Some South Etobicoke families had a chance to bond with officers from 22 Division Toronto Police and other services at a community meet and greet.
The 3rd Annual 22 Division Community Summer festival was held on August 10 at the Bloordale United Church, on Bloor Street W.
A number of lucky youngsters received free bicycles collected by police from the public and were shown proper riding techniques.
One young boy was in disbelief that he would receive a free bike from police.
Members of the Fire Services, Paramedics and other services were at the festival showing off some of their gear.

One of the more popular attractions was the Mounted Unit which drew the attention of most of the children, who wanted to pet the beautiful and well-trained horses.
Police said bicycles are being accepted at 22 Division, 3699 Bloor St. W.,  and will be distributed to children in need.
Inspector Jeff Bangild said officers are seeking feedback so they can better serve the community.
“It has been great interacting with the community and to listen to their concerns,” said Bangild, who has been on the force for almost 30 years but only stationed at 22 Division for several months.

Michael Georgopoulos, of the Community Police Liaison Committee, said it was a fun filled day of activities and food for the entire family.
He said here were activities for the children led by the Royal York Football Club, Eurostep Basketball and the Etobicoke Pickelballl Association.

A popular South Etobicoke ribfest that was scheduled for this weekend on the grounds of Humber College has been cancelled leaving many in the community disappointed.

Organizers had expected to attract more than 13,000 to the third annual Etobicoke Rifbest, which was to run from July 19 to 21 at Col. Samuel Smith Park.

The festival promised food from five of North America’s best rib teams serving up saucy, steaming barbecue alongside live music performances all weekend long.

The fest attracted many area residents some were employed as vendors, musicians, kitchen staff for the event.

Days before the festival, organizers issued a statement saying the event had been cancelled.

“It is with deep regret that we announce the cancellation of the Lakeshore Ribfest 2024 event scheduled to take place this weekend at Assembly Park in Etobicoke,” according to a letter signed by organizer Rick Brooks.

According to Brooks, the City of Toronto issued last-minute requirements that the festival put down truck matting to cover the entire grass area to prevent the park’s grass from getting damaged which, Brooks says, would be “nearly impossible.”

“It is with deep regret that we announce the cancellation of the Lakeshore Ribfest 2024 event scheduled to take place this weekend at Assembly Park in Etobicoke,” Brooks wrote.

“Despite our best efforts to offer alternative solutions with these new regulations, the time frame and logistical challenges presented have made it impossible for us to meet these requirements and proceed with the event as planned,” he explains.

He was disappointed for the vendors, sponsors, and the many attendees who were looking forward to enjoying this annual celebration of food and community.

“The past 2 years Lakeshore Ribfest has always been a highlight of the summer season for residents of Etobicoke and Lakeshore Village, and we share in your disappointment,” Brooks said.

Members of the Lakeshore Village BIA said they are disappointed since the festival brought people to the area

Pastry  baker Debbie Skellas has taken the simple donut to the next level and made it into an art form.

Skellas is the founder of unholy Donut, which does not have a hole in the pastry and instead filled with cream, fruit or other flavours.

She, with husband Mike, have recently opened their third donut store at 234 Brown’s Line, near Lake Shore Blvd. W.

They have others at 519 Maitland Street and at  596 Bay Street. The bakery was voted one of the best donut in the City of Toronto on social media.

Their donuts are all handmade using fresh ingredients and can often take hours to make since the brioche-style base requires more time to achieve its fluffy and gooey texture.

“We take our time because we want to ensure that the donuts taste great while also upholding the quality of the brand,” she said.

unholy Donuts’ caters to both chocolate lovers and those who like a fruity twist to their desserts. There are always about a dozen flavours to choose from and more is in the oven.

They feature filled and unfilled donuts in flavours like Ferrero Rocher, Nutella Bomb, Banana Delight and Strawberry Cheesecake.

“We currently have 12 flavours and hope to slowly introduce more,” Skellas said. “Each of the donuts resembles mini-cakes and is infused with custard that’s made in-house.

Depending on the donut, the custard filling may come in flavours such as vanilla, strawberry or raspberry.

Some of the popular flavours include: Ferrero Rocher donut, which sells for $5.95, the chocolate pastry cream paired with Belgian milk chocolate ganache and the Nutella Bomb, at $5.95.

Skellas got into the donut business during COVID when a downtown restaurant allowed her to sell her pastries, which people loved.

She has worked for years in her family’s restaurant and always loved cooking and baking.

The Brown’s Line facility is larger in size and allows them to expand their line of pastries.

There are batches of hand-rolled donuts in carts awaiting to be put into ovens for cooking.

There is also a space to perform the dressing of the donuts.

Skellas now has a staff of eight to help with her stores, which have a cosy and friendly feel.

Unholy Donuts can be reached at 437-294-5784.

Many of us in the community have lost track of the status of the historic 108-year-old Mimico train station in Coronation Park.

The fate and revitalization of the iconic train station is being considered by City Council on July 24.

A motion by Ward 3 Councillor Amber Morley seconded by Shelley Carroll calls for the City’s Parks and Forestry staff to plan for the restoration and activation of the Historic Mimico Train Station.

It seeks a building assessment and meetings with the local councillor, residents association, Mimico Village Business Improvement Area and other stakeholders to get their input.

The station was built around 1916, according to the Architectural Conservancy Ontario.

The building was originally owned by the Grand Trunk Railway and later taken over by the Canadian National Railway.

It stopped being used as a station in the late 1960’s and was abandoned in 1989 before being sold by Canadian National in 2001.

The new owner of the station applied for a demolition permit, and the Mimico Station Community Organization was formed to fight the demolition. They were successful, and in November 2007 the station was relocated to Coronation Park

City staff said the building has been closed for some time but there is an opportunity to revitalize the station as a local community asset.

