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No. 3 • February 2012

Leaside Life

Having fun in the water __ P-22

OMG how we’ve changed!

Are we becoming Digerati? Less than 30 years ago Leaside was considered the stronghold of a frugal, middle-class mature white man’s enclave. Or, depending on who you were, B-O-R-I-N-G. OMG, how we’ve changed! It’s not just what everyone can see – the big new houses replacing the old bungalows, the increasing parking problems, the growing number of restaurants on Bayview, the influx of young families with kids, the plans for more plazas…. That didn’t happen out of the OUR, Page 12

Trust fund for the three kids A trust account has been set up for the three young children of Lisa Lebitka, the Leaside woman who died over the New Year holiday. Contributions can be made at any Scotiabank in the name of the Donaldson Children’s Trust, account number 245960020915. Representatives of the family expressed appreciation on their behalf, thanking the entire Leaside community for its continued support during this time, including several sports teams which have indicated an interest in raising funds for the trust. ■

THE GROWING NUMBER of restaurants here has helped Dom Badali’s grocery store on Bayview cope with customer loss due to the growing number of supermarkets. The restaurants buy from him.

Life has been getting tougher – and the parking! “Nothing’s the same” compared to 30 years ago, says Dom Badali, of Badali’s grocery on Bayview. “Everybody cooked at home. Today there is all that fast food now. People don’t eat the way they used to. “And there are more new and bigger stores opening. There was only Loblaws and Dominion as competition years ago. Every time a big store opens I lose a customer.” As a result life has been getting tougher for the store the last 20 years, he says. But the growth of the num-

ber of restaurants in Leaside has been a boon in the past 10 years. They buy from him. As a result his spoilage is much less. “Also there was no parking problem then,” he recalls. “Now people get fed up parking on the street here” because they get so many tickets. “It’s not too bad an idea during the day, but after seven they should take it easy. People are on the street having dinner in the restaurants. There should be some leeway.” Badali’s was started in 1938 by his grandmother, his father and an uncle. Now he is the owner with his mother and brother. ■

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LOL giving your money away Leaside Life, February 2012

For the third year in a row you’re being asked to laugh out loud while giving your money away – for a good cause, the Leaside Gardens expansion. Once again Laughing Out Loud will be held Feb. 24 at the Gardens’ William Lea Room, with live comedy and live music by the local Hot House band. For putting your hand in your pocket the merchants of Locallea will be donating appetizers from Grilltime, an oyster bar by De La Mer, flowers by Van Nes Flowers, sweet treats from SupperWorks, hot beverages by Mountain Bean and prizes from Fox and Fiddle, Valu-Mart and many others. There will also be a silent and live auction. Over the past two years, says host Charlene Kalia, this event raised $80,000. ■

Hockey tourney Leaside Hockey Association’s 22nd Annual Leaside Invitational Select Tournament Thursday, Feb 9 - Sunday, Feb 12 at the Leaside Gardens arena. 64 teams from across Ontario in 16 age divisions. Round-robin games Thurs.-Sat with championship games and awards ceremonies on Sunday. Featuring the popular William Lea Room Café and huge Silent Auction with hundreds of items including NHL and NBA tickets, summer camp tuition, food & drink, gift certificates and sports memorabilia; 16 big-ticket raffle items will be drawn on Sunday with proceeds going back to the teams. No gate fees and everyone is welcome. For more information and tournament schedule visit www.leasidehockey.com/. ■

Prime ice cost will likely rise Prime time rates at the Leaside Gardens ice rink were expected to rise if city council approves the expansion project agreed upon by its budget committee in mid January. The council decision was to be made after our deadline. The three groups that use the prime time ice have accepted an increase to help pay for loans, from the city and province, made necessary when the estimated cost of building a second rink rose from $9.5 to 12.5 million. The community must raise $2.5 million. The city will donate $1 million. ■

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This plan would change our character |

PART OF PROPOSED shopping centre at Laird and Vanderhoof.

Carol Fripp Vice-president, LPOA

ing space for a 147,800 square-foot retail area. The proposal also includes underground parking, which – until now has been successfully prevented in Leaside as unsafe and undesirable. Even with the proposed underground parking, there would not be enough space for the usual parking

requirements of a development that size. And that’s not all: this retail power centre would further undermine the viability of our local shopping areas along Bayview and on Eglinton. Over 500,000 square feet of existing and already approved big box retail uses along Laird, with low rent and free parking, already compete against our valued main street merchants. The Laird power centre area is CROWDING, Page 4

