The City is set on purchasing 13 new state-of-the-art firetrucks at a cost of more than $1 million each.

Retiring Toronto Fire Services Chief Matthew Pegg has proposed the City purchase 13 rescue pumper trucks built on Spartan Chassis with Cummins L9 engines for $17.6 million, including taxes and HST.

A report by the Toronto Fire Services was made to the General Government Committee and will be considered by City Council.

The fire trucks are required to upgrade the City’s aging 84-truck fleet and due to the company Dependable Emergency Vehicles, a Division of Dependable Truck and Tank Ltd., will cease making the L9 vehicles next year.

Pegg said heavy truck manufacturers across North America are snapping up the L9 engines in large amounts as they are being discontinued.

He said purchasing the fire trucks ‘will prevent delays in Toronto Fire Services’ life cycle management program to ensure operational vehicles.’

The City last April ordered 30 of the rescue pumper trucks in another contract worth $33.6 million, his report stated.

And in 2022, another ten rescue pumper trucks for a total contract value of $5,113,395 were ordered from the company, which offers some of the lowest prices and good quality emergency vehicles.

“The Cummins L9 engine has been the standard power source in Toronto Fire Services’ fire apparatus for years due to its availability, size, and emission compliance,” Pegg wrote.

He said Cummins Canada is discontinuing the L9 Model by the end of 2025 to be replaced by the X10 model, projected to begin production in the first quarter of 2026.

“This transition was announced earlier this year and many of the impacts are still being determined,” he said.

At the time of this report, the Cummins X10 engine has not been fully designed and it can take some time. It will also cost about $100,000 more each.

“Toronto Fire Services manages a defined lifecycle replacement program for apparatus, that allows the service to ensure it has the vehicles on the road necessary to deliver service to Toronto residents,” Pegg said. “The strategy is based on purchasing a set number of apparatus annually, so that older apparatus can be transitioned out of the fleet.”

The Brampton company has a long history providing apparatus to Toronto Fire Services at reasonable and reliable delivery times and provides a convenient location for warranty service.

The Cummins L9 features from 260 to 380 horsepower and up to 1250 foot pounds of torque. It is designed to excel in some of the toughest duty cycles. High-strength components and features, like replaceable cylinder liners for easier rebuilding, add life to the engine and add to its value.

The Toronto Fire Services was created in 1998 from the merger of the former fire departments of the City of Toronto, East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough and York. It is the largest fire department in Canada and the 5th largest municipal fire department in North America.

South Etobicoke and provincial convenience stores will begin selling beer, wine and alcohol cocktails this summer, according to Premier Doug Ford.

Ford was in Etobicoke on May 24 to announce that some of 8,500 Ontario convenience stores will begin selling beer, wine and alcoholic drinks by August 1.

Corner stores, gas stations and retailers can begin applying for a licence from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) on June 17, the province says.

Similarly, the 450 grocery stores province wide that already have licences for beer and wine will be allowed to sell ready-to-drink cocktails on August 1.

All other supermarkets and grocers will then be able to sell beer, wine, cider and canned spirit drinks as of October 31.

The retail locations where alcohol will be available for purchase will be able to sell packs of beer of any size, including 30 packs. They will also be able to set their own prices, though the province has regulated minimums.

The move will “give people more choice and more convenience when it comes to buying beer, cider, wine and other alcoholic beverages in Ontario,” Ford said. “The response from the public, from stakeholders, from small businesses has been absolutely overwhelmingly positive.”

He said the expansion will create new growth opportunities for local brewers, wineries, retailers and small businesses.

“It’s going to support local jobs and most importantly, it’s going to give people more choice and convenience,” Ford said.

The province will in turn dish out $225 million to help The Beer Store maintain jobs and offset the costs of an accelerated timeline for beer sales at more locations throughout Ontario.

The funds will help support front-line workers at The Beer Store.

“We’re going to be audited every step of the way, to make sure that it’s being distributed in the right fashion.”

The LCBO will remain a public asset and will continue to operate as a wholesaler and a retailer. A full complement of beverages like vodka, gin and whisky will continue to be sold exclusively through the LCBO network.

