where you get to know neighbours and other families through school, sports and church.

Yellowknife is a small community, too, and you meet friends in different social circles around town.” But the bonds are perhaps even closer there as people spend more time together during holidays rather than travelling.

Clearly, Thomas and Katie have found a niche in Yellowknife. ■

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Lest we forget these two Leasiders Continued from cover...

Originally a member of the Queen’s York Rangers, Wallace joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) soon after the war broke out and undertook his training in Canada.

Graduating in 1942, he was promoted to pilot officer and joined an RAF bomber squadron in northern England from which he, as a gunner, and his crew would fly missions.

On the night Wallace’s plane was struck by enemy fire, he and four of his crewmen made it out of the plane, parachuting from a height of 12,000 feet. Landing in a farmer’s field, he was apprehended by the landowners, who turned him over to German soldiers. After 10 days in solitary confinement in a town jail, Wallace was transferred to the Stalag Luft III camp near Zagan, Poland, where he would remain for the next two years.

The camp was surrounded with double barbed wire fences and watched closely by armed guards.

Food was scarce, and barracks were overcrowded and cold. Prisoners were allowed to send three letters and two postcards each month and

Al in the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre garden.

ANA SEARA

Leaside Life • November 2019

20

could receive two parcels per year. In his two years in the camp, Wallace had no meat or fruit. He firmly maintains that the Red Cross parcels which arrived sometimes weekly, sometimes only monthly, contained multiple items, including dried fruit and biscuits, which were both morale boosters and “life savers.”

Wallace landed in Hut 104, famous from the movie The Great Escape,

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when 76 men attempted to flee. As a newcomer to the hut, Wallace initially had no knowledge of the plans made by the other prisoners. Although he had no intention of attempting to escape the camp by tunnel or other means, he helped the diggers on a few occasions by acting as a “penguin” – someone who would disperse sand from the tunnel around the camp.

The daring escape of March 24, 1944 ended with 50 of the men dying at the hands of the Germans, three making it back to the U.K., and the rest captured and placed in solitary confinement.

In January of 1945 when the Germans learned that the Russian army was approaching, the soldiers evacuated the prisoners from the camp and marched them through the countryside in harsh winter conditions, sometimes sleeping on the floors of farms, sometimes in fields, and eating infrequently.

On the morning of May 2, 1945, the prisoners awoke in farm stables to find that the German soldiers had disappeared during the night.

An armoured car had arrived with a British soldier. “The war,” says Wallace, “was over.”

After the war Upon his return to Canada, Wallace rejoined his old place of employment, Loblaws, eventually rising to vice president. He and his wife Mary raised four daughters, one of whom, Barbara Trendos, has written Wallace’s life history in a book entitled Survival: My Father’s War as an Air Force Gunner and POW. Wallace also spent six years as assistant manager of the Leaside Arena (though he admits he never did skate), where former Councillor Jon Burnside, as a teen, remembers seeing him walk through the arena in his suit and tie keeping things running smoothly during the Friday night skates.

Wallace has shared his story countless times over the years at high schools, including Leaside, for newspapers and television, and through the government’s Memory Project.

For over 25 years, Wallace volunteered at the Sunnybrook Hospital Veterans’ Centre, a place he calls “a real centre of excellence.” It was, in fact, only at the age of 97 that he gave up the job and became a resident.

On Nov. 11th, Canadians around the world will stop to remember and VETERANS page 22

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Leaside Life • November 2019

From Page 20

Fraser Holman thank those who risked their lives to maintain our freedom. Al Wallace is one of those heroes. Strong and courageous – he is a man we should always remember. Thank you, Al.

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A distinguished career It’s often said that heroes walk quietly among us, not looking for recognition, not broadcasting their successes.

Such is the case with Leasider MajorGeneral (Retired) D. Fraser Holman, CD. A humble man, Holman enjoyed an exceptional and inspirational career as a fighter pilot, educator, leader, mentor, and executive.

After completing studies at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in 1965, Fraser became an instructor pilot on T-33 trainers at Moose Jaw, Sask. He then flew the CF-104 Starfighter with a fouryear tour as a reconnaissance pilot in Germany. He was appointed Commander of CFB Bagotville in Saguenay, Quebec where he oversaw pilots and CF-18 Wing fighter aircraft. Holman later returned to Germany as the Deputy Chief of Staff Operations at the Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force. In these roles, Holman accumulated over 3,600 hours of pilot-in-command time.

