Dozens of volunteers from across our community are performing small tasks so everyone can have a more joyful Christmas and New Year.

At LAMP Community Health Centre, on Fifth St., volunteers were out delivering grocery hampers to those in need that included a turkey and ham.

Thanks to the Ontario Produce Marketing Association and F.E.E.D. Canada for making this dream of happy healthy family dinners a reality this holiday season.

Many residents were thankful and appreciative of the hampers in these challenging food-deprived times. Many of those in need have not wandered far from their homes due to COVID-19.

LAMP officials are thanking the Etobicoke Services for Seniors (ESS) for their help in delivering the food. A shout out also goes to super volunteers Dornel, Levi, Daniel and Remi for the tough work or unloading and distributing the food boxes to cars.

“Your generous gift of your time and strength made this project a huge success,” LAMP officials said. “So nice to see young people making a difference.”

Dozens of Christmas trees were given away at LAMP on December 22 thanks to Tyler, the owner of The Old Sod Pub and Brad, the owner of Two Men and A Truck Etobicoke, who volunteered to help families in need of a nice tree.

They donated White Spruce Christ Trees to people in need and added some tree holders to keep them healthy and watered.

They also delivered a number of trees to people who couldn’t pick them up.

It is days before Christmas and the community is finding out about the loss of Laura Secord, a premiere Canadian chocolate shop, which has been a fixture at Cloverdale Mall for 64 years.

Store officials have confirmed that the Laura Secord at Cloverdale Mall is now permanently closed.

A spokesman for the company said only one store is affected and there are no plans to shut other stores.

The popular store opened in 1956 and was the place to purchase chocolates and other confectionary at one time, in what seems like another era.

Many area residents say they purchased gifts and treats at the Cloverdale store and the staff will be greatly missed.

The store was named after Secord, who was a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812. She is known for having walked 20 miles out of American-occupied territory in 1813 to warn British forces of an impending American attack.

She died in Chippawa, Niagara Falls, in October 1868, at the age of 93.

The news of Laura Secord’s closure had some reminiscing about the shop known for its green frosted mint chocolates and waffle ice cream cones dipped in chocolate.

“The most iconic store of Cloverdale Mall is now history,” one post said.

Other people said it was their favourite store back in the day.

The mall is going through a major transformation in which townhomes and condos are being proposed on some of the extensive property, in construction which will take a number of years.

“The mall will be different when condos are built south and west. A piece of history gone,” one person said.

 

 

By TOM GODFREY

It will be 39-years next year when 11 people were injured in a horrific car-bomb that exploded outside Litton Systems Canada, blowing out a 50-foot section of wall at the Rexdale plant that produced radar-evading guidance for the U.S. cruise missile system.

Some 550 kgs of dynamite was left in the back of a van outside the City View Dr. plant, that had been under protests by peace groups.

Three police officers, five Litton workers and three passing motorists were injured that October 1982 morning when a box containing the dynamite was detonated.

The sprawling plant made guidance components for the low-flying missiles.

Litton brass in the U.S. said there were warnings of a bombing that were sent to the company and police, though no one had taken responsibility. Members of Canadian disarmament groups, who were being prosecuted for trespassing demonstrations at the plant, disavowed and condemned the violence.

Toronto Police Insp. Gordon Fenton said three officers were dispatched around midnight to investigate a tip that a bomb was set to detonate at the factory, which has shifts working round the clock.

Fenton said officers spotted a van containing a box labeled ”Danger Explosives.” As they returned to their car to call for bomb experts, the device exploded with enough force to shatter windows at the Skyline Hotel, about half-mile away. The cost of damages was estimated as high as $50 million.

A security guard told police a woman had called with a bomb threat and he ordered the workers to leave but most of the staff were on a break in the commissary.

As they headed for the street, officers say they will never forget the sound of a ‘dynamite bomb.’

”We started running toward the exit when suddenly there was a bang and everything shattered,” said Leo Bailey, who was rescued from the rubble by firefighters.

The blast knocked out walls, shattered windows and snapped a gas main. Company officials alerted the 1,200 employees to stay home.

The explosion came hours after an appellate court in Toronto upheld a lower court ruling that five executives of Litton in Canada would not have to appear as witnesses in the case of 22 disarmament activists charged with trespassing during a demonstration.

Some group members had previously set dynamite to a B.C. power station, before driving to Litton Systems of Canada, at 25 City View Dr., to wreak more havoc.

As the dust settled, the RCMP, FBI and CIA were called to help solve the mystery.

It was learned that three members of the Direct Action “urban guerrilla” group acted upon “their wish to end the arms race” and filled a stolen pick-up truck with 550 kg (1,210 lb) of dynamite and drove from Vancouver to Toronto.

Although the militants had phoned to evacuate the building, the bomb was accidentally detonated several minutes before its announced deadline, injuring many people.

Litton Systems was an a radio-engineering firm in 1934, but was purchased by former Pentagon officials in 1956 and transformed into a military producer, building naval ships in private shipyards and installing private equipment including communications and navigation systems.

A number of people belonging to Direct Action were later rounded up after a lengthy investigation.

Brent Taylor, who was dubbed the group’s ‘intellectual leader’ was sentenced to nine years in jail, to be served concurrently with a 22-year sentence for conspiracy to rob an armored bank truck.

Ann Hansen pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years for the Litton bombing, to be served concurrently with a life sentence for conspiracy to rob the bank truck and six years for the bombing of a B.C. power station and firebombing two pornography stores.

