Drinking booze in the parks may soon become a permanent summer outing in Toronto.

A pilot project studying the drinking of alcohol in 27 parks in the City of Toronto has been given a glowing thumbs up and may soon become law.

A Parks, Forestry and Recreation report is recommending that City Council approve the pilot project and possibly expand the program to at least one park in each Ward where drinking is allowed.

“Overall, the Alcohol in Parks Pilot Program was implemented with a high level of satisfaction among park visitors, few issues arising, and minimal operational impacts,” according to the manager of the Forestry Department.

The report said a vast majority, or 92 per cent, of those who visited a pilot park and answered a experience survey said ‘they were satisfied with their visit.’

“Respondents felt safe, and people who chose to drink at the park were considerate,” according to the study.

It stated there were minimal increases in 311 calls for noise, behaviour, garbage or recycling bins at the pilot parks, even though there were other special events taking place at some of the parks.

“There was no increased need for police response at the vast majority of pilot parks,” according to the report. “And no increase in hospital emergency department visits due to alcohol compared to 2022.”

It said a public opinion survey of Toronto residents showed that 46 per cent of those polled were ‘supportive of allowing drinking in parks,’ 23 per cent were neutral and 30 per cent were opposed.

The report recommends that Council can make the pilot parks permanent drinking locations and include at least one alcohol park in each of the City’s 25 Wards, including Etobicoke Lakeshore.

It said Forestry officers will continue to monitor the drinking activities and update local Councillors.

Officials said those consulted for their feedback included: Toronto Police Service, Toronto Paramedic Services, Toronto Public Health, Municipal Licencing and Standards, Solid Waste Management Services, the City’s Legal Services and Customer Experience – 311.

Toronto roads are already super congested and now there’s a plan to add large pedicabs or multi-passenger quadricycles into the traffic mix.

City Council has a pilot project underway allowing large quadricycles, or pedal-powered party-bikes, on our roads under the Highway Traffic Act until 2032.

The project is working fine and City Council is being called on to issue more permits for quadricycles to operate on City streets, according to a report by Transportation Service and Municipal Licensing and Standards departments.

The matter will be before City Council this month for approval.

The report said the City should issue more licences, renewable on an annual basis, for pedicabs, which are large multi-passenger quadricycles. More licences can be granted to single operating companies.

It warned the number of passengers shall not exceed the number of passenger seats available on the large pedicabs, some of which can hold 12 or more passengers.

City officials will designate, create and amend a list of roadways on which large quadricycles are prohibited from operating if they will cause or contribute to traffic management problems.

The list of roadways are to be listed publicly, according to the officials.

The report said the operators of the quadricycles will be required to submit their proposed routes while applying for a licence or its renewal at least 10 business days in advance to verify the operation will not cause traffic problems.

The operators will also have to notify the City if there are any route changes.

The vehicles will be banned from roads with speeds higher than 40 kilometers an hour; and travel no more than one block on Yonge street, Bloor Street or Danforth Avenue. They will also be prohibited from making left-hand turns or straight-through movements at unsignalized intersections when one street is an arterial road.

City staff recommend the pedicab operators charge fees based on time and not by number of passengers, must be registered and licenced by the City and not park on any sidewalks.

They are to report back by 2032 after consulting with police, emergency services, the TTC, business improvement associations, the public and consider any changes that may emerge with provincial laws.

The report said there has not been “any identifiable impacts on traffic congestion, transit operations, or public safety in the first two years of the pilot.”

Input from local businesses confirmed that large quadricycle tours present a small but visible economic development opportunity and support tourism.

Results from a public survey found that 77 per cent of Toronto residents support the continued use of large quadricycles in Toronto.

There are some concerns by motorists and pedestrians that the large quadricycles will lead to more clogged up and congested streets in some areas of the City.

Hollywood comes to Alderwood.

Parts of a popular U.S. comedy horror mockumentary TV show is being filmed right here in Alderwood.

The Emmy nominated funny horror show What We Do in the Shadows was first broadcasted in March 2019 and follows four vampire roommates on Staten Island. It is now in its sixth season.

Film notifications have been placed in the mailboxes of many Alderwood residents to alert them of possible disruptions due to filming.

Interior and exterior scenes will be filmed at 33 Radlett Avenue on April 2 and 3, with prep work will begin on March 28 and April 1.

The shooting will wrap on April 4 and 5, according to the notification.

“Displaced permit parkers affected by our filming activities are kindly asked to park on surrounding streets,” according to the film makers. “Approach our staff onside for assistance in arranging alternative parking.”

