More than 200 years of combined police experience from 22 Division have been lost as six well-liked officers are among those to recently retire from the Toronto Police Service.
“We salute and wish our well-deserving retirees the best of health, happiness and peace in the next chapter of their lives,” officers said of their departing colleagues on a retirement poster.
A private retirement gala is planned for April 16.
Among those who’ve left include the popular Staff Sgt. Doug MacDonald, who has put in 30-years of service, working in a number of positions with the force.
MacDonald was thanked online by dozens of colleagues, including community residents from the Mimico By The Lake BIA and Lakeshore Village BIA.
“So glad to have worked with you in this great community,” according to a post by the Lakeshore Village BIA. “We look forward to seeing you in your new civilian role. Thank you and congratulations.”
Colleagues from 11 Division says “Doug will be missed and was a great guy to work for.”
Also gone is Det. Sgt. Joanne Rudnick, who served 31-years and 11-months on the force; many spent investigating and collaring some viscous sex crime offenders.
We will also miss Det. Barb Kohl, who over the years has helped to search for a number of missing people in the area.
Sgt. Lisa Ferris, a former bike cop, is being congratulated on her retirement after many years in a series of roles on the TPS.
Long-time Sgt. John Clarke, an avid skier, has also moved on. Clarke and four Toronto Police officers in 2017 represented city, country, and service at the North American Police Ski-Snowboard Championships in Snowmass, Colorado.
Thank you also goes out to Booker Ed Taylor and SDO Cindy Dodardo for serving the residents of our community.
The TPS has about 5,400 uniformed officers and 2,500 civilian employees. About 11 per cent of officers in Canada are eligible to retire with full pension, records show.

The hard-working Lang family loves Canada and toil as landscapers from sunrise to sunset to make ends meet.
They dished out almost $100,000 to a licenced immigration consultant to obtain residency in Canada only to find out the man was charged with fraud and no applications were ever filed on their behalf.
They are now facing deportation to their native Hungary and have been given until next month to leave the country.
“We have done everything that was required from us,” says Gyorgy Lang. “This man (consultant) wanted us gone and did not do anything to help us.”
Gyorgy, with wife Andrea and their daughter Agnes, arrived in Canada as refugees in 2011, and have since started a successful landscaping company.
Documents filed in court allege they were defrauded by a consultant for about $95,000 over a nine-year period.
He “manipulated both the immigration and border services process and system to ensure the applicants would have no status to remain in Canada,” court filings state. He ensured the family “would have no prospect of ever gaining status,” and would be swiftly deported.

The suspect sought a speedy deportation to defraud the family and escape criminal or civil liability, so they couldn’t appear in court proceedings against him, documents state.
Lawyer Amina Sherazee says the family has been given until late March to put their affairs in order and are to show up at Pearson airport with airline tickets ready to leave.
The family has since filed documents to remain here on Temporary Residents Permits or on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
“My clients are victims of crime,” Sherazee says. “They are the main witnesses and complainants in a significant and serious criminal prosecution.”
She says the family are required by police to remain here to testify in court against the suspect.
Peel Regional Police, in a release, say between 2016 and 2019 several victims paid money to a registered immigration consultant who agreed to file applications on behalf of themselves and family members.
“Victims were encouraged to pay in cash,” police say. “The victims learned that no work was ever completed and the consultant ceased all communication with them.”
Police in January arrested Artem Djukic, 55, of Brampton, who was charged with defrauding the public.
Detectives allege the accused operated Soko Immigration and Consulting Services in Mississauga and that there may be more victims.

