The South Etobicoke News

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

Residents having fun online with fountain that lacks flair

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Many Humber Bay Shores residents are still fuming online about the new Jean Augustine Fountain, which they call cheap and lacking a safety fence.

“The lack of fence is a valid concern,” says resident Eric Code. “That was a lot of money spent for aesthetic change that benefits few.”

The structure was updated this year with an ornamental fountain added in what was previously the Jean Augustine Park Pond that was surrounded by vegetation.

Code writes that “the old pond supported wildlife, including ducks and songbirds. This fountain never will.”

“I don’t think this new fenceless fountain was well thought out,” he reminded others on social media. “Our public spaces should be driven by the greater public they serve.”

Hundreds of Humber Bay area residents have gone online in recent weeks to blast the fountain and those who had it installed. Many want a safety fence erected around the fountain because young children play on the rocks.

Marta Legrady says she preferred the former pond.

“It was previously an overgrown fountain, it turned into a pond environment with lack of maintenance,” she wrote.

Lisa A. Sharples says the fountain “looks like designed by a two-year-old, it’s a circle of blocks.”

“It should have been a playground for kids since there isn’t one really close and with so many kids in the condos it would have been great for them,” Sharples says.

Still many other contend the fountain is a waste of money with Lake Ontario hundreds of feet away.

 

Humane Society seeks cat lovers to help with their adoptions

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The Etobicoke Humane Society is seeking your help after 150 cats were rescued from a home in one of worst cases of hoarding.

Toronto Cat Rescue said it recovered the cats from inside a filthy Toronto home on July 17 and many had significant health issues, including upper respiratory infections and ear mites.

The group a day before found another 50 cats in another hoarding situation in North Bay, Ont.

“These cats are in desperate need of the kind of care that we are best at, and that our foster homes excel at,” the organization said. “Time is of the essence to get these sweeties into our loving foster homes.”

The organization said it will take months of medical and dental care to get the cats back to good health. All cats will have to undergo vaccinations, antibiotics for infections, as well as being spayed and neutered.

The group noted that it takes many hands to respond to these kinds of situations and thanked foster homes in Kitchener-Waterloo for coming forward and taking the first 50 cats.

Hoarding cats is illegal in Toronto. Only six cats are allowed in a single household under City of Toronto bylaws.

Members of the EHS say they are caring for about 15 of the cats being placed for adoption.

“EHS is able to help with approximately 15 or so cats,” the Society says on its website. “This is in the midst of dealing with another hoarding which is an ongoing situation.”

They say fosters and donations are badly-needed to nurse the cats back to health.

Volunteers say their number one item in demand is clumping litter, which they have little of since the shelter has been closed.

All items being donated can be left in the yellow bins outside the shelter, at 67 Six Point Rd.

They are urging others to spay and neuter their pets since it takes one unneutered male and unspayed female to create a situation like this.

Donations to help the cats can be made to https://etobicokehumanesociety.com/donate/

Summer in the 6IX starts on Monday to help keep teens busy

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Here is some ideas for parents who are searching for interesting things to keep their children busy.

More than a dozen area facilities including Marie Curtis Park will be taking part in Summer in the 6IX, a new City program to keep youth busy.

The free program, which kicks off on July 20 and runs for the summer, is designed for Toronto teens and young adults from the age of 13 to 24, who will be offered opportunities to drop in, meet up with friends and take part in fun, themed activities.

”Summer in the 6IX will be available to all Toronto youth at a variety of parks,” according to promotional materials. “There will be three session times offered daily at multiple locations across the city, seven days a week.”

Some of the activities include dance, fitness, ecology, sports, leadership, employment, arts and the media.

The programs are taking place at Marie Curtis Park, Sir Adam Beck park, James S. Bell, Gus Ryder Pool, Ken Cox Community Centre, Rotary Peace Park outdoor pool, Prince of Wales park, Ourland park, Amos Waites Park, Mimico Memorial park and many others.