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Leaside Life, February 2012

Leaside is a desirable place to live, with convenient transit and high quality local shopping. But our location, right in the middle of Metropolitan Toronto, has also attracted property developers who want to build large commercial centres on our periphery. The Leaside Property Owners’ Association appeared at the North York Community Council in January to express our concerns about the most recent “big box” application. The proposed shopping centre, to be located on the east side of Laird and along Vanderhoof and Wicksteed, calls for 147,800 square feet of retail uses. Aside from this being inappropriate land use – that area is designated in the city’s official plan as an employment area, not for retail – its proposed density of 51 percent grossly exceeds the average power centre density of 25 to 30 percent. It squeezes a two-level retail area into a narrow and awkward site. The proposed second level alone is 83,000 square feet. The proposal includes eight buildings at ground level and parking for 479 cars. This is insufficient park-

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Leaside Life, February 2012

Crowding our streets From Page 3

one of the largest retail nodes in the city of Toronto. This additional development, if permitted, would truly damage the character and balance of Leaside. There have been rumours of a Walmart or similar stores being located in the proposed plaza. Certainly this new shopping centre aims to attact customers (read: traffic) from all over the city, many of them using Leaside’s residential streets as thorough-fares, making all of our streets more crowded and less safe. In fact, the very character of Leaside, the aspects that make Leaside such a desirable place to live, would be eroded if this proposed shopping centre is approved at NYCC. Supporters of this new scheme cite possible involvement of a big-name architect, and the desirability of yet more shopping opportunities. The LPOA feels very strongly that preserving the nature of Leaside is more important than threatening us

with yet more traffic and greater development pressures. The LPOA meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m., at the Trace Manes building located at Rumsey/Millwood, near the library and tennis courts. We invite you to come to our meetings, either as an observer, or as a deputant. You can also write to us: LPOA, Sunnybrook Postal Outlet, Box 50055, 660 Eglinton Ave. East, Toronto M4G 4G1. ■

Parker will call a public meeting “I will be convening a public meeting soon to enable local residents to find out more about this new proposal and ask questions and make their views known,” Councillor John Parker said about the new SmartCentre proposal when asked for comments. He wrote: “Representatives from the developer met with me before submitting their proposal. I reminded them at

the time that I considered the large scale Taco Bell design of their original shopping centre to be an architectural insult to the existing design themes of Leaside. “I told them that, at the very least, I would be looking for architectural excellence and contextual sensitivity in any new application. “In anticipation of my concern they told me that the architects they had retained for their new project were Diamond and Schmitt – possibly the most celebrated architects in Toronto today. (For an example of their work have a look at the Four Seasons opera house on University Ave.) “Point one to the developer. “That aside, the proposed development raises many questions: Does the proposal fit within the exemptions outlined within the Official Plan that permit retail uses within an “employment area” (which is what Leaside on that side of Laird is)? Will the likely impact on traffic be acceptable? Will the impact on other retail uses in the general area be acceptable? How about the impact on the remaining industrial properties in the area? “Leaside residents and businesses will want answers to these questions and more before yet more industrial land is given over to retail use.” ■

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Leaside Life, February 2012

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Leaside Life, February 2012

National ski star boosts alpine team By ALISON ROCKWELL Racers with Leaside High School’s Ski Team are getting an extra boost to their coaching lineup this year with the addition of Janique Farand-Taylor, a former National Ski Team member residing in Leaside. The alpine athletic program, developed three years ago by parent volunteers Leslie Currie and Sue Banting, and coached by Nick Schwertfeger with the participation of Alf Sharlach, the school’s teacher-sponsor, has seen its numbers swell to 29 this year, up from 14 its inaugural year. The current team includes Farand-Taylor’s eldest daughter, Chloe, who is in her first year at the school. A member of the women’s National Alpine Ski Team, FarandTaylor represented Canada at the WEIGHT, Page 7

EXHILARATING is how Janique Farand-Taylor describes what it's like to watch her daughters, including Danika, compete in skiing races.

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World Cup level from 1981 to 1985 and was selected to compete for Canada at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo in 1984, but forced to withdraw due to a knee injury. Watching her own daughters ski — her younger daughter Danika attends Northlea and is already racing in the Southern Ontario division — is exhilarating, says Farand-Taylor. “Your heart is really pounding for them” she says, but there has never been pressure for her daughters to attain success at her level. The training regimen for the squad involves more than just skillfully speeding down a hill. Participants commit to dry-land training, including weight training, at least once or twice a week. The season is short, with student skiers potentially participating in just three events. Despite its condensed timeframe the team schedule allows them to race in both slalom and giant slalom courses, culminating in the City Championships this year on Feb. 13, at Mount St. Louis Moonstone. The top five teams and/or in-

