LeasideLife issue 25 draft 3_LeasideLifev1 14-01-20 10:11 PM Page 1
No. 25 • February 2014
Leaside Life leasidelifenews.com
WIN a MOVADO watch for your VALENTINE Page 8
A fearsome farewell to Leaside 100 I awakened to a loud crack coming from our backyard. There followed the sound of wood tearing and popping, and finally a decisive thud. It was only then that I knew, without looking, that the tree of my youth, our 150-year-old Ironwood, nicknamed Carmen Miranda for her natural sway in the centre and spray of leaves on top, had succumbed to the great ice storm of 2013. As a child I swung from her branches, carved initials into her bark and held tea parties under her leaves. There was a small aperture in the base of the tree—a magical bolthole as it were— where chipmunks and red squirrels sought refuge from predators. Carmen fell gracefully, evading fences and power lines. By summer she will make an excellent backyard bench. Her spirit will live on. Ultimately, though, she was
Goodbye Carmen Miranda one tree among many, and Leaside lost much more during the big freeze. For example, the owner of The Bagel House on Bayview, Jessi Sahdra saw $25,000 worth of food
spoil in the four days his store went black. “None of the fridges and freezers were working,” he says, adding, “All my customers who ordered party platters for the holiday had to do without because they’d gone bad.” Ever resourceful, Sahdra made do by baking bread in wood stoves, and siphoning enough power from McSorley’s Wonderful Saloon and Grill next door to keep light bulbs burning. For De La Mer owners Dave Owen and Blake Edwards, trying to transfer fish and seafood from their Bayview location, where lights were flickering, to their store on Roncesvalles, which was unaffected, proved to be darkly comedic. “As soon as we’d transport the product to our Roncesvalles place, the power on Bayview would go back on, but the minute we turned back onto Bayview, it would go off again,” Blake recalls with a chuckle. FAREWELL, Page 14
PATRICIA PHENIX
By PATRICIA PHENIX
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Better Seed…
ATTRACTS BETTER BIRDS
Leaside Life, February 2014
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Ontario’s Best Source For Birding and Nature Products 939 Eglinton Ave E. (Brentcliffe and Eglinton)
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Let the tunnelling begin This will be the year of tunnelling in Leaside, west from Brentcliffe, for the LRT, which means lots of traffic restrictions and disruptions. Here’s the discomfiting news from Eglinton Crosstown: “Generally, traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction along Eglinton Ave. East in the work zone. Traffic will be shifted as the construction progresses. “There will be short-term local street closures and turning restrictions to allow for the construction to take place. “On-street parking will not be permitted within the work zones. “Temporary relocation of TTC bus stops in the affected area will be required for the safety of the transit riders. Watch for posted signs indicating the adjusted locations. “Pedestrian walkways will remain open. Watch for additional signs directing pedestrians. “Depending on site conditions, gas, hydro, water mains, sewers, traffic and street lighting, as well as telephone lines will be relocated to allow for construction. “The hours of work as permitted
by the city bylaw are between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., seven days a week, when required. Some overnight work may be required. “Underground tunnelling and associated work may continue 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” ■
Split decision on Evergreen The Ontario Municipal Board has approved severance of the property at 21 Evergreen Gardens and an increase in living space, but turned down a request for increased height. Save Our Bennington had opposed all requests of the developer for the property bordering Evergreen Gardens Park. The floor space index will increase from 0.6 to 0.67 and lot coverage from 35 to 38.2 percent. But the height of the two new properties on the severed 95-foot lot will be the permitted 8.5 metres, says the developer. ■
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We start a Leaside stock index (for fun) benefiting from our patronage. The entire list will be available for realtime viewing on our website (leasidelifenews.com) by the end of February, breaking down each stock’s individual performance as well as the index itself. In 2013, the Leaside Stock Index achieved a total return (including currency exchange) of 45.8 percent compared to 27.0 percent for its two benchmarks, the S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index Fund (TSX:XIC.TO) and SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:SPY). Where we’re headed in 2014 is anyone’s guess but if you bet on Leaside in 2013 you were a big winner. Here are the stocks we’ll follow: American Stocks: Dunkin Brands (Baskin Robbins) DNKN, Berkshire Hathaway (Benjamin Moore) BRK.B, Starbucks SBUX, Remax RMAX, Best Buy BBY, Home Depot HD, Vitamin Shoppe (Vitapath) VSI, Lincoln Electric LECO, PetSmart PETM, UPS UPS. Canadian Stocks: Loblaws L.TO, TD Bank TD.TO, Dollarama DOL.TO, STOCK, Page 4
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P Patrick atricbkr o keR Rocca occa r 416.322.8000 mail@patrickrocca.com www.leasidehomes.com www .leasidehomes.com * TREB Stats Not in intended ntended to solicit properties p p alrea already eady y listed.
