South Etobicoke will be getting two automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras of six being moved to this area in the spring.

A number of South Etobicoke motorists appear to have lead feet after it surfaced that a traffic camera on Stanley Avenue has proven to be one of the busiest in the city in generating the most tickets across Toronto roads.

Officials said between last Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, the speed camera on Stanley Avenue in the Royal York Rd., and Judson St. area issued 2,888 tickets or 13 per cent of all the fines issued.

The cameras are being rolled out to 50 new locations across the city and are expected to be capturing video of speeders by May.

There are roughly two devices for every ward in the city to capture and record images of vehicles that are speeding.

When a camera catches a speeding vehicle, a ticket is then issued to the owner of the vehicle, regardless of who was driving at the time. There are no demerit points associated with the ticket.

Lookout for the speed cameras in South Etobicoke at Algoma St., east of Royal York Rd., and Lake Shore Blvd. W.,, near Twentieth Street.

Others  will also be placed at La Rose Ave., east of Griggsden Ave., and The East Mall, south of Capri Rd., in Etobicoke Centre.

Etobicoke North drivers will have to watch for cameras at Martin Grove Rd., north of Garfella Dr., and John Garland Blvd., near Kendleton Dr.

The 50 locations have been chosen according to areas where there have been safety concerns around excessive speed and collisions near schools in Community Safety Zones, city officials said.

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

Along with the victim surcharge, the costliest ticket comes to around $722.

The city introduced the ASE program in January 2020 after running a four-month pilot program in 2018 which detected thousands of vehicles travelling over the speed limit in school zones.

Signs have been installed at all the new locations where the cameras will be active in May to warn drivers that they are coming. The city said it will not be issuing warning letters instead of tickets once the program starts.

Ret. Judge Lloyd Budzinski keeps an eye on issues.

Today, I want to discuss how to resolve conflict without a Judge.

Of course, you can go to Court and have a Judge decide, but that’s not always the best. Most conflict can be resolved if people simple listened to each other and limit their discussion to the issue of concern and not drag out a history of upset.

If you wish to maintain a relationship with your opponent then there is no choice but to compromise. If you don’t care about the relationship then why even argue, just walk away.

If a Judge is forced to decide a case its more likely there will be a winner and loser. However, if you attempt to resolve a conflict between two people, both can walk away relative winners by using listening, empathy and compromise.

The classic book on this is ‘Getting to Yes’. Every lawyer reads this in law school. It’s a must read for every parent and teenager, every husband and wife to read together with the other side. In Family Law, the one who attempts a resolution usually has the best chance of achieving their goal.

Just think about what is happening in American politics. You cannot have a winner and loser when two parties want to maintain a relationship. The process is simple. Let’s take for example a husband who comes home late on his anniversary after the partner has cooked a special dinner or you’re a teenager in a fight with his mother over a messy room.

In the first case, the hurt spouse starts demanding where was he? Why didn’t he phone? They expand the conflict to other offending occasions. The late spouse starts defending himself and introduces past events where she was unfair in her demands as an excuse. The argument then covers the last 6 months of their marriage. Stop here! It’s better to bite the bullet.

The first step is “Effective Listening”. Let the angry person vet their upset – blow off steam. Just listen instead of thinking what you want to say in reply. Not listening and self-defense is the usual default reaction. It’s natural but wrong.

Now after you have honestly listened, start in a softer voice (people are forced to listen to soft voices over loud ones) and try to repeat politely the essence of the complaint you heard, such as “You’re upset because it was a special event and you spent all day making a special meal…You cared and you think I didn’t.”

These words show that you heard her and appreciate her feelings. Nagging by a parent or spouse is usually caused by the belief that the other party has not heard their argument. Teenagers could learn if they respectfully repeated their parents concern, the parent would be satisfied the child has heard them and reduce nagging. I didn’t say stop nagging, that’s in a parent’s genes. Listen and show you understand what the other person is saying.

The second important step is to show empathy or understanding for the other persons position. Don’t try to defend yourself here. The partner could say “I understand how upset you are, I was inconsiderate. Accept responsibility. The teenager would answer, “ I know your sister is coming over tomorrow and you want the house to look neat and tidy including my room. These aren’t the exact words you use – but you get the idea.

