The South Etobicoke News

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

Hundreds of contact tracers being  hired to fight COVID-19

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The Ontario government is in the process of hiring 500 recruits to provide COVID-19 surge support for contact tracing this fall and winter.

The recruits are expected to be hired by mid-November, according to an October 14 press release from the Ontario government. The province has already 100 new contact tracers, many of whom are starting work now.

The position pays up to $20 an hour, which isn’t bad for working from at home.

“With rising COVID-19 cases and outbreaks, we need more contact tracers to ensure the province is able to identify and isolate new cases to limit and stop the spread of the virus,” said Health Minister Christine Elliott.

A lack of tracers has led to members of the Ontario Public Service volunteering for redeployment to provide surge support for contact tracing this fall and winter. More than 600 Statistics Canada employees have been helping since last July with contact follow-up.

There are currently more than 2,750 case and contact management staff active across all public health units, tracing and managing COVID-19 cases. These 600 new recruits and 600 personnel from Statistics Canada brings the total number of case and contact management staff to nearly 4,000, government officials said.

Recently the province has seen a dramatic rise in the number of people with COVID-19, especially in hotspots like Toronto, Ottawa, and Peel, the release states.

The surge has in Toronto and elsewhere led to the closure of gyms and other businesses and non-dining in restaurants.

“Hiring additional contact tracers and case managers and deploying them across Ontario will significantly boost the province’s response to the surge in cases and keep the most vulnerable safe and schools open,” the release says.

Hiring additional contact tracers and case managers and deploying them across Ontario will significantly boost the province’s response to the surge in cases and keep the most vulnerable safe and schools open.

These new positions are part the province’s fall preparedness plan, Keeping Ontarians Safe: Preparing for Future Waves of COVID-19, which dedicates $1.376 billion to enhance and expand testing and contact tracing in the province.

For more information visit www.publichealthontario.ca

 

Virtual community consultations for proposed Shelter tomorrow

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South Etobicoke residents will finally have a say into a proposed 95-bed New Toronto municipal shelter on October 20.

The virtual (telephone and online) information session will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Residents are being urged to send in their questions 24-hours in advance to a Community Engagement Facilitator.

City Council at its meeting last July 28 authorized the City of Toronto to enter into an agreement to purchase 2950 and 2970 Lake Shore Blvd. W., for use as a municipal shelter, and possibly, affordable housing.

The closing date of the purchase is listed as December 2020, with renovations to begin next year.

News of the proposed shelter has divided the community with those who want it relocated to another part of Ward 3 and not in a commercial area.

City officials said from 2018 to 2020 they looked at 49 property sites for a possible shelter in Ward 3.

They said activities are planned to ensure residents are informed including a community safety walk and a meeting with key stakeholders.

If you are not able to attend the meeting but have questions, you can get in touch with Community Engagement Facilitators Maria Crawford or Violet Ilkiw, of Barnes Management Group, at 416-800-2914 ext. 202.

They can be reached by email at 2950.70lakeshoreblvdwest@gmail.com

General enquiries to the City can be sent to ssha.homeless@toronto.ca

The call-in number for the Information Session is 416-915-6530 ext. The access code is 133 242 5334.

The website is www.toronto.ca ∕ShelterExpansionSites

 

Hurricane Hazel left a trail of destruction and deaths 66-years ago

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It has been 66-years since Hurricane Hazel hammered Toronto flooding what is now Marie Curtis Park and leaving a trail of destruction and bodies in its wake in South Etobicoke.

Hurricane Hazel struck on October 15 and 16, 1954, with deadly results. Its winds pelted at 124 kilometres an hour and over 200 millimetres of rain fell in just 24 hours.

Brave neighbours helping each other. Courtesy Toronto Star.

The first deaths reported in our area was around 11 p.m. when a car was swept into the Humber River killing the occupants.

The destruction left about 81 people dead, with more than 30 residents alone killed on Raymore Drive, where the Humber River ripped homes from their foundations and swept them downstream.

Five firefighters from the Kingsway-Lambton Fire Station were killed as they attempted to rescue people stranded in a car from the raging Humber. Their fire truck became stuck on a flooded street and overturned, and the men, who were weighed down by heavy jackets, boots, and equipment–were tossed into the water.

A plaque has since been installed by the City to mark their heroic deeds.

“I felt so helpless, but there was nothing I could do, nothing anybody could do,” volunteer fireman Bryan Michell later recalled of his five colleagues. “The water was so deep, up to our chins, and all the firemen were weighed down by clothing and boats and equipment.”

It was also the busiest night in the 91-year history of Fire Station 435, on Eighth Street, as brave firefighters were called to rescue dozens of residents, including several who had been swept into the Etobicoke Creek.