They said production vehicles or pieces of film equipment will be located on sections of Radlett Avenue, Eltham Drive, Mitcham Drive, Delma Drive and Avalon Road.

Private lots will also be used at 44 Delma Drive, 739 Brown’s Line and 1536 The Queensway.

The note said the crew will conduct intermittent traffic stoppages and will begin to reserve the areas with cones on March 28 at 7 a.m.

The show is well-liked by many and the series stars Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillen, Mark Proksch and Kristen Schaal.

It is based on the 2014 New Zealand film of the same name, written by Clement and Taika Waititi and is the second television series in the franchise.

The fifth season of What We Do in the Shadows premiered in July 13 last year.

It has been critically acclaimed for its cast and writing and nominated for 21 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series in 2020 and 2022 for its second and third season.

The show, which has a loyal following, has been filmed in various parts of Toronto.

More than 9,000 people have signed an online petition to rename Eight Street Park after the late local skateboarder Jordon Carter.

March 20 will mark 26 months since Carter, 15, was shot dead by a 13-year-old boy in a Scarborough parking garage.

Many of his friends and well-wishers in South Etobicoke have since been calling for the popular park to be renamed after Carter, who taught many young people the joys of skateboarding there.

Thousands of his friends and those who loved him  have signed the petition to keep his name alive.

A park bench has also been sponsored by well-wishers near the park where he will best be remembered.

Carter, who is the city’s eighth murder victim of 2022, had many friends in the Beach community, as he had been raised by his grandmother there.

He is remembered as a young man with a bright future and had a scholarship to one of Toronto’s most prestigious private schools.

His friends said he made “everyone laugh and smile” and cared about seeing the people he taught to skateboard succeed.

A memorial poster said his “energy was inspiring and he truly had a creative nature to everything he did.”

Carter, who was always seen on a skateboard, had many friends who lit up social media to mourn his loss.

He was so beloved that more than $15,000 was raised in a Go Fund Me page to help with the funeral services.

“He was a talented young man who loved skateboarding,” fund organizer Krista Langille wrote at the time. “He was a beautiful soul who was loved his friends and anyone who ever met him. We are all devastated by this loss.”

The City of Toronto is planning to donate five more used vehicles to Ukraine for emergency humanitarian use.

A motion for the vehicle donation was presented by Mayor Olivia Chow and will be heard by the City’s Executive Committee this month.

Council has requested agencies as the TTC, Police Services Board and Paramedic Services to consider the donation of surplus or end-of-life vehicles to the Ukraine government for humanitarian purposes.

The City is also planning to donate three generators to help the war-torn country, which is under attack from Russia.

City officials last June donated seven vehicles over the course of 2022 and 2023 to help the ailing country.

“As we mark the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the City of Toronto can provide additional support to the Ukrainian government and our Friendship City, Kyiv, for humanitarian purposes,” according to the Mayor’s motion.

The Consul-General of Ukraine in Toronto Oleksandr Shevchenko made the request for assistance during a recent meeting with City officials.

“The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) is very thankful that the City of Toronto is donating vehicles to help in humanitarian efforts to aid Ukraine in its time of need while Russia continues to bomb its cities,” UCC President Peter Schturyn said then.

The five vehicles will be donated later this year and would be used to respond to emergency humanitarian situations in Ukraine.

“Since 1991, Toronto and Kyiv have been friendship cities, remaining in close contact, and celebrating our 30th anniversary of friendship in 2021,” the motion stated.

The donated vehicles were equipped with operational lights, sirens and basic first aid supplies. They ended up at medical centres in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, which has undergone many challenges of Russia’s constant shelling during the last months.

The Canada Ukraine Foundation is expected to cover the cost of shipping the vehicles to Ukraine through its medical equipment program.

Automated license plate scanners are being installed in a number of Toronto Police cruisers to detect stolen vehicles or drivers with suspended licenses or in poor standing.

Police Chief Myron Demkiw said the Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras will automatically scan and detect license plates in the surrounding area of a police cruiser.

The cameras will be installed on the windshield of police cars and scan thousands the plates of vehicles hourly in front of the cruiser to detect stolen cars, suspended drivers, expired plates, validation tags, or plates associated with persons with outstanding Canada-wide warrants or who are reported missing.

The measure is intended to reduce the 12,000 cars that were stolen last year, or one every 34 minute that is ripped off in Toronto, police said.

There has been an outcry from Toronto community residents to stop the violent vehicle thefts in which thieves break windows or front doors to enter a home to violently steal the car keys from homeowners in late-night thefts.

