It’s the old versus the new.

Developers are calling for for the frontage of a historic Etobicoke heritage home to be demolished to make way for Metrolinx’s Royal York-Eglinton Station.

The station is part of the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension rapid transit line, a new underground station on the north-west corner of Royal York Road and Eglinton Avenue West.

The demolition will be considered by City council at its meeting October 8, 9 or 10 to determine if a low stone wall with  gateposts outside the home will go.

The stone fixtures are to be reconstructed in their exact location after the station is built in its original stone, according to a City report.

“This property remains as a reminder of the intended appearance of this part of Etobicoke,” according to a City report. “It is a well-crafted example of a Period Revival style house that was designed and set in landscaping that was inspired by the English Garden City Movement.”

The low-stone wall with gate posts along the southern frontage reflects the style and character of the house as well as the intended relationship that the landscaped gardens were planned to have had with the roads in this part of Etobicoke.

The 2.5 storey Mary Reid House at 4200 Eglinton Avenue W., is owned by the City of Toronto.

The house was constructed in 1939 as a country residence in what was intended to be a small residential enclave similar to those in the Kingsway Park area. However, the remainder of the subdivision was not developed as envisioned and this property is a reminder of the intended appearance of this part of Etobicoke.

“It is a well-crafted example of a Period Revival style house that was designed and set in landscaping that was inspired by the English Garden City Movement,” according to City documents. “

It said the ‘low -stone wall with gate posts along the southern frontage reflects the style and character of the house as well as the intended relationship that the landscaped gardens were planned to have had with the roads in this part of Etobicoke.’

Documentation and photographs regarding the dismantling, storage specifications and the salvage, storage, reconstruction, landscape are to be kept to re-construct the heritage site.

In 1925, local gardner Mary Reid bought the property for $3,000 as an investment to give in future to her son. In 1937, she transferred half the land to her son, Randolph Calvin. In 1939, an unfinished house valued at $1,300 stood there. In 1941, she transferred the rest of the lot to Calvin, and the entire east half to her other son, Leonard Roger.

 

 

 

A man has been arrested in New Toronto for allegedly firing a gun at another man in a scuffle.

Police said they responded to a call for a firearm being discharged in the Lake Shore Blvd. W., and Islington Avenue on September 21 about 8:12 p.m.

Officers allege a verbal argument occurred between the men, when one was shoved to the ground.

“The accused brandished a firearm and discharged it towards the ground,” police said in a release. “The victim did not sustain any injuries,”
Officers of the Gang and Gun Task Force arrested a suspect on October 4 in Long Branch.

The suspect was in possession of a loaded .38 calibre revolver handgun and a quantity of ammunition.

Riley Larman, 28, of Toronto, was charged with assault, discharge a Restricted Firearm and six other gun related offences, including careless storage of a firearm.

He was slated to appear in court  for a bail hearing  on October 5.

Service at the Royal York Subway station is back to normal following the death of a woman who was pinned under a TTC bus.

The station was shut for about three hours on October 6 around 1:20 p.m. after the woman was found pinned under the bus and pronounced dead at the scene.

Roads in the area were closed for several hours as investigators examined what led to the fatal collision.

The collision happened in the bus bay area of the station, located near Royal York Road and Bloor Street W., according to Insp. Errol Watson, a spokesperson Toronto Police.

At this point, it is not clear how the woman ended up pinned underneath the vehicle.

Police say that they are currently reviewing surveillance footage from the bus bay area.

Police have not publicly identified the victim and officers are still working to notify next-of-kin.

“We understand that this incident can be very traumatic for anyone who was involved or witnessed what happened,” a police spokesman said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A fight to pause a controversial Third Street municipal seniors’ shelter in New Toronto has now hit the courtroom.

A Statement of Claim has been filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice by the South Etobicoke Community Association (SECA) and New Toronto Initiative “challenging the decision to locate a municipal shelter at 66 Third Street in New Toronto.”

The action comes as more than $15,000 has been raised online in a Go Fund Me campaign to stop the proposed 50-bed shelter.

The legal action, which was announced in a release on October 6, names as defendants the City of Toronto, Councillor Amber Morley and Bruce Davis, of Public Progress.

Councillor Amber Morley and former school Trustee Bruce Davis are named in the legal action.

 

“The claim alleges that the City’s site-selection process was negligent, procedurally unfair, and tainted by the bias of Morley and Davis,” according to a release by SECA.