City officials say the program was developed with Toronto Public Health with a strong focus on health and safety and for participants to maintain physical distance from other individuals and groups.

The equipment will be sanitized between uses, or individual supplies will be provided. Staff will conduct a verbal health screening with each participant prior to the program start and collect caregiver or participant contact information, should tracing be required.

Children under the age of 12 are eligible for another program, called ParksPlayTO, which is also being run by the City, MLSE Foundation which brings sports programming.

ParksPlayTO will offer activities such as nature exploring, gardening, active games, arts and crafts, family fitness, story-telling and music circles for children and their caregivers. Any child age 12 and under accompanied by a caregiver age 18 or older can participate in ParksPlayTO.

Find out more at www.toronto.ca. Registration required.

Police moving in on masked culprit accused of defacing their monument

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If anyone knows this woman, tell her to get in touch with the cops.

Police have identified a woman, who they say, is a ‘person of interest’ in a June 20 defacement of  their cherished Ontario Police Memorial.

Investigators have released mages of a woman wearing a mask in connection with the vandalism.

On the same day anti-police demonstrators held a rally at Nathan Phillips Square and on University Ave. in front of the U.S. Consulate. Members of the OPP Queen’s Park detachment discovered the monument had been defaced with “BLM” scrawled in red spray paint.

The memorial to fallen police officers is located on the Ontario Legislature grounds in a park in the Grosvener St.-Queen’s Park Cres. E. area.

Unveiled in 2000, the memorial features twin bronze statues of male and female police officers flanked by a granite eight-panel wall of honour inscribed with the names of Ontario police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty over the past 200 years.

Police urge anyone with information to call 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers.

Popular Tucker’s Marketplace chain falls after 44-years

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The food was good and people loved the friendly place but in the end the virus killed it.

Another Etobicoke popular buffet restaurant, Tucker’s Marketplace, which graced the Airport
Strip area for many years has been shut down due to COVID-19.

The chain shut its well-liked restaurants in Etobicoke, Ottawa and Burlington last March after being hit hard by the pandemic.

“Unfortunately, it seems the undeniable reality is that COVID-19 will be with us for some time,” Tucker’s said in a statement. “Restaurants will be required to operate with capacity restrictions and to main physical distancing.”

The company was flying high just a few years ago and by 1984 had 21 successful locations across Canada and in the U.S. Midwest, officials says.

The company teamed up with a venture capital firm in 1994 to relaunch the chain as a buffet. By then it was down to three locations, and tried take-out without success.

“We have concluded therefore, that there is not a profitable path forward for our business,” Tucker’s officials say. “Sadly, we are writing to tell you that we will not be reopening our restaurants.”

The restaurant’s antiques and unfinished brick walls were a call back to the chain’s first incarnation, Mother Tucker’s Food Experience. The restaurant started in a 1920s warehouse in downtown Edmonton in 1976.

 

Coalition pushes for defunding of Toronto Police

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The push for Toronto Police to be defunded is underway

City residents have their last chance to weigh in on virtual public consultations about police reform today.

This takes place as protesters plan to take to the streets demanding that the force be defunded.

The Toronto Police Services Board’s fourth and final town hall on “police accountability, reform and community safety priorities” is expected to take most of the day.

Late last month, city council voted against a cut to the force’s budget, but proposed a series of changes to policing including anti-racism measures and the implementation of body cameras.

But a group organizing the protest, called No Pride in Policing Coalition, says that doesn’t go nearly far enough.

The coalition sent demands to the police board some of which include: no body cameras; no to expanding the police budget; defunding the budget by 50%; demilitarizing the police; removing cops in schools; decriminalize poverty, drugs, HIV and sex work; and dismantling Special Constables and TTC Fare inspectors.

The NPPC is a group of queer and trans people formed in 2018 to support all the demands that Black Lives Matter Toronto raised at the 2016 Pride Toronto parade. They support BLM TO in their demand for a 50% cut to the Toronto Police Services budget.