The AGCO will be responsible for licensing retailers, and the government says the expansion will come with stronger penalties for infractions. Retailers whose licences are revoked won’t be able to reapply for two years.

The government is putting an additional $10 million over five years to support social responsibility, but a coalition of public health and advocacy organizations have called on the province to develop a comprehensive alcohol strategy for reducing harms.

South Etobicoke has some of the oldest trees in the City but more than half require maintenance to keep them alive and healthy, according to a report.

A City Tree Maintenance Review Update has found that more than half of our trees need general maintenance and less than one per cent needs immediate work.

The review that was conducted last year said 109,607 inspection of trees in park and streets found about 60 per cent of City trees needed maintenance and almost 40 per cent did not require any work.

The review was prepared by the City’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation (PFR) staff for the Infrastructure and Environment Committee for information purposes.

Toronto’s canopy cover and total tree population has increased over the last 10 years, from 26.6% to 28.4% between 2008 and 2018. The City’s tree population increased from 10.2 million to 11.5 million trees.

It said the PFR is the steward of Toronto’s urban forest of 11.5 million trees, of which 6.1 million are on private property, 3.5 million growing in parks and ravines and 640,000 on public streets and trails.

The City has long recognized the importance of trees and urban forests and the benefits they provide. In 2021, City Council reaffirmed Toronto’s canopy cover target of 40 per cent by 2050 to align with the City’s Net Zero Strategy.

The intent of the City’s tree by-laws are to regulate tree injury and removal, protecting trees from unnecessary harm, while promoting maximum tree protection and compensation, including replacement planting.

A City report stated that from May 2022 to the end of 2023, a total of 3,858 tree removal permit applications were considered by PFR, of which 3,335 removal permits were granted by staff, 114 tree permit application were denied, and 409 applications withdrawn by the applicant.

Of the 114 tree permit applications denied by City staff, 60 were appealed by the permit applicant to Community Council.

In Etobicoke York alone some 14 tree removals were appealed; six adopted staff recommendations and eight had their applications amended.

The City says it wants to increase its tree canopy — the amount of city streets shaded by trees — to cover 40 per cent of Toronto by 2050. As of a 2018 city review, the canopy covered about 30 per cent.

Trees are described as a natural air conditioner. A healthy tree canopy is the only way of cooling entire neighbourhoods, according to City officials. Trees filter out air pollution, and in other areas, reduce flash floods and landslides.

Trees are important in urban areas because crowding, impervious surfaces, and development produce lots of heat. Canopy can also help us reduce our carbon footprints and save on our electric bills.

Her loved ones can breathe easier today.

A Swiss woman whose body was found near Humber Bay Shores seven years ago has finally been identified by Toronto Police officers who refused to give up.

Police said the woman’s body was found in August 2017 in Lake Ontario, near Humber Bay Shores.

Her name has not been identified and she was called Jane Doe.

“Investigators were called to the scene and determined the remains were that of a female between 48 to 72-years-old,” police said in a release.

Officers said there were no signs of foul play and some of her belongings were found in the area of the remains.

“Despite continuous efforts by law enforcement to identify the woman, no leads yielded a match and the case went cold,” according to the release.

Toronto Police in 2022 submitted forensic evidence to a Texas facility in hopes that advanced DNA testing could help to identify the woman.

Scientists used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive DNA profile for the unknown woman. It was returned to Toronto for use in a forensic genetic genealogy search to develop new leads in the case.

Follow-up investigations led Toronto officers to potential relatives of the woman throughout North America, most of whom traced their heritage to a region in Switzerland.

Police and the RCMP reached out to Swiss police in August 2023 and their probe focused on a woman who was reported missing in Switzerland in September 2017.

Police said as the woman’s identify is not being released because her death is not considered a criminal matter.

Area artists will be sought for a proposed art park being planned to beautify The Queensway area.

A $750,000 work of art will grace a park between two condo towers at 1001, 1007, 1011 and 1037 The Queensway, near Islington Avenue at the northern portion of the Cineplex Theatre site.

 A motion will be considered by the Etobicoke York Community Council on May 22 to approve the artwork for the park and the hiring of an artist to perform the work.