The flooding submerged some 40 highways and main roads even knocking passenger trains off their tracks. Some 40 bridges were destroyed and ten others damaged due to the merciless waters.

In Woodbridge, the Humber at one spot swelled to 107-metres killing nine people and leaving several hundred homeless.

Valiant Long Branch and area residents launched many brave rescue efforts to save their neighbours, family or friends, even though the current was strong enough to endanger most boats. Several of the would-be rescuers ended up being rescued themselves.

Many people were saved because of the quick action of police, fire personnel and citizens. In Weston, an off-duty cop and another man, boarded a powerful boat and headed into the river, where they worked all night to save 50 lives.

Many lessons were learned by City officials after to manage future floods. By 1959, Metropolitan Toronto and Region Conservation Authority initiated plans for large dams, reservoirs, major flood-control channels and for an erosion-control program. In addition, large areas of land were identified for acquisition and conservation.

Regulations enacted since Hurricane Hazel restrict new development in flood plains, allowing rivers to flow naturally and reducing the risk to people and their property during flooding.

The killer hurricane began its journey off Grenada, in the West Indies, and moved northwards. In Haiti it left up to 1,000 people dead and destroyed 40% of the islands coffee and cacao crop.

 

Unique Oculus space-age pavilion being revitalized after 63-years

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After more than six decades, The Oculus, a one-of-a-kind space-age park pavilion, is finally getting a facelift.

The unique galactic shelter is well-known to cyclists and pedestrians who pass by a meadow where it is located along the Humber River Recreational Trail in South Humber Park.

The Oculus Revitalization Project was delayed due to COVID-19 and organizers say the work will begin next spring.

They are urging community residents and park lovers to attend a short talk on October 16 about the Oculus’ ‘past, present and future of space and its cultural heritage value.’

Visitors will be able to ask questions, provide feedback and share their thoughts on the pavilion.

Pop up time slots at the facility are slated for 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1 to 1:30 p.m. and 2 to 2:30 p.m.

Only 20 tickets are available for each slot, due to the virus. There will be five volunteers and only 25 people per talk will be allowed.

“Many are eager to hear about the progress of the project while also enjoying outdoor park spaces,” the organizers wrote on social media.

They will also be revealing a new temporary public art installation at The Oculus, which is designed by Giaimo, a Toronto-based architecture firm and co-led by ACO NextGen.

“The installation will brighten the pavilion until the restoration process is possible in spring 2021,” according to the organizers.

The project is one of five selected for Park People’s Public Space Incubator (PSI) Grant, funded by the Balsalm Foundation and Ken and Eti Greenberg. The project has been further sponsored by the Friends of the Pan Am Path, HNR Properties, and CS Vinyl.

Designed in 1958 by Alan Crossley and built by Toronto Parks a year later, The Oculus, was a former public washroom that stands as an ‘understated monument to Toronto’s mid-century concrete past.’

“Over the last few decades, the pavilion has suffered significant neglect,” the organizers say. “This revitalization project aims to transform The Oculus into a welcoming community gathering place along the trail.”

To register for the talks, or for questions or concerns, please contact stephanie@acotoronto.ca

The wearing of masks and physical distancing are required at this event.

 

Temporary absences paused for seniors at long-term care homes

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This is tough news for already homebound seniors.

Our seniors have to stay indoors for now, according to new anti COVID-19 guidelines.

Starting on October 16 all short-term and temporary absences for social or personal reasons are being paused for seniors in long-term care homes.

The measure affects seniors in regions with high community spreads, including Toronto, Ottawa and Peel Region. It is based on advice of the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health.

The province says only absences for medical or compassionate reasons will be allowed.

“We recognize these changes may be difficult for the residents and families affected,” said Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, Minister of Long-Term Care, said in a statement.

“But our priority has to be the safety and well-being of the residents and staff in Ontario’s long-term care homes.”

All seniors’ homes in Etobicoke are affected and a list of homes can be viewed online.

“People planning a visit to a long-term care home are advised to contact the home in advance, to make sure the home is free of outbreaks and to get information on the home’s visitor policy and any restrictions,” according to the Ontario government.

Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s medical officer of health, said there are 14 outbreaks in long-term care homes in Toronto.

“To be clear, that’s 14 of about 100 long-term care homes,” she explains.

She said “it is important for people to think about the risk they might present as a visitor in a long-term care setting.”

The province on October 7 made more changes to the types and number of visitors permitted in long-term care homes in areas of high community spread.

Only essential visitors, including up to one caregiver per resident, may visit and general visitors are not allowed.

Caregivers are essential visitors who are designated by a resident or their substitute decision maker, to provide care for the resident.