Do not expand on issues of the past, keep the discussion focused. You cannot resolve an entire relationship in a forty-five-minute argument. You can only resolve the one issue – the room or lateness. That is why many Judges after the lawyer makes his argument , will condense what they think they heard and say, “If I understand you correctly your position is …… and the lawyer will either agree or correct the error. It shows you understood the complaint. Once you have shown you understand the argument and have displayed empathy, offer a solution, a compromise – “I will phone next time, I am truly sorry here” or for the teenager, “I will clean my room before supper.” Offer concrete steps to ensure the matter will not happen again.

This technique is easy to teach but difficult to do – even I fail to follow it. We don’t like to listen or admit responsibility but it often works. Read the Book. Read it with your spouse or children.

Judge Lloyd Budzinski retired after 28 years and was a former Crown Attorney, Defence Counsel and Ontario’s Assistant Deputy Minister for Criminal law. He was the Chief Prosecutor in the high-profile trial of former RCMP officer Patrick Michael Kelly, who was found guilty of murder for throwing his wife from the 17^th floor balcony of their Palace Pier condo in March 1981.

Your Health and Wellness with Monika Meulman

Let us Spring into Spring!

With spring in your step and the warm sun on your back, you are finally getting out into the great outdoors, right?

If not, let’s go. This is the time of year when everything is awakening on the surface. As the earth warms, the wildlife, the new growth underfoot is encouraging us to begin on new adventures. This year, it may feel different – for sure. This year, we are still amidst unsure times. Yet, I say, you draw upon the strength of spring time.
How?

The seasons don’t stop. Time keeps on ticking. ‘The Big Wheel in the Sky keeps on turning’ Journey reminds us (The song reference is for all you music lovers!) As Journey sings about time, let us be encouraged by that and choose to grow with spring. Spring coming upon us is a welcome, predictable, comforting sign. It is a natural stress reliever. Let’s use the longer days, the warmer sun to get out into the woods. Take up foraging or bird spotting.

If you enjoy the great outdoors only once it is warmer (and I don’t blame you – I love the heat), how about choosing a healthy new hobby like sprouting your own food?  Seeds are just about everywhere!

Did you know you can sprout just about any seed or legume that you usually eat in the kitchen? The next time you prepare a batch of chili, I encourage you to soak your black beans, your garbanzo beans and even the dried lentils (soak dried seed and legumes, not the canned ones!) for 4-6 hours. They become softer and the soaking ‘wakes’ them up into pre-sprout mode. This unlocks their tremendous, nutritious power.  As seeds begin sprouting, they expand in size, in nutritional value and often become much more digestible. You literally grow healthier.

Did you know that most seeds, when sprouted are 10-40x their nutritional value compared to their adult vegetables or grains?

There are many ways to learn about sprouting, growing microgreens and even wild foraging for spring foods. Check online on You Tube or your local garden groups like LegsEtobicoke.ca to see what’s new in the garden. This is a great time to get your hands on a new green hobby. We have so many parklands that are waiting for you to go meander, enjoy the walking path and even wander off along the Humber River or Etobicoke Creek to soak up the beneficial sounds of bird songs, water flowing, the earth welcoming us back into action.

Despite the closures of many spaces, you can wander around our many parks, you can visit the Royal Botanical Gardens (Burlington) and you can even check out TUG – Toronto Urban Growers (Urban network in the GTA!) for local seed libraries, community gardens and urban farming adventures. Now is the time to begin growing green!

See you in the garden!

“Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace. ” May Sarton

Monika Meulman, Zen Life Guide 416-347-5449: The Healing Muse Apothecary @healingmuse, www.healingmuse.com

Former OPP Jay Hope was one of the highest ranking Black cop in Canada. Getty Images.

Retired OPP Jay Hope. OPP photo.

Former OPP Deputy Commissioner Jay Hope was at one time the highest-ranking Black police officer in Canada who commanded thousands of policemen and women.

Hope worked for 35 years with the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) before retiring in 2014.

He has held top positions including; Chief Superintendent and Regional Commander, Eastern Region: manager of the force’s Traffic Review Project: Director of Human Resources before being appointed Deputy Commissioner of Strategic Services in 2004.

“He was responsible for developing the OPP’s strategic vision, including Aboriginal and First Nations policing,” the force said.

He was also in charge of handling the OPP’s media and corporate relations, policy, training and municipal policing contracts.

Hope was recognized with an OPP Human Rights Medal for his work in the HR department.

He joined the OPP as a constable at its Emo Detachment in Northern Ontario in 1979.

“As he moved to progressively more senior ranks, he served in detachments in Toronto, Whitby, Aurora and Queen’s Park,” according to the OPP.

