A South Etobicoke man is taking on the City in a bid to halt the expansion of the sport of pickleball in some neighbourhood parks.

The City of Toronto is conducting a survey until March 3 on the best use and popularity of pickleball, which they plan to install to about 20 Toronto tennis courts across the city.

Chris Morren says he will purchase residents a Tim Horton’s coffee if they vote no to the expansion of pickleball on the survey.

City staff is conducting community engagement to review the sport before construction of pickleball courts begin in the Spring. Construction is expected to be complete by December.

Morren in his invitation on social media said he will purchase a large coffee, with proof, to the first 500 people who vote against pickleball being installed in Laburnham Park, at 23 Evergreen Avenue, in Long Branch.

“ I am willing to engage with an independent auditor to verify this is all on the up and up,” Morren wrote. “Pickleball is a fad and requires less exercise.”

He is willing to go to court to stop the pickleball expansion to local parks. “I’ll go to court if have to.”

Morren said he will ‘take the Bloor Street W. bike lanes over pickleball in tennis courts.’

He claims to be with a group called Torontonians Against Pickleball (TAP).

City staff is working with communities to collect feedback about upgrades to tennis courts across the city, including improvements to lighting, fencing and court surfaces.

“The community engagement process will also explore opportunities to introduce new facilities to support the growing sport of pickleball,” Staff said.

They are seeking feedback on amenities needed to support successful improvements at each park, the preferred improvements and options for adding pickleball at each park.

Some of the parks included for pickleball are: Baycrest Park, Graydon Hall Park, Hendon Park, High Park, Howard Talbot Park, Kingsview Park, L’Amereaux Sports Complex, Laburnham Park, Lanyard Park, Malvern Park, Maple Leaf Park, Martingrove Gardens Park and McDairmid Woods Park among others.

You can respond to the survey by calling Rosemary McManus, City of Toronto, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, at 416-396-7826. You can also visit www.toronto.ca/CourtImprovements.

 

 

Hello Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women’s Empowerment Community, Our Black History Month Celebration & Fundraiser is just ONE WEEK away! Get ready for an unforgettable afternoon, filled with inspiring speeches by Trey Anthony and the Hon. Dr. Jean Augustine, performances by Jean Augustine Centre youth and spoken word artist, Coco LaRain Veira, a delicious brunch, and more. Date: Saturday, February 22, 2025 Time: 11 AM – 2 PM Location: Famous People Players (343 Evans Avenue, Etobicoke ON) Grab your tickets before sales end tomorrow (Sunday, February 16) and join us as we celebrate the rich history, culture, and contributions of Black Canadians. Proceeds from ticket sales will help girls and young women in our community access free after-school programs and workshops designed to help them grow, learn, and thrive.

More than 100 flag-waving area residents braved the snow and cold to celebrate the 60^th birthday of the Canadian National Flag in New Toronto.

The celebration at the Eighth Street flagpole was one of hundreds held across the country on February 15 to mark the birthday of the Canadian National Flag and show love for our country.

Those attending the noon-time event were treated to pieces of two birthday cakes, which had the Maple Leaf beautifully featured.

There was much camaraderie, smiles and speeches about the love of our great country.

The Royal Canadian Navy Band performed the national anthem and Maple Leaf forever as 22 Division officers looked on. They both received loud applause by an appreciative crowd.

Local politicians MP James Maloney, MPP Christine Hogarth and NDP Etobicoke Lakeshore candidate Rozhen Asrani made the rounds shaking hands or handing out flags. Noticeably absent was Ward 3 Councillor Amber Morley.

Those at the celebration signed a large banner in honour of our country and birthday of our flag. The banner will be taken to the archives in Ottawa by Maloney.

Organizer Chris Korwin-Kuczynski reminded those gathered that the Maple Leaf became synonymous with Canadian courage during the Second World War.

“It was more than an emblem; it was a promise to protect freedom, to stand with our Allies and never waver in the face of tyranny,” he reminded.

“Today, in cemeteries far from home, countless of our fallen lie under headstones marked with the Maple Leaf.”

Maloney said he still gets emotional when he sees the Canadian flag.

“It makes me proud when I see our flag waving,” he told the supportive crowd. “We are lucky to live in a great country and in this great community.”

Hogarth has family members in the military and said the flag reflects our proud heritage and history.

“I am proud to be here and represent this community,” she said. “We have a great history that we should be proud off.”

Asrani said she has been attending community events and trying to meet as many residents before the February 27 Ontario election.

“We live in a great community,” Asrani said.

The Canadian National Flag with the red Maple Leaf was raised for the first time on Parliament Hill on February 15, 1965.

The president of a company hired by the City to work with the community to alleviate concerns of a proposed Third Street homeless shelter has resigned his day job due to threats against him and co-workers.

Bruce Davis, a realtor and head of Public Progress, in a post on social media said his office received a ‘hostile’ phone call from a resident who threatened to cause damage to those who work at his real estate company for work being done in regards to the planned shelter.

Davis said a caller threatened him, his company and co-workers by targeting his clients. He wrote he can take the heat but it is not fair for his co-workers.

