A South Etobicoke teen has earned the distinction of being the City’s top scholar for achieving a 100 per cent average in her schoolwork.

Sophie Kukovica, 18, who graduated from Bishop Allen Academy, at 721 Royal York Road, obtained top marks city wide for the 2024-2025 academic year.

She is the only Etobicoke student to earn 100 per cent in a Toronto  Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), list of their top 16 students with the highest averages.

Her younger sister Madelaine was also a top scholar with 100 per cent previously.

Sophie credits her family and being consistent for helping her achieve success.

“Doing the work every day, asking for help when I needed it, and just building good habits that add up over time,” she said, adding that Madelaine provided a large motivation for her.

Sophie will next month attend the University of Toronto, where she’ll be studying French, theology, and education. She intends to pursue a career in teaching, possibly at the university level.

“I just hope to help inspire the next generation of students and share the same passion for learning that my own teachers inspired in me,” she said.

“For me, what was really helpful was just planning and customizing my learning to my personal learning style,” Sophie told CTV News. “I tried to plan my time so I could work on things in small sections before the deadline that way I’m not doing multiple assignments at once.”

This year’s Top Scholars not only achieved record-breaking grades in advanced programs, but also led STEM and leadership clubs, conducted research, earned national and international awards in science, music, and the arts, organized charity events, and dedicated hundreds of hours to community service.

Dr. Brendan Browne, director of education at the TCDSB, said the group of top scholars prove that hard work pays off.

“You’ve obviously got really bright and talented students, but it really is all about hard work, perseverance, and the resiliency to be able to achieve the marks that they’ve achieved,” he said.

Three long-established Toronto towing companies are in the running to share a lucrative more than $2 million Toronto Police vehicle towing contract.

A Toronto City Bid Award Panel  will consider the awarding of the police contract to Abrams Towing,  J.P. Towing Service & Storage and Classic Towing and storage for a three year period, according to documents filed to Council, whose members will make the ultimate decision.

The contracts includes the towing of vehicles for the Environment, Climate and Forestry; Transportation Services;  Solid Waste Management Services and Toronto Water Divisions to the end of May 2028.

The City agencies will have an option to renew for two separate one-year periods.

The total amount for all contracts including both option years is $1,844,433, including all applicable taxes and charges, $2,084,209.

The TPS had to issue a new request in January last year as the Ontario government passed new legislation that affected the way towing providers interact with their customers and identified allowable towing rates.

The measure was required to decrease a tow truck war in Toronto in which more than dozen trucks were torched or drivers shot due to stiff competition.  A special police task force has been established to halt the violence.

Abrams is probable the largest of the tow companies with more than 160 trucks of varying sizes to service the Toronto area.

The family-owned J.P. Towing has been around for more than 30 years and has a range of light and heavy tow trucks for all Toronto towing needs.

Classic Towing and Storage has also been around for decades and has a fleet of about 150 vehicles of all sizes.

Thousands of vehicles are towed away yearly to pounds from City streets due to traffic infractions or for snow removal or other reasons. The average towing fee is $160 and the storage fee is $70 daily.

A man riding an E-bike was sent to an area hospital on Sunday morning after he was allegedly struck by a vehicle while riding in Long Branch, police say.

The collision happened in on August 17 near Lakeshore Boulevard W. and Thirty Third Street, just after 10:00 a.m.

Paramedics say the male cyclist was about 70-years-old and sustained life-threatening injuries. He was taken to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

The man is the second bike rider to be hit by a vehicle in the last month in Toronto.

Another E-bike rider was killed in a two-vehicle collision on July 18 that took place at 6:38 p.m. in downtown Toronto.

Police said the e-bike was travelling west on Gerrard Street E., when he collided with a Dodge Ram pick-up truck driving south on Church Street.

The 28-year-old cyclist was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries and pronounced dead.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

Some Mimico area residents are fighting against the expansion of a highly visible storage facility beside the Gardiner Expressway.

An application is being considered by Etobicoke York Community Council to determine if a one storey Public Storage facility, at 2 and 4 Mendota Road, in the Grand Avenue and the Gardiner area, should be approved for expansion to a four-storey facility, with additional parking and truck loading bays.

The company is highly visible for motorists along the Expressway, near Park Lawn Road.

Councillor Amber Morley said many members of the neighbourhood have been in contact with her office to voice their concerns about the proposed expansion.

She said on her website that there are concerns about pedestrian safety, transportation issues, shadow impacts, noise, quality of submitted studies, and more.

