AU G U S T 2018
Leaside Life leasidelife.com
No. 75
Canada’s first airmail delivery celebrated in Leaside Page 2
RICHARD RIVARD TOP: ROBERT GALWAY
PEGGY TILBENN
Y
Liam Rivard page 8
Lucca Agate page 10
Leaside rules the fast lane with star athletes INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
STREETS OF LEASIDE: ROLLAND ROAD • PG. 18
CROTHERS WOODS AN URBAN PARADISE • PG. 7
WUNDERKIND ANNA POSTILL • PG. 6
THERE GOES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD PART 2 PG. 14 LEASIDE AS A GATEWAY TO GREAT CYCLING PG. 24 THE LEASIDE PUB GIVES UP PLASTIC STRAWS PG. 25 CAROL BURTIN FRIPP REPORTS FROM THE UK PG. 30 AND MUCH MORE!!
VISIT US AT LEASIDELIFE.COM: COMMUNITY DIRECTORY • UP TO DATE EVENTS • ARCHIVED STORIES
LEASIDE HISTORY
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Wings over Leaside:
Chanteuse Dorothy Rose
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by CHRIS DANIELS On Saturday, June 30, The Leaside Pub hosted a fine celebration of Canada’s first airmail delivery a hundred years ago at the old Leaside Aerodrome and also paid tribute to
the pilots and mechanics trained there. And it was Canada Day weekend! Historic Photo Display Local history afficionado Jeremy Hopkin displayed a large number of old photographs and a TV loop of
BILL SYMMONS
Leaside Life • August 2018
WWI plane marks centennial of Canada’s airmail
WWI Sopwith 1 ½ Strutter Flyby At 3 p.m. precisely, the replica Sopwith 1 ½ Strutter appeared from the northeast to rapturous cheers from the assembled, Canadian-flag wielding crowd. Pilot Kees Van Berkel and photographer David Sargant made several passes over the pub, the old aerodrome site and the adjacent shopping plaza before issuing a plume of white vapour and a wing wave salute. On their way home to The Great War Flying Museum near Brampton,
Forces’ Sweetheart Dorothy Rose and the Climax Jazz Band At 4 p.m., with a packed house, Climax Jazz Band kicked off its regular end-of-month session dedicated to the pilots and technicians who trained at Leaside, some of
whom were killed in accidents while training and others over the battlefields of Europe. Doug Balfour played piano and Canadian Forces’ Sweetheart (95 years young) Dorothy Rose and Climax Jazz Band performed songs from the era. Dorothy and Doug are going to Sunnybrook to entertain the vets, perhaps on Remembrance Day week. City TV interviewed Dorothy about her role entertaining troops across Canada and the U.S. during the Second World War. Altogether a joyful celebration of a memorable part of Leaside’s history. ■
Flyby over the pub.
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Leaside Life • August 2018
Reception At 2 o’clock genial Leaside Pub owner/host Param Ratna put on a wine and nibbles reception for members of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, the Canadian Aerophilatelic Society, the East York Historical Society, the Great War Flying Museum and other interested local groups and individuals. MP Rob Oliphant also said a few words.
they honoured the veterans by circling Sunnybrook Hospital’s Veterans Wing. The flyby was financed by contributions from Leaside Life, The Canadian Aviation Historical Society, The Canadian Aerophilatelic Society, Patrick Rocca Real Estate, The Climax Jazz Band and by a collection at the reception.
GREATWARFLYINGMUSEUM.ORG
the Leaside Aerodrome, home of the RAF 89th Training Squadron. Robert Galway displayed a series of photos and commentary on the first airmail delivery from Montreal to Leaside June 24, 1918 by Captain Brian Peck and Corporal C.W. Mathers in an RAF Curtis JN4 Canuck.
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LEASIDE PEOPLE • MEET YOUR NEIGHBOURS
Leaside Life • August 2018
Andy Elder and the thrill of the grill Ten years is a long time in the life of any business, but especially in the ultra-competitive foodservice industry. Leaside’s own Andy Elder will celebrate the 10th anniversary of his store, gourmet meat shop Grilltime, on Laird Drive, this September. His start in the food industry was through a Ryerson diploma in hospitality and tourism in the 1980s. He well remembers being told that “with the advent of computers, our lives will be so much simpler, and there will be lots of leisure time.” So, being in the hospitality industry made sense. Initially, he worked for the big restaurant chains, aspiring to be in management operations with multi-unit responsibilities. He succeeded and was a VP for several major chains – until 2008, when he decided to act on the entrepreneurial ambitions that had been “just in the back of my mind.” He knew he didn’t want to own a restaurant with the long hours and gruelling work, but he did want to sell
Lorna Krawchuk Publisher Leaside Life
premium quality fresh product, and originally had the thought that he might develop a business that was franchisable. That hasn’t happened – yet. But Grilltime has been a sizzling success since it opened its doors. When customers enter the building, the first thing they see is the
years ago, he was helping out at a charity fundraiser on behalf of Scugog Camp and wanted to learn more about the camp, which “addresses the needs of those affected by poverty and other barriers.” He ended up going to the camp, bringing all the ingredients for a special dinner, and with other volunteers, preparing the meal in a week when there were moms there with their children. It gave him such a feeling of fulfillment to be able to help in a meaningful way. By the time he was finished, he was drained physically and emotionally, but very, very happy. And this was not just a oneshot deal.
Andy (right) and the folks at Scugog Camp.
