Leaside Life Issue 53 October 2016

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:01 PM Page 1

No. 53 • October 2016

Leaside Life

CHRIS GRAHAM

leasidelifenews.com

Special tribute to Boris Cherkassky –––

Page 24

PE TE RT UC KE R

BUT IS IT ART?

By KARLI VEZINA There are two kinds of graffiti, one less appealing than the other. Throwups, tags or “bombing” refers to quick work in a jumble of graphic lettering, usually the artist’s name. This is the illegal side of graffiti art as it’s unsanctioned by property owners and tends to be unattractive and messy. The other kind of graffiti appears as a more thought-out final image and is aptly called pieces or “piecing.” Pieces are commissioned by the city or property owner and take hours, sometimes days to complete, unlike tags, which take minutes and are often done on the fly.

Tags, not the more artistic version of graffiti, were the problem in an area of North Leaside. Brenda Dolenc, 53 Division’s Graffiti Liaison Officer, learned of the defaced alley behind Sutherland Drive a few years ago. Despite her many efforts to repaint, taggers retagged within days, proving

clean walls were just blank canvasses.

Dolenc works with Jodi Callan, project manager from the City of Toronto, who also runs the StART (Street ART Toronto) Program. Together they hatched project “Go Big or Go Home”.

Enlisting the help of Toronto graffiti pro SpudBomb and Team SpudBomb manager Brooke Somerleigh, they put out a call for graffiti help and garnered a huge team for the 8,000 sq. ft. task. Despite the record heat in the first week of August, 48 graffiti artists came out to volunteer.

Retired graffiti artist and current tattoo artist Trevor Goodwin (Tuffy Tats) got onboard when Team SpudBomb put out the word for Go Big or Go Home. Goodwin said now that graffiti’s become mainstream, it’s unstoppable as an art form. He also said legal projects like Go Big or Go Home are great ways to create exposure and opportunities for up-and-coming artists to showcase their art to new audiences.

Signarama General Manager Rich

Soujah is not surprised to see graffiti in Leaside. “As long as there are people wanting to express their opinion who don’t have another outlet, you will see graffiti, no matter where you live,” said Soujah. He added that his staff and others who back onto the alley are happy because, “it’s colourful, it’s art. Every time we come to work we have something beautiful to look at.”

Local high school volunteers prepped the walls for painting while the City of Toronto supplied 700 pounds of spray paint, and Stephenson’s Rental donated ladders and lifts.

Eglinton and Sutherland locals Mt. Everest Restaurant, Domino’s Pizza and the Toronto Police provided food for all volunteers throughout the week.

Officer Dolenc said the overall response to Go Big or Go Home has been “extremely positive and welcomed in the neighbourhood. Officer Dolenc reports she hasn’t seen any unwanted tags in the alley since project completion. This is due to a code

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:01 PM Page 2

CHRIS GRAHAM

Leaside Life, October 2016

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among graffiti artists who generally won’t tag over finished pieces out of respect for the art form.

“It looks great back there,” said Bonavista Leisurescapes sales manager Rob Irvine. “We have a really cool raccoon and opossum on the back of our building. The customers like it, too.”

Long-time Leasider Jane Russell said she especially liked the garage doors’ graffiti pieces because “they were like a single presentation on each panel, so they were particularly attractive.”

Mt. Everest Restaurant owner Niraj Adhikari said the project is giving artists a place to show their talent rather than vandalizing someone’s property. Adhikari added, “It's beautifying in a way. You can’t please everyone, but as far as I’m concerned it’s bringing people in.” Officer Dolenc agreed. “There are a couple of residents that don’t like the ‘alien theme’ (mural) and want it removed.” But these complaints are few.

Future projects include the re-

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mainder of the alley on Sutherland in the spring of 2017, the Firestone Tire and Automotive Centre at 2128 Yonge Street, and Blythwood Ravine Park.

For business owners or residents interested in having work done, there are city-based programs like StART or street art supply stores like Collective or Homebase with connections in the community. Otherwise, Goodwin suggests approaching an artist when he or she is painting in public. “If you like what you see, tell us and start the conversation there.”

Officer Dolenc said it was an incredible experience seeing the camaraderie between artists during the alley’s transformation. In a show of partnership, SpudBomb wanted to leave something to commemorate the officer’s efforts, so he painted a pair of handcuffs with two badge numbers marked on the links: Dolenc’s and those of her father, who passed away earlier this year. “It was a very thoughtful touch that literally brought me to tears,” she said. ■

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:01 PM Page 3

Old schools need new money As a community we want our schools to be healthy, well-maintained places of learning for our students. The maintenance and upgrading of our schools is a serious challenge faced by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). But this was not always the case.

As your trustee, I represent portions of three former school boards – East York, North York and Toronto. In 1998, these boards amalgamated to form the TDSB. I must say that, at the time of amalgamation, Leaside schools, although old, were in good shape. This would be in contrast to former Toronto schools, which had severe facility deficiencies.

There is another important difference between pre- and post-amalgamation. Today, all money for repairs and renewal comes from the provincial government through grants. Pre-amalgamation school boards levied taxes.

Over the years I have seen a deterioration of many of our schools.

It’s true that this past year the provin-

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Building Age

Number of Students 2015

Grades

Facilities size (square feet)

Renewal Backlog (millions)

Leaside High School

71 years

976

9-12

145,962

$13.9

Northlea Elementary & Middle School 80 years

723

JK-8

92,183

$11.3

Bessborough Elementary & Middle School 93 years

500

JK-8

56,748

$1.3

Rolph Elementary School

77 years

380

JK-6

35,802

$1.7

Bennington Heights Elementary School

66 years

189

JK-6

25,806

$2.5

cial government provided the TDSB with a significant boost in grants for maintenance. For this we are grateful. However, it is not enough.

All our schools have been inspected by a third party hired by the provincial government. It has been determined that the TDSB has a $3.4-billion backlog of repairs and maintenance. This situation is dire, and it requires a new approach from the provincial government to address the problem.

On the websites of each school you will find the Facilities Condition Index. I’ve included some informa-

tion above about our local schools that you may find interesting. I want to emphasize that all our schools are safe. The health and well-being of our staff and students are not compromised, and the board addresses urgent safety needs immediately.

To address the considerable maintenance deficit, the TDSB advocates a change to the provincial Education Development Charges (EDCs) legislation. Currently, the law mandates that EDCs can only be used for the purchase of land to supOLD SCHOOLS, Page 5

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School

Leaside Life, October 2016

By GERRI GERSHON

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:01 PM Page 4

Michael Bliss

Living in Leaside

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Leaside Life, October 2016

Leaside kidnapped by aliens

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Most of you were at the cottage this past August, so you missed the remarkable happenings in Leaside.

On the surface nothing seemed to be happening. That was so remarkable. Every single day was exactly like every other. Every morning we woke to blue skies and soft winds.

Every day was sunny and warm.

Every evening it cooled off comfortably for sleeping. It never rained; even cloud sightings became unusual.

Almost every day in August the weather forecasters predicted thunderstorms for the GTA. They never struck Leaside.

Nobody in Leaside wore long pants or long sleeves all of August.

All of us, but especially the young, seemed to take off more and more clothing as the month went on. The already beautiful young women of Leaside became more beautiful still, the young men more handsome and tanned, the children all perfect.

The drought began to damage lawns and gardens. The cicadas were our high volume daily soundtrack, and we wondered when the day of the locust would come. Would there be a forest fire in the ravines?

Leaside Life

Published once a month in Leaside,Toronto ON,

by FH Publishing Inc., 1444 Dupont St., Unit 11A, M6P 4H3

416‐504‐8047 Circulation 9,000 to every door in M4G PUBLISHER: Lorna Krawchuk EDITOR: Jane W. Auster ADVERTISING: Ruth Goldhar, 416‐486‐7387 ruthgoldhar@sympatico.ca GRAPHIC DESIGN: L. Choy

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 5

Old schools From Page 2

port schools in growth areas. We are asking that school boards be allowed to access and use these funds for renovations, repairs and muchneeded upgrades. This could mean, for example, that developers would have to contribute to school repair and upgrades.

This change is needed throughout Toronto and especially in high residential growth areas such as ours.

Overlooking EDCs as a potential source to fund badly-needed school repairs is a lost opportunity. With access to EDCs for school repairs, millions of dollars in desperately needed revenue could be used to accelerate school repairs and renovations or replacement of older schools.

As we look to the future, we must assure that our children learn in well maintained and up-to-date school buildings. ■ Gerri Gershon is the Trustee, Don Valley West, for the Toronto District School Board

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To learn more about Holland Bloorview’s volunteer opportunities, please visit www.Hollandbloorview.ca/volunteer

Leaside Life, October 2016

We began to expect to see starlets strolling on Bayview, hear the Beach Boys and Otis Redding on the radios of passing ’63 T-Birds. Corona and sangria replaced coffee as the patio drink of choice. Developers started designing a surfing pool for the old industrial area.

It gradually dawned on us that early one night in August the whole of Leaside – I mean everything – had been raised up by alien force fields, separated from Canada, and deposited in California. That was the only way to explain this summer’s astonishing weather.

It was quite wonderful, but as so often happens with California, the weather gradually became boring.

By Labour Day weekend - every day the same old, same old, not even a rush of excitement from the remnants of Hurricane Hermine – we were fed up with it and would hide from the sunshine by taking in matinées at Canada Square (some flick about a singer whose voice sounded like cicadas).

Leaside gradually came home, though not in time to escape more heat and blue skies in early September. As you read this, of course, we are back to normal.

But the aliens have their winter plans for us. In January we're going to be rudely relocated to Nunavut. ■

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 6

A response to Alan Redway Why Leaside home prices keep rising

Leaside Life, October 2016

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In Leaside Life’s September issue 6 columnist Alan Redway rightly explains Toronto’s record high house prices partly as a matter of low interest rates and mostly as a matter of supply and demand. He should have stopped there.

