Security cameras and other safety precautions are being installed at a Mississauga mosque after a man was arrested for spraying bear spray at stunned worshippers.

A 24-year-old man is behind bars after being arrested by Peel Regional Police in what is believed to be a hate-motivated crime.

Police said on March 19 at about 7:00 a.m. officers attended the Dar Al-Tawheed Islamic Centre, near McAdam Road and Matheson Boulevard, to investigate an assault.

“It is alleged that a man walked into the mosque and discharged bear spray towards the members of the Mosque while brandishing a hatchet,” according to a release from police. “The members of the mosque quickly subdued the man until police arrived.”

Several worshippers received minor injuries as a result of the bear spray, police said.

“Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our community and we are taking this matter extremely seriously,” said Superintendent Rob Higgs. “We will continue to work closely with our community partners as our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Divisional Mobilization Officers continue to engage with faith leaders and community members.”

Mohammad Moiz Omar, of Mississauga, is charged with assault with a weapon, administering noxious substance with intent to endanger life or cause bodily harm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, utter threat to cause death or bodily harm, carrying concealed weapon and mischief to religious property

He was slated to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton.

Anyone with information on this investigation is asked to call 12 Division Criminal Investigation Bureau at (905) 453–2121, ext. 1233.  Information may also be left anonymously by calling Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or by visiting www.peelcrimestoppers.ca.

 

It has been almost two weeks since Aveda Polsinelli, 13, was reported missing.

And Toronto Police is requesting the public’s assistance in locating the teen.

Polsinelli was last seen on March 5 in the Royal York Road and Evans Avenue area.

She is described as 5’1″, with a slim build, brown and blonde hair, and brown eyes.

There is no clothing description available and police and family members are concerned for her safety.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-2200, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637), or Leave A Tip on Facebook.  Tips and sightings can also be reported online to Canada’s missing children resource centre Missing Kids, which is operated by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection.

It’s a return to our post virus lifestyle.

As of Monday, most people will be tossing out those bothersome face masks.

Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said this week that face coverings will no longer be compulsory in most settings as of March 21.

It has been almost two years of wearing the garment in all indoor public spaces across the province.

At first the facewear were sold on the black market for $10 and more for an imported flimsy mask. Common sense prevailed and the prices dropped.

Though residents will soon be permitted entry to bars, restaurants, cafes, retail stores, gyms, schools and other such places bare-faced, there are still some areas where masking will be required.

Some business owners can still request a mask be worn in their premises.

Most bars and pubs in the community were packed to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

There were live entertainment to mark the day at most South Etobicoke venues. People were jovial, very social and few people were wearing masks.

It was nice to see some of the venues packed to capacity after two years of barely surviving.

“It is nice to see people again,” said one server. “It is like the old times again.”

The Toronto St. Patrick’s Day Parade begins on March 20 at 12 noon at the corner of St. George and Bloor St West (near St. George subway station) and heads east on Bloor Street,  turns south on Yonge Street and finally turns west on Queen Street, finishing at the parade reviewing stand at Nathan Phillips Square.

 

The City is installing Free Ukraine steet signs in front of the Russian consulate general in downtown Toronto, which is now called ‘Free Ukraine Square.’

The area in front of the Consulate General of the Russian Federation, at 60 St. Clair Avenue, has been declared ‘Free Ukraine Square’ by the City of Toronto.

The initiative was approved by City council on March 8 to name the area ‘Free Ukraine Square.’

The Consulate General is located just east of Yonge Street on the fifth floor.

The move was spearheaded by Councillor Josh Matlow, in whose riding the consulate is located, along with Mayor John Tory and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.

“Canada’s Ukrainian community is such an important thread in our country’s multicultural mosaic,” Matlow said. “I am proud to stand with them in solidarity against Russian aggression and in support of Ukraine’s right to sovereignty, freedom, peace and security.”
He said the area of St. Clair Avenue between Yonge and Avoca will be known as “Free Ukraine Square.”

There will be an unveiling of the square with Mayor Tory, Matlow and members of the Ukrainian community on March 20.

“Toronto stands in solidarity with Ukraine. Moving forward, St. Clair Ave. (between Yonge and Avoca- in front of the Russian Consulate) will now be known as “Free Ukraine Square,” Matlow said on social media.