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island grill in the middle of the store, usually presided over by Peter Ramirez, who has worked with Andy for nine years and who has just signed on as a business partner for the business. Who would have known that markets would crash around the world just when he was starting out on his own? As Andy says, “I didn’t put THAT in my business plan.” But the business did better than survive, it grew. This entrepreneur also believes in being a strong advocate for local and community businesses and endeavours. As he says, “having fun, and using what you’ve got to support the community.” Andy Elder is a caring man. Several
He continues to seek opportunities to be different. In addition to the store, he offers private catering and participates in a huge variety of fundraising events. His most recent was Councillor Jon Burnside’s fundraiser, where he and his crew fed 200 people in 45 minutes – and “were scrambling to scramble the eggs.” A memorable earlier one was catering the gala for the Leaside 100 event. And the list goes on. Andy admits there are real challenges in owning a small business. There’s always the need to be competitive, but offsetting that is “the validation of taking the risk and working for myself.” Happy 10th, Andy! Watch for his big party in the fall. ■
Crazy 8 Barn: an octagonal reminiscence of Leaside’s history
Leaside Life • August 2018
Travel is an opportunity to take in new things…right? Well yes, but it’s also nice to see something in our travels that is suggestive of home. In this case, the sight of the Crazy 8 Barn, an eightsided barn constructed in 1880, moved and repurposed as a café and gift shop in Palmyra, Kent County, reminded me of William Lea’s octagonal house in Leaside, which stood near where the Leaside Memorial Community Gardens now stands, and is commemorated with a room named in his honour, and a plaque on the side of the William Lea Room. Jane Pitfield in her book “Leaside” tells us that William Lea “built an odd looking house with eight gables….This strange looking octagonal structure, two storeys high with an additional much smaller storey added on
top he named Leaside”. Eightsided buildings of all kinds were a popular architectural form in the late 1800s, a trend that started in the United States. Jane Pitfield quotes William Lea as having justified his choice of the octagonal shape, “…like a bee’s cell, it enclosed the greatest amount of space within the least amount of wall.” This example, from 1890, was built originally for stabling animals but was left empty for years until Susanne SpenceWilkins saw the potential and created a special “Garden Inspiration Centre” and café. Crazy 8 Barn is located on the Talbot Trail, just east of Rondeau Provincial Park. Look for it if you are ever travelling along the Lake Erie shoreline. The address is 14226 Talbot Trail, Palmyra, N0P 2V0. Talbot Trail? – yes another reminiscence of Leaside, but that’s for another day! ■
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LEASIDE PEOPLE • MEET YOUR NEIGHBOURS
Leaside student wins $100,000 scholarship Left: Denise Wilson, Curriculum Leader for Guidance, and (right) Anna Postill at Commencement.
Leaside High School’s recent graduate, Anna Postill, 17, is a young woman of many accomplishments, two of which have been featured in previous Leaside Life articles: her partnership with her sister in an online business to raise money for charity and her participation in MP Rob Oliphant’s advisory panel on youth addictions and mental illness. But perhaps her most dramatic achievement is winning a Schulich Leader Scholarship worth $100,000 to study engineering at the University of New Brunswick. Anna was chosen as Leaside’s nominee for the award because of her exceptional level of involvement in school and extracurricular activities, and her outstanding academic record. Throughout high school, all of her marks were in the 90s and her average this year was 96%. Anna highlighted three activities on her application to represent different aspects of her life. She was the co-chair of both the Environmental
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Leaside Life • August 2018
by JANIS FERTUCK
Team and the Mental Health and Wellness Committee, positions that enabled her to implement several significant initiatives. Outside of school, she cofounded Be the Vibe Jewelry with her sister, Gemma, and does the web design and marketing for this company, which raises funds for rainwater harvesting systems in Rwanda. Other favourite projects include organizing the Edge Youth Group at St. Monica’s Parish, a volunteer trip to the Amazon, a Yale Young Global Scholars Program and a SHAD program (a summer enrichment program for exceptional youth named after a creek in Aurora) at Carleton University where she designed and developed a naturally dimming ambient light bulb with her team, as well as devising the business plan and marketing campaign for it. This last project sparked Anna’s interest in engineering and the University of New Brunswick’s innovative program featuring one-on-one work sessions with professors and research opportunities for undergraduates. She is “really excited and honoured” to receive the Schulich Scholarship to attend UNB. Anna credits her parents with inspiring her “to get involved in causes you genuinely care about in order to improve the world.” She is also grateful to the Leaside community for supporting Be the Vibe Jewelry and to the school for providing “lots of opportunities to join various clubs with dedicated staff advisors.” She is especially grateful for the help and encouragement of Denise Wilson, Curriculum Leader for Guidance, who describes Anna as an “authentic, compassionate and motivated young woman who takes on initiatives and drives them to remarkable results.” Anna looks forward to the “academic rigour of university and more opportunities to make a difference by combining engineering with entrepreneurship and volunteerism.” We look forward to seeing what she will accomplish in the future with her impressive talents, skills and determination. ■
Crothers Woods: Leaside’s best kept urban paradise
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SUSAN SCANDIFFIO
Exceptional Service. Outstanding Results. by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO Crothers Woods. It’s just around the corner. But until Leaside Life asked me to write about it, I had no idea what, or where, it was. But once I had discovered it, I realized why it had never been on my radar. There are no flashy signs directing people to it, it’s not a place where massive public events are held, and no one I know ever talks about it (and, if I do say so myself, I know quite a few people). But now that I’ve experienced the woods, I get it. Frankly, I’m not that eager to talk about it either. But alas, I must. And for you who spend time there, I apologize. Your little secret is about to be exposed. Crothers Woods is 128 acres of urban paradise with a fascinating history. The woods are named after George Crothers, who until 1979 operated Crothers Caterpillar, a heavy equipment dealership, on the land on which the Redway Loblaws now stands. While there are no clearly defined boundaries, the woods basically run from Redway in the north to Pottery Road in the south, and from the Bayview Extension in the west to the Millwood Bridge in the east. The most commonly used entrance is from the back of the Redway Loblaws parking lot. Other entrances include a parking lot on Pottery Road just east of the Bayview Extension and on the extension itself just south of Nesbitt. There is also an almost-hidden set of 194 stairs just feet from the intersection of Millwood and Redway. Crothers Woods is a place where runners, walkers, hikers, and cyclists