They said there has been calls from residents to revitalize the area into a community space.

The City has to determine what work is required to ensure a safe and functional station building and identify potential uses and partnership opportunities.

Area residents have also been calling for the preservation of the Joy Gas Station, still standing as a heritage building at Lake Shore Blvd. W., and Windermere Avenue. At one time there were 16 of the U.S. owned stations in the Toronto area.

 

The raging rain and floods was too much for this one man who had to be rescued by helicopter from the swollen Etobicoke Creek.

A Canadian military helicopter was summoned to airlift the man to safety during a July 16 outburst that flooded highways and knocked off power to 167,000 people.

More than 20 people were rescued by firefighters after being trapped in elevators.

Many elderly residents were reminded of the outburst by Hurricane Hazel, with struck on October 15, 1954, which will be 70 years in three months.

Hurricane Hazel killed at least 469 people in Haiti before it struck Canada and the U.S. near the border between North and South Carolina as a Category 4 hurricane.

A number of homes in Long Branch and the Marie Curtis Park area were taken away by the fast-moving flood waters.

Toronto Fire Services said several emergency services were called on Tuesday to the creek near Sherway Drive shortly after 5:30 p.m. for a rescue.

“There is no word on the person’s condition. It is unknown how the man got stranded on the island,” fire officials said.

The man was just one of several people who had to be rescued after heavy rainfall caused widespread flooding in Toronto.

According to Toronto Fire, on Tuesday, they rescued 20 people from cars and buildings, including a dozen who were stranded on the Don Valley Parkway.

“We had a gentleman stranded in the middle of the Etobicoke River stranded on a small island. We had a lot of flooding today, and we had high-flowing waves going through the river,” Toronto Fire District Chief Tony Rowe told reporters.

Toronto Fire added that crews responded to almost 500 incidents between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m., including elevator rescue and water calls.

Fire firefighters perished from the flood waters while tending to Hurricane Hazel calls.

Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest, second-costliest, and most intense hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed hundreds of people in Haiti before it struck the U.S.

 

An iconic and rare New Zealand locomotive is being rebuilt thanks to a Long Branch historian who posted online a sought-after 40-year steam device used to repair the train.

Loco 107 was built in 1885 and was left derailed and used to hold dirt when found in 1992, in Middlemarch, near Christ Church, by train enthusiasts who have been working for years to bring it back to life.

The enthusiasts managed to locate in their search for parts a Facebook Steam Engine Parts Page and a sought-after Zero Detroit self-lubricating metallic device that atomizes an oil mixture with steam to cool down the hot cylinders.

Long Branch resident and historian Bill Zufelt had purchased the steam device in the 1980s and is a collector of some rail items, including steam whistles. He listed the device for sale online for about $100.

“I had no idea what it was or let alone how it was incorporated into the operation of a steam train until I posted it on Facebook Marketplace’s category of Steam Engine Parts,” Zufelt said.

He was surprised and ecstatic when contacted by Gary Hodson, of Middlemarch, who said ‘my device would be an excellent and crucial part to restore old Loco 107.’

“I was astonished,” Zufelt said. “Someone half-way around the world saw the device and they wanted it to bring an ancient train back to life.”

The town has a population of about 160 and is a farming community with a long rail history.

He said the device is being sent from Toronto to Middlemarch by courier service and should be there by August.

The enthusiasts are part of Project Steam Middlemarch -The Prospector, a railway preservation society based in Dunedin. They are dedicated to the restoration of  steam locomotives formerly operated by the New Zealand Railways Department, with a goal to restore locomotives to operating conditions.

The 107, is one of two locomotives built in 1885 by Nasmyth, Wilson and Company. They entered service in 1887, were withdrawn in 1928, and in 1932 dumped in a river to help prevent erosion.

The remains were recovered in May 1992. The locomotive will be used as a tourist attraction once it has been restored.

 

 

A man who fled a fatal Gardiner Expressway  crash and took off by foot has been arrested.

“The driver of the black Audi was seen by witnesses fleeing the scene on foot,” according to Toronto Police. “He was walking on the elevated portion of the Gardiner Expressway towards Spadina Avenue.”

Police were called on July 4 at 2:04 a.m. to a personal injury vehicle collision on eastbound Gardiner, east of Dufferin Street.

Police said the two vehicles were driving eastbound on the Gardiner Expressway.

A four-door Audi sedan was travelling at a high rate of speed at the time and collided with the rear of a KIA sedan, according to police.

The KIA sedan had five occupants, three who were transported to hospital and two occupants were uninjured.

A 40-year old female passenger was transported to hospital and was pronounced deceased.

A 20-year-old female sustained life-altering injuries and a two-year-old child was transported to hospital with minor injuries.

Investigators are seeking any dash camera footage, surveillance footage, or information that may assist the investigation from people traveling in the area at the time.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1900, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.

Vance Kong, 48, of Whitby has been charged with six drinking and driving and six driving offences.

A man is sought for allegedly using a cell phone to photograph a woman.
Police were called on June 27 to a report of voyeurism in the North Queen Street and The Queensway area, according to police.
Police in a release said a woman entered a changing room at a local store and saw a hidden cell phone.
“She observed a cell phone being held under the stall wall,” police wrote. “The suspect appeared to capture images of the victim.”
The suspect is described as 50-60 years old, with a medium build, short receding dark hair, and clean-shaven. The suspect was last seen wearing blue pants with a blue and red t-shirt.

Police are asking the public to be aware, remain vigilant, and report any suspicious activity to police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-2200, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.
This is the second time a person has been charged for voyeurism in the same area.
The accused in a previous case wrote sexually explicit messages on the washroom stall walls in Sherway Gardens Mall and a restaurant on North Queen Street.