It is no surprise that Marlene Smith is the coordinator of the Canadian Red Cross Etobicoke Meals on Wheels program since her grandfather was a volunteer driver for 30-years.

Smith grew up linked to the program, volunteered and moved up becoming  a person in charge.

It’s her job to ensure their roughly 80 volunteer drivers from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. assemble their lunches to take to about 200 clients, who include the elderly, convalescent, those with disabilities or facing challenges.

The drivers cover 15 delivery routes in Etobicoke to take food to those in need. Sometimes the volunteers may be the only people the seniors see all day.

“Since the pandemic the need for food has grown by 30 per cent for us,” Smith said. “All the food is paid for and we have suppliers, caterers and volunteers who package the food.”

The hot meals contain soup, an entrée, salad, bread and desert that can include a cup cake or custard.  Special diets and needs can be met with meals that are low fat, low cholesterol, minced, pureed and suitable for diabetics or culturally appropriate.

“We lost many of our long-time volunteers due to the pandemic,” she said. “We have a whole group of mostly younger people now.”

Smith said the program is in need of volunteer drivers to take the lunches out to those in need.

A driver must have a vehicle and they are usually retirees, those who do shift work and some police officers or firefighters trying to earn volunteer hours.

They deliver from five to 13 hot or frozen meals, special diets or culturally appropriate lunches each daily and are paid for mileage.

The good-natured volunteers provide a safety check ensuring clients families that they are safe in their homes and giving a brief friendly visit at the same time.

The program charges a small fee to residents to help them live independently.

Long-time driver Adrian Smith has been a Meals on Wheels volunteer for 27 years.

“I love the people and the job,” Smith says. “Sometimes we are the only ones the clients would seek for the entire day. We check up on them to make sure they are fine.”

The Canadian Red Cross in Ontario offers an extensive network of programs and services that actively reach out and serve local communities throughout the province.

The Meals on Wheels program has been around since the 1970s and has grown over time.

If you would like to be a volunteer driver or donate please call 416-243-0003 ext 1 or fill out a form at www.redcross.ca.

 

Dixie Outlet Mall may soon be joining Cloverdale Mall and Sherway Gardens in having condo towers built on some of its parking and surrounding areas.

A proposal has been submitted to the City of Mississauga for a 25, 22, 18, 12 and 9-storey mixed-use residential, retail and park space constructed along the northwest of Dixie Outlet Mall, south of the Queen Elizabeth Way and west of Dixie Road.

The City of Mississauga’s Planning and Building Department is conducting a land use review of the Dixie Outlet Mall site to help guide redevelopment.

Dubbed ‘Plan Dixie’, the developers filed a re-zoning application with the City in December 2022 for the property at 1250 South Service Rd.

The owner is proposing to demolish a portion of the mall and build five residential apartments in the northwest portion of the site. The site where the grocery store is located is owned by Choice Properties and no application has been made to the City, according to documents filed.

The City is required to process a development application and within certain timelines. The City will work with the property owners in coordinating the policy and the development application reviews, according to the Building Department.

“Given recent economic and consumer behaviour changes, including a rise in e-commerce and the global COVID-19 pandemic, the role and nature of retail is changing and evolving,” Glen Schnarr & Associates Inc. wrote in the re-development application submitted for the owner Sheridan Retail Inc.

The development is being designed by Giannone Petricone Associates for Slate Asset Management and Choice REIT.

“Retail-based landowners are re-evaluating lands and identifying potential redevelopment opportunities,” Schnarr said.

This is expected to be the first phase of development for the Dixie Outlet Mall. A long-term vision for the 35.5 acre Mall site is for 16 new residential buildings wrapping around the existing mall with heights ranging from 11 to 29 storeys, according to the application.

The first phase of the project is two 15-storey residential buildings with a total of 620 units and 713 shared parking spaces, some in an underground garage.

The first building would have 249 units and the second would have 371 units. The breakdown proposed is 221 one-bedroom units, 369 two-bedroom units, and 30 three-bedroom units.

Over 1,200 new residential units are proposed, along with 3.5 acres of parkland and public trails. In total, the development parcel consists of 7.1 acres of the mall property.

A mixed-use 11-storey condo building has been proposed for the site on what was once a popular auto parts store on The Queensway.

The proposed development of PartSource Inc. at 801 The Queensway, at Taymall Avenue, would contain 206 residential units and 214 parking spaces in a three-level underground parking garage. Vehicle access to the site would be via Taymall.

The ground level frontage of the building along The Queensway is allocated for commercial space, with the residential entrance and ramp to the underground at the rear of the building.

The residential units are proposed in a mix of 124 one-bedroom, 74 two-bedroom and eight three-bedrooms.

An application was submitted to the City of Toronto in late December 2019 by Marlin Spring Developments for rezoning of the property so housing can be built.

The project, which is in pre-construction, is being marketed as Curio Condos and is currently selling.

