The South Etobicoke News

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

FOOD ALERT – Ranu Thai Cuisine in Long Branch serving up pad Thais and curries for eight years

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RANU Thai Cuisine, at 3308 Lake Shore Blvd. W., in Long Branch. Well worth it.

RANU Thai Cuisine tasty pad Thai, a favourite.

It has been a long journey from Thailand to Long Branch for Suriya Chitchulanon, the owner of Ranu Thai Cuisine, a local favourite for ‘back-home taste’ at affordable prices.

Highly rated on social media, the small takeout at 3308 Lake Shore Blvd. W., is a busy restaurant that is a favourite of college students due to its prices and honest food.

“People love our food for the freshness,” Chitchulanon says. “We are known for the quality of our ingredients. For us it is the quality of the food not the quantity.”

The restaurant has been in operation since 2013 and has many loyal customers who faithfully return. “They like our food and they come back for more,” he says. “We offer a contemporary flavour to reflect the preferences of our Long Branch, Lake Shore, and Etobicoke patrons.”

He started the business after arriving in Canada from the U.S., where he lived for a number of years after leaving his home in Thailand.

Their classic meals include; pad Thai, curries, fried rice and the ‘house specialties which you might today buy on the streets of Bangkok.’

“We have many years of experience in Thai cooking environment,” Chitchulanon says. “We want to give people the best dining experience.”

He swears customers love his style of pad Thai and return for more. We tried the red curry and pad Thai and it was excellent.

“Once people taste our dishes, they always come back,” he insists. “Our ingredients are fresh as what they have back at home.”

One of their most popular dishes is Pineapple Red Curry, which is a classic Thai red curry, simmered in coconut milk, fresh basil, pineapple chunks, bell peppers and broccoli. Served with jasmine rice.

They are active on social media, where it seems the positive reviews are endless.

“Will have to order again sooon. Yummmmmy!” wrote Sarah Giles.

” I wish we were in the hood for lunch,” said Becca Gordon.

“Wowo. Good food,” wrote Phuc Trinh.

Ranu Thai Cuisine can be reached by phone at 416-255-3830 or you can order online at www.ranuthai.ca.

 

Our red and white Canadian flag is still flying proudly at 56 this year

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FEBRUARY 15 was National Flag of Canada Day. Residents and members of the Lakeshore Village BIA install a new flag. Photo by Tom Godfrey.

February 15 was National Flag of Canada Day.

The day is celebrated wildly from coast-to-coast.

In New Toronto some area residents braved the cold to remove and install a huge new Canadian flag at a pole at Lake Shore Blvd. W., and Eighth Street, near Fire Station 435.

The event this year was low-keyed to prevent a large group of people from attending in contravention of COVID-19 guidelines, organizers say.

Chris Korwin-Kuczynski, of the Lakeshore Village BIA, began a campaign years ago for the Canadian flag to be honoured. The campaign snowballed.

“The greatest symbol we have as a country is our Canadian flag,” he says. “It is one of our most important days that we celebrate.”

Area resident Matt Lozinski says he was proud to be helping to install the new flag.

“I am a Canadian citizen and I am proud of our flag,” Lozinski smiles.

There were a number of passerbys who stopped by to say hello, ‘ Happy Flag Day’ or take photos.

The Canadian flag was raised for the first time on Parliament Hill on February 15, 1965. On that same day in 1996, National Flag of Canada Day was declared.

“Our national flag is a symbol that unites all Canadian and reflects the common values we hold so dear, equality, diversity and inclusion, according to the federal government’s website.

 

‘Bid Daddy’ Gardiner fought to build the best Expressway that is still busy today

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FRED GARDINER (above) fought long and hard to get the Expressway up and running. More than 140,000 vehicles use the roadway on some days. The Globe and Mail photo.

By DAVE KOSONIC

Frederick G. Gardiner was dubbed ‘Big Daddy’ by many and he is likely best remembered for being the driving force behind Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, which most motorists take for granted today.

Born in Toronto on Arthur Street in 1895, that later became a section of Dundas Street. He attended elementary and high school in Parkdale and graduated from the University of Toronto and then Osgoode Hall Law School.

He established a legal practice in 1920.

Gardiner entered the political arena in 1936 as deputy reeve of the Village of Forest Hill. In 1939 he was elected Forest Hill reeve, a position which he held until 1949.

Gardiner’s big political leap occurred in 1953 when Ontario Premier Leslie Frost named him as the first chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto.

He spearheaded the amalgamation of services which included the Toronto Transit Commission, Metropolitan Toronto Police Department and the Metropolitan Roads Department.

