LINCOLN ALEXANDER was a genuine Canadian trailblazer. Courtesy photos.

From poverty to royalty, Lincoln MacCauley Alexander has experienced many firsts in his distinguished life.

His many deeds as we mark Black History Month in February continue to inspire generations of African, Caribbean and Black people across Canada and the world.

It is no surprise that his birthday on January 21 is recognized across Canada as Lincoln Alexander Day.

Alexander was born in Toronto on January 21, 1922. His father was a carpenter by trade but worked as a railway porter for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Back then working as a railway porter was one of the few good jobs for which Blacks were hired. His mother toiled as a maid.

“Linc” as he was commonly called, worked as a machinist in a Hamilton-based factory after the Second World War making anti-aircraft guns for the war effort despite being too young to enlist.

He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 and served as a corporal until 1945 working as a wireless operator in World War II.

Throughout his life and career, Alexander tackled racism and inequity often risking career and professional advancement in the process.

Once, while stationed in Vancouver, he was refused service at a bar because of his race. He reported the incident to his superior officer who refused to take action.

Alexander subsequently quit the Air Force, leaving with an honourable discharge.

The veteran earned a Bachelor of Arts from McMaster University in 1949 and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1953.

He became the first Black person to be elected to Canada’s House of Commons where he represented Hamilton West for 12 year. He was so popular that he was re-elected four times.

Alexander in 1979 was appointed Minister of Labour by Prime Minister Joe Clark and became the first Black Canadian to serve as a federal Cabinet Minister.

He was sworn in as the 24^th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and served from 1985 to 1991. Alexander played an integral role in the fight for equity, diversity and inclusion in Canadian Society.

He was a passionate advocate for the advancement of education and served as Chancellor of the University of Guelph and Chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. He was also a Chair of the Workers’ Compensation Board.

Alexander died on October 19, 2012. Lincoln Alexander Day was launched in 2015.

In 2006, he was named the “Greatest Hamilitonian of All Time,”  and there are schools in Hamilton, Ajax and Mississauga that bear his name as well as the expressway in Hamilton.

CHARGES HAVE been filed against Graydon Metcalfe, of Toronto. Toronto Police photo.

Toronto Police are warning parents to be vigilant with their children as they return to school.

The warning stems from an arrest on January 18 of a man who tried to sexually assault a 13-year-old girl on a downtown TTC streetcar.

Police said the girl was on board a northbound streetcar in the Bathurst and Ulster Streets area about 5:25 p.m. when the incident occurred.

Officers allege the girl was approached by a stranger.

“He exposed himself to her,” police said in a release. “He motioned for her to touch him.”

Police said the quick-thinking teen activated the passenger assistance alarm.

Graydon Metcalfe, 38, of Toronto, was charged with invitation to sexual touching under 16 and indecent exposure to a person under 16.

He appeared by video at Old City Hall on January 19.
Police said this is an on-going investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-1400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

This May will mark 41 years since global Jamaican reggae icon Bob Marley passed away.

Marley passed away on May 6, 1981 and his music is still fresh and popular more than four decades later. His tunes are discovered by a new generation of listeners.

This year the 16^th Annual Bob Marley Birthday Celebration and Food Drive Livestream will take place on February 6 in support of the Parkdale Community Food Bank.
The free show, which is being staged by NuFunk Concerts in association Rasta Fest & Uma Noto, will be streamed on May 6 from BSMT 245 in Toronto from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

NuFunk in a release said the show is the longest-running Bob Marley tribute in Canada and ‘one of the hottest local reggae concerts of the year.’

“The event showcases the best of Canada’s reggae music scene while raising essential food donations for the Parkdale Food Bank,” organizers said.

The show will feature veteran soul-reggae singer Jay Douglas, who collaborates with up-and-coming reggae collective Reggaddiction to reinterpret Bob Marley & The Wailers material and perform original material.

The Livestream will feature pre-recorded live performances of reggae musicians from across Canada as well as DJs exploring Marley’s vast catalogue.

The Parkdale Community Food Bank is a grassroots organization, founded by volunteers in 2007 and serving 4,700 people each.

The much loved dreadlock musician died at the young age of 36.

He was diagnosed with acral lentinginous melanoma in 1977 and died as a result of the illness.

His fans around the world expressed their grief, and he received a state funeral in Jamaica. The greatest hits album Legend was released in 1984, and became the best selling reggae album of all time, with estimated sales of more than 75 million records worldwide.

He was posthumously honoured by Jamaica soon after his death with a designated Order of Merit.  In 1994, he was inducted into the Rock of Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked him No. 11 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

For more info contact jay@nufunk.ca

GIVING BACK CANADA team taking bags of food items to a thankful family. Photos courtesy of Giving Back Canada.

Etobicoke’s Taylor Lyons and a team of volunteers in these challenging times are working to help those who are hungry or needy in the community – one family at a time.