Police said the ALPR camera will send out a signal if there is a ‘hit,’ and the officer will be required to stop the vehicle to conduct checks.

Police said the camera will be able to access an Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Canadian Police Information Centre “hot list,” which is a data base that contains millions of license plates in poor standing.

If there is a hit, the officer will receive basic information about the vehicle and the registered owner such as the make, model and colour of the vehicle, and the name, gender and date of birth of the owner.

The officer must verify all information within the hit before taking any enforcement action. Hit information is retained in accordance with provincial and municipal privacy laws.

Demkiw said there has been 68 carjackings so far this year.

“That’s a 106 per cent increase compared to the same period last year,” he said. “We are putting a significant amount of resources to address this citywide, and have seen an escalation of violence, threats and intimidation, where weapons are being used to steal vehicles.”

“Break and enters for auto thefts continue to rise. There have been 34 incidents so far this year compared to 22 for all of last year,” said Chief Demkiw.

In one theft on March 16, a balaclava-wearing man approached a person in a mid-town parking lot, pulled out a weapon and robber her vehicle at gunpoint. He was nabbed soon after and charged with a string of offences.

Toronto Police say hate crime has almost doubled in the City and officers are now responding to about 10 cases a week.

Chief Myron Demkiw said since last October the force and his Hate Crime Unit have investigated about 157 hate crimes calls for service every month.

“This year, there have been 304 hate crime calls for service attended,” the Chief said at a Police Services Board meeting on March 18. “This is an increase of 225 calls from the same time last year.”

He noted there have been 84 confirmed hate crimes this year, which is a ‘notable increase’ compared to this time last year. It represents an 83 per cent rise.

“Anti-semitism accounts for more hate crimes than any other bias category this year and in years prior,” Demkiw said. “This year there has been 47 anti-semitic hate crimes.”

The second highest bias category this year were 2SLGBTQI+ hate crimes, of which there have been 11 incidents this year, compared to six at this time last year.

That is followed by five cases of hate against anti-Black, and anti-Muslim/Arab/Palestine groups.

“It has been 163 days since the Middle East crisis began, and the impact of the geopolitical unrest abroad continues to affect people worldwide, including in Canada and right here in Toronto,” the Chief explained. “We are laser focused on the task at hand: keeping the city safe.”

He said since last October hate crimes rose 93 per cent compared to the same period last year. The Service has attended 989 hate crime calls for service during this time.

“While we saw a reduction in calls for service for hate crimes in December and January, we have seen a significant increase in February, with a 67 per cent rise in calls,” the Chief said. “Of the 84 hate crimes so far in 2024, 56 per cent are anti-semitic. Last month saw the highest number of anti-semitic occurrences in the last three years.”

The Service has made 24 protest-related arrests and laid 30 charges since last October.

“While under reporting of all forms of hate crimes is a concern, I know from talking to people in the community that Islamophobia is a significant concern, and given our statistics I am concerned about significant under-reporting in this regard.”

He said while attending an event in the Muslim community recently a female student told him of hate-related incidents she has undergone using public transit ‘and those incidents are under-reported.’

Since last October there have been 69 arrests and 173 charges related to hate crime occurrences.

Of the charges laid, 25 per cent were mischief related, 17 percent for uttering threats and 16 per cent were assault-related, he said.

Demkiw said there was a peak in hate-related graffiti last month, which followed spikes last October and November.

Another piece of Toronto history is in danger of being lost.

High Park lovers say business has dropped about 80 per cent at the Grenadier Café located centrally in the park due to a car ban and it is in danger of shutting down.

Almost 13,000 residents have signed a petition calling for Toronto City Council to open the park again for vehicles.

Council last August approved full road closures of High Park to private visitor vehicles on Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays as some roads are being converted to one-way traffic.

Vehicles are no longer able to enter High Park from Bloor Street and have to enter off Parkside Drive at High Park Blvd. The roadway will lead you either left to the zoo or right towards the Grenadier Café and the Bloor Street exit.

Area residents have taken to social media to express fears that their beloved Café might be forced to close due to a lack of people from the restriction of cars in the area.

“We learned that they lost 80% of their business since cars have been banned on the weekends,” one park user wrote on social media. “If the City shuts the park completely to cars as planned, how could it (Café) survive as costs to keep it open exceeds profit.”

The Café and other park attractions hope to attract some business as nature lovers flock to see the cherry blossom season this year.

