Many outraged Ukrainians in South Etobicoke say they are being targeted by Russian nationals who  are defacing their signs, flags and buildings with graffiti.

A large Ukrainian poster with the country’s flag was defaced yesterday with a large ‘Z’ as in the symbol used by Russia, in its ongoing war with Ukraine, that has led to millions of displaced people around the world.

Hundreds have been arriving here on special flights as refugees over the last weeks. They are being helped selected for refuge here by Canadian soldiers based in camps in Europe.

Ukraine community members said they are waiting to help resettle ailing countrymen as they arrive in Canada.

They said this sign was defaced in the Lake Shore Blvd. W., and Park Lawn Road.

One of the most brazen act of the vandalism was the painting of graffiti on a billboard outside Future Bakery, on North Queen Road.

There were also a number of cases where Ukrainian flags were torn of cars, some of which were vandalized In The Queensway and Islington Ave. area.

 

Many area residents love our coverage of the community and are saying thanks.

The South Etobicoke News is being presented with two awards by well-respected community groups in appreciation of our coverage of neighbourhood issues and history.

The newspaper, which many people eagerly await, is being presented on June 22 with a LAMP Community Health Centre Annual Award of Merit for making a difference in the community.

We are also receiving an Award of Merit from the Etobicoke Historical Society (EHS), which has been on the forefront of documenting our community for many decades.

Neil Park, of the EHS, said Publisher Tom Godfrey was selected as a recipient of the Etobicoke Historical Society’s Jean Hibbert Memorial Award for 2022.

“Every issue contains two or more articles celebrating a building, place, event or person important to the heritage of South Etobicoke,” Park said.  “Tom’s writing and research is exemplary, providing readers with entertaining and informative histories about the communities in which they live. “

He said the newspaper’s articles are openly available online creating an accessible and important body of heritage knowledge. In addition, some 1,500 e-copies of the newspaper are sent out monthly for free to readers with mobility or suffering from COVID issues.

The EHS presentation took place last week since its May 19 general meeting was held by Zoom.

LAMP official Jasmin Dooh said “LAMP Community Health Centre would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge your time and efforts towards making our city a healthy place to live.”

“ We would also like to let you know that you have been selected as a recipient of LAMP‘s Award of Merit 2022 for making a difference.”

The awards ceremony, which will recognize other community leaders, will take place on June 22 at LAMP, at 185 Fifth Street.

The South Etobicoke News has been publishing for almost four years. The paper is well-read for its coverage of local history and listings of community events taking place in Humber Bay Shores, Mimico, New Toronto, Long Branch, Alderwood and other areas of South Etiobicoke.

“These are our first awards of recognition that we will cherish and we thank the two hard-working organizations,” said Godfrey. “Our goal is to serve news and opinion that binds and keep our residents informed.”

 

It is being called the miracle on Sixth Street.

An ecstatic Warren Fisher, with wife Bente Skau, and their son Odin, and daughter Ardra, are enjoying life again and say their prayers have been answered after mom Bente was given weeks to live due to cancer; more than five years ago.

Bente, 55, of Sixth Street, is alive and well today after being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, and given about six weeks to live.

“She came upstairs, crawled back into bed with me and told me,” Fisher recalled. “We were numb; frozen with disbelief. We just cried.”

The lives of the New Toronto family changed after a search was launched by
Doctors  Schimmer,  Lewtinsky, Loach and Thiyaguof of  Princess Margaret Cancer Center, who placed her case on a worldwide database seeking possible donor matches.

They received a call weeks later from a hospital in Germany which had found a possible donor, Max Ernst, a 24-year-old semi-professional soccer player from the team FSV Bad Wunnenberg – Leiberg. whose entire squad had volunteered for the registry.

Bente was hospitalized at Princess Margaret Cancer Center for more than a month for tests.

“I want people to get on the stem cell registry. It saved my life, and it meant so much to my family and friends. Just do it! It’s a powerful way to express your humanity,” she urged.

Their daughter at the time was attending her first year of post-secondary school and son entering ninth grade, Fisher said.

He said Bente was just weeks from death when she received a stem cell transplant from the unknown donor in Germany that saved her life.

