Almost $8,000 has been raised to help the grieving family of Adrian Hurley, who is described as the ‘best brother, loving father and beloved son.’

Adrian, 23, who grew up in the area, was remembered as an ‘adoring boyfriend and precious grandson,” in a Go Fund Me post that was created on August 28.

He was found with no vital signs on August 27 in the Thirty Ninth Street and James Street area, of Long Branch. He was rushed to hospital and pronounced dead, according to the post by Chantelle Hurley.

“Anyone who knew him knew he had the best spirit, he was always smiling no matter what was going on,” Chantelle wrote “He was the strongest person we knew.”

She said “Adrian just recently had a son who he adored more than anything I’ve ever seen.”

“He was so excited to become a father and it gave him purpose he didn’t think he had,” she said. “For us saying goodbye to him and having to live on without him is going to be the hardest thing any of us have had to do.”

He would help anyone he could without hesitation because his heart was just that big, Chantelle wrote.

“We are heartbroken that we couldn’t help him when he needed us most,” she said. “We hope to give him the most beautiful ceremony along with a grave for his friends and family to visit.”

The funds raised will go to help pay his funeral expenses and to help his newborn son.

Police in a release said Adrian was the victim of a homicide and a shooter is being sought.

He was well-liked and touched many people in the community, residents said.

“My deepest condolences to you and your family,” wrote Dynonz Hermiz on social media.  “My heart goes out to you. Sending you strength, love and peace during this hard time.”

Krista Langille wrote “rest in paradise Adrian, your smile and spirit will always live on.”

“We are heartbroken to hear of your loss,” wrote Kate and Emma Wallis. “We’re sending so much love and courage to get you through this impossibly difficult time.”

 

 

 

Many area residents have seen the bright, colourful native artwork of well-known New Toronto Indigenous artist Philip Cote in their travels in and around the city.

Cote, who has been living in South Etobicoke for more than 20-years, is an Anishinaabe-Algonquin painter, historian and young spiritual elder, whose works of art are sought after these days.

There has been a resurgence of interest in his work from outraged Canadians after the bodies of native children were found at some residential schools.

The native Sundancer, pipe carrier and sweat ceremony leader, has been working on a traffic signal box in the Kipling Ave. and Lake Shore Blvd. W. area for a week. He expects to finish the painting next week.

This painting tells the story of a gathering of Indigenous leaders in 1813 to discuss ways to block the attacking English at Lake Ontario. The art tells a story of a meeting that occurred about 200 years ago as native leaders planned to stop the advancing troops.

Cote pays meticulous attention to detail and research before getting down to work.  His drawings are based on traditional storytelling, cosmology and oral history.

The artist, who hails from Moose Deer Point First Nation in Ontario, is said “draws upon his traditional storytelling and cosmology to communicate Indigenous history and knowledge independent of colonial narratives.”

He has painted more than 30 large and small images across the city and is proud of his work in taking the message to the next level for indigenous people. He did not have this sort of native art growing up and “wanted Indigenous community members to see reflections of themselves through his works across the city and to know they are home.”

As a graduate of Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) University’s art media and design master’s program, Cote explored Indigenous identity by studying the history of Indigenous leaders and peoples.

Cote has been involved in a number of murals in the Etobicoke area over the years. At Old Mill Road at Humber Park, he transformed the subway bridge into an outdoor gallery with 10 murals that depict different periods of Indigenous history.

In another traffic signal box entitled Etobicoke. “The art work tells the story of the land and it’s history with the Alder trees and the Algonquin peoples,” Cote explains. ”Etobicoke means the “place of the Alders” these trees were the first to bring shelter to the landscape after the Ice age to protect the soil from erosion and give shelter to the flora and fauna.”

Cote’s great-grandfather is the great- grandson of Tecumseh, and he is engaged in exploring the importance of the Shawnee leaders’ life and spirit. His work: Tecumseh, A Portrait, Dismantling the Myth, included a series of posters of Indigenous leaders and heroes spanning 350 years of resistance to colonialism.

Philip has won a number of Toronto Association of Business Improvement Area (TABIA) awards for his public Street Art Murals across the City of Toronto.

