The Toronto Paramedic Services (TPS) which has about 400 vehicles on the road is being called on by City officials to have a much greener fleet.

City staff wants the TPS to purchase greener less-emission producing ambulances and support vehicles in its upcoming purchases.

Moves for a greener fleet stems from an October 1 Climate Action report by the TPS Chief in response to a City General Government Committee and will be considered by City Council.

A motion requested the TPS explore the feasibility of purchasing zero-emission ambulance vehicles for future procurement and examine opportunities to reduce the carbon footprint of TPS operations.

The TPS said there are no suitable e-vehicles on the market to serve as ambulances and most of its carbon footprint stems from 45 stations it operates citywide.

Paramedic officials said there are no electric ambulances that currently meet the Ministry of Health’s stringent certification requirements for use in Ontario.

They provide paramedic care 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. Its staff responds to more than 320,000 emergency calls yearly.

The fleet consists of 234 ambulances, 56 rapid response vehicles/supervisor vehicles and 105 support vehicles.

They said the TPS has installed green anti-idle systems and solar panels on all ambulances and is replacing end-of-life combustion engine vehicles with electric, or hybrid vehicles.

“Toronto Paramedic Services continues to evaluate opportunities to green the fleet, including exploring electric ambulances that comply with the Ministry of Health’s certification requirements,” according to the report.

They said there are funds in their budget to support upgrades to reduce the program’s carbon footprint.

The report said the since 2017 the TPS has installed photovoltaic solar panels in eight ambulance stations and Tesla batteries in two others.

“Work is underway to retrofit additional stations with technology that aids in reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” the Services said. “TPS continues to examine further opportunities to reduce its carbon footprint.”

They are building a station in Scarborough that is targeting Zero Energy and Net Zero Carbon through a highly-insulated and airtight building, with high performance windows, triple glazing, well calibrated window-to-wall ratio and building placement and orientation to optimize solar gains.

The facility will have a photovoltaic canopy in the parking lot that is expected to generate 800 megawatt hours annually.

It said an energy retrofit project of their Emergency Services Headquarters, on Dufferin Street, has become one of the most energy-efficient buildings in the City, featuring the largest solar carport which will produce 660,000 kilowatt of energy yearly, enough to power 50 homes.

The report states that while electric vehicle technology has advanced significantly, the market has yet to produce an ambulance that meets all certification requirements, such as sufficient range, rapid recharge capability, and the ability to carry all necessary medical equipment and personnel.

Two people were hospitalized after a battery-operated scooter struck a pedestrian in Long Branch.

The rider and female pedestrian were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries just after 10 p.m. on October 8 at Lake Shore Blvd. W. and Twenty-Sixth Street.

The crash follows a call before City Council to regulate e-scooters, e-bikes, e-unicycles and other similar battery-operated devices due to their speed and pedestrians getting injured.

An online petition calling for e-scooter, e-bike rules has been signed by about 3,000 concerned residents.

The petition states some of the unregulated scooters and e-bikes can travel faster than provincial speed limits and called on the City to ‘step up and enact robust regulations on the sale and use of electric scooters to ensure the safety of everyone involved.’

The issue is a concern for many who took to social media to voice their concerns.

“So many electric vehicles and bikes are now recklessly zipping along our sidewalks,” wrote Mark Brombacher. “It’s a menace.”

“It’s sad that some idiots have to ruin it for others,” said Christine Maybury. “Hope the pedestrian is okay.”

Jenna May-Damiao said she was walking near Long Branch Avenue and Lake Shore Blvd. W., when they nearly got run over by some high school kids on an e-scooter.

“They (riders) should all have to be licenced,” wrote Joanne Gardiner. “So many drivers of these vehicles have lost their license due to impairment.”

Gabriela Calas is still stunned by seeing a couple riding with as toddler on an e-bike.

“I don’t understand how these items are being sold without any regulation and people are allowed to drive them without any license, and means of accountability for their driving,” Calas noted.

She said ‘some riders are reckless, driving on sidewalks as they see fit at speeds that are pretty high and could easily hurt, badly, a pedestrian.’

