Maybe we will get a TTC subway stop at Sherway Gardens Mall yet.

The CF Sherway Gardens Mall is moving ahead with plans to build mixed housing on its massive parking lots and again prepare for a possible extension of the Bloor Danforth subway line.

City officials are seeking Council’s urgent directions on amendments to the Sherway Gardens Secondary Plan at an upcoming Ontario Land Tribunal hearing on December 9.

“City Council’s consideration of this matter is urgent and should therefore not be deferred,” according to a motion to be considered by City Council on November 13.

Sherway Gardens Mall is seeking approval to redevelop its surface parking lots into a mixed-use community in which 15 new towers ranging from 17 to 45 storeys are proposed, including parks.

The development will create more than 6,200 residential units and over 14,000 square metres of new retail and office uses, according to the developers.

The plan calls for a transit hub at the northwest of the site to allow for the extension of the Bloor-Danforth subway line from Kipling Station.

At one time there were major calls from residents and political leaders for the subway to be extended to Sherway, but that has since faded.

Also planned is a multi-use trail with pedestrian and cycling infrastructure along the entire Queensway frontage of the site.

And a private ring road around the mall would be designed to City standards and dedicated as public streets through redevelopment.

“The surface parking lots surrounding the mall would be redeveloped with a mix of uses to create a walkable and more hospitable pedestrian environment,” according to planners. “The lands where the existing shopping centre is located were designated Mixed Use Areas to maintain the retail focus of this part of the precinct.”

Development in the forms of tall condos and townhomes are also taking the place of vehicles at Cloverdale Mall, Dixie Outlet Mall, Yorkdale Mall, Fairview and others.

 

 

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There are calls by some City Councillors for Toronto to proclaim December as Christian Heritage Month.

A motion will be considered on November 13 by City Council to decide if Toronto will join about 25 other municipalities and declare next month as Christian Heritage Month.

Some residents warn that it is not a good idea with the large amount of hate crime taking place in the City due to the war in the Middle East.

They said the proclamation, if approved, will lead to calls from other groups as Muslims, Jewish, Hindu and others for their own religions to be officially proclaimed.
The motion by Councillor Nick Mantas, seconded by Councillor Frances Nunziata, said ‘Christianity is the most followed religion in our country, with more than half of the Canadian population identifying as members of the Christian faith.’

“The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms even mentions God in its very first sentence,” it stated, adding in December, Christians around the world prepare for their annual celebrations commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ; also known as Christmas.

“During this time, Christian faith groups utilize literature, art, music, gastronomy, and architecture to tell the stories of Jesus and his compassion, love, acceptance and the Good News of the Gospel he brought,” they said.

The motion said December is associated with the tradition of gift giving and gathering of family, friends, and people of all faiths. Christian organizations and places of worship offer religious services.

These are ‘initiatives that highlight a strong Christian heritage during the month of December.’

They said some municipalities which have proclaimed December as Christian Heritage Month includes: Ajax, Aurora, Bradford, Caledon, Clarington, Durham Region, Markham, Brampton, Milton, Mississippi Mills, Orillia and Ottawa.

Other areas with the heritage month also includes Pickering, Rideau Lakes, Sudbury, Wainfleet, Welland, Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon, Prince George, Whistler, Red Deer and Okotos.

 

 

 

 

 

Two slain Toronto Police offices from 22 Division are being paid tribute to as Remembrance Day approaches.

Constable John Zivcic succumbed to his injuries on December 2, 2013, at age 34, with six years of service to the Toronto Police.

The City of Toronto after 11-years this month authorized a stone marker and inscribed plaque be placed by parks staff on a tree that was planted in a Commemorative Tree Program to remember Zivcic.

A tree in the city boulevard at the intersection of Bloor Street West and Neilson Drive that was damaged in the collision was removed, police said, and for several years the tree stump remained, marked with the brass numbers of his police badge: “9824”.