“After three horrible bouts of chemotherapy and radiation, she was given the opportunity of increasing her odds of living to 32% by receiving a stem cell/bone marrow transplant,” he said.

She received his cells after a grueling and lengthy preparation procedure (for her), and beat the odds to go on to a complete cure.

“She can now watch our children grow into adulthood, continue in her job helping others as a mental health professional and carry on as the best life partner ever,” said Fisher.

In June, Max will be travelling to South Etobicoke with his mother and girlfriend, to meet Bente and her family. The family will be showing them their appreciation and love.

“We’re very excited to finally meet him in person, throw our arms around him, and tell him how much he did for us,” Fisher vowed. “Two weeks after he signed with his team for the donor registry he was told someone desperately needed his stem cells.”

The family is urging residents, especially males under the age of 35, and members of ethnic minorities, to get on the stem cells donor registry.

It is easy and only takes a cheek swab. Visit blood.ca for more information.

 

It hasn’t been a good few days for Toronto Maple Leafs’ star Mitch Marner.

His team lost their playoff bid last Saturday and the next day he had his shiny new expensive SUV stolen in a gunpoint robbery at the Odeon Cinemas parking lot at The Queensway and Islington Ave.

Police tweeted they were called to the area around 7:46 p.m. on Sunday for reports that a man was robbed of his car.

There has been a rash of postings on social media recently of residents reporting their cars stolen, or attempted thefts, in that general vicinity.

Police said they have received 36 reports of a stolen vehicles in Etobicoke between May 5 and May 11. There have been 2,854 vehicles reported stolen in Toronto so far this year, which is a 55 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2021.

Reports say the popular Marner was ‘shaken but not hurt.’

He was taken to 22 Division hours after the incident to give a statement to investigators.

Officers are searching the area for three suspects armed with two handguns and a knife, who escaped with the high-end black Range Rover.

There are reports the bandits smashed Marner’s phone as they fled to avoid being electronically monitored.

Police said the Leafs’ winger did the right thing by surrendering the vehicle, since he could have been shot or stabbed in the darkened lot.

Officers believe the crooks were watching cars entering the lot, in search of desirable vehicles that could be sold abroad.

Police were making the rounds to area shipping container companies in search of last-minute suspicious activity.

Two days earlier, two male suspects attempted to carjack a woman in the same area but were not successful.

Police officers chased the suspects on foot in that incident there were no arrests.

Marner and the Leafs were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday in a seventh and deciding game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The RCMP got their man. And he was no artist.

A flawed ‘split-toe’ on the front paw of a famed Polar Bear that graces the Canadian toonie has led to an RCMP arrest and seizure of 10,000 of the counterfeit coins.

The Mounties said cheap, counterfeit toonies are being made in China and used to infiltrate the Canadian banking system, which can net a tidy profit for international criminals.

Officers of the RCMP Greater Toronto Area Trans-National Serious & Organized Crime Section (TSOC) identified the fake coins as part of a random sampling process.

Police seized some 10,000 fake toonies which were infiltrated in the nation’s banking system, according to an RCMP release.

“It is suspected that there are additional counterfeit coins in the currency system and that the coins originate from China,” according to police.

Police allege the criminals are not known for their tidy artwork.

“The seized counterfeit two-dollar coins can be distinguished by their primary characteristic flaw of having a “split-toe” on the right front paw of the Polar Bear which resembles a “claw,” police coin experts said.

“These criminal charges are a reflection of the RCMP’s resolve in preserving the integrity of the Canadian currency system,” said Supt. Ann Koenig, District Commander of TSOC. “The RCMP is committed to working with the Royal Canadian Mint, the Canada Border Services Agency, FINTRAC, banks, and police partners to combat illicit efforts that target Canada’s economic system

James Malizia, of the Canadian Mint, said our circulation coins are among the most secure in the world.

“The unique features on Canada’s circulation coins make them among the most secure in the world and allowed these counterfeit pieces to be identified and removed from circulation quickly,” Malizia said.

Daixiong He, 68, of Richmond Hill, Ontario, has been charged with uttering counterfeit money and  possession of counterfeit money, which is contrary to Section 450 of the Criminal Code.

The suspect was arrested and released on an undertaking.

