Rose from Café Tutti, at 438 Horner Ave., shows a piping hot pepperoni and cheese pizza made at the café.

The restaurant serves some of the best-tasting and freshly made pasta, hot sandwiches, pizza, sides and salads. It is a popular spot in the area to grab some tasty food for lunch or dinner.

They can be reached at 416-259-7111 or orders can be placed on their website cafetutti.com.

 

Selda and Cenk Oncel love feeding people and have been gaining customers and fans daily at their Leziz Kitchen Restaurant in Alderwood.

The couple are celebrating their first anniversary in August at their 418 Horner Ave. eatery that serves tasty Mediterranean kebabs, falafels, take out and delivery meals.

They have racked up almost 300 online reviews for the family-owned restaurant, which is rated 4.5 to 5 out of a five-star rating.

“Leziz means delicious in the Turkish language,” says Selda. “We only use the fresh products and everything we make is made fresh daily.”

The couple moved to Canada from Turkey about three years ago for a better life. Selda attended George Brown College taking food studies to prepare for her dream, to one day open a restaurant.

“People like us because we make everything by hand,” she says.  “We have many regular customers who always come back.”

They are glad that they were able to find a location in Etobicoke.

“We love it here in South Etobicoke,” Selda says. “We love the people here who have really supported us right from the start.”

She is very social and makes her costumers feel comfortable and educates them on their food.

“This is a dream job for me,” Selda explains. “I love hospitality and helping people.”

Leziz Kitchen serves up Turkish cuisine and a variety of dishes at an affordable price. Their signature dishes are kebab, shawarma and baklava.

“The portions are excellent and the food is delicious,” one customer said in a review. “We will definitely go more often. Also, their appetizers are very tasty.”

Foodie Ian Engson said he loves the special dip platter.

“We usually get the dip platter, wraps and fries,” Engson writes. “On one visit, the owners left us some Circassian chicken in our order to try and we were not disappointed. “

Sona Poulose says Leziz Kitchen ‘has the best falafels in town.’

“Fresh and yummy Falafels. I loved it,” Poulose posted. “The chicken plate came with fresh salad and rice, big portion. Lot of chicken In the plate and pita.”

The restaurant donates leftover foods to Food For Now volunteer charity that helps to feed the homeless.

Operated by Daniel Lauzon, the group collects good leftover food items from community restaurants, as Leziz Kitchen, which are then used to feed the needy.

Leziz Kitchen can be reached at 416-259-9838 or you can order online at lezizkitchen.com

 

 

Two Toronto men have been arrested by the RCMP at Pearson Airport as police smashed an international ring that was smuggling thousands of Ecstasy pills into Canada.

Inspector Barry Dolan, Officer in Charge of the Toronto Airport RCMP Detachment, said MDMA, known more commonly as Ecstasy, was being smuggled into Canada from the U.S. and Italy.

“Our officers executed a search warrant and arrested two males for various offences,” the RCMP said.

Police said the investigation began after U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a package containing almost 3,000 Ecstasy pills destined to the Toronto area.

The RCMP worked with the U.S. Homeland Security and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in sharing information about the seizure.

Dolan said “the timely sharing of information between agencies” allowed police in Canada to identify the suspects and obtain a search warrant.

“Ammunition and documents were seized by the RCMP during the search of a rooming house in Scarborough,” police said in a release.

“This case demonstrates the value of effective and expedient communication and information sharing between law enforcement agencies,” Dolan said. “Organized crime groups and their networks exploit every opportunity to support their illegal operations while causing immeasurable harm to our communities.“

He said ‘we had the resources and expertise in place to act on this information and apprehend and charge these individuals.’

“These arrests exemplify the incredible joint efforts between Homeland Security Investigations and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in dismantling cross-border criminal organizations from trafficking illicit narcotics across the border,” said April Miller, a Department of Homeland Security, Toronto Assistant Attaché

Benny Zhang, 42 of Toronto, Ontario, and Chunbao Chen, 35 of Scarborough, have been charged with importation of a controlled substance into Canada, possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and conspire to commit an indictable offence of importing a controlled substance into Canada.

MDMA or Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, is a mind-altering psychoactive drug commonly known as Ecstasy.

 

Toronto Police have stepped up a search for a suspect on a bicycle who was involved in a series of break and enters in The East Mall and Burnhamthorpe Road area.

Police are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the man and a vehicle involved in a series of brazen break and enter investigations.

