Mike Filey wrote millions of words over the years on our City’s ever-changing history.
Filey was a favourite with Toronto Sun readers who enjoyed his weekly The Way We Were column on Sundays detailing our history and people loved it.
He was kind to his dedicated readers across the GTA, revealing bits of history about where they lived and what was there before. He wrote many articles on the history of Etobicoke, which residents loved.
His wife Yarmila said Mike passed before dawn on July 30, 2022 at the age of 80.
Mike through the years became known as the unofficial historian for Toronto and was the author of two dozen books, one detailing the history of the TTC streetcars.
“I have a couple of his books,” said former Toronto Sun colleague Ian Robertson. “He helped with information for a couple of my stamp columns a few years back, plus a travel piece about old TTC streetcars in San Francisco that I wrote around 2018.”
Mike was a fixture at the old Toronto Telegraph’s microfilm reader in the library for many years, recalled then Sun main librarian, Julie Kirsh.
“He always said that nothing changed over the years….the weather, taxes and diets were consistent news,” Kirsh said. “He was a nice man.”
“Mike Filey always had a pleasant joke or item to share with others, said Tom Godfrey, Publisher of The South Etobicoke News. “We worked side by side for many years and he knew more of the history of Toronto than most people.”
“He was one of the most likeable people ever,” said Postmedia Chair Paul Godfrey, who knew Filey since he was chair then Metro Council in the 1970s. “He loved the city just about more than anybody else.”
He was an encyclopedia or, in today’s terms, a human search engine.
“Mike Filey was a guardian of Toronto’s history who always helped put the present into perspective,” said Mayor John Tory. “His love for Toronto and its history made him a regular and very welcome caller to me as Mayor.
He, like me, was awarded the Jean Hibbert Memorial Award for his columns by the Etobicoke Historical Society.
Filey was a graduate of North Toronto Collegiate Institute and later, from the chemical technology program at then Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. He grew up near the Honest Ed’s discount store at Bathurst and Bloor Sts., and later worked at Ontario’s Ministry of Environment.

By REJEAN CANTLON

When the Mimico Mountaineers secured top spot in the 2022 regular season of the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League (OJLL), the team had their eyes clearly focused on moving deep into the playoffs. Having said that, getting there was no easy feat.

The boys closed out the last few games with three straight one-goal wins against some formidable opponents in Whitby, Orangeville and Oakville, all also playoff-bound.

Over the course of the season Mimico seemed destined to make a run for the Minto Cup with an impressive 16-4 record.

They had 2 of the Top 5 scorers with Finlay Thomson leading the league with 124 points (52 goals/72 assists) and Carson Moyer with 89 points (46 goals/43 assists) in 20 games.

In addition, the Mountaineers were stacked with 12 graduating 21-year-olds. Jr A lacrosse teams are comprised of players 17-21 years old.

In the first round of the playoffs, #1 Mimico was set to face-off against #8 Burlington Chiefs. During the regular season, of the 4 Mimico losses, two of them came from the sticks of the Chiefs who finished 10-10.

Our Mimico players certainly had their work cut out for them. Even with home floor advantage in game 1, Burlington shuttered the 1^st place team 12-9 in the best of five series at the Drummond Street Bowl (Mimico Arena).

In game 2, Burlington continued their winning ways with a 14-11 victory. In game 3, back in Mimico, in front of a capacity crowd of 600-800 fans, the Mountaineers succumbed to a 11-10 defeat despite a valiant yet disappointing effort.

The last time an #8 seeded team beat a #1 was in 2018 when the Toronto Beaches eliminated Burlington 3-2 and the last time a #1 was swept in the 1^st round was back in 1956 when Brampton smoked St. Catharines 3-0.

 

 

Special By HALYNA KOSTIUK

On a sunny hot July 16, a group of Ukrainian artists who are newcomers to Canada, gathered in Colonel Samuel Smith Park for a plain air, or lively outdoor art session.

Led by a well -known artist, Maria Antoniv, they choose the picturesque spots between the marina and Lake Ontario to paint landscapes.

They were surrounded by lush flowers, bushes, and grass, as they set up their easels determined to capture this gorgeous day in colours and shapes.

