The South Etobicoke News

Serving Humber * Mimico * Lakeshore Village * Long Branch * Alderwood

The Westwood Theatre showed first-run flicks for 50-plus years

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By DAVE KOSONIC

The long-gone Westwood Theatre went down like the Titanic, the last movie shown at the storied south Etobicoke movie house.

Development was expected to be completed this Spring on the 13.8-acre site that is soon to be home of a new Etobicoke Civic Centre, public square, recreation centre, library, office space and child care facility.

Many moviegoers like to recall the good old days when they could enjoy first-run movies at the Westwood while munching on candy floss, hot dogs and popcorn.

The Westwood was located at the southeast corner of Six Points, or spaghetti junction, where Bloor and Dundas Sts. and Kipling Ave. met.  This location was highly accessible, there was plenty of free parking and theatre seated about 1,000 fans.

The popular cinema opened in February 1952 and the featured flicks as Laughter in Paradise and You Never Can Tell. Dudley Dumont was the first manager whose success included screening good movies at discount prices so that the seats were always filled. By 1996 it cost $3 to see the thriller Mars Attacks.

The Westwood opened with one screen. In 1968 an addition was built on the east side of the building that included a second screen.  In 1980 the large original screen was divided in half creating three theatres.  Movie buffs were overjoyed with more and more movies to view.

The Saturday afternoon matinees were packed with school kids who were dropped off at the front door of the show.  Many of these youngsters were more interested in the snack bar rather than the movies being screened.  Groups of young guys would often sit in the back rows and get noisy.  The ushers, who wore dapper tailored uniforms, would shine their flashlights on the youths and order them to sit still.

Sadly, for countless Westwood fans the theatre was closed in 1998, and ironically the last movie shown was Titanic.  The facility was shut because some politicians at the time thought that the theatre land could be better used for other purposes.  But that vision is taking a long time.

Before the Etobicoke landmark was demolished in 2013, it served as a shelter for homeless cats and In 2003 was used for the filming of the movie Resident Evil.

Some Westwood lovers wanted the old and bold Westwood sign saved and displayed to mark the theatre’s more than 50-years of operation, but that did not occur.

 

 

We will never forget a brave young officer Hancox

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Heroes in life memorial.

Police in Toronto and elsewhere are today saying prayers to mark the death of Det. Const. William (Bill) Hancox, who was killed 22-years ago.

It was on August 4, 1998, when Hancox was working in plainclothes and sitting in a police vehicle when two female suspects approached the car and fatally stabbed him.

Police said at the time  a broadcast was received from Hancox advising that he had been stabbed and needed help.

“Officers attended the location and found him lying near his police vehicle,” police said. “Emergency first aid was applied and he was transported to hospital.”

The husband and father succumbed to his injuries later that evening.

The women were arrested and convicted in his death.

Hancox was 32-years-old at the time and had been with the Toronto Police Service for nine years.

“I will never forget that day,” Lynn Gardner Perani wrote on social media.  “Thoughts and prayers go out to his family.”

The cannon at Marie Curtis Park older than the Confederation

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Older than Canada eh!

A 32-pounder cannon manning the beach of Marie Curtis Park was built in Scotland more than 200-years ago and seems to be barely touched by time and weather.

The guns manufactured by the Carron Company, of Falkirk, Scotland, saw years of action in the battlefields before being retired due to use and installed in parks and museums as a reminder of the past and for decorative purposes.

The Marie Curtis heavy gun was one of five retired and sent to Riverdale Park after a Toronto alderman in 1881 requested some cannons to decorate the expansive park.

Soon after A.P. Carron, Scotland’s Minister of Militia and Defense, visited Toronto with five cannons on carriages which arrived from Quebec City at the Yonge St. wharf, where they were hauled to Riverdale. Some have since been moved to other parks.

The gun at Marie Curtis was placed at the mouth of the Etobicoke Creek right at the point where Hurricane Hazel swept a cottage community out into Lake Ontario in 1954. It has over the years brough joy and memories for many people

The Carron Company was well managed and held it’s own against competition from other weapons makers for almost 200 years.

During both world wars the company produced munitions while meeting the  demands of peace time reconstruction in the building industry, supplying a large range of domestic products including fire grates, gas and electric cookers and baths.

The company thrived making large cooking ranges for ship’s galleys and kitchens and even made iron tiles for the British Houses of Parliament and castings for the Admiralty and Volvo cars.

Carron, which at one time was involved in the production of stainless steel and plastic goods, had its own coalmines, a fleet of ships carrying goods and passengers, agencies worldwide, showrooms in major cities and its own railway.

The firm went into receivership in 1982.

 

Man shot in Mimico early Sunday as shooter flees on foot

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It was early Sunday morning and some people were attending church in the Mimico area when gun shots rang out.

Toronto Police officers rushed to the area of Lake Shore Blvd. W., near Mimico Ave., after responding to calls from members of the community, many who were enjoying their first cup of coffee.