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Lincoln Electric – does the name ring any bells? Based in Cleveland, Ohio, it’s sold welding equipment and related products in Canada since 1916. More importantly, Leaside has been its Canadian head office for 85 years. A publicly traded company (NASDAQ: LECO), it’s increased its annual dividend payout for 18 consecutive years. Two years ago this past November I recommended Lincoln Electric’s stock to readers of Investopedia.com, one of the investment websites I’ve written for in my role as freelance investment journalist. Having lived in Leaside for over two years at that point I’d driven by its offices at 179 Wicksteed Ave. on several occasions, each time wondering what they did to make money. I looked into their business, liked what I saw and recommended its stock. It’s up 96 percent through the end of 2013 compared to 47 percent for the S&P 500. Lincoln Electric got me thinking about the great Peter Lynch. He man-
aged the Fidelity Magellan Fund in the U.S. from 1977 to 1990, averaging an annual return of 29 percent over 13 years. He believed that you invest in what you know. I’ve come to call it Everyday Investing and nowhere is that better exemplified than here in Leaside where many publicly traded companies, both Canadian and American, operate successful branch offices, retail stores and other outposts on behalf of their shareholders. Look around – there are numerous examples of businesses you probably frequent that are publicly traded. For example, I’m a big Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) fan, visiting daily between writing assignments. It’s very likely I spent at least $1,000 at its five Leaside locations in 2013. If I’d taken an additional $1,000 at the end of 2012 and bought shares in the company, I’d have an unrealized gain of $490 at the end of 2013, lowering my actual coffee expense by 49 percent. With that in mind I’ve created the Leaside Stock Index, a compilation of 20 companies operating in Leaside
Leaside Life, February 2014
By WILL ASHWORTH
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Leaside Life, February 2014
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New recipient for LOL dollars With the new Leaside arena complete, all funds from the 5th annual Laugh Out Loud in Leaside comedy show will now go to a different charity, New Circles. This not-for-profit organization offers clothing services, community referrals and skills building programs to residents in the Thorncliffe Park, Flemingdon Park and Victoria Village neighbourhoods. “While the arena is still in need of funds, I felt it was time to focus and bring awareness to a new initiative,” said Charlene Kalia, the main force behind the fundraising, which brought in over $120,000 for the rink. This year’s event on Feb. 28, at Leaside arena, will be hosted by Jack Hourigan, a Second City alumnus and TV personality. There will be food and wine pairing stations. (See ad Page 28.) ■
Stock From Page 3
Scotiabank BNS.TO, RioCan REIUN.TO, Empire Company (Sobeys) EMP-A.TO, First Capital Realty FCR.TO, Canadian Tire CTC-A.TO, Tim Hortons THI.TO, Alimentation Couche-Tard (Mac’s) ATD-B.TO. ■ LEASIDE STOCK INDEX 2013 Performance vs. ETF Benchmarks Total % Return 2013 Leaside Stock Index 45.8 American Stocks 66.2 Canadian Stocks 25.5 ETF Benchmarks 27.0 SPDR S&P 500 ETF - including currency 32.3 - excluding currency 41.6 S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index Fund 12.5
Leaside Life Published once a month in Leaside,Toronto ON, by Ruth G. Publishing Inc., 66 Donegall Drive, Toronto ON, M4G 3G5 Circulation 8,500 to every door in M4G PUBLISHER: Lorna Krawchuk EDITORIAL: Harry Goldhar, Patricia Phenix ADVERTISING: Ruth Goldhar GRAPHIC DESIGN: L. Choy
416‐486‐7387 leasidelife@gmail.com www.leasidelifenews.com
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Home sales quiet in December
See the prices for homes sold on each street last year on our web site, leasidelifenews.com __ Jethro Seymour is a broker at Johnston & Daniel. All figures are from the Toronto Real Estate Board’s Multiple Listing Service.
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Leaside Life, February 2014
By JETHRO SEYMOUR In December of 2013, only two homes changed hands in Leaside and Bennington Heights, half the number of homes in December 2012. The average dollar value was down by 27.2 percent. There was only one detached home that sold in December last year compared to four in 2012. But Leaside and Bennington Heights year-to-date home sale volumes are up, from 184 in 2012 to 207 in 2013 – a gain of 12.5 percent. Despite the fact that the number of detached home sales was flat for the year, the volume of semidetached home sales was up by 75.9 percent to 51 homes. Year-to-date, Leaside and Bennington Heights homes have posted an average 2.6 percent increase in value compared to this time last year. The value of the average home rose to $1,250,638 in 2013, up from $1,219,063 in 2012. Among the 151 detached homes that sold last year, the average sale price was up 7.6 percent, coming in at $1,433,242. Semi-detached home values were up 5.9 percent in 2013, to an average $749,370 compared to $707,892 in 2012. The highest valued sale on MLS in 2013 was $2.7 million, for a home on Bennington Heights Dr. followed by $1.65 million on Divadale Dr. In the last issue Leaside Life reported an exclusive sale on Rykert Cres. at probably over $3 million, a new milestone for the neighbourhood. The lowest valued sale was $515,000 for a semi-detached bungalow on Rumsey Rd. in June. There were 123 homes that sold for more than $1 million in 2013, all of which were detached except for one on Airdrie. This is up by 19 homes compared to 2012’s 104 million dollar homes. ■__
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In our Hood Leaside Life, February 2014
