Issuu

S E P T E M B E R 2026

SCAVENGER HUNT

Join the hunt on pages 33-34 WIN PRIZES!

No. 172

FORMER LEASIDERS •

HISTORY • HERITAGE •THORNCLIFFE • WHERE

LEASIDERS• PEOPLE • CONTRIBUTORS • COMMUNITY •

P. 8

SPORTS •

COOKING • GARDENING P.• WHERE ARE THEY NOW? • SEPTEMBER • 22

FORMER LEASIDERS •

HISTORY • HERITAGE • GROW • THORNCLIFFE P.

10 LEASIDERS• PEOPLE • CONTRIBUTORS • COMMUNITY •

HERITAGE

• COOKING • GARDENING • WHERE ARE THEY NOW? • SEPTEMBER FORMER LEASIDERS •

HISTORY • HERITAGE •THORNCLIFFE AMAZING

P. 16

LEASIDERS• PEOPLE • CONTRIBUTORS • COMMUNITY • P. 6

SPORTS •

COOKING • GARDENING • WHERE ARE THEY NOW? • SEPTEMBER FORMER LEASIDERS •

HISTORY • HERITAGE •THORNCLIFFE AMAZING

LEASIDERS• PEOPLE • CONTRIBUTORS • COMMUNITY •

SPORTS •

P. 1

4 COOKING • GARDENING • WHERE ARE THEY NOW? • SEPTEMBER

MEMORIAM LEASIDERS • HISTORY • HERITAGE •THORNCLIFFE AMAZING LEASIDERS• PEOPLE • CONTRIBUTORS • COMMUNITY •

SPORTS •

COOKING • PGARDENING • WHERE ARE THEY NOW? • SEPTEMBER .2 6

FORMER LEASIDERS •

HISTORY • HERITAGEP. 4 •THORNCLIFFE AMAZING

P. LEASIDERS• PEOPLE • CONTRIBUTORS • COMMUNITY • 30

SPORTS

Every corner has a story

• COOKING • PEOPLE • WHERE ARE THEY NOW? • GARDENING

LOCAL B

US IN E

LEASIDERS• PEOPLE • CONTRIBUTORS • COMMUNITY •

PEOPLE • GARDENING • WHERE ARE THEY NOW? • SEPTEMBER FORMER LEASIDERS •

TING OR PP

SPORTS•

HISTORY • THORNCLIFFE • AMAZING

Leaside Life • September 2026

A Gentle Pause in a Busy World

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Editor’s Welcome Time for new learning Ah, September. No matter how old you are, September is always going to be ‘back to school.’ New starts, new friends, new teachers, new challenges. But September is so much more than school for so many of us. For me it’s a time to set aside the languor of summer for a renewed sense of energy. It’s also a time of learning. As you dive into this issue of Leaside Life, there is much to learn and enjoy. In one tasty example, in this issue’s Leaside Cooks, we learn about manoomin as a simple and savoury side dish. Leaside Cooks columnist Mitch Bubulj writes in his interview with Indigenous educator and former Leasider Tobie Loukes: “Before colonization, the Anishinaabe made a celebration of the communal September harvest of the crop. As Loukes says,

Jane Auster Editor Leaside Life

it was ‘a meet and greet of sorts.’ People from different regions would come together in the reuniting of old friends and the making of new ones. It was a special time of year that provided excitement and romance as the youth would meet peers from surrounding areas as they harvested together.” Susan Scandiffio offers an entirely different type of learning. In our second annual Scavenger Hunt you are invited – encouraged! – to explore your community in ways you’ve never considered before. Esoteric? Sure. Fun? Absolutely. And I guarantee you’ll be challenged to find all 30 answers. Leg work required! These are just two examples of the wealth of content in these pages. I hope your personal back-to-school experiences include Leaside Life. n

