The South Etobicoke News

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

Tempers fly at community meeting studying the Midtown shelters

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As New Toronto residents prepare for a public meeting with City officials about a potential homeless shelter, another community fighting shelters say it has been a terrible experience.

Members of the Midtown area held a virtual meeting on August 19 in regards to three temporary shelters in their area that are the subject of protests and angst.

Residents told the meeting they are being vilified or called anti-homeless for not wanting the shelters in their area. Some suggest crime in the area has increased.

Councillor Mike Colle, who represents Ward 8, Eglinton-Lawrence, says residents were not notified.

“This has been a total screw-up, a total lack of communication of informing people,” Colle told the CBC.

Colle said the City failed to consult the community before it opened the shelters and even his office was not consulted.

“People are afraid to walk on Yonge Street. They’ve been broken into,” he told the meeting. “There are physical threats.”

He said the Uptown Yonge BIA has had to hire private security to protect shopkeepers and their staff when they go to work. He said he has had to rely on the private security for information.

Residents in the New Toronto area still in the dark about when public consultation will take place for the homeless shelter planned at Lake Shore Blvd. W., and Eighth St., the site of an empty office building and BiWay store.

City Council is slated to make a determination on the shelter on September 30.

News of the shelter has split residents of New Toronto into those who want the shelter and the home and business owners who do not.

In Midtown, the City has leased three properties, the Roehampton hotel and two adjacent buildings on Broadway Ave. for use as shelters. A site at 55/65 Broadway Ave. is closing at the end of this month, but the city has a two-year lease for the Roehampton.

 

Body-worn cameras to be rolled out in north Etobicoke in weeks

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In about two weeks frontline Toronto Police officers in north Etobicoke will be issued body-worn cameras to record their interactions with residents.

The Toronto Police Services Board at its meeting on August 18 voted to move ahead with the camera technology, which will be rolled out at the end August at a cost of more than $30 million.

“Body-worn cameras will be used to create trust and legitimacy between officers and the public as we continue to modernize policing services,” said Interim Chief James Ramer. “This technology provides an independent, bias-free account of our interactions.”

By this fall, some 2,350 cameras will be in use across the city. All officers will be trained on the use of the camera and the associated governance, which include minimum penalties for non-compliance.

The force has worked with the Information & Privacy Commissioner, the Ministry of the Attorney General, the Ontario Human Rights Commission, the Special Investigations Unit, and the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, to develop a program that considers privacy, security, and disclosure responsibilities.
The cameras will be used when an officer arrives at a call for service, begins an investigation, or when asking a person questions for the purposes of collecting information.

The Board also approved a comprehensive policing reform package to address systemic racism and improve trust with communities.

The force plans to develop an alternative community safety response for new and existing models of community safety response, including mobile mental health and addictions crisis intervention.

They plan to expand the Mobile Crisis Intervention Program with existing community-based crisis services, including peer support, to meet current demands for mental health-related service calls, in an aim to provide services 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

The Chief is to make permanent an Anti-Racism Training component of the annual re-training and In-Service Training Program and create a stand-alone course that contributes to the delivery of fair and unbiased police services to Toronto’s diverse communities.

The Board’s Anti-Racism Advisory Panel and the Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Panel, will become permanent with expanded mandates that will bring the voices of community and expert organizations together in providing advice to the Board.

The Board also approved recommendations regarding the selection process for the new Chief of Police, mechanisms to make disciplinary proceedings under the Police Services Act more transparent and accessible and  increased collaboration with the City’s Anti-Black Racism Unit.

Great Lakes Brewery pale ale to help raise funds for young girls

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A local craft brewery has joined forces to help raise funds to empower young girls.

Great Lakes Brewery (GLB) today launched a new brew, Empowered, a 4.6% New England style Pale Ale, to help raise funds for the Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women’s Empowerment (J.A.C.), on Portland St.

“The COVID pandemic dealt a devastating blow to community businesses, associations and charitable groups, of all shapes and stripes, and now is the time to support one another,” says Peter Bulut, the Owner and President of Great Lakes Brewery.

“It brings me great pleasure to share the details of our latest community-conscious beer – Empowered – with my dear friend, Jean Augustine and her terrific Centre.”