But he goes on blithely to pin the blame for the imbalance between Leaside’s current single family dwelling home demand and supply on former Premier Dalton McGuinty and the provincial Places to Grow Act. Odd then that house prices are also skyrocketing in Vancouver, well beyond the reach of Queen’s Park’s influence for good or ill. And they aren’t rising as dramatically elsewhere in other areas where Ontario’s Places to Grow Act actually does apply.

The demand for housing in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area is on the way up mostly because the population of the area is also on the way up. As for land, as Mark Twain said, “They aren’t building any more of it.”

And with the universal resurgence of downtown areas as places to work and play, communities closest to the centre are experiencing particular attention from the growing population.

An additional boost is provided if the

LETTERS leasidelife@gmail.com Letters may be edited. community is well served by transit.

Why is the population increasing?

For just about every reason imaginable: natural growth, migration from elsewhere in the province and other parts of the country, and immigration from other parts of the world attracted to a stable society perched on the doorstep of a prosperous and friendly neighbouring country. Add a host of self-destructive policies on the part of the Quebec government and the erosion of Montreal’s appeal as an alternative to Toronto for businesses and families seeking a future, plus investors piling on to secure their savings and earn capital gains, and there you pretty much have it.

The Places to Grow Act is a response to the rising population, the trend to urbanization, and the staggering loss of farmland and natural areas throughout the Golden Horseshoe region. It directs increased population density towards existing urban areas in a bid to salvage what farmland and natural areas we have left. It did not

create a scarcity of land; it addresses the reality that land by its nature is already a scarce commodity. It is a late attempt at a course correction to decades of sprawl that saw acres of farmland turned over to a suburban drabness so vast and uninspiring that the enduring appeal of a rare community like Leaside causes buyers to flock here with their dollars – which itself had begun to put upward pressure on Leaside’s house prices long before the Places to Grow Act had anything to do with anything.

Meanwhile, policy at Toronto City Hall has been directed to protecting the existing form of Toronto’s stable neighbourhoods. That’s why we haven’t seen blocks of Leaside houses being bought up and replaced by condominium towers, and it’s why development potential has not been a factor in pushing up the going price of single family homes in Leaside as it has been in areas that are policy targets for intensification.

The former Premier has his share of mistakes and blunders to answer for.

But to single him out as the culprit behind today’s rising house prices in Leaside is a bit of a stretch.

John Parker, Cameron Crescent (John Parker is the former Councillor, Toronto Ward 26 Don Valley West.)

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 7

Cover Story – The Pixies work their magic on Bayview Thank you for the front page exposure of the Bayview Pixies in your paper. We were all very honoured to receive the recognition.

There was, however, no mention of the Bayview Leaside BIA (Business Improvement Association), which sponsors the Pixies, and the article made it appear that we planted the new selfwatering planter boxes. This is simply not true. These new boxes were contracted out as our first BIA cost share.

The Pixies are proud of what we do, but we do not want to take credit for something we did not do. We also need to acknowledge our BIA because we are a part of the Bayview Leaside BIA. Also, what we planted under those trees was to do more than beautify....

We planted to help our trees.

Under normal weather conditions our city trees struggle in this environment of cement, salt and noxious car fumes, but this year it was magnified with a hot and record-breaking drought that put our trees in extreme jeopardy. Our priority was to our trees because we know that a street without trees is an unhealthy street. With so little rain and so much heat, we Pixies have had our hands full. We saved rainwater, we cultivated, mulched and did whatever we could because we knew that if we didn't, most of the trees on Bayview would be dead now.

The Pixies and all our supporters wanted to see this kind of information in your article because we think this is the big story that needs to be told.

Debora Kuchme, Bayview Pixie

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Leaside Life, October 2016

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 8

Leaside Life, October 2016

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No movie rescue for Leaside Drip. Drip. Drip.

Remember the old movies of the past, featuring adventurous heroes who, captured by the bad guys, were chained to the wall of a small locked room? Water would be dripping down, soon to flood the room and drown our hero. Except that our hero was always rescued in the nick of time.

These days, we sometimes feel as if Leaside is experiencing something similar, but a rescue is not looking likely, and it’s not water dripping down on us: it’s one mega-development application after another. 660 Eglinton East (Sunnybrook Plaza). 939 Eglinton East (at Brentcliffe). And 815 Eglinton East at Laird (the Canadian Tire site), which has just filed with City Planning.

Coming soon, the Celestica site at Eglinton and Don Mills. Recently approved by the Ontario Municipal Board, the large condominium and retirement home at 146-150 Laird Drive.

We’re surrounded by high density development proposals, most of which aim to create not just new communities but entire new satellite cities ringing Leaside.

Each of these proposed developments has been considered by City staff in isolation from the others, not cumulatively, whether it’s their potential impact on traffic flow on arterial roads, or on Leaside’s residential streets, or whether it’s a new development’s potential impact on local schools, or the potential demands on already insufficient infrastructure.

The usual justification cited by developers is that the City has to accommodate growth. So sayeth the provincial and City official plans. More and more people want to move into Toronto and they’ll need places to live.

The expectation is that, if those places are built near public transit, fewer people will drive. Thus development continues to cluster around downtown and midtown areas such as Leaside.

Development need not mean over-intensification…in theory. Development in the right place can invigorate neighbourhoods, add value, provide more needed amenities and housing. In the wrong place, however, development can create more gridlock, diminish neighbourhoods’ desirability and character, overcrowd schools – given the state of Leaside’s schools, I’m tempted to say OVERovercrowd them – placing real stress on old and already insufficient sewer and road systems.

Perhaps we shouldn’t blame the developers: development, after all, is what they do. Maybe it’s the municipal planning department, which all too

Carol Burtin Fripp Co-president, LPOA

often is powerless to prevent inappropriate projects from going forward, one at a time, incrementally (drip, drip, drip) and City Council, which all too often can’t stop these developments because of the overriding power of the OMB. Each approval serves as a precedent for the next application, and the next one, and so on.

At the LPOA’s September board meeting, developer Stephen Diamond presented his most recent design for 939 Eglinton East, with a reduced number of high rises and several rearranged features. It’s still much bigger and higher than Leasiders consider appropriate, based on their very clear response to the LPOA’S detailed survey done a few months ago and supported

by Ward 26 Councillor Jon Burnside.

More than 2,200 Leasiders took part.

We raised their concerns with Mr. Diamond. “We don’t plan by survey,” he replied. “After the democratic process, Council needs to make a decision. We have to accommodate growth.” If every planning application were decided by local surveys, nothing would ever get approved, he added.

In Leaside’s case, encircled and encroached by proposed developments, the City should be paying attention to neighbourhood opinions, not just telling us that we should get used to more and more building.

The City was supposed to have already undertaken a Laird Focus Area Study, which would guide future development by “providing direction on building heights, massing, and transition.” Where is it?

The LPOA feels that the City should honour this commitment, and that the study should take place before any more developments are approved for the area.

That would be good planning. ■ Save the date: Councillor Burnside is holding a public consultation meeting about the 939 Eglinton East development on the evening of Thursday, October 13, in the William Lea Room, Leaside Gardens.

The LPOA Board meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month at Trace Manes Community Centre, 110 Rumsey Road. All Leaside residents are welcome to attend.

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 9

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Leaside Life, October 2016

The Leaside Property Owners’ Association (LPOA) is an advocacy group that takes an active role in reviewing development proposals, traffic studies, public safety, crime issues and other municipal affairs that affect the ratepayers of Leaside. The LPOA is led by co-presidents Carol Burtin Fripp and Geoff Kettel. On the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. the LPOA board meeting is held at the Trace Manes Community Centre. All Leaside residents are welcome to attend and any property owner in Leaside is invited to become a member.

What most do not understand is that the organization is all run by volunteers on a shoestring budget. The board is composed of professional, highly skilled & committed volunteers. Love them or hate them, for them or against them, there is one thing for certain, the volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure good development happens in Leaside, really do love our community. Maybe it is time that you get involved, come out to a meeting, listen in and have your say. Leaside needs you. lpoa.ca ■

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 10

The good, the bad, and the poopy Leaside Life, October 2016

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10 Well...it’s another typical Thursday morning at 7 a.m. on our stretch of Rumsey Road. The clatter of rolling bins can be heard as sleepy-headed neighbours in pajamas haul their bins to the curb before even drinking their first coffee of the day.

Here’s a typical conversation at our place.

The Good My husband Doug: “Hey Mike, how’s it going? Can I use some space in your recycle bin as mine is full? I’ve got space in my green bin if you need it.”

Mike: “Sure Doug, no problem.

We’ve got the ginormous one, so use it any time. I think I will take you up on your offer of the green bin as I don’t have much and it’ll save the garbage guys some time.”

Doug: “Thanks. Have a great day!”

Mike: “Hey Doug, you too.”

Doug: “You know Cheryl; she’ll be picking up the dregs after the garbage guys come along. She has a passion for litter.”

Cheryl Vanderburg

Leaside Litterati Then they both laugh and shake their heads. Now that’s what I call ‘the good’.

The Bad Then there’s ‘the bad’.

Doug: “I get so ticked off when someone leaves their dog poop in my yard waste bag. Can’t they take their doggy doo home and put it in their own green bin?”

Mike: “I hear ya. I get even more ticked off when they leave their hot steamy mess in my green bin. Now I’ve got to wash it out. Gross. So rude.”

The Ugly Then there’s ‘the ugly’.

Doug: “I actually saw a guy pull his car up the other day and throw a big honkin’ green garbage bag into the park trash bin and drive away.

Now it’s overflowing. What’s he thinking? I have no idea what the pickup schedule is.”