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Toronto authorities have been known to (occasionally) overreact to certain events. In August 1983, police arrested New York Yankees outfielder Dave Winfield after he threw a baseball at a seagull, accidentally killing it. A few years later, in 1991, the popular rock group Barenaked Ladies was banned from performing at Toronto’s City Hall because it was thought their name “objectified women.” Both actions were widely publicized and ridiculed as excessive and unnecessary. Decades earlier, a similar incident occurred in Leaside – with similar results. It involved the growing popularity of go-carts. On Sun., April 3, 1960, nine-year old Jimmy Oliver of 68 Parkhurst Blvd. was arrested while operating one of these motorized vehicles on the grounds of Bessborough School, where he attended 4th grade. The machine had been a present from his father the previous fall, and Jimmy would often drive it on the

sidewalk and sometimes on neighbourhood streets…which was illegal. According to the Toronto Telegram, Jimmy had gone through a stop sign on his way to the school, prompting residents to call the police. When the cops arrived, they not only confiscated the vehicle, they also took Jimmy and his 15-yearold brother David to the East York police station at Coxwell and Mortimer. They detained the two boys for about an hour before taking them home. When they arrived at the Olivers’ house, the police informed Jimmy’s mother that he was being charged with driving without a licence and that she too was being charged for allowing him to drive. Furious that her son had been arrested without her first being notified, the distraught woman

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GO-KART Page 36

The Leaside Advertiser, Sept. 24, 1964

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Leaside Life • September 2026

‘You’re under arrest, kid’: the notorious Leaside go-cart incident

Leaside’s Bev Orser named Officer of the Order of Canada Seven lines of close type form Dr. Beverley Orser’s “signature” on her email account, and that’s before you even get to the additional two lines for a work address. These lines are all important, of course, but from her point of view what Bev really wants us to know is how grateful she is for all the opportunities to work collaboratively over the years, “to look at creative models to provide care and do it safely” in her field of anesthesiology and pain medicine. Beverley A. Orser was honoured for her significant achievements in an announcement on June 26 from Canada’s Governor General Louise Arbour, naming her as an Officer of the Order of Canada. Working with the six or seven people in the “Orser Lab” at the University of Toronto, Orser and her team develop ways of preserving brain function when it is useful “to flag patients who may need extra care to avoid cognitive changes after surgery, which happens in about 25 per cent of surgeries.” Also, with

a shortage, and the aging, of anesthesiologists, “there is a need to increase volumes and extend capacity by looking at ways to safely use anesthesia assistants during surgeries.

Lorna Krawchuk Publisher Leaside Life

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Leaside Life • September 2026

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Leaside is now her home Bev and her husband, Dr. Geordie Fallis (yes, he’s a cousin of Terry and Tim Fallis), as young marrieds first lived in a small bungalow on Airdrie Road, and then, as their family grew to include three children, moved to a larger South Leaside home. Their children attended Bessborough and spent many hours on local teams in parks and at Leaside Gardens. Bev’s family are United Empire Loyalists who settled in Picton, Ont., so it was natural that she would choose nearby Queen’s University in Kingston for her studies. After two years of arts and science, she was accepted into med school and graduated in 1981. While on a rotating internship at St. Jude’s Hospital in St. Lucia, a hurricane knocked out road connections so that the only anesthesiologist on the island couldn’t reach the hospital. Bev recognized the importance of anesthesia and decided that would be her specialty. Back in Canada, she chose a placement in Baie Verte, a small remote community in Newfoundland. Then, with marriage and planning for a family came the move to Toronto where she has lived since. Along the way, she acquired a Ph.D. in medical science at the University of Toronto in 1995, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and an International Member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine. Juggling many roles She is now completing year 10 of 10 as chair of the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, with about 1,000 people in the department at the University of Toronto, where she is also a

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professor in the Department of Physiology. On top of all these positions, she’s also the co-director of research, Department of Anesthesia, at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre where she’s a staff anesthesiologist. Bev’s looking forward to having to juggle only three jobs a week when her term as chair at the U of T ends. She enjoys trauma and emergency work at Sunnybrook and makes a point of mentioning that her partners there support her research and advocacy for patient safety. Receiving substantial new grants for the lab enables this research to continue. She’s especially proud of her department’s work during Covid, when the ICUs were increasingly busy, and of the work they are continuing to do to prevent pain preor post- surgery from morphing into chronic pain. The only reason I was able to squeeze in a chat with Bev was that she was on a week’s holiday, and, by chance, not at the family cottage. Once she’s back at work, it will be full tilt again. n

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Leaside Life • September 2026

