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The South Etobicoke News

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

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Dave reveals his love of ambulances and has more than 300 plus on standby

July 1, 2021 by SouthEtobicokeNews

SOME OF the more than 300 ambulances that makes up Dave’s collection. Dave’s photos.

A COMPLETE assortment of Red Cross and Emergency ambulances.

FIRE, RED CROSS and ambulances galore form many years of collecting for Dave.

By DAVE KOSONIC

 

If an ambulance is needed quickly my residence is the place to be. More than 300 ambulances are always on standby.

But there is just one glitch because all of these rescue vehicles are plastic or metal models that I have carefully collected and treasured for many years. They come in various sizes, shapes and colors and from different locations in the world.

My interest in ambulances developed when I was a boy. I often went to my dad’s business located near Bloor Street West and Islington Avenue. The base for Kingsway Ambulance Service was just across the road from father’s store.

I stood in his window and admired the red-and-white Cadillac Superior ambulance owned- and-operated by Kingsway that was parked by the curb unless the driver and attendant were on an emergency call.

Years later as an adult my ambulance collecting began. I have no plans to hit the brakes on my ‘boy toy’ hobby any time soon.

My first acquisition occurred in a gift shop. I went there to purchase a greeting card and before I left I saw a red model ambulance with white AMBULANCE lettering on sale for $12. I purchased it and thought that this model would be a one-time wonder.

Then I started regularly attending collector toy shows in Etobicoke and around the GTA including the Etobicoke Olympium, the Toronto International Centre and the Hansa Haus. I realized that most of the patrons were adults who were serious collectors of various toys from the past that had survived. Many of these collectors were quite willing to pay top dollar for an item that she or he craved. There was some bartering but many of the vendors dug in their heels on prices for items that were rare and hard-to-find.

Patrons came from all walks of life and I recognized an embalmer from a funeral home, a retired school vice principal and a writer from a large Toronto daily newspaper. A number of my model ambulances are displayed on stands and shelves at my place. Due to space limitations many are stored away in cardboard boxes and plastic bags.

Every so often I locate a bag or a box stashed away at home and upon opening it I find some abandoned model ambulances that I had purchased years before and had forgotten all about.

To a serious ambulance collector my ambulances would be worth a considerable amount of money. I have several rare ones including one smaller ambulance worth more than $400.

In memory of our valiant military veterans I am most proud of my collection of military ambulances that I have acquired over the years. When I look at these models I reflect on the bravery of those who sacrificed so much for the freedom that we enjoy.

Dr. Susanne Ottendorfer, and her husband, Sigi, who is a certified emergency medical technician, are credited with having the largest known model ambulance collection in the world that currently totals 13,000 pieces and continues growing.

This accomplishment earned the couple a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Now I must go and polish up one of my prized ambulances that is a model of the ones used by the Chicago Fire department from the late 1960s up to the mid 1970s.

And when the pandemic subsides and the collector toy shows re-open I plan to get to the front of the line to get in and buy some more ambulances. One vendor I enjoyed buying from was a semi-retired Baptist pastor. He sold me numerous model ambulances and he had a real knack for acquiring hard-to-find ones and selling them for a fair price.

I have never met an ambulance that I haven’t taken a shine too.

Filed Under: Alternative, Business, Community, Politics

Police warn of fake roofers and other tradespeople at this time of the year

April 14, 2021 by SouthEtobicokeNews

POLICE are warning of fake tradespeople who are defrauding homeowners.

BEWARE of who you hire to do work on your home.

 

Police are warning seniors and others to beware of men going around to homes claiming to be roofers or other trades people, when they may be there to steal from you.

The warning comes with the arrest by Halton Regional Police Service on April 9 of a man sought for multiple fraud charges dating back to 2017.

Police said the suspect had signed contracts, which stem from 2017 to 2019, with victims through Halton, Hamilton, Peel and other parts of Ontario for snow removal services, roofing services and cottage rentals.

The force’s Risk Mitigation Team located the suspect and he was arrested with the assistance of the Ottawa Police Service.

Police allege the contracts were signed under various company names.