All best wishes for 2012

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From Page 6

dividuals advance to the provincial finals, run by the Ontario Federation of School Athletics Association (OFSAA) at Blue Mountain. Leaside has had a team there every year to date. Currie, whose own daughter Erin is on the team and qualified for the OFSAA meet last year, says there’s a reason the school consistently does well. “I think lots of kids in Leaside ski,” she explains, “so many kids in the community are members of clubs or ski somewhere regularly.” The success of the program depends on parent volunteers who get a chance to see the team in action, running the gates as skiers come down the course. With the continued involvement of Coach Schwertfeger, Alf Sharlach and all the parent volunteers, and now with the addition of Farand-Taylor, Currie hopes for another great year. “We lost some strong skiers who graduated last year, and we don’t know what’s coming down the pipe yet, but really, as long as the kids join to have fun and are committed to the team, we’ll all really enjoy the season.” The team’s next race will be on Feb. 2, at Mount St. Louis Moonstone. ■

Leaside Life, February 2012

Weight training

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Leaside Life, February 2012

During the holiday season, locallea and its business partners raised over $1,000 for a local food bank. Thanks to ever everyone r yone yon y who contributed!

Join the locallea Amazing Race! February 1- 26 One lucky participating member will win a $1,000 local shopping spree. spr ee. Sign up at locallea locallea.com .com to get your passport and for mor more e details.

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John Parker Councillor, Toronto Ward 26 Don Valley West

Critical negotiations At 110 Laird Dr. in Leaside an attractive brick building is home to the Toronto Civic Employees Union, otherwise known as CUPE Local 416. This is the union that represents the city’s 8,000 “outside” workers: the paramedics, social housing workers, water and wastewater specialists, gardeners, labourers, animal control officers, parking lot attendants, and others. These are the people whose job it is to save lives, maintain roads, clear snow, rescue animals, pick up garbage and recycling, and maintain our parks. I have come to know and respect the people who work at 110 Laird. I understand their mandate: to represent the employment interests of their members. I have certainly learned to respect their dedication to that mandate. Although the work of a union organization is a constant one, nothing compares to the challenges faced when it is time to negotiate a new contract. For Local 416, that time is now. At column deadline, the existing contract between 416 and the city had expired without a replacement nor any sign to suggest a new contract would be agreed on any time soon, for that matter. Union president Mark Ferguson used his New Year’s message to issue a call to arms to his members: "As we enter the New Year, Local 416 faces the toughest round of bargaining in our history. Our hard-won protections for our jobs, our hours of work, our benefits and health plans are all on the line…. No job is safe…. We’re asking every member to help win the hearts and minds of the people who depend on your services…. This round of negotiations will be a watershed for city services right across the country: If we lose this battle in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, you can bet the pattern will be repeated in city after city. That’s why we have the full support of our national union and many other sisters and brothers across the city and the country." COME, Page 15

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Leaside Life, February 2012

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Our history of Scouting

Leaside Life, February 2012

Lorna Krawchuk Publisher Leaside Life

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Feb. 22 is a special day of commemoration for Guides & Scouts called Thinking Day, in honour of the joint birthdays of Robert BadenPowell, who founded the Scouting movement in England in 1907, and his wife Olave, who started similar movements for girls. All these years later, what is happening with Scouts and Guides within Leaside? They are still active, although not as visible as they once were. Yes, there are still the Christmas tree lots at Trace Manes and Leaside Presbyterian run by the Scouts, and hordes of youngsters in uniforms with badges standing outside stores on a fall day hoping you’ll pick up an apple for a donation and a tag. And yes, twice a year, the members of the Guiding movement are out selling the traditional cookies. But where 20 years ago there were active Sparks, Brownies and Guide units at each of St. Cuthbert’s, Leaside United, St. Augustine, Northlea United and Leaside Presbyterian churches, now there are usually only Guides, or Brownies or Sparks. The overall numbers are down substantially. Dorothy Robertson was involved in Guiding as a girl, and when her oldest daughter was of Brownie age, she decided that she’d like to be a leader with her daughter’s unit at Leaside United Church. That was 20 years ago. For about half of those years, Dorothy has been a Brownie leader, known as Ginger Owl, at the weekly meetings for 7-8 year olds. Dorothy has also been a leader for Sparks (ages 5-6), and done administrative jobs within Guiding as well. For Thinking Day this year, her group of three leaders and 18 Brownies will be focusing on Mexico, a country with one of the four international Guiding centres. Jennifer Williamson, the Snowy Owl for the 189th Brownies at St. Augustine’s Church, is in her third year of leadership. Her only previous exBIT, Page 18

