Peel Regional police say they have dismantled a criminal cell responsible for dozens of tractor, trailer and load thefts from across the Greater Toronto area.

Three Brampton men have been arrested and charged with more than 100 offences in relation to the thefts that involved the stealing and re-selling of cargo to a network of discount stores and other businesses across Southern Ontario.

Police allege the suspects would steal tractors and empty cargo trailers and then would attend logistic companies, freight forwarders and various other commercial properties, where loaded trailers of various cargo would be located.

“The stolen vehicles were then used to remove loaded cargo trailers containing freight ranging from consumable goods to appliances,” police said in a release.

The investigation began last April after police targeted an organized crime group operating in Peel Region, the Greater Toronto area and Golden Horseshoe.

The suspects used storage facilities throughout the Greater Toronto Area to hide the stolen property until it could be sold to purchasers. It is believed some of the thefts occurred from Etobicoke yards.

“Many of the items would end up in food markets, liquidators and dollar stores, where unsuspecting consumers would purchase the illegally obtained items,” according to police.

Three suspects from the crime group were arrested on October 27 after search warrants were conducted at their residences.

As a result of the numerous search warrants conducted throughout the project, 20 stolen cargo loads, tractors and trailers, with an aproximate value of $4 million were recovered.

Many of the stolen goods were successfully returned to their owners.

Charged are Dharwant Gill, 39, Ravneet Brar, 25, and Devesh Pal, 23, all of Brampton. They face a total of 50 counts of possession of stolen property and 43 counts of possession of stolen property for the purpose of trafficking.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to call the Peel Regional Police Commercial Auto Crime Bureau at 905-453-2121 ext. 3319.

You can also contact Peel Crime Stoppers anonymously by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or by visiting www.peelcrimestoppers.ca.

 

Uncanny crooks have ripped off millions in pure silver bullions in what’s being called a perfect heist.

Police across North America are on the hunt for $11 million U.S. worth of pure silver bullions that were stolen from a shipping container.

Toronto Police said the millions in pure silver were stolen last January 2020 following the heist of a shipping container in the Port of Montreal area.

Police said some traces of the stolen silver were recovered in Toronto, British Columbia and Massachusetts.

“The original silver bars had several distinctive stamped markings including a serial number and “Korea Zinc,” said officers of the force’s Financial Crimes Unit.

“Investigators believe that some of the silver was smelted into ingots for a better chance of avoiding suspicion when selling.”

Detectives believe the silver were sold through a network of fences in various cities.
Police would like to speak to anyone who may have received these ingots or fears they may have received silver by-products from this stolen shipment.

Police released photos showing large, blue containers the silver was shipped in as well as the shipping container the barrels were transported in.

The photos show a grey shipping container, marked MSKU 403 026 7 22G1.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7300, 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). Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes or Google Play.

A proposal has been filed to construct one of the tallest condos in the Humber Bay Shores area on the site of an outgoing Esso service station.

The application was submitted last September by Marlin Spring Developments and seeks an Official Plan amendment and zoning by-law change to build a 59-storey condo at the eastern corner of Lake Shore Blvd. W. and Marine Parade Drive.

The gas station at 2189 Lake Shore Blvd. W., is reported to have been sold and the . 67-acre site is being redeveloped, according to a study last December.

If approved as proposed, 2189 Lake Shore, as it is called, would be the second tallest tower on the lake side of Lake Shore Boulevard in the Humber Bay Shores area at 197.97 metres tall, which is 30 metres shorter than the neighbouring Sky Tower, according to the developers.

The building will have some 665 square metres of ground floor retail space along the length of the Lake Shore Boulevard frontage.

Across the street is the 28-acre former Mr. Christies site at 2150 Lake Shore, where about 12 towers and several shorter buildings and communities are planned. A new GO station at Park Lawn Road is coming along with enhanced streetcar service.

To the southeast is a vacant .40-hectare piece of land owned by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority that is intended to be developed as a park. On the south side of Marine Parade Drive are parklands of Humber Bay Parks East and West, and the popular Waterfront Trail.

The building will be home for 650 condominium units, which includes nine studios, 383 one and one-bedroom with dens, 190 two and two-bedroom plus dens, and 68 three-bedroom units.

There will be four levels of underground parking space for 230 vehicles: 158 residential parking stalls, 67 shared residential visitor and commercial parking stalls and five car-share spaces.

The proposal has to be approved by community council and meet bylaw requirements before the project can go ahead.

There is no date as to when construction can begin.

The proposal has led to dozens of irate area residents to take to social media to complain about the traffic congestion and lack of parking, stores and affordable housing in the area.

Marlin Spring Developments is a real estate builder based in Toronto. As a new developer, they follow a modern approach to create projects to densify regions of Toronto. They have collaborated with other developers to develop communities across the city.

 

Beware of this new holiday online shopping scam as thieves try to steal your money.

The Canadian Anti Fraud Centre (CAFC) is warning the public about an extortion scam Canadians are experiencing involving fraudsters claiming to be from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

“They try to make you believe that a package addressed to you was intercepted by Canada Post containing illegal substances,” the information from the fraud centre reads.