Christopher McSwain, 40, of Gatineau, Quebec, is before the courts facing 12 counts of fraud under $5,000.

If you believe you have been the victim of a fraud offence please contact 22 Division at 416-808-2200.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

Police are warning residents that if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

 

 

Filed Under: Business, Campaigns, Community, Issues, Politics, Rock & Roll, Social

Hanging with the Stars back in the day at the famous Skyline Hotel

March 23, 2021 by SouthEtobicokeNews

THE DIAMONDS at the Skyline Hotel was a fun night.

Reporter DAVE KOSONIC reflects on his days covering bands for the Toronto Star at the Skyline Hotel.

The GREAT Tanya Tucker

DAVE with the Stars at the former Skyline Hotel. That’s Rick Nelson, top, middle and Roy Orbinson at the bottom, middle.

 

When I was a teeny-bopper I loved to listen to recordings by chart toppers including Lesley Gore, Del Shannon, Ricky Nelson and other stars of the time.

I never dreamed that I would rub shoulders with them in the mid-1980s during revival concerts at the former Skyline Hotel on Dixon Rd.

Many people will remember the Skyline, which featured the Diamond Lil’ carbaret shows, with the dancing bar girls.

I did a weekly entertainment column for The Toronto Star’s Etobicoke Bureau, in which I wrote about these live shows in advance to help boost ticket sales. As part of the job, I was a guest at the VIP get-togethers with the stars.

Lesley Gore was a tiny lady and when I was introduced to her back stage she looked at me and responded “Hi Dave” like she had known me for years. She was one of three stars scheduled for the stage. Gore had requested to be last up as the concert’s high-lighter but she was escorted onstage first.

She performed four of her hits including It’s My Party and She’s A Fool quickly and then stomped off the stage. Gore died of lung cancer at age 68 in February 2015.

When I met Roy Orbison often dubbed ‘The Big O’ he had just completed his last set. He lit up a smoke and chatted with me, and my wife, Dorothy,  for several minutes. He came across as a quiet and humble man. He had a fear of flying and one of his brothers ferried Orbison and his crew to his shows in a customized bus.

Orbison had performed many of his hits including Only The Lonely, Oh Pretty Woman and Dream Baby. Some related to tragedies including the death of his wife Claudette. Orbison suffered a fatal heart attack at age 52 in 1988.

During Ricky Nelson’s Skyline show he sung many of his hits such as Hello Mary Lou, Travelin’ Man and Fools Rush In. I met him up close and he looked great almost like in his teenage days. Sadly a few months after the show Nelson , 45, and his fiancé Helen Blair,28, perished when his DC 3 airplane crashed in a Texas field on New Years Eve 1985.

Jerry Lee Lewis had the concert promoters anxious the evening of his show. The show-goers were told Lewis was to appear shortly but he wasn’t present. Promoters called his manager in The U.S. and were told that his aircraft would be departing soon to come to Toronto. The Skyline show promoters then told the audience that Lewis was running late and that the show would go on. His performance was remarkable as he aggressively pecked the keys of his piano while performing Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On and Great Balls of Fire.

The mid ‘80s Skyline retro concerts featured many other hit-makers including Wilson ‘The Wicked’ Pickett, The Diamonds, Freddie .’Boom Boom’ Cannon, Lou Christie and Brenda Lee and others of that era.

Filed Under: Business, Celebrities, Community, Entertainment, Music

Former NHL referee owned Bert’s Turkey Palace where the the turkey was king

March 13, 2021 by SouthEtobicokeNews

BERT’s Turkey Palace was a hot spot back in the day where teens hung out enjoying turkey burgers and fries. Archives of Ontario photo.

By DAVE KOSONIC

Bert’s Turkey Palace was a place to dine back in the day and is fondly remembered by South Etobicoke baby boomers who went there from 1951 and 1965.

I was one of them and my father Edward frequently took me to Bert’s in his Buick station wagon. When we arrived my pet dog, Cookie, sat in the back seat begging for some leftovers after we enjoyed our turkey burgers and milkshakes. We always accommodated her.

