MAN was rushed to an area hospital by ambulance.
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.
VOLGA-DNEPR cargo plane worth $90 million was impounded at Pearson Airport last month. Members of the Ukrainian community want it sold with the money going to help those suffering in the Ukraine.
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 RUSSIAN flag on the massive plane can be seen for miles at Pearson Airport. Staff photo.
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.
SOME OF the crew members of the grounded Antonov An-124 Volga-Dnepr aircraft. Some are still in Canada waiting to fly the plane home. Courtesy photo.
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.
UKRAINIANS in Canada want the aircraft seized and sold with the money going back to help those suffering or to rebuild 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.
Karma (right) and Tenzin at their new Mr. MoMo restaurant in Mimico.
Karma Norgyal and his sister, Tenzin Dolkar, have travelled a long way from their native Nepal to open a restaurant in Mimico.
They enjoy cooking and it took the siblings six years before they opened their Mr. MoMo restaurant, at 2453 Lakeshore Blvd., W., near Mimico Avenue.
“We have been looking for a place around here for about six years,” Norgyal says. “We wanted to open our restaurant here because of the large Tibetan population.”
HI HOLINESS Dali Lama welcomes diners to Mr. MoMo. Photos by Tom Godfrey.
He says more than 7,000 Tibetans have resettled in the Mimico area, due in large part to the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre, on Titan Road.
City statistics show there is a growing Tibetan community in South Etobicoke. Almost 3,000 Tibetans moved to Toronto from 1998 to 2008 making the city the home of the largest Tibetan Canadian community in North America.
Mr. MoMo has some of the tastiest momos in the community.
There were 6,035 Tibetan-Canadians living in the Greater Toronto Area by 2016, with thriving communities in Parkdale and South Etobicoke.
Norgyal says only fresh spices, meats and other ingredients are used to make their tasty momos.
“Everything is made by hand and is nice and fresh,” he explains
They offer six types of momos including; beef, pork, chicken, potato, vegetables and soya for non-meat eaters.
The restaurant is tucked away in an open plaza across from Mimico Avenue and is clean and comfortable. A small photo of spiritual leader Dalai Lama looks over the dining room.
Norgyal emigrated to the Parkdale area from Tibet more than 10-years ago. He worked as a nutritionist at St. Joseph Medical Centre while saving and searching for a location to open their restaurant.
“It took us a long time to find this place,” he recalls. “I am a very passionate cook and wanted my customers to be happy and to enjoy our food when they leave.”
Dolkar is also actively working to help the community.
She and others from the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre were out feeding hundreds of meals to the elderly and those at risk during the COVID outbreak.
“We were very busy helping others during COVID,” Dolkar says. “We wanted to promote our culture and help those who are isolated and suffering.”
She says their recipe for making momos was passed down through four generations of family members.
“People here and all over the world love momos,” Norgyal agrees. “It is like a national food of Tibet and we have been getting good support from the community.”
Mr. Momo can be reached at 647-309-9683.
FORMER federal government IT worker Vachon Desjardins lived the high life until police moved in. Police photo.
This former federal government IT worker lived the high life until Canadian and U.S. police came knocking.
A Quebec man has pleaded guilty in Brampton Court for his role in one of Canada’s largest bitcoin seizures in which $35 million U.S. was seized by police.
An international task force made up of the RCMP and FBI arrested and charged Sebastien Vachon Desjardins, of Gatineau, with four offences in relation to his activity as part of the Netwalker Ransomware Group.
SOME $35 million U.S. in Bitcoin and almost one million Canadian were seized by police.
He was charged with mischief in relation to computer data, unauthorized use of a computer, extortion and participating in a criminal organization.
The RCMP and FBI searched his home in January 2021 and seized 719 Bitcoins, worth about $35 million and $790,000 in Canadian currency.
“The success of this particular investigation can be attributed to the dedication and hard work of the RCMP Cybercrime Investigative Team and the partner agencies involved,” said Supt. Kelly Bradshaw, Acting Director General, Federal Policing Criminal Operations.
Investigators seized more than 20 Terabytes of data from Desjardins’ computing and storage devices.
“The investigation identified 17 Canadian companies targeted by Desjardins,” according to police.