When the scammers make the call, they ask you to press 1, through an automated message, before requesting personal information, including SIN, date of birth, name, address. and account balances.

Then victims of this scam will be asked to withdraw money from their bank accounts and deposit that money into a “safe account.”

“In rare cases, suspects may pose as police officers and present themselves at your house to pick up the money,” the CAFC warns.

The scam is similar to previously reported extortion scams where fraudsters claim to be representatives of Service Canada, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and RCMP.

The fraud centre is warning Canadians that scammers manipulate caller ID to show a phone number actually linked to these agencies, called “call-spoofing.”

Follow these tips to protect yourself from scams:

• Never provide personal information over the phone to an unknown caller
• Do not assume that phone numbers appearing on your call display are accurate
• If you provide personal information, contact Equifax and TransUnion to place fraud alerts on your accounts

The CAFC urges anyone who has been a victim of a scam, fraud or cybercrime, to contact their local police as soon as possible. Scams can be reported to the CAFC online or over the phone at 1-888-495-8501.

Members of a Canadian military alumni band had onlookers swinging as they performed some musical favourites to celebrate the 100 anniversary of the Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s Own.)

A section of Sixth Street in New Toronto  was closed on October 25 as a military band performed for about an hour in front of a massive Toronto Scottish Regiment poster to celebrate the event.

Uniformed members of the Regiment’s Pipe and Drums band performed some of their favourites by bagpipes.

MPP Christine Hogarth encouraged area residents to attend Remembrance Day ceremonies on November 11.

“We all have to be thankful for veterans and the work they have done,” Hogarth said.

Organizer Chris Korwin-Kuczynski, of the Lake Shore Village BIA, said residents loved the music and the military.

“We have to remember our vets,” he urged. “They gave their lives for us.”

Some Remembrance Day Ceremonies on November 11 in the area includes:

– Sunrise Remembrance Day Ceremony at 7 a.m. at the New Toronto Monument at Colonel
Samuel Smith Park just east of Lake Shore Blvd. and Kipling Avenue area.

– Remembrance Day Ceremony at 11 a.m. Royal Canadian Legion Branch 101 Long Branch, at 3850 Lake Shore Blvd. W. in front of the cenotaph. COVID-19 protocols in place.

 

 

 

Mothers, fathers, sisters or brothers were among the 65 area residents who were lost by their loved ones to COVID-19 and remembered at a community gathering at St. Margaret Anglican Church in New Toronto.

The loved ones gathered on the lawn of the Sixth Street church to reminisce, pray and pay tribute to friends and family lost from the pandemic, when only a handful of mourners were allowed to say their good byes.

“There are many other community members who died that we do not know about yet,” said Rev. Jacqueline Daley, of St. Margaret. “They will be missed by their loved ones and friends.”

She said her church lost members of their congregation to the pandemic.

“We have navigated quite a year, one that has robbed us of many things but most dearly our loved ones,” Daley told mourners.

The gathering was held on October 23 at the church, which is more than a century old. It was organized by The Dorothy Ley Hospice, Lakeshore Arts, LAMP, St.Margaret and Ridley Funeral Home.

Candles were lit by a number of area faith leaders as the names of the deceased were read aloud during the hour-long gathering.

Dipti Purbhoo, of Dorothy Ley Hospice, said her staff helps residents ‘with their grieving and loss.’

“We see an increase of people coming in to see us,” Purbhoo said. “There is more of a demand now for grief and loss.”

Indigenous singers and drummers Page and Sara sang tunes about loss and going home.

Heather Medhurst, a spiritual advisor at Lakeshore Lodge, told mourners it is never ‘too late to grieve.’

“There are so many things that we have lost this year,” she said. “It is never to late to mourn your loss.”

Indigenous activist Julie Penasse reminded residents that the bodies of more than 7,600 native children have been discovered in shallow graves across Canada.

“These kids do not have a name,” she admitted. “They were buried by the dozens in unmarked graves. Nobody know who they are.”

Penasse said members of her family were sent to residential schools and returned home in bad shape.

“They came home and they were traumatized,” she recalled. “They were not the same.”’

There was a moment of silence held to pay tribute to the dead.

Ribbons of many colours were tied to a fence in front of the church to remember the 65 deceased.

If you know of others who have died from the pandemic contact Rev. Daley at  647-766-7794 or email priest-stmargaretnewtoronto@toronto.anglican.ca

 

By DAVE KOSONIC

Murray Young was deeply committed to education in Etobicoke for 31 years and served our country for five years during World War 11 including overseas as a bomber navigator.

Born Murray Macgillivary Young in Regina in 1921, Young passed away peacefully in his sleep at his Port Credit residence at the age of 99 on June 2, 2020.

Young was the founding principal of Silverthorn Collegiate Institute, located on Mill Road near Burnhamthorpe Road, which opened in September 1964.

He had recruited about 24 experienced teachers from numerous other secondary schools operated by the then Etobicoke Board of Education.

The late Stan Hamner was one of Young’s staff members and he was the geography teacher. From memory he could rapidly draw an accurate outline map of any country in the world on the blackboard while his students watched in awe.