Bert – Albert ‘Bert’ Hedges – had a large picture of a turkey perched on his restaurant roof and another front sign that read: ‘Turkey, Anyhow’ and the Bert’s Turkey Palace designation. His premises were down-to-earth and nothing fancy.

Bert’s was located on a 50-acre farm at the northeast corner of the former two-lane Highway 27 and Richview Side Road, which is now Eglinton Avenue West.

A former NHL referee, he attracted many patrons due to the convenient access provided by the highway.

Turkey burgers and milk shakes were the most popular menu items ordered at the Turkey Palace.

One former customer posted: ‘Over the years, I’ve tried to duplicate Bert’s turkey burgers but somehow they were not the same.

Residents recall teenagers going there after Friday evening high school dances to enjoy Bert’s fare and hang out while having a fun time with buddies well into the evening.

Families flocked to Bert’s on weekends so that parents and kids could have fun and enjoy the Turkey Palace treats while in the farm-like country atmosphere.

The front parking lot could be full of classic cars from the ‘50s and ‘60s including Chevies, Pontiacs and occasionally, a now-defunct Studebaker sedan.

Some patrons preferred to enjoy their turkey burgers and shakes while sitting in their vehicles as others dined inside.

Bert married Gerilda McCullough in 1921 and did other things before getting into the turkey business. He started his career as a bookkeeper and was later employed as a referee by the Ontario Hockey Association and the NHL for 20 years.

He and his wife bought the farm about 1945, added buildings including the restaurant and more barns. The couple also raised and sold chickens, geese and ducks to their patrons either alive or prepared to customers’ specifications.

Hedges also bred race horses on his farm with names including Bronze Turkey, Silver Turkey and a stakes winner named Gold Turkey according to archives.

He passed away in 1965 and his unique restaurant and farm was closed and sold. During 1967 the property was cleared to make way for the Highway 401/ 427 interchange.

Hedges was born in 1898 and passed away prior to his wife’s death in 1974. Both of them rest at Park Lawn Cemetery.

A nearby roadway was named Hedges Boulevard in their memory.

 

Filed Under: Campaigns, Community, Issues, Music, Politics, Social

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

February 12, 2021 by SouthEtobicokeNews

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

 

 

Filed Under: Business, Campaigns, Celebrities, Community, Entertainment, Issues, Music, Social

 Rexdale’s Admiral Crumple with some fresh tracks inspired by the Las Vegas massacre

February 8, 2021 by SouthEtobicokeNews

ADMIRAL Crumple is back with some fresh Hip Hop tunes from Vega. Courtesy photos.

 

Up-and-coming Rexdale Begamot Hip Hop artist Admiral Crumple is plugging some new tunes.

Admiral Crumple wants the community to know that he has released his first full-length film to DVD.

He is pleased with the film, Drab Vegas, which was filmed in the City that Never Sleeps five days before the shooting massacre more than three years ago.

“The film is shot in Las Vegas and has a few original Hip Hop beats playing throughout,” says Admiral Crumple. “The conversations are about the challenges, but also the hopes and dreams of modern life.”

The October 2017 massacre saw a gunman open fire on partiers on the Las Vegas Strip attending a Route 91 Harvest Festival.

Some 60 people were killed from the 1,000 shots that were fired by a gunman from the 32 floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Some 411 people were wounded, which rose to 867 when it was all said and done in what is called the worst mass shooting in the U.S.

The gunman later killed himself with the gun.

Admiral Crumple’s film is described as ‘dark and hardcore’ by some, while others said it is “an inspiring documentary, adding to the quality of hip hop and film culture.”

The Official Trailer for Drab Vegas can be viewed at youtube.com

The DVD can be purchased by sending $21.95 + $10 Shipping (U.S.) via Paypal to admiralcrumple@hotmail.com

Filed Under: Alternative, Business, Celebrities, Community, Entertainment, Hip Hop, Movies, Music, Social, Television

Looking After Your Health & Wellness with Monika Meulman

February 6, 2021 by SouthEtobicokeNews

Healing Meuse Monika Meulman helps residents grow plants and runs an area Seed Bank for those with a green thumb.  