His work with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) took him to Colorado Springs where he served as ViceDirector of Plans, then Deputy Commander of the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center, before being promoted to major-general and becoming the J-3, Director of Operations. (The J-3 assists the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as the principal military advisor

to the President and Secretary of Defense). While executing his various military roles, he also completed an MSc in Mathematics and Operations Research, and an MA in International Relations.

His other leadership roles have included 14 years as a senior facilitator and mentor at the Canadian Forces College, Director and Chairman of the Board of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies, as well as a Director of the Atlantic Council of Canada. He is a member of the Strategic Studies Working Group of the Canadian International Council, the Aircrew Association in Toronto, the Royal Canadian Legion, the Royal Canadian Military Institute, the Conference of Defence Associations Institute in Ottawa, the Air Force Association of Canada, and the Canadian Air and Space Museum in Toronto.

Holman is a firm believer in the need for veterans to support each other in retirement. He has spent more than five years volunteering at the Sunnybrook Veterans’ Centre, where he transports residents in wheelchairs to programs, therapies, and appointments within the centre and hospital, all the while sharing stories, camaraderie, and friendship.

Thank you for your service, Fraser Holman. ■

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Leaside Green

by CHERYL VANDERBURG Kids say the darndest things. Over breakfast with my son one morning, he piped up: “I just read an article in a scientific journal that said the earth could be uninhabitable by 2050.”

Ouch! That certainly got my attention! All I could think of was that I likely won’t be here. But he will.

And all the time spent focusing on his health, academics, sports, socializing and employment might all be for nought if climate change begins to destroy the world as we know it. I thought a litter-free Leaside was important. Time to broaden my scope.

Coincidentally, Debora Kuchme, who writes The Leaside Gardener column, contacted me about my September column on Leaside Lessens, and suggested we discuss our mutual environmental concerns.

Debora continues to call attention to the negative effects of climate change and the importance of trees, native plants, vertical gardening, pollinator gardens and water conservation.

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mental awareness along with positive and easy solutions for residents and businesses in our community to help mitigate the negative effects of climate change and slow down global warming. Here is our vision: • Lead by example to inspire Leasiders to be part of the climate solution by taking simple actions.

• Share stories of Leasider champions who are already committed and achieving positive results.

• Show support for City Council’s declaration of a ‘climate emergency’ and ‘Green Ways Initiative’ to commit to a net zero carbon future by reducing energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and waste diversion.

• See Leaside recognized for community leadership in climate solutions.

To kick off our first column, Debora and I thought we would share some simple ‘green’ things our families are doing which are good for the environment and for our wallets.

Cheryl • Use my refillable Keurig coffee pod and compost the coffee grains to reduce the amount of plastic in landfills and create compost for natural fertilizer.

• Planted fruit trees in my yard – pear, cherry, apple – to help with greenhouse gas emissions, provide a home for pollinators and an organic food source.

• Replaced my old gas furnace and AC unit with high efficiency models, installed a programmable thermostat and ceiling fans to reduce our consumption of electricity and natural gas.

• Separate recyclables, especially soft plastic bags, to reduce the amount of plastic in landfills.

Husband Doug • Walks or rides his bike to activities to reduce traffic congestion, gas consumption and exhaust.

• Returns his wine bottles to keep recyclables out of landfills.

• Takes a three-minute shower to reduce gas and water consumption.

• Keeps his car serviced and tires inflated to decrease gas consumption and exhaust pollution.

• Walks when golfing rather than using a golf cart to conserve electricity and gas.

Son Mitch • Doesn’t litter to keep the neighbourhood clean of pollutants.

• Works from home or carpools to reduce traffic, gas consumption and exhaust pollution.

• Does laundry in cold water, speed cycle, during off-peak hours to reduce water usage and energy consumption.

• Puts dishwasher on when full, in off-peak hours, to maximize water and energy consumption.

• Green-bins food scraps when cooking and cleaning up to divert them from landfills.

Debora • Plants a drought-tolerant garden and harvests rainwater to conserve tap water and reduce bills.

• Never uses man-made or chemical fertilizers or pesticides so as not to harm the entire ecosystem by entering our water supply and poisoning wildlife.

• Added two more native plant species, asters and milkweed, to create a naturally diverse garden.

• Uses a reusable water bottle with her own filtered water.

• Uses solar lights in her garden.

On their own, each of these efforts may seem tiny, but collectively, they have a huge impact on the wellbeing of our planet.

Our December column will feature ideas for a ‘green’ Christmas.

Do you have any green tips you’d like to share? Are you a business with gifts you’d like to feature in our local Green Market? Are you making any green resolutions for the New Year?

