Look in the sky. It’s a bird, bee or a jet.

It’s a second year without the Canadian National Exhibition — but aviation fans will be thrilled to know the Canadian International Air Show will return on Labour Day weekend.

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds and several other aircraft, including a P-51 Mustang, CF-18 Hornet and a F-35 stealth warplane) will take to the air on Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5 between noon and 3:00 p.m.

There will be no separate airshow zone for spectators, but there will be two ways to see the aerial display: you can find your way to a spot anywhere along the 14kms of viewing space along Lake Ontario shoreline between the Humber Bridge and Billy Bishop island airport, maintaining social distancing, of course.

Or you can watch at home.

For those who go in-person, parking will be available at Ontario Place and Exhibition Place and public transit is available as always.

The 2021 show will also celebrate the Snowbirds’ 50th anniversary and commemorate Captain Jennifer Casey, who was killed in a Snowbirds crash in Kamloops, B.C., in May 2020.

Some Humber Bay residents are already complaining about the impending traffic delays and congestions by those attending the air show.

 

South Etobicoke resident Indira Bains is running as a candidate for the federal Conservative Party to represent  the Etobicoke Lakeshore riding whenever an election is called by the Prime Minister.

Rumors are rampant that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to drop a writ and call a federal election soon.

The federal Conservatives and New Democrats are jockeying for power and are lining up their candidates to compete against the Liberals whenever there’s a vote.

Bains’ workers have established a website to feature news and updates from her campaign.

“Indira is involved in a number of community causes, including Habitat for Women, Haven on the Queensway, and Toronto Little Free Pantries Project,” according to her campaign material. “She is a strong advocate for public safety, elimination of human trafficking and supporting victims of abuse.”

She plans to be the next MP for Etobicoke Lakeshore “because this election will shape our children’s future. It’s too important to sit on the sidelines.”

Bains was two-years-old when her father emigrated to Canada from India to start a new life. She accompanied her mother and sister to Canada two years later.

She gained solid political experience as Past-President of the Etobicoke-Lakeshore Conservative Association and as a board member on the Etobicoke-Lakeshore Ontario PC Association.

“Indira’s political experience also included working on both provincial and federal campaigns,” according to her literature. “Indira’s political expertise grew as a member of several board committees including fundraising and events-management in the community.”

She will be running against long time Liberal MP James Maloney who was elected in 2015 and sits on more than 10 standing committees and is generally well-known in the area.

The name of the NDP candidate for Etobicoke Lakeshore has not been announced.

You can reach Indira or volunteer for her campaign by phoning 647-483-3778 or you can visit her website at voteindirabains.ca or on Facebook at IndiraBains.EtobicokeLakeshore or Twitter@VoteIndiraBains.

 

 

By IAN ROBERTSON

The beloved founder of the iconic San Remo Bakery is being brought back to life in a beautiful mural that shows his love for South Etobicoke, native Italy and baked treats.

Work has begun on a massive art mural of bakery founder Natale Bozzo on the south side, on Simpson Ave., of the famous bakery with Royal York Road in the background.

The images include the ancient Coliseum in Rome, a modern building there, SkyDome and the arch bridge over Humber River, plus people and with Bozzo on the right holding a large tray of doughnuts, one of his favourites.

Bozzo loved both his homeland Italy, and Canada, the country that took him and his family in.

Art team leader Christiano De Araujo pays attention to the minute details. On this day he is using a portable machine to spray paint onto wall as an assistant works with a brush.

De Araujo is aware that his masterpiece will be viewed by many area residents and San Remo fans, who loved Bozzo. There are still daily lineups by residents as they wait to get inside the bakery.

The patriarch of the family-run bakery died from COVID-19 complications last February following a six week battle with the virus.

Born in 1945, Bozzo immigrated to Canada from Italy at the age of 15.

He started working in Toronto’s Little Italy neighbourhood at Sicilia Bakery on College Street before opening SanRemo Bakery with his brothers in Etobicoke in 1969.

“He was larger than life and we will miss him dearly and will work very hard to keep his memory alive and to honour him,” the family mourned on Facebook.

Within just an hour of being posted, the statement had already garnered some 800 comments of condolences.

