South Etobicoke has always been known for our top swimmers, from Marilyn Bell who swam across Lake Ontario to those making a name for themselves today.

It is no surprise that Etobicoke Swim Club’s Summer McIntosh will be among the youngest member of the Canadian Olympic team competing at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games this month.

McIntosh, 14, a Grade 10 Student at Silverthorn Collegiate, is making a name for herself in elite swimming.

She narrowly edged Rio Olympic star Penny Oleksiak in June in the 200 metre freestyle finals and won herself a spot on the Olympic team.

Oleksiak later described McIntosh as “all gas, no brakes.”

“I know going into races, she’s going to go, go, go,” says Oleksiak of McIntosh. “I love her work ethic. She’s really strong in and out of the pool mentally.”

Swimming Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have said 26 swimmers will represent our country in Tokyo. There will be 16 females and 10 males.

Three Etobicoke Swim Club swimmers including; Katrina Bellio, Ruslan Zaziev and McIntosh will be competing in Tokyo. Etobicoke has placed 31 swimmers on Canadian Olympic Teams since 1956.

“One of Silverthorn Collegiate Institute’s own Grade 10 students, Summer McIntosh is on her way to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics,” tweeted school principal, Sam Iskandar. “Congrats for swimming and placing first in Olympics qualifers. Proud moment.”

Etobicoke swim experts say McIntosh appears to be following the success of her mother, the former Jill Horstead, a 1984 Canadian Olympic swimmer, and former All-American swimmer who attended the University of Florida.

“The genetics are such that McIntosh, based on what she has been able to accomplish so far, certainly has the potential to be even better,” one official said.

McIntosh is described as “an extremely talented swim teenage sensation … nothing short of unbelievable.”

She was named Swim Ontario Athlete of the Month after her record breaking performances at the Spring Ontario Swimming Championships.

Bellio and McIntosh had been teammates for several years at Etobicoke, one of the top teams in Canada, before McIntosh made the jump to the Toronto High Performance Centre.

Bellio won the 1,500 freestyle at the Canadian Olympic Trials, with a time of more than two seconds required for her to pack her bags for the Tokyo Olympics.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Bellio said. “I’m still in shock. It’s incredible to be 16 years old and be nominated for the Olympics.”

Gasviev, 21, finished third in the 100-metre freestyle in the 2021 Canadian Olympic swimming trials that qualified him for Tokyo.

The Summer Olympics are set for July 23 to August 8 in Tokyo.

The Etobicoke Swim Club was founded in 1954. Its goals are to support young people with the drive, determination, talent and desire, to realize their maximum potential in competitive swimming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On July 1^st, the Toronto Sign will be lit orange in solidarity with Indigenous communities across Canada, and official flag poles at City Hall will be flown at half-mast as people across Canada continue to honour the Indigenous children whose lives were taken, and as Canadians reflect on the tragedy of residential schools.

I hope that we can all take this day to learn more about Canada’s history and relationship with Indigenous communities, and consider how we can help advance truth and reconciliation. More information is available from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: https://nctr.ca/.

Here are the highlights of what’s allowed under the Step 2:

• Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 25 people;
• Indoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 5 people;
• Essential and other select retail permitted at 50 per cent capacity;
• Non-essential retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity;
• Personal care services where face coverings can be worn
  

  OXYGEN BIKES to stay healthy and fit this season on the trail.

  at all times, and at 25 per cent capacity and other restrictions;

• Outdoor dining with up to 6 people per table, with exceptions for larger households and other restrictions;
• Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at up to 25 per cent capacity of the particular room;
• Outdoor fitness classes limited to the number of people who can maintain 3 metres of physical distance;
• Outdoor sports without contact or modified to avoid contact, with no specified limit on number of people or teams participating, with restrictions;
• Overnight camps for children operating in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health;
• Outdoor sport facilities with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity;
• Outdoor concert venues, theatres and cinemas, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity;
• Outdoor horse racing and motor speedways, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity;
• Outdoor fairs, rural exhibitions, festivals, permitted at 25 per cent capacity and with other restrictions.

 

And just like that. With the stroke of a pen. All concerts, major events like summer blockbuster concerts and stage shows which makes Toronto famous are gone.

The high-profile events, like Toronto International Film Festival, Molson Indy, Toronto Caribbean Carnival and others that attract visitors from around the world have been cancelled for a second year as we fight COVID-19.

Our local South Etobicoke stages will remain silent again as we ride out the variants and support our local businesses.

There are also the many garden and floral displays, boat, home shows and attractions slated for the Mimico Square stage which may be scaled back, held virtually, or just disappear.

Many more residents have taken to walking or cycling in the parks with their family and loved ones as a means of getting out and enjoying fresh air.

At the same time, police anti COVID-19 teams have arrested more than 1,000 people in banned public gatherings. They were busy for the fireworks displays and traffic chaos on Victoria Day long weekend at Humber Bay Shores. Videos shows piles of garbage left in the parks and beaches.

Many parents are shell-shocked wondering what to do and how to entertain the kids with events cancelled. I am most disappointed over the loss of my favourite, the Caribbean Carnival, which takes place in late August and usually attracts a million revellers yearly.

I miss the colourful costumes, dancers, calypso singers and steel pan players. I can already taste the flavourful street food, as roti or jerk chicken dishes.  It was also a time to catch up with old friends who I hadn’t seen for years.

The festival, which has been ongoing for more than 50-years, attracted many people from the Caribbean as well as thousands more from the U.S., who travelled here yearly to enjoy themselves.

Every hotel room in the city is filled at Caribana time, with officials estimating at least $400 million spent by visitors in the local economy.

All the nightclubs, restaurants and dance halls were jammed with after-hours partiers, sucking up the Caribana experience.

Many are also concerned that after two years of cancellations, some of the events may not return. There is already petitions online with thousands of signatures to save the CNE after 142-years. There are fears the iconic festival may not return due to a lack of funding and loss of sponsors.

In our second year of COVID-19 lockdowns and with businesses and other services to reopen this month, many people cannot wait to be able to visit and gather with their loved ones.

Local bicycle shops, like Oxygen Bike Co., admit there is even a shortage of bicycles due to supply and demand as more people take up the sport. All that are available are the expensive bikes.

“Most of our bikes are sold out,” says Oxygen owner Shawn Fitzpatrick. “It’s all about supply and demand.”

Not to rub it in, but also cancelled due to the virus are the popular: Afrofest, Salsa in Toronto, 49^th Annual Festival of India, Bloor West StreetFest, Beaches Jazz Festival, Taste of Danforth, Toronto Chinatown Festival, Labour Day Parade and the many other smaller community festivals in the area.

This summer will not be different than last in that we are told to remain indoors, socially distance and wear our masks. Grin and bear it, we are reminded. There are better days a’coming. I sure hope so.

 

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