Serious mountain bikers love Crothers Woods for its challenging trails. have access to approximately 10 km of dirt and gravel trails set among woodland, meadows, and wetland. In the northwest corner of the woods sits the Sun Valley Trail, named for the Sun Brick Company, which operated on the land from the early 1900s until 1939. The land was then used as a landfill until 1965, and was subsequently covered with top soil. The land has now reverted to a beautiful forest. Directly south of Sun Valley sits Cottonwood Flats, home in the early 1800s to a mill, then to an insulation factory, and a site for the city to dump snow until 2009. The site is now home to a songbird meadow, a one-acre fenced-in area used to attract and provide natural habitat to the almost 30 species of birds found in the woods. Crothers Woods has been designated an Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) because of its rare and extensive variety of flora and fauna. With their challenging trails, the woods are hugely popular with mountain bikers. Alex Legum, a mountain bike instructor who has ridden the trails for many years and who works as a volunteer with trail upkeep, advises that both those on foot and on wheels be extra alert. Thanks to the twisting trails, cyclists can appear with very little notice. CROTHERS WOODS, Page 16
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LEASIDE SPORTS
Liam Rivard’s life in the fast lane
Leaside’s elite under 18 runner, Liam Rivard, 17, celebrated Canada Day by representing Canada in the Jamaica U18 Invitational 800 m race, finishing second with a personal best time of 1:53.24. Liam qualified for this meet with competitors from Jamaica and other Caribbean countries by achieving the second fastest 800 m time in Canada for under 18 boys at a Hamilton Twilight Meet on May 27 with a time of 1:53.47. Only the two fastest 800 m runners were chosen for the team, so Liam was understandably excited about participating in the event. It was “a great experience to represent Canada,” he said, and he especially enjoyed being part of the team as they entered the stadium in their Canada jackets, taking photos on the track to celebrate Canada Day and getting to know people from all over the country. Canadian National Track Championships, held in Ottawa on
LEFT: JANIS FERTUCK. RIGHT: DAVE CHRISTIANI
Leaside Life • August 2018
by JANIS FERTUCK
Liam with his parents Emily and Richard. Left: Liam with his bronze medal at the Nationals in Ottawa. July 5 to 8, followed quickly on the heels of the Jamaican trip for Liam. There he won the bronze medal in the 800 m U20 race with a time of 1:54.33, his first medal at a national outdoor track meet. His Central Toronto Athletic Club coach, Dave Christiani, observed that Liam “showed great composure in dealing with some jostling during the race.” Other track highlights for this talented athlete include two OFSAA medals in 2017, gold in 800 m and
bronze in 400 m. He was also the U18 Indoor Champion in 800 m this year and the gold medallist in both senior boys 400 m and 800 m at the TDSSAA City Track and Field Championships in May. While Liam is primarily a track athlete, he also runs cross-country for LHS and CTAC to maintain his skill and fitness levels. In fact, he started his running career by winning a 1k race at the TDSB City Finals when he was only in Grade 1 at Northlea – and achieved the same result for several more years while also playing high level soccer and hockey. But when he joined CTAC in Grade 6, he quit soccer the next year and dropped down a level in hockey before giving it up last year to concentrate on his running. Liam’s father, Richard, says his son likes “competing and rising to the challenge and always finds a way to dig deeper.” His mother, Emily, says he sets a good example for everyone in the family with his attitude towards exercise and nutrition, and that his drive inspires her, even on bad days. Coach Christiani describes Liam as a “gifted athlete who understands the need to work hard for every small gain in performance” and praises his disciplined commitment to all aspects of his preparation: workouts, strength training, nutrition and chiropractic treatments. For his part, Liam says he is glad he was able to end the season with “two great races” and is grateful to “everyone who helped me achieve my goals this season. I enjoy setting goals in running and striving to achieve them while having fun at the same time.” ■
LEASIDE SPORTS
Leaside’s Lucca Agate works hard, stays humble and runs like the wind
Susan Scandiffio Columnist
If Lucca Agate follows one philosophy in life, it seems to be “work hard, stay humble.” After less than a year and a half as a runner, the once self-confessed sugar fiend has taken on not just a healthier new diet, but a training regime with incredible results. In the recent Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) track and field championships, 16-year-old Leasider Agate took home gold in each of the 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, and relay distances. The Loretto Abbey student led her school to win the OFSAA championships for women’s teams in the Junior division. Qualifying to compete in four events at OFSAA is already a
Lucca with her coach, Earl Letford. massive accomplishment. But to earn golds in all of them? Even Usain Bolt only got Olympic golds in three distances. In her drive to acquire outstanding training on top of that gained from her high school track coach, Lucca
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joined the Flying Angels Track & Field Academy, which trained six runners who participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Under the tutelage of several coaches, including head coach Earl Letford, Agate quickly embraced the club’s principles of team, learning from, and encouraging, those around her. According to Letford, “Lucca is really dedicated and takes instruction really well. She is so humble, just training and trying to get better.” The club has given Agate the opportunity to compete in international meets, run against top-level athletes, and learn to adapt to the challenges of high-level events. Not only has she rocketed to the top of her grade level in Ontario in her extremely short career as a runner, she has also rocketed to incredible rankings in Canada. Agate now ranks second in the country in the 200 m and 400 m distances, and third in the 100 m. With such huge achievements under her belt, one might expect the 16-year-old to be just a little boastful about her success. But when the national rankings were mentioned to her mom, Peggy Tilbenny, even she was unaware of how successful her daughter was against other runners from across the country. Agate gently brushes off her success with soft and quiet humility. Tilbenny and Agate are a tightknit duo who spend a lot of time together. Tilbenny speaks about the LUCCA AGATE, Page 16
COURTESY EARL LETFORD
Leaside Life • August 2018
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My summers at the Howard Talbot Golf & Country Club One of the great blessings of my Leaside childhood was growing up in a home less than a block from Howard Talbot Park. While it seems less common among young parents today, our wonderful mother was not what you would call overprotective. She would not have been accused, in today’s parlance, of being a helicopter parent, hovering over us 24-7. In the dog days of summer, she’d push my twin brother, Tim, and me out the door in the morning with the directive to be back home when the streetlights came on. She didn’t want us spending our days watching cartoons on TV, though Tim and I were certainly early advocates of animated storytelling on the old Electrohome in our family room. We’d spend most of those endless hazy days in the park just down the street. Named after a former Leaside mayor and early developer, Howard Talbot Park became our universe. A sprawling piece of real estate east of Bayview and south of Eglinton, there were two ball diamonds, a high school, tobogganing hills (of limited value in August), a football field, tennis courts, a hockey and
Terry Fallis Columnist
ROBIN DICKIE
Leaside Life • August 2018
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A new generation of kids thrives at Talbot Park.
