Preparations are underway to install the former Eighth Street Cenotaph that sat outside Royal Canadian Legion Branch 3 for more than 30-years in time for Remembrance Day next Wednesday.

The granite monument was recently moved to Colonel Samuel Smith Park, in the Lake Shore Blvd. and Kipling Ave. area.

Crews have been working long hours to install the monument that is shielded by sheets of wood near Lake Shore Blvd. W.

Hundreds of people are expected on November 11 to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and 100-years of marking Remembrance Day with a public ceremony.

Councillor Mark Grimes says he has been working with City Staff to “ensure that flag poles will be installed alongside the Cenotaph in time for Remembrance Day.”

“Remembrance Week is a time when Torontonians can reflect on those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and honour all Canadians who have fought and continue to fight for peace,” said Mayor John Tory, as he proclaimed November 5 to 11 Remembrance Week.

He said this year commemorations will be held virtually in keeping with public health advice against in-person gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City of Toronto encourages the public to observe this year’s Remembrance Day commemorations virtually at home or at work.

“The City will ensure appropriate respect and honour is paid by placing wreaths at the City’s cenotaphs on behalf of various organizations,” Tory said.

Many activities are planned for Remembrance Day including: the Toronto sign and the City Hall Towers will be lit in red on November 11, virtual ceremonies will be available by broadcast media and the City’s YouTube channel all week, all Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) vehicles will stop for two minutes on November 11 at 11 a.m. and “Lest We Forget” window cards will be placed in TTC vehicles.

There will also be commemorative posts on the City’s official Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts during the week, the public can show support for veterans and commemorate Remembrance Day by using the City’s Poppies Facebook.

The Toronto Archives’ 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War web exhibit shares the history of Canada’s participation in the Second World War through historical images from the time: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/access-city-information-or-records/city-of-toronto-archives/whats-online/web-exhibits/first-second-world-wars/75th-anniversary-of-the-end-of-the-second-world-war/

The World Wars section of the Toronto Archives’ Black History in Toronto page provides information about Black Canadians’ participation in World Wars:   https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/access-city-information-or-records/city-of-toronto-archives/using-the-archives/research-by-topic/black-history-in-toronto/

In addition, artifacts from Fort York National Historic Site, Canada’s largest collection of original War of 1812 buildings and an 1813 battlefield, can be seen online through the Toronto History Museums Artifact Collection. Search “Remembrance Day” on the web page to view commemorative items, including Remembrance Day programs, proclamations and photos, and military medals and uniforms. https://toronto.minisisinc.com/scripts/mwimain.dll?logon&application=COLLECTIONS&language=144&file=%5BCOT_OPAC%5Dhome.html 

 

 

 

 

Toronto Police officers from 22 Division are collecting toys and food in their annual Cram A Cruiser drive to help needy children and their families.

Officers on November 7 were parked outside a Loblaws grocery store, at 300 The East Mall, with a vehicle that within hours was almost filled with goodies for many at-risk children.

Helpful shoppers arrived with bags of items that were placed in a police van.

“You have to help the kids at this time of the year,” one woman said as she gave a bag of items to Const. Jas Mrahar.

The gifts were delivered on November 8 to St. Margaret’s Church, on Sixth Street, which has many community outreach programs.

Mrahar said toys and non-perishable food can also be dropped off at 22 Division when open. He said officers will be back for another toy and food drive on December 13 in the Markland Woods area.

Mrahar noted there is always a need for children toys, food, clothing and other accessories.

The toys and food collection drive has been taking place annually by different police Divisions and forces for about 20-years.

The much-appreciated items are distributed to those in need in our community in time for Christmas.

St. Margaret’s Church has been serving the New Toronto, Mimico and Long Branch area for more than 114-years. The church was established in 1906.

A Toronto Police Cram A Cruiser event is raising toys and food to help the needy.

Members of 22 Division police are inviting you to help Cram A Cruiser with food and toys that will go to the less fortunate in our community.

Officers from the Division will be out today November 7, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the parking lot of Loblaws, at 380 The East Mall, in Etobicoke.

Residents are being invited to bring a toy or food and help fill a police cruiser with goodies.

The annual police drive help collect food and toys that are distributed to those in need at this time of the year.

By DAVE KOSONIC

My grandfather Robert McConkey went from the peaceful village of Priceville, Ontario, to the deadly battlefields of Europe in 1915 as a member of the Canadian Army during WW1 when he was 27 years old.

Fortunately he returned to Canada alive at the war’s end and his story has been passed down through the decades by our family.

My grandfather was known as Robbie by his fellow soldiers. His medals and a piece of shrapnel is all that’s left of him (in photo).

He was wounded during the Battle of the Somme when he lost almost the entire use of his right arm and shoulder when he was hit by German shrapnel.  He endured 16 surgeries during the following years at Christie Street Hospital in Toronto.

His wife, Anna, stayed at his bedside each time as he recovered. Medical imaging was very basic in those days so the doctors conducted exploratory surgery while attempting to detect and remove more shrapnel.