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6 By BETH How cold and dark was it? IT was so cold and dark that… • Some Leaside churches were forced to cancel services the morning of Dec. 22 because of the ice storm. Downed power lines and tree limbs surrounding St. Cuthbert’s Anglican made access impossible; Leaside United rescheduled its morning service and pageant to Monday night. Others coped in various ways, “We go on no matter what,” reported Northlea United (which actually had power). St. Anselm’s, which lost many tree limbs on their property, held a small service in the dark with some natural daylight “thanks to big windows that let in the light”. • Trumpet player and leader of Leaside’s C-flats band, Cynda Fleming, kept practising in spite of six days without heat and light. Fleming was booked to perform at various events, and “the trouble with playing the trumpet,” she explained, “is that you have to practise every day, otherwise you lose your embrasure. The old saying is, one day without practising, you notice, two days your stand partner notices, three days everyone notices! I kept going with it in my
cold and dark house (with a book light!).” A kindly next-door neighbour kept the musician in hot coffee. • Long time resident Dave Stickney was spotted several places in the neighbourhood carrying a gas-powered (we assume) chain saw, helping neighbours cut their way through their front lawns. And speaking of ice, various scheduled ice events continued to take place this winter in the community. Novices took to the ice at Leaside Curling rink Jan. 18 to try out curling. Training included learning buzzwords like “Hurry Hard” and “Toss a double-takeout.” This year’s annual Leaside Invitational Select Tournament, Feb. 6-9, includes at least 100 hockey teams. Big congratulations to all Leaside Synchronized Skating teams that competed at the annual Winterfest competition in January. In a sport notorious for tight scores, Leaside’s Juvenile team missed the podium by a mere .5 of a mark. • 2014 is a big year for Rolph Road School, founded in 1939. Leaside resident and former parent at the school, Petra Grantham, is one of the volunteers helping with the anniversary, which includes a special exhibit. “Those working on the celebrations are looking for memorabilia such as class photos, stories/memories and all things related to the school’s history,”
Grantham says. If you’ve got some treasures in your attic (and stories in your head), let the school know: rolphroad75@gmail.com. For general news/information about the event contact 75anniversary@rolphroadschool. com. • Many may remember Don Ladkin, long-time Leaside resident who passed away Dec. 31. For years Ladkin returned to Leaside High each graduation to present an award named in honour of his brother, David, who died tragically years ago during a phys ed class. Alan Redway, Don and David Ladkin were all members of the St. Cuthbert's Church Junior Choir. In later years. Redway recalled, “Don would walk his dog past my house, stop and chat and tell me that he had been at the high school commencement to present the trophy.” • As of Jan. 1, travelling the 11 and 28 Bayview bus routes should be easier. Partly in response to overcrowding once the LRT construction starts on Eglinton, the TTC reworked schedules for peak periods (Monday to Friday 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.). “It also means that kids from East York can have a choice of two buses to get to Leaside High school,” explains Councillor John Parker, who met with the high school home and school executive in December to work out a plan. ■
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Goodbye to a community champ 7
Leaside Life, February 2014
Ingersoll’s gain is Leaside’s loss, as our community gives a fond farewell to Rob and Jess Tremblett and family, owners and operators of the familiar red and white valu-mart on Bayview. Tremblett and his family are moving to Ingersoll where he’s taking on another store, Your Independent Grocer. Tremblett was known to countless local groups because of the many ways in which he supported the neighbourhood—an estimated $40,000 over six years—with sponsorships including everything from the Maurice Cody Dirt to Turf campaign to pizza lunches at Rolph Road and local hockey teams. His generosity extended not just to donations of money, but space, publicity and food for all varieties of local events for schools, churches, charities and sports teams—a fundraiser for the 69th Toronto Scouts, Sarah’s Food Drive, and the annual Goulash Giveaway. During fundraising for the new
hockey arena, the store donated $10,000, in addition to hosting four fundraising BBQs and prizes at the annual Laugh Out Loud event. “Anyone operating a business in this neighbourhood has to understand the community side of it,” said Tremblett, who’s been in the grocery business 26 years. “This is a neighbourhood that notices that you are supporting them. It’s what you need to do to be successful.” “I just want to thank everyone for their support while we served the Leaside and Davisville area,” said Tremblett, who first came to the store in March 2007. “We made great relationships during our time serving his community. It is a fantastic area and we’ll miss everyone.” Tremblett’s family includes three boys, ages 15, 13 and 7. Their move brings them closer to London, Ontario, where Tremblett grew up. He’s also be closer to his mother, currently fighting breast cancer. Tremblett’s official last day with the store is Feb. 23, ■
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Leaside Life, February 2014
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Ha ppy Happy F amily Family D ay Day Monday, Februa ar y 17th is the Family Day. Ontarians work hard and deserve more time to enjoy with their loved ones. Happy Family Day!