“The provision of public art in the public realm will further assist the creation of a sense of place and overall recognition of The Queensway,” according to City staff. “Public art can create identity and can help to celebrate the history and character of the area and its community.”

It said the new 1849 square metre public park is situated between the buildings and fronts onto The Queensway. The park will be located between two towers, about 20 storeys high, which will contain 545 residential units.

“The centrally located park is the public art site,” according to a report. “Public art was reviewed in accordance with the policies of the City of Toronto Official Plan.”

The motion states that $750,000 will be donated to the art work by the developers of the condo towers. The funds will be used for artist fees, consultations, installation and other costs.

“The public art is proposed to be a free-standing artwork that is in a highly visible location at the north-west entrance to the park,” according to City officials. “This location is accessible to all, either physically and/or visually, and intends to be a highly impactful feature of the overall development.”

The artists will represent a ‘broad representation from the art community, including those from the Indigenous, Black and equity-deserving groups or communities.’

It called for the selection process to be initiated through a national, open competition that will be widely advertised on multiple platforms, including artwork competition websites and social media.

The call will be distributed to agencies representing or having access to Indigenous artists, in support of the City’s Public Art Strategy.

Three art experts will select five qualified artists for the work and one will be chosen by a five-member jury panel.

In the jury is ward resident Matthew Varey, Artist and Creative Director of Visual Arts, Etobicoke School of the Arts.

Varey during his career as an artist, has exhibited around the world at Mati Gallery in Greece, Art Forum Berlin in Germany, Art Miami in the United States, and at Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa in Italy.

The lucky artist will be selected later this year, with the park construction to begin in the Fall of 2025 and with the artwork to be installed by the summer of 2026.

For more information contact Andrea Mantin, Project Manager, Programs and Strategies, Urban Design, Tel. (416) 392-2281, andrea.mantin@toronto.ca

A popular and charismatic long-time Mimico 50-year entertainer who was beloved in the community has passed away.

George Kash, popularly known as Mr. Oktoberfest, passed away on May 20. He was 84.

The self-described professional entertainer was a party icon in Ontario and beyond. He was the undisputed “Mr. Oktoberfest,” as leader of the oompah-pah band the Oktoberfest Express and standing MC of Toronto’s Festival of Beer.

His characters included Mr. Watermelon Head and Mr. Coffee Bean Head.

“George was my best friend, bandmate and beautiful soul,” recalled Leo Sullivan. “He touched the hearts of thousands in his 50-plus years in the entertainment world.”

Sullivan said Kash wore many hats and was well-known for playing Santa Claus in the annual downtown parade.

“He always left the people wanting more,” he said. “Love you my dear friend.”

Long-time Mimico resident Bob Hodge said Kash lived on Lake Shore Blvd. W., for many years and ‘was a real character.’

Hodge said the entertainer was always there for tree lightings and drop-in appearances locally.

“He also had a couple of bands including The George Kash Experience and did music ranging from Oom Pa Pa to rock and roll,” he said.

I first saw Kash many years ago in a performance at Ontario Place where he performed for many years. In this show he was drinking beers while standing on his head.

Kash was arguably one of Toronto’s most widely known and versatile performers.

He employed his infamous interactive techniques, getting right into the audience and bringing people into his act in a way that would make any rock star envious. He also performs his trademark move – drinking two beers while standing on his head.

His resume included actor, town crier, disc jockey, auctioneer, clown and product promoter, to name just a few of the hats he wore.

“I’m a professional entertainer, that’s what I do,” he says with his characteristic, no-nonsense swagger. “It’s unbelievable you can make a living this way. I’m just all about a good time.”

Kash was loved for his trademark move of drinking two beers while standing on his head. He’s been performing this feat since 1978 when he first did it to put a few British upstarts in their place at the Edelweiss Beer Garden at Ontario Place.

Kash headed The Oktoberfest Express and emerged as Canada’s premier Oktoberfest performer and gained the title as the Undisputed Mr. Oktoberfest.
This Lord of the Lederhosen gained international acclaim far from South Etobicoke to countries as Australia, Fiji, Portugal, Morocco, and other hot Oktoberfest areas including Kitchener, Edmonton, Ontario Place and the Canadian National Exhibition.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Mimico residents are in for a surprise.