He says $1 from each can purchased will be donated to J.A.C., who are committed to ‘building the self-esteem and self-worth of young women and girls by positively influencing their outlook on life, broadening their horizon and helping them to empower themselves through programs, camps, workshops and events.’

“Jean has done so much for the South Etobicoke community, for so many years, helping improve the lives of Etobicans through programs and policy, all done through respect and kindness,” notes Bulut, adding when he found out the Centre was impacted “we immediately wanted to help out.”

Emma Asiedu-Akrofi, Executive Director of J.A.C., says “proceeds from the sale of Empowered will go towards ensuring we can continue to provide programs and services that foster the healthy development of girls and young women.”

Empowered will be available for a limited time at the GLB online shop for free local home delivery, or curbside pickup.  The 473-ml cans retails for $3 each, 8 packs for $24, 24 case for $60.

Empowered Pale Ale is a complex beer that is brewed for a great cause. It has aromas of tropical fruits as pineapple, mango, grapefruit, peach, and pear, with a touch of floral notes.

GLB is located at 30 Queen Elizabeth Blvd. They can be reached by email at info@greatlakesbeer.com or visit www.greatlakesbeer.com or phone 416-255-4510.

MP Augustine is the first African-Canadian woman to be elected to the House of Commons. She was elected in the riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore in 1993 and sat in Parliament until 2006. During this time, she served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Minister of State & Deputy Speaker.

 

Police tips on keeping your property safe when not at home

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Toronto Police have issued some crime tips for area residents to reinforce their property to avert thefts or break-ins when they are not at home.

“Burglars will typically avoid a house that is difficult to gain entry,” police warn. “After assessing your risk, you should have a good idea what you need to do to increase security at your home’”

Police from 11 Division say residents may want include additional exterior lighting, consider updating their locks, optimizing their alarm system or video monitoring and reinforce entry points.

More people these days are also using online security devices from which they can view their home and possessions on their smart phone.

“You may want to remove overgrown bush or other structures to allow proper sight lines,” residents are told.

Officers say ensure someone can pick up your old newspapers, mail or flyers from your mailbox if you are away.

Other signs that you are away, which can lure thieves, includes an overgrown lawn or the porch lights left on all day.

If you have to go away, they advise that you place a hold on your mail delivery, install timed lights for inside and out, ask a neighbour or family member to check on your property and schedule a time for the landscaper to come.

The non-emergency number for Toronto police is 416-808-2222 or you can file an online report at www.torontopolice.on.ca

The rise and fall of Goodyear Tire after 70-years in New Toronto

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Some of us will never forget.

It was 30-years ago this month when many of us gathered somberly to watch as the iconic Goodyear Tire and Rubber Plant smokestack came crashing to the ground after 73-years as part of the New Toronto skyline.

Dozens of residents and onlookers of all ages ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ as the solid brick structure fell to the ground with a thud within seconds of explosives being lit at its base.

The Goodyear plant was built in 1917 on a 23-acre site north side of Lake Shore Blvd., between Ninth and Fourteenth Sts. Lakeshore Village, a number of condos, apartment buildings and townhouses now mark the spot.

New Toronto Council at the time lured Goodyear to the site by promising an unlimited water supply.

The plant for many years made tires for cars, trucks, logging, farm vehicles and industrial uses.

By 1927, the U.S.-based company was manufacturing 50% of all the auto tires in Canada. For more than 60-years the firm was a leader in the tire industry.

It all changed in the 1980s after Goodyear ran into financial difficulty as part of a threatened hostile takeover. Its U.S. executives as a result decided to close the New Toronto site because it ‘had the lowest productivity level of all their plants.’

The local community and hundreds of workers were devastated when the plant closed on May 31, 1987 and was subsequently demolished.

Goodyear in its prime had three shifts and 1,300 employees, which increased to 2,800 during the Second World War.

The company was a good corporate citizen and had its own cafeteria, bowling alleys, police force, internal newspaper and baseball team. Some 47 Goodyear employees were killed in World War II and the company donated a camp to the Boy Scouts in their memory.

Many New Toronto residents still have fond memories of the plant, which had its own musical band.