Young later assumed a posting as an area superintendent and he played an important role in developing the Etobicoke School of the Arts.

He was a strong but also humble man who did not ‘advertise’ his service with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). He also saw action in the night skies as a navigator on bombers operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF).

According to military records the bomber navigators including Young played a crucial role in keeping the other aircrew members as safe as possible by pin pointing exactly where their aircraft were in relation to the enemy targets to be bombed. He belonged to the RAF 525 Squadron at the time.

After the war ended Young graduated from McGill University with an honors degree in history. After that he completed his teacher training when he graduated from the Ontario College of Education in Toronto and subsequently joined the Etobicoke Board as a classroom high school teacher.

During his retirement he was an active member of the First United Church. He and his wife Connie also did a lot of travelling which included spending winters as snowbirds in San Destin, Florida.

Because of his valiant military service Young was awarded in 2018 the prestigious rank of Knight of the French National Order of Honour for aiding in the Liberation of France in 1944.

 

A motorist who fled on foot following a fatal collision on the Gardiner Expressway has been arrested by Toronto Police.

Police said the accused was sought in connection with a deadly collision on October 3, at 1:32 a.m. in the Gardiner Expressway and Islington Avenue area.

He was arrested on October 21.

Detectives from the force’s Traffic Services in a release said a grey Nissan and white Audi R8 were travelling eastbound on the Gardiner at a high rate of speed when police allege the Audi struck the rear of the Nissan.

Police said the impact pushed the Nissan into the median guard rail where the driver lost control of the vehicle and it flipped trapping inside Norma Buendia, 58.

Buendia was transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries. She was pronounced dead in hospital.

Her husband Roberto Carlos, 61, the driver of the Nissan, was more fortunate and sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Following the collision, the accused allegedly pulled over on the right shoulder of the expressway and fled the scene on foot.

Kalyan Trivedi, 31, of Toronto, has been charged with dangerous operation of a conveyance causing death, dangerous operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm, leave of accident causing death and leave scene of accident causing bodily harm.

He was slated to appear at a Finch Ave. W. court on October 21.

 A five-year-old boy was taken to hospital after suffering serious but non-life threatening injuries after being struck by a pick up truck on Seventh Street, just south of Lake Shore Blvd. W.

A large crowd or concerned area residents gathered around the child and his mother as police arrived on the scene.

Police were called on October 21 just after 4:30 p.m. to calls that a ‘child was struck by a driver.’

Police said on Twitter that the child was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Witnesses at the scene said the child was taken for checks to the Hospital for Sick Children. It appeared the boy was hit in the head area by the truck near Seventh Street Junior School.

The driver of the vehicle remained on scene, police say.

Traffic was diverted in and around Seventh Street for several hours as police conducted their investigation.

It is unknown if charges will be laid at this time.

 

 

Toronto Police anti-fraud officers are warning the public of thieves who are going around trying to take over our bank accounts.

Four people are behind bars after Toronto Police cracked an identity theft and fraud ring in which thousands of stolen gift cards were seized.

Police have announced the ‘takedown of an organized hierarchy committing millions of dollars in identity theft and financial frauds, including the seizure of thousands of stolen gift cards.’
Dubbed Project Hydra, the year-long investigation led officers to identify a chain of people from “low-level identity thieves to counterfeit identification makers and distributors,” police said.

The four suspects arrested face almost 100 criminal charges.

The force’s Financial Crimes Unit – Corporate Section opened a case in September 2020 to look into “multiple occurrences of identity fraud and bank account takeovers.”

“Suspects would steal the identities and personal banking information of unsuspecting victims,’ detectives alleged. “Using this information, they would create fraudulent identification and then employ other suspects to enter the financial institutions for the purposes of taking over the accounts.”

Police were able to identify the locations where suspects would pick up the fraudulent identification and six criminal code search warrants were obtained and served on September 2.

Seized in the searches were a $100,000 Porsche Panamera, $70,000 cash, fraudulent identifications, and electronic evidence including hard drives, cell phone and computer printers.

Investigators also discovered a business believed to be involved in the distribution of fraudulent gift cards. Officers recovered 37,000 gift cards, with potential values of $50 to $500 each, and 1,300 pre-paid credit cards, with an estimated value of $216,000.
The investigation into the seized gift cards is ongoing and more arrests and charges are possible.

Charged are Vladislav Tsyganok, 25, of Vaughan, Jamal Karama Sharif, 34, of Newmarket and Toronto, Asmerom Tsegay, 31, of Toronto and Nadia Campitelli, 46, of no fixed address.

The suspects face close to 100 fraud, identity theft, possession proceeds of property obtained by crime and dozens of other charges.

Fraud officers are warning the public never send your personal financial information through email, shred personal information before putting it in the garbage or recycling, never share your PIN with anyone and never click the link on text messages or emails from unsolicited sources.
Also be aware of postal mail not arriving as before, as there is the potential for identity thieves changing the address, only carry with you the identification you absolutely need and secure the rest, regularly check your credit rating with Equifax Canada or TransUnion Canada and  when purchasing a gift card, check the receipt at time of purchase and compare data on receipt to the numbers on the card.