Gerry Hannah and Doug Stewart were sentenced to six and 10-years for Direct Action activities but not for the Litton bombing.

Most would be free by now, if they are still alive.

Looking for a free Christmas tree.

LAMP Community Health Centre is giving away free Christmas Trees thanks to a generous donation from the The Old Sod Pub and Two Men and a Truck.

If you need a tree (White Spruce) and don’t have one yet, and this would be a big help because of limited funds.

“What a lovely offer from these two community minded businesses,” LAMP officials said.

The trees are being given away at LAMP, at 185 Fifth Street, on Monday, December 21 and Tuesday, December 22.

There are are number of trees and some can be delivered to your home.

The Old Sod Pub, on Bloor St. W., was robbed of about $7,000 in Christmas tree earnings earlier this month by a man who smashed a glass door. A subsequent Go Fund Me campaign raised more than $10,000 from the community to help the bar with its expenses. That story was posted on this site earlier.

It is a great gesture that the owner of The Old Sod would donate the rest of his trees to the community.

Contact jasmind@lampchc.org or call 416-252-6471. One tree per family.

 

Two men are on the run from police who are hot in pursuit in connection with the stabbing of a woman at The West Mall and Rathburn Rd.

Witnesses said there was an argument between the woman and the suspects when she was stabbed.

Police said a woman was rushed to hospital after being stabbed around 10:15 p.m. on December 20.

The woman was found with stab wounds and was transported to a trauma centre with serious, non-life threatening wounds, police said.

Two males were last seen bolting from the scene to a local park area.

No arrests have been made in the case and the victim is recuperating in hospital.

“I heard the screams of this happening, went to balcony to check out but was too dark,’ a tenant of a nearby building tweeted. “Police showed up soon after.”

“I hope they can catch these two people,” another man responded.

More tough times are coming to small businesses in the community.

Reports are swirling that Premier Doug Ford is poised to impose on December 21 a province-wide lockdown to fight COVID-19 starting on Thursday, which is Christmas Eve.

Most small businesses say they are hurting and another round of lockdowns will take its toll on some local companies and services.

As part of the plans, elementary-age school children would not return to classes as scheduled after the holidays but would spend the first week of school in the new year at home doing virtual learning and then return on Jan. 11.

In-class learning in high schools would remain closed for the entire 28-day period, though virtual learning would occur.

This comes as the province logs more than 2,000 new cases of the virus for the sixth consecutive day.

Ontario reported 2,316 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, marking the sixth day that the figure has been above 2,000. Twenty-five additional deaths were also reported.

Ford, who was in an emergency meeting December 20, is expected to announce a public health package on Monday.

Lockdown orders in Toronto and Peel Region that were set to expire this week are being extended until January 4, the government said on Friday.

Restrictions that currently exist on some big-box retailers in the hardest-hit areas in the Greater Toronto Area are expected to be extended to the rest of the province.

In areas currently under lockdown, essential big-box retailers are subject to 50 per cent capacity limits and customers must be spaced out by two metres in lineups.

Salons, hair dressers, spas, massage parlours and others are also closed.  The Ontario government has announced that Hamilton will also go into a lockdown on Monday.

Under the grey-lockdown level of the province’s coronavirus response framework, restrictions include a ban on indoor social gatherings with anyone outside of your household, the closure of non-essential retail businesses and most fitness facilities, and limiting restaurants and bars to take-out service only.

 

Has anyone seen this rare 263-year-old classical concert violin?

Somewhere out there is a frantic 18^th Century violin owner who is trying desperately to back track their footsteps to be reunited with their beloved and costly instrument.

Toronto Police from 13 Division is hot on the case to find the antiquated instrument, which appears to be in impeccable shape considering when it was made.

Police say the violin went missing on December 18 on the TTC subway around 6:30 p.m.

The instrument went missing while the owner was travelling westbound to St. George station, making a final transfer to Line 1 towards St. Clair West station, police said.

Detectives said the violin was first noticed missing after the owner had left St. Clair station.

The owner has previously transferred from the TTC subway system Line 1 from College Street station northbound to the Bloor-Yonge station.

According to the Police, the violin is still missing and has not been turned in to the TTC’s lost and found.

The lost Lorenzo-Carcassi 1757 Concert Violin is in a hard and bright red BAM case, according to police photos.

“This is something we’ll be working hard to solve and we’ll be reviewing video in the subway,” Const. Edward Parks said. “We are seeking the public’s assistance in helping resolve this.”

The violin was made in 1757 by the Florentine 18th-century violin maker Lorenzo Carcassi and his brother Tomaso.

A recent auction for a similar Lorenzo Carcassi violin from April 2012 at Christie’s was $18,750. The Tarisio instrument auction house recorded the highest price on auction was set at $62,500 in October  2008.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1300, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com.

 

 

 

 

Two men are fighting for their lives and a third severely injured after a car crashed into a cement barrier and hit a pole early Sunday morning.

Police said the vehicle rolled over and the men had to be extricated by fire and emergency officials around 3 a.m. on Sunday in the Islington Ave. and Dundas St. W. area.

Two of men suffered life-threatening injuries and were rushed to a trauma centre for treatment. A third suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Traffic officers said the vehicle was travelling north on Islington Ave. at what appears to be a high rate of speed, when the driver lost control, hit a cement barrier and then a pole flipping the vehicle to its side.

Dundas St. W. was closed for a period of time in both directions from Montgomery to Riverbank Dr.

The names of the men have not been released.

Police are investigating to determine if alcohol or drugs played a factor in the crash.