Mike, shaking his head: “Guess that’s part of the territory when you live across from the park. I’ll call 311 and report it.”

Doug: “Thanks a lot.”

Mike: “Hey, no problem. Just want to keep our ‘front yard’ looking good and be a good neighbour.”

It’s great to have neighbours looking out for one another, pitching in when their bins are full and sharing the waste. And it’s also great when they help to fish out the unwanted dog poop leavings from the leaf bags.

But you shouldn’t feel you’re in this on your own. The city is also there to help. If your bin is regularly filled to overflowing, consider ordering a larger, replacement bin from the city.

Just visit 311 Toronto or use this link: www1.toronto.ca. The city also has a very handy tool called Waste Wizard that will answer your waste questions…even where those pesky, smelly dog poop bags go! (For the record, they go in the green bin.) ■

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 11

YOU, our dining critics MPP Don Valley West

Left to right: Bonnie, Anika, Kaila & Mike Brophy We give $100 to help pay for a meal for three Leasiders at any restaurant in our area, the M4G postal code, which includes Leaside, Bennington Heights and the Leaside Business Park.

This seafood restaurant is making the right kind of waves

By BONNIE PHILLIPS-BROPHY We recently decided to try one of the newer restaurants on Bayview, The Captain’s Boil, a franchise operation with locations in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. We knew little about it before dining there except that it was primarily a seafood/fish restaurant.

Great news for the three out of four members of our family who love seafood! Our other family member was very relieved to see chicken offered as a choice.

The restaurant has a casual/nautical theme – walls painted with lots of sea creatures and ropes hanging from the ceiling – that matches the menu very well. We knew that we were in for a unique experience when we saw bibs and plastic gloves waiting on our table for us. We each donned our gear and reviewed the menu.

This dining experience was very ‘hands on’: first you select an entrée (fish or seafood, which is sold by the pound), next you choose your seasoning (Cajun, Lemon Pepper, Garlic) as well as the level of spice that you prefer, and finally you select any side items that you would like to accompany your choice. Your dinner returns to you steaming hot in a plastic bag.

The need for gloves became obvious as we dug into our dinner, sauce and all!

Two members of our party selected shrimp cooked in the ‘Captain’s Boil’ seasoning, which was a mix of the three spice flavours available. This was a mild spice level and provided a nice level of heat. Another member of our group selected the lobster, also in the ‘Captain’s Boil’ seasoning, and our

non-seafood lover (aka the chicken lover) ordered the chicken teriyaki plate. The lobster was also served in a baggy, but the chicken arrived on a platter with rice and, as a final touch, the teriyaki sauce was added to the dish at the table. Portion sizes of all meals were very generous. Everyone enjoyed the flavours very much and liked trying the tactile (and messy) dining experience!

As side items we decided to try the garlic bread – a great choice that everyone enjoyed – corn on the cob, which we opted to have cooked in our bags with our seafood, and a bowl of white rice. Other vegetables on offer were okra, lotus root, or potatoes, cooked or fried.

We also decided to try a basket item. There are several choices for those who do not want to dig in with their hands. We selected the chicken wings and fries basket. Fries are offered with Cajun spices, which are very good, with a nice amount of spice. For those preferring something a bit less spicy, there are regular fries, as well as sweet potato fries.

The service was friendly and the staff did a great job of answering questions and making recommendations about spice levels and seasoning choices. Their guidance on spice (we found that medium is really quite spicy, and hot is extremely hot as it uses habanero peppers) was especially appreciated. At the end of the meal, we all agreed that it had been a fun experience and one that we would repeat again when we felt like something a bit out of the ordinary. Aye, aye, Captain! ■

Wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in Don Valley West!

C Constituency onstituency Offic Office e 7 795 95 E Eglinton glinton A Avenue venue Eas Eastt Unit 10 101, 1, T Toronto, oronto, ON M4G 4E4 4 416-425-6777 16-425-6777 w www.kathleenwynne.onmpp.ca ww.kathleenwynne.onmpp.ca

Leaside Life, October 2016

Kathleen K athleen W Wynne ynne

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 12

Townhouses coming to Evergreen Gardens?

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Leaside Life, October 2016

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By GEOFF KETTEL Will townhouses come to Bennington Heights? This style of housing development has spread widely in Toronto (just drive up Bayview Avenue north of Lawrence). Leaside has several recent townhouse developments (McRae at Laird, Millwood at Rumsey) and one under construction on McRae at Sutherland.

Now there’s an application in Bennington, but more may be in the offing on Bayview Heights Drive where there are signs of land assembly, with several homes with lease or rental arrangements.

But first some context. Evergreen Gardens, located immediately southwest of the Bayview Avenue and Moore Avenue intersection, is part of a unique area within Bennington Heights originally known as Heathbridge Park. Heathbridge Park comprises an interesting mix of five streets, four of which are cul-de-sacs (Heathbridge Park, Heathbridge Park Road, Windmill Road, and Orchard Road) plus Evergreen Gardens.

Evergreen Gardens was planned by noted architect James A. Murray and his students in 1946 as a “co-operative residential community”.

Evergreen Gardens is also the name of a park that fronts on Evergreen Gardens (the street) and backs onto Moore Avenue. With the exception of the six-storey apartment building immediately to the north that fronts Moore Avenue at Bayview Avenue, currently Heathbridge Park is com-

posed exclusively of single family detached houses.

The townhouse application in question proposes to demolish two existing detached houses on Evergreen Gardens and reconstruct a block of townhouses with six units, each with integral garages fronting on Evergreen Gardens. With its large lots, there have been some recent attempts to sever lots into two. One was successful, following a battle that ended at the OMB. In this case the lot size (36.2 metres wide) would permit two or even three detached homes if desired.

This proposal is clearly precedentsetting, introducing a new and more intensive housing form to the area.

In fact, the density is higher than some four-storey apartments, with a floor space index of 1.88. Indeed these are very large units, 3,000 sq. ft., 20 ft. wide over three levels. The developer is clearly seeking to achieve the maximum possible density. Plus the larger the unit, the greater the selling price.

Another concern is the location at Evergreen Gardens and Bayview.

Bayview is the main street, yet the building would line up with Evergreen Gardens, exposing Bayview to an edge, rather than a front situation.

So where does this issue stand?

The community was set to have its say at a Community Consultation meeting on Wednesday, September 28, 2016.

The Preliminary Staff Report providing background information

is available at: www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2016/ny/bgrd/backgroundfile-95254.pdf It’s going to be a contentious proposal, and the residents groups in the area, as well as the councillor, need to hear from you: • Bennington Heights Residents’ Association, Hugh Grant at hugh.12008@sympatico.ca • Save Our Bennington Ian Anderson at isander@tsa.ca • Councillor Jon Burnside councillor_burnside@toronto.ca ■

Leaside Landscaping Inc. Celebrating 33 years of service in Leaside and surrounding area

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 13

Leaside Life, October 2016

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 14

ALLAN WILLIAMS

Leaside Life, October 2016

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Mad dogs and Leasiders – Leaside’s own quirky trail race, the Mad Dog Scramble

Members of Leaside’s XSNRG running club before a recent workout in Sunnybrook Park.

Long before the rise in popularity of the “Tough Mudder” and similar off-road running events, Leaside had its own trail race, the “Mad Dog Scramble,” which marks its 25th annual running on Saturday, October 30th at 11 a.m.

Unlike other races that take place in the Serena Gundy and Sunnybrook Park area and stick to the pavement, Mad Dog takes the road less travelled. In fact, runners won’t spend much time on any of the familiar pathways at all. Instead, the 8K route winds through the forests and streams of the Don Valley, sometimes following one of the many singletrack mountain bike trails, sometimes not.

“We change the route every year to make it more interesting,” says Course Director Nick Roberts, of Donlea Drive in North Leaside. “No one knows in advance what the route will be and runners have to follow the pink markers to stay on course.

Ropes and water crossings are part of the race and participants can expect to get wet and dirty – there’s a prize

for the dirtiest runner – and to have a lot of fun.”

And anyone can win.

“Runners are sent out in waves based on their 5K or 10K race time,” says Roberts, “which means that everyone who runs Mad Dog has a chance to win. And we have awards for first, second and fourth place. No prize for third….Why? Because we like our race to be a little different from the rest.”

The race is sponsored and managed by the Leaside-based XSNRG [Excess Energy] Running Club that meets every Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. inside the main doors at the east end of Leaside High School before heading out onto the neighbouring streets or nearby parks to run intervals.

“Intervals involve a warm-up run followed by a short, intense workout, then a cool-down run,” explains Roberts, who is also the club’s primary coach. “Alternating between hills one week and a flat workout the next, it means running hard for, say, two minutes, then resting for one, continuing for 20-25 minutes. These kinds of workouts are the best way to

improve your running in a short period of time.”

Club executive member Andrew Lin, of Fairland Road in North Leaside, says, “XSNRG was founded by Leasiders 28 years ago and welcomes runners of all ages and abilities.”

For more information on XSNRG and the Mad Dog Scramble visit www.XSNRG.org. ■

ERIC GODDARD

By ALLAN WILLIAMS

Mad Dog Scramble participants Breana Schlingmann and Colum O'Sullivan cross the Don River in Serena Gundy Park

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 15

RBC Dominion Securities Inc.

Kathleen Wynne

With summer clothes packed away and children back at school, we wave goodbye to another summer and embrace the sense of renewal that fall brings. Seeing students with their backpacks, freshly-sharpened pencils and optimistic smiles reminds me of why I got involved in politics in the first place.

I wanted to make sure that my children, and all children in our province, were getting the education they deserve. Giving kids a strong start in the public education system is one of the most fundamental ways government can help people throughout their lives. And helping people in their everyday lives is still what motivates me as Premier and your representative in the Legislature.