 

Health Canada recalls a hand sanitizer sold in the area

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Residents are being warned of a bad batch of hand sanitizers.

Health Canada have recalled a brand of hand sanitizers that was sold online in the community.

Blake Shaver, of Bread&Butter Designs, says “it has come to my attention that Visibly Clean Hand Sanitizer, manufactured by Brands International, which I sold to some of you through my website was recalled by Health Canada.”

“I have emailed everyone who purchased this product from me but I wanted to make sure that everyone knew about the manufacturer’s recall,” according to a posting.

He wrote that Brands International is responsible to exchange all lots of Visibly Clean remaining in the marketplace. They are offering an exchange for their 8-ounce Germs Be Gone with a pump top.

“If you still have Visibly Clean product and you didn’t receive my email please message me directly for instructions,” Shaver says.

For more info visit breadandbutterdesigns.com

 

 

 

Bicycle Safety Campaign is underway to protect us all

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More people than ever it seems are peddling their way around town these days.

Toronto Parking Enforcement Officer Erin Urquhart is reminding cyclists and motorists of a Traffic Services Bicycle Safety Campaign which runs from July 13 to July 19 and focuses on community engagement, education and enforcement.

Police say a record amount of cyclists are out on the streets due to COVID-19, which led to Toronto’s ActiveTO’, which aims to safely get residents out of their homes and into the outdoors. There have also been lineups at bike shops in the community.

Throughout this week, police will be conducting traffic enforcement activities and connecting with people about issues that lead to cyclists and other vulnerable road users being killed or injured on city streets.

Last year some 64 people were killed on Toronto’s roads. Of these, 47, or 73%, were vulnerable road users, including one cyclist.  Traffic enforcement activities will focus of the “Big 4” driver behaviours that cause injuries to vulnerable road users – speeding, driving aggressively, driving distracted and driving impaired.

Cyclists are also being warned of ways to avoid “dooring incidents” that happen on our busy roads, as well as promoting the Toronto Police Bicycle Registry and other ways to prevent bicycle theft.

 

For now most of our sports are on hold in the community

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By REJEAN CANTLON

South Etobicoke gyms await Stage 3.

On July 13th the province announced that 18 of 32 regions within Ontario will enter Stage 3 to reopen which is slated to start on Friday, July 17th. Although South Etobicoke is not included in the group of 18, looking forward, some local sports minded citizens are anxious for what lies ahead for our local athletes.

According to provincial authorities, amateur and recreational sports could resume so long as they “do not allow prolonged or deliberate physical contact” between players.

So what does this exactly mean?

It means that contact sports like wrestling and judo are out, for now. South Etobicoke will remain in Stage 2 until it is safe to move on. Once we are in Stage 3, other sports with some form of contact like hockey, lacrosse or football maybe allowed as long as these sports can be modified to maintain physical distancing and as little contact as possible is made. The provincial directive goes on to say that recreational facilities in Stage 3 regions including, bowling alleys, gyms, play-ground equipment, and pool halls can open for business, as long as physical distancing (2 meters apart) is in place.

As South Etobicoke awaits the green light to move to Stage 3, government officials are clear to point out that despite much of the province opening up, it does not mean that life is back to normal. Officials state that restarting activities in stages will ensure we keep everyone safe, healthy and moving in a responsible way.

 

Indigenous artists sought to perform at summer camp

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If you are an Indigenous artist, this may be an opportunity for you.

Lakeshore Arts is seeking to engage and hire two Indigenous artists for a week-long virtual At Home Summer Camp.

Artists are responsible for facilitating activities of their choosing and all interactions with campers will be virtual to uphold social distancing rules, according to Lakeshore Arts.

Responsibilities will include preparation work leading up to the camp, as well as hosting virtual workshops with youth over online video conferencing applications (Zoom) throughout the week of the camp.

The goal of Lakeshore Arts is to bring Indigenous arts and culture into the camper’s summer experience. If you are interested contact communityprograms@lakeshorearts.ca