Let us know at leasidelife@gmail. com...and Go Green! ■

Good job!

Isaac’s Leaside lemonade stand raised over $1,200 this year to fight cancer.

IQBAL KHAN

Leaside Life • November 2019

24

Pictured: Kim from the Terry Fox Foundation gratefully accepts the cheque from Isaac.

Holland-Bloorview celebrates arrival of its research MRI machine

by GEOFF KETTEL

25

GEOFF KETTEL

On Sat., Sept. 28, I went to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital (Holland Bloorview) on Kilgour Road (just east of the CNIB) to share in the highly anticipated arrival of Holland Bloorview’s new research MRI, to be housed in a soon-to-be built world-class MRI suite. It will be “the first in Canada to be immersive, customizable, childfriendly and fully accessible, and is poised to accelerate research into child and youth brain function.”

The machine, wrapped in plastic sheeting, was sitting on a truck trailer on the road down to the loading bay of the hospital. A young patient named Gabriel sat in his chair in front of the trailer, representing all the children for whom the machine will mean better information, and ultimately improved treatments.

Leaside Life • November 2019

Gabriel, age 7, had cerebral palsy from birth, and his mother, Fabiana Bacchini, told me that “there were so many unknowns about a child’s brain and it was exciting for families like mine to be part of research that would provide evidence as to what works.” She also explained that to have an MRI, they had to go to Sick Kids Hospital, so the on-site MRI would be much more convenient, plus with the new MRI they would be able to watch the process through its glass door – which would do a lot to minimize anxiety for parents.

The MRI installation is part of the hospital’s Grow Holland Bloorview Research campaign designed to spark investment in infrastructure, technology and people as a means to transform the future of childhood disability research. The campaign is funded entirely by community donors. ■

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Road safety takes a front seat in Leaside whether or not each street meets the stringent warrants required in the City’s traffic calming guide – a process that can take anywhere from several months to a year.

In consultation with local neighJaye Robinson bours, I fast-tracked this process Councillor by writing and tabling a motion at the October meeting of North Yo r k Community Isooda, Judy, Jaye, Rosa, and Jillian Council to implement at North York Council. a neighbourhood-wide speed limit reduction to 30 km/h. I also directed Transportation staff to undertake a comprehensive Traffic Management Plan (TMP) to address local road safety concerns.

As a result of the petition and persuasive arguments by Judy and Rosa, the passionate and moving remarks delivered to Council by Jillian Walsh, and the support of the LPOA, my motion was unanimously approved by Council. tiate a speed limit reduction request.

For the first time in recent memory, Once a petition is submitted, staff every single councillor present spoke will undertake a report evaluating in favour of the motion.

Please be advised that this motion has only initiated a TMP in Leaside, and does not outline the specific traffic calming measures that will be implemented. Before any recommendations, Transportation staff will consult with members of the community and local stakeholders.

While the City has undertaken several street-specific studies Indian & Nepalese in Leaside over the years, the Cuisine Transportation division has never had the organizational capacity to comprehensively assess road safety concerns on a neighbourhood-wide basis. This year, however, ENTRÉE Transportation Services underwent Buy one entree and get the a reorganization that led to the cresecond (valued up to $12.99) ation of a new department – Area FREE Transportation Planning.

Mt.Everest Restaurant Area Transportation Planning’s 804 Eglinton Ave.E approach will be a significant departure from the current traffic operaCoupon must be presented. Dine-in, tions model, which assesses traffic take-out &Delivery. Can not be combined and pedestrian safety concerns on with any other offer.Delivery has to be atleast $25 an issue by issue basis. Instead, Area after discount Transportation Planning will evaluTH EXPIRES 2019 EXPIRES NOV. OCT 3030, 2015 ate broader neighbourhood traffic patterns and approach solutions more holistically.

My sincerest thanks to Judy, Rosa, Jillian, for their hard work and advocacy, to the LPOA for their support, 804 EGLINTON AVE. EAST TORONTO and to the Leaside community as a whole for their continued engagement on these important issues. ■

In the short period of time I’ve represented Leaside, I’ve quickly learned that there are longstanding traffic issues in the neighbourhood.

Over the last year, I’ve held multiple meetings with the Leaside Property Owners’ Association (LPOA), Transportation staff, and members of the local community to move forward on this important issue.