I know from meeting with you in Leaside and at other community events that you’re interested in hearing about our plans, especially as they relate to our children.

Leaside is growing and becoming home to many new families with young children. The community takes pride in the family-friendliness of the neighbourhood with its beautiful parks and excellent schools and childcare centres. Every child deserves the best start in life, and working families need quality, affordable care. Our plan is to help create an additional 100,000 licensed child care spaces within the next five years, starting in 2017, to double the current capacity for children age 0-4.

In other plans, the new Ontario Student Grant makes college and university tuition free for tens of thousands of low- and middleincome students. That means fewer barriers to college and university and less debt upon graduation. By levelling the playing field, we’re helping today’s youth enter their adult lives with more opportunities than their parents, just as every generation has had for 150 years. We’re also expanding experiential learning to help develop skills for a changing workforce and encouraging more young people to turn their good WYNNE, Page 34

RBC Dominion Securities proudly serves the Leaside community—and we’re looking for experienced Investment Advisors and Portfolio Managers to join our team.

We give you everything you need to reach your professional goals: incredible training programs, opportunities for growth, and the strength and resources of RBC, Canada’s largest financial institution.

We’re committed to wealth management, which means your clients will get access to comprehensive, expert services at every stage of their lives.

For more information, contact: Mike Ricafort Vice-President & Branch Manager 45 Wicksteed Avenue, Suite 210 416-699-4420 mike.ricafort@rbc.com

We value diversity in the workplace, are committed to Employment Equity and will provide reasonable workplace accommodation to applicants with disabilities. RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. is a member company of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ®Registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. ©RBC Dominion Securities Inc. 2016. All rights reserved. 16_90451_003

Leaside Life, October 2016

Dear Leasiders,

Join Canada’s wealth management leader, right here in Leaside

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15

MPP Don Valley West

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 16

FOUND IN LEASIDE

COMING IN our November issue‌

16

Leaside Life, October 2016

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THE CHURCHES OF LEASIDE Allan Williams’ feature series on the Churches of Leaside continues next month with the story of St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church, 1399 Bayview Ave. celebrating its 125th anniversary.

Hi, in reference to the “can you find me in Leaside� photo. These locks are on the chainlink fence, in the alley behind the shops on Eglinton East.

Around the 800 number. Behind the restaurants and barbershop. Is there a prize? Please tell me there is. And is it a freebie at the Everest restaurant? Iain Monro.

I believe the picture is from the fence on the laneway running from Laird to Sutherland just North of Eglinton. Am I right? Thank you. Bill Vincent.

Yes, you are all correct. Congratulations also go to Carrie Dawber & Eila Fosler, who were among the first to correctly identify the location of Leaside’s very own Love Locks fence. Each of you will receive a $10 Starbucks gift card and a keychain lock.

Be sure to read Karli Vezina’s column (cover story) about the “Go Big or Go Homeâ€? graffiti project in the very same alleyway. â–

Leaside Literati |

Greig Henderson

Simon Day will be back to tell us about Greig Henderson. Greig is a full-time English prof at the U of T, but in his spare time he teaches plain English to judges. Out of that work has come a book, called “Creating Legal Worlds - Story and Style in a Culture of Argument,� published by the University of Toronto Press.

Curious Idler

REAL ESTATE

Is still sleuthing his – or her way around Leaside and will be back soon. Stay tuned!

Guest columnist, Commercial Real Estate agent, will update you on the state of the commercial market in Leaside

Realizing your investment objectives requires effective risk management and fee minimization.

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:02 PM Page 17

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Leaside Life, October 2016

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:03 PM Page 18

660 EGLINTON AVE. EAST

“Water, water everywhere, but not a study in sight” It’s got to come to a head! Should the developer, with the tacit agreement of the City, be allowed to create a potential disaster for neighbouring (and future) residents? I’m referring to the placing of what amounts to a massive dam in the centre of an underground river, and not knowing what the effects will be on all the properties around.

RioCan’s 660 Eglinton Ave redevelopment project replaces a twostorey building with no underground parking with two 19-storey and 12storey buildings with a two-level below grade garage. While the effects are unknown, we do have some documented past experience at the site to offer some clues. Since my column in the September Leaside Life, which mentioned the water issue, the litany of problems on this site has come to light. Solutions to these problems have been expensive, and have sometimes turned out to be only temporary fixes, and not solutions at all. Here’s a tally of past problems and current geohydrological and geotechnical challenges involving properties at or near the Bayview and Eglinton intersection: • In 2004, according to a Town Crier article at the time, the Rogers video store in the Sunnybrook Plaza experienced basement collapse due to subsidence that cost about $100,000 to fix.

• According to former Councillor Jane Pitfield, the old Dominion store on the northwest corner was moved back because of subsidence. There is no current development application for this property, but one is expected there eventually.

• Metrolinx will be dewatering areas surrounding the LRT station, changing the soil composition, but no engineering reports on the impacts are publically available.

• When Metrolinx issued the Request for Proposals for construction of the LRT station they required infrastructure allowance sufficient for up to 22 storeys. A development application is expected for that corner.

• Metrolinx’s recently completed LRT tunnel, which crosses the underground stream east of Eglinton, has, to date, an unknown impact on the water movement.

What do the neighbouring home owners, apartment residents and Talbot Park baseball players think of the water flow issue if RioCan’s two

Geoff Kettel

Saving old Leaside towers get approved without any prior study of the impact on the underground levels and foundations beneath those towers on water flow within the “basin”? In fact, what about the future residents of the apartments at 660 Eglinton East?

Will they face costly repairs, after RioCan has departed for other projects?

So what’s the problem? City-required studies for development applications are for individual projects that do not take other projects or the total picture into account. These issues are often minimized by the proponent – “they can be dealt with through engineering” – but the nature of this issue is that the potential impacts are not limited to the applicant’s site. In addition there appear to be potential legal liability concerns for the City as the regulator, as well as for the applicant. Does the City care about this?

It appears not. The LPOA sent a sharp letter to the City detailing the water (and ravine slope) concerns and asked for the City to require the necessary studies PRIOR to the commencement of OMB hearings. The

response was an offer for the LPOA and residents to meet with John Andreevski, the senior planner on the file, together with Councillor Burnside. That meeting happened on Tuesday, September 13. The planner’s response was the same: “These issues will be dealt with during site plan” (i.e consideration of the site plan application).

RioCan wants to begin mediation on October 12, and the City appears to be compliant on that one, too. It appears the City is sleep-walking into an OMB hearing without having required studies that would help it to assess this application on this site, with its most unusual and complex hydrology. Whose side is the City on? ■

Update on the OMB appeals As we said in September’s Leaside Life, the date of October 12 is set for another pre-hearing conference when the chair will decide the Issues List and the Procedural Rules for the hearing. Since then RioCan has continued to press for mediation to begin on October 20.

This will be decided at the prehearing conference on October 12.

JOHN NAULLS

Leaside Life, October 2016

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:03 PM Page 19

939 EGLINTON AVE. EAST

This comment by Councillor Cressy appeared in a September 12 article by Toronto Star City Hall reporter Jennifer Pagliaro discussing how Mizrahi Developments’ 80storey condominium development, dubbed “The One,” got the thumbsup from City Council.

But it just as easily could have been uttered by Leaside residents opposed to Diamond Corp’s 939 Eglinton Ave. East development that’s currently winding its way through the City’s lengthy application approval process.

Last October, Diamond Corp.

CEO Steve Diamond made a presentation to Leaside residents in the William Lea Room at Leaside Memorial Gardens. After the presentation, Diamond took questions from those in attendance. Not all of Leaside stepped up to be heard, but it was close.

As a result of that meeting, a 12person working group composed of community members was established. Their first meeting was in January. At that time they asked Diamond to put together a proposal that changed the height of the buildings in the plan as well as the density.

Diamond came back in May with a revised plan that substantially reduced 939 Eglinton East’s scope and size.

The Original Proposal • 1,130,644 sq. ft.

• 1,500 residential condo units • A density 5.2 times larger than the area of the property • 3 towers over 20 storeys: 24, 31 and 34 storeys • 14 townhouse units The Revised Proposal • 797,676 sq. ft. = 29% reduction • 981 residential condo units = 35% reduction • A density 3.7 times larger than the area of the property = 29% reduction • 1 tower over 20 storeys: 31 storeys = 67% reduction • 40 townhouse units = 186% increase Yet, it seems the LPOA still has a problem with the proposed changes.

Will Ashworth The business of Leaside

In a June 15 letter to City Planning regarding the revised proposal, the LPOA concluded that “the proposed massing of 1,000 units, and tower heights ranging from 14 to 31 storeys, is inappropriate for this property and contrary to Official Plan policies for Mixed Use areas,” wrote Geoff Kettel, LPOA co-president in his September column in Leaside Life. “A mid-rise form of development and density would be more appropriate for the subject property,” he added.

Kettel and the LPOA believe Diamond Corp. should continue to wait until the City completes its Laird Focus Area Study before its application is reviewed.

There’s one huge problem with this rationale: The study was originally supposed to be undertaken in 2013. After several delays here we sit no closer to its completion.

Hypothetically, if you bought a house today with the intention of tearing it down and building a new one, how would you feel if the City made you wait three years or longer before giving you the approval to go ahead with construction. Unless you’re a fool, your lawyer would be living at City Hall.

Somehow, those opposed to intensification have got it in their heads that it’s their God-given right to take whatever steps necessary to block any and all development other than low-rise and occasionally midrise.

I think they’re misguided. Here’s why: 1. Negotiations on 939 Eglinton have produced meaningful reductions in the proposed intensification.

Diamond Corp. has left millions in revenue sitting on the table. By that number alone I think it’s safe to say Diamond Corp. has tried to accommodate Leaside residents.

