The South Etobicoke News

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

Young girls told to remain focused in these trying times

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It is a stressful time for young girls having to watch racial inequality and police brutality protests on TV every day.

“Many parents have been confronted with troublesome questions from their children based on what they have seen or heard from a variety of sources,” says officials of The Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women’s Empowerment, who are reminding young girls that they have rights, skill and can think critically.

“They can contribute mightily to the fabric of society, according to their interests,” the Centre says.

“Many parents have a hard time explaining to their kids that a Black man was killed by a white police officer,” they explained. “How to explain that this was not unusual, but rather the last straw that propelled first the city where it happened, then many cities in the U.S.”

How does a parent explain to a child who asks about the violence occurring at these peaceful demonstrations, the statement asks.

The Centre, which has programs online and has launched a Go Fund Me page after losing a sponsor, says young girls are having a tough time due to the COVID-19 and a lack of school, sports, cultural activities or maybe parents having lost jobs.

“The prevalence of racism is more than an imbalance between individuals,” the Centre warns. “It is like a virus that has spread through layers of society.”

Systemic racism, they say, can only be overcome with knowledge of history, understanding of social dynamics, respect and empathy for others.

“This is a time for us to have the uncomfortable conversations with our friends, neighbours and colleagues,” they told the young women. “We commit to the ongoing work this requires because Black Lives Matter.”

The Centre offers a variety of free after-school programs for girls ages 7-17 living in South Etobicoke. Programs run between September to June.

Jean Augustine served as the Liberal MP for the Etobicoke Lakeshore area from 1993 to 2006.

The Centre can be reached at jeanaugustinecentre.ca

Judi wants her stolen tricycle returned!

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Mimico resident Judi Bachmann says she wants her beloved tricycle back.

Bachmann says her custom recumbent trike was stolen for the underground parking lot of her apartment building on June 11.

“When I realized it was gone the tears flowed,” she wrote on social media. “I am sad, devastated and angry.”

She has been riding the trike for 14-years and it was specially built for a person five-feet tall. She regularly uses it to get to work and back.

Bachmann noticed the theft after returning from a morning walk, when she went to her garage to check the air on the tires since she was going for a ride the next day.

Call police at 416-808-2200 if you see the trike.

Humber Bay Shores residents say new fountain is across from lake

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As City workers get ready to lay sod around an ornamental fountain in the Jean Augustine Park at Humber Bay Shores, some residents are asking if the elaborate structure is really necessary since it is across the street from Lake Ontario.

The ornamental fountain is replacing a pond that previously stood there.  City workers are expected to complete the job by the middle of June.

Many condo-dwellers at Humber Bay Shores are having second thoughts about the ornamental fountain and the almost $700,000 it cost, which they say could have been more wisely spent.

“I think a fountain is totally unnecessary here especially if we want to keep this park and natural environment,” architect Riya Sarker says on social media. “There is a lake to look at, why do we need a fountain.”

Sarker admits “the fountain doesn’t do anything to this lakefront park, just turns it into artificial manmade space.”

Louisa Sislian calls the project “a big eyesore and the design doesn’t match the setting.”

“What a waste of our money,” Sislian writes.

Randy Barba stresses the fountain is a waste of money since it is across the street from the lake. He says the space could have been used as a children’s playground.

“This fountain will go down as one of the most Humber Bay Shoresy things to ever happen in Humber Bay Shores,” Barba swears.

Resident Viktoria Palfi says “building that fountain on the lakefront is like building an artificial lake in Muskoka.”

“Wondering when we might see the fountain up and running,” Susan Jones asked. “A little joy goes a long way in this difficult time.”

Anne Wynne predicts a fence or barrier may have to be put around the fountain for safety reasons.

That leads to Joya Canadese who is asking how deep the structure will be and “would it be dangerous for small children.”

