A Russian threat of war in Ukraine has led to waves of hate across the seas to now here in Etobicoke.

A North Queen Street bakery, owned by a former Member of Parliament, has been vandalized by what is described as pro-Russian graffiti.

The graffiti on the front wall of Future Bakery was discovered on February 8 around 5:45 a.m. as delivery trucks started arriving.

The bakery’s mural and a #StandWithUkraine banner on display were defaced with derogatory comments, according to police.

Former Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj, the president of Future Bakery, told reporters he believes the vandalism was meant to intimidate the local Ukrainian community.

“This isn’t just graffiti, nor is it just an act of vandalism,” Wrzesnewskyi said. “This is an attempt to intimidate people. It is a hate crime.”

That Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) said they are outraged by the incident.

“The Ukrainian Canadian community is appalled by the hate crime that targeted a Ukrainian-owned business in Toronto,” they said.

A large banner was hung on the outside of the bakery, stating “#StandWithUkraine.”

Phrases in black paint were written on the banner and the wall, including “F— Ukrian (sic) and Canada,” “#Losers,” and “Russia is power,” as well as the word “Russia” in both Russian and English.

Words were also covered on the banner, to create “#Putin.”

“We live in the best country in the world, a free and democratic country,” Wrzesnewskyi said. “I’m blessed to be here as the child and grandchild of refugees from World War II.”

He said his “family knows the consequences of war. It’s time to stand with Ukraine and stop Putin.”

Russia has recently placed more than 130,000 troops along the Ukrainian border.

Wrzesnewskyj, a Liberal, represented the federal riding of Etobicoke Centre in the House of Commons. He held the riding from 2004 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2019.

He was actively involved in the Canadian delegation to the contested Ukrainian election of 2004, Orange Revolution, and has often spoken to Canadian media on its behalf.

 

The brutal blizzard we dug out from last month seems to have brought out the best in most people in our community.

The blast of snow crippled highways, dozens of TTC buses, streetcars and paralyzed much of the city. There were people stranded in vehicles on highways for 12 hours and more.

The thick, heavy snow was so high that seniors couldn’t leave their homes, much less shovel their sidewalk or drive- ways.

People couldn’t drive to work, much less wait for hours for a
TTC vehicle, or in-demand expensive Uber.

There were many people in our community helping each other by brushing snow off their neighbours’ vehicles or helping to shovel the white stuff. Many people were pushing motorists they didn’t know who were stuck in snowbanks.

There were neighbours making runs to the store to obtain food or prescriptions for seniors in need of help, or suffering with mobility issues. The blast of snow only made things worst in a time with so many people suffering from the Omicron variant of COVID-19. The terrible weather forced the cancellations of a number of City-run vaccination clinics and services.

Still, we persevered and mustered to overcome the blizzard and to fight another day. Members of the community in these times are always hardy, helpful and gave up their time to help those weak or in failing health.

It was nice to see folks helping out their neighbours and area residents. We were all affected by the many inches of deep white snow.

Even Premier Doug Ford, (above) an Etobicoke resident, took time out from Legislative duties to help motorists dig their vehicles out. Ford, with shovel in hand, helped to dig out a few surprised and thankful motorists who were stuck on the streets of Etobicoke.

During a terrible power outage and rain storm a couple years ago, the Premier was for hours directing traffic at the intersection of the busy
Dixon Road and Islington Avenue after a traffic light failed. Now, who said Ford wasn’t a man of the people.

Many of our seniors are left house-bound, fearing to venture outside since they may slip, fall and injure themselves. We live in a tight community where most people know each other, or someone related.

People actually came out to help others, or check up on each other, moreso due to COVID-19 and its Omicron variant.

The community has lost hundreds of men, women, fathers and mothers due to the pandemic. There are some whom we know but there are so many who passed, with few ever knowing or being there to remember them.

And given the challenges we are facing these days. The least we can do is care and help others if we can. After all, it is snow, which will likely melt tomorrow. But a friend, family or human being will never come back.

Tom Godfrey is Publisher of The South Etobicoke News, who lives in the
community. He was a reporter at the Toronto Sun for many years before
deciding to use his skills to work in community journalism.

Catch a feeling, not a cold this February

This February we are feeling cozy, loved, comforted, expressive, rested and feeling nourished. Not only is the Chinese New Year on February 1, but the Eastern world celebrations of the Year of the Tiger continue on, well into mid-February, and culminate with the Lantern Festival on February 15. That weekend, we are invited to celebrate love on February 14, as the western world’s official Valentine’s Day. That is not the feeling I’m talking about.

