The South Etobicoke News

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

More than 1,100 people sign police online petition for CCT cameras in Garnett Janes area

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AN ONLINE petition has been launched to install CCT cameras in the Garnett Janes area. Police photo.

POLICE say residents are living in fear and cameras will help with their safety.

 

More than 1,100 people have signed an online petition calling for closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to be installed in the Garnett Janes neighbourhood to help deter and solve crime.

The petition for cameras was initiated by Toronto Police last month in a social media posting.

Police said in the post that they “actively engage with the community on an ongoing basis, however the violence continues.”

It was only last week that officers were called to investigate a drive by shooting in the Lake Shore Blvd. W., and Brown’s Line area, in which a victim was driving a vehicle when four shots were fired by gunmen in another car, which sped off.

The victim was hospitalized for gunshot wounds as officers escalated a search for two men.

There has been at least six shootings in the Garnett Janes area in the last month.

“Unfortunately the neighbourhood has also been affected by gang activity for some time,” police wrote in a proposal for cameras. “These gang members hang out in the buildings, on the streets, and in Lakeshore Village Park as well as Eighth Street Skate Park.”

“Street drug dealing is not an uncommon occurrence,” officers said. “’This gang activity leads to violence in the neighbourhood. “

Police said the Garnett Janes neighbourhood has seen a ‘disproportionately amount of violent crimes occurring within its’ borders as compared to other neighbourhoods in south Etobicoke.’

They cite two recent shootings that occurred in the middle of the day only steps from neighbourhood parks.

The cameras are proposed for the corners of Garnett Janes Rd., and Ninth St., Coin St. and Tenth Street, Etta Wylie Rd. and Garnett Janes Rd., and the corner of Ninth St., and Lake Shore Blvd. W.

The Garnett Janes neighbourhood is a shining example of why Toronto is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world, according to police. The residents are hard-working and family oriented but are being exploited by gangs.

The area is bounded by Birmingham St. on the north, Lake Shore Blvd. W. on the south, Thirteenth and Twelfth Streets on the west and Eighth Street on the east.

Police said images captured by CCTV will be automatically over-written within 72 hours, unless required for use as evidence in a case.

Many residents of the community seem to be in favour of the cameras.

“In addition the new cameras I feel it is time to reopen the police division on Lake Shore Blvd. W., which was at one time deemed unnecessary,” wrote Lynn.

Del said “I want to see and hear that all our neighbourhoods are safe.”

“I live in the neighbourhood and want to keep our community safe,” said Valerie.

“Protecting the community is of the utmost importance,” wrote Darlene. “We need to get rid of the gangs that are terrorizing the people.”

The petition can be found at change.org

 

Man fighting for his life after being stabbed at Royal York station

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SEARCH is underway for suspect who stabbed man at Royal York subway. Courtesy CITY-TV.

CALL police if you see this man

Security camera images are playing a large role in a hunt for a suspect who is accused of the brutal stabbing another man on a platform at the Royal York station.

The incident occurred on May 4 around 3:50 p.m. after police from 22 Division were called to investigate a stabbing at the subway station.

Police said in a release that two men had boarded the subway train at Islington Station.

“The men had a verbal altercation and one of the men stabbed the other on the subway train,” detectives alleged. “The suspect got off the train at Royal York subway station and fled the area.”

Officers alleged the victim was suffering “from several stab wounds,’ when found at the Royal York station.

“The victim as transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries,” according to police.

The suspect is described as wearing a grey hooded sweater, blue face mask and grey pants.
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.

Man arrested for month long Asian spitting terror campaign on the TTC subway

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Toronto Police undercover officers have slapped the cuffs on a suspect who was on the run for a month for allegedly spitting on Asian female riders on the TTC subway system.

POLICE SAY suspect was involved in hate crime targeting Asians.

The suspect was arrested on May 5 and is before the courts on criminal charges.