 

Artist Moises Frank paints murals of Blacks in Graffiti Ally

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Long Branch Neighbourhood Association mural lead Moises Frank has been busy drawing Black figures in Toronto’s Graffiti Ally during recent protests for racial equality.
Frank, whose art graces the Eight Street Skatepark, is well-known in the area and has done other work to beautify spaces in Long Branch and the community.
He and Jessey Pacho, co-organized the “graffiti jam,” as their way to speak out against the oppression they are seeing.
They put out a call and about 40 artists from the Toronto area and Montreal converged in Graffiti Ally, near Spadina Ave. and Queen Street W. to pay tribute to George Floyd and other Black figures through their art.
Joining the other murals in the ally are illustrations of Martin Luther King, Jr., Floyd, whose death led to global protests after he was killed by a Minneapolis cop on May 25; and Breonna Taylor, 26, who was killed by Kentucky police in her home last March.
The alley is a tourist hotspot since its buildings have been gradually covered over the years with bright-coloured sketches and paintings.
Moises has recently worked for the NBA Allstar game, Converse Canada and last year drew a fantastic departing mural of former Toronto Raptor Kawhi Leonard after the team won the championship.
 

All star slugger Joey Votto loved growing up in Mimico

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One of Etobicoke’s top baseball star Joey Votto says he wept after watching a video of George Floyd’s murder by a police officer and then considering his life of white privilege.

Votto, 36, who was raised in Mimico, says he has many Black friends who are professional baseball players, whom he talked too, without listening to their plight.

He had just finished reading “A Long Walk to Freedom,” the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, about his 27-year prison sentence for fighting racism in South Africa.

In a column for the Cincinnati Enquirer on June 7, the athlete wrote at first he refused to watch the video of Floyd’s murder when asked by a Black teammate.

“I wept,” Votto wrote after watching the video the next day. “I texted my friend back and apologized.”

The 2010 National League MVP and member of the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame talked about his Etobicoke upbringing and his views on race.

“I was raised in Mimico,” the first baseman wrote. “It is one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world.”

He was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in 2002 and at the age of 18 began his career, traveling around the U.S. on buses, growing up in clubhouses that were predominantly divided between whites and Latinos.

“Most of our minor league teams had a few African American players,” Votto reflects. “And perhaps because of where I was raised, I found myself most comfortable with the group of Americans who weren’t white.”

“For five years, I shared hotel rooms with my African-American teammates,” he wrote. “We shared pizzas, played video games, and listened to music together. We developed friendships. I look back on these years as some of the best of my life.”

The athlete saw “glimpses of racism that should have opened my eyes to the realities of being a Black man in America.”

“My teammates, my friends, the ones that I shared great times with, faced prejudices that I never did and when they shared their experiences … I did not hear them,” he noted.

His privilege kept him from understanding the ‘why’ behind Colin Kaepernick’s decision to kneel during the national anthem.

“That privilege allowed me to ignore my black teammates’ grievances about their experiences with law enforcement, being profiled, and discriminated against,” he grieved. “And that privilege has made me complicit in the death of George Floyd, as well as the many other injustices that Blacks experience in the U.S. and my native Canada … No longer will I be silent.”

Votto made his Major League debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2007 and is a six-time National League All-Star. He is one of the top players in major league baseball.

 

 

The Pompeys’ raising funds for gear for frontline workers

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Well-known Toronto ‘Dancing Cowboy’ Ken Pompey and his famous baseball player son, Dalton, are on a mission to help frontline workers obtain much-needed personal protective equipment.

The elder Pompey is Co-founder and Managing Director of No Wait Walk-in, an online gateway to total health care under one integrated network.

He is best known as the ‘Dancing Cowboy,’ some 30-years ago when he was a top dancer on the Electric Circus TV show that ran on MuchMusic and Citytv from 1988 to 2003 and was filmed at the station’s Queen St. W. studios.

Dalton, who was born in Mississauga, is no slouch either and played major league baseball as a centre fielder for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2014 to 2016.

Today he and Dalton have teamed up to get hospitals, and other healthcare professionals, some much needed personal protective equipment through their No Wait Medical Foundation.

They are taking part in a campaign with Great Lakes Brewery to raise funds to purchase hospital grade masks, gloves, gowns and goggles for Mississauga’s Credit Valley Hospital to protect medical professionals at the forefront of patient care.

