The City is planning to recognize its workers with hi-tech awards for their excellence in Artificial Intelligence Innovation.

The Mayor’s Awards for Artificial Intelligence Innovation will be presented to staff who initiate cutting edge developments in the City divisions, agencies and boards.

The awards ceremony is expected to take place later this year.

The annual event will ‘recognize outstanding innovations in the use of Artificial Intelligence that are developed implemented by internal City Divisions, Agencies and Boards.’

Staff are being asked to develop specific categories for the awards that recognize diverse types of Artificial Intelligence innovation. The categories can include data analytics and insights;  natural language processing and automation and efficiency improvements.

Also being looked at are the use for artificial intelligence for public safety and security and use of the program for accessibility and inclusion.

The winners will be chosen by an independent panel to be composed of individuals with expertise in Artificial Intelligence and related fields.

“This lack of direct acknowledgment from elected officials can limit the visibility of these crucial projects, potentially hindering employee morale and public awareness of the City’s commitment to leveraging Artificial Intelligence for improved services and operations,” according to a report.

The Mayor’s Awards, due to their association with the highest elected office, will bring greater public attention to the innovative Artificial Intelligence initiatives being developed and implemented by City employees. This heightened visibility can foster pride within city departments and increase understanding among constituents.

A so-called Alderwood house of horror where two women were killed is now up for sale.

A sale sign is now outside the Silvercrest Avenue three-bedroom home which was the scene of a gruesome double murder of two women last August.

The suspected killer Joseph Ayala, 33, of Toronto, is still on the run from police some nine months later.

Toronto Police have conducted area ground searches for Ayala, who is sought for two counts of second degree murder.

“The suspect just disappeared in thin air,” as one detective described the manhunt.

Police were called just before 1 p.m. last August 28 to the quiet residential street, where the lifeless bodies of an 82-year-old grandmother and 60-year-old sister were found in a home.

It is suspected the fugitive is a family member, who is now being helped by others to elude police capture.

The home was listed for sale earlier in April for $889,500.

“This property awaits a new owner to perform the updates and upgrades that are deserved, and area warranted,” according to a listing on realtor.ca

“Location Location Location,”! according to the sales pitch. The ‘attractive and solid all brick’ home is located in a super-desirable area of Alderwood, a quiet close-knit neighbourhood.”

There are no mention of the residence’s bloody history.

A public meeting is being held on April 30 by Etobicoke York Community Council in regards to a large parcel of land proposed to be developed in Mimico.

A request to amend the official plan and zoning by-law applies to several blocks 21-25 Windsor Street, 18 Buckingham Street and 60 Newcastle Street, about 100 metres of the Mimico GO Station.

The application proposes to amend the Official Plan for the properties to permit a 32 to 46-storey, 14 and seven storey mixed use buildings linked by an eight-storey podium.

The meeting will take place about  9:30 a.m. at Council Chamber, Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall and by video conference.

Etobicoke York Community Council will receive input and review the proposal and any other material placed before it to make recommendations on the application. These recommendations will then be forwarded to Toronto City Council for its consideration.

The proposed complex will contain about 1,117 residential units , 933 condo units, 184 co-op units and a private daycare.

A new shelter is proposed to replace the existing Elisa House transitional housing facility, operated by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP).

The proposed development also includes a new 987.7 square metres park to be located on the corner of the Portland and Windsor Streets.

More and more coyotes are being seen as the weather gets warmer and a local councillor is appealing to City council to find humane ways to deal with them.

Ward 2 Councillor Stephen Holyday said the coyotes are not only a concern for Liberty Village, Fort York and Cityplace residents and there has to be a Coyote Response Strategy and staff should examine best practices of other municipalities in dealing with the animals.

Some of the coyotes suspected of being ill are now shot dead or killed by City animal services officers.

“I see a coyote at least once a month in my area,” Holyday said. “We saw a family of them looking through our window at home.”

He said the coyotes can kill or injure pets, like dogs, cats or even attack people.

“Most encounters with coyotes occur when people leave out food and garbage intentionally or by accident,” according to a motion before Council by Holyday. “Coyotes and dogs may have negative encounters if people have their dogs off leash, causing a coyote to defend itself and its young.”

