The South Etobicoke News

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

Mimico Square is alive with the sounds of music and dance

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By BOB SUMMERS

Mimico Square is alive with drawings, music and dance.

Artists used spray chalk to lay down a giant dance map, including a large cat and then the dancers took over.

It is part of the Toronto Arts in the Parks @dancetogetherfestival event at Mimico Square, located in Amos Waites Park, 2445 Lake Shore Blvd. W.

It started with an organized dance event September 13 and then turned into a “participate as you want” event with dancers invited to use the dance map to do whatever dances they would like into the first days of October.

It would have been a larger event if it hadn’t been for COVID restrictions.

The Dance Together Festival is co-produced by Toronto-based dance artists Kate Nankervis and Katya Kuznetsova. The outdoor neighbourhood event is made possible through the Toronto Arts Council Animating Toronto Parks grant and is part of the Arts in the Parks programming.

Local dance artists will lead dance workshops in diverse styles, including Swing, Salsa, Kizomba, Contemporary, Street Dance, and more.

The festival is free and open to all levels, ages and abilities.

Dance Together Project is all about fun and accessible partner dance lessons for beginners. Far from strictly ballroom, the genres include anything from Slow Dance 101 to Salsa, as well as Wedding Dance instruction and composition, tailored to the song(s) of your choice.

You can share your dance or pose on Instagram to be entered in a draw for prizes in dance and art classes, art prints and more. Check out the prizes on @dancetogetherfestival Instagram.

All classes and events are beginner-friendly.

The event wraps up October 4 but the map will stay until rain washes it away. Those who want to dance are urged to dress comfortably for moving.

BIA calls for security cameras along main strip of New Toronto

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There is a call for security cameras to be installed along a main commercial strip of New Toronto to help police identify and locate crime suspects.

The cameras, according to a local group, will provide rapid evidence for police following major crimes as this week’s shootout by groups, in which more than 80 bullet casings were found by police in New Toronto.

The cameras, which have to undergo public consultations for approval, are proposed to be located along Lakeshore Blvd. W., on First Street, Third Street, Fifth Street, Seventh and Tenth Streets, according to Chris Korwin Kuczynski, Chair of the Board of the New Toronto Business Improvement Area (BIA).
He says the possible use of the cameras has been pitched to Toronto Police and the office of the local councillor.

The cameras be subject to a round of public consultations, including privacy concerns, if it is even approved.

“We believe the use of cameras will help deter crime in the community,” says Korwin Kuczynski. “I think most people will support this.”

He says residents are thankful no lives were lost in September 8 gunplay when more than 80 bullet casings were found in the Lakeshore Blvd. W. and Eighth Street area after a shootout between rival groups attending an afterhours club.

One man was shot in the thigh and about a dozen vehicles were shot up during the incident.

Police have since increased their presence in the area and there are calls for a community meeting with police and politicians to discuss safety concerns.

Plans for the use of the cameras are at the beginning stages of discussion.

 

 

Police warn of phoney sales or service people as the temps fall

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Police are warning area residents at this time of the year to be wary of salesmen or service people who appear at their door offering deals too good to be true.

Police are advising seniors and other homeowners to ask to see the person’s identification and then phone the company listed to confirm if the person works there or if the company exists.

The alleged service people may claim to be from companies that perform roofing, snow removal, heating or cooling services, in which work may be required as the temperatures fall.

The warning stems from the September 8 arrest of a Toronto man in an eavestrough cleaning scheme in south Etobicoke, police said in a press release.

Officers at 22 Division were last month made aware of a man reportedly attending multiple addresses of senior citizens in the area.

Police claim a man would offer eavestrough cleaning or claimed to have completed eavestrough cleaning. He would then demand money for a service not provided, police allege.

In most cases the work is never completed as the suspect takes off with your money.

Brian Bingley, 60, has been arrested and charged for robbery.

 

Shoot-out by rivals in New Toronto afterhours club party clash

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More than 80 bullets were flying in New Toronto as you slept.

It was a wild-west shootout as one man was injured and more than a dozen vehicles laced with gunfire in a feud by rival parties attending an afterhours club.

At least 80 bullet casings were found when the smoke had settled down in the early morning of September 8 on Eighth St., near Morrison St.

Police and politicians believe the gunfire erupted around 4:30 a.m. at the scene of a new after-hours club that recently opened up near Lakeshore Blvd., and Ninth St.

Officers say a ‘gender reveal’ party, which was well advertised on social media, was taking place at the club.

Councillor Mark Grimes says he is working with police and City officials to have the club shut down and for more officers to begin patrolling the area.

Residents say the club became rowdy after midnight when dozens of cars, and club patrons, usually lined the laneway.