ORSER continued

Simon Sinn career-shifts from foodservice to finance to film

6 Leaside Life • September 2026

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You never know where you’ll see Simon Sinn. Maybe walking from his home on Davisville for a shop along Bayview, but just as likely as a face on your tablet or TV. Simon’s story is quite the adventure. His life started in Hong Kong, where in high school, university and beyond, in a summer league, he played “footie” as a goalkeeper. As a young graduate he worked the front desk at a five-star hotel. By this time, he’d met his wife, Ann, who was born in the U.K. He had school friends living in Calgary, so the couple decided that coming to Canada with Simon taking a two-year course at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in hotel management would be a great idea. But having done that, he “never worked in a hotel again.” Instead, the couple moved to Vancouver, where Simon held a management position in a flight kitchen. From foodservice to finance On a trip home to Hong Kong, he “bumped into a high school friend who had done well in finance and whose company was always looking for good people, especially those who were English-speaking, to manage overseas operations.” Simon took the friend up on the offer and spent time in Jakarta and Doha, Qatar. Ann was in the U.K. with their newborn son, so along came another change, and back to Calgary for the family – but this time as a stockbroker. Always on the lookout for new clients, Simon noticed there was a community TV station that provided information to the Chinese community for one hour a week. He asked for a screen test, thinking “What have I got to lose?” Lose he did not and went from doing a few minutes of financial advice to reading news, hosting and even producing a documentary, all while continuing with

the stockbroker day job. In the late 1980s, the family moved to Toronto for a job offer with another financial company. But Hollywood North beckoned. Simon saw a newspaper article mentioning acting opportunities. At a photo booth he “took four shots for a dollar, and with those four shots, made an appointment with the agent mentioned in the newspaper article.” Lorraine Wells took him on and remained his agent until her retirement in 2019. Acting takes over Simon juggled finance and acting until 2017, when he decided he’d devote more of his time to acting.

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He played Yacht Captain Wong in the 2019 Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston film, Murder Mystery. Another significant role was a monk in an episode of The Sopranos, shot in California, where, as a Canadian, he needed a reference letter to be able to work. None other than noted filmmaker Atom Egoyan provided the letter. The monk role was also significant because from then on, Simon kept his hair very short. In some of his roles Simon speaks Cantonese, while others are in English. A favourite in Cantonese is Streams Flow from a River, for which the whole cast was flown to Cannes for Canneseries (an international television festival held annually in Cannes) for its premiere. What’s next? Keep an eye out for Simon in an upcoming Ontario Lotto commercial – shot right on Rumsey Road! Simon’s motto is “whatever comes, say yes,” so you’ll get to see him in an upcoming web series, Harmony Gardens, where he and Jackie Richardson share scenes as residents of a retirement community. He’s also in Cry Wolf, a TV series starring Olivia Colman. n

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Leaside Life • September 2026

The Fall Market Is Here — Let’s Get Your Home Ready

Leaside loses a respected community guardian LEASIDE PEOPLE

JENNIFER HELLER

Leaside Life • September 2026

By GEOFF KETTEL James George (Jim) Heller died peacefully at home on July 18, 2026 at the age of 86. He had a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, and as his obituary said, he

was “an accomplished health economist and epidemiologist, an ardent advocate for climate action and human rights, and a lifelong spiritual seeker.” All this and more. Heller was well known and respected by many civically engaged people, including politicians at all levels of government, as a highly principled person and a strong supporter and guardian of Leaside. His prescient contributions to public discussions were always well researched and argued, even if his policy ideas were not always well aligned with the orthodox political direction of the time. One of Jim’s major concerns in recent years was densification and its impacts on Leaside. In 2018 he wrote a paper on the topic – “Recommendations to Mitigate the Consequences of LRT Transit Corridor and Related Developments on Leaside’s Quality of Life.” It was

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a careful examination of the impacts of high-rise development mandated by governments considering the Eglinton LRT’s arrival, issues of livability, the health of residents, and the surrounding community’s welfare. Jim Heller had opinions He felt that high-rises: • separate people from the street and reduce meaningful contact with ground level and radically reduce chance encounters and propinquity; • represent vertical sprawl, encouraging gentrification and inequality (whereas low-/mid-rises equal resiliency and affordability); • are not good for your health and may not be “green.” He recommended that the City’s Official Plan be amended: • to allow high-rise buildings no taller than 8-11 storeys within the impact zones defined by the density criteria around LRT transit stations; • to allow low- to mid-rise buildings no taller than 3-5 storeys between LRT transit stations; • to improve the environmental performance of low-, mid-rise and high-rise buildings, such as reducing the reliance on inefficient all-glass skin building design, substituting wood for steel and concrete in low and mid-rise building construction. Beyond Leaside, he was concerned about the recently expanded Portlands Energy Centre, with issues related to fossil fuel production of carbon, emissions, and air quality. Unfortunately, provincial Major Transit Station Areas (MTSA) policies have rendered his densification concerns moot, and City Council failed to adopt a recent motion to address the Portlands Energy Centre concerns. Jim was, from his heart, a public health and environmental practitioner and advocate, and a valued community and societal conscience. We will miss him! n

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Leaside Life • September 2026

Three millionaires, one manor house, all in Leaside, Part 2 awaiting the wrecker’s ball. This three-part series is the story of the three millionaires – Joseph Kilgour, David Dunkelman and James Flanagan – who all left their mark.