After a consultation meeting in June, two local residents – Judy McKenna and Rosa Spizzirri – spearheaded a community petition in support of a 30 km/h speed limit throughout Leaside. The petition secured more than 1,700 signatures from both individuals and households, demonstrating the neighbourhood’s overwhelming support for the change.

Speed limit reductions are one of the City’s most effective road safety tools. In addition to laying the framework for additional traffic calming measures, a 30 km/h speed limit reduces the likelihood of a pedestrian fatality in a collision to less than 10%, compared to a 30% likelihood at 40 km/h.

Procedurally, Transportation Services staff require a petition to ini-

RACHAEL HILLIER

Leaside Life • November 2019

26

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A butterfly canoe docks at the library

More than just canoes These canoes are more than a whimsical display of pollinator plants. A David Suzuki Butterfly Canoe has become an identifiable symbol of a community’s commitment to working with nature to help our pollinators thrive.

Planting up a canoe might seem like a simple undertaking, especially for the Leaside Garden Society, but Rick Hutchings has high standards.

“Being the first canoe project in the East York area, we have to do this right!” And “right” to Rick means bigger and better than any other butterfly canoe out there.

His plan will reshape the butterfly bed into an oval and affix the bright red canoe (that he painted himself on the Thanksgiving weekend) on a slight angle, then the City Parks, Forestry & Recreation will surround it with rocks. A few trees of redbuds, white pine and birch will be added to the outer bed as well as dogwood

Debora Kuchme Columnist

shrubs and some coneflowers to give it a rugged Canadian feel. Finally, the canoe will be filled with soil and the pollinator plants from the David Suzuki Foundation will be added.

So much thought, time and effort have gone into this project and it hasn’t been without challenges. The installation was delayed by a month because getting approval from the Library board and the City took some time. Because of that delay,

the designated canoe from David Suzuki went to another project. Rick managed to find a replacement but had to drive all the way to Kawartha to get it. Still, undaunted and with enthusiasm, he says, “We are so excited about this project, not only for the pollinators but for the community as a whole. It’s a lot of work, but we do it because we love it.”

This kind of love pays off.

The abundance of butterflies and bumble bees this summer was astonishing. They were everywhere and in numbers we haven’t seen in years – all thanks to organizations like The David Suzuki Foundation that not only bring our awareness to these problems, but give us solutions to create change. It’s also thanks to the many home gardeners and countless volunteers who have been planting the essential native plants and wildflowers pollinators need to survive and thrive.

This butterfly project clearly shows that with knowledge and understanding, our conscious efforts for change really CAN and DO make a difference.

The proof is in the butterflies! ■

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27 Leaside Life • November 2019

The Leaside Gardener:

RICK HUTCHINGS

On a damp and chilly Sunday morning, Rick Hutchings from the Leaside Garden Society and his daughter Victoria walk across the lawn at the Leaside Library with shovels in hand and determined looks on their faces, then suddenly stop. “Here it is,” Rick says, and the two start digging to carve out the image of an enormous butterfly.

This will be no ordinary garden bed.

The big butterfly is just a temporary marker and a clever way for Rick to announce the location of Leaside’s first David Suzuki Butterfly Canoe.

I’ve dreamed of this moment and even wrote about it last year in my article ‘Leaside is blooming but is it buzzing?’ Now, thanks to the Leaside Garden Society, the David Suzuki Foundation, the Leaside Library and the City Parks and Rec department, that dream will become a reality.

In 2017, the David Suzuki Foundation decided to do something about the serious decline in populations of native bees and butterflies due mostly to a loss of habitat and their essential food sources. Their mission was to plant pollinator patches filled with native wildflowers, plants and shrubs in schoolyards, churchyards, public streets and parks to create a highway of very specific gardens for butterflies and bees – called the Butterflyway. Starting with only five cities across Canada, the program continues to expand every year and now includes their popular Butterfly Canoe.

Leaside Life • November 2019

28

RCLUB vroom vrooms onto Commercial Road

by KEN MALLETT James Bond would love this. If the day ever arrives when 007 loses his Aston Martin, he can still motor in fantastically expensive high-end automobiles – as long as he comes to Leaside.

Perhaps the gorgeous Italian styling of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider: from zero to “what seems to be the problem, officer” in 4.1 seconds.

Maybe the BMW M2 Competition model, a fuel-injected in-line six-cylinder double turbo-charged marvel of German engineering.

Or a favourite of classic car buffs: the prancing horse on the Ferrari F355, built before emission controls ruined performance, with a V8 engine that takes all of 13 seconds from a standing start to the quarter-mile pole.