Council has agreed to explore the use of technology or other tools for coyote diversion; study the benefits and drawbacks to different approaches to manage the issue and seek input from wildlife experts.

The City said wildlife management should be examined before allowing construction on City-led projects and the Ontario government should conduct an environmental assessment of wildlife, including coyotes, in the redevelopment of Ontario Place.

Other incidents involving coyotes are also voiced by Councilor Ausma Malik and is under consideration by City Council in relation to having animal or bylaw officers patrolling areas of her ward daily and hours will focus at dawn and dusk when most reports of incidents/sightings are received.

“Daily evaluation for the necessity, at City staff’s discretion, of further escalation to lethal removal if significant,” she said.

A  report on coyote management is slated the Economic and Community Development Committee on May 6.

Etobicoke residents may recall last Canada Day, on July 1, 2024, a number of residents and media reported three or four physical attacks by a group of coyotes on dogs which were being walked by local dog owners in Princes Margaret Park.

Holyday’s motion called for more City monitoring and data collected on coyote attacks injuring pets or people.

Residents are urged to blow whistles; upcycle an aluminum can filled with coins or rocks to startle a coyote when shaken for personal safety.

People can also open and close an umbrella pointed in the direction of the coyote while walking towards the coyote to assist with deterring a coyote.

And green garbage bags– fill with air and snapped down will make you look bigger and the noise will scare the coyote

 

City of Toronto officials seems to be listening to pressure from the community and back-peddling on some plans for a proposed Third Street homeless shelter.

New Toronto area residents in an e-mail from City staff on April 17 said the planned 80-bed homeless shelter will now be reduced to 50 beds catering to homeless seniors.

“The shelter capacity has also been reduced to 50 beds, to ensure there is space to accommodate accessibility needs that senior residents may have,” Ward 3 Councillor Amber Morley said.
She said there’s ‘many senior residents living in encampments across Etobicoke-Lakeshore over the last year.’

Morley said the 66 Third Street shelter site is next to a Toronto Seniors Housing building which means it may be possible for some of the homeless elderly to obtain permanent housing, services and programming.

A bombshell  announcement by the City calling for an 80-bed municipal homeless shelter last December divided the community as some residents support the facility and others claim it is close to two schools and the seniors residence.

There has been a number of protests, angry feelings and meetings between irate residents and City staff in regards to the location of the facility. Five years ago the City tried to open a similar shelter at 2950-2970 Lake Shore Blvd. W., but backed down due to protests from the community.

This shelter will not open for three to five years, the City said. It is among 20 planned for different areas of the City.

It will be operated by the Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre (CONC),  an organization with more than 30 years of experience serving the vulnerable community.
CONC operates a 68-bed mens’ shelter on Lansdowne Avenue and a 30-bed shelter for men at 850 Bloor Street W.

City staff said there will be opportunities for residents to share in the building’s design and there will be a safety walk of the neighbourhood in the fall.

Toronto Police at a town hall meeting say they believe a fugitive accused of slaying two Alderwood women nine-months ago is still alive and hiding in the community.

“We are still getting tips on his possible whereabouts,” said 22 Division Unit Commander Jeff Bangild. “Our homicide officers are working hard on the case.”

Joseph Ayala, 33, of Toronto, is wanted for the high-profile second-degree murders after police received a call in August 2024 to conduct a well-being check at a house near Sheldon and Silvercrest Avenues.

Inside the home they found the bodies of 82-year-old woman and a 60-year-old woman, who were relatives of the suspect.  They had been brutally killed.

Bangild told the community the case is not closed and officers are investigating full time.

“We believe that he is still alive and  hiding somewhere,” he said. “There is nothing to indicate that he is not alive.”

The senior officer was among 22 Division officers speaking at a Community Police Liaison Committee Town Hall on April 16 at the Toronto Police College, on Birmingham Street. Also present were Community Neighbourhood officiers and members of the Hold Up Squad.

The meeting was attended by about 100 concerned residents who were given an opportunity to ask questions in regards to events in the community.

Asked about the proposed and controversial homeless shelter on Third Street, Bangild said the City that decides the location of shelters,  not the police.

“We will be involved in the security issues afterwards,” he said. “We work for the City and it is their decision.”

Police said serious crimes as assaults, auto thefts, home invasions have decreased compared to last year.