“Basically, every agent’s livelihood was being threatened because of my connection to the broker and my unrelated consulting work for the City,” he wrote.

City spokesperson Elise Van Scheel said Davis is still a member of their shelter community consultative group.

“Mr. Davis and staff at Public Progress are continuing to answer questions and meet with key stakeholders and groups in the community,” she said by e-mail.

She said City staff are working with the local Councillor to confirm the date and format for the next community meeting.  More information will be released shortly and posted on the City’s website.

The former Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee and chair wrote that his real estate practice works with non-profit organizations across Ontario to lease or buy properties for affordable housing.

Davis is well-known by many for his community involvement, hockey, as a TDSB trustee, or through church activities.

“But anyone who knows me will tell you that the guy who threatened me and the brokerage has just redoubled my efforts,” he warned. “I never give up.”

The former school board official has chaired three committees and a working group that formed the Toronto Lands Corporation.

Public Progress was hired by the City to help with a smooth integration of the controversial shelter. They company’s website said they design, build, finance and operate affordable housing through development consulting, project management, community engagement and ongoing advisory services.

The City said the Third Street shelter is one of 20 planned citywide. It is expected to be completed by 2030.

Davis’ post led to dozens comments from readers online in support or against the location of the controversial shelter.

By Tanya Vividly

About 100 residents braved the snow and elements to attend a two candidates debate at the Daily Bread Food Bank.

Liberal contender Lee Fairclough and NDP hopeful Rozhen Asrani were the only candidates who showed up to face questions from members of the community weeks before the February 27 Ontario election.

Etobicoke Lakeshore MPP Christine Hogarth and listed Green Party candidate Sean McClockin were not available.

This February 12 event was sponsored by LAMP CHC and Second Harvest. It was hosted by Daily Bread CEO Neil Hetherington.

Also there was MP James Maloney and interested community members.

There was a discussion of concerns in the community ranging from a proposed shelter on Third Street, food insecurity, affordable housing and improving healthcare.

Both candidates were in support of a shelter to help the homeless.

Members of the audience were encouraged to submit written questions for the candidates to answer.

The candidates were well-informed and articulate. Fairclough has over 25 years of leadership in healthcare. She has dedicated her career to improving the lives of people in that she started as a radiation therapist at Princess Margaret Hospital.

She was at one time the President of St. Mary’s General Hospital, where she guided her team through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, working with public health, local businesses, and community leaders to protect vulnerable populations.

Fairclough, who was also a former competitive athlete and member of Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team at the 1998 World Cup, has a Master’s Degree in Health Policy and is an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto.

Asrani was a former president of the Mimico Residents Association and community advocate.

She holds a degree in Economics from the University of Toronto, and has worked for nine years in healthcare technology and innovation. She is now a Senior Product Manager in Digital Health.

Rozhen is running to represent Etobicoke-Lakeshore, believing the area deserves strong leadership and real change.

 

Area residents wishing to vote early to beat the rush for the February 27 Ontario election can do so at an Evans Avenue banquet hall.

The early votes can be cast at the Trident Banquet Hall, enter through doors under YHO sign, at 145 Evans Avenue.

The candidates vying for the Etobicoke Lakeshore provincial riding are PC Christine Hogarth, health care worker Lee Fairclough running for the Liberal Party, Rozhen Asrani of the Ontario NDP and Sean NcClocklin, of the Green Party.

The polling station will remain open until February 26 and the hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Saturday. They are open until 5 p.m. on Sunday.

To be eligible to vote you must be 18 years of age or older, a Canadian citizen and resident of Ontario. ID is required to vote in a provincial election.

Photo ID is not required when you go to vote and you do not need to provide any information about your sex or gender expression.

ID can be shown on a mobile device. International ID or permanent resident cards are not accepted.

A list of polling stations will be released on February 14. Voters can also vote by mail by visiting elections.on.ca

 

Two Toronto police officers were hospitalized with minor injuries after being assaulted by a driver when they stopped a vehicle from entering a film shoot on Evans Avenue.

The two are among 10 officers injured on the job in the last week.

Toronto police say the incident happened on February 12 just before 1 p.m. in the area of Evans Avenue and Brown’s Line, just south of the Gardiner Expressway.

There are a number of film studios in the area with film shoots taking place.

The officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the assault, police say.

A male driver of a vehicle, in his 40s, has been arrested and face charges.

The incident comes days after another police officer sustained a head injury while responding to a call in North York on February 10.

The officers are recuperating at home.

About 200 concerned and sometimes boisterous residents showed up to express their mixed opinions at a meeting on a proposed 80-bed homeless shelter on Third Street.

A large hall at Humber College was packed with an overflow crowd as Toronto Police and security officers looked on as residents asked questions and tried to obtain information from speakers on the planned shelter for the homeless on the site of a City parking lot at 66 Third Street.

There were many against the shelter and those who support the project, one of 19 proposed citywide to help the homeless population. Many said they support the facility but not the location.

City shelters have to turn away more than 200 hundreds homeless nightly in this freezing weather due to a lack of beds.

Many of those at the meeting were asking why there wasn’t public consultation on the planned shelter, which is expected to be completed by 2030.

