Volume 49 No. 15
BEACHMETRO.COM
October 20, 2020
Huge need for Share a Christmas campaign this year By Alan Shackleton
THE ANNUAL Beaches Santa Claus Parade will not be taking place this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “It is sad, in that it is considered the kick off of our Share a Christmas program and it brings such joy to the community,” said Debbie Visconti, executive director of Community Centre 55 which presents both the parade and organizes Share a Christmas. This year would have marked the 15th annual Beaches Santa Claus Parade along Kingston Road. It usually takes place on the last Sunday in November. Along with providing youngsters a chance to see Santa, the parade also raises awareness of and launches the fundraising, food and toy donation drives for the annual Share a Christmas campaign which helps support East Toronto families in need over the holiday season.
Though there can’t be a live parade this year, Visconti said Community Centre 55 is hoping to post a video of past parade highlights on its website in November. This will be the 39th year for Community Centre 55’s Share a Christmas. Last year close to 1,000 families were helped. The economic and social impacts of COVID-19 means there is a huge need among many people in the community this year for help from Share a Christmas, Visconti said. The closures to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus have also impacted how Community Centre 55 operated over the past months. Visconti said this year’s Share a Christmas campaign will have to be run a bit differently, and community contributions and support are going to be critically important. “We are still here to help the community as we have done for many years, but we really need the Continued on Page 2
Destination Danforth murals a reflection of the community By Ali Raza, Local Initiative Reporter
Journalism
RESIDENTS WILL see themselves and their communities in a series of murals painted across Danforth Avenue as part of the Destination Danforth pilot project. The pilot brought a fast-tracked installation of cycling infrastructure on Danforth Avenue between Broadview Avenue and Dawes Road. In addition to patio extensions and pickup lanes, the pilot also included creative elements such as curb extensions, painted signal boxes, and five signature murals.
The artistic side of the pilot was led by a collaborative effort between the city’s StreetART Toronto and East End Arts. “This is a brand new project,” East End Arts executive director Shana Hillman said. “We had the local expertise and we worked with local BIAs.” In cooperation with local BIAs Broadview Danforth BIA, GreekTown on the Danforth, and Danforth Mosaic BIA, East End Arts recruited artists to paint the murals across the Danforth. It began with a list of 54 artists, narrowed down to five. Continued on Page 9
PHOTO: ALAN SHACKLETON
Beach residents Shaun and Maddie show the bags of popcorn they purchased Saturday evening at the Fox Theatre’s front-door concession stand. Many community residents came out to help support the Queen Street East theatre as it deals with its second mandated closure this year due to provincial COVID-19 rules.
New COVID-19 closures will put small businesses at risk By Ali Raza, Local Initiative Reporter
Journalism
BUSINESSES IN East Toronto are worried about closing down after the province placed Toronto, Peel Region, York Region, and Ottawa into its modified Stage 2 of its COVID-19 reopening plan earlier this month. A modified Stage 2 means restaurants, bars, other food and drink establishments such as nightclubs, will no longer be permitted to provide indoor dining service. Fitness centres, gyms, and movie theatres are also closed. Business Improvement Areas in the community are concerned the move announced by Premier Doug Ford on Oct. 9 would lead to “devastating impacts.” Ford announced on Oct. 16 that York Region would also revert back
to a modified Stage 2. He added in the initial announcement for Toronto that it would remain in Stage 2 for 28 days. “Twenty-eight days is a lot,” Leslieville BIA coordinator Dominic Cobran said. “Rent period comes within those 28 days.” Cobran understands the premier’s decision, he said, but pointed to the fact that several establishments in Leslieville have invested heavily in personal protective equipment (PPE) and strategies to fulfill indoor dining with physical distancing despite limited capacity. “Small businesses have tried their hardest to abide by public health protocols,” Cobran said. “To bring an entire industry to its knees however, we might want to look at another approach. Perhaps
tighten enforcement, tighten the measures, these are some suggestions.” On Oct. 7, data from Toronto Public Health showed bars and restaurants in Toronto were responsible for 34 per cent of the city’s COVID-19 outbreaks. As several small businesses in the industry have followed public health guidelines and invested in PPE, Cobran believes larger restaurants are responsible for bearing the weight of the data. “You can’t punish an entire industry in the city,” he said. “Let’s look at other options.” Beach Village BIA executive director Anna Sebert said while the move further impacts Beach restaurants, it also risks more debt for the business community. Continued on Page 4