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Deadline for March, Feb. 10 St. Cuthbert's Anglican Church pancake supper, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 5:30-7:15 p.m. Single ticket $5, family ticket $15, available at the door or in the office Tuesday to Friday, 9-1. Auction of goods and talents Saturday evening, Feb. 11. 416-485-0329. Leaside Garden Society, 7 p.m. for refreshments and social time, 7:30 meeting Feb. 9 at Leaside Library, 165 McRae Dr. Member Donna Fenice on Gardens of Italy. Annual memberships $25 single, $30 family. Guests welcome. lgardens@hotmail.com Canadian Federation of University Women LeasideEast York monthly meeting, Thursday, Feb. 16, Northlea United Church, 125 Brentcliffe Rd., 7:30 p.m. Guest speaker Lori Molnar on How to Design a Space. Visitors and new members welcome. www.leaside.org/cfuw

celebrate your past, cherish your

MEMORIES

YOUR FAMILY HISTORY NEEDS TO BE ON YOUR WALLS TO BE

ENJOYED

The Christian Development Committee and Leaside United Church offer the last two of a three-part parenting skills lecture series with speakers from The Parenting Network and The Kids Help Phone. Particularly suitable for parents of children ages 6 to 18. Tuesday, Feb. 28: Cyber Bullying and Online Safety. Tuesday, March 27: No Praise Junkies in This House. 7:30 p.m. at the church. Light refreshments served. Cost for either one or both partners $20 each lecture. tanya.bell@bellnet.ca North Leaside Women’s Group, Northlea United Church, 125 Brentcliffe Rd., Tuesdays 9:30 a.m. Feb. 07 Landscaping – Graham Leishman, Feb. 14 Chocolate Exchange – Games Day. Feb. 21 Marina Endicott – The Little Shadows, Feb. 28 Documentary -Zen Beginnings – Yoga/Nutrition. For fees and babysitting information, www.northleasidewomensgroup.com.

NOT IN A SHOEBOX IN YOUR CLOSET

New Year’s levee, Jan.29, John Carmichael, MP Don Valley West, Spirale Banquet and Conference Centre. More information, www.johncarmichael.ca.

Dust off your family archives and enjoy them. Bring us your old negatives, slides, or transparencies and we will make prints that are clean and modern.

Leaside Gardens expansion fundraiser, Laughing Out Loud, Feb, 24 at William Lea Room, Millwood and Laird. Live comedy and music, free appetizers, oyster bar, desserts and prizes, plus a silent and live auction. $75. charlene@charlenekalia.com or (416) 953-1226.

We can’t turn back time, but we can make old pictures look great. Most importantly, we print them on archival paper to ensure that your photographs will last for generations to come.

FREE Garage Sale ads If it's for sale for $100 or less, we'll run it for FREE if you live in our coverage area. Up to 20 words, including your M4G phone number. leasidelife@gmail.com/. Deadline for March: Feb. 10

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Leaside Life, February 2012

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OMG

Leaside Life, February 2012

Our old whiteness is fading From Page 1

blue. Those new houses and businesses come because there are customers for them among the residents. And the residents sometimes come because of those new businesses. The result of the growth is partly due to increasingly sophisticated market studies of customer bases. One such study was made recently about all of Canada by Environics Analytics, using 2006 figures from Statistics Canada. We’re received the results broken down for Leaside. Using groupings that are valuable to businesses looking for customers, Environics found some things that may be surprising. The groups are called clusters. The largest one in our population of 15,161 in the 2006 figures (Bennington Heights was not included) is what they call Young Digerati (2,608 of them). Would we even have known what that meant 30 years ago? Those Young Digerati represented 17.2 percent of the total population, but 41.75 percent of the 6,247 households. The next two important clusters are Urbane Villagers and Money and Brains. There are a total of seven

STARTING EARLY: Leaside student Bridget Dougherty, 9, already loves Skyping with friends every day. clusters, but we’ll look at those and other things in coming issues. This month we examine the Digerati, but first here are some interesting facts about Leaside. Remember, these are all based on 2006 census figures. Our whiteness is starting to fade (pun intended!). Visible minorities made up 11.23 percent of us, with the most populous groups Chinese, South Asian, Black, Korean, Japanese and Filipino. That’s still a long way from Toronto’s average then: 45.89 percent. But we beat Toronto with another average. Leaside’s household income in 2006 was $164,658, which was 65.2 percent above Toronto’s average.

Here’s something that may be surprising, since we are overcrowding our schools. The study says, “The households within the trade area are predominantly comprised of one person…. Compared to Toronto… in general, there are more households headed by those 75 years or over (11.7 percent) in the trade area, as evidenced by a high index for this age group.” And, “56.3 percent of the population declare themselves to be married while 28.6 percent declare themselves to be (a) single (never married) person.” So what was your house worth in 2006? The average was $755,984, compared to the Toronto average of $478, 407. ■