With the New Year safely behind us, we
can truly begin enjoying this brand new
year. It is a new beginning after all. Or
better yet, let us see it as ‘A thousand
different beginnings.’
If 2020 has taught us anything at all, it
would probably be that we are stepping into
the unknown each and every day.
I invite you to embrace your day, your
stance, your breath, as much today, than
you do new year beginnings. Why?
Because you step into each day the moment
you wake. And, you get on with your day
whether you direct your schedule, your
mindset, your focus or not.
When you embrace the day, you are in
control. When you are in control, you gain
a sense of well being. When you gain a
sense of well being, living life becomes
much easier. They may sound like baby
steps and that’s because they are.
Taking in one day at time, with focus, with
effort, with deliberate mindfulness, you are
choosing to be present, make strong choices
and grow: one small step at a time. Better
yet, you are choosing to do so, one breath at
a time.
‘Choice’ is a funny word isn’t it? We forget
how many choices we make in a day. It is
so automatic for us to grab a sweater, tie
our shoes, walk out the door, pick up some
groceries and get home not even realizing
how we did it. I urge you to follow an
ancient adage ‘always be a beginner.’ ’It is
one of my favourites. Try this in your day:
When you choose to view tying your shoes
as a beginner, or picking up fresh produce
at the market – as a beginner, you choose to
truly pay attention. This type of attention is
called being ‘mindful’. Mindfulness is a
practice and consists of focus + awareness.
We can all do it. But, most of us forget to
practice it unless we have to or are
reminded. Here is your chance. I am
reminding you to practice, once a day.
Once a day, choose to do one
activity/errand/chore as a beginner.
For example, as you prepare your cup of
tea, select the tea with a clear head, take a
deep breath, explore the tea blend, its
aroma, its texture, the way it is packaged.
See where the tea is harvested and
manufactured. Bring the water to a boil and
pour the water over the tea slowly,
gingerly.
Take time. Be aware and focus on this
action. Watch the water become tea.
Mindfulness can begin in every cup. Let me
know how the tea tastes once you have
prepared it as a beginner. What other
simple, short chores or activities can you
practice mindfully?
As we gear up to celebrate Chinese New
Year, we are reminded that we can have a
fresh start many times over, each and every
year, not just on January 1. In various
traditions, religions and cultures, we see
that ‘new beginnings’ are always just around
the corner. Let us embrace the beginnings
as the gift that they are.
Celebrate with love and compassion in your
heart this February. Raise a toast of wine, a
steaming cup of Java, or your favourite tea
brew.
Proclaim this month of February,
traditionally all about love, to be your
month of growing warmth in your heart and
taking on each day with love instead.
Embrace the growing daylight, new
beginnings, calling up old friends to catch
up, start seedlings on your kitchen counter,
try some new recipes or a new take out
restaurant, allow yourself to grow in love.
I invite you to find your favourite quote on
beginnings, starting fresh and read it every
morning when you wake in February. It is
one of the easiest ways to begin thinking
anew.
“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect
to begin. Beginning makes the conditions
perfect.” – Alan Cohen
Monika Meulman, Zen Life Guide
416-347-5449: The Healing Muse
Apothecary
~ your breath of fresh air ~
@healingmuse
www.healingmuse.com

Filed Under: Alternative, Community, Social

Remembering popular Elwy Yost and his Saturday Night at the Movies

January 24, 2021 by SouthEtobicokeNews

Fans loved Elwy Yost (with John Candy right) and his Saturday Night at the Movies.

 

 

 

 

 

By DAVE KOSONIC

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome once again to Saturday Night at the Movies. My name is Elwy Yost.”

That is the welcoming way Canadian television personality Yost began his weekly movie program for 25 years from 1974 to 1999 just after multi-colored stars glistened on viewers TV screens.

Yost had a long connection with Etobicoke and few people knew that he was  a full-time English teacher at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate Institute.

“Well it is that time ladies and gentlemen to turn your lights down very low and put your feet up.” Yost added while introducing a show about alcoholism as presented in the cinema.