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pleasure skating rink in the winter, a lawn bowling club, and a small playground, known as the “parkette,” complete with a city-run wading pool and a great set of swings. We had many adventures and witnessed many extraordinary events in that park over the years. We played a lot of baseball in that park. I was obsessed with the game for a while and fancied myself quite the budding pitcher. Regrettably, I seemed to be the only who saw my major league potential. Tim and I spent hours pitching the hardball to one another, practising our curve ball, sinker, fastball and other “junk.” We also honed our then fledgling golf skills in defiance of signs posted throughout the park prohibiting the sport. We would set up a four or fivehole course that traversed the park and play for hours dragging our golf bags with us. Usually we had a hole on both pitchers’ mounds, and both goal posts on the football field. I think we even used the very pole that hosted the “Golfing Prohibited” sign as one of our holes. Perhaps not one of our brighter moves, but we lived to tell the tale. Occasionally, an errant shot would find its way onto Eglinton Avenue. In short, Tim justifiably earned the nickname “Shank,” over and over again. Losing a ball in the traffic often meant heading home as we seldom had more than one ball each. I’m pleased to report that over the intervening 40 or more years of playing the game, our “then fledgling golf skills” have vastly improved to “just slightly better than fledgling golf skills,” and we owe it all the lush fairways and billiard table greens at the Howard Talbot Golf and Country Club. In the evening, the park remained our haunt, but our focus shifted to watching baseball. Most nights there was a game on one or both diamonds. Living so close to the park, Tim and I were regulars at the ball games. As recounted in an earlier column (The old peeled potato trick, August 2017), Tim and I would often offer our services as team batboys. Occasionally, we’d talk our way into the old-style scoreboard where the announcer would introduce each batter as he stepped up to the plate. We would sit beside the announcer on a small stool and switch on the lights indiFALLIS, Page 19
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There goes the neighbourhood…(Part 2) Last month I was keen to start exploring the impact the generational shift taking place in LeasideBennington will have. There is no denying the demographics, and after my enjoyable foray into the world of Millennials, it was only fitting to follow up that column with an effort to understand the thoughts of ‘baby boomers’ and ‘matures,’ who represent 30% of our neighbourhood and may also be affected. Is there a deepening crisis at our doorsteps? First, the impetus behind this month’s inquiry is the stories that keep appearing in the media such as the Star (“‘Over-housed’ boomers looking to downsize have no place to go”), the Globe (“The coming housing crisis for seniors”) and Bloomberg (“Toronto’s rental frenzy spurs high-rise dog park, fleet of Teslas”). The headlines are shouting that there is a deepening crisis at our doorsteps. If the Millennials are coming into the neighbourhood, are the boomers and matures planning to depart? And if so, where are they planning to go?
Glenn Asano The Business of Leaside
SHUTTERSTOCK
Leaside Life • August 2018
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The individuals I communicated with had a collective 140 years of living in Leaside. I had a list of prepared questions and although there were some differences in opinion,
there was much that was the same. There was some reminiscing of the way it used to be: “a very nice middle-class area with great neighbours and handy shops,” “a village in the city,” “people had one car so the streets were easy to navigate, safe for cyclists and pedestrians,” and “Southvale was a very quiet street back then.” Of course, there were some bones to pick: “no thought to keeping the original design of our little piece of heaven,” “the OMB,” “monster homes,” “razing of bungalows,” “horrid and dangerous traffic,” and “all the new developments.” One wish for Leaside, “to be a self-supporting entity like it was when it was founded.” Interestingly, there were a lot of similarities with the Millennials with regard to all the reasons we love where we live. Nobody wanted to leave Leaside any time soon When it came down to it, not one individual said they wished to downsize, rent out rooms in their homes, or that they wished to leave life in Leaside any time soon. In one case, I got a three exclamation “NO!!!” So, it appears that for those wishing to get into the neighbourhood, all those new condos and townhomes may be the only option without breaking the bank. In doing the research for this piece, I came across a number of ideas that local business operators and developers might look to give our boomers and matures more choice. One example was to build slightly larger units designed specifically for the demographic and the type of lifestyle they desire – one which may be different from the Millennials. If these folks are planning on staying in our changing but idyllic part of Toronto, then businesses might consider how to better meet their needs…there are plenty of opportunities (e.g. I wrote back in June about supporting our ‘mature-preneurs’ with the application of new technology). Are you planning to downsize? And if so, where will you want to live? As a ‘mature-preneur’ what are the things that you would like to see in support of your efforts? Let us know at leasidelife@gmail.com. Leasider Glenn Asano is a partner and principal consultant for the strategy and business development practice at Centred Performance. He is also an instructor with the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University. ■
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GYMNASTICS CLASSES AT 16
Leaside Life • August 2018
GymKats
Crothers Woods...
Agate...
From Page 7
From Page 10
Legum suggests that walkers not use headphones and that those with dogs keep them on leash. My tips after exploring the woods? Strap on a backpack and bring along water, sunscreen, bug spray, and your phone. There are no signposts to direct your travels. So, when you come to two roads diverging in the woods and you are as directionally-challenged as I am, don’t necessarily take the one less travelled. Don’t be ashamed to pull out your GPS. If it means you end up in the flats, down by the Don River, or in a wooded oasis, it’s more than worth it. ■
life lessons she constantly instills in both her daughters. She speaks of facing and overcoming challenges and of the importance of connection and conviction. While she describes Agate as “disciplined, focused, and motivated” in her athletics, she also speaks proudly of her daughter’s academic success. In terms of personal idols in the running world, Agate has been inspired by Allyson Felix, who, like Agate, competes in the 100m, 200m and 400m distances, and fellow Torontonian Andre De Grasse, who holds the Canadian record for medals for a sprinter in the Olympics. Agate had the opportunity to meet De Grasse at the OFSAA meet this past June and still seems to be beaming from the encounter. Agate’s future certainly looks bright. According to coach Letford, “everything I have seen in her leads me to believe that if she continues on this path, she could be an Olympic runner.” ■
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A note from Quebec
Leaside Life • August 2018
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by JEANNE HOPKINS Montreal planner Frederick Gage Todd, who designed Leaside’s layout, exerted a strong influence over the naming of some of Leaside’s streets. One example is Rolland Road, named after Quebec’s Jean-Damien Rolland, born 1841, whose father founded Rolland Paper Mills in St. Jerome on the North River north of Montreal in 1882. The Rolland Paper Company was one of the oldest paper manufacturers in Canada and won a number of prizes for its superfine linen paper. In fact, in 1885, Rolland’s fine linen writing paper won a gold medal at Antwerp, Belgium, and in 1893, the Rolland line took the highest award at the Chicago World’s Fair in Chicago. Earlier, Jean-Damien Rolland formed a partnership with his father, Jean-Baptiste, to found a company called J.-B. Rolland et Fils. He
Rolland Jr.