He was mourned by thousands of Etobicoke residents, and politicians of all stripes, who loved his treats.

The mural is expected to be completed in a couple weeks.

 

 

 

 

Area motorists are being warned of a new automated traffic camera system being installed on a slow strip of Royal York Road, near Norseman Street.

Signs have been installed in the area warning both north and southbound motorists of the upcoming traffic camera installations, which is close to two schools.

The area was a popular spot for Toronto Police radar cops due to the many lead-footed motorists who were ticketed for speeding in a school zone.

The city’s red light camera program, which initially started as a pilot project in 1998, entered into a new five-year plan in 2017. The city now employs more than 70 of the cameras in school and other zones.

The city on its website state that Automated Enforcement is a tool that uses technology to alter driver behaviour by enforcing the applicable traffic law.

“Automated Enforcement is used to reduce the prevalence of excessive speeding and the running of red lights to improve roadway safety for all road users, especially our most vulnerable,” according to city officials.

More than 53,000 tickets have been issued to drivers caught speeding by Toronto’s newly installed speed cameras during the first round of enforcement, according to police.

The city generates millions of dollars in revenues from the issuing of tickets. Some cameras generate more than 30,000 tickets monthly.

The fines that accompany the tickets are steeper in proportion to the speed. They start at $5 per kph over the speed limit, with the fine reaching up to $12 per KPH between 30 and 49 kph over.

The top-earning speed cameras in Etobicoke includes one at Renforth Drive, near Lafferty Street, in Etobicoke Centre, that issued the most tickets with more than 5,400.

The camera at Trehorne Drive, near Duffield Road, was second with 1,677, according to city figures, while another at Horner Avenue, near Orianna Drive, was third with 1,358 tickets.

Other camera locations in this area includes Lake Shore Blvd. W., near Twentieth Street, Algoma Street, east of Royal York Road;  La Rose Avenue, east of Griggsden Avenue; The East Mall, south of Capri Road and two locations in Etobicoke North.

 

 

 

Residents in the Alderwood area are being warned not to be suckered by fake Canada Census scammers out to get your personal information or money.

Most households across the country have already received a letter in the mail in regards to completion of their 2021 census questionnaire online as required by law. The deadline was May 11 but data collection still continues.

Bright yellow ‘Notice of Visit’ cards are left in the mail boxes or residents who have not complied with census requirements.

The cards warn residents that is a legal obligation to complete the questionnaire and Statistic Canada officials will return until the census is completed.

Scammers follow the large yellow cards and approach the homeowners by claiming to be Statistics Canada officials. They try to extort payments from residents, mostly immigrants or new Canadians, for having a late or uncompleted census questionnaire.

The homeowners are also conned into sharing their personal information, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

“Do not get tricked into making payments or sharing personal information,” the BBB warned last May. “It could be a goldmine for fraudsters if they connect with a census taker who is unaware of the signs of a scam.”

Individuals are at risk of identity theft if they unknowingly share information with the wrong person or on an unofficial website, said the BBB’s Karla Laird.

In one case on August 6 in Alderwood, a homeowner was given ‘the finger’ by a fake census worker who was asked for her government of Canada identification card and couldn’t produce it. The woman, according to the homeowner, was not wearing a uniform or badge, refused to give her name or employee number and gave the resident ‘a finger’ as she took off.

A complaint was filed and Census officials said they are investigating.

The BBB said those who have not filled out the census questionnaires can expect a warning letter, phone call, home visit or an email.

“Census staff will not contact you by text message, on instant messaging aps like WhatsApp or direct messages on social media,” the bureau said in its warning.

They said census workers will share their name, employee number and reason for calling.

“Statistics Canada will send someone to your home as a laser resort,” according to their website. “Staff will not be entering your homes, but will be wearing personal protective equipment and branded clothing so you can readily identify them.”

“Threats of arrest and payment demands are clear signs of a scam,” according to the BBB. “Statistics Canada and Census staff will never threaten you with jail time or demand that you make immediate payment using credit cards, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or any other payment method to complete the questionnaire.”

They said anyone who refuses to complete a census questionnaire can be fined up to $500 by a court, but Census staff do not have the authority to issue this penalty.

Failure to complete the census will not impact your tax file or other benefits, Laird said.  People should not respond to emails or any other communications that say otherwise.