That department began his vision around 1947 for the Cross Waterfront Expressway, which was later re-named the Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, usually known as the Gardiner or the Expressway.

Big Daddy remained Metro chairman until 1981.

During a 1964 interview about the Expressway Gardiner he stated: “I used to lie in bed dreaming in Technicolor thinking it was too big. Now I know it isn’t. Maybe in 20 years people will be cursing at me for making it too small”.

The Expressway was opened in 1956 and about 140,000 vehicles use the roadway on busy days, City statistics show.

The Expressway was and still is controversial. Some Toronto officials were angered that Big Daddy had created a giant roadway barrier between downtown Toronto and the Lake Ontario waterfront. They wanted it to be demolished and go to a future underground version.

Others with political clout thought that the Gardiner was a great idea and regretted that it wasn’t joined to a so-called Scarborough Expressway.

The City of Toronto awarded a $248 million contract to the Aecon Group Inc. in 2018 which includes restoration and rehabilitation to the Gardiner targeted to be completed next year. That includes major structural work on a 1.1 kilometre section between Jarvis and Cherry Streets. The Expressway would run through a large section of South Etobicoke.

Little is known about Big Daddy’s personal life but I know that he had a granddaughter who thought the world of him. During my previous career as an elementary school teacher in the GTA his granddaughter approached me in class one day and informed me that her grandfather was Fred Gardner and that he was a very important man in Toronto.

He passed away due to a stroke in 1983 at age 83. Gardiner rests at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

 

Mystery behind the mermaid driven sea horse alive in Village of Islington

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MAGICAL SEA HORSE ridden by a mystical mermaid in this piece of art.

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL piece of art gracing another apartment building in the Village of Islington.

MIGHTY CEASER is keeping an eye on things. Photos by Tom Godfrey.

The Village of Islington is known for its many pieces of artwork including 28 murals and some large beautiful sculptures that grace the front of a number of the older apartments.

Aside from the beautiful murals, one piece (top photo, small and flashing photos on front page) that catches the eye stands outside a 90 Cordova Avenue apartment and looks like a huge white waterhorse, with its front legs flaring as it is being ridden by a mermaid from great depths. That is one person’s perception of the aging artwork.

The art is enjoyed by thousands of residents as they travel on some bus routes to the Islington subway station.

There is no explanation of what the artwork represents. Locals say the horse is a mighty water stallion, a nemesis of the giant clam, which lives off algae in the deep seas and opens its mouth for the food to photosynthesize.

This sculpture is a very interesting piece of art that opens many questions about its creation and what it depicts.

Nearby at another apartment is a sculpture of what looks like baby pacifiers pointed towards the heavens (middle photo).

There was no history left behind to signify what the pacifiers or galloping horse means. Residents see the art daily and walk by.

The sculptures are in the Village of Islington Better Improvement Association (BIA,) that was established in 1986 and won the 2012 Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIS) award for outstanding murals.

They murals are excellent and many showcase an art history of the area, which features a five-block art walk.

The BIA says the area is fast becoming a celebrated treasure of Toronto’s west end as the murals attract great interest in their depiction of the life and times in the old village of the 1800s and early 1900s.

Some of the themed murals include: War of 1812, Hurricane Hazel, the Guelph Radial Line, Gordon’s Dairy, the Volunteer Fire Brigade, an old Lancaster bomber incident, and the Pub with no Beer.

The BIA offers a guided mural tours at Doors Open Toronto and throughout the year upon request.

Some Events and getting online with family and friends with help of the public library

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HAVEN ON THE Queensway needs help in a clothing drive.

BOTTLE Drive to help Daily Bread Food Bank on February 28. For more contact Jenna-Marie Donnelly by email at donnellyjennamarie@gmail.com

CHECK out this event if looking for a job with the Toronto Police Service.

EVENT in the Jamaican community to honour first Black Toronto Police Supt. Stacy Clarke.

Are you a senior who is having problems keeping up with gigabytes, bandwidths and Wi Fi technology.

No need to despair.

The Toronto Public Library (TPL) has help for you to keep up with the latest technology.

The TPL Senior Tech Help team is providing free help for you on whether you should get a smart phone, tablet, laptop or the good old desktop computer.

They are offering one-on-one phone help, detailed help sessions or a variety of classes or workshops.

Get help e-connecting with your friends and family, or to borrow e-books, audiobooks or accessing newspapers or magazines online.

There are tips on Internet security, shopping safely online and accessing health and support services.