Though this season is still cold and we are in mid-winter, you’re probably getting itchy feet and itchy fingers like me. Well, more like an itchy green thumb, in my case. I’m sure you want to start a garden or get on with new projects, now that the cold has been dragging on for a while. That is the feeling I am talking about. That feeling of ideas taking root and growing. Notice this feeling, enjoy it and begin to explore it. Feel the natural urge to begin growing this year.

This month: I urge you to catch a feeling, instead of a cold. How do we do this? Stay warm and stay connected!

We do this by allowing ourselves to pay attention and notice the feeling first and foremost. The itch to begin a project is there: A natural emergence from hibernation. Look for it and catch that feeling, in your hands. How do you catch this feeling? You may think, in this month of ‘love’, with Valentine’s Day, with all the romantic notions our society has lavished onto February, I mean feeling in love.

Let us move beyond romantic love and the superficial ways of showing and experiencing feelings through chocolate, wine, wining and dining. Don’t get me wrong. Wining and dining is delicious, tasty and wonderful. Of course, it is. But, imagine that you allow yourself to get in touch with some exquisite feelings of feeling comfortable with your favourite fuzzy blanket and catching ‘feeling in love with life’ feelings that way. Or imagine yourself the luxury of viewing a series of documentaries on Blue Zone living. How does that allow you to feel? Are your senses heightened?

Let us delve further into feeling. A deeper appreciation of how our body feels, with our mind translating our every sensation, can begin like this. Humour me in this following exercise: Your Sense of Touch – A touch of comfort and wisdom. An exercise.

First, sit comfortably.

Then, take your hands and slowly match up each finger and the thumb of one hand with the other. One at a time. Do this in front of you, watching your hands as you slowly complete this and feel each finger pad from the left hand, gently pressing against the right hand.

Close your eyes. Press gently and expand the fingers, move them closer together and stretch them apart. What do you notice? How do your hands feel? Cold, clammy? Warm? Hot? Dry? Do you need to moisturize more? Yes, you do. Admit it. Has the winter cold dried out your hands?

I invite you to welcome this information into your world. Now, take each hand and feel the fabric of your pants, blanket or sofa. Feel the surface slowly. What do you notice?

Monika Meulman is the Founder & Owner of  The Healing Muse Apothecary, 2859 Lake Shore Blvd. W., 416-347-5449. Inspired Living @healingmuse, www.healingmuse.com

 

It’s the new year. Time to make wishes for better times. If you disagree with my ideas – send me yours. Let’s have a debate. Here’s a hodge podge of my thoughts.

I wish that those militant anti-vaxxers demanding “It’s my Body, My Choice” contribute time and money to help the women seeking Freedom of Choice for their bodies.

They could also offer to off-set the cost to heart, cancer and other patients having to go to the back of the line to provide space for the more serious consequences to those unvaccinated catching Covid.
I wish the “Right to Life” people identify their support for those who want to abolish the “Death Penalty”.

As well, they can campaign for increased funding for child care. If the
state commands the women to bear the child for the child’s protection rather than a moral punishment for the woman then hasn’t the state an obligation to share in the child’s support.

I wish that those politicians who demand fixed jail terms as a show of toughness, also tell the public how much it will cost them in taxes to build the extra jails, care for the prisoners, finance the Court Systems, manage increased caseloads; pay for more Crown Attorneys, Judges and
Police Officers that will result from the new law.

They should also produce the data to illustrate its effectiveness compared to other resolutions (I am not talking about violent crime here). They ought to tell the voter from where the money will come – education, health, social assistance or more taxes I wish we dealt with drug-use (not illegal sales) like Portugal. They consider it a medical issue rather than criminal. They use health regulations to promote treatment.

We can also define housing for street folk as a health problem. Remember it was the government that closed the psychiatric facilities and promised to provide supervised homes in the public domain (A good
thought) for some of them.

Where are these supervised homes and the help for opioid
self-medication. If we re-frame the problems as a health and safety issue; rather than criminal, we might start finding solutions. Saskatchewan found the cost of building reasonable facilities were covered by the savings from policing, medical care and crime reduction when the savings were considered over several years, as compared to the one-time capital cost of a building.

I wish we stopped complaining about taxes and higher costs going to fair pay for teachers, public servants, medical staff, and those serving the public. We need more help and respect for them. They have saved our lives and sanity during COVID-19. Can you imagine being a teacher with 30 children to control and teach, half by video through a tiny lens and the other half in person, simultaneously. It requires different techniques.

Ask, any nurse how they feel treating the onslaught of unvaccinated patients while having to triage the cancer, heart and other people needing help. Ask any mother of two who has been at home with children during COVID how they have remained sane.