A $260,000 plan to install 65 speed humps and all-way stops to streets in the Mimico area will be considered next month by local councillors.

The Mimico Neighbourhood Mobility Plan (NMP) will be considered by Etobicoke York Community Council on June 3.

The proposal has left many residents angry since it will slow down traffic and make it slower for those who live there.

The Mimico NMP project area is located between Royal York Road to the west, Manchester Street/Burlington Street/Victoria Street to the north, Louisa Street to the east, and Lake Shore Boulevard West to the south.

The area includes Judson Street/Royal York Road intersection and the Newcastle Street /Royal York Road intersection, and will take into account dynamics from a broader context area, according to a report by the City.

The report proposes three speed humps on Lake Crescent, two on Symons Street, three on George Street, seven on Wheatfield road, two on Hillside Avenue, four on Queens Avenue, three on Elizabeth Street, four on Station Road and four on Superior Avenue, between Lake Shore Blvd. W., and Cavell Avenue, to name a few.

There will also be two on Alexander Street, 10 on Cavell Avenue; between Royal York Road and Burlington Street, and six speed cushions on Mimico Avenue, between Royal York Road and Lake Shore Blvd. W.

Community council will also decide if the speed limit should be reduced from 40 kilometres an hour to 30.

Also planned are all-way compulsory stop controls at the intersection of Stanley Avenue and Albert Avenue and Victor Avenue.

The report said it costs the City $4,000 to install one speed hump or speed cushion and $2,000 for an all-way stop.

The City said the measures stems from complaints by the community in regards to resident safety due to speeding vehicles using the area as a shortcut and a lack of parking.

“There is a history of community-led advocacy to improve safety and mobility conditions in the area,” according to the report. “Over the years, members of the Mimico community have expressed concerns about transportation conditions and road user behaviour.”

It said there is a history of collisions resulting in serious injury or fatality, non-compliance with traffic regulations, road user safety, and atypical geometric design of intersections are among the most frequently cited concerns.

“Residents have submitted a series of petitions related to speed management and requests for traffic  calming and intersection controls,” according to the City.

The report said there are a number of schools in the area and some of the roads will made slower for traffic through the use of bike lanes, planters in the roadways, all way stop signs or through pedestrian crossings.

Pedestrian crossings are planned for Royal York Road and Judson Street; the CN Rail Corridor, at Stanley Avenue: which will have crossings at Station Road, Queens Avenue and Superior Avenue to list a few.

You can view the full report on the City website or https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/public-consultations/infrastructure-projects/mimico-neighbourhood-mobility-plan/

Police say they will be out in force on Victoria Day in the Humber Bay Shores area to curb the abuse of fire crackers and fireworks that takes place yearly at this time.

There are reports every year of condo dwellers, or visitors, shooting off fireworks from balconies aimed at people or vehicles on the ground.

Residents have repeatedly complained about their pets being spooked by the noise of the celebrations.

Toronto Police and Municipal, Licensing and Standards officers will be in place at area parks including; Marie Curtis, Colonel Samuel Smith, Humber Bays West and East to enforce fireworks bylaws.

There are usually a litany of complaints from Humber Bay Shores residents of fireworks being fired from balconies at people or pets on the ground and other forms of noise and bright light abuse.

Police said they will also be out in numbers at Ashbridges Bay during the Victoria Day fireworks and are reminding people not to bring or set off their own fireworks this long weekend, in an effort to avoid a repeat of past public safety issues.

Large crowds are expected to gather along the bay and at Woodbine Beach on Monday to watch the annual Victoria Day Fireworks.

Personal bonfires and fireworks are strictly prohibited at the event and in all city parks. Possessing said items could result in seizures and fines, officials say; people caught setting off fireworks will be subject to a $1,000 fine.

Alcohol is also not permitted at Ashbridges Bay, on the beach or in the park areas.

 

No one was hurt after an e-bike caught on fire in an apartment above a store in Alderwood.