 

Police stopped another shipment of drugs destined to our streets.

It was a deadly cat and mouse drama being played out on the high seas as cunning international drug dealers with a heavy load of cocaine on a sailboat tried to outrun Canadian cops.

As Quebec RCMP moved in to intercept the sailboat off the coast of Nova Scotia on September 2, the drug smugglers set the boat on fire in a bid to destroy the evidence and burn the 552 kilograms of cocaine on board, which is worth an estimated $70 million on the streets of Toronto.

The RCMP said they managed to extinguish the blaze and seized the cocaine.

Police said they were searching for a small sailboat suspected of smuggling the cocaine to Canada from the Caribbean island of Antigua. It can take as long as a month by boat to make the 3,550 mile trip between countries.

“Once a sailboat meeting the description was spotted, our officers approached to intercept,” according to a RCMP marine patrol. “As they approached, smoke was observed and a fire rapidly spread throughout the sailboat.”

Officers assigned to control the fire “noticed packages floating in the cabin, with packaging, shape and size similar to cocaine packages seized in the past.”

A 38-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., and a 32-year-old man from Antigua, were arrested and charged with conspiracy to import narcotics and other offences.

Police said the Antiguan man, identified as Karin Marley Simons, escaped from officers while receiving care in hospital and is still at large.

It is believed Simons may be trying to return to his native Antigua.

 

 

 

 

Long Branch area business owners are bracing for another financial hit to their bottom line as a major watermain replacement project along Lake Shore Blvd. W., has been postponed until January.

The watermain replacement was slated to begin this month, but will start in January 2022 and run until the summer, according to a City of Toronto Project Update.

The construction work will run from Twenty Fourth Street to 56-meters west of Thirty Second Street on Lake Shore Blvd. W., and also on Twenty Ninth Street, city officials said.

A notice of the new dates has been sent out to Long Branch businesses, who fear they may lose their street parking and that Lake Shore Blvd. W., will be reduced to one lane due to construction.

Most businessmen have complained that they took a loss during COVID-19 and now they stand to lose more business and customers from the construction and lack of parking.

“Before water main construction begins, the contractor may arrange for minor preparatory works such as utility locates, pre-construction property condition surveys and sewer investigations,” according to the Project Update.

The contractor will be responsible for implementing COVID-19 mitigation practices on the site, residents were assured. And  affected properties will receive a construction notice two weeks before the work begins.

“Word in the boulevard and in front of homes and commercial properties is expected,” according to the City. “This work includes removing and replacing driveways, municipal sidewalks and grass boulevards where necessary.”

The City-hired contractor may need access to the interior and exterior of some homes to compete a pre-construction survey, according to the city.

They city every year replaces about 3,000 substandard water service pipes during planned capital construction projects, such as road, sewer and watermain work. Pipes are considered substandard if they are leaking or broken, deemed smaller than standard size, servicing more than one home

or made of lead or galvanized steel.

The City replaces the City-owned portion of the pipe from the watermain to the property line. Homeowners are responsible for replacing the private portion that runs from the property line into the home.

If you live in a home built before the mid-1950s, it is strongly recommended that you replace the private portion of the pipe to reduce your exposure to lead in drinking water, city officials said.

Anyone with questions is asked to call Field Ambassador Karo Oguma at 647-299-8601 or 311.

 

City officials are working to lessen loud motorcycle noise.

Super loud motorcycle and vehicle noise have been a constant source of complaints by residents of Humber Bay Shores and other Toronto areas.

City officials say they continue to receive complaints regarding “excessive noise from motorcycles, which is often a result of speeding.”

To help lessen motorcycle noise, Municipal Licensing and Standards have a dedicated Noise Enforcement Team that have partnered with Toronto Police to stage an event so riders can see if sound levels are within acceptable limits.

The event will take place at the Etobicoke Civic Centre this month to highlight and share information on the loud noise and what to do about it.

Police said no tickets will be given out and all riders are welcome.

City officials said online that while the Noise Bylaw prohibits unnecessary noise, bylaw enforcement officers do not have the authority to pull over vehicles in motion.