Rolland Sr. later took over the mills as president before entering politics, first as a member of the town council of Hochelaga and later mayor, before serving on Montreal City Council and finally as part of the Legislative Council of Quebec. Jean-Damien Rolland died in 1912 and is buried in Montreal in the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery. In 1928, the Royal Securities Corporation bought out the paper manufacturers. But the Rolland
name lives on in Leaside, a reminder of the proud history of this Quebec company. Jeanne Hopkins spent most of her life in the historic Henry Farm community of North York. She realized her passion for local history in the Canadiana department of the North York Public Library, where she worked for 27 years. She is the author of many articles and five books of local history. ■
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From Page 12 cating balls, strikes, and outs as the pitches were fired in. At the end of each inning, we’d slip the scoring numbers into the right slot and sometimes installed the rectangular digits right-side-up on the first try. It really made you feel like a big-shot sitting up there in what amounted to Talbot Park’s Gondola. Even if we were just spectators at the games, we could always snag a free Coke by fetching the foul balls hit over the fence into the parking lots of the apartments on Bayview. Of course, you had to be the first one to the errant ball. Sometimes there were a dozen kids sprinting for the chain link fence, so the free Coke was often hard-earned and just as often shared. Yes, Talbot Park was almost a second home for us growing up in Leaside. We still catch a few ball games each summer, but my fence-hopping foul ball-retrieving days are behind me. While we never gave lawn bowling a shot as kids, who knows what the future might hold? There’s still time. ■
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Spending summer in the city? Refresh each week and connect with the Spirit Every Sunday at 10:30 am all Summer long… In July, visit Northlea United, 125 Brentcliffe Rd. Children’s activity table available in the Sanctuary.
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416 425 5252 office@northleaunited.ca www.northleaunited.ca
In August and on Sept 2nd, visit Leaside Presbyterian, 670 Eglinton Ave. E. Church school and Nursery care provided. 416 422 0510 admin@leasidepresbyterianchurch.ca www.leasidepresbyterianchurch.ca
We value diversity in the workplace, are committed to Employment Equity and will provide reasonable workplace accommodation to applicants with disabilities. RBC Dominion Securities Inc.* and Royal Bank of Canada are separate corporate entities which are affiliated. *Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fund. RBC Dominion Securities Inc. is a member company of RBC Wealth Management, a business segment of Royal Bank of Canada. ®Registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under licence. ©RBC Dominion Securities Inc. 2016. All rights reserved. 16_90451_003
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Leaside Life • August 2018
Fallis...
Is there magic in your backyard? Unlike front yards, backyards are private spaces that can be used in many ways. A perennial garden, a playground for the kids or a quiet place to reflect. A backyard can be whatever you want it to be, but magic only appears when the ordinary becomes the extraordinary. So, I went on the Magical Gardens of Leaside tour and it was magic that I was looking for. My first stop was at the home of Karen Keay, who transformed her backyard into a private resort. In centre stage, a large freeform swimming pool sparkled in the morning sun, but there were many stars, including the attached hot tub, lounging area and an upper deck for dining. All of this hardscape was beautifully softened by the lush mixed perennial border that follows the organic shape of the pool. I wasn’t the only one who found this to be fresh and alive; the birds and bumble bees seemed to think so too! Barry and Jacqui Dixon are two masters of illusion who transformed a good size yard into something that appears enormous. By making use of the adjoining ravine, they trans-
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With each step there’s a whimsical surprise of bunnies or ducks peeking out of the shrubs. When I spotted the perfectly placed vegetable patch, it brought back memories of when I was a child in my mother’s and grandmother’s gardens.
formed a once boring garden of weeds and hostas into what looks like a botanical garden. These dedicated collectors know how to display a wide range of plants with both skill and artistry to create a masterpiece. A topiary knot garden with a centre path is the main focal point, but there are so many strong features throughout the wide curving beds, including a life-size elk sculpture that looks to be heading back to the dark and mysterious forest behind. If you know the movie School of Rock, you’ll understand why I call Eric Hayward’s garden School of Plants. This garden is fun and appears to be all about the kids with the swing set, sandbox and a big red train car, but it’s so much more than that. As a plant collector, Eric has created a truly beautiful teaching garden, exposing his kids to as many plants as possible (many from his own journeys) with hopes they experience joy to learn and build memories on. I had a childhood memory myself when I saw the raspberry bushes there. 20 years ago, John and Lorraine Green redesigned the layout of their garden to appeal to children of all ages and that’s exactly what it is. A waterfall welcomes you and slows down your pace to view the full, diverse and beautifully maintained garden beds.
