A local student is in custody and another receiving medical care after pepper spray was used by Toronto Police to stop a fight at Lakeshore Collegiate Institute.

Police said the altercation occurred shortly before 9:30 a.m. on October 30 at the Kipling Avenue and Birmingham Street high school.

“Students were affected by pepper spray used during the altercation,” police said in a report.

At least four students were involved in the melee and only minor injuries were reported.

One student was taken to hospital in stable condition and another taken away by police.

It is not known if charges will be laid.

Officers were on scene along with firefighters and paramedics.

Students at the 350 Kipling Ave., school were forced to evacuate in March 2023 to nearby Toronto Police College following a threat that was made.

And the school was placed in lockdown in December 2022 after a person with a knife was reportedly involved in a fight with another person. A parent was charged by police for having a dangerous weapon.

Lakeshore Collegiate was built in 1951 and has 635 students between Grades 9 to 12.

The school’s sports team has won a number of championships and its’ notable students include Adam Copeland, a former WWE wrestler known as Edge, former WWE diva Trish Stratus and former NHL player Manny Fernandez.

The Mississauga Tree festival is much more than beautiful trees with leaves changing colours.

Whether you’re a culinary enthusiast looking to showcase your talents, or someone with a heart for volunteering, there are many opportunities available.

The festival which runs on December 16 and 17 will be an unforgettable experience, organizers said. It is a place where community, creativity and compassion come together.

The Festival of Trees is in need of volunteers to assist with event setup and decoration to managing guest services and activities.

As part of the festival celebrations, organizers are seeking submissions for Tree Art Installations. Imaginative and contemporary tree art installation works will celebrate the winter season and the unique cultural diversity of Mississauga.

The festival will feature an array of vendors from across Ontario. The Culinary Market will be a one-stop-shop for people wishing to gift and celebrate with food during the holiday season.

The third annual Mississauga Festival of Trees takes place at CreativeHub 1352, at the Small Arms Inspection Building, 228, at Woodlawn Avenue, or email info@creativehub1352.ca or visit www.creativehub1352.ca.

Another large company is gone from the community as National Silicates shut its doors last month after 92-years in business.

About 100 employees at the 429 Kipling, at Horner Avenue, plant will be out of jobs with the closure. In its heyday, it had i68 manufacturing facilities in 19 countries and five continents.

The company goes back to 1815, with Joseph Crosfield and Sons in Warrington, England; and 1831, with Joseph Elkinton and Sons in Philadelphia, started with the manufacture of candles and soaps, beginning a two-century story of innovation.

The firm grew to more than 1,500 employees and generated over $800 million in revenue.

National Silicates has been serving customers in Canada since 1931, and was the first non-U.S. subsidiary of The PQ Corporation.

Lynda Ryder, president of the Rotary Club Etobicoke, worked at the company for 47 years and said it is sad to see another large company leave the community.

“I describe the people that I worked with as friends and confidantes,” said Ryder, a former board member with the firm. “It’s been very sad for everyone.”

She cited companies like Canadian General Tower, Goodyear Rubber, Campbell’s Soup, Gilbey’s Distilleries and many others which have left the community, or shut down, over the years.

“Most of those presidents were also Rotarians who gave back to our community,” she said. “Strong personal ties have remained at the core of National Silicate’s culture and this close-knit team has made it a great place to work.”

Ryder said the company, which won awards for business excellence, encouraged employees to volunteer in their communities, and was a supporter of the Santa Claus Parade, Tree Planting in Marie Curtis Park, LAMP, Dorothy Ley Hospice, Women’s Habitat and the Jean Tweed Centre.

“As we close our doors for the last time, we leave behind an amazing community,” she said. “We are friends and most of us are, in reality family.”

National Silicates was headquartered in Toronto and had production and distribution facilities in Valleyfield, Quebec; Toronto, Fort Frances, Whitecourt, Alberta; Surrey and Parksville, B.C.

The company’s Global Centre for Pulp and Paper Excellence was in Etobicoke and staffed by highly trained scientists who conducted research and development, as well as technical service.

Its principal product is sodium silicate used in the bleaching of wood pulp for paper manufacture and water treatment, among its many uses.

The PQ Corporation and its affiliates was the world’s largest producer of sodium and potassium silicates, according to the company’s website.

“It has built its business through a commitment to helping its customers be successful in their own businesses,” according to the site. “This commitment ensures that customers consistently receive superior products and services accompanied by a high level of technical support.”

National Silicates had a team of highly competent, enthusiastic and talented people connecting with customers every day, the company said.

 Good news for commuters.

TTC streetcar service will roll again on Lake Shore Blvd. W., to Long Branch Loop next month after almost three years of bus service.