COMMUNITY EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY 2020

ADULT DAY PROGRAM at Storefront Humber, 2445 Lake Shore Blvd. W.,Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. is a supervised program for those who are frail, cognitively impaired or physically disable. Call 416-259-4207. There is also a hot lunch program from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
EVERY FRIDAY MORNING the Long Branch Baptist Church, at 3381 Lake Shore Blvd. W., offers a free clothing outlet from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. for those in need of clothing for themselves or their families. You can also donate gently used clothes that others can use. Contact 416-251-1525.
FEBRUARY 2 BLACK HISTORY MONTH ROLL CALL marking the history and contribution of African Canadians, with The Toronto Children’s Concert Choir and Performing Arts Company, at St. Margaret’s Church, 156 Sixth Street, at 3:30 p.m. Tickets required. For more info call 416-259-2659 or 416-939-1702.
FEBRUARY 5, 12, 19 & 26 FOOD WITH FRIENDS a new social program that takes place every Wednesday at noon. There are board games, bingo, Pictionary and family feud. All at the Franklin Horner Community Centre, 432 Horner Ave. Call 416-252-6822.
FEBRUARY 7 ZUMBA TIME GET READY to groove at your own pace at the Franklin Horner Community Centre, 432 Horner Ave. Classes cost $50 for 10 sessions that take place Fridays from 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. Call to register at 416-252-6822 or visit www.franklinhorner.org
FEBRUARY 8 HISTORIC TAVERN MEAL from the 1840s featuring peppermint shrub cocktail, artisan cheese, freshly baked bread, hardy meat and potatoes prepared from early Victorian recipes at Montgomery’s Inn Museum, 4709 Dundas St. W., from 6:30 p.m.- 9:30 p.m. Tickets $35. Call 416-394-8113.
FEBRUARY 9 BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION at St. Margaret’s Church, 156 Sixth Street, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m, from Harriet Tubman to the Black Panthers, Afrofuturism and Prophetic imagination. Speakers include Carol B. Duncan and Gideon Strauss. For more info call 416-259-2659.
FEBRUARY 10 ETOBICOKE CAMERA CLUB presents a mini-educational evening that is useful for all photographers. Themed competition. Free event which takes place at Humber Valley United Church, 76 Anglesey Blvd., from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Contact www.etobicokecameraclub.org
FEBRUARY 13 COMMUNITY KITCHEN join LAMP dietician and students from Humber College Food and Nutrition program to make easy and affordable recipes at Daily Bread, 191 New Toronto St., from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. on Thursdays to April 2. Call 416-252-9701 ext. 239 or email sandrav@lampchc.org
FEBRUARY 14 VALENTINES’ FUNDRAISER with Toronto All Star Big Band and Famous People Players with a sumptuous gala dinner and performance. Funds to help Famous People Players. Come for a ‘Rockin’ Good Time.’ Doors open at 6 p.m. For more info call 416-532-1137.
MONDAY NIGHTS LAKESHORE OUT OF THE COLD ministry that provides a hot meal and emergency overnight shelter to people who are homeless or hungry. Takes place every Monday at 6 p.m. until April. Volunteers prepare dinner plus bag lunch. To volunteer contact Cara at 416-255-5224.
FEBRUARY 15 WOMEN’S SPA DAY ‘Goddess for a Day’- Let us pamper you for an afternoon of wine and canape’s, nails, hair, facials, massage, reflexology or reiki, at the Franklin Horner Community Centre, 432 Horner Ave. Registration required. Call 416-252-6822 or email franklinhorner.rosa@gmail.com
UNTIL FEBRUARY 18 CHAIR YOGA for those living with chronic pain or high stress. Improve your flexibility, strength and balance every Monday from 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m., at Barsa Kelly Cari Can Housing Cooperative, Common Room, Floor R, 1 Coin St. To register call 416-252-9701 ext. 239.
FEBRUARY 21 FREE COMMUNITY MONTHLY HOT DINNER for pay what-you-can home-cooked meal, with live music and fellowship at St. Margaret’s Church, New Toronto,156 Sixth St., from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Volunteers and sponsors needed. For more information call 416-259-2659.
FEBRUARY 22 BLACK HISTORY MONTH forum and fundraiser by the Jean Augustine Centre for Young Women’s Empowerment taking place at the Assembly Hall, 1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr. Always an informative event. For more information call 416-253-9797 or e-mail info@jeanaugustinecentre.ca.
FEBRUARY 22 COLDEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR fundraiser and 2, 5 or 10-km winter walk-a-thon held by Haven on the Queensway, 1533 The Queensway, and people in 136 cities across Canada in support of the hungry, homeless and hurting. To get involved call 416-640-2005 or email info@havenontheq.com
FEBRUARY 28 OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE HAND a free workshop for those who suffer from osteoarthritis in which everyday actions can be a chore. Led by an Arthritis Society Occupational therapist you will learn strategies to reduce symptoms and protect joints and simple exercises to manage pain, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at LAMP, 185 Fifth Street. Contact 416-979-7228 ext. 3381.
FEBRUARY 28 FREE MEMORY SCREENING by the Toronto Memory Program for those who have noticed changes in their memory and have problems remembering words, names or appointments. Private 20-minute time slots from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., at LAMP Community Health Centre, 185 Fifth St.. Call 416-386-9761 ext. 347.
FEBRUARY 29 BLACK HISTORY MONTH cultural celebration with speaker Deputy Mayor Stephen Holyday at the Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be special performances, entertainment and light refreshments. Call 647-328-7669.
CHILDREN’s BOOK CENTRE FOR FREE new and slightly used kids books available to parents, guardians and children to develop and encourage your child’s learning and reading abilities. Books, food bank and other services available at Haven on the Queensway, 1533 The Queensway. Contact 416-640-2005.