SCENE OF the crime, a corner office where police allege the scamming occurred.
The RCMP said the accused plead guilty to three of the four charges last January in Brampton court.
Justice G. Paul Renwick sentenced Desjardins to seven years in prison and ordered the forfeiture of 680 Bitcoins, most of the seized computing devices and $742,840 in Canadian funds.
Renwick also ordered the restitution of more than $2.6 million in Canadian funds to businesses that were affected by the criminal activity.
Desjardins was also ordered extradited to the U.S. to face charges there.
Media reports state that he previously worked as an IT consultant for Public Works and Government Services in Canada.
THERE WERE bundles of stolen cash in all denominations. Police photo.
U.S. police said NetWalker ransomware has impacted numerous victims, including companies, municipalities, hospitals, law enforcement, emergency services, school districts, colleges, and universities. Attacks have specifically targeted the healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking advantage of the global crisis to extort victims.
A SENIOR is dead and a woman is fighting for her life in parking garage crash. Courtesy photo.
An elderly man is dead and a woman fighting for her life following a terrible crash in the underground parking garage of a high-rise condo on The West Mall.
Police said the fatal collision occurred on March 10 about 11:30 a.m. at 451 The West Mall, near Burnhamthorpe Road.
A 93-year-old man was operating a 2016 Toyota RAV4 when he entered an underground parking garage.
THE INCIDENT occurred in a building on The West Mall.
“He drove into a concrete pillar causing severe damage,” according to police news release. “As a result, the man was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and later succumbed to those injuries.”
An 83-year-old female passenger was also rushed to hospital suffering from life-threatening injuries, according to police.
Police are asking local residents, businesses, and drivers, who may have witnessed the collision or have security or dash camera footage of the area or incident, to contact investigators.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1900, 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).
CALL Police if you can help them find the killer of Ruth Ann Longboat. Police photo.
Toronto Police are trying to figure out how a woman from the Six Nations Reserve ended up dead near the bank of the Humber River more than 100 kilometres away.
The homicide unit was called in after the body of Ruth Ann Longboat, 56, of Six Nations Reserve, was found March 8 in the area of the Humber River, south of Dundas Street West.
Police said it is an active investigation and officers are in the area carrying out inquiries to establish the full circumstances of the occurrence.
Anyone who may have seen Ruth Ann, have heard, or witnessed anything suspicious on or after Saturday, March 5, 2022, is urged to contact Homicide detectives.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400, 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).
SUSPECT arrested for hate crime for allegedly defacing Ukrainian poster at bakery. Police photo.
The owners and staff of Future Bakery are breathing easier today after a man was arrested for defacing a Ukrainian poster on their store at least six times.
Toronto Police believe they have ended what is called a ‘multiple hate-motivated mischief to property.’
Police said the man repeatedly visited and defaced a sign outside Future Bakery, on North Queen Street, from February 7 to March 9 when he was arrested in an undercover operation.
Officers said on February 7 the suspected visited the bakery and allegedly spray painted anti-Ukrainian slogans on a large mural hung outside.
Police in a release said the man caused about $25,000 worth of damage to the sign and store.
Detectives allege the accused returned on February 26, about 8 p.m., and tore off portions of the banner.
He returned again on February 28, around 3:30 a.m. and defaced the banner by splashing black paint on it, police alleged.
Police said he returned on March 4, around 11:44 p.m. with a jar in his hand.
“The man approached the parking lot of the establishment and threw the jar against the wall,” police alleged.
Undeterred, the suspect on March 6, around 10:22 p.m., returned to the bakery with a hockey stick with what appeared to be a blade attached to the end and tried to cut the banner in several sections, according to police.
The suspect came back on March 9, at about 12:26 a.m., and was carrying a long pole in his right hand which had a knife attached to the end of the pole.
That same day charges were laid against Andrey Malyshev, 39, of Toronto. He was charged with two counts of possess weapon for committing offence, mischief to property over $5,000 and four counts of mischief to property under $5,000.
He appeared before a Finch Avenue West court on March 9.
SITUATION is chaotic for Russians if deported from Canada. AP Photo/Markus Schreiber.