Police will be at Win a your door $795 watch
Starting this month 53 Division police will be hand-delivering pamphlets door to door in Leaside and Bennington Heights to warn us that we have to change our mentality to prevent crime. Besides not locking doors, disabling alarms for nannies or otherwise making themselves vulnerable, says Staff-Sergeant Matt Moyer, Leasiders “often won’t call the police, even if they see something suspicious. They try to explain it away.” Moyer says sometimes residents’ suspicions are well-founded and cites the recent phenomenon of thieves stealing high-end cars in Lawrence Park, and parking them in Leaside to see if they have GPS systems installed. If nobody claims the cars after a day or two, the thieves simply drive them away. “We want people to know that if it [a situation] doesn’t fit, we want to hear about it. If a guy is sitting in a car at 2 a.m., we want to be told,” he says. “There is no bad call to police.” ■
To celebrate 77 years of selling Valentine’s Day gifts on Bayview, Bell Jewellers will be raffling off a $795 ladies sapphire crystal stainless steel water-resistant Movado watch to a Leaside Life reader. The draw will take place at Bell’s Feb. 10. To enter, send an email to editor.leasidelife@gmail.com containing the subject line: Movado watch. To be contacted, include your name, address and telephone number. Check the Leaside Life website at leasidelifenews.com for the name of the winner. Bell’s 77 years has a dramatic history. Originally it was run out of the lobby of a movie theatre that operated where Shopper’s Drug Mart now stands. Tragically, in 1979, its third owner, Israel Erlich, was shot to death by a couple of youths high on drugs. Shortly afterwards, Photis Philos purchased it and has run it ever since. ■
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Left in the dark in more ways than one |
We slept unusually soundly on that rainy Saturday night, Dec. 21. At 7 a.m. on Sunday the 22nd we were jolted awake by a phone call telling us there would be no services at St. Augustine of Canterbury, across Broadway from us, because it had lost power. We looked out to see arboreal chaos on our lawns, with more cracking and crashing as we watched. We could see that the Esso on Bayview had lost power. Our block on Bessborough was okay so far, but around 9 a.m. another falling branch took out the line to the house directly across from us. We expected our line to go down at any time. It never did. Our block looked a bit like a glittering war zone all of Christmas week (don't exaggerate Michael: it only sounded like gunfire; there were no bodies). But with an icy branch resting right on it, our lifeline held. Unlike most of our Leaside neighbours, 314 Bessborough was effectively unscathed by the great ice storm of 2013. Nature pruned our trees without destroying any of them. Robins gorged on mountain ash berries.
We have hardship credentials stemming from a freak lightning strike and fire at our house several years ago, so did not feel guilty about being lucky this time around. We heard many stories of friends shivering in the cold, abandoning their houses, returning to deal with spoiled food and burst pipes. Was there ever a Christmas that generated more family solidarity, sometimes to a fault? The almost complete randomness of the damage – the ice took no account of wealth, merit, or privilege – and the almost complete uncertainty about when power would be restored, seem to have been two special features of this winter storm. On the first day many sensible people were afraid to go outside (though Canada Post was delivering registered mail, an amazing last hurrah). In later walks around Leaside I talked to enough exhausted, haggard repairmen to conclude that we were being heroically served by rugged guys – these are still mostly male jobs – giving up their Christmas. It's now evident that Hydro's major failure was one of communications. Not unlike airlines during de-
lays, the authorities could not or would not give people the comfort of knowing even approximately when their ordeals would end. Could they have done better? Many years ago in small-town Ontario – probably Toronto too – our quiet streets were often "disturbed" by politicians, service clubs, and other groups blasting out announcements through loudspeakers mounted on cars. That's probably illegal now. But wouldn't it have been useful if we still used sound cars in emergencies to convey information locally? It would have been relatively cheap, easy, and effective. The flashing lights of a big Hydro truck, I think from Manitoba, awakened us at 3 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 29. By morning everyone on north Bessborough south of Broadway finally had power again. The fallen branches were with us for a while yet, the memories for quite a bit longer. â–
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Leaside Life, February 2014
By MICHAEL BLISS
9 MICHAEL BLISS, historian and author, was named an Officer of the Order of Canada earlier this year.
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We had it much easier than Quebec Leaside Life, February 2014
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10 Last July as I watched the flooding in the Don Valley all the unease created by my decades of experience organizing relief projects rose with the water. I knew from what I heard climate scientists say during my work with the United Nations Environment Program 20 years ago that “once in a century” disasters would become more frequent with greater consequences and our weather increasingly erratic. A month later the neighbourhood was struck with a devastating ice storm that destroyed or maimed many of our wonderful trees, threw us into a world of cold and dark, altered holiday plans and resulted in heart stopping credit card bills for those who managed to get a hotel room. As I stood at the door of Sobeys on Christmas Eve Day I was bemused by some of the conversations around me, like indignation that the rock salt promised earlier in the day still had not arrived. Not to trivialize our very uncomfortable ice storm experience, but we got off lightly. The Quebec storm in 1998 was our storm on steroids. Up to 100 mm of ice shredded hydro wires then levelled the
Karen Fraser Memories of Old Leaside
towers and trees. Three and a half million people struggled for nearly a month. Twenty- five people died, and the local economy staggered. The temperature was typically -30. Falling ice in Montreal closed downtown for a week. There were no stores, restaurants or gas stations for weeks; no promised rock salt. The army fed 100,000. Our charity sent 3,500 gourmet meals cooked by volunteer hotels and restaurants in Toronto to shelters. Meal delivery by planes and snowmobiles! People died in Toronto from carbon monoxide and houses burned from careless use of candles, but as far as I know Leaside escaped those tragedies. Grid failure was capricious. While one house was without power for a week, three doors down another house stayed unaffected. Some stores remained open so basic supplies were available, but travelling to get them was