With four more gardens to view and after hours of walking in the scorching sun, I decided to make my last garden visit with the Brophy family. They took a cue from the existing 65-year-old black walnut to transform their space into something very different. Rather than fight that tree, they honoured it by creating a bed of compatible plants around it and turned the remaining garden into a stone patio. This made a smaller yard spacious and capable of many activities. For me, it was the visual serenity of this space along with the shade of that big tree that made me so relaxed and comfortable. The five gardens I viewed were as different as the owners who created them; the only common thread was that they were all very magical. Is yours? Here’s to magical gardens everywhere! ■
The Leaside Gardener: Debora Kuchme
DEBORA KUCHME
Leaside Life • August 2018
20
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Helping to navigate the dementia journey Arnould and I found ourselves pondering what others were doing to support themselves and their loved Every journey has its predictable ones coping with dementia. After and unexpected, mundane and much research, we discovered the exceptional, annoying and delightofferings were slim and scattered. ful elements. Dementia is a unique That’s when we decided to do somejourney that arrives unannounced thing to make a difference. We’ve all making it challenging to prepare for put much care, effort and funding and navigate. into creating this site for caregivers.” Whether you, a family member Barbara also offered, “Our or a neighbour is diagnosed motto, Carry on…Life Barbara with dementia, no two Can Continue with Joy!, journeys are the same. It conveys our optimism for can be a confusing and increased awareness and isolating experience yet support for those, in our two local businesses and midst, on the dementia their passionate owners journey.” ALL-Alz.com. are making a difference in the lives of many Leasiders navigating the dementia journey. “Our website is a one-stop curated site for people caring for a loved one with dementia or Alzheimer’s,” says Barbara Allan of ALL-Alzheimer’s. Lilianne When asked what inspired Chloë the website, she responded, “At a dinner party in 2015 my future Jane Teasdale and her partner partners Lilianne Vidicek, Chloë Nathalie Anderson are entrepreneurs with heart making a difference for seniors and their caregivers on the dementia journey. And they’re gaining recognition for their innovative programs and services here in Leaside, the broader GTA and Europe through their company, Mosaic Home Care. The comfortable furniture and aromatic tea served in china cups adds a homey feel to Mosaic’s community centre, housed at the CNIB Centre, on the northern edge of Leaside. Here they offer many complimentary sessions on a diverse range of topics such as Fall Prevention, Memory Café, Mindfulness, and Pole Walking Lynda Gorges Club, to name a few, along with a Broker robust collection of resource 416-486-5588 materials. Jane humbly reports Lynda.Gorges@gmail.com that “last fall I was a www.lyndagorges.com featured speaker at a London, UK conference where Mosaic Home Care and Community Resource Centres was Jane awarded the European Society for Person Centred Healthcare’s Gold Medal for our person-centred community focused model of care. Our unique The Meaning of Me® program, a departure from the prevailing medical model of care, offers older people
Leaside Life • August 2018
by SUZANNE PARK
Passionate about helping my Clients
EVENTS A PRESENTATION ABOUT CONCUSSIONS Sept. 27, 7-9 pm, at the Leaside Arena with Dr. Michael Hutchison, a Leaside fellow and MD, PhD at St Mike’s and U of T. Michael is well respected for his research and presentations and speaks from personal experience. Limited seating available. leasidegardens.com
LEMONADE FOR TERRY FOX 3rd annual lemonade stand to raise money for the Terry Fox Foundation. Sept 16th, 10am until noon. 76 Bessborough Dr.
TORONTO LEASIDE ROTARY CLUB CORN ROAST 25th Anniversary. Sun., September, 16th. Trace Manes Park, Noon to 5 pm. New for 2018: A dog show 2-3pm. All dogs welcome • free entry. Prize winning categories: waggiest tail, scruffiest dog, dog who looks most like its owner, best dressed. Plus favourite annual offerings of fresh corn on the cob, bbq hotdogs, desserts, music, games, motor scooters, face painting, bouncy castles, and slides.
NORTHLEA UNITED
125 Brentcliffe Road www.northleaunited.ca 416-425-5252 Annual Welcome Back Community Corn Roast! Wednesday, Sept. 12, 5-7:30 pm. Suggested donation: $5 per person, $15 per family, can be made at the event. Net proceeds go to Northlea United’s General Fund. For more information call or email office@northleaunited.ca Taize: Candlelight, prayer, meditation and music, 8:00-8:45 pm. Wednesday evenings September 19, October 10, November 14. Join us for a quiet evening of reflection in the Sanctuary.
LEASIDE LIBRARY 165 McRae Drive, 416-396-3835. For full Library listings see https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/ programs-and-classes/ Send us your free listing for September by August 10th leasidelife@gmail.com ■
with complex high support requirements services that keep them active and connected to their community.” In August, she’ll be presenting at the International Federation on Ageing’s 14th Global Conference being held in Toronto and in Lyon, France in September. www.mosaichomecare.com. ■
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Leaside Life • August 2018
23
Leaside is your gateway to some of the city’s best cycling
24
Leaside Life • August 2018
By HOLLY REID As many cyclists can attest, when you tell people you ride in the city, their eyes widen in disbelief. “Are you crazy?” they ask. I’m not crazy, but I am cautious and plan routes to minimize interaction with vehicle traffic. The fact is there is great, safe cycling right here on our doorstep in Leaside. Here are a few of my favourite rides: Family friendly If you ride with young ones, Mount Pleasant Cemetery is for you. Largely vehicle free and with few hills, it’s ideal for a family ride. The east section runs about 2.5 km in a single loop. The tunnel at the north end, under Mount Pleasant Road, connects you to the west section and ultimately Yonge Street, expanding your ride to a total of about 4 km. To put in even more distance, hop on the Kay Gardiner Beltline Trail (entrance northwest of the tunnel). Shady and quiet, this trail extends all the way to the Allen Expressway.
Country in the city From Leaside, we have access to some of the best recreational real estate through Toronto’s system of trails. Keep in mind that entrances to these trails can be steep. Mud Creek, south off Moore Avenue, is a wide dirt trail and earns its name after any rainstorm. It’s downhill most of the way to Evergreen Brickworks,
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so have a break, take in the scenery and get a snack – you’ll need it for the mostly uphill ride home. The Don Trail system offers paved multi-use trails following the Don River. Enter off Sutherland (north end) or Broadway (east end). You can head south on the Lower Don Trail, connect to the Taylor Creek Trail going east, or go north through Sunnybrook Park to Edwards Gardens. A great route, almost entirely on paved trails or cycle tracks, is to ride south on the Lower Don Trail, east on the Lakeshore Blvd. cycle tracks to Leslie and south on separated bike lanes to Tommy Thompson Park (also known as the Leslie Street spit). Once you are on the spit, you could be riding on a country road! You may see lots of birds and wildlife – beavers, weasels, rabbits and, of course, raccoons. Beach bound Follow the route for Tommy Thompson Park, taking the waterfront trail east from Leslie to Kew Beach. For Cherry Beach, head west on the waterfront trail connection in Thompson Park (west side by the visitor centre). Reach Sugar Beach and the Island Ferries on the trail heading west from Cherry Street. The downtown grid of separated bike lanes can deliver you to great cultural destinations and neighbourhoods to explore. Use the online Toronto Cycling Map to plot your way, selecting safe cycling options such as cycle tracks, bike lanes and trails from the menu. Holly Reid is a recreational road rider and cycling commuter who has lived and worked in Leaside for 30 years. She writes “Ask a Cyclist” for Cycle Toronto (cycleto.ca). ■