Police in an April 16 news release said the suspect was sought for a number of hate-motivated assaults on the subway system.

It is alleged that these incidents happened between April 9 and April 11 at three different subway stations, according to police.

They were called on April 9 around 8:47 a.m. to Christie Subway station where a man “assaulted a person by spitting on them on the eastbound platform.” He quickly fled.

Officers were called again on April 11 at 11:12 a.m. to the Lansdowne Station where a man “assaulted a woman by spitting on her.”

“The man yelled racial slurs at the woman and threatened a bystander who attempted to intervene,” officers from 11 Division said.

The suspect fled on an eastbound train.

About an hour later, police responded to Wellesley Station, where another woman was spat on by a man.

The suspect fled the scene. Police believe the same man is alleged to be responsible for the assaults.

Officers from 11 Division after consultation with the Service’s Specialized Hate Crime Unit determined  the offences were suspected Hate Crimes.
Joseph O’Sullivan Martinez, 25, of Toronto, was charged with two counts of cause disturbance, four counts of assault, 10 counts of fail to comply probation and five counts of breach of recognizance.

He is before the courts.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1100, 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.

From The Bench By Retired Judge Lloyd Budzinski

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Virtual Ontario Police Memorial Service held yearly to honour police on May 2. Courtesy photo.

 

Here are some thoughts. Reasonable doubt was originally intended to increase conviction rates. Around the 15th century according to the historian Whitman, the English took over God’s job of ‘Judging’ crime. Before that it was ‘Trial by Ordeal’.  If you survived drowning or burning you were innocent because God – the Judge — had saved you.

This new judging job had its headaches — the fate of those who sat in judgment was at stake.

Jurors had to fear vengeance from the convict’s relatives. There were also religious reasons.  The Bible, in 19 Deuteronomy, the part we think of as ‘an eye for an eye‘, also deals with false witness.  It means, that if someone falsely alleges that “X” committed a murder, then the liar should face the same penalty as ‘X’.

Secondly, convicting an innocent defendant was regarded, in the older Christian tradition, as a potential mortal sin. The reasonable doubt rule developed in response to this possibility. It was originally a theological doctrine, intended to reassure jurors that they could convict the defendant without risking their own salvation.

It excluded absolute certainty; instead, used a moral certainty as the standard.

Today, Judges tell Juries that ‘Reasonable Doubt is not a far-fetched or frivolous doubt.  It is not a doubt based on sympathy or prejudice.  It is based on reason and common sense.

The doubt arises from the evidence or the lack of it as it relates to the essential elements of the offence …. It is not enough for you to believe that the accused is probably or likely guilty.  In that case, you must find him not guilty.

The Criminal standard of Reasonable Doubt falls much closer to absolute certainty, than  proof on a ‘balance of probabilities’ as in Civil Trials (51% certain). The Judge determines the law and the Jury, the facts.

A crime requires two factors: a law-breaking event, the Actus Reus and a criminal intent, a Mens Rea. Murder or manslaughter requires the act of killing, an Actus Reus, a homicide.  Homicide simply means that someone killed someone.  It is not a crime by itself.  Whether a homicide is a murder or manslaughter depends on intent — an intentional, unintentional, negligent killing, a reaction to a provocation, duress and such.

If you lack an operating mind you could lack a criminal  intent,  be acting under a delusion and end with a “Not Guilty Because of Insanity”.

Juries like to compromise. Manslaughter is an included and lesser offence of murder.  Juries find the facts from the evidence; thus, the verdict. A Jury has a  choice. They need not explain their decision. They are empathetic and often, faced with a choice between a murder, manslaughter, they often choose manslaughter by deciding the intent of the accused.