Officers said on June 6 between 7:55 p.m., and 9:45 p.m., a man accessed the main entrance of a commercial office building.

It is believed the man gained access to several offices on the second floor, police said.

“The man then left the premise with numerous items removed from the offices,” police said.

He is described as being about six-feet and in the late 50s, with a grey beard.
He was seen wearing black framed eye glasses, a beige hat, a blue long sleeved shirt, beige cargo shorts, black socks, beige hiking running shoes, blue scarf around his neck, and a black bag around shoulder.
The man appeared to be using a bicycle and a black Nissan as transportation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-2200, 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.

It took the use of hi-tech gadgetry for police to track and arrest suspected thieves.

Police say two suspects attempted to break into a residence before stealing a car from the driveway in 32 Division.

The incident took place on May 25 and the arrests were only now announced.

“When the owner becomes aware that his car is stolen, he tracks it down through the GPS to an address in 22 Division and calls us,” said Det. Kevin Hamilton, of 22 Division Major Crime Unit.

Primary Response Unit officers from 22 Division attended the address and located the vehicle and two suspects standing near it in an underground garage.

The men saw police and bolted.

“They fled on foot and boarded the subway at Islington Station,” said Hamilton. “We communicated with the dispatcher and notify the Toronto Transit Commission. The TTC security informs us that the suspects left the eastbound train at Old Mill and were headed in a southern direction.”

Officers scouring the streets apprehended one of the suspects nearby after a brief foot chase.

During the pursuit, he discarded several items, including an unloaded firearm, police said.

A ride-sharing driver contacted police through social media an hour later saying he had dropped off someone at Yonge and Dundas Square believed to be taking part in criminal activity.

“We contacted 51 and 52 Divisions and they checked the area as he was last seen going north on Yonge St.,” Hamilton said, adding  “the man was picked up by 51 Division officers at Victoria and Gould Sts.”

Police also allege the duo broke into a home on May 24 in 22 Division.

“We were already looking for them,” Hamilton said. “We are also investigating them with other offences.”

The suspects are before the courts.

 

 

Some seniors in Long Branch are warning area residents of a lifeless tree standing over a city bike rack which they say may fall down and injure bystanders.

“This tree is dead and it could fall down at anytime,” says resident, Al, 84. “All it needs is a good gust of wind and this tree is history.”

Al and his colleagues use the same bench daily, which is next to the dying tree located near 3260 Lake Shore Blvd.W., near a Seven Eleven store.

He has called the City to notify them of the ailing tree but no one ever came out to take a look.

“I am from the country and it is only a matter of time before this tree is blown over,” Al explains. “There is cracks all over that tree. I hope no one is injured when it falls.””

The retired dump truck driver and salesman said he has been drinking his coffee for the last 15 years on the same Long Branch bench, which is near the tree.

 

 

 

The long-awaited renovations which is taking place to upgrade a former service station at 325 Horner Avenue will never overshadow a notorious unsolved murder that once took place on the property.

The former Horner Gas Bar, has been operating at the corner of Horner Ave. and Belvia Rd. for more than four decades, serving the community under many different company names.

The station .22-hectare property is today sealed off with large concrete blocks as pre-construction work with the removal of gas piping and wires is wrapping up.

The Etobicoke York Community Council in 2016 approved a proposal to upgrade and modernize the once-notorious gas station.

It was almost 23 years ago, on September 12, 1998, about 9:40 p.m., when police were summoned to Roman’s Gas Station, as it was then called.

Officers were stunned to find the body of Khalil Ahmad, 40, who was suffering from gunshot wounds.

Despite life saving efforts by paramedics, Ahmad was pronounced dead at the scene.

The father of six was shot to death execution-style in what was an apparent robbery, according to news reports then.

Ahmad’s horrific murder remains unsolved today by Toronto Police. The case is still open.

His family had moved to Canada from Pakistan several years before and Ahmad felt lucky to be working in his new country.

The property is zoned for a mechanic shop, restaurant and office building,

The station owner has proposed, according to City documents, to demolish the existing gasoline station with service bays and propane facilities and construct a new service station facility that will contain a coffee shop, convenience store selling fresh foods with a pay counter.

The sale of perishable food items would occur in the new building. The existing gas pumps would be removed and replaced with three new islands having 6 fuel pumps and an overhead canopy.

Significant landscaping is proposed at the northwest corner of the Horner Ave. and Belvia Road area.