The last (plastic) straw! 25
Leaside Life • August 2018
Cheryl Vanderburg Leaside Litterati
Barbara Robson chimed in. “You made my day, too! I can’t wait to share this news with my students! The work to eliminate straws was part of a larger project on single-use plastic and black plastic that is recyclable, but cannot be recycled in Toronto. The project was the students’ initiative in my class. However, it was your article and the initiative you took that brought about change. So, thanks for the article and for speaking to the Leaside Pub owners. Your news made me wonder if we could get Leaside to be the first community in Toronto to ban straws altogether. Just a thought!” So, the challenge is out to all Leaside eateries and their patrons. Ban the plastic drinking straw? Are you ready? ■
CHERYL VANDERBURG
Whether you’re ordering a takeout drink or a cold beverage in a local eatery, you’ll likely get a plastic drinking straw, one of 57 million used by Canadians each day. Single use plastic straws have been a hot-button environmental issue since a video of marine biologists removing a plastic straw from a sea turtle’s nostril went viral on YouTube. If that’s not persuasive enough, there are health-related reasons to ditch the little plastic tube, including gas, bloating, cavities, chemicals and wrinkles. Britain plans to ban the sale of plastic straws and is pressing other Commonwealth countries to join. Prime Minister Trudeau won’t say if he supports the idea but wants to discuss it with G7 leaders. ‘The Last Straw Toronto’ encourages city bars and restaurants to go straw-free. Recipe Unlimited Corp. is dumping plastic straws from its 1,382 restaurants, including Swiss Chalet, Harvey’s, Kelsey’s and New York Fries, and replacing them with compostable biodegradable paper straws. And the students in Barbara Robson’s Grade 5 class at Northlea are advocating for a community that is plastic straw-free (Leaside Litterati Article April, 2018). So, when I went to see the Ndecision Band at the Leaside Pub, I too got involved. The simple act of ordering a ginger ale and receiving a tall glass of ice-filled soda with a plastic drinking straw, which I didn’t ask for nor did I want, led me to a conversation with my server, which led me to a conversation with the co-owners, which led me to a conversation with Param Ratna, co-owner and general manager. “I’m concerned about the environmental impact and I’ve had several customers ask me about it, so we’ve decided to replace plastic straws with paper, and straws will be given out only upon request,” said Param. “We go through 250-400 straws a day, so that’s a lot of plastic we’re eliminating from landfills. We’re kicking off this initiative on July 28, 4 p.m.-7 p.m., with entertainment by the Climax Jazz Band. We hope to see everyone there to celebrate with us!” I quickly emailed Northlea to let them know that their vision of reducing single-use plastic was coming to life in the community. “You made my day! That’s fabulous! Thank you for sharing and bravo to Ms. Robson and her young ECO advocates,” replied Principal Barbara Sandler.
Leaside Pub Manager Param Ratna blazes the eco trail.
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Leaside Life • August 2018
26
Can Focus Plans be challenged? As a participant in the wild world of Toronto planning, one quickly learns to recognize the driving role of the province’s Growth Plan and its direction for intensification around major transit station areas. The aims of 160 persons and/or jobs per hectare for LRT station areas like Laird and Leaside (Bayview), which are minimums (floors) rather than (actual) targets (ceilings), direct the densities being proposed in City planning studies such as Laird in Focus and Midtown in Focus. At Yonge and Eglinton, despite the growth target having already being exceeded, the drive to intensify further with high-rise buildings continues unabated. And regardless of the “Mixed Use” designation, the buildings will be predominantly residential), not employment producing, increasing the demand for commuting to downtown. (Jobs would act to encourage more of a reverse flow.) Residents typically have several opportunities to engage with the plans, through public meetings and online comments. The public voices its concerns but mostly resigns itself to the planners’ recommended densities, which ultimately get approved
Geoff Kettel
Saving old Leaside by City Council. That’s the usual pattern. But not always. The other day at the city committee responsible for planning, a large number of deputants showed up and argued that densities should be reduced on the northeast quadrant of the Midtown in Focus (Yonge and Eglinton) plan. They claimed they had not been adequately consulted, and the densities proposed were too high. Most of the deputants were residents of a single condo, actually next door to the location of at least one of the earlier public consultation meetings. The planners did not make a recommendation either in support or opposed to a motion moved by Councillor Robinson. Anyway, it passed the committee and is on to City Council. While I have reservations about what happened in this case (for one thing, how can you reduce densities
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in one quadrant without impacting all four quadrants?), It does raise questions about how concerned Leaside is about densities proposed in Laird in Focus. Laird in Focus is only at the “proposals” stage; it will come forward for approval in the coming year. Could the same thing happen with Laird in Focus? It is up to you, the residents of Leaside, and the councillor to decide. DRA FT
Laird
us in Foc rt
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, 2018
JUNE
It takes planning as well as heritage to save the Talbot Quads Some good news for Leaside heritage! We are well on the way to saving the Talbot quads! This story picks up from the March Leaside Life story, which dealt with 1755-1757 Bayview Ave., the quad threatened with demolition and replacement by two semi-detached dwellings. When faced with the City’s Intention to Designate, the owner agreed not to demolish, to respect the noted heritage attributes, and add a third floor, set back from the front portion. This plan was approved at an amicable settlement hearing on May 28th attended by the owner, the City, a neighbouring owner, and the LPOA. Interestingly, the very next day the building was put up for sale – with plans for renovation! And the City followed up with the Metrolinx property at 1783-85 Bayview, and Council passed the intent to designate on May 22nd. Can designation of the remaining eight quads be far behind? Saving the Talbot quads is also about land use planning, not just heritage. The Midtown in Focus
KETTEL continued
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27
Leaside Life • August 2018