dangerous. Neighbours cleared the streets, marked dangerous wires and cooked for each other. Working relief for that long month in Quebec I learned a vital lesson. Prepare to stay in your house as long as you safely can and be able to leave it quickly and effectively if necessary. If you stay at home, NGO and government resources can be concentrated on damage repair and recovery. The Quebec storm produced a lot of political posturing, even in those dire circumstances. Posturing was apparent at our embattled city hall but in Leaside Councillor John Parker visited shelters and sat by his phone to answer calls from anxious residents. As in Quebec most elected representatives in Ontario were brilliant: they listened and responded. It is brave in politics to react quickly as it seems that no good deed goes unpunished. As we saw in Ontario the food gift card distribution initiated by Premier Wynne and pulled together in record time by Loblaws and others was trashed for not being perfect! For the full version of this article, see leasidelifenews.com ■
LeasideLife issue 25 draft 3_LeasideLifev1 14-01-20 10:11 PM Page 11
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Re: January letter by Bob Moenck. I also have major concerns around the amount of traffic in Leaside and how it will be disrupted greatly over the next couple of years with the building of the LRT. By 3 p.m. traffic at Leslie, McRae, Wicksteed, Brentcliffe and Eglinton is beginning to jam up at the various intersections of the mentioned roads, causing a nightmare situation sometimes as everyone is vying for "their turn" to travel on the road. Gridlock becomes inevitable. Traffic can be tied up for blocks on Brentcliffe, not to mention the various sidestreets leading to Brentcliffe, and other feeder sidestreets in Leaside to Eglinton, causing frustration for everyone trying to circumvent the traffic on Eglinton going both east and west. All the smaller streets in this area will be compromised as people look for an alternative route to Eglinton, or maybe just to get home if they live in Leaside as I do. With the advent of more box stores, already approved, traffic will become even worse on these streets, at all times, not just during rush hour. AND there is a proposal for a huge complex at 939 Eglinton which would compound traffic problems even more? I truly question the validity of even considering this. I agree with Bob Moenck's concerns about this huge 939 Eglinton complex and also wonder why the LPOA and Leaside Life are not trying to restrict this development to a more reasonable height and size. The proposal as it stands now is going to have a staggering influence on traffic that will make travel in this area almost impossible during rush hour and very complicated at other times. Aside from the traffic concerns, what about schools (there will be children living there) that are already overcrowded? The sheer size of this complex would recreate many problems that do not even seem to be being considered. Where are you LPOA? Why is there no protest against this egregious development right on our doorstep? Margo Holland, Thursfield Cres. By Carol Burtin Fripp, VP LPOA Both Mr. Moenck (in last month’s edition) and Ms Holland (above) are right to express concerns about the proposed mega-development for 939 Eglinton East at Brentcliffe. Unfortunately, both missed reading the LPOA’s May 2013 column in
LETTERS leasidelife@gmail.com Leaside Life in which I reported that the LPOA had been – and continues to be – actively attentive to this matter. The LPOA board met with the developer and his team last March. Steve Diamond, of Diamond Corporation, presented a preliminary design of their proposal, which we criticized as both too massive and too dense. Resultant traffic problems on our residential streets, and the impact on businesses in the Leaside Business Park, would be immense. We will certainly be opposing its size, density, and potential negative effects, as soon as the city has released its staff report on the proposal, and calls a statutory public meeting. But until the city does so, it is premature – and not productive – to do more. The LPOA may also call our own public meeting, to ensure that Leasiders have the maximum opportunity to state their opinions. During 2013 the LPOA has also participated in the Eglinton Connects planning process, which includes consideration of the Eglinton-LairdBrentcliffe block as a “focus area”. We have opposed any suggestion by city planning that the block be considered for future high rise development. Thus far, the city’s planning department has not taken an official position In her letter to Leaside Life, Ms Holland raises the matter of retail-oriented traffic impacts on residential streets. LPOA is working on this as well: we will be undertaking a traffic study aimed at protecting the safety and liveability of our streets. We are also about to request meetings with the relevant authorities (Metrolinx, TTC, city transportation staff, and our councillor) to look for ways of minimizing problems on our streets during the LRT construction period. I encourage all Leasiders to contact LPOA with questions and concerns, on these and other matters large and small, and to come to our monthly meetings (first Wednesday of each month, at 7:30 p.m. in the Trace Manes building). Also, check out our website, which we try to keep up to date. As I’ve mentioned from time to time in my Leaside Life columns, the LPOA takes our direction from you: Leasiders. So we want to hear from you!
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Farewell From Page 1
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The good news is that once everything was back to normal, Christmas Eve turned into their busiest day ever. Meanwhile, three days into the storm, with the inside of her house at a frigid 10 degrees, radiators frozen, and pipes close to bursting, stressed-out McRae Dr. resident Zelia Garland received a call from Andy Elder, the owner of Grilltime on Laird, offering to provide her with food. Since Elder’s shop had not suffered any power outage, he was able to cook a couple of small beef roasts and two turkey breasts. “He even made stuffing,” notes Garland, a mother of two. “Because of Andy we actually managed to have Christmas dinner with neighbours and family, and that’s when we appreciated what the day really means.”