For each and every can of Electric Circus Tropical Pale Ale sold, Great Lakes will donate $.75 (per can) to Ken and Dalton to help them obtain the much-needed gear.

“Our brewery is extremely grateful to all the hardworking women and men in our terrific healthcare system who continue to help battle COVID-19 day in and day out,” GLB officials say.

“We are thrilled to work with Ken and Dalton to get these amazing individuals, and organizations, the protective equipment they need in order to keep themselves, and our communities safe.”

You can help the Daltons’ reach their medical goal by purchasing cans or cases of Electric Circus from GLB’s online shop at info@greatlakesbeer.com or by visiting nowaitwalkin.com to make a donation.

Working hard to clean up the litter in our community

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Its warm weather time which means more litter to clean up in our community.

Teams of residents have been working hard to do their part in cleaning up cigarette butts, pieces of plastic, including tons of coffee cups and other litter which is an eyesore for many.

New Toronto realtor Trish Buchanan and neighbour Carol Cormier are finishing up a 30-day litter clean up challenge targeting lakefront parks and green spaces.

They regularly take plastic bags and would spend up to two hours several times weekly picking up litter at Samuel Smith Park, Cliff Lumsdon Park, Prince of Wales Park and sometimes Marie Curtis Park.

“We have spent weeks working on Sam Smith Park because it is the largest,” says Buchanan. “Prince of Wales on Second Street is the worst because it is constant due to the parking lot.”

She says they also pick up bags of litter from other areas, which are usually cleaned by the City but that service has been reduced due to COVID-19.

“People still toss out their garbage in this day and age,” she explains. “This practice has to stop.”

Buchanan says everyone is welcome to join, all they need is some plastic bags, gloves and find an area which requires cleaning.

“We usually take out six or eight bags of litter every time we come here,” she says. “I spend a lot of time climbing over the rocks pulling out the garbage stuck inside.”

Cormier says the activity keeps them both in shape and spending quality time outside.

Residents of Humber Bay Shores have also been meeting every Sunday morning at 9 a.m. to clean up their area, which includes the tracks and trails. They usually meet near the Eden Trattoria restaurant.

They will be there on June 7 if you want to join them to clean up the area. Volunteers are required.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Things to do in the community to keep you busy