They said the car ban has led to a drop of attendance at other High Park attractions including visitors to Grenadier Pond, Nature Centre, High Park Zoo, Children’s Garden, Colborne Lodge Museum, Adventure Playground, Dog Hill, swimming pool and splash pad.

The Café was opened in 1958 and can seat 300 patrons in its dining room and coffee shop. It offers visitors a choice to sit and relax with a coffee or meal as they hike or tour the massive park, that was deeded to the City.

Toronto architect John George Howard and his wife donated the 165-acre property to the City in 1873 on the condition that the park remain ‘for the free use, benefit and enjoyment of the citizens of Toronto and it be called High Park’.

“I think this is ill-advised planning and ask to stop the full closure which will further damage park use,” the nature lover wrote.

She said High Park is a ‘perfect spot to walk through one of our most beautiful City parks and its zoo in any season.’

A local group called High Park Movement Strategy said the City is estimated to lose up to $15 million over four years due to a lack of visitors and to convert some roads to one-way traffic.

The park is still accessible every day by foot but many parents say it is difficult with young children or for the elderly or those with mobility issues.

A police manhunt is underway to find a suspect accused of setting a Humber Bay Shores chicken restaurant on fire that demolished the eatery.

Officers from 22 Division said the suspect was reported to be on fire as he scampered from Mero’s Hot Chicken, on the ground floor of a condo at 2183 Lake Shore Blvd. W., near Marine Parade Drive.

Police said they responded to a one-alarm call on March 14 at 11:12 p.m. to fight a fire in the Lake Shore Blvd. W., and Park Lawn Road area.

The suspect is alleged to have illegally entered the business at 11:07 p.m. and soon after an explosion occurred and the business was engulfed by fire.

The man was seen dashing from the store and witnesses said he was on fire.

The explosion shattered large windows with glass ending up on the road. The powerful blast also damaged two adjoining stores.

Mero’s restaurant had been operating in the area for about two years and had been on sale for about four months.

Investigators believe there may have been witnesses who may have dashcam or video footage of the incident.

Investigators are asking any witnesses, or anyone with video of the offence, to contact police at 416-808-2200

Investigators are urging the suspect to seek immediate medical attention for their injuries, seek legal advice, and turn themselves in to 22 Division.

 

Added security systems are being installed to protect Toronto’s second largest water treatment plant following concerns from the community.

A major security upgrade has begun to tighten up systems at the Humber Waste Treatment Plan (HWWTP) , at 130 The Queensway.

An almost $4 million contract was awarded by the City in March 2024 to Black & McDonald Ltd., to  install and upgrade security cameras, closed circuit television services, security access control systems, safety or security systems as smart cards and security chains or accessories.

Also being installed are smart door locks, smart card readers, supporting equipment along with electrical, mechanical and civil infrastructure.

“The City is embarking on a project to upgrade the security system at the plant,” according to documents filed.

The plant was built in 1960 and is Toronto’s second-largest wastewater treatment plant. There are four in Toronto to process our waste water.

There has been concerns from the community about easy access to the plant, which treats millions of gallons of water for residents in Etobicoke, York and North York.

The sprawling facility is located at the mouth of the Humber River and serves more than 680,000 residents in the GTA.

Over the years the plant has undergone extensive upgrades to improve air quality and odour issues.

Are residents have repeatedly complained of the odour arising from the plant, which has about 60 employees.

”The Humber Waste Water Plant works to treat used water that residents and businesses deposit down the drains every day,” according to City information. “Flushing toilets, taking a shower and running a washing machine, for example, produces wastewater.”

The water travels through a sanitary sewer system, though a network of underground pipes, to treatment facilities. The sludge removed is piped to Ashridges Bay.

The scope of work for this project includes all engineering services related to preliminary design, detailed design, construction consultant services including construction site inspection and post-construction engineering services.

As of December 2022, there was 17 health and safety incidents, and 29 lost time days due to work related injuries.

Three odour complaints were received in 2022. All complaints were investigated and not attributed to any cause after the entire process was checked by operational staff in each case.

The plant is operated by Toronto Water, which is one of the largest municipal water, wastewater and storm water utilities in North America.

As part of Toronto’s large-scale Capital Improvements Program (CIP), the Humber Treatment Plant required upgrades to address aging infrastructure and buildings, optimize operational performance, and address community concerns.

There were concerns that the plant required security upgrades to stand the test of time.

The other Toronto treatment facilities includes the R.C. Harris Water Treatment Plant, Island Water Treatment Plant the F.J.Horgan Water Treatment Plant and the R.L. Clark plant in Long Branch.