Award-winning senior still winning plaudits Our population may be getting younger but we still have a lot of seniors. The 2006 figures from Environics show that 11.7 percent of our households are headed by those 75 or older, a higher percentage than in Toronto as a whole. By ALISON ROCKWELL Leasiders who find themselves part of the so-called “sandwich generation,” adults taking care of elderly parents while supporting their own children, can thank one long-term local resident for continuing to advocate for seniors. Ninety-one year old Edna Beange, previously recognized for her work in public service with several awards including being the inau-

gural recipient of the Agnes Macphail Award for outstanding contributions as a volunteer towards fairness to seniors and women’s rights, may have recently stopped driving, but she’s still on track to enhance the lives of those around her. Beange, who has lived in the former borough of East York since 1948, bought her storey-and-a-half Leaside house on Leacrest Dr. around that time for $10,500, but these days resides in a “life lease” condominium at the corner of Bayview and McRae, which she helped become a reality. Stay At Home in Leaside operates the building of 18 units designed to house seniors who want to continue

living independently and stay in their neighbourhood. In the late ‘90s, Beange helped in the planning process for the building. She remains the building’s chair of the board. “I can dawdle a whole day reading a book,” she says, “but I suppose there’s always something else to be done.” After the death of her husband of 25 years in 1973, Beange decided to run for council a year later and beat out the incumbent with a plan to “indoctrinate the [existing] councillors a little better with my way of thinking,” she says with a laugh. She ended up as the only woman on council her first term. She spent the next 10 of 14 years on council, SHE, Page 17

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OMG DAVID YOUNG was "definitely the only -- and first -- Chinese kid at Rolph Road school," he says. His father's store was on the site of the current parking lot at Bayview and Millwood south of TD Canada Trust.

Leaside Life, February 2012

The only visible minority here in 1948 By BETH PARKER When Bing Young opened a fresh produce store at Bayview and Millwood in 1948, his friends warned him, “There’s not much business up there in Leaside. Why would you move there?” But the Chinese-Canadian entrepreneur was undaunted. “We’ll just have to make business,” he replied. Young Sr. built his store just south of the corner (where the Green P Parking lot is today). There was an apartment upstairs for his wife, six children and a cousin. Downstairs he stocked the shelves with groceries and fresh produce. “We were the only visible minor-

ity in the community,” says son David Young, a real estate agent who grew up above the store and still returns to the area to re-sell houses for clients he sold to a generation ago. Young Sr. came to Canada in 1923 paying the head tax imposed at the time on Chinese immigrants. He and his brother were the first to open a Chinese food market in Toronto, first in North Toronto and then in Leaside. “I was definitely the only — and first — Chinese kid at Rolph Road school,” says David, who also attended Bessborough then Leaside High. He walked to school when “Airdrie was still a dirt road,” and remembers the annual spring carnival at Trace Manes park, complete with rides.

More about our population This is what the Environics study wrote about the Young Digerati: “…residents have used their higher education – more than half hold university degrees – to pursue technology- and information-intensive lifestyles. With six-figure incomes they’re big purchasers of computer software and digital cameras, BlackBerries and stereo equipment. “They go online daily to bank, shop, read newspapers, further their careers and check out dating services. These active residents typically have little interest in traditional television and radio, but they do stay on top of the latest trends in popular culture by subscribing to magazines that cover news, computers, fashion, food and art. “And though they’re frequently on the move – travelling for business and pleasure – they still find time to read book and browse through gourmet food stores at high rates.” And as far as frugality goes, the study uses these two quotes as indicative: “I am willing to pay a little extra to save time shopping. “When I buy a product, the brand is very important to me.” ■

One of David’s sisters playedbaseball on Leaside’s first all girls softball league. He doesn’t remember being picked on except for the normal teasing that kids do. “The area was pretty Waspy,” he says, “but my family was providing a service. We even delivered for free. People liked that.” David was expected to work in the store, which conjures up for him fond memories of the “Bayview strip” of the ‘50s, “ There was a bowling alley upstairs across the street with 10-pin bowling, and The Garden View” restaurant next door with booths, and a soda counter, plus gas stations at the three corners at Millwood and Bayview. When both the CIBC and Bank of Montreal branches got air conditioning, “my brothers and I would run down there on a hot day just to cool down.” On Bayview he remembers the Kresges store (where Shoppers Drug Mart used to be), Loblaws, a movie theatre, a hardware store on the west side, The Bayview Grill, and Badali’s, also established in the area as a green grocer and still around. “You could buy everything you needed on Bayview,” he says, “which was important because there were no indoor shopping malls or big grocery stores … my wife used to do all her Christmas shopping at Sunnybrook Plaza.” The Youngs sold the store in 1971. It then became a flower shop before becoming a parking lot several years ago. Today, David works with his daughter Kate. They live in Etobicoke. ■

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Lost in Leaside, looking for friends Leaside Life, February 2012