“My grandfather worked on the Goodyear Police force for over 20-years until he retired in the early 1960s,” wrote Kate Latham on social media.

“My grandfather Richard Thompson drove a team of horses during the excavation and site preparation for the plant,” recalls Wendy Gibson. “My father Raymond Thompson worked at the plant after his return from WWII until about 1970 in the shipping department.”

Barb Johnson MacDonald says her dad worked at the plant for 16-years until 1965.

“He was a shipper-receiver and he said it was hard work, but he enjoyed his job there,” she wrote. “He used to smell like rubber when he came home from work.”

 

 

Food for Table program for young girls experiencing food insecurity

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Young girls and women aged from 7 to 17-years-old who are at risk and experiencing food insecurity due to COVID-19 are eligible for a monthly $50 gift card from the Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women’s Empowerment.

The Centre is operating a Food to Table Project in which recipients, must be women and girls living in South Etobicoke whose “household is experiencing food insecurity” due to the pandemic.

Registration open on the first Monday of the month and runs until December.

Girls are required to call or email the Centre and they will be notified of the pickup date or special delivery date of a gift card, officials say.

The programs at the Centre focus on the arts, life skills, academic success and leadership.

The Centre can be reached by email at info@jeanaugustinecentre.ca or visit them at jeanaugustinecentre.ca

Augustine was one of the first Black female MPs in Canada. She was elected in 1993 to represent the riding of Etobicoke Lakeshore.

 

Lucky’s promises the best poutine and fried chicken in the city

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Restauranteur Marcus Soumh is thankful that Lucky’s Chicken N’ Waffles ended up in New Toronto after being refused a lease in a more expensive part of the community.

“It worked out better for us,” Soumh says. “The people are great and we get a lot more walk-in traffic here.”

The clean and newly-renovated restaurant advertises the ‘best poutine and fried chicken in the city.’

“We sell the best Halal buttermilk fried chicken in Toronto,” Soumh promises. “Come ready to eat you won’t be disappointed.”

And their style of licking chicken is catching on as there are often many chicken-lovers waiting outside the 2977 LakeShore Blvd. W. store as their orders are cooked.

The chicken is tasty and good, so is the poutine, which I tried, and must say is thick and cheesy with tasty curds, which they say comes from Quebec.

They have a number of poutines available including the Yardbird poutine, Classic poutine, veggie poutine. And their Chicken and Waffles, for $19, comes with three buttermilk fried chicken drums on a waffle with Lucky’s maple sauce and maple syrup.

The eatery had a soft opening on August 1 and Soumh says so far it has been very encouraging for him and his staff. It did take them a long time to find the location they wanted.

“I have travelled a lot and eaten from a number of chicken waffle places,” he explains. “I know that people liked it so I though why not.”

Originally from Montreal, he says area residents have warmed up to his style of poulet.

“The community has been great and the people awesome,” Soumh says. “Most of the people are very supportive and want to try our food.”

Even other restaurants nearby like Kitchen on the Sixth have tweeted about the tastiness of Lucky’s chicken wings and other dishes.

“The food is great and I have told other people to eat there,” says local resident Nima. “I hope that they do well and I will be coming back.”

Another resident Cinderalla posted online that the food was delicious and the service was outstanding.

“It is a great addition to the neighbourhood,” she wrote. “Their prices seem very reasonable, the food really great taste and excellent customer service.”

 

Musician Zuraw has performed in every bar on the Lakeshore

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Long-time area musician Roger Zuraw, whose claim to fame is that he has performed at every bar on the Lakeshore, has released two new discs for his loyal fans.

The popular guitarist, who is known for ‘his pleasant songs about the virtues of Toronto multiculturalism,’ is hoping residents will like his latest CDs ‘Long ago Lakeshore Ramble,” and another of Polish hits, for those who are familiar with his tunes.

Zuraw has been performing in area bars, taverns and other venues for years. Music lovers say beneath his innocuous exterior lurks the ‘raw, passionate heart of a man who’s seen life from both sides, as his songs, such as “Homeless Man” reveals.

He is known for his breakout hits Mimico Jail, Headboard Boogie and I gotta hunch.

“There used to be many more live music venues in the neighbourhood,” he worries. “There was always work in the bars once the people liked you and the band.”