Roman Zuzuk, Mustafa Cetin, and artist-student Tetiana Lototska each have their own style and share a love for nature. The artists were joined by the amateurs who love the outdoors and enjoy painting. These art lovers are newcomers from Ukraine who escaped their country now ravaged by Russia in an all-out war to find a safe and welcoming reception in Canada.

They are thankful to Canada and the kind people of South Etobicoke.

It is amazing how much the artists were able to glean from the popular landscapes and well-travelled pathways.

Antoniv is famous for her floral arrangements and can put a new perspective on familiar things.  Zuzuk prefers figurative compositions; his plain air paintings are bright and relaxed.

The artists lost themselves in the beauty of summer day and produced the exciting paintings of the lakefront. Their sense of colour reveals to the audience the new dimensions of the intimately known environment.

People stopped by and were captivated and fascinated by the scenery as it appeared on the canvases. The great power of art erases boundaries and brings people together.

 

From South Etobicoke across the country, most Indigenous and other people will this week be focusing on the Pope’s visit to Canada.

Pope Francis will arrive and  be met by the Prime Minister and government officials at Edmonton International Airport on July 24 for a six-day reconciliation tour, where he is expected to apologize for the Roman Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system.

“It is good that His Holiness is here and it takes courage to stand up to help heal the pain brought on by the wrongdoing of others,” said long-time South Etobicoke resident Susanna. “His apology and forgiveness will take time but we must never forget the children.”

She and many others at her church will be following the Pope’s first visit to Canada in 20 years on television. Thousands of Catholics from across the country are expected at most of his stops.

On Monday, the Pontiff will meet with residential school survivors from across Canada at Maskwacis, Alberta, home to the former Ermineskin Residential School. It is the only residential school visit.

Later that day, he will meet parishioners and Indigenous community members at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton, which recently reopened after a fire in 2020.

On July 26, Pope Francis will hold a mass at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium before greeting Indigenous pilgrims at the Lac Ste. Anne Pilgrimage groups.

The Pope will depart for Quebec City on July 27, where he will meet Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Citadelle of Quebec, as well as Indigenous leaders and other dignitaries.

He will also hold mass at the National Shrine of Saint Anne de Beaupre the following day before meeting with a Quebec Indigenous delegation and flying to Iqaluit on July 29.

At an Iqaluit primary school, the Pope will have another private meeting with Indigenous residential school survivors before attending a public community event hosted by Inuit leaders. Pope Francis is set to fly back to Rome later that evening.

Pope Francis’ visit comes after First Nations, Metis and Inuit delegations met with the Pontiff in Rome back in March to discuss reconciliation with Indigenous communities in Canada.

At the end of these series of meetings, the Pope read an apology infront of the delegates,  asking for God’s forgiveness for the “deplorable conduct” of members of the Catholic Church.

Pressure on the Pope to come to Canada and issue an apology had been mounting after the discovery of 215 unmarked graves at a former residential school in Kamloops B.C. last year, which was followed by similar discoveries at numerous other former residential school sites across the country.

The Truth and Reconciliation commission found that an estimated 150,000 Indigenous children attended the residential school system, mostly by force, from the late 1800s to 1996.

Of the 139 schools in the system, more than half had been run by the Catholic Church. The commission estimates that approximately 4,100 to 6,000 children died amid abuse and neglect while in the residential school system.

The 58th call to action from the commission calls upon the Pope to issue an apology on Canadian soil for the Catholic Church’s role in the residential school system.

 

 

Area motorists are being urged to slow down on our roads.

Plans are underway to reduce speed from 40 to 30 kilometres an hour on local roads and public lanes in Etobicoke to help save lives, according to a City of Toronto Report For Action.

Work is being conducted in Etobicoke Lakeshore (Ward 3) and Etobicoke North (Ward 1) to reduce the speed limits to 30 kilometres an hour on dozens of roadways in the ward.

“The intention is that every local roadway and laneway in the City will ultimately be included in one such zone in order to have the speed limit set at 30 km/h,” according to city officials.

The move is part of a City Vision Zero Road Safety Plan that was approved by Etobicoke Community Council last May. It was created by the City’s Project Design and Management arm of Transportation Services.

The plan sets speed limit reductions on local roads and lanes to prevent serious injuries and fatalities.