In last month’s issue Monica got lost wandering Leaside with her dog Fredrick. It was winter and her first time out for a walk since moving here from New Jersey. By MONICA DELIC After quickly pacing the lovely streets of Leaside for over an hour I realized I wasn’t going to make it back home on my own. I was so determined to make myself familiar with my new surroundings that I felt like a failure when I had to call my husband at work to pick me up. By that time I had to carry Fredrick, who could barely catch his breath. I blame that on his love for sleeping all day. Besides, he has short legs. I ran to the closest street sign to tell my husband where he could find me. Fortunately he works in the neighbourhood so he came to my rescue in minutes, with a grin on his face. My nickname before I was married was Queen of the Back Roads. I could make my way around New Jersey by avoiding all highways. I

now had to face a new truth: Leaside would eventually become familiar to me, but it would take time, experience and a GPS. Meanwhile, I had been trying other things to make me feel at home, like finding local activities for my husband and I. Our daily walks together were great but aside from the occasional small talk we would share with neighbours, we didn’t have many friends. Most of our neighbours have children. Being a young newlywed couple we were up for new adventures, but children’s game practices, back to school nights and play dates are not in our mindset yet. On the other hand, Bayview Ave. has been great for me, especially since I come from a place in the U.S. where you have to drive a bit to get to some stores.

I really do enjoy having such a vibrant street close by. It is our go-to place as a young couple. The stores have also helped decorate my home beautifully and fill out my wardrobe, but we all know that too much eating out and shopping eventually gets boring as the only form of outside entertainment, which leaves me in search of something new. With that in my mind I can’t help but be excited about what Leaside Village on Laird will hold. Of course Longo’s will be a lovely addition. Yet I’m hoping for something a bit more. I love the idea of having a local movie theatre so we wouldn’t have to travel downtown on a lazy cold night. Even a bowling alley that could have adult leagues, where my husband and I could meet other locals within a social environment that keeps us active and where I can succeed in beating him in at least one sport. Play dates aren’t in our mindset at the moment but once they become so we know that we are in the perfect place for that chapter in our lives. ■

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Come to table From Page 9

Leaside Life, February 2012

For his part, Councillor Doug Holyday – chair of the city’s Employment and Labour Relations Committee – was on record with the comment that “it’s certainly a tough situation …. We do want some changes in the contract, we want to get management rights back in the hands of management. We’re willing to talk about wages and benefits, we’re willing to talk about anything else they wish to speak about, but the only way this can happen is if they come to the table.” I am a member of the committee that Councillor Holyday chairs. In my view, the current contract between the City and its employees is a generous one, with a great many provisions that restrict the decisionmaking flexibility of management. I will not comment on specifics but I can readily endorse my colleague's description that the situation we face in negotiations with my friends from Local 416 is a tough one. Time will tell where the process will take us. Whatever happens, a critical role in the events that occur will be played by our neighbours at 110 Laird. ■

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while remaining an active volunteer with Meals on Wheels. In 1968 she was nominated to the Toronto East York Hospital Board where she focused specifically on senior and geriatric committees. Beange went on to chair the Metro division of the Canadian Mental Health Association. It is perhaps her involvement with the Toronto Council on Aging (now called the Toronto Seniors Council) where her impact has most significantly benefitted seniors. Beange has not, of course, slowed down. She remains involved with the Toronto Council on Aging, including with its Friendly to Seniors and Did You Know? Programs, and last December hosted a fundraiser for Leaside United Church where she served chicken pot pie from Summerhill Market to four women and one man who bid on the opportunity to have Lunch With Edna. One thing aging Leasiders should know: Edna Beangeâ€™s involvement in our community has been good for them. â–

From Page 12

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From Page10

perience with Guiding was being a Brownie for a few months, until the leader quit. When she started as an adult, because leaders were needed for her daughter’s Sparks unit, she found that there was a steep learning curve, but lots of resources available, and other leaders willing to give her a hand up. She doesn’t see herself staying as a Guider long-term, and hopes that other women will step up to take a turn. What started as Boy Scouts has, for many years now, been Scouting, with girls and boys as youth members, and women and men as leaders. In Leaside, there are Beavers, Cubs and Scouts at Leaside United, Leaside Presbyterian and St. Cuthbert’s churches, a total of about 240 children and youth and 60 adults in all. The branches for older youth, Venturers and Rovers, are at Leaside Presbyterian. It’s there, where what was the Father & Son Banquet on Feb. 22, has evolved into a Family Banquet. More than 120 members of Scouting fami-

Leaside Life, February 2012

Bit of nostalgia

lies will sit down together, along with their chaplain, Father Nick. According to John Masterson, Deputy Council Commissioner for Camps with Scouts Toronto, who started his involvement in Scouting as a parent volunteer at Leaside Presbyterian Church in 1993, Scouting is “growing marginally”. He says there has been a resurgence in the last few years, with close to 10,000 members in the Toronto area. “We’re still not selling the big picture,” he says. “We should be talking about the aim of Scouting being to help these kids become better people by going through our program. We’re not a camping organization, but we use camping as an educational tool to teach life skills.” There’s a bit of nostalgia for those of us who grew up as Scouts or Guides, and in some cases did a stint as adult leaders. How many of us can still recite “left over right and under, right over left and under” to produce a solid reef knot to tie two equal-diameter ropes together, or to be quite esoteric, can go through the alphabet using semaphore flags? For those of us who enjoyed our experience in Guiding or Scouting, we wish the same for the generations following us. ■