Similar renaming plans have been occurring in other cities around the world following the Russian invasion of Ukraine almost a month ago. There have been regular protest rallies at the site since the war began.

“The Ukrainian Canadian Congress fully supports your initiative to rename the stretch of St. Clair Ave. E between Ferndale and Avoca Ave to “Free Ukraine Square,” wrote Peter Schturyn, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.

“It is through many such initiatives that we can put pressure on Russia and its regime to stop the senseless killing of innocents in Ukraine.”

Matlow said “Free Ukraine” street signs are also being installed around the Russian consulate.

“We are working with city staff now to add these signs as soon as possible as another important gesture of solidarity with the people of Ukraine,” Tory said.

The Ukrainian flag is also flying at Toronto city hall.

A 16-year-old boy is under arrest and Toronto Police are searching for three others in connection with the robberies of two pharmacies.

Members of the Toronto Police Hold Up Squad said on March 3 officers responded to two pharmacies that were robbed in the Burnhamthorpe Road and Renforth Drive area.

Police said in each incident four males arrived at the store in a stolen car and approached the employees.
“They took physical control of the employees and made demands for narcotics and cash,” police said in a release. “They took a quantity of narcotics and cash.”
The suspects fled the store in the stolen car and drove to a second pharmacy.

“At the second robbery, they attempted to flee in the stolen car but were unable to drive away from the scene so they all fled the area on foot,” according to police.

The accused was located by police and arrested. He cannot be identified because he is a young offender.

He was charged with eight counts related to robbery, having a disguise and possession of property obtained by crime.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7350, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, online on our Facebook Leave a Tip page, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

 

A Toronto man has been charged in connection with two sexual assaults in the High Park area.

The suspect was arrested on March 14 between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the High Park subway station, in the Bloor Street West and Quebec Avenue area, according to police.

Police allege the accused was walking in the area when he sexually assaulted two women.

Jahmore Walker-White, 29, of Toronto, is charged with two counts of sexual assault.

He was slated for an appearance at Old City Hall court on March 15.

 

On any given day more than 60 Mimico residents can show up at a local church for free piping hot soup and no one is ever turned away.

Thanks to the efforts of area residents Iris Schweiger and Emma Latham, volunteers of the Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran Church, at 2379 Lakeshore Blvd. W., that residents can have a free steaming bowl of soup, which is part of a church Bowls and Blessings program.

Area residents can also leave food that can be accessed by the needy in a community pantry, which contains some the essentials.

Those in need can also obtain nice warm jackets and other accessories to help them stay warm.

“There were people coming for the soup who were wearing no coats in the winter-time,” says Schweiger. “Our pantry door is always open so people can leave or take non-perishable foods.”

One person had earlier left some stuffed toys for children, she notes.

The pantry, clothing and soup servings take place on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday starting at 12 noon until the soup is gone.

Latham says many people in the Mimico area look forward to the soup and conversations.

“A lot of people stop by to see us,” she explains. “Many just want to talk to someone.”

The church will be holding an online fundraising Bazaar from April 27 to May 6, when items can be purchased online. The items can be picked up on May 8.

You can take a look at the items for sale here: https://pin.it/5KZeVPc

 

 

There was a time when vinyl LP records were king and streaming had to do with a river.

There were several record stores in the community and Keith Pope, the owner of one of the last remaining, Village Vinyl Emporium and Cafe, at 2925 Lake Shore Blvd. W., remember those heady days when top bands were presented with beautifully framed records to recognize their sales of large quantities of records.

The framed discs of superstars Lionel Richie, who had sold 100,000 records; a signed Jann Arden and Michael Crawford still glitter on a shelf. The items bring back a lot of history and nostalgia.

“I had an Elvis but that went fast,” Pope says. “These framed records were highly regarded by artists and in the industry at one time.”

“These are a piece of history and nostalgia. They meant a lot back in the day,” he says.

The plaques once belonged to Toronto music philanthropist Kroum Pindoff, who with wife, Eva, founded Music World in 1970. The company in its prime had 110 outlets nationwide and employed 1,000 staffers to sell their records.

Kroum started Pindoff Record Sales in 1960 by selling records on consignment to a variety of stores in Toronto. It was a hit and a decade later they founded Music World, which was popular with young people.