2. Profit margins on condominiums aren’t as big as you’d imagine.

Like those house flippers on HGTV, time is money. If Diamond has enough of these projects reduced in size and more importantly, delayed indefinitely, eventually their in-

vestors will go elsewhere. If that happens, say goodbye to a lot of construction jobs.

3. 939 Eglinton Ave. East, as it’s currently configured, is both hideous in its appearance, footprint, and parking configuration. It’s a blight on the neighbourhood and that’s saying something in an area of the business park that’s still got an industrial vibe to it. I don’t know about you but I’ll take well designed towers over ugly stucco every day of the week. The revised Diamond proposal is a significant step-up in both form and function; we can thank the working group for their considerate efforts in this area.

4. The traffic study done for the revised proposal shows that there won’t be an impact on traffic. In fact, it’s actually higher at the current site than what will exist once the revised proposal is fully built.

5. Take a drive some Saturday all the way to Kitchener. By the time you make your way home to Leaside I guarantee you’ll have a serious case of road rage. I made that trip recently and the thought that kept popping into my head was, ‘This is only going to get worse if we don’t intensify the core of the city with affordable housing.’

Diamond Corp’s proposal will help alleviate this problem. You can’t keep stuffing cheap condos down by the Rogers Centre. If we do, our downtown will become an eyesore, if it isn’t already. Downtown Toronto is a lot of things — pretty it ain’t.

Leaside, in my opinion, should be a part of making Toronto more livable by providing a neighbourhood that’s mixed-use, mixed-income, mixed-employment.

That’s got 939 Eglinton’s name written all over it. ■

Diamond Corp. proposal for 939 Eglinton

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“I think it’s too dense. I think it’s too tall. And I think it’s too much.”

Councillor Joe Cressy, Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina

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Leaside Life, October 2016

Why Diamond proposal is good for Leaside

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:03 PM Page 20

Leaside Life, October 2016

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I’LL TRY ANYTHING ONCE!

Ba Bayview yview & Fleming F le m in g 1601 Bayview Bayview Ave Ave Toronto Toronto ON ON M M4G 4G 3B5 3B 5 416-489-1873 416 489 1873

Pilates guinea pig in Leaside Starting with this issue, our intrepid writer, Karli Vezina, will try a new venture in the hopes of learning something different, and then sharing her experiences with Leaside Life’s readers. First up – Pilates!

BRIAN MOK

By KARLI VEZINA

COME IN FOR YOUR FREE FLU SHOT.

Find out why people love to live at Kilgour Estate!

Let my proven track record in condo sales work for you!

STEPHEN FRAZEE, Broker Kilgour Estate Resident & Owner since 2007 RE/MAX Ultimate Realty Inc., Brokerage 1739 Bayview Ave, Toronto, ON M4G 0A1 Office: (416) 487-5131 Cell: (416) 518-6533 sfrazee@rogers.com

I told myself I was doing it “for science�. I would be a Pilates guinea pig.

For some reason, I envisioned a newborn giraffe learning to walk, doubling as me attempting Pilates. Nevertheless I accepted the mission‌with some trepidation.

To me, Pilates is like a new acquaintance you wish were more than that. Someone interesting you met at a party but only hung out with once, and it’s too bad because she seemed really cool and chill. I had tried a Pilates DVD but didn’t feel I was doing the moves correctly. I decided if I had the chance to try again, it would be with an instructor so I could learn to get it right. Suddenly my chance was here, but was I ready?

When there is something new that I’m unsure of, I tell myself to try it as if it were a science experiment because you don’t know until you try, right?

From a research perspective I find the courage to pursue new things in the name of science. I’ve shared this theory with some friends and family and together we’ve explored many new things as we proudly (sometimes nervously) say: “All for science!� So here I go...for science!

I arrived at North Movement Studio determined to blend in with the other Pilates participants. Then I saw the props we would use. Owner and instructor Anna Harris set me up with a mat and several props, including small weighted balls, rubber resistance bands, and a long foam roller. Uh oh, things were looking a wee bit complicated. My motive switched from “blend in� to “just survive�.

The first task was lying on top of the foam tube with my spine running down the length of the roller. It sounds easy, but Anna explained that simply balancing on something unstable engages your core so without realizing it, you’re flexing your abs so as not to fall over. With classmates spread out on mats across the floor, Anna weaved between us, talking through our move-

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:03 PM Page 21

Leaside Life, October 2016

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:03 PM Page 22

Leaside Life, October 2016

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ments and guiding people into position. I did plenty of balancing (and a little falling over), but ultimately I kept up with my dignity largely in tact.

Between the rotation of different props and stretching from difficult move to even more difficult move, the hour flew by. Pilates is incredibly strengthening, and the moves are small and controlled, which is what makes it doable. Anna’s been honing her skills over the last 12 years as both a teacher and student of Pilates. Now that her studio has celebrated its first year of success, her dedication is paying off. This awkward baby giraffe has emerged a slightly more confident one, knowing that anyone – at any age, size, or experience level – can enjoy a Pilates class and live to tell the tale.

Fortunately, Leaside is home to a number of Pilates studios. To try a Pilates class, see which location is best for you: • GayleForce Core Fitness 1399 Bayview Ave. • North Movement Studio 1675 Bayview Ave. • Core Body Science Pilates & Training Studio Toronto 862 Millwood Rd. • Serendipity Yoga & Pilates, 862 Eglinton Ave. East • Pure Fitness 939 Eglinton Ave. East • Nucleo Fitness – Pilates & Water Rowing studio 862 Eglinton Ave. East ■ TM

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SUSAN KARNAY

Leaside Life, October 2016

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Crossing guard, Boris Cherkassky stops traffic at Millwood and Bessborough for St. Anselm’s student Chris Karnay Gayowsky.

Boris Cherkassky: a tribute to Leaside’s ultimate crossing guard – and friend

By ALLAN WILLIAMS The outpouring of warmth and affection following the news of the sudden death of Leaside crossing guard Boris Cherkassky shows the high regard in which he was held by the children and families he helped to keep safe every morning and afternoon.

Boris suffered a heart attack while cycling to his post at Millwood and Bessborough on Friday morning, September 16th.

“This is a great loss to the St. Anselm School community,” said Principal Richard Walo. “Boris was loved by all the children and their parents, and always went above and beyond to keep everyone safe.”

Boris Cherkassky was born in 1948 near Minsk in the former Soviet Union and moved to Moscow as a child. He obtained a Masters degree in Mathematics and worked as a computer programmer. He and his first wife, Yulia, had two sons: Dmitry (Dave) and Yakov.

After seeing his Jewish friends persecuted by the KGB, he sought and received permission to leave the USSR and was granted asylum in Canada where he and his family settled in 1981. Boris worked for Sears, IBM and other companies in Toronto, and upon retirement from full-time work became a crossing guard.

Boris loved outdoor activities like

cycling and cross-country skiing. He was particularly fond of kayaking in Georgian Bay near Beausoleil Island.

After Boris and his first wife Yulia divorced, he married Melanie Wilkens.

“Boris loved his job and looked forward every day to his time at Post #5,” said Melanie. “He was so proud to do his part for the community. For him, it wasn't just a job, it was almost a calling. And it was the people who made up his crossing guard community that were most important – getting them safely across the street and chatting briefly with each of them to catch up on their lives or give them safety advice about biking or crossing the street.”

In addition to his wife and ex-wife, two sons and four grandchildren, Boris Cherkassky is also survived by his mother and step-father.

Principal Walo arranged for a memorial mass to be held at St. Anselm Church on Friday, September 22, following which the children were to plant a tree in his memory on the grounds of the school.

The principal also invited members of the St. Anselm community to submit tributes to Boris.

A special thank you to Richard Walo for his invaluable help in gathering the information and tributes from the St. Anselm community, without which this story could not have been prepared.” ■

Tributes to Boris “Boris made the start and end of the school day better. It was his personal connection with all of us that was so special. Every day, he greeted us all by name with a big smile – children, parents, even dogs. He’d ask after any child he noticed missing from a family’s entourage. Somehow among those quick crossings each morning and afternoon, we got to know each other. He had a great place to go outdoor skating with his grandsons, he loved James Bond movies, PA Days (which he said stood for ‘Play All Days’), ice cream, and just recently – ping pong! He made us feel cared for. We will miss him so much.”

Caroline Craig, Merton Street “Every morning when I parked my car on the street and walked towards the school Boris greeted me with a big smile and the line, ‘Have great day, sir.’ I always responded, ‘Have a great day yourself, Boris.’

One morning it was different. He stopped me without a smile and said, ‘You might want to look back, sir.’ I did and a heavy tree limb was hanging by a thread directly over my car. I never would have noticed that. I thanked him and re-parked my car

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Boris was recognised for his community service in 2014 by former city councillor John Parker

“Boris was a very special man and will be greatly missed by me and my family. When Boris first came to the corner of Millwood and Bessborough, we were living just a couple of houses away. Nonetheless, we were running late to school nearly every day. Besides crossing us safely, Boris always had a smile and encouraging words for us. We got to know each other quite quickly. When we were packing up our home in preparation for moving, Boris noticed a kayak on our lawn. Later that day, at the corner, Boris said, ‘Tracy, I see you have kayak. I also have kayak. I am thinking to give it to you.’ He told me of the many wonderful adventures he had had with his family and that kayak, and that he would like it to be used again for more adventures. I accepted and treasure the gift. Such a kind and thoughtful man. I'm so sorry he is no longer with us.”

Tracy Gaffney, Bennington Heights Drive “My daughter Maran was very upset at the news. The children’s safety was paramount to Boris, and as Maran said, ‘He saved us every day from being killed; who will do that now?’ She is right. Daily he watched over all our children (and us), and he cared about them all and took his job very seriously, even with his ‘Welcome to Post #5,’ which is what he called his spot.”