“Residents do not like the impact the existing facility has on their neighbourhood and they are opposed to any expansion,” Morley said. “Located at the end of a dead-end street, the Public Storage facility requires anyone accessing it to travel through the neighbourhood area, including heavy truck traffic.”

Concerned residents have been able to share their issues with City staff and applicant at a recent ‘well-attended’ community consultation meeting.

“I support the residents’ position against this development proposal,” she wrote.

The application is under review a Development Review division whose members will submit a report with recommendations to community council for a vote likely in the late summer of fall.

The company is seeking  an amendment to the zoning by-law to permit a four storey self-storage facility with a gross floor area of 11,168.26 square metres, 31 parking spaces and 3 truck loading bays.

Public Storage Properties is a publicly held company that has invested in mini-warehouse storage facilities. It is a full service real estate company whose Canadian Properties and affiliates own over 2.7 million square feet of properties in four provinces.

 

More than 1,000 Central Etobicoke residents have signed a petition to ban a planned 5G cell tower being planned for a neighbourhood mall to help with FIFA World Cup coverage.

Many residents are opposed to a proposed 25-metre cell tower planned to be erected in a parking lot of Renforth Plaza at 460 Renforth Drive.

More than 100 residents gathered at the Etobicoke Olympium last month for an information session held by Shared Tower, the company building the 5G tower, which is being used to boost FIFA World Cup coverage next year.

Many residents living in the area fear increased health risks – including cancer – from constant radio wave emissions from the tower.

“We firmly believed that increased health risks will directly impact the community at large due to the radio frequency electromagnetic fields emitted from this tower,” according to the petition. “Several public schools exist within close proximity to the proposed tower,”

Residents have concerns that the proposed 5G site is close to residential areas, a retirement facility, Centennial Park and the Etobicoke Olympium where families gather.

“We trust that public health and safety will continue to be a priority and that our concerns will be taken seriously and heard,” the petition asked. “We firmly believe that the negative impacts of the health risks outweigh the internet-availability benefits.”

Ward 2 Councillor Stephen Holyday said he is against the 5G tower plan.

“The issues raised include concerns over the height and built form of the tower, aesthetics, the placement on the site, [and] the appropriateness and proximity of the location of the radio communications equipment to sensitive uses such as residences and schools,” he wrote in a letter to City officials opposing the project.

“My position is consistent with that of the residents of the community. I am in opposition to this proposal.”

Resident Carlo Di Iorio is concerned about his family’s health and wellness.

“It is shocking news of a 5G tower that will become a serious health risk to so many individuals, including me and my family,” he said.

Ivana is also opposed to the tower , which will place “high-frequency transmitters in the heart of a family neighborhood, which is irresponsible and unacceptable.”

She warned the long-term health risks  remain unclear, and ‘our homes, children, and shared spaces should not be used as test zones.’

 

Two men are under arrest after being charged with arson in connection with a fire at Kingsway Boxing Club on Norseman Street.

Police were called to respond to a break-in on August 13 around 4 a.m. and said a fire was burning by the time they arrived. Nobody was injured.

The club suffered significant damage and is expected to be shut for about a week, according to the club’s website.

“Our team is strong, and our commitment to our community remains unshaken,” said Jennifer Huggins and Virgil Barrow in the statement.

The club said their classes will resume at a 3046 Bloor Street West location.

“Most importantly, everyone is safe,” according to the site. “While the damage to our facility is extensive, our team is strong, and our commitment to our community remains unshaken.”

Jamar Brown, 30, and Rahiem Williams, 18, both of Toronto, were arrested and charged with break-and-enter and arson.

Anxious New Toronto pet lovers are banding together to try and halt the closing of a popular pet care store.

Customers of the Pet Valu store, at 2734 Lake Shore Blvd. W., at First Street, have started an in-store and online petitions to try and prevent the closure of the long-time pet food and accessory store.

The store has been at that location for more than 30 years, and has been managed by George Zhang for the past 12 years.

Dozens of outraged pet lovers have signed the petitions to keep the doors open and the well-respected Zhang behind the counter. The store is expected to be shut later this year.

“The store is deeply involved in our customers’ daily life,” Zhang told Pet Valu officials. “It’s a well-established space in our community for people to go and bond with fellow pet owners in the community.”

Zhang wrote that the closure will have a ‘significant measurable impact to many customers’ who regularly visit as part of their routine. The outlet has won a GEMS Award from MP James Maloney for outstanding store.

He said the community is growing and the Pet Value franchise stands to benefit, as it is the only pet care store in the area.