Mitch Bubulj Columnist

I met her in the Summer of ’78 and even though she had seen better days, she stole my heart. I got to know her well, both inside and out. By that winter she was gone forever. She went by a few different names, the last Diva, short for Divadale. She was first known as York Lodge, less sexy but more precise. The metaphorical “she” here some of you with long memories may also remember. This “grande dame” of a mansion, built in 1913 by entrepreneur Joseph Kilgour, stood proudly at the valley ridge in what are now the institutional lands northwest of Brentcliffe and Glenvale. In 1978 when I explored the abandoned greenhouses, grounds and house, from attic to indoor marble swimming pool, “she” was boarded up,

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The Dunkelman years – 1930 to 1936 While Joseph Kilgour, the founder of Sunnybrook Farm and builder of his manor home, York Lodge, made his millions in manufacturing flat-bottomed paper bags and cardboard boxes, David Dunkelman got rich in the textile trade, specifically men’s suits. Like many Eastern Europeans at the turn of the last century, the Dunkelman family left the western part of the Russian Empire (now Poland) for North America seeking a better life. They came to Toronto via Ellis Island, New York City. An astute entrepreneur, Dunkelman started off making buttonholes. In 1909, at age 26, he opened his first men’s clothing shop, Tip Top Tailors, at 245 Yonge St., the naming of which was suggested by a customer in a contest. His grandson, also named David Dunkelman, remembers his grandfather jesting that “’most people build a business on a shoestring – I started mine on a buttonhole!’” By 1929 there were Tip Top Tailor stores located throughout the city. As well as offering consumers “good $14 suits,” Dunkelman also had contracts to make police uniforms and even outfits for the Canadian military. It was the same year he commissioned the building of his headquarters on Lakeshore Boulevard, west of Bathurst. Designed by architect Roy Bishop, the building still stands today – now as condos – and is one of Toronto’s finest examples of Art Deco architecture. Buying York Lodge One year later Dunkelman bought York Lodge – which, according to his grandson, he mostly referred to as Sunnybrook Farm – from Joseph Kilgour’s widow Alice. He and his wife Rose made the move with their four children and would live there for six years, where they would entertain many guests, including local and foreign dignitaries. His son Ben, father of grandson David Dunkelman, was a teenager

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Young Leasider inspires community to keep Leaside clean by J OHN SCOTT and PAUL BOLTÉ The momentum behind Don’t Mess With Leaside (DMWL) continues to grow as more Leasiders step up to help make our community litter-free. Stories like 10-year-old Braden’s are exactly why DMWL launched, with the support of Leaside Life. Just before school ended this year in June, Braden’s mom, Eva, emailed to say her son wanted to organize a neighbourhood litter cleanup with family and friends. We were thrilled to support his initiative. After meeting with Braden and Eva to help plan the event, more than 20 children and parents gathered at Leaside High School on a Saturday morning in July before splitting into three teams to clean different areas of the neighbourhood. The amount of litter collected was impressive, but Braden’s leadership in bringing people together to make a difference was even more impressive. We asked Braden to share his experience with readers:

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Braden, friends & families cleaned up 20 bags of litter in Leaside.

Why did you decide to have a Leaside Litter Pickup Day and have your friends and their parents come out and help pick up litter? “I decided to organize a litter pickup because I saw litter almost everywhere I looked. I also watched a video about people saving the ocean by picking up litter, and it made me realize how much garbage was on our streets and in our parks. I asked my friends and their parents to help because there was a lot of litter to pick up. Twenty-one people came, and we divided into three groups. I was happy that so many people joined because together we collected more than 20 bags of litter from three medium-sized areas in about an hour.” What did you enjoy doing on Litter Pickup Day, and did you notice anything of interest that Leaside should know about? “What I enjoyed most was looking at the before-and-after pictures and seeing how much we had accomplished. It made me feel proud of the difference we made and inspired me to clean up more often. I also enjoyed seeing people become more aware of how much litter we throw away. I was happy to hear that many of them want to do another litter pickup day. “One thing that really surprised me was the variety of garbage people had thrown on the ground. We found dirty diapers, candy wrappers, food containers, empty drink bottles, gum wrappers, disposable coffee cups and lids, and even an empty suitcase. It made me wonder why some people don't take a few extra steps to put their garbage in a bin when there are bins in many