The group alleges Morley and Davis ‘engaged in conflicts of interest, misrepresentation and improper influence that undermined public trust.”

“Let’s start with proper consultation and don’t hide what you are trying to do,” a spokesperson Mark Smith said on AM 660 radio.

The pending lawsuit was the subject of a call-in talk show on the station’s Ben Mulroney show on October 6.

“This is the most undemocratic thing I have seen,” host Mulroney said. “I can’t believe it.”

Morley was blasted by callers, who called her a ‘ghost politician.’ She was taken to task by callers for not returning the phone calls or e-mails from voters.

Smith said the City and its politicians have not been frank and honest with area residents.

The City and Councillor Morley ignored residents, misled the public, and bent the rules to push through an inappropriate site at 66 Third Street, according to a posting on an Initiative website.

“Our community already carries its fair share of social services,” group spokesman Dan Perdue said. “We support helping vulnerable people, but this must be done fairly and equitably across Toronto.”

Perdue alleged the planned shelter is close to two schools and a seniors’ residence.

The group is seeking a court injunction to stop the shelter, have a transparent consultation process including residents to consider alternatives, and are seeking investments in child care, youth recreation, safe streets and local businesses.

The shelter was one of six shelters announced last year as part of the city’s efforts to meet an unprecedented demand for shelter spaces.

No date has been set for a court hearing.

Some say it is one of the oldest hardware stores in South Etobicoke.

The Mimico Home Hardware store, at 2404 Lake Shore Blvd. W., has been a hardware store at the corner of Superior Avenue for 100 years, the store owner says.

The store has been owned by the same family who will be celebrating their 50th year in business in December, says family member Panagiota Sartzetakis.

“We have been at the same corner of Mimico for almost 50 years,” she said. “We know all our customers and they know us.”

The store was first established as a hardware about 1925 and was purchased by the family in 1975.

She says customers are excited about the Toronto Blue Jays taking part in the baseball playoffs, which has created excitement among  residents in Mimico and elsewhere.

“Customers are talking about the games or have to hurry home to watch it,” Sartzetakis says. “It creates a level of excitement.”

She is accompanied by her seated mom, Melpo, during an afternoon shift.

Mom and daughter agree that the Mimico area has improved since they took over the busy store.

“The area has changed a lot over the years,” Melpo reflects. “Before the Motel Strip was down here and there were issues.”

Sartzetakis said the thriving area has more diversity and a range of restaurants and people.

“Now it is better,” she insists. “I think it is much safer here now.”

There are big changes coming as several large condo developments are in the planning stages that will change the face of the small-town area.

Mimico was an independent municipality until 1967, when it was amalgamated into the new Borough of Etobicoke, which was itself amalgamated in 1998 into the current city of Toronto.

The community was ranked by Toronto Life magazine in 2012 on their “Where to Buy Now” list of Toronto neighbourhoods.

Members of the Alderwood Church are trying to give a better life in Canada to a man who has been living in a refugee camp in Indonesia for a decade.
More than 100 members of the Delma Drive Church held a potluck dinner October 4 to heighten awareness of its refugee sponsorship program.
The church has filed papers with Immigratioin, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to sponsor an Afghanistan man who fled to Indonesia and has been living in a refugee camp there for about 10 years.
Ibrahim Nasiri, 34, who has been recognized by the United Nations as a refugee, will be the fourth refugee sponsored by the congregation, said Pastor Lawrence Nyarko.

“Ibrahim’s journey is a testament to his strength and perseverance in the face of adversity,” he said. “His story is one of resilience, adaptability and the enduring human spirit.”
On this day, members of the congregation brought in home-made foods which filled a long table that was billed as ‘a potluck culinary delight’ that was enjoyed by all.
Nyarko said the church had been waiting for almost three years for a decision by immigration officials to approve Nasiri’s asylum claim for Canada.
Church member Allan Petrie said Nasiri’s father and his brother were killed by Taliban linked groups in his homeland. He said he faces persecution in his native Afghanistan due to religion issues.

“We already have a place for him to stay when he arrives,” Petrie said. “We are looking forward to welcoming him.”
A church flyer said ‘Ibrahim is resilient and has navigated the challenging circumstances of being a refugee.’
He survives in the camp by performing construction work and repairing bicycles, which are a primary mode of transportation.
The church earlier held a food drive and pumpkin giveaway for members in the parking lot.