The TTC said the streetcar service to Long Branch Loop will resume on November 19. Its last run was in January 2021.

The transit company said the 501 Queen streetcar is slated on October 29 to return to the Humber Loop, following the completion of infrastructure upgrades in the King Street W., Queen Street W., The Queensway and Roncesvalles intersection area.

Users will be able to get off at stops at Glendale Avenue, with access to St. Joseph’s Health Centre.

The TTC said 501L Queen replacement buses will continue to operate from October to November 19 both ways between Long Branch Loop and Humber Loop, via Lake Shore Blvd., Park Lawn Rd. and The Queensway. Customers can transfer between buses and streetcars at Humber Loop.

The 301 Queen buses will continue to operate between Long Branch Loop and Neville Park Loop in overnight periods seven days a week.

Customers at stops on Lake Shore Boulevard east of Park Lawn Rd. can board 501H/M Queen buses to access 501A Queen streetcars at Humber Loop, or access streetcars directly via walking through the tunnel leading to the loop.

Morning peak period trips will be scheduled to depart from Long Branch Loop approximately every 20 minutes starting at 6:40 a.m. through 8:10 a.m.  Afternoon peak period trips will be scheduled to depart from King Station every 20 minutes from approximately 4:25 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

Etobicoke playwright Robert More is an actor, director and artistic director who has had more than 75 professional productions of 12 plays in Canada and internationally.

He is the winner of a comedy award for his latest work Jessica’s Fine Adventure.

He copped a Tom Hendry Award this week in a ceremony presented by the Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC).

“The play is an uproariously funny comedy with well-rounded characters and excellent tight dialogue,” according to a review.

His play Jessica’s Fine Adventure follows Jessica Quartermaine, 71, on a ‘journey of exploration full of twists and turns that leads her to learn to always remain open to possibility.’

The annual Tom Hendry Awards celebrate and recognize playwrights and theatre-creators across Canada for excellence in new work, according to a press release.

“Playwrights weave worlds from words and entire universes from just quiet thoughts,” said PGC Board President, Christopher Tolley.

He said the Tom Hendry Awards celebrate the magic they create “as we honour our playwrights from coast to coast to coast.”

Winners also include Dan School with the Music Musical Award, Jook by Glenn Marais and Todd Phillips, who has received more than 12 writing and editing awards over a more than 25 year career as a journalist and editor.

And the Robert Beardsley Award went to Iphigenia in Dreaming by Cassandra Marcus Davey, a Toronto playwright, theatre technician, artist, who is pursuing an undergraduate degree in theatre and classical studies at the University of Toronto

Security has been stepped up at Trillium Health Partners hospital in the wake of a Jewish doctor receiving an anti-Semitic death threat.

Peel Regional Police were outside The Queensway hospital for most of the day as they investigated the threat.

“This threat was targeted towards a team member who identifies as Jewish,” the Mississauga hospital network said in a statement. “Immediate supports and a safety plan were activated to ensure safety for the impacted person and our broader THP community.”

Peel Police Chief said the threat is being treated seriously.

“We have zero tolerance for hate, threats or violence against anyone in our community, and all reported incidents will be investigated to the fullest extent,” Chief of Police Nishan Duraiappah said in a release.

Toronto Police said hate crimes have more than doubled against Jews and Muslims following the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas. The incident has led to war between the countries with thousands of people on both sides being killed.

Since the war began there has been an increase of hate graffiti in the Toronto area and demonstrations by both sides being held on a daily basis, here and abroad.

Toronto police said hate crimes have spiked by 132 per centre since the war began.

“We have zero tolerance for threats of any kind against our staff, professional staff, volunteers, learners, patients, and community. We continue to support and take care of each other during our times of need,” the hospital said.

They said the hospital boasts a talented team of clinicians, administrators, physicians, staff and volunteers who offer a wealth of expertise across a wide range of topics.

Hospital officials they are working to keep ‘our community, patients and staff safe and limit the number of people into our hospital.’

Trillium Health Partners has three main sites – Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga Hospital, and Queensway Health Centre – offering the full range of acute care hospital services,​ as well as a variety of community-based, specialized programs.

Anyone with information is asked to call investigators at 905-453-2121, ext. 1133, or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Toronto has been the scene of 10,000 high-end car thefts and 200 of the 300 carjackings this year that occurred in the GTA, according to police.

Car thieves have been busy in South Etobicoke and the Rexdale area, with more than 3,000 vehicles stolen this year, according to police.

Police in an undercover operation, called Project Stallion, targeting car thefts said 9,800 vehicles were stole in our city last year and one third from 23 Division and 22 Division in South Etobicoke.

A joint police task force has been put together to stem the incidents of violence related to auto crimes occurring in Ontario, which has increased over the last several years.