I have the final shrapnel fragment that was removed from my grandfather and I look at it as a symbol of the horrors of war and the pain and suffering that so many Canadian soldiers endured.

My uncle Jack McConkey, who recently passed away at the age of 93, had recorded his father’s WW1 experiences and often shared them with me. Apparently after grandfather was shot he laid on the muddy battlefield for about 24 hours before some his fellow soldiers could recover him due to enemy fire and the immense number of casualties.

Despite his wounds my grandfather remained conscious and he told Jack that he overheard an Army nurse discuss where they planned to bury him the next day because they thought he was near death.  Apparently that conversation motived grandfather to keep fighting for his life.

I read a letter sent to my grandfather by one of his fellow soldiers a few years after WW1 ended.  This man had seen grandfather after he was wounded and he was certain that he was going to lose his arm or die.  This former soldier found out that Robbie had returned home to Canada alive and with his arm intact and he congratulated him for being alive.

I was my grandfather’s first grandchild and I was only in his presence a few times when I was about two years old before he died. For some reason I made strange to him and decided that I didn’t like him which apparently upset him greatly.  I have always felt bad about that.

Grandfather McConkey operated the post office in Priceville after he returned home and also had a small general store in the same facility. He died of a heart attack at age 63 and the doctors suspected that his heart had likely been damaged by many infections caused by the shrapnel.

He, like the many of his colleagues who never made it home, are heroes in my eyes and that of our family. RIP Grandpa.

Smile you’re on police cam!

Officers at Toronto Police’s 22 Division say they are now equipped and hitting the streets with body worn cameras.

“We are happy to report that our 22 Division Officers are now equipped and patrolling with their individually issued Body Worn Camera (BWC),” police said on social media.

“Our officers are being equipped with BWC to enhance public trust and accountability,” they wrote. “We strongly believe that BWC will protect the Service’s reputation, provide a robust digital evidence management system for courts.”

They say it will result in increased transparency and save cost in time and resources for investigation of complaints.

Police point out that the Economist intelligence Unit – Global Liveability Index 2019 shows Toronto is in 7th place tied with Tokyo, Japan in overall stability, healthcare and education in the world?

“That’s a success!” they wrote.

Police said their mission is community safety as ‘we are dedicated to delivering police services, in partnership with our communities to keep Toronto the best and safest place to be.’

The force has purchased more than 2,000 of the body worn cameras for its frontline officers. Almost all the cameras have been rolled out to officers.

For more information on BWC visit TPS.on.ca/body-worn-cameras

 

 

The Royal Canadian Legions 2020 Poppy Campaign begins on October 30 and runs until November 11.

“Though many Canadians are struggling during this pandemic the Veterans, past and present, need your help and support now more than ever,” says poppy campaign chairperson, Tom Flockhart.

He says any support will help the Veterans throughout the entire year.

Their “tagging” locations (where volunteers stand and sell you your Poppy) have been drastically reduced this year due to the pandemic with several corporations choosing not to allow us to partake in this endeavour, Flockhart warns.

People can buy their poppy as usual at the No-Frills store at Lake Shore and Browns Line from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Volunteer Gord Noseworthy has been selling Poppies at the store for years and is there for the campaign.

The other tagging location is at Sherway Gardens in the atrium by the escalator. At the Sherway location there will be Poppy related items for sale such as masks, lapel pins, earrings and brooches.

The Sherway booth will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mon. to Sat and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Volunteers will be masked, shields will be in place, hand sanitizer will be available for volunteers and customers and tables, chairs, shields etc. will be sanitized on a regular basis.

In the past we have had up to five volunteers staffing the booth at Sherway as well as a few of our Veteran members standing throughout the mall selling Poppies, he says.

However, due to the pandemic, we are restricted to two volunteers only this year.

This, according to Flockhart, has really upset two Veteran volunteers Eric Lindsay, 95, and Stan McGowan, 90, as they too have been doing this for several years but showed up to volunteer when and if they felt like it. As we are restricted to two volunteers this year, they won’t be allowed to do that.

Poppy donation boxes will be available in several locations throughout Long Branch, Alderwood, New Toronto and Mimico and people will be able to purchase Poppies in the shops or businesses that they have gotten them in the past.

Also planned is  a “Pop-Up” sale of Poppy themed goods on October 31 or November 1.

Residents are asked to carry some cash if they are going to purchase a Poppy as less people are carrying cash these days, they warn.

 

One of Mimico’s most anticipated community events, the annual Mimico Pumpkin Parade, has been sadly cancelled due to COVID-19.

Organizers say they’ are ‘deeply saddened that we are unable to wish our Jack o Lanterns a final farewell.’

“This is one of our most anticipated community events and we are deeply saddened,” they wrote on social media.

We are asking that no pumpkins are left in the Mimico Square.

“We do encourage you to re-light them on Sunday giving them a final chance to shine,” they said.

Residents are urged to take their Jack-O-Lanterns to light at Mimico Square & Amos Waites Park on November 1 from 6 – 8:30 PM.