The tree stump was eventually removed and a memorial tree was planted at that location honouring the legacy of  Zivcic, who died in the line of duty. The commemorative lilac tree was unveiled in a ceremony on September 2023.

The Toronto and Canadian police community are also mourning the loss of Constable Henry Snedden who was shot dead by a deranged man in Etobicoke 46 years ago.

Snedden and his partner, Donald Chadbold, responded on September 15, 1978 to what they thought was a domestic dispute on Mooreshead Drive, near the Etobicoke Civic Centre, in the Renforth Drive and Burnhamthorpe Road area.

“Upon arriving at the disturbance, the officers found two groups of people standing outside 16 and 18 Mooreshead,” according to police records. The officers separated.

Suddenly a man, Arthur Hayden Packwood, began struggling with Constable Snedden, according to documents.

Chadbolt rushed to his partner’s aid. Momentarily the two officers appeared to have the situation under control, police said.

“They didn’t realize Packwood had managed to get Snedden’s service revolver out of his holster,” according to police. “Shots rang out. Constable Snedden was dead before reaching Queensway General Hospital.”

“Snedden’s partner cradled him, trying to keep the veteran alive,” records show. It was too late.

The young officer was shot twice in the chest by Packwood, 27, on the front steps of the home with his own gun.

He had been on the force for just over two years.

Packwood, who had a mental illness and believed he was acting in self-defence, was eventually found not guilty of murder, due to insanity.

Another officer suffered serious injuries when he crashed his motorcycle rushing to the scene to help his ailing brothers.

Their deaths, along with other officers who pass, are marked yearly by their colleagues.

Construction plans are underway for a huge mega-development that will include a nursing home and four towers in the Evans Avenue and East Mall area.

Notices have been erected to alert residents of a proposed change of zoning for the site that is before the Etobicoke York Community Council. A ruling is expected in November.

Plans include construction a major subdivision with a nine-storey seniors residence, two blocks of three-storey townhouses and four condo towers on the north side of Evans Avenue, from Brown’s Line east to The East Mall, from 564 to 580 Evans Avenue.

The hi-rises ranging from 21 to 38 storeys in height and will face Highway 27 and the Gardiner Expressway,

The developers want to construct townhouses and four towers 21, 29, 32 and 38 stories on a shared three-storey base building and new roadway.

Also included is a new 4,129 square metre park and three 20-metre-wide streets that runs north-south and east-west, according to the proposal. There will be more than 1,000 parking spaces and the same amount of bicycle spots in total.

The development will have a total gross floor area of 100,841 square metres and will house 1,196 residential units, which includes 678 one-bedroom units, 397 two-bedroom units and 475 three-bedroom units.

The existing Active Green and Ross Tire store, which has stood there for decades, will be demolished to make room for the development. There were at one time about 65 of the franchise tire stores in Southern Ontario.

The proposal calls for the townhouses to be parallel to the new park, Evans Avenue on the south, and the new public north-south and east-west streets on the east and north.

A sidewalk in front of Evans Avenue would be reconstructed with a minimum width of 2.1 metres to improve pedestrian comfort and safety and comply with City standards.

The surrounding land includes a low-rise industrial building at 24 The East Mall, a two-storey motel at 560 Evans Avenue, a film studio called Studio 550, storage units and a gas station with a car wash.

Notices have also gone up to notify residents of a 26-storey tower, with 352 dwelling units, planned for 99 Birmingham and 210 Islington Avenue, where a Sikh temple now stands.

A similar notice has also been placed on the site of the Cineplex Theatre Queensway where 12 condos, some 46-storey tall, are planned. There will also be a daycare centre, park, retail and employment space, according to the developers.

By BOB HODGE

Etobicoke Centre MP Yvan Baker used his musical skills to narrate Peter and the Wolf children musical at an engaging Halloween concert by the Etobicoke Community Concert Band.
The 70-year-old story and piece of music were created to help young people develop an interest in music. Each character is represented by an instrument.
Conductor John Edward Liddle did an amazing job leading the band through a rehearsal.