“Setting lower speed limits is a key tool for reducing operating speeds on Toronto’s roadways,” according to a report by city staff. “The Vision Zero Speed Management Strategy includes a program for reducing speed limits on local roads.”

The report said it would cost about $300,00 to install hundreds of speed limit signs and funding is available in Transportation Services’ 2022 Capital Budget.

The speed limit reductions are expected to be completed by the end of 2023, subject to available staffing resources within the Transportation Services Signs and Pavement Markings Unit, according to council.

Council designated most local  roads in Ward 1 and Ward 3 as having a speed limit of 30 km/h, with the exception of specified areas near bridges or highways.

The report said there will be a ‘significant amount of new signage’ to be installed across the city with two or three wards being completed yearly.

“The reductions will be rolled out on a systematic, ward-by-ward basis using a data driven approach with priority going to wards with a higher rate of vulnerable road user injury collisions on local roads,” according to officials.

“The goal of the Speed Management Strategy is to mitigate the risk of injuries and fatalities on Toronto’s roads by reducing the speed of vehicles,” according to City staff. “There is evidence that the reductions have had a positive impact on reductions in operating speeds of vehicles.”

Work is also being done to slow down traffic flow with the design of roadways, automated and manual speed enforcement, proactive deployment of Watch Your Speed Sign and revised speed limit setting practices.

 

 

Mimico musician Pan Man Pat is legally blind but that will not keep him from playing his steelpan at the 55^th Annual Toronto Caribbean Carnival celebrations that runs from July 28 to August 1.

The festival, better known as Caribana, features Caribbean-style food and entertainment with a famed Grand Parade hitting the streets on August 1 with dozens of bands and costumed-dancers shaking their booty down Lakeshore Boulevard near the Royal Canadian Legion Hall, at Ontario Place.

More than one million people are expected to visit Toronto and area for the musical lakefront party, with thousands of spectators arriving from the U.S. Nearly all hotel rooms in the area are booked.

Pan Man Pat, whose name is Pat McNeilly, is a legendary steel pan player and Etobicoke high school instructor who has been involved in the city’s steelpan and carnival culture from the beginning.

He will join other musicians and bands playing calypso, reggae, some merengue and other hits on the parade route.

“I have never missed performing in a Caribana in Toronto,” Pan Man Pat says. “This is my 55^th year of playing the steel pans here and it is still a great festival.”

Revellers of all ages and races are expected to return in force for the massive street party, which was postponed for two years due to the virus.

The Caribana festival was gifted to Canada by the Caribbean Community as part of Canada’s centennial celebrations in 1967.

This Caribbean tradition of parading through the streets was taken from the Trinidad and Tobago carnival in celebration of freedom and emancipation from slavery in the West Indies.

The native of Trinidad, Pan Man Pat arrived in Canada in 1966 and has always been involved in playing the steel pan and teaching students to play the instrument at a number of schools in Etobicoke.

“There are now 50 sites where the steel band is now taught,” he says proudly. “The steel pan is also a degree course offered at York University.”

Pan Man Pat has had a long and varied career, which included four-years protecting the public as a constable with the Toronto Police Service (TPS). He was also a private eye for a law firm founded by the late civil rights lawyer Charles Roach.

“I was also a member of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters in the 1960s,” he boasts. “I went from sleeping cars to being a teacher and playing the steel pan.”
He hosted a successful online steel pan and calypso music program during the COVID lockdown that had gained a huge following.

This is his busy season and Pat is playing gigs a couple times a week.

Other activities taking place during the Toronto Carnival weekend includes: a carnival king and queen costume extravaganza on July 28 at Lamport Stadium., at 1151 King Street W.  There is also a Pan Alive sounds of steel pan Showcase on July 29 with live performances, dances and food. For more information or to book tickets visit torontocarnival.ca

 

Loud street noise is one of the worst issues we face these days with hot weather and open windows.

The screaming sounds of motorcycles, fast cars or construction equipment can leave many with sleepless nights or so they cannot enjoy their space.

Toronto Police may soon be given sound level meters and asked to issue tickets to drivers of vehicles deemed too loud or intrusive by area residents.

City Council is studying a report on combatting excessive noise from vehicles, leaf blowers and small engines.