places. Seeing so much litter made me realize how important it is for everyone to do their part to keep our community clean and take responsibility for the waste they create.” What would you like to see happen when the article is published and distributed in September? “I hope more people stop littering and take the initiative to clean up litter. Even picking up one piece of garbage helps because if everyone picks up a few pieces, it can make a big impact. Kids can organize litter pickup days too, not just adults. “I’d also like to see schools organize cleanups around their school property and nearby streets to create a better learning environment. I think there should be one large community cleanup every year, along with smaller cleanups throughout the year because they're easier to organize and help keep litter under control. I'd also like to hear stories from other kids about their litter pickup days, what they learned, and the difference they made.” On behalf of DMWL, Leaside Life, and the entire Leaside community, thank you, Braden, for your outstanding leadership and for bringing together your friends and their families to help make our neighbourhood cleaner and more beautiful. Your efforts will inspire others to get involved and show that leadership knows no age limit. One person’s initiative can truly make a difference. We look forward to seeing your future environmental initiatives and sharing the exciting projects happening at DMWL. Keep up the fantastic work, Braden, we can’t wait to see you again soon! n

PHOTOS FROM PAUL BOLTÉ & THE FAMILIES

Leaside Life • September 2026

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Leaside Life • September 2026

Manoomin is Anishinaabemowin for the good berry by MITCH BUBULJ Tobie Loukes knows about manoomin or wild rice, “the food that grows on water.” The wild rice crop, indigenous to the shallow and slow-moving freshwater lakes of central and southern Ontario, is in fact North America’s only native cereal grain and an integral part of Anishinaabe culture. This ancient food – endangered due to colonial impacts and alterations of waterways – is resilient, nutritious and delicious. It can be used in soups, as a breakfast porridge or even in cookies. Loukes shares her favourite recipe: manoomin as a simple and savoury side dish. An early education Loukes, a former Leasider and TDSB high school teacher at Kapapamahchakwew Wandering Spirit School, located in the former Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute, has been learning about manoomin at Alderville First Nation on Rice Lake. Her journey of knowledge began at the age of 10.

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Community effort Timing is everything. It is the community’s task to watch the seeds. When they turn from green to a reddish-brown colour and get heavy, it is time. There are many steps in the harvest. It starts with giving back: it’s often a gift of tobacco to the water and the plants – to honour the harvest and acknowledge reciprocity. Two people in a canoe paddle gently and bend the stalks into the canoe, tapping gingerly to release the seeds. Some seeds fall into the water and ensure the plant will reseed for the future. The next steps involve drowning the rice in water to remove insects and then drying it. This is followed by parching it in a metal pot over a fire. The rice is then danced on in Find the moccasins to remove the hulls. Finally, it is winnowed by the recipes online wind to blow away the hulls. by clicking the All steps – requiring water, Leaside Cooks tab. air, fire and earth – involve the entire community. Loukes explains that people Tobie harvesting the seeds. would take what they needed to survive the long winter, but not Loukes says, “My dad drove me more. The unwritten rule, accordand my brother up to Rice Lake in ing to Loukes, was to “take half and the summer of ’85 to go camping always give back – always leave for at Serpent Mounds. Somehow, he our animal kin.” squeezed two kids and camping gear But settler colonialism threatened into his ’68 Datsun two-seater conthis age-old harvest. The building of vertible. Once at the lake he would the Trent-Severn Waterway flooded explain where the name Rice Lake traditional harvest areas. It is esticame from, which always confused mated that before the waterway, me.” She says that growing up in the Anishinaabe communities harvested east end of Toronto, she associated over half a million kilograms a year “rice” with the long grain variety in allowing for financial indepensupermarkets. dence and food security. Cottagers Her father, John, is a member of built docks, polluted waterways the Alderville First Nation. As she with their motorboats and cleared matured, she listened and learned waterfront of vegetation. As well, the importance of this sacred food the Williams Treaty of 1923 severely and its connections to history and restricted harvesting. community. Now she teaches others Recently there has been a conabout the origins of the “gift” that certed effort to restore the rice beds is manoomin, its near extinction and along with a push to educate people its comeback. about the importance of the crop to Before colonization, the the Anishinaabe and to the greater Anishinaabe made a celebration of ecosystem. Evidence can be found the communal September harvest on Curve Lake. This year will be of the crop. As Loukes says, it was the seventh annual Mnoominkewin “a meet and greet of sorts.” People Gathering, on Sat., Sept. 26th. from different regions would come (Learn more at https://www.mnoomtogether in the reuniting of old inkewin.com/). friends and the making of new ones. A perfect side dish It was a special time of year that provided excitement and romance Loukes enjoys manoomin as a side as the youth would meet peers from dish, which she sautés and seasons surrounding areas as they harvested with sea salt and garnishes with together. chives. It is a delicious accompani-