“This land use designation provides for a range of industrial uses, as well as offices, and includes automobile service stations,” according to City records filed.

The plan calls for nine trees to be planted within the Horner and Belvia frontages and new shrubbery would be planted surrounding the property.

A Community Consultation Meeting was held in 2013 to provide residents and property owners with an opportunity to review and comment on the application.

Vehicle access to the site is proposed by way of two driveways from Belvia Road and

Horner Avenue. Each entrance to the property would have a width of 7.5 metres to

provide for fire route access and turning radii for fuel trucks.

 

 

 

On Sunday, June 6, 2021, four members of a family were killed and another seriously injured when a driver ran them down as they were waiting to cross a street in London, Ontario. Police have charged a suspect with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, and stated their belief that this was a planned, premeditated act, motivated by hate, and the victims were targeted because of their Islamic faith.

Hatred and discrimination based on creed have no place in our society. Incidents like this are a tragic reminder that Islamophobia and xenophobia are real, deadly and persist in Ontario. This horrific and senseless act further underlines why discrimination based on creed and racism must be unequivocally condemned as deplorable and in violation of core values and beliefs as a society.

Every Ontarian has the right to safely walk down a street without fear of harm because of their religion, ethnicity and/or race. Sadly and tragically, this did not happen in London. The OHRC grieves alongside Londoners and all Ontarians for the four community members we have lost, and the fifth who is seriously hurt.

In the midst of our collective grief, we urge all Ontarians to follow the words in Ontario’s Human Rights Code and create “a climate of understanding and mutual respect for the dignity and worth of each person so that each person feels a part of the community and able to contribute fully to the development and well-being of the community and the province.”

This past year, the OHRC has repeatedly denounced the escalating hate that is targeting religious and racialized communities. It is essential that we all take steps and stand in solidarity, as individuals and through our organizations, to call out Islamophobia and racism and reject the hatred and the violence it begets.

 

Ena Chadha

Chief Commissioner

 

 

Welcome back!

Starting this Friday area residents will be able to finally return to their favourite local pubs and patios again.

The Ontario government said it is reopening on June 11, three days ahead of schedule for the loosening of retail and outdoor activities.

Merchants love the move and have been preparing and restocking their stores after more than a year of emergency closures, reduction of hours or staff layoffs due to COVID-19.

“It has been a long time and we cannot wait to open up again,” says the pleased owner of The Kabob House, at 2977 Lake Shore Blvd. W.  “We miss our customers and want them to return.”

The restaurant owner says the openings will draw more residents to the business area to shop, and buy his shwarmas.

Phase 1 allows for changes like larger outdoor gatherings, patio dining with up to four people and non-essential retail to open at 15 per cent capacity. Outdoor religious services, group exercise and day camps for children can also begin again, with limitations and health measures in place.

“As we begin to enjoy the benefits of the first step in our roadmap, like meeting friends on a patio or visiting your favourite local store, please do so safely by continuing to follow all public health guidelines,” Premier Doug Ford said in a statement.

As of Sunday, more than 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Ontario. About 61.2 per cent of the total population, or 72 per cent of those aged 18 and older, have now had at least one shot.

The government and retiring Chief Medical Officer of Health David Williams had set a threshold of at least 60 per cent of adults with a first shot before moving ahead with the start of reopening.

Here’s a list of what is allowed:

– Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 10 people.

– Outdoor religious services and ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services, capped at the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres.

– Indoor religious services and ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at up to 15 per cent capacity of the particular room.

– Non-essential retail permitted at 15 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold.

– Essential and other select retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity, with no restrictions on the goods that can be sold.

– Outdoor dining with up to four people per table, with exceptions for larger households.

– Outdoor fitness classes, outdoor groups in personal training and outdoor individual/team sport training to be permitted with up to 10 people.

– Day camps for children permitted to operate in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines for COVID-19 produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

– Overnight camping at campgrounds and campsites, including Ontario Parks, and short-term rentals.

– Concert venues, theatres and cinemas may open outdoors for the purpose of rehearsing or performing a recorded or broadcasted concert, artistic event, theatrical performance or other performance with no more than 10 performers, among other restrictions.

– Outdoor horse racing tracks and motor speedways permitted to operate without spectators.

– Outdoor attractions such as zoos, landmarks, historic sites, botanical gardens with capacity and other restrictions.

Ontario will remain in Step 1 for at least 21 days before moving on to Step 2 of the reopening plan.