“It is harrowing but it is magnificently made and I am very proud of this film,” were words he used while reviewing the Academy Award winning movie The Lost Weekend produced by Billy Wilder and starring Ray Milland with screenplay by Charles Brack.

Yost always appeared very relaxed while he sat back in a comfy chair and turned on his retro film projector and then said with a smile: “If you are ready I am now so let’s roll our projector.”

Yost was well-known for hosting CBC television’s weekday Passport to Adventure series from 1965 to 1967, TVOntario’s weekday Magic Shadows from 1974 to the mid-1980s and Saturday Night at the Movies.

He also authored four books about movies.

The broadcaster  was born in Weston in 1925 and passed away in West Vancouver 2011 of natural causes at the age of 86.  He was married to Lila Ragnild for 60 years and has two sons, Christopher and Graham, who is a producer and screenwriter in Los Angeles. Yost was also a film maker and he produced two movies titled Ida Makes a Movie and Moulin Rouge.

Yost joined the Canadian Infantry in 1944 and was honorably discharged in 1945. Other brief employment included construction work at the CNE, working in circulation department at the Toronto Star and a job in the aircraft industry in Malton. Yost earned a degree in sociology from the University of Toronto in 1948. He worked on and off as a panelist on television shows until the late 1960s when he became the permanent host of the CBC radio show It’s Debatable and his career then blossomed.

After Yost’s death in 2011 an editorial in the Toronto Star entertainment section reflected back upon his life. ‘The bald man with the moustache, wire-rim glasses and odd name was an unlikely candidate for stardom…at the peak 250,000 viewers appreciated his appetite for gorging on movies and taking trips to Hollywood to talk with the people who made them.’

Adrian Morrow in the Globe and Mail added, “His father would give him a dime every week to see a film and then have him recount the plot.’

On a personal note I was a student at Burnhamthorpe Collegiate when Yost taught there. I was not in his classes but he always voiced a friendly hello when he passed any student in the hallways.

 

Filed Under: Business, Campaigns, Celebrities, Community, Entertainment, Issues, Movies, Music, Social, Television

Violinist Raha Javanfar fronts for Toronto blues band Bad Luck Woman

January 18, 2021 by SouthEtobicokeNews

CLASSICALLY trained violinist Raha Javanfar is the front woman for blues band Bad Luck Woman. Courtesy photo.

Classically-trained violinist Raha Javanfar like most area musicians has been hit hard by a loss of musical gigs due to a spread of COVID-19.

Javanfar, a bassist and front woman for the Maple Blues Award nominee blues band, Bad Luck Woman and Her Misfortunes, is now teaching students online how to play the violin, piano and music theory.

The busy pre-pandemic four-piece band was silenced as the virus spread across the world and public health officials ordered people to stay away from crowds.

“The pandemic so far has been a roller coaster for me. I spent the first several weeks feeling quite depressed and uninspired,” she recalls. “I felt a deep resistance to this thing which was quickly being dubbed ‘the new normal.”

She, with partner Fraser Melvin, are busy these days writing tunes and performing virtually.

The Iranian-born entertainer held virtual classes last month with students at a Lakeshore Arts event, which was a big success.

“Campers will build their own homemade percussion instrument, learn various rhythms, and experiment with different sounds to create their own grooves and melodies,” says a poster promoting the event.

Javanfar is thankful she is working in her field and attributes her career to a ‘rich fabric of numerous projects in various fields.’

She regularly plays fiddle in the Western swing band, The Double Cuts, and has performed with notable artists as Stars, Protest the Hero, Peter Katz, Tom Wilson and Daniel Romano.

The violinist is also known around town for other musical projects including; Voodoo Raha & Speedy Wax and Zuze, as well as frequent performance in the Concert Series at Soulpepper Theatre Company’s Riverboat, 27 Club, 88 Keys and Promised Land.

She is one of six co-creators of Now You See Her, a play by Quote Unquote Collective, produced by Nightwood Theatre, in which she performed the role of Daria. It was nominated for Best New Play at the 2019 Dora Mavor Moore Awards.