This inclination for compromise or empathy became apparent when hanging was abolished. The conviction rate for murder increased. Before that, juries opted for manslaughter. The 15-century guys were right, reduce the responsibility and you increase conviction rates.  But be careful of going too far.  We could reduce the test for guilt to the Civil Law standard —  a balance of probabilities. It would  reduce the chance of the guilty getting away but would cause more innocent people being convicted.…oops!  A law is like an aspirin; not perfect; it can cure a headache but may cause internal bleeding.

In Floyd, the Jury had several choices, assuming he caused the death.  It depended on interpreting Chauvin’s intent . Sometimes empathy for the accused encourages a Jury to view the intention as more accidental – a manslaughter.  Clearly, Chauvin drew no empathy.

In the Latimer Case, a farmer killed his teenage daughter.  She had severe cerebral palsy, functioned as a four-month-old, suffered chronic pain, couldn’t walk, talk or feed herself. Latimer maintained her pain was unbearable. Latimer killed Tracy in 1993 using exhaust fumes from a truck.  Recently, he maintained with the CBC, “The harm I caused by her death would have been less than the pain inflicted by her life”. He claimed innocence as a mercy killer. I believe, had he called evidence  indicating he was under unbearable stress he would have been found guilty of the lesser offence of Manslaughter – less specific intent.  He was wrong in law, ‘mercy killing’ is not a defense.  He stood on his principles, leaving the Jury with no choice.

So, justice wins for Floyd.  Destiny was in the hands of 12 Jurors.  Notwithstanding, our systems aren’t

perfect – It took a thousand  years to evolve the Jury System  yet  it remains the best of all possibilities.

ANSWER TO LAST MONTHS SENTENCE: I sentenced him to 2 yeas less a day to be served in his home followed by 3 years’ probation.

Judge Lloyd Budzinski retired after 28 years and was a former Crown Attorney, Defence Counsel and Ontario’s Deputy Minister of Criminal Law. He was a Chief Prosecutor in the high profile trial of ex-RCMP officer Patrick Michael Kelly, who was found guilty of murder for throwing his wife from a 17 th floor balcony n March 1981.

 

 

Police searching for man who is stalking young girls in the city’s west end

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Two suspicious incidents involving young area girls are being reported by police in a warning to the community.

POLICE searching for stalker following young girls in the west end.

 

Police from 11 Division say on April 25 a man was seen following a young girl in the Bloor Street W. and Runnymede Rd. area.

“A man was seen driving a car approached the girl,” police said in a release. “The man offered the girl a beverage.”

The girl left the area and notified an adult, police said.

Officers said at about 1:15 p.m. another girl was jogging on Runnymede Rd, when a car pulled up.

“The car pulled up beside the girl, passing her as she ran,” police alleged. “The girl was able to run away.”

At this time, no criminal offence is alleged to have been committed, however, investigators would like to make the public aware and identify the man driving the vehicle.
The vehicle involved in both occurrences is described as a dark blue, four-door car.
The driver is described as male, 20-30 years old, with brown shoulder length hair. He was wearing a red hoodie and had a black face mask.
Police are reminding the public to remain vigilant of suspicious vehicles in their neighbourhoods and report anything suspicious to police.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1100, 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.

 

Fifth drive by shooting in the Lakeshore area in the last month

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The victim was a marked man and it was a targeted shooting.

A 28-year-old man was rushed to hospital in non-life-threatening injuries on Monday (May 3) morning in a targeted incident in Long Branch, police said.

The victim is about the fifth young man shot in the community in the last month and residents are calling for the gunplay to end.

Among those hit by gunfire was a 14-year-old boy in the Garnett Janes neighbourhood on April 17. He survived.

Traffic was closed off along Lake Shore Blvd. W., near Thirty Seventh Street around 8:30 a.m. as many  were on their way for coffee at a nearby Tim Hortons.

Police said it appears as though four shots were fired as the victim’s car was secured by police for a forensic team.

It is believed that two suspects followed the victim into an area in a black hatchback and at some point pulled alongside the shot man’s vehicle and started firing.

The victim was shot at least once to his lower body, according to police.