One man was shot in the leg, and will recover, and another was provided life-saving emergency medical aid while passed out on a couple’s front lawn.

Police said the brazen occupants of two cars in the area were shooting at each other, and then were seen fleeing the area at a high rate of speed before police arrived.

Lakeshore Blvd. W.  between Seventh and Ninth Sts. was shut for traffic and the TTC for hours as police searched for forensic clues, which included cars laced with bullet holes which smashed the windows, sides and even one with a flat tire.

Witnesses say one suspect was shooting what appeared to be a ‘machine pistol’ which peppered rounds everywhere as bar patrons, partygoers and witnesses scrambled for cover. Others with weapons at the party were shooting back at the gunman.

A gas meter was struck by one of the bullets and Enbridge had to attend to shut the gas off, police said.

Police say this is among the most shells collected recently from a Toronto crime scene.

Area residents say the gunplay demonstrates that a City plan to open a shelter nearby will only make things worst, with more people coming into the community.

This has been the third shooting, and a stabbing, in the area in the past month.

Police are going through video of the area and say mugshots of the suspects will be released soon.

 

 

Some residents say the Oculus Pavilion looks like a space ship

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Social media has lit up with photos of a space-ship like structure in a secluded meadow and woods in South Humber Park.

Some area residents and others are asking online what the structure is, or was used for, as it is cool-looking from photos that were posted on the Internet.

The abandoned public washroom was built 59-years ago and still stands out to onlookers, who are the many cyclists and pedestrians using the Humber River Recreational Trail.

The Park Pavilion, or commonly called the Oculus Pavilion, or just the Oculus, “stands as an understated monument to Toronto’s mid-century concrete Modernist era.”

The Oculus was designed by architect Alan Crossley and built by Toronto Parks in 1959 as public washrooms, which have long been shuttered up.

The pavilion originally featured a dramatic sculpture at the centre of the oculus, which was perfectly framed by the circle of sunlight. That integral component is missing today. The stone base on which the pavilion sits is now dotted with weeds sprouting in between the cracks, while the slender steel columns, once a gleaming white, have since been painted a deep rusty red.

Parks officials are said to be in conversation with Heritage Preservation Services for advice on how to preserve with the aging pavilion. There has been no word if any changes are forthcoming.

 

Humber College getting new Cultural Hub, residences and arts venues

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Humber College is probably the largest landholder in the Lake Shore Blvd. W. and Kipling Ave. area.

Now work is underway at the college’s Lakeshore Campus to construct two student residences, two performing arts venues and other learning spaces on the historic grounds.

Construction has begun on a new Humber Cultural Hub, which will be completed in 2024. It is designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects and being built by Ellis Don. It is one of a number of expansion and renovation projects that the college is undertaking.

The student residences will be eight and nine storeys tall, and will add rooms for up to 300 students. It will add 124,000 square feet of new living space, according to the plans.

The residences will rise up out of a two-storey podium that will have a new cafeteria and a new gym.

The Hub will also have two music and performing arts venues, one with 600 seats and another that can hold 150 people.

The venues can act as a potential destination for arts programs and even festivals in west Toronto, college officials say.

The Hub will be home to studios for recording, 3D animation, multimedia production, computer labs and an Indigenous classroom.

When it’s done, the project will connect to an existing library and a student residence..

College officials say the Hub will spark exciting possibilities for students, local cultural and creative industries and the community.

It will provide access to talent development, entrepreneurial supports and applied research, according to college information. It will also benefit culturally underserved local communities, build new appreciation and opportunities for the creative arts, attract new jobs and industries to the area and enrich the local economy.

Humber says his facility will enhance the training and career-readiness of students while allowing the college to solve business challenges for industry in the creative and performing arts.

“The Humber Cultural Hub will be a nexus for immersive, interdisciplinary performances, unique audience engagement and future focused pedagogical delivery that will enhance the Humber experience for students, faculty, alumni, industry and the community,” says Guillermo Acosta, a Senior Dean, of Faculty of Media and Creative Arts.

 

Body worn cameras being rolled out to 23 Division officers in Rexdale

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Toronto Police officers in north Etobicoke are among the first to get their long-awaited body-worn cameras.

The first two camera-equipped officers were out on the street Monday in the Rexdale area as part of 23 Division. It’s the start of a year-long rollout for the gear.

Cameras will arrive in south Etobicoke for 22 and 11 Divisions beginning around October. A full rollout to all frontline officers is expected over the next year.

Toronto Police say officers will ” turn on the body-worn camera prior to arriving at a call for service; when they start investigating an individual; or when they are asking a person questions for the purpose of collecting their information. “

A police officer will turn off the body-worn camera when the call for service or investigation is complete or when the officer determines that continuous recording is no longer serving its intended purpose.