“The accident risk induced by these scooters also amplifies damage potential,” the petition said. “They (e-bikes, scooters) can cause severe injuries to pedestrians, both adults and children alike and even their pets.“

There are calls for age restrictions for use of the e-devices, introduce mandatory helmet use and speed limit enforcement for electric scooters and e-bikes.

How many times have we seen or experienced riders with no helmets speeding on e-scooters or e-bikes on sidewalks narrowly missing pedestrians or pet walkers.

Almost 3,000 people in one week have signed an online petition to regulate electric scooters in Toronto. More than 500 irate residents signed the petition on one day.

The petition, which was started by scooter-owner Dana Patcas, said the e-scooters are being operated too fast by un-helmeted minors or others and can severely injure the riders, pedestrians or pets.

These electric scooters lack necessary regulations,” the petition state. It “results in minors riding them without helmets, endangering themselves to extreme risks such as fatal accidents.”

The petition warns that some of the unregulated scooters and e-bikes can travel faster than provincial speed limits.

“The accident risk induced by these scooters also amplifies damage potential,” it said. “They can cause severe injuries to pedestrians, both adults and children alike and even their pets.“

The petition called on the City of Toronto to ‘step up and enact robust regulations on the sale and use of electric scooters to ensure the safety of everyone involved.’

It noted the City can keep our streets and sidewalks safe for everyone by imposing age restrictions for use of the devices, introduce mandatory helmet use and speed limit enforcement for electric scooters and e-bikes.

It warned that it will be difficult to enforce a ban the devices.

The petition proposed no riding on sidewalks and that riders should only use bike lanes or the roads and obey bicycle-riding laws.

There should be no speeding and the scooters or e-bikes should have devices to limit their speed to 25 miles an hour.

Double-riding should be prohibited and the introduction of insurance liabilities should also be considered.

The petition can be found on change.org

 

 

 

 

A Toronto Police search is underway for a man who is accused of sexually assaulting a victim in Mimico after the person ceased dating him.

The alleged assault occurred in the Royal York Road and Mimico Avenue area in December last year, Toronto Police said in a release.

Officers said the suspect met the victim on a dating app in June 2021 and they dated for a couple months before the victim ended the relationship.

It is alleged on August 6, 2021 the suspect entered the victim’s home and sexually assaulted the victim.

Alistair Olumuide Salako, 41, of Toronto, is wanted for sexual assault, break and enter and being unlawfully at large.

He is described as six feet tall with a medium build. Police believe that there may be more victims.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-2200, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or at www.222tips.com.

An inmate of the Toronto South Detention Centre has been charged with manslaughter for allegedly killing a fellow prisoner.

Police allege on October 3 an inmate was assaulted by another man at the notorious maximum security prison on Horner Avenue that can house up to 1,650 inmates.

The victim sustained injuries and was taken to hospital where he died, officials said.

He has been identified as Euplio Cusano, 69, of Toronto.

Ivan Ademovic, 54, of Toronto, was charged with the death.

He appeared in Ontario Court of Justice on October 7.

A 2020 report found that inmates at the prison were subject to confinement, infrequent changes of bedding and clothes, outbreaks of diseases such as scabies, and undue stress caused by repeated lockdowns.

 

A Long Branch conservation photojournalist has made international headlines in being selected from 23,000 others as Bird Photographer of the Year in an image highlighting bird deaths.

Patricia Homonylo’s photo of 4,000 dead birds beat out thousands of others from around the world to win the sought-after distinction and prominence from bird lovers world wide.

The title, and about $6,000, were awarded on September 30 by the Natural History Museum in London, which can receive more than 30,000 images yearly for consideration.

“I am honoured, thrilled and overwhelmed having been awarded the Bird Photographer of the Year,” Homonylo said. It is “considered the most prestigious bird photography competition in the world.”

Her goal is to bring attention to the deaths of birds from flying into windows.

“It has been my mission to bring attention to the global and catastrophic issue of bird-window collisions,” she wrote on social media.

Her photo, called ‘When Worlds Collide,’ shows the birds arranged in a circular fashion. They were all killed by colliding with glass in Toronto.

Their bodies were collected and arranged by members of the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP), a charity where Homonylo volunteers, which helps birds injured in these kinds of collisions.

“Unfortunately, most of the birds they find are dead,” she said. “Those bodies are never left behind.”