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Garland donated whatever food had not been eaten to shelters. Other residents had more trouble embracing the holiday spirit. Some held pools to determine when a fire, Hydro, or police vehicle might finally show up on their streets. Still more drowned their sorrows at Corks bar on the second floor of Longo’s supermarket on Laird Dr. By the second day of the storm, business was especially brisk. Dom Badali, of MacNaughton Dr., noted with amusement that CP24 news trucks arrived to document the presence of fallen tree branches on car roofs, faster than Hydro did. And for some, problems persisted after the storm had passed, including dangling power lines, and cracked and broken pipes inside the house. In the end, while not all Leasiders may have welcomed Christmas morning by singing a joyful song, they did show remarkable generosity toward each other, as well as a laudable survival instinct. ■
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Why I favour that big Diamond proposal Leaside Life, February 2014
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16 Leaside Life published two letters in its January edition from area residents Pierce Reid and Bob Moenck. Both express concern about proposed developments in the area. Reid believes “…major commercial developments around Leaside should be put on hold until new traffic patterns evolve after the opening of the LRT”. Moenck’s biggest concern is that the Leaside Property Owners’ Association and Leaside Life aren’t doing enough to oppose the mixed-use development at the southwest corner of Eglinton and Brentcliffe, what he terms “this egregious development”. Reid says that a moratorium on commercial development should be implemented in the area to remain in effect until the LRT opens for business. He sees time standing still for the next six years until the city can analyze Leaside traffic patterns regardless of the economic consequences to the city. I hate to tell you this Pierce but traffic is bad all over. Try driving in Brampton or Etobicoke or Milton. They’re all extremely frustrating to
Will Ashworth The business of Leaside navigate. In many ways Toronto is 100 times worse than New York for driving because it doesn’t have the same public transit infrastructure. Hopefully, the LRT will alleviate some of this problem but calling for a complete shutdown of commercial development until 2020 or later is pure folly. I think that Bob Moenck’s argument, while well constructed, does have its limitations. Yes, the initial idea presented by Diamond Corp. for Eglinton/Brentcliffe looks to be one of the biggest commercial proposals past or present in Leaside. It’s also true that the building heights and density proposed (number of condo units) are greater than we’ve traditionally seen in the area. However, Leaside, while growing, still represents less than 1 percent of Toronto’s 2.8 million inhabitants.
Furthermore, using the city’s Ward 26 profile along with statistics obtained from the city planning department, Leaside-Bennington Heights has approximately 3,400 people per square kilometre compared to 8,000 in the rest of the ward and 4,400 for the entire city. Based on these numbers I calculate that Leaside is underpopulated by as many as 5,000 people. Anyone who’s dealt with the city, Metrolinx or the province knows that the LRT is a major catalyst for growth in Toronto. Focus areas at both Bayview/Eglinton and Laird/Eglinton are a priority. Although Yonge and Eglinton will take the brunt of any intensification along the LRT route, other areas including Leaside must do their fair share in terms of accommodating population growth. The LRT will be considered a financial success if it simultaneously improves public transportation in the city, reduces traffic congestion and increases tax revenue for both the city and province. If Toronto is to thrive Leaside
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Leaside Life, February 2014
needs to grow at a faster rate than it’s traditionally been used to. People complain about congestion along Laird, yet local residents represent a decent chunk of the cars in the parking lot at Leaside Village. I’ve been told small businesses like Grilltime, on Laird, have suffered since Longo’s arrival 19 months ago. Unfortunately, these businesses face the age-old question of how to differentiate themselves from the big boys. That’s an answer I don’t have but I do know the solution isn’t getting upset about it. A better solution for Grilltime is to have a larger pool of people to draw from. The development at Eglinton and Brentcliffe would add an estimated 2,350 people within a 15-20 minute walk of Andy Elder’s store. There would be another 1,000 or so people working in the proposed seven-storey office building who could certainly walk to his shop seven months of the year. I don’t know if that would make a difference but it certainly couldn’t hurt. The same goes for Bayview where several shops currently remain empty. Dollarama’s probably not having a tough time but I’m sure there are others walking a fine line between opened and closed. They too would benefit from a larger population. â–
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LeasideLife issue 25 draft 3_LeasideLifev1 14-01-20 10:12 PM Page 18
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We must plant the right trees I write this in the midst of City Hall's post mortem review of the December ice storm. The information I have is preliminary and incomplete, but it is sufficient to confirm that the overall impact ranks it as one of the most costly natural disasters that Toronto has faced since Hurricane Hazel. And it is not your imagination: while we were by no means the only community to endure a serious impact, Leaside took a bigger hit than most. The reason is not hard to guess. The damage done this time was mostly a direct result of the impact of the storm on trees, and Leaside has a ď ľ
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lot of them. The storm has taught a lot of us a thing or two about trees of which we were blissfully unaware until we found so many of their broken branches lying on our lawns, roads, and cars. Most significantly, we learned that not all trees are created equal. Siberian elm trees, in particular, suffered serious damage. Many of them lost between 30 percent and 50 percent of their upper branches, and will have to be taken down altogether. Older black locusts also suffered to a significant degree. Certain other black locusts were also damaged, but generally to a lesser extent. Manitoba maples, "crack" willows, white mulberries, white elms and silver maples in many parts of the city were badly damaged. We are told that most of those trees, however, will survive after undergoing suitable pruning. Leaside has a large number of older Norway maples. Many of these lost a lot of branches. My information is that our Norway maples are largely within about 20 years of the end of their natural lives in any event, as they were all planted within the same time period when most of