Duty Inspector Michael Williams said detectives are following all leads.

“It sounds like two vehicles had seen each other and the suspect vehicle may have followed our victim into this area and then the two cars came door-to-door over on Thirty Seventh Street and that is where the shots were fired,” Williams said, adding that the shots were fired through an open window.

He said Lake Shore Boulevard is a busy street and we are hoping that someone had dash came video or even have some cell phone video they can help us out with.

Williams said that it appears as though the passenger of the hatchback opened fire through an open window and that the vehicle they were in then turned onto Lake Shore Boulevard, where it was last seen headed westbound.

Police said the victim’s vehicle had four bullet holes and four shell casings were found on the street.

“This appears to be a targeted incident,” Williams said.

No suspect descriptions have been released at this point.

Police have circulated a petition online seeking the installation of five CCTV cameras in the Garnett Janes community to help them solve crime and protect residents. Police said there are a number of known gangs in the area.

Dog named Boe is man’s best friend forever with no questions asked

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MAN’s BEST FRIEND. Boe is still being mourned by his owner in Mimico. Photos by Ian Robertson.

A NICE note for Boe by his beloved owner.

 

Dear Editor,

While walking just after 6 p.m. today I spotted a small memorial to a dog named ‘Boe’ on Simpson Ave., beside Ogden Place, west of Royal York Road, in Mimico.

No one was around so I couldn’t ask for details, but thought you might like a photo.

I’ve never seen this type of memorial to a passed pet, and it seemed worthwhile. Touching, too!

There is a small flowering plant in a pot with a cardboard sign — ‘Boe/We miss your bark and your love’ — and a dog biscuit taped to it, placed on the curb in front of a large house, with larger lettering painted onto the pavement. That reads: “Dogs make us laugh Roe we miss you”

(There is a heart between ‘laugh’ and ‘we’ with the dog’s name above.)

I’m attached three photos for you to consider.

Cheers, Ian Robertson.

Dog lovers near Centennial Park being warned of contaminated food found in the park

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A PARK workers puts up notice to warn pet lovers at a local park.

ITEM found in the park by an area pet lover.

 

Pet owners in Etobicoke are being warned about contaminated hotdogs left in Centennial Park.

Etobicoke’s Royal York Animal Hospital has received several reports of suspicious food — hotdogs stuffed with bright yellow pills — found by people walking their dogs in Centennial Park, in the Eglinton Ave.-Renforth Dr. area.

The veterinary service this week posted photos of the pill-stuffed hot dogs on their social media site with a warning asking people to use caution while outdoors.

The Instagram post reads:

“One of our clients found these hotdogs filled with pills in their own backyard. We have also had reports of suspicious food being found in parks and on walks.

“This was found in the Centennial Park area. If you suspect that your dog has eaten anything on a walk, seeking immediate veterinary attention can help save your pet.

“Luckily this owner saw these and their pet is doing great.”

As one person responded to the post, “What if a child found these?”

It seems Toronto pet owners get poison alerts like this one on a regular basis. Sometimes the alerts come after a deadly result — like last year’s warning in Markham when a dog ate poisoned food and died in May.

Markham had another poisoned food scare just last month in the area of Royal Orchard Park, near John and Yonge Sts.

Downtown pet owners were on high alert In February after a notices were issued about poisoned peanut shells in Canoe Landing Park (Dan Leckie Way and Fort York Blvd.) and in Victoria Memorial Square, in the Portland-Niagara Sts. area.

And animal lovers will remember a rash of poisonings in the east end in 2019. Police say poison may have been left in a small park in the Queen St. E.-Broadview Ave. area. At least one dog died and others were very sick.

The link between animal cruelty, crime, and psychological disorders is well established. Animosity is the usual motivation for leaving poisoned food in public places for random animals, although profound ignorance is one other possible explanation.

From Liz Braun, Toronto Sun.