Curio in its marketing states that ‘residents will have easy access to transit with TTC bus routes and Mimico GO Station nearby, making commuting throughout the city convenient.’

“The area is family-friendly with beautiful parks, schools, and access to Lake Ontario and nature trails,” boasts the Curio website.

The building would be ‘U’-shaped above the ground floor with outdoor amenity space and a green roof located above the first and second floors adjacent to The Queensway.

An arborist report indicates the development proposes to remove eight protected private trees and two trees on the City road allowance. Urban Forestry staff require an Application to Injure or destroy trees for the removal of City and privately owned trees.

PartSource is a Canadian automotive parts retail chain owned by Canadian Tire. It sells name brand automotive parts, specializing in commercial sales and sales to customers who work on their own vehicles.

Founded in 1996, the retailer has 80 stores in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Originally composed of corporately owned and franchise-operated stores, as of November 2013 all PartSource stores are owned and operated by Canadian Tire.

PartSource in 2015 stopped offering a 10% price match guarantee. Prior to this they would match and beat any local competitor’s price by 10%.

One of South Etobicoke’s oldest tree, a 330-year-old white oak is suffering from an infection of Sulphur Fungus and may have to be taken down soon.

The tree, which is dubbed Great 335 of Thorncrest, is located at Islington Avenue and Great Oak Drive, is starting to show its age.

“Sadly it will have to be taken down soon,” said Bill Zufelt, of Long Branch Neighbourhood Association History and Culture Committee. “The majestic white oak has watched over its Islington neighbourhood for centuries.”

Zufelt said the tree’s trunk measures five metres around and based on its circumference, he calculates that it is about 330 years old.

“It could have been a sapling in the late 1600s,” he said.

Zufelt said the land was leased by settler Jacob Smith in 1787 to build an inn. The inn was never built and in 1820 the land was rented for farming, in which the tree was a natural landmark.

He said a large branch has broken from the tree during a storm.

“It’s a great tree, having survived not just for decades but for centuries,” Zufelt said. “When I go up close to its trunk I think about how much it has experienced in its 300 plus years.”

He wants people to honour the tree before it reaches the end of its life.

City staff said there are no plans to remove the tree and it is considered to have heritage potential.

An online auction to help build schools in needy parishes of Jamaica runs until October 20 and proceeds will make a big impact on the lives of those in need.

The Great Jamaica Auction is presented by Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation and hopes to attract supporters and friends of the island nation to help children.

Foundation founder Karl Hale said his group has built 26 schools over the past 17 years “but we have many more lives to touch and children to support.”

The group has so far supported more than 50 projects, educated more than 15,000 students and engaged hundreds of people to visit the island and volunteer in school builds.

“We believe that together, we can make a meaningful change in Jamaica, improving the lives of countless individuals and families,” said Hale. “The Great Jamaica Charity Auction is not just about raising funds; it’s about coming together as a community to show our support and compassion.”

He said more than 100 items will be auctioned and they range from restaurant vouchers to world class villas and everything in between. The online charity sale began on October 5 and runs until Ocbober 20.

“Support our auction and get great items at great prices,” he said. “Be a part of something truly special—generosity, unity, and love that will leave a lasting impact on Jamaica and its people.”

The North America-based Foundation seeks to improve the lives of the next generation of children, young adults and their communities by creating a world-class education system through investment in infrastructure, health, wellness and leadership.

Their motto is ‘Participate, Educate, Elevate’ because they believe by providing the opportunity for an education can eliminate the barriers to a child’s success.

The auction can be accessed at http://HHJF.bidandraise.com

Visit their website: www.helpinghandsjamaica.com or contact: julierober@ledonne.ca

 

A new dessert store that promises to ‘to hit your sweet spot’ has recently opened its doors on The Queensway.

Mr. Puffs, which is located at 1557 The Queensway, said all its sweet goods are made-to-order for that ‘mouth-watering goodness and an absolutely must-try.’

“Notably, the dough of their Puffs is free from dairy, eggs and peanuts,” company officials said. “What sets us apart is our enticing range of glaze options.”

Puffs are deep-fried dough balls that are much like donut holes which are slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They can be customized with your choice of glaze.

The stores feature syringes, available for an additional cost, for customer to add the glaze inside.

The glazes include a new Biscoff glaze and classics as sugar cinnamon, creamy caramel, chocolate hazelnut and Bueno.

Vegans can choose from sugar and cinnamon, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry and wow butter.

Their other offerings include Mount-Olympus, which is a combo of ice cream and Puffs, or dipped ice creams, creamy milkshakes, specialty coffees and velvety lattes.

Mr. Puffs is a Montreal based company that was founded in 2004 by Billy Siounis serving their very famous hot and fresh Puffs. The Queensway store opened its doors on September 30.