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the original homes were built. Which draws attention to an important lesson: It is to be remembered that there was less recognition then than now of the merits of (a) planting a healthy variety of trees in any one community, and (b) planting native species rather than exotics. It turns out there is a reason why native species get to be native species in the first place: they have adapted over time to cope with the challenges of the local climate, including, it would seem, the occasional ice storm. The number of healthy native trees that suffered damage across the city is relatively low. For the most part, oak, sugar maple, walnut, and ash trees survived well. Most that did suffer damage are seen to have had defects in them. Even at that, many with visible defects survived. Conifers, for the most part, made out better than deciduous species. Many bent over beneath the weight of the ice, but stood up straight again after the thaw. Northern species such as white pines and spruces of all types seem to have survived well. (Some ornamental junipers stayed bent over and will have to be removed, which frankly ď ľ
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suits me just fine.) The preliminary indication is that about 20 percent of Toronto's "tree canopy" was lost. Last year I encouraged Leaside residents to contribute to our community's tree inventory; the need to do so has now become more urgent. And this time, let's plant the right ones. ■
Geoff Kettel
Saving old Leaside
City says no to Elgie plan The battle over the future of the oldest home in Leaside has entered another phase. In a display of solidarity with the affected neighbours, the North York Committee of Adjustment on Jan.8 unanimously voted to reject the severances and zoning bylaw variances
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vides legal protection for the property and its heritage attributes, is assured. At the committee, several neighbours and the Leaside Property Owners’ Association asked that the application be rejected on the grounds that the application was not in compliance with the heritage designation. Advice from Heritage Preservation Services (HPS) staff to the committee supported that view. The staff report stated that “proposed alterations include moving the farmhouse southward and eastward from its original location. It is the opinion of HPS staff that the amount of alteration proposed to this designated property will negatively impact the integrity of the heritage attributes of this important heritage resource in Leaside… “HPS could support severance of the property into two lots (not three) with the designated portion of the farmhouse retained in situ… “HPS considers severing into two versus three lots (to be) a reasonable compromise that allows for some additional development on the designated property.” HPS staff’s offer would result in restoring the house to its original
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Leaside Life, February 2014
requested by Renaissance Fine Homes for 262 Bessborough Dr. (Thomas G. Elgie House). The property is designated and the city has rejected the development application, so more than likely the next stop is to the OMB? But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we are not there yet. At the moment there is no OMB application. Perhaps Renaissance will reconsider their approach to the project, which currently involves demolishing the later additions to the original house, and moving the original structure forward to enable the severance of two new lots and the construction of new houses on either side. How did we get here? This was the second time that the committee had considered severance of the property and variances. On Oct. 17 last year the committee deferred a decision because, while historical designation of the property was being recommended, it had not yet come to city council for approval. Subsequently, on Nov. 13, council passed the Intent to Designate the property under the Ontario Heritage Act. No appeals of the Intent to Designate were received by the city by the end of the notice period (Jan. 4 this year), so designation, which pro-
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Leaside Life, February 2014
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perspective facing north (not east), where, to quote an earlier Saving old Leaside column, it sat “on a vantage point overlooking the picturesque Walmsley Brook, the heart of the 200-acre Elgie Estate, which stretched south and east from Bayview and Eglinton for half a century. Since then, streets have been laid out, and lands have been subdivided, but the Elgie farmhouse remains as a testament to those earlier times.” At this point Renaissance faces a Hobson’s choice. While they have not opposed the heritage designation per se, they needed more lenient heritage attributes to make their three lot scheme work. City heritage staff would support a two-lot solution, but that would no doubt be much less remunerative for the developer. So which will they choose? We will know within a month. They have 20 days from the date of the Committee of Adjustment hearing to file an appeal to the OMB. ■
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LeasideLife issue 25 draft 3_LeasideLifev1 14-01-20 10:13 PM Page 25
Carol Burtin Fripp Vice-president, LPOA
Costco traffic implications ‘horrendous’
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Aside from heritage-protection issues, we are looking at an application promoting a very large (over 156,000 square feet) Costco Warehouse Membership Club retail store, as well as a vehicle fuel station, and 607 surface parking spaces. If approved, this would be a precedent-setting change in land use along Overlea, and the beginning of a transition from business and industrial uses to big (BIG) box retail/commercial. This is not good planning; it is wasteful use of space, and contrary to Toronto’s Official Plan. It would put more development pressures on the businesses in the Leaside Business Park. Rather than providing just another shopping opportunity, it would be of more benefit to Thorncliffe’s residents if, for instance, it were converted to seniors’ housing, or into a multi-purpose economic development centre, giving its large immigrant community Canadian experience while using their skills and professional qualifications. But wait – wouldn’t a Costco provide jobs and Canadian experience? Costco reportedly plans to create about 200 full- or part-time jobs at salary levels a bit above the mini-
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LeasideLife issue 25 draft 3_LeasideLifev1 14-01-20 10:14 PM Page 27
LPOA, Page 28
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Leaside Life, February 2014