He is slated to return of Ontario Court of Justice in Newmarket on June 2.

MAY 6 SPRING BAZAAR online marketplace for hand-
made items at the Martin Luther Evangelical Lu-
theran Church online sale. All proceeds go to help                                      church programs. Online sale runs until May 6.
Pick up date May 8. For more email
bazaar@martinluther.ca
MAY 7 & JUNE 10 THE SNYP TRUCK will be at LAMP
CHC,185 Fifth Street, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. to help
your pets. Call 416-338-6281 or visit
www.toronto.ca
MAY 7 ETOBICOKE CENTENNIAL CHOIR long-awaited live performance of Easter Hymn from Cavalleria Rusticana in tribute of the late Father Edward Jack-
man at 7:30 p.m. at the Humber Valley United                                            Church, at 76 Anglesey Blvd. Tickets $30 and kids
under 12 free available at
www.etobicokecentennialchoir.ca or phone 416-
779-2258. New singers are welcome.

MAY 8 PLANT EXCHANGE by Lakeshore Environmen-
tal Gardening Society where you can bring a plant                                            and take home a plant at The Assembly Hall from 9
a.m. to 12 p.m. For more information visit
legsetobicoke.ca
MAY 14 GIANT ANNUAL PLANT SALE by the Etobicoke
Horticultural Society from 9 a.m. to 12 noon rain or                                        shine in the parking lot of the Fairfield Seniors Cen-
tre, 80 Lothian Road. You will find a large selection                                             of perennials, native and pollinator plants, herbs,
annuals, garden accessories and tools. For more
info visit www.etobicokehort.com
MAY 14 WARD 2 EMERGING young artists competition
2022 at Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery, at 399
The West Mall, Opening reception and silent bid at
2 p.m. The exhibition features emerging talent in
our community. Proceeds from the silent auction to                                  support those affected by the war in Ukraine. Exhi-
bition runs from May 1 to May 19. For more call                                               416-394-8628.
MAY 16 to 19 THE GATEHOUSE Transforming Trauma                    Conference bringing together survivors, profession-
als, advocates and practictioners who support sur-
vivors of trauma. Register at TheGatehouse.org-conference-22.

MAY 21 OUTDOOR SPRING MARKET from 11 a.m. to 2
p.m. at Franklin Horner Community Centre, 432
Horner Ave., for second-annual market with a wide
range of vendors, artisans, fudge table, BBQ lunch
and live music. For more info call 416- 252-6822.
FREE EMERGENCY FOOD TAKEOUT MEALS offered
Monday to Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30                                                 a.m. through LAMP’s adult drop-in program. Thurs-
day harm reduction supports from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT CENTRE operating from St.
Margaret’s Church on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3
p.m. Meals, snacks, washrooms, showers, and
laundry available for folks who are unhoused.
EVERY THURSDAY The Good Food Market from 12
to 4 p.m. at Stonegate CHC at 10 Neighbourhood
Lane for affordable produce, outdoor market and
bring your own bags. COVID-19 protocols are in
place. For more call 416-231-7070 ext 307.
SUMMER YOUTH JOB CONNECTION for students aged
15 to 18 to obtain 20-hours of paid pre-employment
training, free certification, training and work-related
supports. Must be eligible to work in Ontario and
be ready and willing to work during COVID-19,
March Break and Summer 2022. Contact Sheroni
at 416-405-5259 or email
schristian@woodgreen.org
HELP WITH TAXES LAMP Community Health Centre is providing a free income tax clinic for area resi-
dents. You can book an appointment to meet the                                                    tax clinic worker to help you file your taxes or you
can drop off your documents at the office screening desk. For more information or to book an appoint-
ment call 416-252-9701 ext. 208 and 281.