He says much of the work for musicians began drying up before COVID-19, which totally killed the business.

Zuraw also has a line of ‘You’ve gotta love the Shore’ t-shirts for sale.

He has written more than 60 songs over the years, which he sells online, at shows or in the community.

“At one time there were many more musicians like me in the area,” Zuraw frets of past days, when the nightlife in the area was flourishing. “It is hard now to earn a living in this game.”

His discs and t-shirts are about $25 each and you can reach him by email at rogerzurawsong@yahoo.ca.

He will meet you in the community with the items.

 

Mimico group rallying against the Campbell’s Soup land development

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Many Mimico residents are now finding out and are hopping mad at the redevelopment of the historic Campbell’s Soup lands.

Residents are rallying against the redevelopment of the huge property claiming it will drastically increase noise, dust, truck traffic, affect their lifestyle and place area-residents and cyclists at risk.

A campaign has been launched by a group called Residents Before Developers, who are circulating online Mimico Development Alert notices, which are being sent to area politicians.

So far more than 400 of the letters have been signed by area residents to voice their concerns.

The plan “calls for the site to house three warehouses with 86 loading bays, comprising a ‘last mile distribution centre, which is essentially a hub from which large retailers fulfill online orders, operating 24-hours-daily, seven days a week,” the group warns.

They say the massive proposal is only subject to approval by City of Toronto planning staff.

“No public consultations will be held prior to a decision being made, despite significant public impact,” their letter states, adding that City councillors can request to “bump up” review of the project to Toronto City Council.

The redevelopment calls for four driveways accessing the site, including a new entrance on Dwight Ave., at Symons St.

Also proposed are 285 parking spaces and the widening of Dwight Ave., without consideration that Second Street School and LAMP are adjacent.

“Increased traffic poses significant increased risks for pedestrians and cyclists,” they noted. “Heavy trucks arriving and departing and idling all day and night also presents an air-quality concern.”

They claim the developer’s “transportation impact study” assumes there will be minimal impact on the community but their study was conducted last February when pedestrian and bicycle traffic was naturally low.

The matter is before City Council and the alert can be accessed at https://act.newmode.net/

The Campbell’s plant, on Birmingham St., operated from 1931 to 2018 and was at one time the area’s largest employer and vegetable purchaser.

Anguish and worry over proposed shelter in New Toronto

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Anxious New Toronto residents were monitoring a large downtown protest on Saturday against two temporary downtown shelters that residents want out of their area.

The demonstrations on August 15 in the affluent Midtown area come as tempers in New Toronto have heightened due to a proposed homeless shelter at 2950 and 2970 Lake Shore Blvd. W., at Eighth St.

Two websites have popped up for area residents to vote yes or no to the proposed 95-bed shelter. The issue has touched many and as of August 17 there were about 600 votes for the shelter and about 500 against.

Members of the community are awaiting the date for public consultations, which was promised by the City, and will be virtual or by conference call.

The matter will then be determined by Toronto City Council virtually at a meeting on September 30.

Residents against the shelter says the New Toronto area already houses 14 social service programs that will negatively impact community safety, due to the close proximity to eight schools and daycare centres.

Those for the shelter say it is better than having “tent cities” for the homeless in Etobicoke and want it supported by the City and social service agencies.

“Caring citizens of Etobicoke want shelters, instead of tents, for the health, wellness, and safety of both the homeless who need shelter, and the residents of the area,” they say.

“The proposed shelter would be a safe way to help individuals stay off the street, and work towards stability, sustainability and a hopeful future,” the petition states.

The vocal demonstrators on Saturday started protesting near Northern Secondary School at Mount Pleasant Rd. and Broadway Ave.

At issues are a temporary housing program recently opened at the Roehampton Hotel and there is an interim housing site located at 55/65 Broadway Ave., which is set to close at the end of the month.

Some residents are concerned about what they claim has been an increase in crime in the Yonge and Eglinton area since the shelters were created in late April, to provide more locations for clients to socially distance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

They also express fear since a City employee was stabbed at the Broadway site last week.

The City said it has added 33 new security cameras, enhanced 24/7 mobile patrols and four security guards at the Roehampton site.