Library officials say there is no reason to leave home this winter, since they will help you obtain a digital library card with one call. You can start surfing today.

Phone the Toronto Public Library at 416-393-6225 or e-mail techhelp@tpl.ca

Service available until March 12 and the hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily from Monday to Friday.

Happy surfing and shopping.

 

Superintendent Clarke holds the highest position held by a Black woman at Toronto Police

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FIRST BLACK Toronto Police Superintendent Stacy Clarke. Photo courtesy CityNews.

Stacy Clarke was told a long-time ago when considering policing as a career to ‘be part of the solution and not part of the problem.”

She worked for 22 years at the Toronto Police Service, before now joining its senior ranks as an Superintendent, one of a handful of Black women to hold such a position in Canada.

Clarke, a mom of two teens, is the first to admit that it was not an easy task to get this far.

“I’ve spent the last few hours reflecting on the hill I’ve climbed but also on those who have paved the way for me. I am humbled and filled with pride,” she said in a Tweet soon after her appointment.

She thanked Chief James Ramer and the force’s Command for the opportunities “to continue serving our communities and leading our members.”

It was a long journey. She spent her early career years working in the Community Response Unit, Youth Bureau and Intelligence. She served in the Homicide and Divisional Policing Support Units before moving to the Toronto Police College in 2008.

She was promoted to sergeant in 2010 and assigned to 13 Division and transferred to 22 Division in 2012 to work in the Primary Response Unit and Detective Office.

A member of Professional Standards, she then worked on the Police and Community Review (PACER) project, which explored how the force could improve the public’s trust and safety while providing a bias-free service.

She received a promotion to staff sergeant in 2016 and headed the Learning Development and Standards Section at the Police College prior to achieving her senior ranking.

Proud of her Jamaican roots, she rose up the ranks in her work in implementing the province’s Street Check legislation, one of her many accomplishments as Master Trainer and Controller of Legislation.

She believes in advancing policing efforts to gain the trust of the community while pursuing effective policing. A believer in continuing education, Clarke has completed numerous leadership programs, including one with the FBI.

In 2018, Clarke was named a Civic Action Fellow and listed as one of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women in that year.

The mother and community leader says she was taken back by the death of George Floyd, in Minneapolis, noting that all her work in trying to forge partnerships between police and the black community may have been lost.

Beer-drinking Octoberfest octogenarian still king of the oom-pah-pah crowd

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Party icon George Kash is known worldwide for drinking two beers while standing on his head.

MIMICO’s ‘King of Oktoberfest’ George Kash performed for 27 years at Ontario Place. George Kash photos.

Mimico’s ‘King of Oktoberfest’ George Kash is a beer-drinking party icon at age 80.

Kash is proud to represent Mimico as the ‘undisputed Mr. Oktoberfest,” whose beer-drinking antics has thrilled fans for 27 years at Ontario Place and across the world.

He became famous as leader of the oompah-pah band Oktoberfest Express and as a standing Master of Ceremony for Toronto’s Festival of Beer.

The so-called ‘King of Oktoberfest’ and his trio have entertained generations at Ontario Place with his oom-pah-pah, sing-alongs and hand-clapping, foot-stomping, beer-drinking music that visitors love.

He is world-famous for his trademark move, in which he drinks two beers while standing on his head. And the fans love it.

Kash has been performing this move since 1978, when he first did it to ‘put a few British upstarts in their place’, at the Edelweiss Beer Garden at Ontario Place. He remained there until it was closed.

For more than 27 years he’s been slugging back pints on stage and getting paid to do it.

“We are known for our infamous interactive techniques,” Kash says proudly. “I get right into the audience and bring people into the act in a way that would make any rock star envious.”

The artist loves the Lake Shore area, where he moved almost 50-years.

“I love the people here,” he says. “The area is great and I have public transit right at my door.”

He admits most of his gigs have been cancelled due to the virus, ”which turned everything upside down.”

Before the pandemic, he earned a good living as a musician, beer drinker, actor, town crier, disc jockey, auctioneer, clown and product promoter.

He misses one of his favourite gigs, playing Santa Claus, for city kids yearly.

“I’m a professional entertainer, that’s what I do,” he insists. “It’s unbelievable you can make a living this way. I’m just all about a good time.”

This so-called ‘Lord of the Lederhosen’ and Oktoberfest Express have gained acclaim performing in Australia, Fiji, Portugal, Morocco, and other hot Oktoberfest areas including Kitchener, Edmonton, Ontario Place and the Canadian National Exhibition, according to his website.

