The South Etobicoke News

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

Toronto is celebrating Virtual Canada Day 2020 with still lots to do

by

Toronto’s going virtual for Canada’s 153rd birthday next Wednesday, January 1, with music, comedy, dance and online fireworks.

Enjoy special morning, afternoon and evening livestream shows featuring Kardinal Offishall, Gordon Lightfoot, Jully Black, Haviah Mighty, Choir!Choir!Choir!, The Next Generation Leahy and more.

Participate in virtual Canada Day programs from home and download interactive and all-age Celebration Kits. Plus nominate a frontline worker for recognition.

There will be celebrations being held in cities across the nation as we party and celebrate our 153rd birthday, which is always one of the better public holidays of the year.
Canada Day 2020 livestreams will be available on July 1 beginning at 9 a.m.​

The virtual show is presented by City of Toronto – Your Local Government and made possible in part by Canadian Heritage. There will be lots of music, online activities and more importantly its kid friendly so the entire family can tune in.

Schedule · Wednesday, July 1, 2020

9:00 AM

Canadian Pancake Breakfast

1:00 PM

Culture Jam

7:00 PM

Ready for Prime Time

It is not known what this year’s Canada Day activities will look like due to COVID-19. Every year previously Toronto kicked off Canada Day in a big way at Mel Lastman Square in an event that attracted more than 30,000 spectators of all ages, primarily families featuring live Canadian music, interactive games and entertainment, and a spectacular fireworks display. 

 MORE EVENTS ARE UPCOMING AS WE GET IT.

 

We love Oscar Peterson now Montreal wants him back

by

We love Oscar Peterson and New Toronto has already claimed him.

Peterson lived in the community in the 1960s and 70s’ and his portrait is among six Lakeshore Legends heroes whose mural grace a wall at Sixth Street.

Peterson, who was born in 1925 and has composed more than 400 pieces, lived at one time at Amadeo Garden Court Complex in two apartments overlooking Lake Ontario, according to local historians and residents.

Now, his hometown of Montreal, want to name a subway station after him.

An online petition is circulating to change the name of the Lionel-Groulx Metro Station to the Oscar Peterson station, to honor that city’s celebrated jazz legend.

More than 2,500 signatures have been obtained in a petition to try and place the musician’s name on a Little Burgundy station.

“I believe our city should honour his incredible accomplishments by renaming Lionel Groulx Metro Station as Oscar Peterson Metro Station,” the petition states. “He is considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of our time with a career that lasted more than 60-years.”

Peterson is an eight-time Grammy Award winner who is a virtuoso in the international jazz community. He was born and raised in the City of Montréal, where he grew up and learned his craft in Little Burgundy, where he loved.

Peterson died in December 2007 as an international star and one of the great jazz pianists and composers of the genre.

Duke Ellington called the Montreal-born virtuoso the “Maharaja of the keyboard.”

Lionel Groulx died in 1967 and was a Catholic priest, historian and Quebec nationalist.

The word-renowned pianist worked with top musicians as Ray Brown, Ella Fitzgerald and many others. His song “Hymn To Freedom” rose to become one of the top crusade songs of the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr.
He loved York University and served as the university’s fifth chancellor and was involved in the York music program.
Peterson was recognized by the City of Mississauga in 2003 when a street was named for him and he was presented with a Civic Award of Merit. He had postage stamp unveiled in his honour, along with his name on plaques and numerous schools. He was also inducted to the Order of Canada in 1972.

The mural, by Toronto artist Chris Irvine, pays tribute to fellow Lakeshore Legends: NHL star Dave Bolland, marathoner Jerome Drayton, skater Petra Burka, swimmer Lou Gamble and others who contributed to the rich cultural fabric of our community.

The petition is available at change.org

Looking after your money and savings with Rattan

by

In my experience doing business consulting, one piece of advice I stress to my business clients is “Plan your business and work your Plan”. 

Now during these unprecedent times my advice to the readers at large is “ Plan for the worst and hope for the best”. The challenges ahead are significant ranging from the complications of the Covid crisis, trade wars, inflationary pressures and increasing household debt. 

I would strongly encourage my readers to adopt a frugal living lifestyle going forward. If one was to Google “frugal living” there is a vast array of information which one can avail and adopt to their own situation. If you are a renter, making a change to down- size should be relatively easy, it will not be so easy for the homeowner. 

The homeowner may want to consider using their home as location for creating income, possibly in the form of renting and/or starting a small business depending upon the skills one has.  Be creative at the same time do not go overboard in laying out big money, start small and work your way up.

One of the ways to manage one’s spending is to record all your expenses manually or download a software. This will give you a hard look at where your money is being spent, you can use this data to develop a Budget by month and record the actual spending. Now you can look at ways to reduce or realign your spending. There is an old saying “penny saved is penny earned” in today’s world this saying could be upgraded to “dollar saved is dollar earned”.

Use this dollar saved to reduce your debt level or mortgage or build up your retirement nest egg. Debt is a big-killer, governments can print money and/or borrow but these options are not always readily available to the tax payer.

This virus has forced lots of individuals to work from home, use this opportunity to create a Tax Deduction for 2020 and ongoing by asking your employer to provide you with a Declaration of Employment Form T2200. This will allow you to claim home expenses in relation to the Square footage used for work (including utilities, property taxes and mortgage interest)

Rattan Gandhi is owner of Quick Refund Tax, 133 Sixth St. His opinions stem from 15 years of experience in helping clients in the tax area. If you have questions, he can be reached at 905-616-5253 or rattangandhi@gmail.com.

Port Credit BIA launches Support the Port fundraiser

by

The Port Credit BIA with partners have launched a community gift card initiative in support of local businesses and the Compass Food Bank.