The Etobicoke Concert Band is now preparing for its holiday show, Christmas Joy, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. on December 6 at Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, at 86 Montgomery Road.
There are plans for some great door prizes and some special guests including Jean Augustine.
Tickets are $25 dollars and you can get them at the door. For more information call 416-410-1570 or visit them at info@WWW.ECCB.CA.

A whopping 50-storey mixed-use condo is two votes away from being built near the busy Kipling TTC Hub.

Plans for the proposed tower is being considered by Etobicoke York Community Council on October 28 and City Council on November 13.

The massive building if approved will be built at 5359 Dundas Street W., at the southwest corner of Subway Crescent, where TTC buses turn to enter or exit the station.

The application proposes to amend city-wide Zoning By-law to permit a 50-storey mixed-use building, with a floor area of 37,975 square metres, of which 743 square metres would be commercial space. There will be 600 dwelling units of varying sizes.

The proposal contributes to the ‘policy vision of creating a transit-oriented community by incorporating appropriate built form, density, and non-residential uses at a convenient location abutting the Kipling Transit Hub.’

The already congested site is about 3,489 square metres with 27.8 metres of frontage along Dundas Street West and 60 metres of frontage along Subway Crescent.

The site now has a four-storey commercial building with an elevated parking lot that will be demolished once City approvals are obtained for construction to begin.

The proposal includes a total of 109 parking spaces, including eight visitor and 55 residential parking spaces located in 2.5 levels of underground garage and 46 parking spaces for residents.

There will be 460 bicycle parking spaces, including 408 long-term and 52 short-term spaces. There are 10 short-term bicycle parking spaces located on the ground floor.

Community residents in public meetings in regards to the project were concerned about the loss of a medical office and commercial area, calls for more green space, ensuring accessible parking spaces, proposed height, large shadow and wind change.

The site is 150 metres away from the GO Transit station entrance on the Milton Line and 350 metres away from the TTC subway station entrance at the Kipling Transit Hub.

City reports determined there can be potential noise, vibration, air quality and odour impacts from the proposed development, which has complied with provincial regulations and guidelines.

If approved this will be one of the taller towers planned for west Toronto, which will have nearby a new Etobicoke Civic Centre and 3,000 housing units approved for construction, in the Six Points area.

Some attractions of the now-shut Ontario Science Centre are being moved to CF Sherway Gardens and will be on display here in November.

The Science Centre following an abrupt closure last June, is moving its many attractions to another  temporary location at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre.

The sudden closure came after a report by an engineering firm found that the 1969 building was “at risk of potential roof panel failure,” which could’ve been exacerbated by snow buildup in the winter.

Premier Doug Ford made a controversial decision to move the 55-year-old museum to Ontario Place as part of the revitalization of the waterfront site.

The pop-ups include two interactive exhibitions at Sherway Gardens, including one titled Towers of Tomorrow with Lego Bricks, which will be held in the space formerly occupied by Nordstrom.

The ticketed exhibition runs from November 6 to January 19 and will feature 20 of the world’s most recognizable skyscrapers constructed entirely of LEGO bricks, including the CN Tower and Empire State Building.

At the exhibition, you can create your own towers using the thousands of LEGO bricks available in the hands-on construction areas.

The second exhibition at Sherway Gardens, titled Circus! is a hands-on experience that explores how math, physics, and anatomy make circus feats possible. This experience will be open from November 6 until March 16.

The science museum’s popular KidSpark exhibit will also be relocated to the Harbourfront Centre, and will run from December 4 until May 4.

The temporary locations for the Science Centre are going to give a reprieve for some workers whose contracts were set to expire on October 31. They will be extended to February. The workers will have no access to the Don Mills building by the end of the month.

Floyd Ruskin, of the group Save Ontario Science Centre, said taking some science to different parts is probably a pretty good idea.

“But it doesn’t change the fact that we need a full-sized, properly funded institution here on Don Mills Road,” he said.

By IAN ROBERTSON

A recently-completed mural covering the wall of a commercial building beside Royal York Road provides a new greeting to the Mimico community.