MAY 31 HEAR AUTHOR SHEILA HETI as By The Lake Book Club returns for its 14th season at Assembly Hall as writers share in-depth and engaging in- sights into their latest books. Author Antonio Michael Downing will talk about his novel Saga Boy on September 20; Linda Rui Feng will feature her book Swimming Back to Trout River on October 18;
Naben Ruthnum will talk about A Hero Of Our Time on November 22 and Jesse Wente appears on De- cember 6 to talk about Unreconciled. For tickets call 416-338-7255 or assemblyhall.ca
MUSIC & WELLNESS is a virtual music therapy group
designed to use music to bring people together,
improve connections and talk about things that are uplifting. Participants have the opportunity to dis-
cover more about themselves within a creative out-
let of singing, music listening and encouragement. Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 12 noon on Zoom. To reg-
ister contact norkyit@lampchc.org or 416 252 6471 ext. 257
CATCH MY BREATH RAY PROGRAM is a youth mental
health program at LAMP for ages 14 – 21. The past
two years have been hectic and we deserve to have a space where we can share how we’re feel-
ing and what we’re thinking. Let’s share a space to support and have one-on-one conversation with youth in the community. Every Monday 6 p.m. to-
7:30 pm on Zoom. To register contact Isha Green youth@lampchc.org.
HEALTHY EATING IS GOOD – Have you been thinking
of changing your eating habits? Then join our Healthy Eating workshops through the West Toron-
to Diabetes Education Program. From May 4, at 6 p.m., our experienced health care professionals will give you the information you need to achieve success. Call 416-252-1928 ext. 100.

HAVING A BABY? Etobicoke Pre and Post-Natal Di-
etician program on Zoom is being offered with agencies as LAMP, Toronto Public Health, Rexdale
community Health Centre and other partners in a
free health education and nutrition program with
health professionals and food demos. One-to-one
prenatal and post-natal support and discussions.
Grocery cards and other supports as needed. For
more ior to register call 416-737-9874 or 416-898-
1225 or Email martha.morales@rexdalechc.com.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED at the Salvation Army Lake-
shore Community Church, at 5 Thirtieth Street, on Mondays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday from
8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Thursday from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. For more information or to sign up call 416-
251-8372.

The popular QUEENSMEN MALE CHORUS performs JUNE 25 at 7 p.m. at Richview United Church, 149 Wellesworth Drive., in a fundraising concert. All is invited to take part in the joy of singing. Contact Einar Voldner at einar.voldner@gmail.com

 

 

Two well-meaning candidates are running against incumbent Mark Grimes for the Etobicoke Lakeshore riding of Ward 3 in the upcoming October 24 municipal elections.

Long-time area resident and social worker Amber Morley registered May 10 and joined others in a race to replace Councillor Grimes, who has represented the riding since 2003.

Morley obtained more than 27 per cent of the vote in the 2018 municipal election, when she took on Grimes.

“Her first candidacy proved there is a strong desire for change in Ward 3,” according to her campaign team. “This election Amber will rely on that strong base of support, as she looks to improve on 2018’s numbers and take a seat at City Hall.”

Also seeking the position is well-known pizza maker Dino Ari, owner of Dino’s Pizza.

Ari gained a profile for feeding hundreds of homeless or others in need with his famed pizza for free. The affable pizza maker believes he can do a better job than Grimes.

He is passionate about supporting local businesses, having seen their struggles during the lockdown himself, and wants to be the voice that supports them.

“I look at the traffic right where my store is. It’s very dangerous,” Ari says about a pet issue. “I’ve talked to Mark Grimes and other city councillors about it, but they didn’t do anything. Do you know how many accidents happen in front of our store?”

“I want to show newcomers that if I can do this today, they can do it too,” he says. ‘”If I can succeed in my business as a pizza maker, they can do even more.”

In the provincial June 2 elections Etobicoke Lakeshore candidates face a tough fight from Incumbent MPP Christine Hogarth, whose signs are visible in the community as her team seek votes.

New Democrat high school teacher Farheen Alim hopes to secure more funding for Ontario schools and increase affordable housing.

Also running is Liberal candidate Lee Fairclough, a 22-year Etobicoke resident, who was nominated as the Ontario Liberal Party (OLP) candidate.

 

Fairclough is a former president of St. Mary’s Hospital who led the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is an Adjunct Professor in Health Policy at the University of Toronto, where she earned her Master of Health Science in Health Policy, Management and Evaluation.

She started her career providing cancer treatment to patients at Princess Margaret Hospital as a Medical Radiation Technologist Therapist (MRT(T)).