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LeasideLife FEB-final_LeasideLifev1 12-01-16 6:51 PM Page 19

Artist prefers Leaside to rest of world

How long have you lived in Leaside? 21 years. Why did you move here? We wanted to start a family and needed a house where there were good schools. What do you like about Leaside? Leaside has become my “comfort zone,” even though I’ve lived in

MEET YOUR NEIGHBOUR and visited many beautiful places. I love the front gardens, how everyone takes care of their yards, being able to walk anywhere but also drive downtown easily. If you could do one thing to improve Leaside? As an artist, I’d like to be involved in a community art project.

TOMASZ MAJCHERCZYK

What’s your favourite places to eat and shop? I love collecting china tea cups from the Elegant Garage Sale, and having lunch at Lemongrass on Bayview. Rahier pastries are great even though they go straight to the hips! Is there somewhere in the neighbourhood you like to hang out? Get away? We love to walk to Sunnybrook Park, or through the Mount Pleasant Cemetery and down to the Brick Works. You really feel like you’re out in the country. ■

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 Harry Goldhar, Andrea Villiers ADVERTISING: Ruth Goldhar TYPESETTING: L. Choy

EDITORIAL:

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The Toronto Market has begun to pick up again. If you are looking for information or to buy or sell, please feel free to give me a call! KAREN BRINKHOF RE/MAX Hallmark Realty Ltd 723 Mt. Pleasant Rd., Toronto, On, M4S 2N4 416‐486‐5588 (Oﬃce) 416‐629‐5323 (Cell) 416‐486‐6988 (Fax) karenbrinkhof@gmail.com

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Leaside Life, February 2012

Cristina Delago, mosaic and architectural tile artist, has travelled the world but prefers living in Leaside. She went to high school in Milan, university in Austria and taught at the Ontario College of Art and Design in Florence. She and her husband came to Canada 30 years ago, Cristina from Italy and Tomasz from Poland. They renovated a bungalow on Parkhurst so they’d have a family home to raise son Jan. Tomasz is a professional photographer, Cristina teaches at the ROM and works with under-privileged children doing large art projects like murals and mosaics.

LeasideLife FEB-final_LeasideLifev1 12-01-16 6:51 PM Page 20

In Our Hood 20

Leaside Life, February 2012

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Lining up for food in Leaside? By 9 a.m. Dec. 24, line-ups were already forming at Cumbrae’s meats, then Cobs bakery and The Bagel House. Some of us waiting patiently at Cobs were treated to some fresh baking to make it all worthwhile. There were more line-ups at De La Mer on New Year’s Eve. Feelings about business the past holiday season were mixed from local merchants. “Business was amazing this year,” according to Rhonda Fruitman at What Lola Wants, “The Saturday before Christmas was the best day I’ve had in six years.” Others fared from “better than expected,” to “unpredictable,” while noting that this year’s vacation schedule meant that a lot of people went out of town because of the two-week break. ****** Homefront is closing within the next two months and will consolidate its business at its original store at 371 Eglinton Ave. West. Best wishes to owners Ted and Trish Stuebing.

Skaters from toddlers to seniors enjoyed the free New Year’s Day Skate sponsored by Councillor John Parker. The only down side to a big crowd — the hot chocolate eventually ran out! ****** Be nice to your local high school students this month: Leaside High School exams start Jan. 28. Good luck to everyone. ****** Leaside Skating Club was excited to be hosting (as well as competing in) the 2012 Winterfest competition and World Junior Qualifier. Held for all the Canadian synchronized skating team, Winterfest took place Jan. 13 -15 in Mississauga. Alumni of the club, current and former skating “moms and dads” are part of the volunteer team. ****** Leaside Flames Select Bantam hockey players took part in the Motown Cup Tournament on Jan. 13, led by Coaches Greg Fanjoy, a Leaside resident, and former Junior A player Butch Langlois. ■

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LETTERS leasidelife@gmail.com Ideally more people should walk or bike to the stores, saving money, getting exercise, and leaving spaces for those who have to drive. Unfortunately, during winter time, tree planters, sidewalk furniture and the fences for the empty sidewalk patios make it difficult for the plows to clear a path for pedestrians, including those in cars who want to get to the stores quickly. Restaurant owners could help the street by removing the fences and display tables from late fall to early spring (like they do on Yonge St). Also, some shopkeepers do a fairly good job of clearing the sidewalk in front of their stores, while others rely on the often inadequate job of the city's sidewalk plows. Parking will always be a problem on Bayview, but there are still things merchants can do to make it easier for their customers. P. A. Reid Annesley Ave.