Bronwyn Gray, Leaside Park Drive

“Some memories of Boris from my Grades 2 and 3 students: Charlotte D. remembers that Boris used to give her stickers when she crossed the street. Meara M. remembers that her dog Toby used to always run up to him every morning. Marigold O. said he always had treats for all the dogs. Ester N. and Eamon P. said that Boris always had nice compliments.

Johnny R. said he always gave the kids high-fives, and Giacomo said he's a great man. Elise P. said he always made her smile. Eva L. remembers that when Kate’s mom Michelle injured her foot, he gave her a getwell card. Mikaela & Gabrielle L. shared their favourite saying from Boris: “Single file, elephant style, facing traffic all the while!”

Angela Napoli, Grade 2/3 Teacher at St. Anselm School “Boris helped our kids get safely to school, so they could get an education, to prepare them for life. What we may have taken for granted along the way was the education Boris provided us everyday, even before entering school. Boris taught us some very important lessons in life. Important lessons about work ethic: Rain, shine, sleet, polar vortex, heat alerts, you name it, Boris was there and properly dressed. He rarely missed a day, and if he did he would let us all know.

Boris taught us about the importance of a smile and a friendly face, of having a sense of humour and the importance of great colourful socks.

Most of all, Boris taught us that small things matter. The way you treat those around you, even strangers, every day matters. Boris, you kept us safe for many years. You touched an

entire community with one wave of your hand and the everlasting smile on your face. You knew each one of us by name and we will never forget you!

25 Rest in peace, Boris.”

Alyssa Macedo, McRae Drive “I first met Boris when my daughter Isabel started Junior Kindergarten at St. Anselm. On our first day, Boris introduced himself and since that day, Boris was a part of our life. I will always remember during that first year, Boris looking right into my eyes and saying to me ‘Mummy, you are doing something right’. As a new(ish) mom, what higher compliment can you bestow?

He had this way of making me smile every time I walked into school. And I mean every time. Boris would laugh as my daughter updated him as to who she was having over for a playdate that day or what she was going to be up to on the weekend. He was her friend. I like to think Boris had a special soft spot for Isabel, but it occurs to me that this is how he made everyone feel. Today as I found myself helping children cross the street, I was reminded again what an important service he provided to all of us. It took four of us to do the job he did on his own. There were times when Boris, even after blowing his whistle, came between me and my children as cars would not stop in time. He made all of us feel safer.

Boris, you will be so missed, my friend. We love you and thank you.”

Maria Wilson, Airdrie Road

Memorial tribute honouring Boris

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“I want to thank Boris Cherkassky for being a fierce and loyal protector of our children, handling the busy and dangerous intersection of Bessborough and Millwood with skill, care and friendliness. I never saw him miss a single day on that corner. In fact, I recall walking to school with my son on the morning of a wild snowstorm which had forced the cancellation of school buses. The streets were deserted, and we were not even certain that the school would be open. However, as we approached the crosswalk, I said to my son, ‘Look, Boris is actually there,’ to which my son replied: ‘Oh come on, please! Of course he’s there – Boris is amazing!’ Boris will be missed by everyone at St. Anselm Catholic School. I truly hope that Boris realized how important he was and wish his family to know just how much our community respected and valued his dedication.”

Susan Karnay, Airdrie Road

Leaside Life, October 2016

on the other side of the street breathing a sigh of relief. All day I was thinking what a great guy he was. Yes, he was.”

Derek Figiel, Music Teacher

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By DANIEL GIRARD Remy Cattell still vividly remembers her first cross country race even though it was more than half her lifetime ago. She experienced pre-race nervousness and excitement, struggles through exhausting sand, a quick break to tie a shoelace, encouragement from a teammate, and finally, relief at the finish line.

“I didn’t really think about what place I came in,” recalls Cattell, who finished fifth in her Toronto District School Board cross country running debut as a Grade 1 student at Bessborough School. “I just ran.”

Fast forward nine years and Cattell, 14, is a Grade 10 student at Leaside High School. Last year, she won the city championship, then finished second at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFFSA) finals in a race featuring nearly 300 of the best Grade 9 runners from across the province.

Even though she’s a top-flight high

MEET YOUR NEIGHBOUR

DANIEL GIRARD

Leaside Life, October 2016

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Run, Remy, Run - Leaside cross country runner goes the distance

Remy Cattell, Grade 10 student at Leaside High School

school runner and member of the Central Toronto Athletic Club, a competitive middle distance club, Cattell says her favourite part of each race remains rising to the challenge – against the other runners, and especially against herself – rather than winning.

“What I really love is the feeling I get immediately after a hard race when I know I did my best,” she says. “I’m proud of my accomplishment.

“I don’t focus on a place, just running the best I can.”

With fall’s arrival comes another school cross country season. Across Leaside, hundreds of children in Grades 1 to 12 are out each weekday morning with classmates tuning up for races throughout October.

While elite runners such as Cattell will do battle for championships, for the majority of cross country competitors it’s all about participation. They won’t run fast enough in their first race against challengers from other schools to qualify for the next meet. But their victories are no less dramatic – record-

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13, and 9-year-old twins Milla and Martin – are training several mornings each week in preparation for the first race on the cross country calendar later in October.

“It’s something that’s important to them, they’re proud to be a part of it,” says Dubois, whose son Simon, now in Grade 8 at Bessborough, was part of the bronze-medal winning team for Rolph Road Public School at the city championships in Grade 6. “It’s about friendship and commitment and health.

“Everything is there.”

Remy Cattell’s mom, Cory, an elementary school Phys. Ed teacher who has coached cross country, basketball, soccer, volleyball, track and field and other sports teams for more than 20 years, says the fact schools can bring as big a team as they want to that first race makes participation the top priority.

“If children show commitment to the team, then we will make sure they can go to that first race,” Cory Cattell says. “It’s all about personal goals, not where they finish, and having the experience.

“From a teachers’ point of view, and a parents’ point of view, you just want them to try it. Once they go to that first race, they’re pretty much hooked.” ■

Leaside Life, October 2016

ing a better placing than last year, completing the course without stopping, being part of a school team.

By far the largest teams at most schools, children, especially in the younger grades, make the team by showing the commitment to come out a few days each week to train with their classmates. Unlike higher profile sports such as basketball, hockey and soccer, there are no tryouts, no cuts, no disappointment that comes with not getting to wear the school colours when your friends do.

It helps kids improve their fitness but also make a commitment to themselves and their school, says Eric Dubois, whose three children – Simon,

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Leaside Life, October 2016

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2016 Sports Hall of Fame inductees announced Four new inductees will enter the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame this year, organizers have announced.

Former Toronto Argonaut Mike Bradwell, Former Toronto Marlboro and Chicago Blackhawk Terry Caffery, figure skater Tom Kalweit, and Leaside Girls Hockey Association builder Ian Shaw will be honoured at a public induction ceremony and reception at Leaside Arena on Friday, November 18th.

These four will join the 19 others who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since it was founded in 2013.

Leaside’s 2016 Athlete of the Year, to be announced in October, will also be recognized that night. Tickets for the November 18th event, at which Terry Fallis will be the guest speaker, may be purchased at the arena or online at www.LeasideSports.com. ■

2016 inductees to the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame MIKE BRADWELL, Football (1986 – ) Mike Bradwell was born in Toronto and attended Leaside High, where he played football in his final year. He was recognized as team player of the year and led Leaside to its first tier one playoff win in the school’s history. Mike studied and played football at McMaster University. Mike was selected by the Toronto Argonauts in the second round of the 2008 CFL Draft. He returned to McMaster to play his final year and joined the Double Blue in 2009. Mike played with the Argos from 2009 to 2015 and had a significant role in the team’s 100th Grey Cup victory in 2012. In 92 career games, he registered 116 catches for 1,240 yards and six touchdowns. While an Argo, Mike helped coach the Leaside High School football team for two years.

TERRY CAFFERY, Hockey (1949 – ) Terry Caffery was born in Leaside and grew up playing hockey at Leaside Arena where he captained Leaside Lions championship teams. He played three years with the OHA Toronto Marlboros and was Memorial Cup champion in 1967. He played one season with the Canadian national team where he tied as Canada’s leading scorer at the 1969 World Championship. Terry turned pro with the Blackhawks in 1969 and spent three seasons with Chicago, Minnesota and in the minors with Dallas and Cleveland. He was AHL Rookie of the Year in 1972. He was inaugural WHA Champion with New England Whalers in 1972-73 where his 100-point season earned him WHA Rookie of the Year. Terry joins his brother Jack as the first brothers inducted into the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame.

TOM KALWEIT, Figure Skating (1956 – ) Tom Kalweit was born in Quebec and joined the Laval Figure Skating Club in 1966. He excelled in all areas of figure skating and was one of those few who competed nationally and internationally in more than one discipline. He began a 26-year career at the Leaside Skating Club (LSC) in 1981. During this time, he coached skaters at all levels and helped establish a competitive Junior Synchro Team, which he took to the Nationals on several occasions. Tom also volunteered to look after music, renovate the club office, build sets and direct lighting for the ice shows. Tom is known for the culture of caring and respect he helped instil at LSC. While naturally competitive, he taught skaters the importance of competing against themselves as well as others.

IAN SHAW, Female Hockey (1950 – 2016) Ian Shaw was born in Hawkesbury, Ontario and moved to Toronto where he met his wife Pat. Together they raised three daughters, Catherine, Mary Anne and Jennifer. Ian’s involvement in female hockey began in 1989 when his daughter joined the Leaside Girls Hockey League (then a branch of the boys’ program). During 25 years as a volunteer, he served as assistant coach, head coach, trainer, manager, convenor, vice president and president from 1991-2000. In 1991 Ian had the league incorporated and the Leaside Girls Hockey Association was formed. Ian also served as referee, referee instructor, referee supervisor and until 2016, referee-in-chief. Ian received the Peter E. Oyler Lifetime Service Award for contributions to Leaside Arena. He was recognized twice with a lifetime service award from the Toronto Leaside Girls Hockey Association.