She said each year more than one billion birds die in North America alone due to collisions with windows.

The image also netted gold in the competition’s Conservation category.

All the birds in her award-winning picture died preventable deaths, the Etobicoke conservation photographer said.

Homonylo began taking wildlife photography seriously about 10-years ago. Originally from Oakville, she has been living in Long Branch for many years and has taken part in the Bird and Tree Fests in the community.

She said the bird deaths can be prevented by making windows bird-safe by turning off the lights, and by demanding that governments create bird-safe building standards.

Environment Canada estimates as many as 42 million birds die from collisions with windows every year in this country. Already this year, FLAP has recorded 331,718 fatal bird collisions in North America.

Monday October 7 is the first-year anniversary of the war in the Middle East and Toronto Police are warning of more demonstrations, protests or violence.
Police Chief Myron Demkiw said there have been more than 1,500 demonstrations in Toronto since the attacks began in the Middle East.
“We know that the coming days and weeks will be a difficult time for many,” the Chief told members of the Jewish community. “Emotions are understandably running high and we recognize this is a moment of reflection and pain for many people.”
He said there has been more than 70 people arrested and charged with hate related crimes since the war began.

More officers will be patrolling around temples, mosques and other places of worship. There will also be a Major Incident Command Centre with dedicated officers on duty.
“We know world events always have an impact here at home,”Demkiw said. “This includes the potential for increased protest activity and acts of violence.”
He said three mobile command posts will be stationed in Jewish neighborhoods: one at Bathurst and Glencairn, another at Bathurst and Sheppard, and a third at Bathurst and Finch. A fourth mobile command post will be deployed to various mosques across the city.
Hate crimes have risen in Toronto, particularly targeting the Jewish community. This year 350 hate crimes have been reported to the Hate

Crime Unit – a 40 per cent increase since last year. The greatest increase has been against the Jewish community, by 69 per cent.
One woman was arrested at Pearson International Airport several days ago who was wanted for offences related to two separate demonstrations as she was trying to leave the country, police said.
Demkiw said demonstrators have become increasingly confrontational, and police have seen assaults on officers, including the use of weapons and physical attacks. More than 500 officers were injured on the job so far this year.
“Communities are hurting, and the trauma of the conflict is deeply personal for many,” he said. “For those who have family members directly affected by the violence abroad, the feelings of helplessness and frustration are real.”
Police warn that charges can be laid days or weeks after a demonstration has taken place.

Residents of the Long Branch community are rallying to halt plans by a developer to obtain higher density for a massive and controversial Lake Promenade development.

Members of the Lake Promenade Tenants’ Association said the builders of a 220 Lake Promenade Development have appealed the application to the provincial Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT).

“This means it has taken the decision out of the City of Toronto’s hands and given it over to what has typically been a developer-friendly tribunal,” said Association spokesperson Patti Pokorchak. “We have to stop this!”

She said the developers are seeking to increase the density of the mega-project by up to five times. It is estimated the amount of housing units at the site will increase from about 550 to up to about 2,000.

“There are no precedents in the city for this increase in density within a residential community that is not on a major thoroughfare,” Pokorchak said, citing Lake Promenade is a 10-minute walk to Lake Shore Blvd and 40 minutes to Kipling Station, which is hardly a transit-friendly location.

The proposal would see the five low-rise buildings on site demolished and replaced with modern buildings significantly significantly larger in size. The construction work can take up to 15-years of truck traffic, dust and noise for the small community.

Five towers are planned ranging in height from 12 to 30 storeys on the site. Two would contain rental suites and the others would be condos. Also proposed is a new public road.

Architectural drawings show a total of 2,021 suites, 548 of which would be rental replacement, 29 of which would be market rental, and 1,444 of which would be market condo suites.

Pokorchak said many of the residents are seniors on fixed income who have been living in the buildings for decades and will have to be relocated new neighbourhoods, which is promised to be conducted in phases.

The Association objects that the City has not released an official report on the development which is expected in December; and believe the case management conference on October 18 is premature.

Residents are encouraged to file complaints or a Participant Status Request with the OLT before October 8.  The link is: https://olt.gov.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Participant-Status-Request-Form.html