In the early 1990s, Hope served as a policy analyst for a Task Force on Race Relations and Policing and was a senior investigator for the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Hope also served as Commissioner of Emergency Management Ontario and Commissioner of Community Safety.

For his work, he received the Order of Merit of the Police Forces from Governor General Michaelle Jean in 2006 “for outstanding innovative leadership in his profession and in the community” for forging ties between police and communities.

Hope has held numerous firsts. He was the first Black Canadian Deputy Chief Aide-de-Camp and OPP Deputy Commissioner. In 2008, he became the first Black Deputy Minister of Corrections and the second  Black Deputy Minister in Ontario’s history.

The OPP is one of North America’s largest deployed police services with more than 5,800 uniformed officers, 2,400 civilian employees and 830 Auxiliary officers.

TORONTO POLICE search for clues in death of Kathleen Hatcher. CP24 photo.

KATHLEEN Hatcher never even had a chance to enjoy her retirement. Social media photos.

Long-time Etobicoke resident Kathleen Hatcher was beginning to enjoy life after retirement when all her dreams were snatched away from her.

Hatcher, 67, retired in December from Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Adult Learning Centre, where she worked as an assessor for the Essential Skills Upgrading Program since 2003.

Police believe Hatcher in crisis called 911 for help on February 26 on her cell phone as she laid dying on a trail in King’s Mill Park.

She passed away in the cold before emergency personnel could get to the scene.

Her son has been charged in connection with her death.

“She was looking for help,” Insp. Andy Singh told reporters. “She was looking for assistance from the police because she was in crisis.”

It was just after 10:45 a.m. on Friday when Singh said officers were called to a trail in King’s Mill Park, near the TTC’s Old Mill subway station and the Humber River.

Hatcher was found by 22 Division officers suffering from “very significant” injuries. She died a short time later.

According to her social media, she studied English and communications at Seton Hall University and hailed originally from New York.

“She’s being remembered as an extraordinary person who was wonderful with learners and colleagues and will be dearly missed,” Ryan Bird, of the Toronto District School Board told reporters. “We extend our sincere condolences to Kathleen’s loved ones and former co-workers following her tragic passing.”

Her friends said she had at least two grown children and adored her grandson.

“She was full of joy,” a friend said. “She wanted to be with her family as much as she could. She loved to read, loved movies.”

She is known to have regularly attended the Toronto International Film Festival.

Friends said Hatcher had recently moved to an apartment in the Old Mill area and would show on her social media accounts, the view she had from her condo.

“She just loved being outdoors in nature and travelling,” the friend said. “This is such a shock, so tragic.”

Hatcher was a member Etobicoke Quilters’ Guild, where she taught members about the craft in workshops.

Colin Hatcher, 37, has been charged with second degree murder and is before the courts.

Officers are urging anyone who was in the park on February 26 between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. who may have heard cries for help or saw anything suspicious to call police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.

SIMON Daim Yar, owner of Olive Kebab, hold up some mouth-watering dishes. Photo by Tom Godfrey.

This dish from Olive Kebab was sure good.

Simon Daim Yar started off as a graphic designer and somewhere along the line went with his first love, being a professional cook.

Daim Yar, and his wife, Angela, own and have been operating the Olive Kebab, at 2836 Lake Shore Blvd. W., for the past three years and they have been making a name for themselves.

“Inspired by authentic recipes, we bring the unique and bold tastes of Mediterranean style cooking to our guests, without sacrificing flavor,” says Daim Yar.

He says their Mediterranean cuisine is created through harmony of ingredients sourced from nature.

He has picked up skills and learned about local dishes while cooking in Turkey, Lebanon and his native Iran.

Daim Yar was born in Iran and was sponsored to Canada by a family member. He worked for 20 years as a graphic designer for a large company.

He left designing behind when he arrived in Canada and immersed himself in cooking, his first love.

“I always loved cooking,” he says. “The more I learned the more I enjoyed cooking for other people.”

“People love our dishes because our food is healthy and very tasty,” he explains. “We only use the best fresh ingredients.”

The food is quite good judging from the mixed dish I had. It contains many healthy ingredients, like greens and grains, in a sumptuous good-tasting plate that does fill you up with a lot of energy.

“Our goal is to share the excitement,” says Daim Yar. “We invite you to fall in love with flavor by connecting you to the fun, food, and culture of Mediterranean cuisine.”

He says ‘we bring you fresh, quality, nutritious ingredients, you choose the savory, intense flavors to put in the mix.”

Olive Kebab can be reached by phone at 416-546-3264 or their menu is accessible at olivekebab.ca