Neighbours said flames were shooting out an apartment window about 10:45 p.m. on May 18 above Sherway Physiotherapy at 324 Brown’s Line.

“There was smoke everywhere,” said Carrie, who lives a few doors away. “There were about eight firetrucks fighting the fire.”

She said one pumper spent all night at the scene in case of possible flare ups.

Carrie said three men lived in the apartment and they were not home at the time as the device was being charged.

Neighbours said the men regularly repaired the e-bikes and added parts to them.

The physiotherapy clinic, and those next door, appeared to have suffered major water damage from firefighters attacking the lingering blaze.

There were a number of people from area apartments and a nearby bar checking out the firefight.

The burnt out e-bike, and another one, were left outside on the street. The fire blackened window was wide open with the fire damage clearly visible.

“Our apartment was left smelly from the black smoke,” Carrie said. “You could smell it from down the street.”

It is not known if, or how many, residents had to seek shelter elsewhere due to the intense battery blaze. It is not known if charges will be laid.

Flames sparked by lithium-ion batteries are on the rise and pose a “significant risk,” the city’s fire chief said after a blaze aboard a subway train demonstrated how quickly flames sparked by a faulty battery can spread.

There was a major e-bike fire on a TTC subway car on New Year’s Eve that led to the bikes banned from GO Trains last March.

The transit system has begun conducting electric bicycle inspections across the network, looking for uncertified batteries which could be a potential fire hazard.

And two residents were hospitalized last October after another e-bike caught fire inside a Toronto apartment.

Fire officials are warning e-bike users to purchase batteries from the manufacturers and stay away from replica or cheaper brands, which may not be recommended for the devices.

No one was also injured on May 18 after boat exploded and caught on fire while being docked at a Humber Bay West park.

“Ya we got to see most of this from the balcony,” said a witness on social media. “Never seen clouds of smoke like that before.”

“Yeah I called a couple times, after forever it just ended,” Straxi wrote. “By that point I heard the firefighters, but I was really surprised there was no hold.”

Local marathoner Jerome Drayton’s love of a girl led him to a successful career in long-distance running that took him to the Olympics and the famed Boston Marathon.

Drayton, 79, became of the 16^th and last Canadian to win the annual 127-year old Boston street race in 1977.

In the end the girl, then a student of Mimico High School, spurned him but Drayton kept up his love of competitive running for more than 20 years.

Drayton has won dozens of races; including the Fukuoka International Marathon in Japan, which he won three times. He also placed second in the New York City Marathon in 1975 and placed sixth in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

He has lived in South Etobicoke since 1957, first for decades in Mimico, before moving a couple years ago to New Toronto.

You may have passed by his portrait many times as it is painted with other high-achieving residents on a Lake Shore Village BIA Wall of Fame, which graces the side of a pharmacy on Sixth Street.

Drayton, originally of Russia, is known around the world for his prowess in running the marathon, which are all the same length of 26.2 miles or 42.2 kilometers.

“The Boston Marathon was a tough race,” he recalls. “The race often intrigued me as it had not been won by a Canadian since 1948.”

The New Toronto resident beat thousands of top runners in the Boston race to make it to the finish line in 2 hours, 14 minutes and 16 seconds. Canadian Gerard Cote won the event four times in the 1940s.

Drayton said the Montreal Olympics and the Japanese Marathons were other major and high-profile races which featured many elite runners competing.

“I loved the running which I did for enjoyment,” he says. “I also loved travelling to different places to race.”

Back then there was no prize money for winning races as there is now, he notes.

During the day he worked downtown for the Ontario Government as a Sports and Recreation Fitness Consultant, in which he helped organize amateur sports groups and aided them to obtain funding.

“I trained for hours twice a day back then,” Drayton says. “I would run in the morning for about an hour and go back out in the evening for another hour.”

He retired from the sport in 1983 after putting in thousands of miles in practice and competitive running.

Drayton likes the South Etobicoke area which he says has not changed that much but the people has over the years.

“It is a good place to live,” he says. “We have a lot of good people down here.”

Drayton doesn’t run these days as he suffers from arthritis in one knee, which makes it painful.

The former marathoner is still sharp and remembers his races, when and whom he competed against long ago.