In South Etobicoke, some 13 vehicles were reported stolen in Etobicoke West Mall in 2022. About 96 were stolen in Islington-City Centre West that same year, with 41 swiped in Mimico, 10 in New Toronto, 30 in Long Branch and 40 in Alderwood in 2022.

On October 18 two youths were arrested for stealing a 2023 Hyundai Elantra in Rexdale. The suspects bumped the vehicle from behind and when it stopped one youth pulled out a gun and stole the vehicle.

Police said the stolen vehicles are used to carry out other crimes or are shipped overseas for resale. The vehicle identification numbers (VINs) are altered and the vehicles are sold domestically.

“Carjackings are a serious public safety issue, which have resulted in assault and even homicides,” said OPP Supt. Paul Mackey, of the Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB). “To evade police, thieves may drive dangerously, putting the lives of pedestrians, other motorists and police in danger.”

The newly-created Provincial Carjacking Joint Task Force (PCJTF) will involve Toronto Police and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

It also involves police services from across the GTA, including York Regional Police, Halton Regional Police Service, Durham Regional Police Service, Peel Regional Police and other agencies, including Criminal Intelligence Service of Ontario.

“The violence associated with auto thefts in Toronto and across the GTA is a concerning trend, and can be incredibly traumatic for victims and their loved ones,” said OECB Supt. Steve Watts.

The officers will address the rising incidents of violence related to auto crimes across the city.

“Whether it be a carjacking, a home invasion, an assault, or other form of intimidation, the level of violence being used in the commission of these offences represents a new and evolving threat to public safety,” according to a police.

The purpose of the PCJTF is to disrupt the networks responsible for high-risk auto thefts, which increasingly involve violence, firearms and other weapons.

“Members of the task force will work to maximize enforcement efforts against criminal organizations involved in violent vehicle crimes who are operating within the GTA,” police said.

The PCJTF will be notified of violent auto crime occurrences taking place in each jurisdiction, which will then be investigated by the respective service and task force.

Anyone with information about auto thefts in their community is encouraged to call police at 1-800-222-TIPS (6477) or visit ontariocrimestoppers.ca.

Police are warning car owners to place their keys away from windows or front doors, install lighting, security cameras or tracking devices or bars to lock their steering wheel so thieves will have a harder time stealing their vehicles.

 

Mimico residents are fighting a plan to redevelop a prime strip of Lake Shore Blvd. W., to include a new road, a 33-storey condo tower and other buildings.

Letters have been sent to the City by the Mimico Residents Association (MRA) and Mimico Lakeshore Community Network (MLCN) opposing the megaproject planned for 2405-2411 and 2417 Lake Shore
Blvd. W.

Etobicoke York District Community Planning officials are also against the project as it is now and an appeal of the application will be heard by the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) from July 8 to 19 next year.

Etobicoke York Planning officials said in July 2022 an Official Plan Amendment, a Zoning By-law Amendment and Draft Plan of subdivision applications were deemed complete.

Proposed are the construction of a mixed-use 33-storey, 10-storey mid-rise building, and eight-storey base building including a mezzanine floor for the area.

The buildings will contain a total of 471 residential apartments, including 22 rental replacement units in various sizes.

An east-west road is planned behind Mimico Square and will run to Superior Ave. Further plans propose more towers south of the roadway facing the lake front.

The City said the owner has secured an acceptable Tenant Relocation and Assistance Plan addressing the right for tenants to return to a replacement rental unit or dwelling room.

A holding provision is included in the Zoning By-law Amendment and is not to be lifted until the owner has made satisfactory arrangements, including entering into agreements with the City for the design and construction of any improvements and the provision of financial securities, city officials said.

The MLCN wrote the proposal will see the demolition of properties, including some small businesses and affordable housing.

“The development proposal far exceeds and is contrary to the secondary plan,” the MLCN said in its letter. “A major issue for us is not just the size of the development but the fact it is directly adjacent to, and intrudes on Amos Waites Park.”

The park abuts the popular Waterfront Trail, and features two playgrounds, a splash pad, an outdoor pool and a centre for seniors and the disabled, the group said.

They are concerned by plans by the developer to build an access road through the park, ‘as well as having a temporary construction road right beside the community square.’

The MCLN said both roads are planned to cross properties not owned by the developer, and along with safety concerns would result in noise and pollution in the park.

“We understand our community is a prime location for intensification,” the MRA said. “We do not feel the current iteration of this proposal would appropriately address the needs of our community.”

The group said a new public road would take away lands from the park, children’s playground, Amos Waite pool and Mimico Square.

The said building heights do not conform with Mimico By The Lake Secondary Plan and that mature trees will be removed.

Members of both groups said there has been no public consultations with the community to have input into the proposal.