The South Etobicoke News

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

Support your favourite football team and raise funds for charity

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Cover up while you represent your favorite team with this popular Toronto Argonauts face covering.

Football fan Tom Wolfer, who operates a Humber Valley Village Argos blog and leads an Argos Grey Cup fan-based campaign, said proceeds from the sale of the licensed face coverings through Real Sports Apparel will be donated to Second Harvest Canada.

“Humber Valley Village supports the Toronto Argonauts and Canadian Football League in 2020 and beyond,” Wolfer says by email. “ Huddle…Break…Set…Hut!”

Second Harvest is the largest food rescue organization in Canada and a global leader in food recovery.

“Working across the supply chain – from farm to retail – they capture surplus food before it ends up in landfill and has a negative environmental impact,” he says.

The fashionable face covering is not a medical device and is not intended to be personal protective equipment nor used by healthcare professionals in a healthcare, clinical environment or setting, Wolfer writes.

They have elastic closures and are made of 88% polyester, 12% Spandex and 100% cotton.

“Due to the hygienic nature of this product all masks are non-refundable and non-exchangeable,” according to the product.

You can purchase a three-pack of the Toronto Argos youth cloth face covering for $34.99.

A whole range of Argos products are available and can be purchased at https://shop.realsports.ca/pages/toronto-argonauts

Police warn of crooks preying on unsuspecting residents in a fake gold scam

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Police are warning area residents to be on the alert for unsavory crooks operating a fake gold scam that is ripping off people in our community.

Police from 22 Division have arrested a “group of individuals on the side of major streets scamming unsuspecting victims with false affection and compliments,” according to a Tweet.

Officers warn residents to create a physical distance if group members “try to hug you and stop accepting their fake gold rings or necklaces.”

The suspects usually embrace the victims in a show of false affection, according to police. They then offer fake rings or necklaces in exchange for cash, which they say they require for an emergency.

They may relate stories about being out of gas and need cash and are willing to part with their fake gold jewellery.

One woman told police a suspect pulled out her jewelry and said her family business made rings and necklaces out of gold. The woman showed her photos of the jewelry being made, she said.

“When I saw the 18-karat symbol on a ring I thought it was real gold,” the victim said.

She said the suspect told her that she would be doing a huge favour if she bought all the jewelry to help her fund her trip.

The suspect said she needed the cash and would give all the jewelry she had for $1,000.

The victim said she believed the suspect and went to an ATM and took out $1,000 cash and paid for the jewelry.

The woman, she said, hugged and kissed her and then fled the area.

Police say the suspects target victims in this crime of opportunity and may pick their wallets, steal their money, or real gold jewellery.

Another resident said she was approached outside a grocery store by suspects, who asked for gas money claiming he had to drive to Hamilton because his daughter was sick.

Police said to walk away and do not engage with the people offering jewellery for sale at low prices.

“If it is too good to be true, it probably is,” according to one detective.

The suspects can be be men or women and they operate in groups of two or more.

If you have any doubts call police at 416-808-2200.

Man taken to hospital in morning crash on Horner Ave.

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A man was rushed to hospital this morning after a collision between a car and a motorcycle near Horner and Alderbrae Aves., in South Etobicoke.

Toronto Police Traffic officers say a man suffered a serious injuries in the crash involving a car and motorbike on August 7, around 7 a.m.

“Drivers and pedestrians please move over and allow emergency vehicles to pass,” police said on Twitter afterwards.

Police say the man is expected to survive. The motorist was unhurt.

Some roads were closed in the area as police conducted their investigation.

 

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.

 

Ex-Argos Zeke still active with charity work

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Former Toronto Argos tight end and long-time South Etobicoke resident William “Zeke” O’Connor is 94-years-old and is more fit than many people half his age.

Zeke will always be remembered for catching the winning touchdown pass for the underdog Argos in the 1952 Grey Cup, beating the Edmonton Eskimos 21-11 at Varsity Stadium. It would be the last championship the Argos would win until 1983.

“That catch changed my life,” he recalls from the Delmanor Retirement Home.  “It led to many other opportunities for me.”

The son of a New York City cop, Zeke worked at Sears for 31 years after football and was a Grey Cup radio broadcaster, doing colour commentary on the CBC from 1956 to 1981.

While at Sears he met famous explorer Sir Edmund Hillary, who became the first man to summit Mount Everest in 1953. From Hillary he gained a passion for philanthropy, particularly in Nepal.

He formed and ran the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation of Canada more than 30 years to help improve the lives of the Sherpas in the remote high-altitude villages of Mount Everest.

Zeke has since made about 45 trips to Nepal to help the Sherpas and is one of a few people who’ve have had a hospital and healing garden named him by thankful Nepalese.

He has helped to raise more than $5 million to build schools, hospitals, medical clinics, provide medical scholarships, train village health workers, build water pipelines, bridges, and to fund the Kunde Hospital and Sagarmatha National Park reforestation programs.

He was honoured on October 21 by the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame with a dinner gala and presented with a Governor-general ribbon of distinction.

“I have been given many awards and medals over the years,” Zeke says. “This one means a lot to me.”

The foundation is now run by his daughter, Karen, aided by Operations Manager Jeanne Cornacchia.

Zeke published a memoir in 2012 called Journey with the Sherpas: The Story of Zeke O’Connor and the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation.

Before moving to Canada, he played pro football in the U.S. with the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and New York Yanks before joining the Argonauts, which he says was a jumping-off point for many experiences, including a 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rotary Club of Toronto West.

Visit thesiredmundhillaryfoundation.ca for more info or to donate.