 

Long Branch pizza maker makes man day by returning lost wallet with ‘his life’ inside

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PIZZA MAKER Adrian Stolaj with a beautiful portrait of himself painted by a thankful Alderwood man whose wallet he found and returned. Photos by Tom Godfrey.

A Long Branch pizza maker is making another area resident feel a whole lot better today with a kind deed.

Adrian Stolaj, of Adriano’s Pizza, at Lake Shore Blvd. W., and Twenty Seventh Street, was walking to work earlier this month when he found a thick wallet lying on the roadway near his restaurant.

He picked up the wallet and took it with him to the pizza shop.

“It was a thick wallet with many things packed in it,” Stolaj recalls. “There was a lot of paper and it was bulging.”

He looked at the driver’s license and was able to find the owner of the prized wallet, who lived several kilos away on Brown’s Line, in Alderwood.

The wallet was returned to the owner later that day by Stolaj’s wife, Viola.

“The guy (owner) was very happy,” he says. “I said “that I saved his life,’ since all his documents were in his wallet.”

The wallet it seems had fallen out of his pocket while he was cycling in the area earlier.

The owner, an artist, decided that he would do something special for the honest Stolaj, who went out of his way to reunite him with his wallet.

“He came here for two days and made sketches of me busy at work,” Stolaj says. “Then he came back and brought me this beautiful portrait.”

“I love it. The guy is a good painter,” he says with pride. “I have the portrait in a special place in the restaurant.”

It is the second time that he has found a wallet near his store.

Stolaj is well-known in the Long Branch area for helping out by donating food for community groups, various charities and the homeless.

There are a number of homeless men that he regularly feeds when they stop by.

The shop can be reached at adrianos-pizza.com or dial 416-792-4074.

Police teams respond to more than 200 gatherings laying 160 charges to stop spread of COVID

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POLICE TEAMS are targeting those taking part in large gatherings. Police file photo.

A most-recent stay-at-home order is expected to end May 8. TPS photo.

 

A team of Toronto Police officers from 22 Division and 15 other Divisions are targeting those attending large gatherings to stop the spread of COVID-19.

The officers have been busy and in the first five days laying more than 160 Emergency Management and Civil Protection (EMCPA) charges.

The teams, from all 16 police divisions, were assembled on April 22 as part of a plan to support the latest provincial Stay-At-Home orders to slow the spread of the virus.

Toronto Police statistics show that officers attended more than 210 gatherings in response to calls from the public about noisy parties and gatherings, with more than half of the gatherings held indoors.
In addition to the EMCPA charges, officers laid eight criminal charges for offences including obstructing a police officer and assault.

Police said most calls occurred in the downtown including one at a condo in the King Street West and Portland Street area, where they were met with a large number of people inside the property. Ten of the occupants did not live at the address. The homeowner and ten guests were all charged under the EMCPA.
“At a time when positive case counts continue to rise and hospital ICU admissions are at their highest, it’s extremely disappointing to see people having parties and gatherings and putting themselves, their families, healthcare workers and First Responders at increased risk,” said Chief James Ramer.
He said his officers are working with Toronto Public Health and the City’s Bylaw enforcement officers at the Municipal Licensing and Standards Unit.

The Ontario government on April 16 announced additional restrictions and a two-week extension of the provincial lockdown and stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the virus.

The order requires people to remain at home except for specified purposes, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, health care services, outdoor exercise, or work that cannot be done remotely.

Ramer warned earlier there is no change to police powers and Toronto Police will not be conducting random stops of people or cars.
Staff Supt. Randy Carter said his teams will focus on large gatherings that fail to comply with the emergency orders, with a particular focus on indoor gatherings such as parties at short-term rentals or at bars and restaurants.

“Everyone must do their part to protect our health and safety, and for police that means continuing to enforce equitably and effectively,” Carter said.
The provincial stay- at-home order is supposed to end around May 8.