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:04 PM Page 29

Fall is upon us; the air is a little bit crisper, school is back in session, and fall sports and activities are back in action. As we see new generations and community members of today using the Leaside Memorial Community Gardens (LMCG), we can’t help paying homage to those who came before and made their mark in our community through access to a facility like ours.

The name Mahovlich is wellknown in Leaside, but has a special significance to those who were around the LMCG in the 1960s and 1970s. During those years, a man named Peter Mahovlich owned the skate-sharpening shop in the arena.

He was a friendly fixture there, easily recognized by his signature black fedora, deep blue coveralls, and navy shop coat, and he could often be found with a skate in one hand and a cigar in the other.

He earned the respect and admiration from the community for his gentle demeanour and willingness to help, no matter the task. He would often be seen driving the Zamboni,

Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to Detroit and later Montreal, and Peter Jr. played with Detroit and then Montreal for eight years.

The Mahovlich family’s presence in the arena and the community had a significant impact on sports in Leaside. A plaque and photo in Peter Sr.’s honour is installed outside the dressing room where he had his shop in the arena.

Please visit leasidearena.com for more information on Leaside Memorial Community Gardens and the programs offered. ■ Peter Mahovlich Sr. administering first aid, and helping other employees and staff in the arena.

Peter and his wife Cecilia came to Leaside from Croatia, while their two sons, Frank and Peter Jr., both of whom entered this world seemingly with skates on their feet, were born in Timmins, ON. Frank and Peter Jr. were amazingly talented hockey players who were drafted to the NHL. Frank spent 12 seasons with the

The tradition continues Since 1991, Grant Krisman, the current owner of the Leaside Hockey shop has become the new fixture at the Leaside arena. As a teenage hockey player in the mid-seventies, Grant recalls having his skates sharpened by Mahovolich. himself. This year marks Grant’s 25th year at the Leaside arena.

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Leaside Life, October 2016

Meet Peter Mahovlich – hero of Leaside Memorial Community Gardens

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:04 PM Page 30

COMMUNITY EVENTS Leaside Bridge Club Trace Manes Community Centre Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m., Seniors Room, $4/person. All welcome.

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Leaside Life, October 2016

St. Augustine's Church 1847 Bayview Ave. The Groove Room Coffee House, Fri. Oct. 7th,7-8:30 p.m. featuring Cailan.

Coffee, Music, Friends, Community $5 proceeds towards our Syrian refugee family. Interested in performing?

Contact: Augustine@bellnet.ca St. Cuthbert's Church 1399 Bayview Ave. Special Worship Services Sun. Oct. 2, 125th Anniversary - 8 & 10 a.m.

Sun. Oct 16. Special guest: Rev. Katy Waugh.

Join us for FREE YOGA on our Anniversary October 8TH REPLENISH AND REVITALIZE CHAIR PILATES AND YOGA CLASSES STARTING THIS FALL

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– Annual Women's Dinner: Friday, Oct. 21 - 6:30 p.m. Tickets $25.

Proceeds toward refugee sponsorship efforts.

Ph. 416-485-0329 or stcuthberts@bellnet.ca Canadian Federation of University Women Leaside-East York 125 Brentcliffe Ave Thur. Oct. 20th, Northlea United Church Speakers: Sue and Jim Waddington, In the Footsteps of the Group of Seven and Tom Thomson. Visitors and new members welcome. www.cfuwleasideeastyork.ca or cfuw@gmail.com Men's Bridge Club: Leaside United Church 822 Millwood Rd. Wednesdays 1– 4 p.m., Sept. to June $3 Contact: Jim Krafchik 416-488-7720 Leaside Smokedown Event: Food, Silent Auction & Music by Fergus Hambleton Amsterdam Brewery 45 Esander Dr. Oct. 20th, 7 to11 p.m.

Tickets $75/ person Proceeds to New Cirles Contact: Andy Elder (Grilltime) 416-578-6289 Leaside United Church 822 Millwood Road Fall Awesome Sale Friday October 14th, 2016, 3-7 p.m.

Saturday October 15th, 2016 10 a.m.-Noon Ph. 416- 425-1253 www.leasideunited.org Leaside Blood donor clinic 305 Rumsey Rd. Wed. Oct 12 from 2-7 p.m. at Northlea School. To book an appointment call 1-888-2 DONATE

EVENT LISTINGS Deadline for November, October 10 leasidelifenews.com

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:04 PM Page 31

Oct 2016 @ LEASIDE LIBRARY Seniors: Stay, Sell, or Downsize? A presentation by Magda Zecevic, Royal LePage. Wed., Oct. 26 , 7-8 p.m.

Drop in. Everyone welcome.

Paintings Exhibit :Community Room by Neil Joseph Polson. Sat. Oct 01 – Mon. Oct 31 CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING: Halloween Arts & Crafts: Create something spooky for Halloween. * Ages 4 and up ONLY * Wed. Oct. 26, 4-4:45 p.m. Drop in. No registration.

LEGO Club :Thursdays, 3:30- 5 p.m. Oct. 06, 13, 20, 27.

Drop in. No registration.

Ready for Reading Baby Time. Thursdays: 9:30-10 a.m & 10:30-11a.m. Oct. 06, 13, 20, 27. Drop in. No registration. (Ages: 0-18 months) Ready for Reading Family Time (Ages: 19 months-5 years). Wednesdays: 9:30-10 a.m. & 10:30-11 a.m. Oct. 05, 12, 19, 26. Drop in. No registration. (Ages: 19 months-5 years) OUTSIDE GROUP: Leaside: Discover Your Heritage Barry Penhale and some special guests. Contact: Marjorie McLeod at 416-425-1392. Tuesday: 2-4 p.m. Oct. 04, 11, 18, 25 Leaside Garden Society Contact: 416-4220538 or lleaside@gardenontario.org.

Thurs., Oct. 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m

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ADULT and TEEN PROGRAMMING: Adult Colour Party. Recurring Tuesdays: 7-8:15 p.m.

Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25 For all teens and adults.

Canadian Diabetes Association: Diabetes: What You Need to Know! Wed., Oct. 12, 7-8:00 p.m. No registration. Everyone welcome.

Illustrating Children’s Books. A presentation by Aries Cheung, Visual artist & illustrator. Sat., Oct. 1, 2-4 p.m.

No registration. Everyone welcome.

Toronto Urban Sketchers: Learn about the artistic, Storytelling, and educational value of location drawing.

Fri., Oct. 26, 2-3 p.m. No registration. Everyone welcome.

Leaside Needleworx Group: Recurring Fridays: 10- 11:45 a.m. Oct. 07, 14, 21, 28. Everyone welcome.

Leaside Writer’s Group: Saturdays: 10-11:45 a.m.

Oct. 01, 15, 29. Drop in. Everyone welcome.

Plant-Based Diets. Workshop by Pamela Ferguson, PhD, RD. Thurs., Oct. 19, 7-8 p.m. No registration.

Everyone welcome.

Play Reading Group: Comedy to award-winning drama. Sat., Oct. 22, 10a.m.-noon. Call to Register.

Limited Space.

Puzzles & Games Night! Mondays: 7-8:15 p.m. Oct. 03, 17, 24, 31. Drop in. Everyone welcome.

Retire Me? Retire Me! Retire Me Develop goals for retirement. A presentation by Certified Life Coaches.

Wed., Oct. 5, 7– 8 p.m. Drop in. Everyone welcome.

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Leaside Life, October 2016

165 McRae Drive | Toronto, ON M4G 1S8 | 416-396-3835

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Leaside Life, October 2016

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Calling all patriotic Leaside gardeners!

To celebrate Canada’s upcoming 150th anniversary, Leaside Life and Veseys (Canada’s bulb company) are holding a contest.

We are inviting Leaside gardeners to share your gardens and your stories – and you could win a prize.

Throughout 2017, we will be feature your stories and share with you the role that Leaside and Leasiders played in the birth and growth of our country.

So, tell us your story, what does Canada mean to you, what do you love about our country, what do you see and hope for the future of Canada?

The first 10 people who send us an email with your story to leasidelife@gmail.com will win a limited edition set of Canada 150 Celebration Garden Bulbs (an $80 value) pictured above.

Each bulb set contains 75 Red Impression Tulips and 75 White Hakuun Tulips. Planted now, they will lie dormant over the winter and come spring, will burst to life as a reminder of the incredible country that is Canada, all in our country’s vibrant colours.

The tulip is an international symbol of friendship and of spring. For Canadians especially, the tulip is a symbol of our national ethos of kindness and friendship, witnessed, in particular, by our providing refuge to the Dutch Royal family during the Second World War. A special thank you goes to Veseys for supplying the bulbs. Since 1939, Veseys has been Canada’s leading supplier of bulbs, seeds & garden supplies. ■ If you did not win our contest, you can still purchase the Canada 150 Celebration Garden Bulbs directly at www.veseys.com.

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:04 PM Page 33

HERE’S MY CANADA And now, something to consider the next time you go for a solitary walk, grab a coffee, or enjoy some free time.

If someone were to ask what Canada means to you in personal terms, how would you respond?

Of course, there are the familiar images of rippling wheat fields, the majestic Rockies, the Northern Shield, a thousand and one hockey games, the flag atop Parliament Hill.

There are also the values we share, the history, good and bad, that we have lived as a nation, and the growing pride we feel about our place in the world, and our contributions to it. And also, very much at the root of all this…Leaside.