She has toured with Toronto Baroque orchestra, Tafelmusik, for over a decade as projections designer of concerts such as House of Dreams, Circle of Creation, and Tale of Two Cities, which has performed at Disney Hall in Los Angeles, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa and venues in Mexico, Australia, Japan and Malaysia.

She and Mellville are proud of their own brand of hot sauce, that is made to her recipe. Bottles of their home-made Bad Luck Woman sauce and her music are available for sale at www.rahajavanfar.com

 

 

Filed Under: Business, Campaigns, Celebrities, Community, Entertainment, Issues, Music, Politics, Rock & Roll, Social

Top Indigenous performer who is best known for Indie drama ‘Bella Ciao’ passes

January 9, 2021 by SouthEtobicokeNews

MANY are mourning the death of ‘up-and-coming’ Indigenous actor Taran Kootenyahoo. Courtesy photos.

Many Canadians today are mourning the death of an up-and-coming Indigenous actor and artist Taran Kootenhayoo who has passed away.

Kootenyahoo, who was based in Vancouver, died on December 31, on New Year’s Eve, with no cause of death given. He was 27.

The actor was on the verge of “breaking out” and had developed a loyal following in South Etobicoke.

Born in Cold Lake, Alberta and a member of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, Kootenhayoo attended acting school at Capilano College in Vancouver and graduated in 2015.

He was best known as Niki, a young homeless man looking for his missing sister, in Bella Ciao!, the 2018 indie feature by Director Carolyn Combs about intersecting characters in an east Vancouver multicultural community.

“Our loss is immeasurable. He was a gifted and disciplined collaborator, a warm and generous friend,” the Bella Ciao website mourned in the death of a talented actor.

“Words don’t capture our deep respect and affection for him,” the post stated. “We wish him well on his journey.”

In a 2018 profile for Hollywood North Magazine, Kootenhayoo said he hoped the role of Niki would encourage other Indigenous youth to follow his lead into acting.

“It means that I get to have representation as an Indigenous person in a story that isn’t stereotypical for an Indigenous actor,” he told the magazine. “I’m very glad to be part of it and hopefully inspire other Indigenous youth or anybody else that aspires to do whatever they want and have fun with it.”

Besides a number of screenplays and live theater roles in western Canada, Kootenhayoo also played the character of Remy in the 2018 Canadian TV series Literally, and voiced the role of Randall in the animated fantasy series Molly of Denali.

Section 35, an Indigenous streetwear maker, for which Kootenhayoo modeled its latest fashions, grieved on Instagram. “Creator called a legend home. We love you and you will be missed. Rest in Power Brother.”

The actor was named as a Star to Watch at the Whistler Film Festival in 2018 and earned the Most Promising Newcomer trophy at the Jessie Theatre Awards a year later

“I want him to be remembered for his care for people, the environment and passion for his work,” said his older sister, Cheyanna Kootenhayoo, who performs under the name DJ Kookum.

She has been overwhelmed with the amount of support and tributes for her brother, including a graffiti mural that was painted at a Vancouver skatepark. “I’m just seeing all of the social media stuff and people are sending their condolences. The community is hurt all across the country,” she said.

 

 

Filed Under: Business, Campaigns, Community, Entertainment, Issues, Music, Politics, Social, Sports, Television

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Digital Versions

June 2025

Thousands sign petition to keep Cineplex open. More than 12,000 people have signed a petition calling on the City to halt a plan to demolish the beloved Cineplex Cinemas Queensway to build 10 huge condo towers.

May 2025

City shelter now downsized from 80 to 50 beds. City of Toronto officials seems to be listening to pressure from an outraged community and back-peddling on some plans for a proposed Third Street homeless shelter.

April 2025

Big battle for April 28 votes in our community. It’s a battle between the Liberals and Conservatives for the federal ridings of Etobicoke Lakeshore and Etobicoke Centre on April 28.

March 2025

Mimico Creek fish life face risk due to road salt. Etobicoke Creek and the Don River are the worst in the Toronto area for being the saltiest waterways due to runoff from truckloads of road salt being used to melt our mountains of ice and snow.

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