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JEAN AUGUSTINE CENTRE FOR YOUNG WOMEN EMPOWERMENT is operating virtual programs in June and
July. Contact 416-253-9797 or email
info@jeanaugustinecentre.ca
LAMP COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE remains closed
until further notice. LAMP is offering some virtual
programs like Mindfulness and Wellness workshops
on Zoom. A four week online mindfulness workshop series
helps people to manage and control their mental health. It takes place June
9, 16, 23 and 30 at 3 p.m. The takeaway meal
program has been expanded to 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 Monday through Saturday
where people can pick up a free takeaway meal at the Birmingham entrance.
The EarlyON services at LAMP will distribute new
and used books free to families in June. For more
information call EarlyON at 416-252-8293. Online
wellness workshops focusing on nurturing your spirit
during COVID-19 takes place June 17 at 2 p.m. and
June 24 at 2 p.m. LAMP is hiring young people for
eight summer job positions thanks to federal funding. To register call or
email jasmind@lampchc.org 416 252 6471 ext. 308.
HAVEN ON THE QUEENSWAY HAS SHUT MOST of its
programs and services due to COVID 19 but will
continue to serve its food bank users by
appointment and pick-up at their 1533 The
Queensway office. Call 416-640-2005 to make
arrangements to access the Haven food bank, First
Care or other services still open.
ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT SOMEONE’S DRINKING,
Al-Anon is a mutual support group for those whose
lives are affected by someone’s drinking. Meetings
are free and anonymous. Long Branch Al-Anon
Group meets every Monday at 7 p.m. at LAMP, 185
Fifth St. Also Kingsway Al-Anon Group meets every
Monday at 8 p.m. at St. Georges on the Hill Church,
4600 Dundas St. W.
MOST PROGRAMS AT STOREFRONT HUMBER,at 2445 Lake
Shore Blvd. W., are cancelled with only essential
services, like personal care, support or respite
provided. For more call 416-257-4207 or visit
sfh@storefronthumber.ca
THE LAKESHORE ENVIRONMENTAL GARDENING
SOCIETY (LEGS) is holding its Plant Exchange that
runs from May 15 to June 15. Plants can be picked
up or dropped off at a number of local locations.
Just look for the green Plant Library & Exchange
Sign. They also have a food forest garden with
permaculture and organic principles at the Daily
Bread Food Bank, at 191 New Toronto St. You can
pick up for drop off plants at: Mimico Baptist Church,
80 Hillside Ave., on Monday to Friday from 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m.; The Healing Muse Apothecary, 2859 Lake
Shore Blvd. W., Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m.
to 5 p.m.; Primrose Ave. and Lake Shore
Blvd. W., Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Also at the north-east corner of Park Blvd., and
Long Branch Ave., on June 6, June 7, June 13 and
14 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Lake Promenade
and 23rd Street on June 4. LEGS can be reached at
416-347-5449 or: info@legsetobicoke.ca
DONATE TO WOMEN’S HABITAT OF ETOBICOKE
Emergency Fund to help purchase the specific
needs of women and children as food, diapers, baby
formula and program supplies for children and
youth. Contact Lina Almanzan at 416-252-7949
ext. 232 or by email lalmanzan@womens-habitat.ca
FREE ONLINE WELLNESS KIT TO KEEP YOU calm so
you can carry on featuring a workout video focused
on gentle stretching to reduce stress, a selfhypnosis MP3 created for the situation, relaxing
body scanned guided imagery and a selfcompassion exercise to be kind to you. Visit us as
www.holistichappinessworkshops.com
HUMBER COLLEGE DISPUTE RESOLUTION CLINIC is
offering a free online service delivery to support
community members with access to; conflict
coaching, tips and strategies on conflict deescalation techniques and facilitated mediations.
Trained alternative dispute resolution (ADR) student
advisors and mediators from the community are
available by appointment to help by emailing
northdrc@ignitestudentlife.com
TIMOTHY’S PUB HAS LAUNCHED A fundraiser to help
the Salvation Army food bank. Owner Tim Brem
says $1 from the sale of their customer fave
chippers goes directly to the Salvation Army, at 5
Thirtieth St. The pub, at 344 Brown’s Line, has
helped raise funds for many area non-profits
including the Royal Canadian Legion #101 Long
Branch. They are open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and
you can call 416-201-9515 for takeout or delivery.
THE DEMAND FOR FOOD IS SO HIGH DUE TO COVID-19
that a new warehouse has been opened up by the
Daily Bread Food Bank and partners to help feed
the needy. The new space, at 40 Butterick Rd., will
help serve as a distribution hub for more than
60,000 food boxes, or 1,000 pallets for those experiencing hunger. To donate visit dailybread.ca

Wrestler Sweet Daddy Siki was way before his time

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We all loved him!

Wrestler Reginald Siki was the dirt-poor son of a Texas sharecropper who moved to Toronto, where he dyed his hair blonde and changed his name to Sweet Daddy Siki to become a fan favourite who packed Maple Leaf Gardens for years.

Busloads of fans would jam the Gardens every weekend to moan over the latest antics of the popular and well-liked Siki, or to see him get pounded by an irate opponent. He was a main card attraction who made his debut in 1962 and wrestled at the Carlton St. shrine until 1980.
Siki, who was born in 1940 in Montgomery, Texas, began learning the ropes at Compton College in Los Angeles. By the 1950s, he was fighting in New Mexico.
He is called the “Jackie Robinson of professional wrestling” for facing intense discrimination in the U.S. south, where he was once forced to fight in front of the KKK.
Having suffered enough racism, he and his late long-time Canadian wife moved to Toronto in 1961. He fought in venues across the country and was a fixture at Stampede Wrestling for years.