Officers will face penalties for shutting their cameras off on calls.

It should be fairly obvious if an officer’s camera is recording. Police say there are “lights and notices indicating it has been activated. Officers are trained to give notice as soon as reasonably possible that a body worn camera is in operation.

The force plans to buy 2,350 body-worn cameras at a cost of $34.1 million.

The cameras are among a Toronto Police list of items to ensure equality on the force.

 

Iconic Lancaster bomber may one day fly over Toronto again

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By DAVE KOSONIC

The Lancaster bomber that was prominently displayed near the waterfront of Toronto’s Coronation Park for 34-years may once again take to the skies after a meticulous restoration is completed in B.C.

The “Lanc” as it was dubbed by flyers, was a heavy bomber and a popular draw for adults and school children from 1965 to 1999, when it was displayed near the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition.

The roar of its four powerful engines may even be heard againif it makes some tribute flights over Toronto in the future. But whether it will fly again remains up in the air.

Known as ‘Bomber FM104’, it was one of 430 Avro Lancasters assembled at the Malton Victory Aircraft factory during the Second World War. After being flown to England in 1945 the aircraft was not used for missions because it arrived near the end of the war.

Later the FM104 returned to Canada and was utilized by the Royal Canadian Air Force for maritime patrols and search-and-rescue missions until being retired in 1964.

After decades of uncertainity, the ‘Lanc’ has found a home at a not-for-profit British Columbia Aviation Museum, where it has been since 2018.

Only 17 Avro Lancaster bombers in complete form remain in the world. Eight of these are in Canada making this aircraft a piece of Canadian aviation history.

The continuing restoration of this aircraft to airworthy flying condition could take another decade at an estimated cost of $10 million, according to those involved with this project.

Upon the completion, this Lancaster will join the only other two others still flying today, including one in Hamilton and another in England.

Bruce Horne, a member of the B.C. museum, says the hope is to get the aircraft back in the skies again.

Some of the restoration funding is being supported by the government and private donations. The technical aspects of the project are being handled by skilled volunteers who are in the process of inspecting the aircraft’s 55,000 components and parts. Any missing pieces will be re-created to the exact specifications.

The FM104 was housed at the Canadian Space and Air Museum in Downsview Park until that facility closed. It was stored in a hangar at the Edenvale Aerodrome, near Barrie, at a cost of $25,000 a year because Toronto had no storage space available.

Despite some valiant efforts to keep the Lancaster here Toronto City Council decided to donate the  iconic jet to the museum providing that the facility covered the $80,000 shipping costs.

According to official Bomber Command statistics a total of 7,377 Lancasters were built at various locations during the Second World War and nearly 4,000 of them were shot down or lost in battle.

The bomber featured a long, unobstructed bomb bay which meant it could take the largest bombs and was one of the most heavily-used of the Second World War night bombers.

Romaine and Dallas saying goodbye to the NTB and dear friends

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A mom-and-son business team are saying goodbye after 12-years of operating a billiards hall in New Toronto.

Dallas Dyer, and his mom, Romaine Andronyk, have been operating the popular NTB New Toronto Billiards, at 2878 Lake Shore Blvd. W., which has been the scene of many good times since 2008.

The saddened couple in a posting on social media say it has been great and they are moving on.

“It’s been 12 wonderful years since we opened our doors,” they wrote. “We have made great memories along the way … but for us, it’s time to move on to other things.”

The duo say they will shut their doors forever on August 29.

“This will be the end of our era,” they told their customers. “We want to thank everyone that has supported us over the years.”

They thanked landlord Gord Faulkner, the former owner of Faulkner Appliances, calling him ‘a stand-up guy for years of mutual respect.”

The pool hall was described as “Etobicoke’s Best Kept Secret,” in that they served ‘a wide range of drink selections plus a special every night to keep our costs affordable and your nights fun.’

The hideaway lounged offered cocktails, brews and pub eats, plus pool tables, darts and regular live music.

“We are a home away from home for a lot of people,” they say. “Memories are made, celebrations are had and friendships are created once you come into NTB.’

The hall hosted or sponsored some of the best pool and dart players and teams like the Canadian Poolplayers’ Association League.

Long-time pool player R. Anthony Rock says the closing will bring tears to his eye.

“I have photo albums on Facebook of the time spent at NTB Lounge from the beginning and over the years,” Rock recalls. “Their closing will bring a tear to the eye, but the fondest memories will bring the broadest smiles.”

Top pool player Tom Polsinelli says the high-quality pool tables are level and the temperature in the venue was always cool enough to keep balls rolling properly.

The hall has also been a venue for darts tournaments, musical jams and variety shows for the LGBT community. Even Toronto Marlies hockey players have been spotted playing ping pong here.

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.