Other provincial candidates include: Thomas Yanuziello, of the Green Party, Dr. Ira Bernstein, of the Ontario Party, Mary Markovic, of the New Blue, Vitas Naudziunas of NOTA.

 

Hundreds of Tibetans gathered last week to welcome their country’s leader on his first visit to Canada.

The head of the Tibetan government in exile made a rare appearance in Toronto to visit with Tibetans here at the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre, on Titan Road.

Many Tibetans waiting to see Sikyong Penpa Tsering were dressed in formal attire as they waited to shake hands with the leader in waiting.

Tsering who is leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, started off his western trip with a visit to Washington, D.C., before vising Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto. In Ottawa he addressed the Canadians Parliamentary Friends of Tibet, attended a reception and spoke to the Tibetan community of Canada.

He left Canada on May 10.

The leader was given the Royal treatment as he was escorted to the Titan Road temple with a motorcycle patrol with sirens blaring.

Members of the community cheered and waved as Tsering and his security team arrived.

Community leader Young Doung Tenzin said it is the first time Tibetans here has met the leader.

“It is his first visit to Canada and it is very important,” Tenzin says. “It is his first foreign trip since he was elected President of the Tibetan people in exile.”

The temple was packed as Tsering gave a public talk in Tibetan to the hundreds of followers.

Penpa Tsering, former speaker of Tibet’s exile parliament, was officially named by the Tibetan Election Commission in April 2021 as Sikyong, or political leader, of the India-based exile government, the Central Tibetan Administration.

Winning 34,324 votes in a closely fought April 11 election held in Tibetan communities worldwide, Tsering had moved decisively ahead of the 28,907 votes secured by rival Kelsang Dorjee Aukatsang, who congratulated Tsering on his win.

The Tibetan diaspora is estimated to include about 150,000 people living in 40 countries, mainly India, Nepal, North America, and in Europe.

Tsering now replaces Lobsang Sangay, a Harvard-trained scholar of law, who had served two consecutive five-year terms as Sikyong, an office in the northern Indian city of Dharamsala filled by candidates elected since 2011 by popular vote.

Formerly an independent nation, Tibet was invaded and incorporated into China by force 70 years ago, and Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and thousands of his followers later fled into exile in India and other countries around the world following a failed 1959 national uprising against China’s rule.

Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on the region, restricting Tibetans’ political activities and peaceful expression of cultural and religious identity, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings.

Mimico’s  Martin Luther Church is looking for two people to join our team as part of the Canada Summer Jobs program in the area of community development and graphic design.

The job entails 30-hours weekly, at $15 hourly for nine weeks.
Two applicants will join the community development team to foster presence, involvement, and relationships within our community.

This involves organizing and offering various existing weekly activities like Bowls and Blessings.  Both new team members will take on specific partnerships and portfolios to manage and grow over the course of the season.

In the past that has been work with the Compost Council of Canada and Plant-Grow-Share a Row, through the project “Give Peas a Chance”.  This year we will continue our focus on caring for creation and encouraging community involvement through accessibility.

“ Understanding the community needs and priorities, we encourage each participant to offer new ideas or iterations,” according to officials.
One new team member will be tasked with specific items that require some immediate attention and a detail oriented person.  Each season we require support producing various forms of visual media and managing social media platforms.

The other team member will be asked to own, plan, and stage our larger projects, most of which will be outdoors, forward facing, and people driven.  This role requires skill and comfort making connections and sustaining the variety of plant based projects.

The church is located at  2379 Lake Shore Blvd W, near Superior Ave. The phone number is 416-251-8293.

 

 

 

It’s Earth Week and the City of Toronto is searching for an official tree.

Residents are being asked to help City officials select an official tree that we can all gather around.

“Everyone who lives in Toronto is eligible to vote,” the City said. The deadline for your vote is May 10 at 11:59 p.m.

“Everyone in Toronto can cast their vote to help pick Toronto’s Official Tree,” according to the City.

Residents can select from four different trees. They include birch, maple, oak or pine.

The winning tree will be announced in the Spring.

The City takes pride in upkeeping and planting hundreds of trees every year.

You can obtain further information by phoning 311 or e-mail your selection to 311@toronto.ca