I wish politicians stop name calling, attacking the person, spinning the truth and answer question directly.  It’s our duty to tell them to follow their Mom’s advice, ”Treat people with dignity, Name-calling isn’t nice.” I know it’s difficult to discipline them when we watch parents at rallies screaming like idiots and threatening violence.

Remember your parent training classes that you teach more by role modeling than telling. When was the last time you swore at some
guy who cut you off with the kids in the back seat.

I wish that we remembered a democracy can only survive with compromise and transparency. Its rule by majority while respecting the minority. One side cannot have it all otherwise you have revolution. Remember that in the next election.

Lastly, I wish more of us looked at newcomers not with fear but understanding, with an effort to include them. I remember several years ago while walking through Sherway Gardens Mall.

I saw this family, a father, mother, three girls and two boys dressed Mid-East style speaking Farsi (Iranian or Persian) watching The World Hockey playoffs was on a store TV.  They were jumping, yelling, shouting something I didn’t understand except I remember the distinct words,
“Go Canada”. Canada had just scored a ‘go-ahead’ goal.

They came, like my dad, not to change the country but to change their lives. They add to our mosaic.

Judge Lloyd Budzinski retired after 28 years and was a former Crown
Attorney, Defence Counsel and Ontario’s Assistant Deputy Minister of
Criminal Law. He was Chief Prosecutor in the trial of ex-RCMP officer Patrick Michael Kelly, found guilty of murder for throwing his wife from a 17th floor balcony in March 1981. He can be reached at lbudzinski@talkjustice.info

The Lakeshore Grounds Interpretive Centre is celebrating its fifth anniversary this year with a new online exhibition featuring postcards from yesteryear called “Scene and Unseen.”

They also plan to open an in-person exhibition as well this year.

“The Lakeshore Grounds Interpretive Centre (LGIC) is thrilled to announce a new exhibition for our Third Floor Gallery: Scene and Unseen: Exploring Stories Through Postcard, according to Curator Nadine Finlay.

The exhibition, first published on their website as a digital exhibition, includes recently acquired artefacts that are being displayed in public for the first time, Finlay said.

“Explore the history of the Lakeshore Grounds through postcards sent and collected in the region around the turn of the twentieth century,” she said.

Postcards can simultaneously ‘capture memories of a place while obscuring the lived realities of those whose stories are deeply connected with the image.’

“What stories do historical images reveal, and what others do they conceal? ‘ asks the LGIC. “This is the question that Scene and Unseen will invite us to consider.”

As one of the earliest accessible ways to send short-form messages worldwide, postcards were once an efficient means of communication, the LGIC said.

“However, upon deeper analysis, there is more to these images of the Lakeshore Grounds and South Etobicoke than you might think!” Finlay said.

You can visit the collection online at lakeshoregrounds.ca/Scene-and-Unseen and later this year in-person in the Third Floor Gallery, located along the hallway of the third floor of the Student Welcome and Resource Centre at Humber College, Lakeshore.

The exhibition is free.

For more information contact Curator Nadine Finlay at 416-675-6622 ext. 5381.

 

Two empty billboards that were an eyesore above a fast food store in Long Branch for 30-months have been restored and back in the advertising business.

Chris Morren, president of Great Outdoor Advertising, in Long Branch, said the billboards were sold to Minto Homes after sitting idle for more than 30-months.

The double billboards have sat on the top of a Mr. Sub restaurant, at 3693 Lake Shore Blvd., and Thirty Seventh Street, for many years and was in a decrepit state of repair.

“I would like to announce that the home developer Minto has signed a contract with my new, small billboard business to put their name up there,” Morren said in a release. “Minto deserves a little credit for supporting my little, one person, sole proprietorship, without any questions asked, that with a three year contract.”

Many area residents walking by said they did not notice the billboards on the roof. They admitted that the looked better now than in a sad state of repair.

Minto Communities is one of the larger homebuilders in the area, with a huge Long Branch community being built.

 

 

 

 

A former South Etobicoke private school music teacher has been charged for sexual assault.

The 69-year-old man was arrested on February 3 by Peel Regional Police Special Victims Unit for allegedly sexually assaulting a young person.

Police alleged the suspect was involved as a volunteer with St. Francis Xavier Church, in Mississauga, when the alleged incident occurred.

Peel police said the man currently teaches music lessons from his home. He retired in 2008 after teaching at the Mississauga Private School in Etobicoke, which has since closed.

This investigation remains ongoing and investigators believe there may be additional victims.

Remy Fernandes has been charged with sexual assault and sexual interference. He appeared in Brampton court on February 4.