Pet Valu customer care official Johnett Ricks in a note to Zhang said she couldn’t reveal the decision that lead to the closure of the store due to confidentiality reasons.

“We do sincerely thank you for taking the time to share your concerns regarding the closure of the Lakeshore & Long Branch location,”  she said. “We are still very sorry to hear that your favourite location is closing, and do appreciate you reaching out in support of keeping this store open.”

Ricks said customers can still shop online. The company has also opened another store in Long Branch at 3590 Lake Shore Blvd. W.

Pet lovers complain there are no other pet friendly stores within walking distance, and now have to drive to purchase their pet care products.

“I am in that store a couple times a week,” said animal lover Christina Murie. “The people are great and there is a great selection and it is walking distance.”

Another pet lover said the store is busy and the only one in the community for the hundreds of pet owners in search for pet food or accessories.

A local man has survived a fundraising swim across the treacherous English Channel to raise funds for charity.

The South Etobicoke high school teacher spent some of his summer swimming across the dangerous English Channel to raise $8,000 to help feed the needy who use the Daily Bread Food Bank.

Sam Garrison, 42, returned to Canada on August 6 following a gruelling 35-kilometre July 27 swim from the busy Port of Dover in England, to Wissant, France, in choppy, cold and current-stricken waters. The non-stop trip took him 16-hours and 15 minutes to complete.

The Grades 9 to 12 teacher at Martingrove Collegiate Institute, has been teaching for 17 years.

He said he had reached a point in his career during the pandemic and ‘needed a goal that would force him to change his life.’
“The swim was an endurance challenge that they call the ‘Mount Everest of swimming,” Garrison said. “It was a life-changing event and there were so many things I could not control.”

He trained for three years, by even swimming in the winter at Marie Curtis Park, in preparation for the challenge.

“The English Channel is supposed to be the toughest swim in the world,” Garrison said. “It is long and the busiest shipping channel in the world and the water is cold and filled with jelly fish.”

In preparation for the swim, he spent countless hours in the pool, in the lake, and in the ocean. “I swam in the cold water in winter to get used to frigid temperatures. I also had to figure out how to eat while swimming.”

The Burnhamthorpe Road resident had to hire a British captain, boat and three-member crew, who were from Toronto, to ensure he was safe during the cold crossing in the dark and while on the lookout for ships.

He said the rules that govern the cross-Channel swims are strict as swimmers are not allowed to touch their vessel during the journey and are thrown fruit and other goodies for food at intervals while swimming. Notes with instructions were written on a large chalkboard which he read from the water.

“It’s all been a life changing experience, with so many firsts – and along the way, I’ve met amazing people who have encouraged, guided and inspired me to keep going,” he said.

The Etobicoke native was told by swim officials that about 2,000 swimmers had made the gruelling trek in the last 150-years. He was among 35 Canadians to have successfully completed the journey.

“The end of the swim was very emotional when my hand touched the sand,” Garrison explained. “I didn’t think I would make it and all the effort was worth it.”

He was videotaped at the finish of the swim, during which his journey could be followed online in real time by supporters.

The swim raised almost $8,000 in an online Go Fund Me in support of the Daily Bread Food Bank.

“We’re incredibly grateful to Sam for his generosity and dedication. Swimming the English Channel is an extraordinary physical and mental challenge, and to take it on in support of Daily Bread is truly inspirational,” said Food Bank CEO Neil Hetherington. “His determination to make a positive impact is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when we come together to fight hunger.”

Well-known Long Branch graffiti artist Angel Carrillo and other volunteers have been beautifying some of our decrepit laneways with beautiful murals for about 10 years.

Carillo with about six volunteers  spent two days in early August painting large colourful murals to beautify a laneway at 3371 Lake Shore Blvd. W., near Thirtieth Street.

“We are introducing the next generation of artists to the community,” he said. “We are all volunteers and we are giving back to the community.”

Carillo’s works by day as a tattoo artist at Southside Ink, which is across the street from the laneway.

He and his group of painters have painted a number of large murals in the community.

The team had to first clean up the wall and then apply primer, before the more than 100 cans of paint are applied.

The group use their own funds to purchase the cans of paint, primer and other material, in addition to the many hours required for the painstaking work.

Today muralist Julia is one of the artists helping out with the work.

“It is a big honour to bring my art to the people,” she said. “I love art and paint every day.”

Her works appear in a number of venues in the city, like Coronation and Woodbine Parks. She recently returned from a female graffiti artists convention in Mexico City.