A large man, with a soft voice, Siki was best-known for his unique moves that included the “coco butt, airplane spin and neck-breaker,” which had rivals in pain on the mat.
Siki was a pioneer, who had grown more popular than the headline fighters, as Whipper Billy Watson, Gene “Big Thunder” Kiniski, Abdullah The Butcher, Dick “The Bulldog” Brower and Lord Athol Layton.
‘Mr. Irresistible’, as he was dubbed by fans, Siki was then earning a whopping $3,000 a bout and was receiving bundles of mail from fans around the world.
He brought sizzle and glamour to the ring and many fans booed as Siki would take out his white hand-held mirrors and begin admiring his good looks and well-built body.
“He was a Black wrestler who had a gimmick that wasn’t rooted in his colour,” one magazine said. “He didn’t want you to hate him because he was Black. You were supposed to hate him because he was a vain, rude, arrogant prima donna.”
In a time when ring attire consisted of solid colour trunks and black boots, Siki’s were candy-striped. His boots were white, with the backs cut out to show off his calf muscles. With bleached hair and mustache, he wore sequined robes and Jackie Kennedy sunglasses on his way to the ring.
“I saw my first wrestling match at the age of 14, and I knew right then that is what I wanted to do,” recalled Siki, who was at one time a corporal in the U.S. Army.

He was a regular fixture in the Parkdale area, where he lived and for years drove around in a converted hearse. Along the way, Siki has earned six major wrestling belts, including the Austria-Asian championship, the North American championship, which he held for three years; the Texas championship and the tag-team heavyweight crown.
His body has suffered a tremendous toll from the sport. His injuries included two broken ribs, his hands were broken twice, his ankle and leg broken and half-his-face paralyzed, after being kicked in the face.
To this day fans still recall his signature phrases: “I’m the Women’s Pet and the Man’s Regret” and “A lot of people try to copy me, but there’s only one Niagara Falls and only one Mona Lisa. And there’s only one Mr. Irresistible”.
Siki has mentored and influenced today’s top stars, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Adam “Edge” Copeland, Bret “The Hitman” Hart and Trish Stratus.
Today, he remains secluded and friends say he isn’t feeling well these days to talk.
A documentary called Sweet Daddy Siki was aired by the CBC’s Documentary Channel on June 11, 2017.

 

 

Alicia’s world as a successful coach and bodybuilder

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Local bodybuilder Alicia Bell is a certified personal trainer and high-level coach who spends a lot of time in area gyms working out.

A busy Bell fell in love with South Etobicoke and moved here about three years ago from her native Plaster Rock, New Brunswick.

“I chose Etobicoke because I love how beautiful the area is,” Bell says. “One of my favourite gyms is here and I love how close it is to the city.”

The former track and field athlete and online coach is an International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Figure Pro, which means she has earned a Pro Card from winning a regional contest weight class.

She is an accredited kinesiologist and works as a strength coach, fitness model and competitive figure athlete, who coaches sprint, hurdles and track and field.

“Alicia has devoted her life to helping people reach their goals in fitness and sport,” her biography explains. “She is a well-known Canadian health and fitness Influencer and blogger.”

Bell writes for numerous fitness websites and publications and has been featured in three commercials; which includes endorsing products for New Balance Canada and Fuel Foods.

“I always tell young people never give up on their dreams,” she stresses. “You never know which lap will be your victory lap so keep going.

The athlete is a recognized track and field coach, who is well-known for coaching Team Canada at the Maccabi games in Israel in July of 2013. She led the team to 13 medals.

Now a head Track and Field Coach at Ryerson University, she also runs her own firm, Train It Right, a personal training and track and field club. She is also a content creator for Fitness Republic and Corus Entertainment.

“Who would have thought that someone like me from Plaster Rock could be a leader in health and fitness, shoot commercials and be in magazine,” she asks.

Bell has worked with National Basketball Association (NBA) clients as Dwight Howard and Rashad McCants; Olympic 800-metre runner Geoff Harris; U.S. rapper Lil Jon; author, actor Hill Harper and even rapper Drake’s mom, Sandi Graham.

She can be reached at her website www.trainitright.com