LEASIDE COOKS continued

Authenticity is the finest ingredient.

PHOTOS: TOBIE LOUKES

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ment to trout or elk and seasonal vegetables like asparagus, squash and artichokes. Various food outlets in the city sell manoomin, but her go-to shop is Forbes Wild Foods on the Danforth since their manoomin is sourced from an Indigenous supplier in Saskatchewan. And as in previous years, she will be at the harvest on Rice Lake. September will find her excitedly awaiting the call that the seed has turned from green to reddish-brown, a very good berry indeed. n

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Leaside Life • September 2026

by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO They say if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. But if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. For over 12 years, Michelle Delaney has been working with this vision of sustainable living through the Thorncliffe Park Urban Farm (TPUF). Noting large areas of green space between high rises in the densely populated Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood, Delaney envisioned gardens of food, fruit trees and pollinators where the community could come together to grow, learn, harvest and connect to nature. As a resident of 71 Thorncliffe Park Dr., she sought out and received the support of the building’s property manager and in 2014 began the process of growing a garden on two-thirds of an acre of land behind the property. Two years later, a garden was established nearby, at 53 Thorncliffe Park Dr., and in 2020 fruit trees were planted throughout the neighbourhood. Pollinator gardens have also been planted

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Delaney with young gardeners.

MICHELLE DELANEY

Leaside Life • September 2026

Callalloo, mulukhiyah, lauki and tulsi grow in Thorncliffe

to ensure the sustainability of the produce and perennial flowers. The Urban Farm is expertly managed by Delaney as executive director and project lead. She has training in many areas of horticulture and is certified as a garden expert and sustainable landscape designer by Humber College. Delaney’s co-lead and director of restoration is Najeeb Siddiqui, who has a master’s degree in plant physiology and biotechnology and a doctorate in botany from the University of Toronto. A wide variety of foods The two, with the dedication of local volunteers, grow what Siddiqui refers to as “food that is both familiar and new.” Along with common staples like tomatoes, zucchinis, potatoes, raspberries and apples, the gardens provide the diverse cultural population with items including callalloo, mulukhiyah, lauki and tulsi. The gardens themselves are not community spaces, which are typically divided into plots and assigned or rented out, but rather communal gardens where anyone can work. Food that is harvested is distributed both among volunteers and other area residents. Since many buildings in Thorncliffe Park have no green bin composting program, TPUF also established a composting program, with residents saving 3,000 pounds of their organic materials since 2024, that has been used to enrich the gardens’ soil. TPUF also offers a myriad of free programs including a children’s garden club, a seniors’ group as well as woodworking, creative writing and art workshops.

While many are learning about urban farming, environmental stewardship and biodiversity, the work in the gardens and the gatherings also provide vital social connections, especially as some 65 per cent of Thorncliffe residents are immigrants. Delaney notes that many people are away from their families and feel alone. “But when they come into the gardens, they make close friendships.” Student learning in urban farming Both Delaney and Siddiqui are especially thrilled with the involvement of youth in TPUF. A Green Team Leaders program offers youth the opportunity to gain skills in urban farming and to obtain their 40 hours of volunteer work for high school graduation. Many of the students stay on to volunteer long after they’ve completed their 40 hours. They frequently discuss their feelings of peace and pride and wonder at the miracles of nature. They also text Siddiqui pictures of things they’ve noticed in the garden or lists of tasks they plan to tackle. “They feel accomplished and have a sense of purpose and of giving back to their community,” notes Delaney. While TPUF harvested and distributed an astonishing 3,300 pounds of produce in 2025, Delaney’s and Siddiqui’s dream is for similar programs to spring up in other locales to further help tackle food insecurity and build ecologically rich environments. To learn more about TPUF and support their work, visit thorncliffeparkurbanfarmers.ca.n