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The main purpose of the parking lanes on Bayview is to deliver customers to the shops and restaurants nearby. Ideally, the parking area should be almost full, providing close to the maximum customers to the stores, but leaving a few places available to anyone else who needs to drive to the stores. Of course, it is impossible to have that all of the time, but that is the ideal. If drivers cannot find a parking spot on the street, they will go around the block to park on a side street (annoying the residents of that street) or leave for another shopping area. If the parking enforcement person can persuade faster turnover of the parking spaces, it should provide more customers for the stores. Drivers can avoid getting tickets by buying more time than they expect to need. They will often drive away with a few dollars of unused parking time on their dashboards, but, hey, the city needs the money to fund those social services that Rob Ford and his allies want to cancel for lack of money. So be generous.

Laugh Out Loud in Leaside

Leaside Life, February 2012

Parking: another view

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Volunteering means having fun nearby Leaside Life, February 2012

By LISE QUIRIN Canada’s largest rehabilitation hospital for kids with disabilities is your neighbour, on Kilgour Rd. in North Leaside. And that’s probably not all you don’t know about the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. But what is worth knowing today is the opportunity to be a volunteer in your own neighbourhood in an innovative environment. Two Leasiders, one a mother and the other a high school student, are examples of how to have fun while providing a service at this world-class teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto. Helena Borgers has been volunteering for the last four years after her son Nicolas suffered a brain injury at age 15 and was helped at Holland Bloorview. “I was so impressed with the organization, I wanted to be a part of it,” she says. “It’s really a one-stop-shop where kids with disabilities and their families can access a whole host of services from physiotherapy, to a school located onsite, to care from their doctors.” Helena volunteers twice a week to help teach kids with and without disabilities to swim. Volunteers pair up, usually one-on-one , with children from the School Authority’s Integrated Kindergarten Program. “I love spending time with kids. They are always so happy – especially when they are in the water! You can really see that they are having fun – you can see it in their eyes - even for those children who are not able to show it in any other way.” Emily Brewer, in her last year of high school, has used her volunteer experience at Holland Bloorview to help determine her career path. Interested in physiotherapy, she volunteers Saturday mornings with the fit and flex program and supports physiotherapists as they work with kids with cerebral palsy. “It’s amazing getting to know the

kids in the program and seeing them improve in the various activities each week," she says. “I love everything about volunteering, but my favourite part is developing a bond with the kids. Each week I look forward to volunteering. There’s always something new!” There are over 1,000 volunteers that are an integral HELENA BORGERS helps teach kids part of Holland how to swim. Bloorview. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please visit: www.hollandbloorview.ca/volunteer. ■ Toronto 127 Laird Drive Toronto, ON M4G 3V4 Tel: (416) 424-1201 Mississauga # 9, 3145 Dundas St. West Mississauga, ON L5L 5V8 Tel: (905) 828-7225 SALES ✓̈ RENTALS ✓̈ TRADE-INS ✓̈ INSTALLATIONS ✓̈ HITCHES

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LeasideLife FEB-final_LeasideLifev1 12-01-16 6:51 PM Page 23

The Junior Academy – located in

The Junior Academy offers:

Leaside for almostt 20 years (1988-2007) has constructed a spacious, new school building on Bayview north of Post Road.

enriched curriculum for t An boys and girls in Grades 1-8

The Junior Academy is a school where teachers work together to ensure that gifted students, average learners, and those needing more support are taught in ways that help them succeed. TToo arrange a visit or enquire further further,, please contact Pat Kendall, pk@junioracademy .com pk@junioracademy.com 416-425-4567

t Pre K, JK, SK full and half days t Optional lunch programme t Early morning and aftercare i opti options tions t BBussing www .junioracademy.com www.junioracademy.com

| Leaside Life, February 2012

We W e hhaven’t aaven’tt moved moveed d far. ffar fa

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Tremblett’s

Leaside Life, February 2012

COME IN AND TRY OUR LUNCH AND DINNER COMBO SPECIAL ENJOY A LUNCH FOR $4.99 A quarter chicken* and side combo with a free pop or Med Faema coffee (option: *sausage on a bun, meatball sub or a sandwich and a side would be; potato wedges, fries, pasta or soup)

DINNER COMBO FOR $10.00 A PC BBQ Chicken with any side and a 454g Ziggy’s salad* with a free PC Baguette (option: *Potato wedges or fries, large scallop potatoes, large grilled vegetables or large rice)

Come by and check out our fresh sandwiches, paninis and sushi TREMBLETT’S VALU-MART 1500 Baview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario • tel: 416-486-8294

The little store with the big heart