Kash is also known for his novelty acts in which he portrays Mr. Melon Head and Mr. Coffee Bean Head and Mr. Chocolate Head, which fans love.

For more information or to book gigs contact the George Kash Experience at 416-252- 1747 or send an  email to george@georgekash.com

 

 

Dozens of Mexicans freed by police after found living in vermin infested conditions

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Some 80 Mexican men and women were found living in ‘vermin infested’ sub-standard conditions, sleeping on mattresses on the floor by the RCMP and border agents after they searched seven homes in Hamilton.

The group of 80 were from Mexico and had entered Canada as visitors at Pearson International Airport and airports in Hamilton and Montreal.

Six people, who it is alleged operated the smuggling scheme, were arrested when the foreign nationals were found after warrants were executed on eight residences in Hamilton and Milton, on February 9 by the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

The six were charged February 9 with a long list of human trafficking and immigration-related offences and are back before the courts in Hamilton on March 8.

“These searches revealed approximately 80 foreign nationals who were residing in sub-standard conditions, where many individuals slept on the floor on mattresses and the housing was infested with bed bugs, cockroaches and other vermin,” the RCMP said in a release.

It is not known if they had their travel documents or money taken away from them.

“The investigation uncovered a group of individuals exploiting foreign nationals, as well as manipulating our immigration systems and processes for gain and profit,” said RCMP Insp. Ann Koenig.

She said the foreign nationals “were illegally gaining employment in different lines of work in the Hamilton-Niagara Region” with the help of employment agencies, which were operated by the group bringing them into Canada.

“The foreign nationals were exploited by the group members and their respective companies,” police said.

Police have identified three companies that they claimed were involved with the operation.

Police said more than 16 police agencies were involved in the investigation, which began in 2018.

It is not known if the group may seek refugee status or return home after the court case is completed.

 

 

City says New Toronto shelter cancelled after failing due diligence process

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City of Toronto officials say plans for a shelter in New Toronto was halted because the site did not meet  building and environmental assessments after a comprehensive due diligence process.

“The decision not to proceed with the acquisition is a reflection of information gained during the City’s diligence review of the site, including building condition assessments and environmental assessments,” Kris Scheuer, the City’s Senior Communications Coordinator, wrote in an email to the South Etobicoke News to clarify why the project was nixed.

“It was determined that the City would not be able to proceed with the renovation and activation of the site within the Council approved budget and project timeline required for the acquisition,” Scheuer stated. “Please note that the early community engagement had no bearing on the decision to not move forward on the site.”

The New Toronto community is breathing a sigh of relief after the City said it will no longer purchase 2950 and 2970 Lake Shore Blvd. W. for use as a shelter.

Plans are now underway for a nine-storey apartment building to be constructed on the site.

 

 

 

Man tries to use fake COVID-19 document at Pearson airport to avoid quarantine

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MAN arrested for fake COVID-19 document to avoid quarantine.

CBSA intercept man with fake document to avoid quarantine in Canada.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was bound to happen.

A Stratford man has been arrested after trying to allegedly use a fake COVID-19 document to evade Canadian quarantine laws at Pearson airport.

The suspect was charged on February 8 after being detected by a Public Quarantine Officer conducting tests at a Canada Border Services Agency area of arriving passengers, according to Peel Regional Police.

“The COVID-19 document was revealed to be fraudulent, and it was, in fact, a positive test result,” police said in a release.

The 29-year-old suspect, who has not been identified, was charged for unlawfully did knowingly use a forged document.

He was released on Form 9 appearance notice and will appear before an Ontario Court of Justice on April 19 in Brampton.

Discussions by police and Public Health officials determined that there were no additional offences the suspect faced under the Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA) or Emergency Management Act.

The man was transported to an area hotel to begin a 14-day quarantine period, as required under law for arriving international passengers.

Starting on February 1, all arriving international passengers are required to take a COVID-19 tests upon arrival at Pearson. They also have to present a document showing they took a test for the virus within three days before arriving in Canada. Passengers are required to show the negative result before they board a plane for this country.

The quarantine tests were demanded by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who claimed travellers with the virus may be entering the province with the virus.

Testing of arriving international passengers is required by the Government of Ontario, whose officials claim the program is another layer of protection for communities.

Anyone with information about the incident is being asked to contact investigators at 905-453-3311, ext. 3120, or leave anonymous tip with Peel Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477.

Meanwhile, three international travellers were slapped with $750 fines after refusing to take COVID-19 tests when arriving into the country last week.

Peel Police said since February 1, they have charged three people entering Canada “for failing to comply with a Section 22 order in respect of a communicable disease.”