This specific authority is granted to Toronto Police under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act (HTA), who also have jurisdiction over speeding.

Join them on September 30, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall.

 

You may have to leave home a little bit earlier this weekend if you are taking the subway.

There will be no subway service on Line 2 between Kipling and Islington stations on Saturday, September 4 and Sunday, September 5, 2021 for structure and signal maintenance. Shuttle buses will operate.

All stations will remain open for people to load their PRESTO card or purchase PRESTO Tickets and connect to surface routes.

As Islington is not yet an accessible station, customer travelling westbound on Line 2 who require an accessible connection should exit the train at Royal York Station and see any TTC customer service employee for assistance.

Customers should note that masks or face coverings are mandatory when travelling on the TTC (exemptions apply). More information on how to wear a mask properly.

 

With weeks before the September 20 federal elections, things are heating up here in our community.

Two virtual all candidate meetings are set for next week for those following the tight race, which is starting to pick up for the party leaders.

One meeting is for September 7 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and the other on September 9 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and is sponsored by the Daily Bread Food Bank. Please see the posters attached.

 

 

Members of the Polish community gathered to celebrate the 41^st anniversary of the Solidarity movement, which would form the government of their country.

The movement was kept alive by Polish nationals living in Canada and in other countries during some tough times.

Tribute was paid to Chris Korwin Kuczynski and his late father, Zbigniew, who kept the protest alive for months in front of the Consulate General of Poland, on Lake Shore Blvd. W., as attention for Solidarity grew worldwide.

Also being honoured is outgoing Consul General Krzysztof Grzelczyk, whom some members of the community claim was the “best Consul-General they have had in Canada.”

Grzelczyk, and his wife, are returning to Warsaw this month after four years in Toronto.

MPP Christine Hogarth and Mississauga Centre MP Natalia Kusendova were among those taking part in the August 31 ceremony.

Hogarth said she is working with the community to establish a Polish Heritage Day Month to take place next May.

Solidarity is a trade union founded in August 1980 at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland. It was the first independent trade union to be recognised by the state.

The union’s membership peaked at 10 million in September 1981, representing one-third of the country’s working-age population.

Solidarity’s leader Lech Wałęsa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and the union is widely recognised as having played a central role in the end of communist rule in Poland.

 

Polish government attempts in the early 1980s to destroy the union through the imposition of martial law in Poland and the use of political repression failed. Operating underground, with significant financial support from the Vatican and the U.S., the union survived and by the later 1980s had entered into negotiations with the government.

The 1989 talks between the government and the Solidarity-led opposition produced an agreement for the 1989 elections, the country’s first pluralistic election since 1947. By the end of August, a Solidarity-led coalition government was formed and in December 1990, Wałęsa was elected President of Poland.

 

 