MP James Maloney was in attendance along with Ward 3 Councillor Amber Morley, who has said she fully support the shelter and faced a number of questions.

Morley said she had no say in the location of the shelter, which was among 100 sites examined by City officials.

MPP Christine Hogarth in a recent letter said her office has been fielding calls as to a lack of public meeting.

Hogarth has written Morley stating that a lack of public consultation is troubling.

“I am hearing growing sentiment that such a significant decision should have involved community input from the outset, not after the site was chosen.”

Many residents against the proposed shelter warned it will be close to two elementary schools and a seniors residence.

The community has been mobilizing as City crews conduct surveys and pre-construction work on the project.

More than 2,000 people have signed an online petition against the facility, and less than 200 had signed a second petition in support of the shelter.

Almost $6,000 has been raised on a Go Fund Me page created by a group called The New Toronto Initiative.

“It’s important that this decision involves more thoughtful planning and community input to ensure the best outcome for both shelter clients and local residents,” according to the group.

No other meetings or initiatives are planned.

A world-class New Toronto marathoner who was a member of the New Toronto Wall of Fame has passed away.

Jerome Drayton, who ran in the Olympics and was among a handful of Canadians to win the famed Boston Marathon, is being mourned by area residents.

Drayton, who was well-known in the community, died unexpectedly on February 10 at the age of 80.

The avid runner took part in the 1976 Montreal Olympics and was also the last Canadian to win the Boston Marathon.

He beat thousands of top runners in the Boston street race to make it to the finish line in 2 hours, 14 minutes and 16 seconds. Canadian Gerard Cote won the event four times in the 1940s.

“The Boston Marathon was a tough race,” Drayton recalled in an earlier interview. “The race often intrigued me as it had not been won by a Canadian since 1948.”

Drayton during his running career won dozens of races; including the Fukuoka International Marathon in Japan, which he won three times. He also placed second in the New York City Marathon in 1975 and placed sixth in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

Drayton held the Canadian Men’s Marathon record for 43 years. In 1978, he was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.

He has lived in South Etobicoke since 1957, first for decades in Mimico, before moving to New Toronto. The athlete moved to Canada from Russia with his parents as a young boy and at one time ran back and forth from Mimico to downtown Toronto to work at a government job.

You may have passed by his portrait many times as it is painted with other high-achieving residents on a Lake Shore Village BIA Wall of Fame, which graces the side of a pharmacy on Sixth Street.

“I loved the running which I did for enjoyment,” he said in 2024. “I also loved travelling to different places to race.”

Visitation will be held on February 13, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Cardinal Funeral Home, 92 Annette Street.

His funeral service will be held on February 14 at 11 a.m. at St. Volodymyr Cathedral, 400 Bathurst Street. Burial to follow at St. Volodymyr Cemetery in Oakville.

Donations in his honour can be made to the Canadian Olympic Foundation.

A former Toronto Police Drug Squad officer was forfeited 10 days with pay and ordered to take a firearms safety course after his service weapon was stolen at Sherway Gardens Mall.

Const. Eugene Lee, 51, was off-duty when he went to Sherway Gardens on February 2023 and left his gun in a backpack on the back seat of his personal vehicle.

When he returned after about six hours of shopping his vehicle had been broken into in the parking lot and the backpack with his Glock firearm was gone.

The 14-year veteran of the force was suspended with pay after being charged with careless storage of a firearm and careless storage of ammunition, which were dropped.

A Toronto Police Disciplinary Hearing in a decision last month said the weapon has never been located and can be used to injure someone if it ends up in the hands of a ‘bad actor.”

Lee faced Police Act charges of insubordination and discreditable conduct.

“The firearm was stored unloaded and without ammunition,” according to the decision. “It was not locked up in any secure receptacle nor was there a trigger lock on it.”

Tribunals Hearings Officer Inspector Susan Gomes said the force takes the incident very seriously.

“… police officers are prohibited from carrying their issued firearm, or issued magazines while off duty except when travelling to or from duty.”

”A multi-hour stop into a restaurant does not qualify,” according to the decision, which said Lee contacted his supervisors right away and accepted full responsibility for the incident.

‘Constable Lee carelessly storing his firearm, having it stolen and not recovered is simply damage to the Service’s reputation,” the decision warned.

Submissions made said Lee’s carelessness was completely unacceptable, and that if this were to occur again, ‘the Service will take it extremely seriously and dismissal may be requested.’

“The police issued firearm is unaccounted for and out in the public, where it may be used for violence, or even for the responsibility of taking a life,” the tribunal was told. “… this behaviour cannot be tolerated.”

The tribunal heard from Lee who expressed his remorse stating he was willing to accept the punishment and to return to work.

The hearing was told that during his policing career Lee had earned 32 awards and letters of recognition, which included 25 award recommendations, six letters of appreciation and a corporate award.

Lee’s supervisors told the hearing that he is an honest person, with integrity and true core values.

“He owned his mistake immediately and faced it head on,” one manager said. “He has proven that no one is perfect, and mistakes happen to everyone, and has expressed feeling terrible about what happened.”

Lee has to report for a firearms safety course at the Toronto Police College.