Music World Limited was eventually sold, the buyer suffered the same fate as many record stores and was eventually liquidated. The outlets closed in February 2008.

Pindoff was a war child who was born in Greece, but raised in Bulgaria. Eva was born in Germany. They vowed when they arrived in Canada in 1955 as immigrants to make enough money to help innocent victims of war. That they did and more.

In 1998 the Toronto Star carried a front page story about the couple giving $5 million to the Canadian Red Cross to help land mine survivors rebuild their lives.

“I have been in war, seen what it can do,’’ the then 82-year-old said then.

“The destruction caused by landmines to innocent people trying to struggle from one day to the next is shocking and heartbreaking,’’ he told the newspaper.

The couple, who were married for 50 years, gave millions of dollars to the Red Cross to help landmine victims, drought and famine victims in Africa and Asia. They contributed more than 20,000 food parcels to seniors in Bulgaria following the implosion of the Eastern Bloc in 1991.

While amassing a fortune selling records, it is estimated they donated more than $20 million to the Red Cross and War Child Canada to help young victims of war.

They also built a home for 100 children in Gasinci, Croatia.

After the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in South Asia, the Pindoffs’ gave $5 million toward Canadian Red Cross relief and recovery efforts. It was the largest ever personal contribution to a Canadian Red Cross disaster appeal at the time.

A man is listed in critical condition in hospital after being stabbed in Long Branch on Saturday night.

Police were called to a stabbing in the area of Lake Shore Blvd. W., and Twenty Fifth Street, just west of Kipling Avenue, on March 12 around 10:45 p.m.

Officers found a man with a stab wound at the scene.

The victim was transported to a hospital in critical condition.

No arrests have been made or suspect description released.

 

 

 

There are calls for Canada to seize and sell a $90 million Russian cargo plane to help shell-shocked Ukrainians as they try to survive from constant bombardment.

Some members of the Ukrainian community in Toronto are demanding that Canadian authorities seize Russia’s largest cargo plane that has been grounded at Pearson Airport due to that country’s brutal attack on Ukraine.

The Antonov An-124 Volga-Dnepr has been impounded since February 28 when a ban on airspace against Russian aircraft was imposed by Canada and other NATO countries due to the deadly Russian attack on neighbouring Ukraine.

The freighter, which was the second largest cargo plane in the world, had flown to Pearson on February 27 with a load of COVID-19 tests from China when grounded due to the international sanctions.

The plane, which has flown missions to more than 100 countries, has been parked on Taxiway N with a large Russian flag visible on its tail. It can be seen from Silver Dart Road.

It has a crew of up to nine members who are staying in an airport area hotel so they can fly the jet home when sanctions are lifted and that can take a while. There are concerns that some of the crew may claim refugee status in Canada.

The megaplane, which first went into service in 1982 costs up to $90 million U.S. depending on the model. It is described as a large, strategic airlift, four-engined aircraft that was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov design bureau in Ukraine, then part of the Soviet Union.

The plane is listed as the world’s heaviest gross weight production airplane and heaviest operating cargo aircraft, only behind its larger brother, the Antonov An-225 Mriya, the largest cargo plane in service that was bombed on the start of the Russian war with Ukraine.

Volga-Dnepr Airlines operates 11 An-124s, with three now in service.

Canadian government officials said the plane will remain grounded until NATO lifts an airspace ban against Russia. The company also has to pay for parking costs at the airport.

Members of the Canadian Ukrainian community have been asking for the $90 million U.S. craft to be seized since Russia has illegally launched a deadly war against Ukraine and sanctions are in place.

Some community leaders in Etobicoke are asking for the aircraft to be resold with all funds going to help the more than two million refugees and rebuilding of Ukraine.

“Seize and resell that aircraft right now,” one man said. “Give some of the money to the people who are getting shelled and are suffering.”

Volga-Dnepr officials said they have been working to secure the aircraft’s return. The company said in a statement that it is engaging in the “settlement of all formalities to be able to fly to its home base.”

The huge Antonov-124-100 has two loading entrances, at the nose and tail of the aircraft, both equipped with expanding loading ramps. For loading of non-standard cargo the cabin is equipped with two electric winches of three tonnes traction each and four electric hoists of carrying capacity up to 30 tonnes.