Residents are being encouraged to purchase a Support The Port electronic gift card, and the BIA with community partners Brightwater, Edenshaw Developments and Port Credit Community Foundation will match the funds with a donation to the food bank.

The gift cards can be redeemed at any participating business and so far $20,000 have been contributed to the initiative.

“The sad reality is many businesses will not make it through this crisis,” says Jake Pedler, Chair of the PCBIA. “The Port Credit Business community is very resilient, passionate and united so with the support of our community and sponsor this initiative will greatly assist in the recovery and boost morale.”

The Compass Food Bank and Outreach Centre is located in Port Credit and serves South Mississauga with a safe and welcoming place for families in need.

To purchase a Support the Port gift card, visit supporttheport.ca.

Brightwater is a modern waterfront village coming soon to Port Credit offering unmatched lifestyle amenities, elevated design, urban conveniences, and boundless opportunities to connect.

Edenshaw Developments Ltd. is a champion of great living, better businesses and happy, healthy communities that always put people first.

The Port Credit Community Foundation is a non-profit  organization created for the people of Port Credit. It is dedicated to fund a combination of hard investments, charitable endeavours, event support and other community initiatives. To learn more visit portcreditcommunityfoundation.org.

Virtual graduations, classes trending to the future

by

This seems to be a year of virtual graduations and events for students across the city.

Alderwood resident Kendal Christie graduated virtually on May 26 from Branksome Hall and a great time was had by her parents, who were glad the family were at home safe.

Kendal says she is delighted to graduate with top marks and will be attending McMaster University in Hamilton this fall to study Life Sciences. The program will take place virtually until students are allowed again to gather in public.

The virtual graduations, classes, conferences and meetings have become popular, and a big business with the spread of COVID-19.

Grads today for very little can host a live event or broadcast their graduation to students, educations or their families online.

Organizers of the virtual live events say they encourage connection, give attendees a way to watch speeches, see the awarding of awards, diplomas and can celebrate together and this way they all remain safe and healthy.

 

Hollywood North hit movies filmed on the Lakeshore Grounds

by

Movie blockbusters like Police Academy and it sequels, Suicide Squad, Urban Legend, Strange Brew and many others were filmed at the historic Lakeshore Grounds over the years.

There was a time when some local residents managed to get work as extras on movie shoots that occurred regularly on the 130-acre grounds of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital, which is now used by Humber College.

Other movies like Equus, with the late Richard Burton, Phobia and Higher Education were also filmed at the former hospital, in addition to countless TV shows and commercials over time.

Members of the Lakeshore Grounds Interpretive Centre (LGIC) says the grounds has served as a popular filming location for movies, television shows, and commercials since 1977.

They used to conduct free tours of the underground network of tunnel that runs under the grounds or talk to groups about the history of the place or locations of where certain movies were filmed.

“Learn about the history of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital as we explore the patient-built underground tunnels and 19th-century cottages,” according to information from LGIC.

“The tour presents an overview of the Hospital’s history, acknowledges the varied experiences of patients and staff across different decades,” says the information. “The tour concludes with an optional entry into one of the un-renovated attics above the cottages.”

The LGIC is part of Humber College that is dedicated to harmony and knowledge around themes of education, mental health, Aboriginal history, environmental sustainability and civic engagement.

The former Mimico Asylum was built in 1888 and officially opened on January 1889.

The facility was closed as a hospital in 1979 with the last 280 patients being transferred to other sites. At its height in 1950, the hospital housed 1,391 patients. It was deemed a historic property in 1988.

Public memorial on hold for runaway U.S. slave Glover

by

Runaway U.S. slave Joshua Glover may soon have a permanent home in Etobicoke.

A competition for a permanent public art memorial for Glover, a runaway slave who settled in Etobicoke 166-years-ago, has been put on hold due to COVID-19.

The City of Toronto this year approved more than $50,000 for a memorial to be located at a new Joshua Glover Park, at 4208 Dundas St. W., close to where he lived.

Proposals for the memorial are being sought from members of the community to come up with a design, which like Glover, can stand the test of time.

The proposals sought by City’s Arts and Culture Services, working with the Etobicoke Historical Society (EHS), had a deadline of April 30, which has been put on hold due to the pandemic.

Area Councillor Stephen Holyday has visited the site and expects work on the memorial will continue after the City gives a green light.

Glover, who escaped from his owner in St. Louis, Mo., in 1852, arrived in Canada in 1854 via the Underground Railroad after travelling 400-miles by night, dodging slave and bounty hunters.

Before making it across the border, he was released from a jail in Milwaukee by up to 5,000 irate citizens after his owner tracked him down in Racine, Wisconsin, according to reports.

Anti-slavery citizens in both Racine and Milwaukee assembled outside the courthouse and battered down the jail house door and rescued Glover, an event that highlighted the concern of many people about the injustice of slavery at that time.
Glover was guided along the Underground Railroad, a series of safe houses around Wisconsin, until he was able to board a ship to Canada.
He landed in either Owen Sound or Collingwood, and made his way to Etobicoke where he found work with Thomas Montgomery, owner of Montgomery’s Inn. Glover became one of 39 Blacks living in Etobicoke, which at the time had a population of 2,900.

He survived two wives, who were both Irish, and spent his last days at the York County Home for the Aged in Newmarket, where he died in 1888 at the age of 74.

City officials say a successful proposal will be selected by a panel and the artist will work closely with partners to develop the art, confirm siting, and install and complete the project.

For further info contact the Public Art Officer at 416-392-4173 or email publicartcompetitions@toronto.ca.

With files by Joel Winters