Planning Study, charged with producing a draft secondary plan for the whole Yonge and Eglinton area, was recently extended to include the east side of Bayview. It then recommended that the block north from Parkhurst Blvd. to Eglinton be re-designated from Neighbourhoods to Mixed Use. As Neighbourhoods, there is a four-storey height limit, whereas under the proposed Mixed Use designation, the Plan assigned a height of seven storeys (plus one additional storey subject to conditions). The planners’ argument: how is it reasonable to have these properties continue to be designated as Neighbourhoods so close to the Leaside LRT station and subject to Growth Plan intensification directives? In response the LPOA made several counter-arguments for remaining as Neighbourhoods rather than re-designation as Mixed Use: 1. Retail (at grade) is a primary characteristic of the Mixed Use land use whereas these properties are entirely residential. In addition, the slope of the land from Parkhurst to just before Eglinton makes it unsuitable for retail uses. 2. Immediately behind the quads is Talbot Park, specifically the baseball diamond, located well below grade due to the ravine of the former Walmsley Brook. To minimize shadowing on the baseball diamond, it is essential to maintain low-rise rather than mid-rise or high-rise on Bayview near the park. Conversion to Mixed Use would cause serious shadowing on the diamond and park. (Avoidance of shadowing on public parks is a key principle in “good planning.”) 3. It is unclear or unknown whether Mixed Use (and 7-plus storeys) is compatible with heritage designation of the quadraplexes (2 storeys). Conversion to Mixed Use would make retention of the heritage attributes problematic. As noted above, in the one case where the heritage attributes of a designated Talbot quad were tested, the two-storey format was retained with a third storey added behind. Councillor Burnside agreed and supported our recommendation to the Planning and Growth Management Committee. Hopefully City Council will approve the motion to maintain the Neighbourhoods designation for the set of 10 quadraplexes on the east side of Bayview, instead of re-designating them to Mixed Use as proposed by the Plan when it meets later this month. ■
Meet Leaside’s budding entrepreneurs
28
Leaside Life • August 2018
By STAN FLEMMING
Women
Men, Kids & Youth 864 Millwood Road (416) 485-2807
A few entrepreneurial young Leaside students have decided that this summer instead of looking for a job and working for someone else, they would open their own business and employ themselves. Matthew Gehring, a third-year University of Toronto, Rotman commerce student, recently started a home security company named Panther Security Solutions (www. panthersecurity.net). A consummate entrepreneur, Matthew has been mowing lawns and shoveling snow since Grade 6. Last year, jumpstarted by a summer company grant from Ryerson, he started an in-home data backup company. Why home security, and why now? Inspired by his Mom’s concern over keeping their home safe and protected, Matthew combined his talent for technology (he was a founding member of the Leaside High
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Matthew Gehring PantherSecurity.net School Robotics Team) and his entrepreneurial spirit to come up with Panther. Installing premium quality video surveillance systems, Matthew’s company tag line is: Keeping Leaside on the Safeside. Meanwhile, those of you strolling down Bayview may have noticed a new addition to the retail landscape as a new pop-up store named Hello Summer recently opened at 1551 Bayview. Started by a pair of Grade 10 Leaside high school students, Lucas Flemming and Pierce Goulimis, the store offers a range of products from Augie’s Gourmet Ice Pops, sauces from Wicked Gourmet and an interesting range of fun giftware and toys. Why did they decide to start their own retail business? “We did not see ourselves working for someone else,” both answered. “I grew up in a house of business,
Pierce & Lucas
my Dad is in the construction and consulting industry, and he would always talk about his clients and how he had to deal with them,” said Pierce. This past year, he was part of the Junior Achievement club at Leaside High, where his group created a company called Ball-it that partnered with the MLSE and the Toronto Raptors to obtain gameused basketballs and turn them into key chains. Flemming, also 15, has always loved running shoes and has been collecting them since he was 11 years old. To fund his hobby, Lucas’s early foray into the business world found him importing 50 pairs of shoes, which he proceeded to quickly resell for a tidy profit. When asked what he did with these profits, the response, of course, was to buy more shoes. In Grade 7, Lucas and a friend started a secret retail enterprise, where they bought candy in bulk from the Dollar Store, repackaged it, marked it up, and sold out of their school lockers at Bessborough public school. The unauthorized business was quickly shut down by the school principal, but not before these budding entrepreneurs made almost a hundred dollars. While all three young men will be returning to school in the fall, it looks like they will certainly leave the summer of 2018 with a few more business lessons under their belts. Panther Security will continue on as an ongoing business while the pop-up store will be closing on August 31st. ■
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We are not alone in development pressures I am writing this article on holiday, deep in the English countryside of rural Dorset. The only sounds are of birds, and the occasional lamb baah-ing in the meadow next door. It’s hard to imagine a calmer and more peaceful place. The setting is idyllic, but one would be wrong to assume that local governance here is any better than in Toronto. This is a country where the national government in London sets local targets for new home-building. Local planning authorities are under pressure to meet those mandated targets. When county councils fail to do so, the result is a flood of speculative applications from developers to fill the gap. The British press is full of details: many of the applications being filed contravene local planning requirements and existing neighbourhood plans. Many ignore road access, traffic impacts, and conservation concerns. Several would build housing estates in areas where schools are already full, and ameni-
Carol Burtin Fripp Co-president, LPOA
ties like health services are already under stress. The mayor of one town near here was quoted as saying that his District Council’s officers might give permission for new developments – regardless of their negative impacts on the community – simply to meet London’s government-imposed target. Other councillors refer
to their areas as being ‘under siege’ from developers. This situation is repeated throughout the country. Meeting London’s targets takes priority regardless of local conditions. Sound familiar? We in Toronto criticize how provincial planning legislation is all too often cited by the city to justify permitting applications for high-density developments all over the city. We question how density planning targets are set. We debate how to protect communities like Leaside from ever more high-rise densification and all of its side-effects: more people equals more cars, which equals more pressures on transit, schools, and neighbourhoods. We ask what we, as residents, can do to take on and manage – and sometimes actually defeat – the development challenges we face. Certainly, this is a continuing concern for us in the Leaside Property Owners’ Association. I am reminded of this as I enjoy what appears to be the peaceful English countryside. I may be far away from Leaside at the moment, but I am constantly reminded that, in our concerns about development pressures, we are not alone!
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LPOA’s next board meeting is on WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, at 7:30 p.m., in the Trace Manes building. These meetings are always open to the public. We invite you to attend, whether for help on local matters, to share your opinion or give advice, or just to hear more about what is happening in our community. Contact us anytime via our website, lpoa.ca. ■
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News of note Councillor Burnside reported in his newsletter that the North Leaside Traffic Calming Vote failed to pass. While the participation threshold of at least 50% was easily met (65.8%), only 46.9% were in favour so the vote failed. The proposed traffic calming features will not go ahead. For a full breakdown of the results please visit http://www. ward26.ca/nltc/. Costco Opens! Costco Thorncliffe Park at 42 Overlea Boulevard had its grand opening on July 24th. ■
SHUTTERSTOCK
Leaside Life • August 2018
30
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