The City of Toronto will be submitting a request for the Government of Ontario to increase the fines and assign demerit points for modified exhaust and unnecessary vehicle noise offences under the Highway Traffic Act.

The city is seeking to develop stricter and more specific regulations related to vehicle modifications, including considering mechanisms for periodic inspections of vehicle exhausts and potential modifications.

City officials also want to initiate a ‘noise activated camera automated” noise enforcement pilot project.

Council has also requested that the Toronto Police Services Board conduct additional joint vehicle enforcement blitzes with bylaw enforcement and explore equipping police officers   with sound level meters to support enforcement of vehicle noise.

There has long been longstanding issue with noise of traffic and vehicles in the community.

TUNES IN THE PARK – There will be free Twilight Concerts in the Park with the Etobicoke Community Concert Band on July 20 at 7 p.m. and the Toronto All Star Big Band on August 3 at 7 p.m. at Applewood Shaver House, 450 The West Mall.

For more information contact 416-622-4124. There will be free parking and you are advised to bring a lawn chair.

FREE DISPOSAL OF E-GOODS – Bring your old cell phones, household hazardous waste, batteries, paints, e-cigarettes or even propane tanks to be safely disposed of on July 23 at the City’s annual Community Environment Day at the Etobicoke School of the Arts, at 675 Royal York Road.

The event runs from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and also accepts pesticides, fertilizers, fluorescent bulbs and even used cooking oil.

The City will accept donated items for reuse that are in good condition. Items includes:  sporting goods, arts and craft supplies, books but no textbooks, cameras, CDs and cases, dress clothe, costume jewelry, small household items, musical instruments and games.

Also accepted are eyeglasses, walking or hearing aids and non-perishable goods.

Residents can pick up for free leaf compost, with a limit of two bags a household as long as supplies last.

Not being accepted are: construction waste, air conditioners, garbage, wood, cassette and videotapes, scrap metal and hazardous waste.

HUMBER BAY FESTIVAL – And the 10^th Annual Humber Bay Shores Waterfront Festival with free admission takes place on August 6. There will be a beer garden and performances by Fiddlestix Band, Tom Barlow Band, Chicago Project Band and Black Board Blues Band.

 

​South Etobicoke has been described as the ‘fish and chips capital’ of Toronto.

Tastes have changed and today many long-time residents miss the many busy fish and chips eateries that once dominated the South Etobicoke landscape.

Many have shut down over the years leaving about six fish and chips outlets struggling to make ends meet in Mimico, New Toronto and Long Branch.

“At one time we had fish and chips places on every block,” says Marzanna Campbell, an owner of Viking Fish and Chips, which is well-known in the community for its tasty fish and chips for seven decades.

The deluxe fish house opened in 1952 with a busy dining spot on The Queensway. It was purchased  by Marzanna and her husband, and the business moved to 2416 Lake Shore Blvd. W., near Superior Avenue, which is undergoing work to replace streetcar lines.

“At one time there were lineups on Fridays by people outside the store and down the street,” she recalls. “We still have our regulars who come in every day for fish and chips.”

She insists that Viking was at one time the ‘the number one fish and chips place in Etobicoke.”

Marzanna believes the fall of the fish may be due to the many new immigrants, who bring to Canada their own taste, foods and restaurants.  Fish back then was a preferred dish on meatless Fridays by the many British and other Europeans arriving in Canada.

“I love fish and chips and can eat it every day,” she says. “We are proud to be one of the oldest fish and chips restaurants in Etobicoke.”

A favourite for many these days includes New Toronto Fish and Chips, at 146 Fifth Street and Halibut Fish and Chips, 2814 Lake Shore Blvd. W.

Retired Judge Lloyd Budzinski, a columnist for the South Etobicoke News, at one time worked at his dad’s store The Boulevard Fish and Chips, which operated from 1965 to 1971 near Lake Shore Blvd. W., and Thirty Third Street.

“There are less fish and chips stores in the area now compared to back in the day,” Budzinski reflects. “The price of fish has increased so much and it is less a blue-collar dish.”

He says area residents many years ago included many “blue collar working people,” to whom fish was popular and affordable.

He recalls back when fish lovers could purchase a piping hot order of halibut and fries for 45 cents. Today the same meal cost $15.