Begun on October 14 and completed eight days later, the colourful piece of artwork was created and applied by Christiano De Araujo.

The Toronto artist depicts several buildings in what in 1858 began as a town in the former Township of Etobicoke, then was an independent municipality from 1911 until becoming part of Metropolitan Toronto in 1967.

Five people painted in minimalist style without facial details are on the mural’s lower left, with a green-and-white GO Transit passenger train crossing a bridge behind them.

On the far right, a man wearing blue-and-white jersey and pants game gear is playing hockey beside a woman dressed in red while playing lacrosse.

Large light blue capital letters spell ‘MIMICO’ in a sky featuring fluffy white and grey clouds plus a flying pigeon.

The design “has to be about Mimico, and Mimico represents family, churches, diversity, hockey and lacrosse,” Josee Gosselin, owner of The Bread Essentials, said about the mural south of Melrose Street, on the north side of the building where the was opened in 2016.

The hockey player was inspired by the Toronto Maple Leafs practising in the Ford Performance Centre, formerly Mastercard Centre For Hockey Excellence, on Kipling Avenue, she said. The Toronto Marlies also practise there.

The lacrosse theme was based on the Royal York Road building’s owner having played that game locally.

A board member of the Mimico Village Business Improvement Area, Gosselin said it received a $7,500 City of Toronto Mural and Street Art Program grant, with additional funds for the project to be provided by the BIA and the building’s owner.

She was inspired to contact De Araujo because of his popular large mural on the outer wall of nearby SaNRemo Bakery.

Completed three years ago at the nearby corner of Simpson Avenue and Royal York Road, it commemorates bakery founder Natale Bozzo (1946-2021).

De Araujo, who prepared the Mimico mural artwork “was the only artist who came back with the representation of the BIA idea, Gosselin said. Other artists who were asked to consider the project “said only their ideas” would be acceptable.

While completing his final work on the mural, using a portable machine to spray paint onto the brick wall, the artist said he began drawing when he was four, sketching comics on paper.

A new art installation called Campfire has been unveiled at Humber Bay Shores.

The 12-foot-tall piece was created by Anishinaabe sculptor Michel Belmore, in collaboration with Herman Mejia, an artist originally from Honduras, who now lives here.

Campfire, made of Corten and stainless steel, reflects the spirit of Indigenous place-keeping, inviting the community to gather around its symbolic hearth.

The piece of art is the latest addition to the City of Toronto’s Public Art and Monuments Collection, a growing collection of close to 400 public art pieces across the city.

“Etobicoke now has a significant addition that will serve both as a gathering place and a reminder of the enduring presence of Indigenous cultures,” Councillor Amber Morley said at the October 26 unveiling.

It will cost the City more than $300,000 to install and have the work created.

 

Three outstanding community members have been chosen this year as recipients of the 2024 Daniel G. Hill Human Rights Award.

The Awards recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to advancing and fostering human rights culture across Ontario.

It is named after Dr. Daniel G. Hill, the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s (OHRC) first Black director, chairperson and rights trail blazer.

The recipients include: Stefan Enrique Joseph Kallikaden in the Young Leader category, Lorin MacDonald for Distinguished Service and Rosemary Sadlier, for Lifetime Achievement.

Kallikaden serves as the Youth and Access to Education Program Coordinator at the FCJ Refugee Centre. Stefan is committed to advocating for the human rights of all.

MacDonald is a human rights lawyer and a disability/accessibility advocate and educator. Born with profound hearing loss, Lorin has dedicated her life, education and career to advocating for people with disabilities.

Sadlier led the Ontario Black History Society for many years and is an advocate for social justice, diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, historian, author, educator and empowering change maker.

The honourees will join a host of distinguished guests, including community members stakeholders, and government officials, for an evening of celebration on November 21.

The event will also mark the 70th anniversary of Ontario’s Fair Accommodations Practices Act, the predecessor of the Ontario Human Rights Code.