Taylor, 28, is the founder of a non-profit organization called Giving Back Canada, which works to promote unity and helping each other in our communities.

SOME OF THE CLOTHING items donated by Giving Back Canada gets snapped up by grateful men and women.

“We do this by providing food and basic necessities to families struggling with food insecurity in Etobicoke and the Greater Toronto Area,” she says.

They have a list of more than 50 families to whom they provide groceries and other necessities monthly for free. She said the needs are much higher though.

“We help feed more than 20 families alone in the South Etobicoke area,” Taylor explains. “We get their grocery list, buy the food and take it to them every month.”

GIVING BACK CANADA was founded by Taylor Lyons and provides food items for more than 50 families monthly, including 21 in Etobicoke.

She says the families, with children, are mostly newcomers, needy and require help with food, for which prices are rising and is one of the most expensive necessities.

Taylor said most of their funds for the programs are raised from supporters on social media.

The initiative began in 2017, when they raised $800 by Christmas Eve and were able to provide food and clothing for the homeless in downtown Toronto.

The next year, they raised another $7,000 online to continue to feed the needy and homeless.

A HAPPY MOM and child are glad to receive the help.

“The families we help include those struggling with loss of income, no transportation, and isolation due to higher susceptibility to COVID-19,” Taylor notes.

In May 2020, Giving Back Canada raised $16,000 in just 10 days mostly again on social media to provide free groceries for those in dire need.

With these funds, they decided to partner with The Good Neighbour Project, a voluntary food delivery service that provided them with emergency case families.

Last December the charity hosted its first ever in-person fundraising event and raised $9,000 to help others. They also organized an online 12-days of giving campaign, which raised $17,000.

She said the charity is looking at extending its efforts to help others across Canada, and then internationally.

You can get in touch with Giving Back Canada by e-mail at givingbackcanada@gmail.com, on its website at www.givingbackcanada.net or phone 647-309-5889.

Police say online dating hoaxes, suspicious retailers, bogus tech support, government imposters and fake e-mail solicitations remain the top five online fraud scams in the last year.

In online dating scams cyber criminals use dating apps or social media to strike up conversations with potential targets. After cultivating a relationship and earning your trust, they will need funds for a plane ticket, or other expense, and ask you to wire money or buy a gift card to help pay for it.

Police warn never to send money or buy gift cards for someone you have never met.

Suspicious retailers usually set up a fake store online, on social media, which offer products at the cheapest prices for items you may need. The thieves get you at check out since they may not use a trusted source of payment and have direct access to your information.

Police say if the deals seems too good to be true, it probably is. Do some research talk to people or search the company.

Beware of the good old bogus tech support scam, where you receive a request by e-mail, pop-up window or phone call from a tech support claiming your computer has malware. They ask for payment to fix the defects.

Police warn to hang up if someone calls. Install the latest updates or take your computer to a reputable store. Software companies do not initiate support calls.

In the government imposters file you receive a request from someone claiming to be a U.S. government agency urging you to settle a debt right away, or pay money to receive some sort of federal funds or to verify your personal information.

They claim you can be arrested or lose your home or your Social Security benefits withheld.

Police warn that the federal government will not phone or email you to pay back debt with untraceable prepaid debit, gift card or wired transfer.

Fraudulent e-mail solicitations advise you about working at home or buy cheap services or your account will be deactivated. You are asked to immediately send money or for account information.

If you receive a suspicious e-mail, be cautious about opening any attachments or clicking on links within it. If you do have an account with the company purportedly sending the email, log in directly to the company’s homepage.

You are asked to contact police or your financial institution right away if you wired money so it can stop payment.

How to avoid online scams

Make the Right Call

Condo Safety Tips

The West Point Inn, at 1 Lake Shore Road, Mimico.

Mimico back in the day had a nice beachy feel to it.

Area resident, newsman and editor Ian Robertson spotted these historic postcards on eBay of Mimico as it was more than 50 years ago.

A FINE EXTENSION of the motel to accommodate more visitors.

ONE OF A NUMBER of extensions made to The West Point over time as times and people changed.

It shows the long-gone Westpoint Motel from and restaurant,  located at 1 Lakeshore Rd., Mimico.

SUN TOWN MIMICO attracted many tourists and visitors back in the day. The beach looks very appealing. 

ADRIANO “The King of Lasagna’ COOKS another lasagna that will be gone soon to thankful customers. Photo by Tom Godfrey.

Long Branch’s Adriano’s Pizza and Pasta boasts of having the fastest-selling and tastiest lasagna and pasta in Etobicoke.

“Sold out every day,” is how owner Adrian Stolaj describes his tasty lasagna. “See, no more. People order and pick up for themselves and family.”

ADRIANO SAYS all his lasagna and pasta are made with love and lots of cheese and meat.