SEPTEMBER 1 – 30 Humber Valley Art Club presents
Our Blue Planet: Juried Show and Sale, a fundraiser for Endangered Canadian Wildlife, at Neilson
Park Creative Centre, 56 Neilson Drive. The show
will give local artists a chance to show and sell their
paintings while raising funds for the WWF Canada.
For more information call 416-622-5294 or
info@neilsonparkcreativecentre.com
SEPTEMBER 2 – 4 is the 9th Annual Latin Festival
2021 celebrating Latin America culture in the City
of Toronto. The virtual event will feature Jazz FM
radio host Laura Fernandez, Afro-Cuban Junonominated artist trumpet virtuoso Alexis Baro and
Juno winner Hilario Duran to name a few. Visit
www.latinfestival.ca or Facebook or YouTube.
Thursday 2 – 7 p.m., Friday 3 – 7 p.m. and Saturday 4 to 7 p.m.
SEPTEMBER 14 By The Lake Book Club and The
Assembly Hall invites you to join journalist and antiracist activist Desmond Cole as he talks about his
book The Skin We’re In and pulls back the curtains
on Canada’s systemic inequities. It is a Virtual Club
event that starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5.
For tickets or more information visit
assemblyhall.ca
SEPTEMBER 14 Sleepy Hollow Golf Club Staying on
Course Charity Golf Classic for the Jean Tweed
Centre, which for 35 years has been providing support, services and a safe place for those who need
it the most. This is their largest fundraiser and proceeds will help women and their families. For further information and register please visit
www.stayingoncourse.ca. To support their work go
to www.jeantweed.com
WEDNESDAYS SEPTEMBER 8, 15, October 27 LAMP
Community Health Centre Intro to Mindfulness.
Corin De Souza provides evidence-based Mindfulness program and workshops. She is a Certified
Mindfulness teacher through the Canadian College
of Educators. Online workshops Wednesdays at 7
p.m. To register contact jasmind@lampchc.org or
call 416 252 6471 ext. 308.
SEPTEMBER 17 is the 22nd Annual LAMP Awards of
Merit Call for Nominations. Nominate someone today who has gone beyond a call of duty to make a
difference in the community. Deadline for nomination is September 17. For more information visit
lampchc.org or contact Jasmin Dooh at 416-252-
6471 ext. 308.
SEPTEMBER 18 Humber Bay Shores 24th Annual
Waterfront Clean-up from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Meet at
8:45 a.m. at Humber Bay Park in front of Eden
Trattoria or Humber Bay Park West to pick up your
gloves and bags. Dress appropriately and COVID19 protocols being followed.
SEPTEMBER 18 Long Branch Neighbourhood Association Tree for Tree 10 a.m. To 1 p.m. At Colonel
Samuel Smith Park. Register by Sept. 12.
SEPTEMBER 20 Community Update. Join a virtual
public meeting to address the opoid overdoses in
City Shelters. Members of the public are invited to
learn about iPHARE-the Integrated Prevention and
Harm Reduction Initiative. Visit Toronto
Toronto.caiPHARE
SEPTEMBER 20 PLEASE DONT FORGET to vote today
in our federal elections as we select a new leader.
The candidates include Justin Trudeau, leader of
the Liberal Party, Erin O’Toole leader of the Progressive Conservative party, Jagmeet Singh, of the
New Democrats and Green Party’s Annamie Paul.
Elections Canada website will be updated with results on election day. Visit elections.ca.
HELP HAITI YOUR DONATIONS are badly needed to
help the poor and at risk to help rebuild their
lives after a recent deadly earthquake. Donations
to the Canadian Red Cross will be used for immediate and ongoing relief efforts, long term recovery, resiliency and preparedness for future
events in Haiti. To donate visit
donate.redcross.ca or call 1-800-418-1111.
EVERY THURSDAY FROM 2 P.M. to 6 P.M. the Cooper
Mills-Gooch Community Food Bank provides
fresh groceries and essential food items every
Thursday in the Jane St. and Dundas St. W. area. Contact 416-358-0031 for more information.
NEW TO CANADA: are you a permanent resident,
convention refugee or live-in caregiver, LAMP’s
Settlement Support Services offers information,
orientation, referral to community services, employment assistance, English as a second language and all the skills you need to succeed.
Call Tali at 416-252-9701 ext. 283 or email
tali@lampchc.org.
MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY FREE emergency food
takeout meals continue to be offered from 9:30
a.m. to 11:30 p.m. through LAMP’s adult drop-in
program. Group programs are closed.
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 protocols are in place.
For more call 416-231-7070 ext 307.
ARTS ETOBICOKE PROGRAM every Wednesday
from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at 7 Capri Road. Arts take
place in the first half and a dance segment in the
second half. Visit our website for more information at www.artsetobicoke.com
FREE CHIROPODY SERVICES for those who qualify
at LAMP- Open for new patients who are prediabetic or diabetic. Contact 416-252-6471 ext. 262.
Getting Involved
READ HISTORIAN Michael Harrison who has
been researching the history of Mimico and New
Toronto since the 1990s.
http://mimicohistory.blogspot.co
http://mimicoestates.blogspot.com/
http://mimicosoldiers.blogspot.com/
http://lostcreeksofsouthetobicoke.blogspot.com/
http://humberbaysoldiers.blogspot.com/
http://newtorontosoldiers.blogspot.com/