The company has about 60 locations across Canada, and about seven in the Greater Toronto Area, including Brampton, Mississauga, Pickering and Oshawa.

“The Puffs’ batter is all-natural, lactose, peanut, and egg-free,” company officials said. “Puffs are always served hot and fresh and glazed on order with delicious glazes as sugar cinnamon, creamy caramel, chocolate hazelnut and Bueno.”

They said their dessert bar offers ice cream cones dipped in rich Belgian chocolate, milkshakes, specialty coffees (hot and cold) and much more.

“It is a great pleasure to be part of the Mr. Puffs team and to see our customers smile with every visit for over a year. Nothing compares to Mr. Puffs, the atmosphere is great and the team is always willing to help,” said Claude Philippon, of  Mr. Puffs Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.

They can be reached at 416-900-3839 or for a menu visit mrpuffs.com

 

 

Some Mimico residents say they cannot wait for the start of construction of townhomes on Judson Street to get rid of a controversial ML Ready Mix gravel hatching plant.

An application by Dunpar Homes was approved by the City of Toronto in 2016 to construct 72 four-storey townhouses at 49, 53 and 55 Judson Street. There will also be a three-storey commercial building with 28 units at the rear of the site.

The complex is doors away from now-shut ML Ready Mix, at 29 Judson Street, which residents have complained about for years due to the noise, dust and pollution caused by the heavy truck traffic.

The property was eventually purchased by the City of Toronto. At one time a 17-storey had been planned to be built on the site, but that has since been scrapped.

The townhome site borders on Willowbrook Rail Yard, Metrolinx Lakeshore West rail corridor, the Willowbrook rail maintenance and re-fuelling facility and VIA Rail’s train fuelling and maintenance facility, and will be accessed by a series of fire routes and private laneways.

It is part of the Mimico-Judson Secondary Plan area, which is one of seven re-designated from a Regeneration Area to Mixed Use.

Dan Irwin, a community activist, said residents are in the dark as to when work will begin on the construction of the townhomes.

“Right now the property seems to be rented out for the storage of construction equipment,” Irwin said. “There are noise, crashing and back up beepers from vehicles going on all night long.”

He and other Judson Street residents fought successfully to have Ready Mix closed or moved and would now like to see a park on the site.

The proposed townhomes includes 72 parking spaces for residents, 24 for residential visitors and 71 for commercial occupants and visitors.  Some72 spaces would be indoor and 95 on surface parking.

There are three existing low rise buildings on the site facing development, and they include an early 20^th century house and warehouse, an office building, a second office building and a number of silos, the report said.

Portions of the south and west property lines are proposed to be lined by new 13 metre, acoustical walls. Along other portions of the site boundaries, an existing six metre acoustical walls would remain in place.

 

WoodGreen Community Services has been helping less fortunate members of the community for some 85 years and counting.

The South Etobicoke social services agency offers more than 75 programs for seniors, adults, youth, families, the homeless and newcomers to reduce poverty and promote community health.

They provide safe and affordable housing options, disability support and a wide range of physical and mental health services.

“We also offer newcomer settlement programs, support for single mothers, child care, financial services and pathways to meaningful employment,” according to its website.

The agency has recently launched an innovative program called Skills for Success for Experienced Workers (SSEW) to train for jobs some 106 area residents, aged 45 and more.

The potential workers will be instructed in making a resume, including skills as writing a cover letter, searching for a job, interview and basic computer skills.

“This program will support experienced mature job seekers to enhance their skills, adapt to technology changes and excel in today’s job market,” said Malik Kabir, WoodGreen’s Supervisor of Workforce Development. “This program is cost-free and provides financial and tech supports to participants.”

He said interested participants are required to be proficient in English and have basic digital literacy.

The program provides a five-day computer skills upgrading course so those with low digital skills can qualify for the program.

After four-week of skills training, participants are referred to WoodGreen’s Employment Services for job development, in which coaches connect them with potential employers who are hiring workers.

Clients in the program have the option to participate in five days of funded basic security guard training from Paragon Security, including obtaining an Ontario Security Guard License and two days Retail Council of Canada’s Customer Service Certificate training.

The program begins on November 20 and runs until December 15 at WoodGreen’s 2930 Lakeshore Blvd W. office. The five-day computer upgrading course will run from November 8 to 17, just before the start of the main program.

The agency provides individuals with disabilities, psychiatric survivors and people experiencing homelessness with safe and affordable housing. WoodGreen owns and manages 12 housing sites, where tenants can access a full range of their services.

They help newcomers make a successful transition into Canadian society by offering access to affordable housing, employment opportunities, child care, language training and a range of other settlement services.

WoodGreen also help seniors and older adults with disabilities improve their health and live with dignity and independence. Their services include access to affordable housing, home support, medical escorts, counselling and recreational activities.

Those interested can e-mail the program supervisor at mkabir@woodgreen.org or call at 647-201-5273.