Stolaj says food lovers travel from across the city to his 3329 Lake Shore Blvd. W. takeout restaurant.

“The food is great. I had one lady come here from downtown Toronto to get 20 servings,” he smiles. “She left me a $50 tip. Imagine that.”

Sales was not always this hot for the popular Long Branch pizza maker. A fire at his store about a month ago set him back a few days of business and a loss.

But his loyal fans could not wait.

SO GOOD!

A Go Fund Me page created by customers Jackie Goodman and Lisa Davis raised more than $8,000 from foodies across the country and the U.S. to help rebuild the store, which is known for helping area charities or people in need.

Stolaj says he is touched by the outpouring of support that he has received.

“One guy called from California to give some money,” he recalls. “It turned out the guy went to Humber College and had a good experience.”

The caller made a sizeable donation in U.S. funds.

He thanks 850 Degrees Pizzeria, at 3455 Lake Shore Blvd. W., for taking a collection from its staff and customers to help repair the shop.

An area businessperson, whom Stolaj has never met, donated a $6,000 pizza-prep table. “It still had the plastic on the counter,” he says.

Another customer kicked in a large microwave that will receive good use.

“The little children from nearby James S. Bell Middle School donated change and their lunch money,” he says. “It was very touching.”

Stolaj would like to thank all the customers and others who helped him get back on his feet after being set back by the blaze.

The store can be reached at 416-792-4074.

SUSPECTS in Lake Shore Blvd. W. convenience store trying to pass stolen credit card. Halton Police photo.

Merchants in the Lakeshore Blvd. W. area are being warned of thieves trying to use stolen credit cards to purchase goods or obtain cash in small mom and pop stores.

Halton Regional Police say the cards were stolen on January 6 about 4:30 a.m. during multiple thefts from unlocked vehicles in the area of Melvin Avenue and Chartwell Road in Oakville.

“During one theft a wallet containing bank cards was stolen,” police said in a release. “ The stolen bank cards were utilized to make fraudulent purchases a short time later at several convenience stores along Lakeshore Boulevard West in Etobicoke.”

Detectives have released photos of some of the suspects involved.

One man is described as wearing glasses, a blue and black winter jacket with a black hoodie underneath (pulled up), black pants and black and white shoes. The suspect was wearing a black mask.

Another man was wearing a black-hooded jacket, black pants and black shoes.  The suspect was wearing a black mask or balaclava under his hoodie.

The suspects may be associated to a stolen black 2017 Volvo CX90 with Ontario licence plate PHENIX88, according to police.  They believe the vehicle may have also used in the armed robbery of a Circle K convenience store in Milton.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Halton Police 1 District Criminal Investigations Bureau at 905-825-4777 ext. 2416.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers. “See something? Hear something? Know something? Contact Crime Stoppers” at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or through the web at www.haltoncrimestoppers.ca.

PÄSSENGERS on a GO Bus suffered minor injuries after they were hit by a car whose driver fled on foot. Global TV photo.

Police are searching for a driver who fled on foot after more than a dozen people sustained injuries in a crash on the Gardiner Expressway.

Police and emergency crews were called on January 12 to the westbound lanes of the highway near Islington Avenue, just before 9 p.m., after reports of a multi-vehicle collision involving a GO Transit bus.

Police say it appears a car had been speeding and interacted with other vehicles before it flipped over.

Another vehicle swerved to avoid the car and hit a GO Bus carrying passengers.

Police say the driver of the flipped car, who may have been wounded, fled the scene on foot.

Another driver became trapped in their vehicle and had to be extricated at the scene.

None of the 16 people checked for injuries at the scene were taken to hospital.

The missing driver is the second in just over three months to flee on foot following a bad crash on the Gardener.

Last October the driver of an Audi bolted after a crash that left a 58-year-old woman dead and another person injured.

That collision happened nearby at the exit for Islington Avenue.

In that crash, a driver of a white 2015 Audi R8 sports car rear-ended a grey Nissan, causing the Nissan to hit the median guard rail and flip over also leaving a woman trapped.

Both drivers who took off are still on the run.

POLICE warn to keep an eye on your Apple products at Sherway.

Police are warning shoppers purchasing Apple products at the upscale Sherway Gardens Mall to be very careful with their purchases.

Officers from 22 Division have tweeted that thieves are actively targeting shoppers purchasing Apple products at the huge mall.

THIEVES follow customers to their cars to steal their purchases, police say.

Officers have received multiple complaints of shoppers who have had Apple goods stolen from their vehicles.

“The perpetrators stole the Apple products after they were left in cars while customers continued shopping elsewhere,” according to a police tweet.

Shoppers are being reminded to remove any items they do not want stolen from their vehicles.

“They can’t steal what’s not there,” according to the tweet. “Always take anti-theft precautions.”

They said an anti-theft alarm will improve your chances of being robbed.