As we approach the 150th anniversary year of Confederation in 2017 it’s worth thinking about how our views of the community in which we live affect how we look at the world beyond. If you feel good about the first, you’re much more likely to feel optimistic overall. As the late American politician, Thomas ‘Tip’ O’Neill, Jr., famously said, “All politics is local.” Astute politicians – including the Leaside-raised Stephen Harper – have taken that to heart.

If you live in Leaside, you have many reasons to feel upbeat. It’s a relatively prosperous, safe place where families and people of all ages and backgrounds live harmoniously; it’s close to the centre of Canada’s biggest city; and yet it has retail stores, recreation facilities and restaurants of such quality that you needn’t stray far from home to be well served.

It didn’t become that way overnight. Like the country of which it is part, Leaside is best appreciated when you understand its history.

The full story of the community is too long and complex to tell in one sitting – but some elements stand out. Founded by the William Lea family in the early 19th century, it was first used as farmland. Since then, Leaside has been at various times a railway town; the home of a busy airport; an industry-oriented ‘company’ town (many of its streets and buildings were built by employers wanting their workers to live near

First World War began, the federal government took a lease on 220 acres of land between Wicksteed and Eglinton avenues, and built an airstrip that served as a training base for pilots of the Royal Flying Corps.

By the end of the war, the area had accommodations for more than 1,000 military personnel.

Despite all that, Leaside was considered remote from Toronto – in large measure because of the difficulty in crossing the Don River valley.

In the years after the First World War, the population dipped to 500. That changed in the late 1920s, with the building of the Leaside Viaduct, and the later creation of an underpass on Millwood Road. By the start of World War Two in 1939, Leaside was an important industrial centre, with plants for, among other things, the manufacture of car and other engines, radio equipment and optical supplies. The town also formally ‘adopted’ No. 432 RCAF Squadron,

which became known as the Leaside Squadron.

Since the end of the war, Leaside has steadily moved away from its industrial roots, and morphed into a much more residential community.

That has meant the end of many of the landmarks that originally dotted the area. Leaside train station closed in 1970. The once-busy airport declined steadily in importance, and the last hangar was demolished in 1971.

But signs of those original roots remain visible to amateur archaeologists. There are those street names – Hanna, Laird, Wicksteed, etc. – and once you know what to look for, it’s apparent that the blocks of homogenous low-rise apartment buildings nearby were built by companies creating lodging for their workers. The popular Badali’s produce store on Bayview has some first-rate photos of Leaside in the past – including the airport. And when you look past the present use of many buildings on and around Laird Drive, they reflect their roots as one-time factories and manufacturing plants.

Here, as across Canada, our history is all around us, if we just take the time to look. It teaches us how we became what we are as a community – and country. Now, here’s a chance to reflect on that further: Later this fall, my organization, the non-profit Historica Canada, will unveil a national competition entitled Here’s My Canada. We’ll ask entrants to provide us with 30-second videos of what Canada means to you as an individual. We’ll help you by providing a free app that will allow you to shoot, edit and submit your entry easily from your mobile device – or otherwise, if you prefer. You can find more details on our website www.historicacanada.ca later this month. We hope you’ll do so, as a way of celebrating the country that we live in, and also for providing future generations with a sense of what individual Canadians thought of our home during this important anniversary.

Please take this chance to consider our past – and contribute to our country’s vision of itself in future. ■

Anthony Wilson-Smith is President and CEO of Historica Canada. It runs programs – also including the well-known Heritage Minutes – focused on Canada’s history and the values of citizenship. Much of the information in this piece is drawn from Historica Canada’s www.thecanadianencylopedia.ca and a Wikipedia entry on Leaside’s history.

For information on Here’s My Canada, info@historicacanada.ca.

Anthony Wilson-Smith President and CEO of Historica Canada

their factories); a staging place for military personnel headed off to war; and, for a good part of its history, a standalone town quite distinct from Toronto. Streets including Laird Drive, Hanna Road and Wicksteed Avenue are named after Canadian Northern Railway company executives – a reflection of the company’s influence and presence in the early 20th century. At the same time, the community was briefly the home of Durant Motors, an automobile manufacturer founded by William Durant, who in a previous time controlled General Motors. When the

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Wynne From Page 15

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ideas into start-ups. Our focus on students’ mental health, a renewed emphasis on math skills, and continued investments in building and repairing schools give our children the best environment to grow and learn.

A healthy community has to take into account the well-being of all its residents, no matter what their age.

To that end, we are working to build a health-care system that everyone can rely on and that takes care of you and your family. People in Leaside have shared with me stories of their elderly parents who need more help, while others have talked about their own needs and how they are increasingly dependent on family and friends.

That’s why we are investing in front-line workers, helping seniors with the cost of prescription drugs, making the shingles vaccine free for eligible seniors, and reducing wait times for specialists. We are also adding an estimated 350,000 hours of nursing care and 1.3 million hours of personal support to enhance home and community care.

We are continuing to build new hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and transit across Ontario by making the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario’s history — about $160 billion over 12 years. It includes repairing hospitals like Women’s College Hospital and Bridgepoint Health, which both serve our community. It also includes building transit, like the Eglinton LRT project, which runs through the heart of Leaside, so you can spend less time stuck in traffic and more time with your families.

Finally, we are taking steps so everyone in Ontario can look ahead to the future with confidence, knowing they can retire with dignity. Ontario chose to take a leadership role to fight for a national solution for greater retirement security. And now that an agreement has been reached, our province will continue to work with its federal and provincial partners to enhance the Canada Pension Plan.

Government should – and can be – a force for good in our everyday lives. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate meeting with you here in Leaside, learning about your lives, and working for you as I serve your community – and the beautiful province we call home. ■

LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:04 PM Page 35

Jon Burnside Councillor, Toronto Ward 26 Don Valley West

Taking aim at Leaside’s pot shops Unfortunately, Leaside is not immune to the wave of “pot shops” that have opened in Toronto.

While we are home to only one of 130 reported shops across the city, it is one too many. In my opinion, the operators are just drug dealers with fancy wallpaper. Judging by the number of calls I have received from local residents, my view is shared by many.

The situation has largely been created by the federal government, which indicated its intent to legalize marijuana, but has been slow to provide any sort of policy framework around regulation of its production and sale.

While this has led to some confusion, there should be none. At no time have storefront sales been permitted.

Medicinal users – the only ones currently permitted to consume marijuana – must grow the marijuana themselves, obtain it directly from a healthcare practitioner or obtain it via a courier by a licensed supplier approved by Health Canada.

The obvious issues surrounding unlicensed sellers – aka drug dealers – are that the levels of THC (the mind-altering substance in pot) vary wildly and are commonly mislabeled. And of course, much of their supply comes from organized crime. Unfortunately, the problems don’t end there. Only a few weeks ago, an employee of a pot shop on Eglinton Ave. near Avenue Rd. was “cooking” alleged drugs in the basement. An explosion ensued that blew out the storefront windows, narrowly missing a mother and her baby walking by.

Although the police are unable to comment on the Bayview Ave store, they have recently closed down marijuana stores at 379 Eglinton Ave. East and 562 Mt. Pleasant Rd. Sadly, the process is long and labourious. In order to close a store and lay charges, a search warrant must first be obtained. To obtain a search warrant, undercover officers must first buy product, and court rulings dictate they must do so more than once! If testing BURNSIDE, Page 38

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Leaside’s knit-wizzes Since January, a group of 14 women at Leaside Gate, calling themselves the Leaside Gate Condo Knitting Group, has knit an astonishing 1,500 seven-inch squares.

The knitting takes place mainly on Wednesday mornings in a pleasant common room in the building at 955 Millwood Rd. It’s a time for knitting, obviously, but also a time for chatting, catching up and just being with other likeminded people.

And what happens to the squares? One of the knitters, Magda, assembles the squares into a pleasing pattern and crochets them together – making blankets, knee throws or shoulder shawls. Some of the squares are monochromatic, with no pattern, while others include fancy patterns, colourful variations,

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:04 PM Page 37

SARAH KELLY

Leaside Life, October 2016

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the needles, though he’d certainly be a welcome addition.

One of the circle, Edith, creates preemie hats and sweaters for Sick Kids’ Hospital. Evelyn knits on Tues- 37 day mornings at St. Cuthbert’s Church to contribute sweaters for the church’s semi-annual sales.

These are only two of the women turning wool into beautiful creations.

Do you have any leftover yarn?

If so, these knitters would be happy to have it. They would also welcome suggestions of more places for their completed projects. Contact Doreen Sherk at 416.923.2642 for more information on how you can contribute your spare wool. ■

or both – but all are made of washable fibre so they are easy to care for.

The finished products, tied with ribbon and a tag identifying the makers as the “Leaside Gate Condo Knitting Group,” end up in long-term care residences, at K Wing at Sunnybrook Hospital, or with friends in the building, neighbourhood or out of town. The recipients appreciate that these blankets are made by hand, and with love, and feel that someone

cares.

Some of the knitters are originally from England, where knitting was a skill taught in school, and featuring early projects for soldiers in the Second World War. These women caught the knitting bug, and they’ve been knitting ever since. A couple had knit long ago, but stopped and took it up again as part of this group.

No one is an absolute beginner, and so far at least, no man has taken up

SARAH KELLY

Leaside’s knitting ladies led by Doreen Sherk (back row, 2nd from the right)

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LeasideLife issue 53 final_LeasideLifev1 16-09-25 11:04 PM Page 38

Burnside

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From Page 35

Leaside Life, October 2016

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38 confirms what they bought was indeed marijuana, only then will a search warrant be issued.

Fortunately, the news isn’t all bad. Police activity has thus far led to the permanent closure of 62 stores. The federal task force created to advise the government will present its findings by Nov. 30 with the government expected to table a bill by the spring of 2017.

In the meantime, 53 Division has assured me that they will continue to work diligently to shut down any stores in our midst. ■ You can reach me at councillor_burnside@toronto.ca

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