Emergency crews were called about 11 a.m. for a report of multiple shots fired.

Paramedics said they arrived to find a man suffering from minor injuries.

He was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He is expected to survive.

Police say the shooter took off and was last seen running west on Lake Shore Blvd.

Police described the suspect as a black male, last seen wearing a black Adidas track suit and black and white running shoes.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416-808-2200.

 

 

Emancipation Day celebrated here and across the world

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People took to the streets of Toronto and around the world to commemorate Emancipation Day and raise awareness about anti-Black racism in government institutions.

Emancipation Day is held every year on August 1 to mark the abolition of slavery across the British Empire and its colonies.

It is a solemn day for many to take time and reflect.

Demonstrators were calling for action to end systemic anti-Black racism in key systems including child welfare, policing, the justice system, healthcare, education, arts and culture.

“The bonds and chains are no longer holding us, however, we are still bridled by the fact of racism that exists in the institutions and the systems. We have to break those,” Yvette Blackburn with the Global Jamaican Diaspora Council said.

The demonstration started in front of the Children’s Aids Society of Toronto and made stops at Toronto Police Headquarters, Old City Hall, the Ministry of Education and Mount Sinai Hospital before ending at Queen’s Park.

The march was organized by Not Another Black Life with other organizations, including the Toronto Prisoner’s Rights Project, Palestinian Youth Movement, Keep Your Rent Toronto and Climate Justice Toronto.

Emancipation Day commemorates the Abolition of Slavery Act, which became law on August 1, 1834. This act freed more than 800,000 people of African descent throughout the British Empire.

Only slaves below the age of six were freed. Enslaved people older than six years of age were re-designated as “apprentices” and required to work, 40 hours per week without pay, as part of compensation payment to their former owners. Full emancipation was finally achieved at midnight on 31 July, 1838.

The first Emancipation Day Parade was held in 1932 in Windsor and would come to be known as the ‘Greatest Freedom Show on Earth.’ The parade and festival boasted famous guests like Martin Luther King Jr., Mary McLeod Bethune, Stevie Wonder, Benjamin Mays, Fred Shuttlesworth, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, and Eleanor Roosevelt.

It ended in 1968 following fears of the Detroit Riot in 1967 when city councillors denied permits to stage the celebration.

 

Police searching for suspect who attacks women and a man

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Police believe this suspect is becoming more brazen against area women.

Toronto Police officers are investigating multiple assaults against women and a man in the area of Roncesvalles and Howard Park Aves, in the City’s west-end.
Police say a suspect has struck at least three women and one man in separate incidents.

Police say on July 28 the man approached a 36-year-old woman and allegedly sprayed contents of a drink at her before fleeing on foot.

Detectives in a release alleged the man on July 21 approached a 38-year-old female and “proceeded to spit on the woman” before again fleeing the area on foot.

Officers allege on July 20 the suspect approached a 55-year-old man, whom he proceeded to assault, before taking off on foot.

And on May 13, police say the suspect approached a 50-year-old woman and allegedly assaulted her before fleeing.

The man is described as 25 to 40 years of age, 5’8″ to 5’10”, thin to medium build, black hair. In the most recent incident the man was wearing a black baseball cap, grey t-shirt and grey shorts .
The investigations are ongoing and anyone who may have witnessed the incidents, or has information, is urged to contact police.
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.

Renforth Rd. traffic cam issues the most tickets in the City

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A new radar camera installed on Renforth Rd. is spitting out money.
The South Etobicoke Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) camera has proven to be the most productive in issuing tickets of 50 installed in hotspots across the city.

A total of 7,645 tickets were issued by the Toronto radar cameras from July 6 to 20, according to a news release from the City.

City officials say the highest speed detected was 89 km/h on Renforth Dr., near Lafferty St., which is in Ward 2 – Etobicoke Centre, where the posted speed limit is 40 km/h.

That same camera on Renforth Dr. issued the highest fine at $718 and the most tickets of all the cameras, which represents 12 per cent, or more than 900, of all tickets issued.

A nearby camera caught the most amounts of repeat offenders with a total of eight tickets for speeding at Trehorne Dr. , near Duffield Rd. The number of repeat offenders during the first two weeks following the start of issuing tickets was 591.

There were about 299 erroneous tickets issued by the City during the time period which have been withdrawn.

And the penalties are expensive if caught.

A driver caught speeding between 1 and 19 km/h over the posted speed limit will receive a set fine of $5 per kilometre. If travelling between 20 and 29 km/h over the posted speed limit, the set fine will be $7.50 per kilometre. For anything between 30 and 49 km/h over the limit, the set fine will be $12 per kilometre.

If a vehicle is detected speeding 49 km/h over the posted speed limit, the total payable fine amount would be $718. This includes a set fine of $588, a victim surcharge of $125 and $5 inapplicable court costs.