Leaside Life • September 2026 18

The great Leaside playground showdown

More than 270 GTA park) reviews – an Canada adventure dad looking for an more with his chil a seven-year ques playgrounds acros

Teacher Andrew Moore – aka Danforth Dad – has now combed the many parks and playgrounds across Toronto and the GTA observations with humour, local history and a parent’s perspective. We asked Andrew to turn his attention to Leaside’s newest p on Brentcliffe Road (see full review, pg. 24), along with many other familiar neighbourhood favourites featured on these pag adventure is getting much bigger. From August through October 2026, Andrew and his family take their playground explora mixing park visits with natural wonders, Canadian history and a fundraising challenge. Their goal is to raise $10,000 – one do to travel – for Canadian Tire Jumpstart, while highlighting the importance of great public parks and playgrounds in communit To add to appreciation of our parks and playgrounds, don’t forget to comb leasidelife.com to read up on the history of many of

Ra P

Equipment 19/50 | Lo THE VERDICT: The radar theme cleverl War II manufacturing h interesting than the p climbing structure, a sm and limited seating l surprisi

BENNINGTON HEIGHTS

NORTHLEA PS

Sandy Bruce Park

Equipment 32.5/50 | Location 30/40 | Extras 6/10 THE VERDICT: Ready for a refresh? The gently sloping park near Bayview is pleasant, but its aging KSL playground has fallen behind its neighbours. Two basic climbers, monkey bars and a tunnel provide some play value, while the surrounding green space and off-leash dog area are the bigger attractions.

TRACE MANES GEORGIA WALSH MEMORIAL PLAYGROUND

RATING 68.5 SANDY BRUCE

RADAR PARK

RAT 4

Equi

More th climbi it story A

A playground (and nd now a crosse. What began as a n excuse to get outside ldren has grown into st to explore and rate ss the city.

LEONARD LINTON

Leonard Linton Park

Equipment 42.5/50 | Location 31/40 | Extras 7/10 THE VERDICT: Something for older kids, too. A strong mix of climbing, spinning and swinging equipment including a seriously steep slide makes this a solid playground. Nearby basketball courts and Vanderhoof Skate Park extend the age range well beyond the sandbox set.

A, combining practical playground, Radar Park ges. This year, Andrew’s ations across Canada, ollar for every kilometre ties across the country. your favourites.

adar Park

ocation 20/40 | Extras 3/10 Missed opportunity. rly references Leaside’s World history, but the idea is more playground itself. One main mall stage, little green space leave this new park feeling ingly sparse.

TING 42

BEST FOR: All-ages family outings DON’T MISS: Alpha Tower + splash pad

Bennington Heights Park PS - 81

BEST FOR: Active kids and weekend exploring BONUS: Trails, courts and open space

Trace Manes Park

Leonard Linton Park 80.5

RATING 90

Northlea PS

Equipment 41.5/50 | Location 30.5/40 | Extras 6.5/10 ipment 40/50 | Location 32.5/40 | Extras 8.5/10 THE VERDICT: Solid schoolyard option. THE VERDICT: Lots to discover. Four separate play areas serve everyone from han a school playground, Bennington Heights offers kindergarteners to Grade 8 students, with ing equipment, spinners, a double-height slide and Henderson climbers, wooden play features, ts unusual “volcano,” plus an obstacle course, a newer rope structure and a large artificial-turf field. ytelling area, tennis courts and baseball diamond. Good variety, but limited shade, no swings A shaded sandbox and nearby Don Valley trails and little interesting terrain keep it from add to its appeal. destination status.

RATING 81

Trace Manes Park - 90

RATING 80.5

Equipment 47/50 | Location 34/40 | Extras 9/10 THE VERDICT: Neighbourhood standout Trace Manes packs an impressive amount into a small footprint: swings, sandbox, splash pad, shaded seating and play structures for all ages. The towering Alpha Tower is the showpiece, but tunnels, digging equipment, hilly rubber terrain and creative water features give kids plenty more to explore.

