June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day.

It is a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.

The Canadian Constitution recognizes these three groups as Aboriginal peoples, also known as Indigenous peoples.

Although these groups share many similarities, they each have their own distinct heritage, language, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.

In cooperation with Indigenous organizations, the Government of Canada chose June 21, the summer solstice, for National Aboriginal Day, now known as National Indigenous Peoples Day.

For generations, many Indigenous peoples and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or near this day due to the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year.

 

Toronto Police say a man was travelling on the same TTC bus as a woman he allegedly set on fire as a horrified driver sped for help to the Kipling subway station.

“The man poured a flammable liquid on the woman, then ignited it,” police said in an update. “The man then left the area.”

Described by police as a hate motivated incident, the woman was set alight on June 17 at 12.23 p.m. on board a TTC bus in the Kipling Avenue and Dundas Street W. area, police said.

The victim is in intensive care in hospital and was listed in critical and life-altering condition.

Her devastated family members travelled here from New York City to be at her side.

The woman, believed to be in her 20s, suffered second and third-degree burns. She was rushed to Sunnybrook Health Sciences hospital in critical condition.

A suspect was arrested nearby and faces four criminal charges.

Tenzin Norbu, 33, of Toronto, is charged with attempt murder, assault with a weapon, common nuisance endanger lives, safety of public and mischief over $5,000, interfere with property.

He is slated to return to a Finch Ave. W. court on June 21.

The man is described as a Toronto-based Buddhist monk by some Tibetan online posts.

 

Two strong candidates have registered with the City so far to bring political changes to Ward 3 Etobicoke Lakeshore in the upcoming municipal elections in October.

A social worker and pizza maker are fighting to throw out long-time incumbent councillor Mark Grimes, who has held the ward for 19 years.

Amber Morley on June 18 threw her hat in the ring to kick off her second attempt to send the incumbent packing.

Morley launched her second bid for council at St. Margaret’s Anglican Church, on Sixth Street, with a free barbeque and calypso music.

Morley is described as an “experienced, local champion committed to working with residents to build strong neighbourhoods, affordable housing and community hubs.”

A former LAMP CHC employee and constituency assistant, she served on a number of boards and advisory committees with groups as the Remix Project and Laidlaw Foundation.

Several dozen community residents turned out to lend their support.

Also running is Zeynel Ari, also known as Dino from Dino’s Pizza, who has been out in the ward talking to voters and seeking their support.

Ari said one of his stores was recently robbed and he is fighting to reduce crime and violence in our community.

He also wants to be a role model for immigrants or newcomers to Canada.

It is not known if Grimes, who was first elected in 2003, will run again.

The lakefront riding has a population of 129,000 people, with more than 16% being over 65 years of age. The median age is 41.

There are almost 60,000 households, with about 57% of the population who have their own homes, according to City of Toronto statistics from a 2016 survey.

There are more than 48,000 immigrants in the riding, with the Top 10 countries being Poland, Ukraine, Philippines, India, United Kingdom, Italy, South Korea, Portugal, China and Russia Federation

Almost 30% of the residents, or more than 35,000, are visible minorities, which includes South Asian, Blacks, Chinese, Filipino, Latin America, Korean, Southeast Asian and Arab.

More than 33,000 people live or own their own condos in the ward; and more than 11,000, or almost 20% of residents, earn more than $150,000 yearly.

 

The works of well-known Long Branch artist Pat Rice are being displayed for area art lovers to see.

The long-time artist and tree steward has a gigantic Oak tree named “Titan” growing  in his backyard. It is more than 250 years old and is a heritage tree.

A song “This Old Tree” was written about the large red oak.

Rice’s work has a strong sense of mystery and depicts the strangeness within the world of everyday life.

“Through his strong sense of colour and use of familiar places, he shows a glimpse of life that is full of wonder and humour,” according to reviews.

He said Long Branch is home to many large trees, some well over a hundred years old.

Throughout that time, the urban forest witnessed a changing landscape, influenced by the people drawn to the lake shore. A constant are the flora that define the neighbourhood; silent witnesses to the changing landscapes over time, according to Rice.

An exhibition called This Old Tree by Pat Rice is on display from June 20 to September 17 on the Third Floor Gallery at the Lakeshore Grounds Interpretive Centre, at 2 Colonel Samuel Smith Part Drive.

The generations of trees and surrounding natural environments of the neighbourhood are the inspiration for this exhibition.

The trees were here long before we were here, and I hope this show helps to celebrate their longevity, grandeur, and beauty, Rice said.

 

Area residents are invited to the free neighbourhood Long Branch Garden Tour which takes place on June 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Gardeners can visit longbranchgardentour.ca to find the 2022 Long Branch Garden Tour map and list of gardens.

There are more than 25 private gardens to see rain or shine as the tour is being welcomed back after two years due to the virus.

Organizers said fans will see ‘a collection of unique gardens filled with variety and surprises for the curious.’

“There are examples of small and large gardens, sunny and shade gardens, naturalized and structured, and more.”