Long Branch author wins Emerging Writer prize for debut book

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Congratulations to Long Branch author J.R. McConvey whose book of short stories won a 2020 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize.

The prize supports Canadian debut authors by helping to kick-start their careers, according to a news release.  Three Canadian authors were selected this year.

McConvey, an area screenwriter, has been published in Malahat Review, Joyland and the Dalhousie Review. He was also long-listed for the 2016 CBC Poetry Prize.

His first book, a short-story collection, Different Beasts, which is being recognized was published in 2019. It takes the prize in the speculative fiction category.

Judge Andrew Pyper says this is the ‘kind of storytelling that burns certain images into the reader’s mind.’

“McConvey’s imagination is curious and ready for travel,” Pyper wrote. “It was a difficult task choosing a winner for this year’s shortlist, which is good news for everyone.”

Different Beasts is a short story collection that explores the beastly side of humanity and the human side of monsters. The characters are both otherworldly and earth-bound, ranging from mutant angels and insectoid demon-gods to politicians and parents.

The 12 stories in Different Beasts ask what it means to be both human and monster. Shape-shifting waifs, haunted stuffies, scavenging drones, insectoid demon-gods, and mutant angels all come to life in this wildly imagined debut, according to the release.

“In this wild, fantastical, viscerally memorable debut, J.R. McConvey explores the power dynamics that undergird social relationships and crystallize into structures of fealty and worship, fear and control, aspiration and desire,” according to reviewers.

The Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize is now in its sixth year. The winners were selected from a shortlist of talented Canadian writers. The shortlist was chosen by Kobo’s team of booksellers, with book completion rates, customer ratings, and reviews taken into consideration along with our specialists’ collective gift for spotting unique stories, new voices and under-the-radar talent.

The book is available on Amazon.ca

 

How safe are your kids schools when open in September

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The Ontario government has released its plan for the safe reopening of schools.

A news release sent out by MPP Christine Hogarth on July 30 said schools for in-class instruction will begin in September and students from Grades 4 – 12 will be required to wear masks.

Education officials say Kindergarten to Grade 8 will reopen with in-class instruction five days a week. Secondary schools with lower risk will reopen with a normal daily schedule, five days a week, while most secondary schools will start the year in an adapted model of part-time attendance with class cohorts of up to 15 students alternating between attending in-person and online.

Details on the safe restart of the school year were released by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, and Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health.

They said parents will continue to have the option to enroll their children in ‘remote delivery, which respects their fundamental role in making the final determination of whether they feel safe with their children returning to school.’

The government said they will be spending $300 million in targeted public health protocols to keep staff safe when they return to school.

Some $60 million will be spent to procure medical and cloth masks for students and staff; $30 million for teacher staffing to support supervision in keeping classes small; $50 million to hire up to 500 additional and school-focused nurses in public health units to provide rapid-response to schools and boards.

About $75 million will be spent to hire 500 additional custodians and purchase cleaning supplies; $23 million for testing: $40 million to clean buses; $10 million for health and safety training for occasional teachers: $10 million for support special needs students and $10 million to support student mental health.

Some $15 million in technology funding to support the procurement of over 35,000 devices for Ontario’s students to support their synchronous learning in-school and beyond.

“We are seeing that overall instances of COVID-19 are declining in Ontario,” said Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “We believe that with the appropriate measures and strategies in place to handle potential outbreaks and prevent spread, schools are expected to be a safe place for Ontario’s students and staff who attend.”

Officials said there are protocols in place for school officials to deal with the positive cases of COVID-19 among students, parents, teachers or staff.

About two million students attend public schools in Ontario.

Police search still underway for Nicole Morin who has been missing for 35-years

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It has been 35-years since Nicole Morin disappeared and Toronto Police are still optimistic that she’s alive.

Nicole was eight-years-old when she went missing on July 30, 1985 at about 11 a.m. after leaving her apartment on the top floor of 627 The West Mall, in Etobicoke.

“She was never seen again,” police said on the 35-th anniversary of her disappearance. “She was just eight-years-old at the time and would be 43 now.”

An artist rendition of what Nicole would look like today (in photo) was released by police.

Veteran detectives have been working quietly behind the scenes over the years to crack the case that angered the community and made headlines back in the mid-1980.

Police say over the years there have been several tips from community members near and far.

“Yet police have been unable to bring this investigation to a conclusion and it is still unknown what exactly happened that day,” according to the release.

Nicole was described as white, 4’0″, 55 lbs., with straight shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, and had a birth mark on her right upper forehead. In 2019, an updated artist’s rendition was released by Toronto Police to show what she could look like today in the hope someone recognized her.
Detectives are asking the community to help them find out happened to Nicole and provide a conclusion for her family and friends.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-2200, email at FindNicole@TorontoPolice.on.ca, or contact the Toronto Police Service – Missing Person’s Unit at 416-808-7411.
For anonymous information, 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, Google Play or Blackberry App World.