Please bring your own candles and lighters.

This year would have marked the 9^th annual parade and ‘family friendly’  event that was popular with area residents and sponsored by the Mimico-by-the-Lake BIA.

Guidelines surrounding the virus has prompted the cancellation of many events.

Your home is your castle.

Everyone wants to feel safe and secure in the place they call “home.” You work hard for it; you pay for it. Your beloved family lives there.

Unfortunately, for some residents, this feeling of safety and security was severely shaken when gunfire erupted in a south Etobicoke neighbourhood in early September.

About 80 gunshots were fired, in a gang-related shooting, which produced so many gun casings that the police ran out of evidence tags. When I visited the site of the shootings, I was horrified to see a childcare centre right across the street.

This is not an isolated incident: gun-related deaths are at record-high levels and other types of firearm-related violence is also on the rise.

I am proud of the Government’s work to date along with federal and local partners to launch a multi-year $106 million Guns, Gangs and Violence Reduction Strategy which is taking a comprehensive approach to public safety addressing prevention, intervention and enforcement.

As part of the government’s strategy, they are investing in initiatives including: the provincial gun and gang support unit that supports investigations and prosecutions, and improve province wide coordination; funding programs to support major investigations that involve multiple police services, to target organized crime areas that fuel gang operations such as drug, gun and human trafficking; and increased funding for community policing programs.

The Government of Ontario also continues to invest in prevention programs for communities and youth at high risk of involvement in gangs. We also announced in August that we will invest $6 million and partner with police services across the province to expand the coverage of closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems, a key tool in the fight against exactly the kind of guns and gangs and other criminal activity we saw in south Etobicoke.

But this is not enough, 80 percent of the guns used in crime are obtained by illegal means, including by smuggling across Canada’s borders. While police are working hard doing their job, we need to see the federal government step up and support them by introducing tougher penalties.

That is why in early October I introduced a Private Members Motion to the Legislature calling for the federal government to strengthen Criminal Code bail provisions for all charges related to firearms trafficking and violent gun offences, and to explore mandatory minimum sentences for gun trafficking. The motion was unanimously passed by the Legislature.

Let us be clear, possession and use of illegal firearms invariably lead to violence, often involving innocent bystanders. Keeping criminals behind bars for the duration of their sentences will go a long way to keeping our communities safer.

If you agree, I ask you to visit my website at christinehogarthMPP.ca and sign my petition. Illegal possession of firearms threatens the safety of all of us. Ontario is keen to work with Canada’s federal government and local police to address this concern.

Christine Hogarth is the MPP for Etobicoke Lakeshore and can be reached by phone at 416-259-2249 or by email at Christine.hogarth@pc.ola.org

The Royal Canadian Legion is taking the harsh step of discouraging Canadians from attending Remembrance Day ceremonies this year as COVID-19 upends the traditional ways of honouring those who sacrificed their lives for our nation.

Legion branches in South Etobicoke and across the country are scrambling to plan stripped-down versions of the annual ceremony on Nov. 11 as local governments restrict large-scale gatherings due to a surge of new COVID-19 cases.

Members of the Legion Branch 101 Long Branch said on their website that they are shut until November 6 and displayed no event planned for Remembrance Day.

Hundreds of residents yearly show up at the Long Branch Legion hall to pay their respects.

At Legion Branch 643, on Jutland Rd., there is little information available about Remembrance Day events on their website.

The City of Toronto however is staging an event at 10:45 a.m. at the Etobicoke Civic Centre Cenotaph, according to the City website.

Many of this year’s commemorations will be virtual and available through the City’s website and social media, officials say.

IN most cities, a decision has been made to cancel the parade of elderly Veterans, serving military members and school-aged cadets that has long been a fixture of the event. Age is cited for keeping out the Veterans who are considered a high risk from the virus.

In addition to not being any Canadian Armed Forces parade, there will be a reduced colour party, no members of the Cadets or Junior Rangers will be present and wreaths will be pre-positioned so no wreath bearers or assistants will be required.

Ways to participate include watching the ceremony on TV or online, wearing poppies once they become available and recognizing two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11 no matter where you are.

In Ottawa, where about 30,000 people attend the national ceremony yearly, there will be some traditional elements such as the playing of Last Post and the lament, the singing of In Flanders Fields along with the boom of cannons.

This year there will be a maximum of 100 participants in Ottawa.

Danny Martin, the Legion’s National Ceremony Director, said this is an important year to honour our Veterans since this is the 75^th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

“At a time when we have all been isolated for months by the pandemic, ensuring the symbolism of the Legion and community leaders paying homage to our Veterans is more important than ever,” he says.

There will be scaled back ceremonies by many Legion Branches across the country given the current restrictions.

The Legion will offer a Facebook Live presentation of the National Remembrance Day ceremony, and additional broadcast plans are under consideration. Please contact your local Legion Branch for the latest information.

The Legion was founded in 1925 and is Canada’s largest Veteran support and community service organization, with close to 260,000 members.

For more information visit www.royalcanadianlegion.ca