Anyone with information in relation to this or any other similar incident is asked to contact investigators at the Special Victims Unit at 905-453-2121, extension 3460. Anonymous information can be submitted by calling Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by visiting www.peelcrimestoppers.ca.

 

                                     

Arrests have been made in a slew of thefts of goods from autos in the parking lot at Sherway Gardens Mall.

Two men are before the courts after being charged for staking out vehicles for goods in an ongoing Sherway theft ring.

Police say the thieves watched as shoppers purchased expensive Apple Store computers which were stored in their vehicles in the lot.

The crooks then followed the vehicles from Sherway to their destinations, where the cars were broken into and the expensive electronic goods were stolen.

Officers from 22 Division said from December 6 to January 28, they responded to a number of calls from theft from vehicles in the parking lot of sprawling mall.

“People purchased computers from the Apple Store and were followed to their cars,” according to police. “As they drove away, they were followed to other destinations.”

They cars were then broken into and computers stolen.

Officers were in the Sherway area on January 28 when they followed two men who they allege were following a patron from the mall.

“A short distance away, as the victims left their vehicle, the men approached the vehicle with a tool designed to break the car window,” police said in a release.

Jerson Arley Sanchez, and Nicholas Chaparro Forero, both 24, of Toronto, face 17 charges ranging from mischief to attempted theft and other offences.

They appeared in court at Old City Hall on January 29.
Toronto Police 22 Division Community Response Unit is reminding the public to always be aware of their surroundings and not to leave recent purchases unattended in their vehicle.
If anyone has experienced an event similar to this after a recent purchase, they are asked to contact police and file a report.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-2200, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com.

 

Black History runs deep in Etobicoke and residents today still have great respect for the late lawyer Leonard Austin Braithwaite, who became the first Black Canadian elected to the Ontario Legislature.
Braithwaite, or “Lenny,” as he was affectionately known, was born in Toronto in 1923 to a Barbadian father and Jamaican mother who instilled in him the value of hard
work and dedication.

He served overseas with the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II and returned home with plans of becoming a lawyer. A brilliant student, he received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto in 1950.

He then obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Business School in 1952, and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto in 1958.

Braithwaite moved to Etobicoke and started a successful law firm that he operated for decades. He was named a Queen’s Counsel in 1971.

His political career began in 1960, when he was elected to Ward 4 of the Etobicoke Township Board of Education.

A former president of Etobicoke Ratepayer’s Association, he was elected because of demand for a high school north of Eglinton Ave. W.
Two years later, he was elected as an alderman on the Etobicoke council.

Braithwaite ran for the Liberals in the 1963 provincial election and won the newly-created constituency of Etobicoke by 443 votes.

He helped to revoke a section of the Ontario Separate Schools Act that had allowed for racial segregation in public schools, when he asked the Legislature to “get rid of the old race law” during his maiden speech at Queen’s Park on February 4, 1964.

Braithwaite also called for the admission of female legislative pages in 1966.
He was re-elected in 1967 and 1971, and served as the Liberal Party Critic for Labour and Welfare, before being defeated in the 1975 election by New Democratic Party candidate Ed Philip by 1,256 votes.

The seasoned politician was next elected a city controller on the Etobicoke City Council in 1982. Braithwaite attempted a return to the provincial Legislature during the 1985 election but lost as he was a last minute candidate. The York West Liberal constituency association could not find anyone to run.

He became a bencher of the Governing Council of The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1999; was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1997; invested into the order in February 1998 and appointed to the Order of Ontario in 2004.

Braithwaite died in Toronto on March 28, 2012, at the age of 88. The City of Toronto that year renamed a park in his former Etobicoke riding to Leonard Braithwaite
Park in his honour.