By WAYNE GIBSON

A drive along Lakeshore Blvd. W., from Parklawn Rd. to the Humber River is famous for the many high-rise glass condos that mark the route.
But 60-years-ago a ‘shorter-term’ style of accommodation occupied this small lakefront strip; the classic drive-in motels of the 1950s and ‘60s. Many had water-related names like The Cruise, The Beach and The Seahorse given that they were located on Lake Ontario.
For the most part they appealed to tourists, with a big draw being the CNE. As with motels everywhere, rooms were also sometimes rented hourly to couples interested in secret rendezvous.
For Alex and Annie Pelech, a couple who fled war-ravaged Eastern Europe for Toronto, a vacant lot beside an old house represented an ideal location for them to build a business and raise their sons, Walter and Joe.
Walter Pelech, now a retired dentist, who lives at Harbourfront, recalls the determination of his hard-working parents to construct two motels and run them as businesses.
His dad named them the Toronto Motel, and the Transcanada Motel: according to Walter,
his father wanted to use “recognizable Canadian names” as a tribute to the city and country that took the family in, and which gave him the opportunity to start a business.
The Toronto Motel was first, completed in the early-50’s: it was up and running as the
Transcanada was still being built. Tragically just as the Transcanada was completed in
1955, Alex passed away after suffering a heart attack.
Annie was now left alone to raise her two young sons and run two motels: realizing this
impossible load, she sold the Trans Canada to the Seahorse next door.
Hard-work and long hours were now the order of the day as Annie and her sons ran the Toronto Motel while living in a house on the property.
Walter recalls his mother’s dedication to keeping the business afloat: unable to contract-out any of the cleaning or laundry. Annie did most of the work herself.
Walter and Joe would shovel snow from the large lot and paint both inside and exterior of the motel on a regular basis. The Toronto Motel was sold in 1972 as Annie could not afford a new roof.
As you pass by those gleaming new condos, give a thought to this once vibrant, colourful motel strip and the many entrepreneurs who built it.

Toronto Police are warning seniors and other community residents to be wary of fraudsters who try to scam them out of their money through fake calls on the phone, through email or suspicious websites.
Members of a Cyber Crime Unit gave some useful tips to prevent fraud to more than 200 residents on January 23 at Our Lady Sorrows Catholic School, on Montgomery Rd.
Seniors and the elderly, are often preyed upon by hustlers and the meeting was organized by the 22 Division Community Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), volunteers who work with officers on local policing issues.
“If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” warns Det. Alpha Chan. “People should know that the Canadian Border Services, Revenue Canada or the RCMP will never contact you by telephone.”
He says telephone conmen try to express urgency in their calls and often demand money or private information up front.
“These people use high-pressure tactics when they call and people should hang up the phone if in doubt,” Chan says. “Never give out your card, PIN numbers or personal information on the phone.”
He says many residents do not report the scams or money defrauded to police because ‘it is embarrassing for them.’
Chan is warning seniors or women to turn off their phone location devices when not in use and be wary of opening emails or websites which appear suspicious.
“People should always use a well-known respected company to make online purchases,” he says. “Some unknown websites or emails can contain viruses that will affect your computer when opened.”
Area councillor Stephen Holyday say many residents now have cameras and home security devices that are controlled online and should make sure they have proper Internet connections with ‘strong’ passwords to prevent thieves from gaining control of their homes.
Residents were told not to use their real names as part of their email address and never give out much of their personal information.
They must also regularly clear their web history, search engine history, cache and other systems to avoid data being stolen.
Seniors should be wary of a host of telephone telemarketing schemes and when in doubt hang up.
If you have require the help of police or to report incidents call 416-808-2200.