 

A young woman waiting for an Etobicoke bus is fighting for her life in hospital after being set on fire in a bizarre attack at the Kipling subway station.

Some quick-thinking TTC users nearby saw the strange incident and rushed to help the woman, who is described as being in her 20s’, who suffered from life threatening or life-altering injuries.

Toronto police say they were called to the Kipling Avenue and Dundas Street West area around 12:30 p.m. on Friday for reports of a woman assaulted.

Police said a man poured a liquid substance on the woman and ignited it, leaving her with life-altering injuries. The woman is being treated at Sunnybrook Hospital.

The woman is reported to have suffered third degree burns.

Officers believe the attack was random in nature and the couple may have known each other.

A 35-year-old man was arrested by police. It is unknown at this time what charges he faces.

“It is cause for concern, especially as we’ve stated this is a random attack,” said a police spokesman.

TTC boss Rick Leary says the agency is “shocked by today’s attack at Kipling Station.”

“I know incidents like this are concerning for our customers — and I share that concern,” Leary said in a statement. “We move hundreds of millions of customers every year without incident, but we cannot and do not take that for granted.”

He said the TTC has several safety measures in place including special constables who patrol the system, cameras and emergency alarms in all stations and vehicles as well as the SafeTTC app to report suspicious incidents.

The incident follows last April’s shooting of an international student outside Sherbourne subway station and the pushing of a woman on the tracks at a subway platform at the Bloor-Yonge station. She barely escaped getting hit by a train.

Junko Sato shows some her fast-selling summertime snacks.

Sato says the iconic hot dog and bun with cheese is making a comeback along with the healthy ginger dates scone.

Sato, who is the wife of Tatsu’s Bread Master Baker, Tatsunobu Sato , says the reasonably-priced snacks are popular with Humber College and area students. The sprawling campus is directly across the street.

“The students love them,” Sato says. “It is a quick snack that they can afford.”

The hot dog and bun sells for $3.95 and are available at Tatsu’s Bread, 3180 Lake Shore Blvd. W., or phone 416-253-5557.

The family-owned bakery has been an area staple for freshly baked bread for more than 16 years.

 

 

 

More than 75 seniors and volunteers took part in an enjoyable outing on June 14 to view the latest Downton Abbey: A New Era blockbuster.

The smiling seniors are part of a Storefront Humber Adult Day and LAMP Community Health Centre programs.

Some in the group were dressed in hats and gowns as they arrived at the Cineplex Cinemas Queensway.

“They are all excited and are having a great time,” said Bruce Buchanan, of Storefront Humber. “It has been a long time indoors and they look forward to this event.”

Organizers also thanked the TTC Wheel -Trans for making the viewing possible.

A screening of Andrew Rieu’s Happy Days Are Here Again is planned for August.

Many Blacks in South Etobicoke welcome Toronto Police Chief James Ramer’s long-awaited apology to the Black and Brown-skinned communities as others took his words with a grain of salt.

Ramer in an emotional apology on June 15 said his officers have to do better in their treatment of non-white residents, who are often over-represented in the justice system.

The apology stems from statistics gathered in 949 use-of-force incidents and 7,114 strip searches conducted in 2020. The analysis was compiled by the force’s Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights Unit, data experts and a 12-member community panel.

The study found that Black, Indigenous and racialized people are over-represented in both use-of-force incidents and strip searches.

It revealed that Blacks are 2.2 times more likely to have an interaction with police officers and are 1.6 times more likely to have force used on them during the interaction.

The study said strip search rates varied throughout the year and dropped significantly following changes to the Search of Persons policy in October 2020, resulting in a significant decline in strip searches.

“There were differences by race in strip search rates with Black, Indigenous and White people over-represented relative to their presence in arrests,” according to police.

“The results have confirmed what, for many decades, racialized communities – particularly the Black and Indigenous communities — have been telling us; that they are disproportionately over-policed,” according to the Chief.

“As an organization, we have not done enough to ensure that every person in our City receives fair and unbiased policing,” Ramer told a news conference. “On behalf of the Service, I am sorry and I apologize unreservedly. The release of this data will cause pain for many. “

Ramer said the force has identified 38 actions to address the use-of-force and strip search issues.

But not everyone accepted Ramer’s apology.

Beverly Bain, a professor at the University of Toronto and a member of the No Pride in Policing Coalition, said members of the Black community have been complaining and protesting police brutality and killings for decades on the streets of Toronto.

“This has nothing to with the Black community. In fact, the Black community never asked for an apology. Neither did I think that you were apologizing to the Black community. You were apologizing to your rank and file,” Bain told the Chief and his top brass.

Over the years there have been many protests, some even violent, on the shooting by Toronto Police officers of young unarmed Blacks.

 

It was a weekend of festival, flea markets and garage sales across the community.

The residents of Alderwood held a successful neighbourhood street garage sale that involved dozens of residents.

There were a number of student groups raising funds to help various charities, including some girls collecting to help kids in Ukraine.