For car enthusiasts, all these and more – with new choices arriving regularly – are available to members of a new club in Leaside, RCLUB. RCLUB is a drivers’ paradise offering members the chance to test an ever-changing fleet of luxury cars without paying the ultra-high prices

The RCLUB founders with some of their fleet. these classics normally command.

Club members can reserve and drive any of the high-end models in the upscale Commercial Rd. clubhouse – part garage, part showroom, part event space. Members also enjoy unique automotive events, and share experiences and continued learning with a passionate, like-minded community.

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Denisov, opened this summer with a membership list that’s growing.

“We’ve almost completely sold out the first block and are working towards opening up a few more seats as we build out the winter fleet,” Westland says. He is club CEO as well as a co-founder.

Membership costs $9,000 to $15,000 annually, depending on how many days you want to drive the cars. That gives members access to a rotating fleet of vehicles that include a vintage Porsche 911, a 1966 Ford Mustang, an older Acura NSX supercar, and a rare 1988 BMW “Sport Evo” M3, as well as the Alfa, Ferrari and posh BMW. Potential RCLUB members must be at least 29 years old and have a squeaky-clean driving record. The membership fee includes insurance for drivers using the Club’s cars.

Why Leaside?

“Leaside has such a great history with a rich automotive culture that we instantly fell in love with the community. Its central location and proximity to multiple highway exits is also a bonus for blowing out of town before the traffic.

“People are owning less, so we feel this is the right opportunity for them to come in and enjoy the cars without the hassle of ownership.

We don’t think there’s anything else like this in the city,” he continued.

The basic idea of the club is an extension – in a much higher tax bracket – of the car-sharing phenomenon that has captured North America.

“Share” is what RCLUB does; it brings together people who share a passion for driving and gives members a chance to drive dream. ■

Leaside Life • November 2019

30

Some good news on the traffic front Speeding drivers are a constant threat to everyone. For many years Leasiders have called for traffic calming on our residential streets to reduce this danger. We should not have to wait for accidents and near-accidents to get the City’s attention and help in implementing measures to make our streets safer.

A major step forward happened last month when North York Community Council approved a motion by Councillor Jaye Robinson, which promoted two important initiatives.

The first puts in place a uniform 30 km/h limit on all of Leaside’s non-arterial streets, which means all streets except for Bayview Avenue, Eglinton Avenue and Laird Drive.

A consistent speed limit is easier to enforce than the current variety of speed limits across North and South Leaside. It does away with the excuse that a driver was not aware of the speed limit, since there is the same limit throughout the neighbourhood.

It may be a disincentive to Waze and other GPS navigation systems which presently recommend our residential streets as short-cut routes. Above all, it makes our streets safer.

The second initiative is a new Traffic

Carol Burtin Fripp Co-president, LPOA

Management Plan. You can read more about both these initiatives in Councillor Robinson’s column this issue.

As I’ve noted in past columns, resulting measures need not be expensive: much can be done to improve road and intersection design with just paint, or planters, making speed reduction virtually self-enforcing.

The LPOA has been involved in support of these initiatives, and we look forward to this cooperative effort for greater safety.

The TTC’s 5-Year Service Plan The TTC recently unveiled its 5-Year Service Plan, looking at their proposed changes to surface transit (aka bus routes) once the Crosstown is in service. So far, they have not released information on the TTC’s plans for fewer bus routes along Eglinton Avenue, but bus deployment

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and sufficient availability are very important matters if Leasiders are not to face reduced access to public transit. I will report on this once we have information.

Meanwhile, current discussions about bus routes in and around Leaside will be contentious. For one thing, the TTC proposes eliminating the 88A bus, with the 88B bus travelling northeast to Laird near Eglinton rather than south to Thorncliffe Park. Doing so eliminates the transit connection between Leaside and Thorncliffe. The Leaside 56 bus would be discontinued and merged with the Leslie 51. Both Geoff Kettel and I are going to these TTC meetings and will report further in coming columns, and at our AGM. Come to our AGM! The LPOA’s 2019 Annual General Meeting is Mon., Nov. 4, at 7 p.m., in the Trace Manes Tennis Lounge.

Speakers include Councillor Jaye Robinson. Not only is the AGM an excellent source of up-to-date information about our community, but this year we will also be proposing changes to the LPOA’s membership criteria for your consideration and vote. We want to hear your thoughts!

ab

The next regular monthly LPOA Board meeting is on WED., NOV. 6, at 7:30 p.m., in the Trace Manes building on Rumsey Road. Our board meetings are always open to the public. ■

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