Former Toronto undercover cop pens book about his years on the job

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Former Toronto Police undercover cop Hal Cunningham has investigated Mafia hitmen, outlaw motorcycle gangs and a lengthy list of law-breakers and is still alive to write about it.

The former 30-year undercover cop has just released Just a Cop, which is available on Amazon and reached Number 1 in ‘hot new crime releases.’

Cunningham’s crime bio sheds a light on what he and other law enforcement officers deal with on a daily basis and provides the reader with a first-person opportunity to walk in his shoe.

“It’s like a ride-along. They’re able to see (what) it’s really like and this is what the officers’ experience and handle all situations,” Cunningham says of the book. “It’s an education for all to learn what we see and experience what we experience.”

He began his career in 1973 as a cadet and worked his way through the ranks from a constable on patrol, to an undercover street intelligence officer, and eventually to the rank of Staff Sergeant and Platoon Commander, before retiring in 2003.

Over the years he has taken part in hundreds of surveillance projects going after homicide, armed robbery, terrorism, organized crime, motorcycle gang members and drug traffickers among others.

Cunningham has been declared an Expert Witness in High Court in Surveillance and Counter Surveillance Techniques. He also worked with the RCMP in providing witness protection for a Mafia hit man and former motorcycle gang member.
He has instructed more than 100 Toronto Police Officers, based at busy downtown division, with a three day surveillance training course.

“I have been teaching my techniques for over 20-years to a total of over 1,000 Police, Corporate and Private Investigators from the Greater Toronto Area, Province of Ontario, across Canada and the U.S.”

He recalls one story in which as he was walking home one day and heard noises and looked up to see a sniper shooting at people on the street.

“I looked up and on top of a highrise was a sniper shooting down onto the street,” Cunningham recalls. “He injured seven people from what I understood was shrapnel hitting the pavement.”

The shooter ended up taking his own life.

On another day, he and a fellow police constable became involved in an early morning shootout with motorcycle gang members.

After attending high school at East Northumberland Secondary School, Cunningham went to Loyalist College in Belleville, where he studied law. He was hired as a summer student with Trenton Police, and became an inside station operator, before graduating and moving on to the big city.

“I want the public to understand that this is what these dedicated people are doing for you out there every day, every night. It’s not just sitting with a coffee and a donut in a car,” the policeman notes. “It can go from zero to 100 in two seconds.”

The book contains some funny stories, sad stories and emotional ones.

“This is a well-written book about an era of policing now gone. It describes a time of policing in Toronto that will never be again,” says retired Staff Sgt. George ‘Dogface’ Gadson of the book. “It is a great read for people who want to know one way policing was done in the past.”

Just A Cop is available on Amazon.

New Toronto man appealing for return of his prized e-bike

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A New Toronto man is making an appeal for thieves to return his prized e-bike after it was stolen from outside his home.

Bernard Graham said the $4,000 Daymak Beast electric-bike was stolen on October 11 around midnight from outside his 148 Islington Ave. apartment unit, which is just north of Lake Shore Blvd. W.

“It was the worst day of my life,” Graham says. “It is my transport to get to work and shopping in the community.”

The long-time area resident says he always parked the bike in a secure spot out of public view.

He is in the process of filing a complaint with Toronto Police and trying to obtain video from security cameras in the area.

“I feel empty inside that my transport is gone,” Graham says. “I feel like part of me is gone and I feel so empty.”

He says he didn’t realize the e-bike was gone until notified by a neighbour early the next day.

The production assistant for Lush Cosmetics, on Jutland Rd., purchased the e-bike last March from an area shop so he could travel to work safely during COVID-19.

“I am very disappointed by the loss of my bike,” he says. “The bike was so large that I didn’t expect it to stolen from where it was parked.”

He believes the thief, of thieves, had their eyes on the bike and cut a thick lock securing the bike with a bolt cutter when he was inside.

He loved the ride and had added parts to enhance the e-bike; such as a windshield, custom saddle, saddle bags, rear shocks and changed the tires.

“This was my ride to avoid the virus,” he says. “I feel like by routine has been destroyed and that nothing is safe anymore.”

Police say electric bikes, just like other bikes are stolen in one way or the other, sometimes, the e-bike has a whole may be stolen. Other times, some critical components may be removed from the e-bike.

Officers say e-bikes have become more affordable over the years and it makes them an investment worth protecting.

“To keep your e-bike safe, you may need to be proactive by employing proper security measures,” according to police.

If you see Graham’s e-bike please call police at 416-808-2200 or leave a message on Facebook at  https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1637264909781265&id=100004933147170

 

The Lucky Lion monument stood guard at the QEW for 35 years

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It has been almost 50-years since the Queen Elizabeth Way Monument, which included a snarling lion, was removed from guarding the western edge of the highway.