BUSY BABIES THURSDAY Starts January 6 TO FEBRUARY 24 for four weeks. Join us for our Busy Babies Thursday program for children age 12 months and over. A fun filled adventure with crafts, stories and lots of songs. The program runs every Thursday from 9:30 am – 11:30 am.
For more email: ishrats@lampchc.org
FEBRUARY 6 IS THE 16TH ANNUAL BOB MARLEY BIRTHDAY Celebration and Food Drive Livestream in support of Parkdale Community Food Bank. The free show is being streamed by NuFunk Concerts and Rasta Fest & Uma Noto on May 6 from BSMT 245 in Toronto from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. It will feature veteran soul-reggae singer Jay Douglas with reggae collective Reggaddiction to reinterpret Bob Marley & The Wailers material and perform original material. For more info contact jay@nufunk.ca.
MINDFULNESS WORKSHOP with LAMP teacher Corin De Sousa for workshop series mindful resilience via ZOOM from Feburary 2 to March 23 every Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. To register, please contact Jasmin Dooh at jasmind@lampchc.org or 416.252.6471 ext. 308.
FEBRUARY 8 & MARCH 8 THE SNYP TRUCK a mobile clinic of Toronto Animal Services will be at LAMP Community Health Centre, at 185 Fifth Street, from
9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. to spay or neuter your pets. Free or low cost pet services to LAMP clients. Contact 416-338-6281.
FEBRUARY 12 JEAN AUGUSTINE CENTRE presents Black History Month: Black Legacy, a celebration of Black History 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on ZOOM. There will be live performances by Jean Augustine youth, other Canadian artists, workshops and live
demos. Tickets start from $10 and can be purchased at www.JeanAugustineCentre.ca, or call 416-253-9797. Visit them at info@jeanaugustinecentre.ca
FEBRUARY 14 ETOBICOKE CAMERA CLUB Presents Sandra Laurin 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Eventbrite.ca. Sandra’s passion is photographing lifestyles, cultures and traditions of people around the world. Her love of travel has taken her to 56 countries. To
purchase tickets https://www.facebook.com/etobcc.
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. Thursday harm reduction 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.
FEBRUARY 25 WOMEN IN COMMUNICATION & Advertising 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Volunteer hours will be provided. Contact the Jean Augustine Centre at
416-253-9797 or visit info@jeanaugustinecentre.ca
FEBRUARY 26 AFFORDABLE HOUSING Workshop and how to apply for rent-geared-to-income (RGI) housing subsidy. Takes place 11 a.m. on Zoom. Contact Jasmin at 416-252-6471 ext. 308 or by e-mail jasmind@lampchc.org.
LAMP’s COMMUNITY CHIROPODIST is now taking new patients for foot care services for people who are prediabetic or diabetic. For more information on call 416-252-6471 ext. 264.
EVERY WEDNESDAY from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Stonegate Community Health Centre presents Everything Baby Discussion with Barbara and Larissa to discuss prenatal, post-natal and parenting topics on Facebook Live on the Stonegate CHC Family Program Facebook page at facebook.com.
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.
PHYSIOTHERAPY-STRONG AND STEADY FALLS PREVENTION (Virtual Program) Winter weather means slippery sidewalks and falls. LAMP’s physiotherapy
department is offering a free program to help prevent falls. Register for our upcoming Strong & Steady physiotherapy program online runs Tuesdays at 10:30 am through the end of March. Improve your balance through simple exercises. To register call 416-252-6471 ext. 264.
PHYSIOTHERAPY BACK TO MOVEMENT virtual program for those suffering from chronic low back pain. Join our online Back to Movement Physiotherapy program which is designed to help you reduce your lower back pain and keep you in shape!
Runs Wednesdays from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. until the end of March. To register call 416-252-6471 ext. 264.
DIABETES GROUP EDUCATION virtual workshop for those how want to make a lifestyle change. Maybe it is time. We will guide you through on achieving
your goal. Join our group diabetes workshop coming February 11 and 25 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. To register call 416-252-1928 Ext 100.
FREE TENANTS RIGHTS workshop is being offered about renters’ rights, eviction prevention and landlord obligation and community resources. The workshop is set for February 17 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Zoom for session on tenants rights. A day
workshop on tenants’ rights is also being offered on February 24 at 11 a.m. To register, contact Carly Bowie at 416-252-6471 ext. 275 or email: carlyb@lampchc.org. You can also register at https://bit.ly/33CKeG3
BLACK HISTORY MONTH Confronting Anti-Black Racism on February 17 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom. Join in an engaging discussion on confronting Anti-Black racism. Hear from Black leaders in the labour movement as sponsored by Toronto Community Benefits Network. Speakers include: Abdi Hagi Yusuf, of the Labour
Community Services Council, Gary Pieters, Commissioner of Ontario Human Rights
Commission, Network Executive Director Rosemarie Powell, and Andria Babbington, of
the Toronto & York Region Labour Council. Register at eventbrite.ca
LAMP IS OFFERING an online workshop on how to get onto the Toronto housing subsidy list on February 22 at 11 a.m. via Zoom to learn how to apply for (RGI) affordable housing in Toronto. To register for that program contact jasmind@lampchc.org or 416.252.6471 ext. 308.
 CHILDREN BOOKS NEEDED Haven on the Queensway is in need of GENTLY USED children’s books. From baby board books to teenage fiction. We love to keep our kid’s busy this winter!
Your books can be dropped off at our backdoor Mondays to Thursdays from 9am to 4pm. Just ring the bell and we can help you. Please NO adult books.