mum wage. But how many of these jobs would even go to local residents? You may ask, why would the LPOA be concerned? -- the proposal is for Thorncliffe Park, not for Leaside. Yes, but no: a commercial development of this magnitude, and in that location, would have a major impact on Leaside. Traffic implications alone are horrendous, with the major feeder streets being located throughout Leaside: Southvale, McRae, Brentcliffe, Laird, and several North Leaside streets including Broadway and Glenvale. Many of these streets are already beset with volume-related problems. The catchment area would be from the lakeshore to York Mills, and Bathurst to Victoria Park. Proponents of the Costco store and gas bar assert that all that’s needed to manage their traffic is traffic-signal phasing and perhaps additional lights, but the traffic statistics in the Costco proposal raise more questions than answers. Don Mills Rd. and Overlea already carry peak traffic loads. Impacts on a number of TTC bus routes (including the 88 South Leaside bus) would be significant. Suggestions that the Eglinton LRT Crosstown would provide more
LeasideLife issue 25 draft 3_LeasideLifev1 14-01-20 10:14 PM Page 28
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Leaside Garden Society, Gardens of Tuscany with Donna Fenice, Thurs. Feb. 13, coffee at 7.15, presentation 7.30, Leaside Public library. The Leaside/East York University Women’s Club, Thurs. Feb. 20, 7:30, Northlea United Church,125 Brentcliffe Rd. A facilitated discussion on financial literacy followed by refreshments. Leaside Library Ready for Reading story times, drop in. – Preschool: 2-2:30 p.m. Weds: Feb. 5–19. – Family Time: 10:30-11a.m. Weds: Feb. 5–19. – Toddler Time: 9:30-10 a.m. Weds: Feb.5–19. – Baby Time: 9:30-10 a.m. & 10:30-11 a.m. Feb.6–20. – Smart Women and Money: For women who don't know where to start, by Brian Condie, BMO Nesbitt Burns. Drop in. Wed. Feb. 12, 6:30 p.m. – Monday Afternoon Book Club, Weird/Odd/ Unusual Titles. No registration required. Mon. Feb. 24, 2-3 p.m. – Smart Phone Basics Workshop: Everyone welcome. Please bring your own device. Wed. Feb. 19, 4–5:30 p.m. – Heritage Ontario: With Barry Penhale and special guests. 2-4 p.m. Tues. Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25. – Art Exhibit: Legislating Chaotic Phenomena by James Mason. Colourful photography, Feb. 0128. 69th Toronto Scouts 90th Anniversary Dinner: Sat. Feb. 22, St. Cuthbert's Church. Buffet dinner, silent auction, songs, skits, cheers and the opportunity to connect with current, past and future Scouting friends. Scouter Chris, 416-659-7231. St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church, Marion Singers, 1399 Bayview, Saturday, Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m. Tickets 416-485-0329, adults $20, seniors and children $15, including refreshments at intermission. St. Anselm’s students will be competing in the Agnes Macphail Public Speaking Contest, Wed. Feb. 19, 7 p.m. at East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Ave. Leaside Lions Club resurrection meeting, Mon. Feb. 10, 1818 Bayview north of Eglinton at Craig Cres., 7-8:30 p.m. leasidelions100@gmail.com or Marnie Phoenix, 416-487-7817. Laugh Out Loud in Leaside, Fri. Feb. 28, William Lea Room in Leaside arena, hosted by Jack Hourigan, Second City alumnus and TV personality. Food and wine pairing stations, silent and live auction, Yuk Yuk's comedy and live music.
LPOA
From Page 27
customer access seem unrealistic, given how far north of Overlea the LRT is located, and since Costco shoppers tend to buy in bulk they are likely to need cars rather than take transit, in order to carry these bulk goods home. Increased private car traffic is what this kind of major retail use will give us. And when you factor in the impact of the Costco gas bar on Thorncliffe Park Dr., featuring 16 pumps, and an estimated 320 cars per hour, we are looking at a whole new definition of congestion. So let’s have a careful think about what this could mean for us, in both Leaside and Thorncliffe Park. While aware of the benefits, we must consider the disbenefits of locating a Costco in our neighbourhood. â–
LeasideLife issue 25 draft 3_LeasideLifev1 14-01-20 10:14 PM Page 29
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Leaside Life, February 2014
Leaside Life
LeasideLife issue 25 draft 3_LeasideLifev1 14-01-20 10:14 PM Page 30
Why Talbot Park turf just isn’t getting better Leaside Life, February 2014
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30 According to MacNaughton Rd. resident Michael Stevenson, Talbot Park outside Leaside High School is still “a disgrace” even after he’s been complaining about it for over 15 years. “The track is encroached on by grass. The whole thing is a shambles,” he says. “If Mr. Talbot could look down he would say, ‘Damn, what are these people up to?’” The “people” Stevenson refers to include members of Leaside High School’s administration and Councillor John Parker, whom Stevenson has contacted over the years about the park’s condition. “I’ve telephoned him several times and written to him,” he says, “and all he says is that ‘We have to keep the balance’.” The latest letter Stevenson sent to Parker was on Oct. 9. In it he asked why there had been no followup on his request of three months earlier for an update of plans for the park. In December, a report on park planning was tabled at city council, with no notification to Stevenson and still no reply from Parker. The report was general, and not about
Lorna Krawchuk Publisher Leaside Life
individual parks. Shortly after the meeting, in an interview with me, Roger Macklin, general supervisor for Parks and Recreation, North District, said that the problem with the field at Talbot Park is that it is in use for many more than its recommended 700 hours per year. In fact, in 2011 there were possibly 1,800 hours of use, including 1,000 by Leaside High School students. That use goes back to a 1947 agreement between the school board and the former Town of Leaside to let the school use the field from March through June and from September through to November each year during weekdays. By comparison, regular city parks don’t start giving permits until mid-May and close at the end of September. This means that Talbot’s field has a smaller window of time to be resodded, over-seeded, top-dressed
and maintained. Sodding and regrading were done in 2011, and a partial turf tarp was put on the field last winter to try to help, but without much success. “They spent hundreds of thousand of dollars resurfacing the track, then within six months ruined it again because they had no rules on when not to use it, such as in inclement weather,” says Stevenson, who is wary of the report’s conclusions. Macklin agrees that in the future the school should not use the field when it is particularly wet. He notes that in other well-used parks in Toronto, artificial turf is being installed. But at Talbot the turf would be on top of a sanitary pipe close to the school. The field is also too narrow for the standard turf dimensions, 46 metres as opposed to 67 metres. Meanwhile, as long as it snows, the field at Talbot Park gets a bit of a rest from organized sports – to be replaced by disorganized ones – like tobogganing. That’s why Parker last year asked that there be no tobogganing down the hill. ■
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