Olga Kantor is glad she will not be returning to her native Russia any time soon.
Kantor, who is in her 80s, was spared deportation from Canada due to the chaotic situation in Russia, which is waging a brutal war against Ukraine.
There has been a halt on deportations from Canada to Russia because of the situation in that country. Flights from Russia are not allowed in Canadian airspace and it is dangerous for flights there.
REFUGEE families try to get help.
Court heard that Kantor arrived in Canada in January 2020. She has a grown child here who is a citizen.
She did not have the proper immigration documents and deportation proceedings was underway to send her home.
Kantor appealed the deportation to a Federal Court of Canada and a judge ruled she had obtained a fair hearing.
“These relatives are willing and able to provide support for the applicant,” according to the judge in a written decision. “The applicant (Kantor) experienced significant hardship growing up in the Soviet Union during the Second World War and continues to suffer long-term effects.”
Kantor has two children, one who died and the other a citizen.
“The applicant will face irreparable and irrevocable harm should she be forced to return to Russia where she has no one to care for her,” according to the judge.
The senior will remain in Canada until the situation improves in Russia.
Immigration lawyer Richard Kurland said Kantor can still “try her luck with a new application based on current events” in Russia.
Councillor Mark Grimes will be in attendance at a zoom meeting taking place
on March 16 as part of the Mimico Residents Association’s (MRA) annual general meeting.
The MRA said Grimes will take some questions from those attending the virtual meeting.
Please join us for a recap of the past year and bring your questions for our guest speaker Councillor Grimes, the MRA said.
The meeting takes place from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Please register to attend this free event on Zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZIscOusrDwsHtYZda8La…
Many across the City agree that residents expect better snow clearing operations from
city officials especially with the high taxes we pay.
At least one City Councillor has gone as far as asking for a review of what went wrong
with the slow removal of tonnes of snow that fell during a snowstorm last January.
Councillor Josh Matlow, of Ward 12, says his office received more than 700 complaints
over the slow removal of snow from the January storm and he wants something done
about it.
Matlow has moved an urgent motion before City Council called ‘Clearing the path toward
a safe and accessible winter,’ that was seconded by Councillor Mike Layton, calling for a
Major Snow Event Post-Operational Report to include: quality of service delivery on
sidewalks, roads and cycling infrastructure; timeliness of snow clearing and removal ac-
tivities. They want the prioritizing of snow removal from community safety zones, access to pub-
lic transit and the clearing of windrows.
The storm dumped about 55 centimetres of snow on Toronto in just over 16 hours, crip-
pling large sections of the city. It shut both major highways leading in an out of Toronto.
“By the end of the week, too many local streets were still impassible in North York,
Scarborough, East York, Etobicoke and downtown,” the politician said. “Sidewalks and
parking in front of long-term care homes left many seniors and caregivers homebound.”
Here in South Etobicoke many seniors were forced to cancel Wheel Trans service, trips
to their doctors or hospitals and to remain at home.
“Pick-up or drop-off areas and sidewalks around schools left many students and parents
with no choice but to walk in live lanes of traffic to and from school,” he said.
Matlow said many residents reported getting mixed messages from 311 saying that a
request could not be filed as crews hadn’t started snow clearing on their street or having
their requests closed with no action or explanation at all.
“The City’s snow communications primarily focused on boasting about the tons of snow
removed, rather than actively working to resolve the concerns that residents shared via
311 or through my office,” Matlow noted.
He said even an online PlowTO map that gave real-time data on the progress of clearing
and salting operations was wrong.
It left Mayor John Tory calling for a post-operational report on various City Divisions
reaction and handling of the major snow event.
“I believed that it (report) did not go far enough to address to the very real and underly-
ing problems that many were experiencing in the moment,” Matlow warned.
“The service standards the City of Toronto provides for snow clearing and removal isn’t
good enough,” he complained. “I also believe residents deserve accountability and an-
swers to exactly what went wrong.”
There are some side streets in the South Etobicoke area that still hasn’t undergone a full
snow removal since the storm.
Tom Godfrey is Publisher of The South Etobicoke News, who lives in the
community. He was a reporter at the Toronto Sun for many years before
deciding to use his skills to work in community journalism.