The census will collect information like your name, address, age, sex at birth, gender, marital status, military experience and languages spoken. It will never ask for your banking, credit card information or Social Insurance Number (SIN)”

If you are having issues you can phone Statistics Canada at 1-877-949-9492 (toll-free).

A Mississauga man who is well-known for his charity work has been with sexual assault in connection with an incident on a boat at Port Credit Harbour.

Peel Regional Police said the suspect is associated to a local community charity, which they refuse to identify.

On Sunday, June 13, two female victims met the accused at his boat which was docked near the Port Credit Harbour, according to detectives.

Police said at that time the victims were allegedly sexually assaulted by the accused.

Paul Bailey 51, was arrested on August 3 and charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of forcible confinement.

Bailey will appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton October 25 to answer to the charges.

Investigators believe there may be additional victims and encourage them to contact the Special Victims Unit. Anyone with information in relation to this incident is asked to contact investigators at the Special Victims Unit at 905-453-2121, extension 3460. Anonymous information may also be submitted by calling Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477), or by visiting peelcrimestoppers.ca.

 

 

 

Caring folks in Etobicoke are raising funds on Go Fund Me to help a nine-year-old Jamaican girl obtain badly-needed emergency surgery.

More than $1,770 has been raised in a campaign to help Shania Vidal, who organizers claim, is in need of an urgent tonsillectomy operation. They are hoping to raise $10,000.

“Her condition is worsening each day which is impacting her breathing, sleeping education and everyday routines,” said fund organizer Joyce Valentine, who is from Etobicoke.

Valentine is the founder of Caring Hearts and Giving Hands, which helps children and families living in Jamaica facing hardship and difficulty.

She learned of Vidal’s condition from a teacher at Middleton Primary School, in St. Thomas, in rural Jamaica.

“Your help in anyway would give her a chance of living a normal young girls life, free from the challenges and difficulties associated with this illness,” Valentine wrote on social media
Her group plans to help Shania receive proper care so she can return to school and play with her friends.

“Our hope is to provide this operation for Shania so she can begin her new school year with the ability to hear, swallow and breathe and enjoy a life that a nine year old deserves,” Valentine said.

Doctors say patients who’ve had their tonsils and adenoids removed in childhood are at significantly increased long-term risk of respiratory, allergic and infectious diseases.

Caring Hearts Helping Hands is a faith-based organization that provides support and assistance to people in the hopes of developing a sound, economic, and social foundation. With 25 employees and counting, the group obtain necessities needed for unfortunate families through education, employment, gifts, and other charitable means deem fit for the organization.

Each year they help hundreds of families by providing proper nutrition, housing, and education for a better future.

Donations to help Shania can be made on gofundme.com

Toronto Police are warning subway users of an alleged pervert who is riding the rails near the Runnymede Station.

Police said they received a radio call on July 28 around 7:45 a.m. for an indecent act on the westbound TTC Subway train while it was near the Runnymede Station.

“It is reported that a man was observed sitting on the subway train, while looking at the victim, the man exposed himself,” 11 Division officers said.

Police alleged a second incident took place on July 12, about 5:30 p.m. on another subway car in the Lawrence West Subway Station area.

“A man was observed sitting on the subway train, while looking at the victim, the man exposed himself,” police alleged. “Investigators believe the same man is involved in both incidents.”

Investigators are also concerned there may be more victims and are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying this man.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1100, 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.

 

 

 

 

 

Some Parkdale residents were stunned after being woken up by a knocking on their windows only to find a man performing an indecent act before them, police warn.

Officers from 11 Division said the indecent acts were reported on July 24 and August 2 in the Wabash Avenue and Sorauren Avenue area of Parkdale during the overnight hours.

Police have released security camera images of a suspect.

“It is reported that a man was knocking on windows in the area and then performing an indecent act,” police said in a release.

Several incidents have been reported, but police are concerned there may be other unreported incidents.
The suspect is described as being in his 30-40s, medium build, dirty blonde shoulder- length hair, wearing prescription glasses and a beard, seen on occasions wearing a leather jacket, light coloured shirt and may be riding a bicycle.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1100, 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.
For more visit TPSnews.ca.