Residents were told auto thefts are still a problem and there has been 142 vehicles stolen in the Division so far this year, the fourth highest amount in the City.

“Etobicoke has good escape route with highways to take vehicles to cool down,” said Inspector Joseph Matys, of the Hold Up Squad.

He said there has been a 57 per cent decrease in break and enter crimes targeting vehicles. In addition, pharmacy robberies dipped by 80 per cent and bank robberies plunged by 70 per cent in the last six months.

An area man who was on his way home after a hard day’s work is today fighting for his life after being hit by a vehicle at a bus stop in the Horner and Kipling Avenues area.

Police said the man was on his way home from work when he was hit by a vehicle that was involved in a personal injury collision on April 14 around 5:20 a.m.

Traffic Services in a release allege a 21-year-old man was operating a Jeep Cherokee  northbound on Kipling Avenue and apparently ran a red light and struck a vehicle travelling westbound on Horner that was making a left turn on Kipling.

“As a result of the collision, the Jeep continued off the roadway and struck the male pedestrian,” according to police. A 42-year-old man was ‘rushed to a local trauma centre in life-threatening condition.’

The left-turning driver of a Nissan was also hospitalized with minor injuries.

Police are asking local residents, businesses, and drivers, who may have security or dash camera footage of the area or incident, to contact investigators at 416-808-1900, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.

 

The upcoming federal election is about two weeks away and here are our candidates for two South Etobicoke ridings.

An all candidates meeting for the riding of Etobicoke Lakeshore is taking place on April 16 at the Daily Bread Food Bank, at 191 New Toronto Street.

The debate runs from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and doors are open at 6. Registration is required for the free event that is being moderated by TVO’s Kat Eschner.

Running for the Etobicoke Lakeshore riding are incumbent Liberal MP James Maloney; former riding MP Bernard Trottier, running for the Conservative Party; Cory Wagar for the NDP; Thomas Fanjoy for the People’s Party of Canada; and Janice Murray for the Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada.

In Etobicoke Centre Liberal incumbent Yvan Baker is running against Ted Opitz, of the Conservative Party, and NDP Ji Won Jung.

This election is an opportunity to have your say in choosing Canada’s next Prime Minister, and to vote for your Member of Parliament (MP).

Some of the major issues include affordable housing, income supports, healthcare and lengthy waiting times, food insecurity, the cost of living and traffic congestion.

Election Day is on Monday April 28.

You can vote early until April 22 at your nearest Elections Canada office. There is one at 4195 Dundas Street W., Suite 7.

You can also visit their website at elections.ca or call 1-866-238-7134.

Another shopping plaza in South Etobicoke may soon be making way for more high-rise condos.

Plans are underway to redevelop the plaza at 125 The Queensway, just east of Park Lawn Road, to make it a community of seven mixed use towers ranging in height up to 50 storeys.

The plaza with large parking lot is now home to a LCBO, a Sobey’s supermarket, Dollarama, Shoppers Drug Mart, TD Bank, Pizza Pizza and some other smaller retail stores.

Plans were filed last March with City officials to demolish and redevelop the prime site that will eventually bring about 4,000 residential units that will include apartments and townhomes.

It will be the second Sobey’s grocery store to soon disappear from the community. The store at Kipling Avenue and The Queensway Mall will also be razed at some point for more condos.

The development at 125 The Queensway will be built in three stages with two roads connecting the community. A public park is also planned as part of the complex, which will be located next to the Ontario Food Terminal.

The site is near the TTC 501 Queen streetcar, upcoming Park Lawn GO station, and is part of higher density housing zone.

The proposal from developers call for the five shopping plaza buildings and surface parking to be demolished and replaced with towers rising between 42 and 50 storeys, along with a 12-storey mid-rise component.

The towers would reach heights of 50, 50, 47, 45, 45, and 42 storeys. It is estimated that more than 10,000 people will move to the area when completed.

The park is planned at almost 2,800 square metres at the south end of the lands, which would connect with a future connection to Humber Bay Shores and Lake Ontario across the Gardiner Expressway.

It will be a congested area when completed as 15 other condo towers are also planned for the Mr. Cookie factory site, at 2150 Lake Shore Blvd. W.