Many residents still talk fondly of the Lion Monument, which was popularly known as the ‘Lucky Lion,’ that stood at the edge of the highway from 1939 to 1974.

There was much pomp and fanfare then as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, with husband the stuttering King George VI, cut a ribbon to officially open the highway that runs from the Humber Bay area to Niagara Falls.

It was the first time a reigning monarch had visited Canada, and many believe it was to rally the Empire as the war with Nazi Germany loomed.

The stone monument had a column with a crown on the top of the base. On the face of the base section is a profile of the Queen, with the snappin’ lion on front of the base.

At a cost of about $23 million, the monument was designed by architect Willian Lyon Somerville and well-known sculptor Frances Loring was commissioned to create the lion.

Loring started the lion after the entry of Britain and Canada into World War II and it inspired her design of “a snarling, defiant British Lion, eight feet high,” which was carved with limestone trucked in from Queenston.

People loved the monument, except for many motorists who claimed it slowed down traffic around the Humber bend area where it was located.

It was one of the best-known Canadian monuments at the time, and became a landmark for Toronto residents, since it was impossible to miss as they drove by.

“It was one of Toronto’s most famous early monuments,” wrote Etobicoke historian Denise Harris. “So well-known to locals that many simply called it the Monument.”

The Sculptors’ Society of Canada even produced a postcard featuring the lion in 1957, which was described by art critic Pearl McCarthy as “one of the finest pieces of outdoor sculpture in Canada.”

For about 35 years, the Lucky Lion stood on the QEW median, until an expansion of the highway to 12 lanes was announced. The Lucky Lion had to be removed as demolition was a possibility. But an outpouring of public support led to it being moved in 1974 to the east side of the Humber River in Sir Casimir Gzowski Park.

It was reassembled and unveiled in 1975 and part of the history of Toronto was saved.

Today the monument stands in a grassy field that is far removed from the road. It has weathered the years well and remains as a reminder of a bygone age when Canada ‘marched in lockstep with the Empire, and when Toronto was a British city through and through.’

Community drive to raise food, funds for the Daily Bread Food Bank

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An army of volunteers and supporters of the Daily Bread Food Bank are saying thanks as they celebrated a sense of community and shared vision to end hunger.

The Food Bank on October 10 held its first Thanksgiving Drive Thru Food Drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at its facility at 191 New Toronto Street.

The goal this year was to collect 272,000 pounds of non-perishable food and raise $1.9 million to ensure that ‘our neighbours in need have access to nutritious food.’

There were many vehicles filled with food items that drove up to the facility to make contact-free drop-offs.

NHL player Michael Del Zotto and friends from the Toronto Professional Fire Fighters’ Association were in attendance this year to help with the drive.

Mayor John Tory, Etobicoke Lakeshore MP Christine Hogarth and MPP James Maloney were also on hand to help out and thanked supporters for their donations.

Tory said this year things were done differently but “Torontonians came through to support each other.”

Daily Bread officials say there has been a 200% increase in new clients accessing food banks in Toronto since COVID-19 struck last March. Visits to the food bank have risen from 15,000 people a week to over 25,000 weekly.

They said the effects of the pandemic will ‘continue to be felt in our community for many months to come especially by those confronting poverty, homelessness and hunger.’

Food insecurity has affected nearly one in seven Canadians during the pandemic, according to Statistics Canada.

Donations of cash can be made to www.dailybread.ca

Let’s get planting with free trees to protect our canopy

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The Long Branch Neighbourhood Association (LBNA) is reminding area residents of their free tree giveaway on October 24 at Col. Samuel Smith park.

Group members say there are 10 native and shrub species available that are suitable for all yards.

“This program supports the City of Toronto’s 40% tree canopy cover target by encouraging tree planting and tree care on private property,” according to the LBNA.

The event will take place from 12 noon to 2 p.m. at the Lake Shore Blvd. W. and Kipling Ave. park.

Tree seekers are required to book a 15-minute time slot during which they will have to drive up to pick up their trees to ensure physical distancing.

The trees will be distributed by association volunteers and pre-registration is required since quantities are limited.

Seniors or people with disabilities who cannot drive to come pick up their trees or need assistance planting can request assistance at the time of registration.  At this time we can offer this service to Long Branch residents only.

To pre-register and for questions send an e-mail to the LBNA at trees40@lbna.ca

Some of the trees available includes large canopy as Freeman Maple or White Oak: medium sized like Bitter nut Hickory, Northern Hackberry or Ironwood: small trees as Eastern Redbud or Serviceberry and shrubs, including Purple Flowering Raspberry, Nannyberry or Bush Honeysuckle.