Bennington Heights Park PS

The Rundown

RATING

78.5

BEST FOR: Older kids and scooter/skateboard fans MISSING: More shade and a splash pad

Northlea PS - 78.5

BEST FOR: Different ages playing together BONUS: Artificial-turf field

Sandy Bruce Park - 68.5

BEST FOR: A quick neighbourhood stop BOTTOM LINE: Good park, tired playground

Radar Park - 42

BEST FOR: A quick history -themed curiosity BOTTOM LINE: Great concept, disappointing execution

Visit DanforthDad.com for the full reviews, photos, ratings and many more playground discoveries.

Lindsey Kettel’s journey from Leaside to leadership sultant, Lindsey decided to take a

WHERE No cushy travel abroad ARE THEY sabbatical. for her, though. She set an ambiNOW? tious goal to ride her bicycle from

Seafaring ships are a rare sight outside most executives’ office windows. But Leaside-born and raised Lindsey Kettel is that rare exception as president of shipbuilding powerhouse Davie Shipbuilding’s Canadian operations, headquartered in Lévis, Quebec. Her view includes bays for shipbuilding, ship restoration and polar ice breaker assembly and outfitting. From Leaside to Lévis The Leasider attended Northlea Public School, Marc Garneau High School, McMaster University in their five-year dual engineering and management program and topped off with an executive MBA. “Career-wise, in my six years as a consultant with Isaac (Operations Limited, formerly Newton North America), I worked on complex operational and strategic projects with 25 different companies. I was one of their original six consultants that grew to 20 during my

Lindsey and her dad Geoff.

GEOFF KETTEL

Leaside Life • September 2026

by SUZANNE PARK

tenure. Now they have over 130 consultants.” Coincidentally, her last project was submarine related, hinting at her future role with Davie Shipbuilding. Tiring of constant travel and working out of a suitcase as a con-

Vancouver to Quebec City, from sea to St. Lawrence Seaway. She mentioned her plan to a colleague who urged her to trade in her bicycle for a motorcycle. When she declined, he promised, “If you make it to Quebec City, call me and I’ll buy you dinner.” True to her word, Lindsey reached her goal. True to his word, he bought her dinner and offered her a job at Davie Shipbuilding, as they’d just landed a big contract. A stellar career at Davie Today, 11 years later, Lindsey works with a team of 1,100 professionals and certified trades with a diversity of expertise involved in complex projects getting ships and ice-breakers ready for duty. Lindsey is especially proud of projects like the Polar Max next-generation icebreaker contract establishing, by 2030, a permanent year-round presence protecting Canada’s Arctic sovereignty. She’s also pleased that earlier this year Davie launched with CSSDN, Centre de services scolaire des Navigateurs, a 600-hour shipbuilding program training the next generation of shipbuilding professionals in Québec. Asked about her joys and challenges, Lindsey said, “I’m excited to get to work every day and am so proud of Davie’s mission and the team’s deliverables.” She added, “I like to move fast as does my team, and with so many innovative, important projects on our plate, we all wish we could deliver faster. It’s so impressive what my team accomplishes yet we’d all like to deliver more and faster.” As you’d guess, leisure time is limited and precious. Influenced by her Leaside youth where she played soccer, baseball and hockey, she takes her two girls, aged two and five, camping and cottaging. Just as her family did when she was growing up. If you recognize Lindsey’s last name, it may be because you’ve seen Geoff Kettel’s articles in every issue of Leaside Life. Geoff is father of Lindsey, yet another inspiring Leasider making a valuable contribution to Leaside – Canada. n

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Leaside Life • September 2026

New park - on locals’ radar?

Off the Radar? by ANDREW MOORE

FACE-OFF! by MITCH BUBULJ A new urban park in the heart of a recently opened development in Leaside pays homage to a storied history. Ward 15’s Rachel Chernos Lin cut the ribbon at an official park opening on July 22. The 1,718 m2 green space is called Radar Park, the naming of which is a nod to Leaside’s wartime production at Research Enterprises Limited (REL), a Crown corporation with the distinction of being Leaside’s largest single employer. Operating from 1940 to 1946, REL employed over 7,500 workers, of whom almost half were women and most of whom bused in on the TTC. This was at a time when the population of Leaside was just 5,000. REL covered 55 acres and produced optical instruments such as artillery gun sights and radar systems. The park is in what was once the heart of the REL complex. After the war, the various buildings were repurposed to produce peacetime items such as Corning glassware, Honeywell thermostats, and Rogers-Majestic radios, a company now known as Rogers Communications. Planned for five years The park has been in the works since 2021. As part of the settlement for developing 939 Eglinton Ave. East into housing, the owner agreed to convey land for a park on site, as well as pay for its planning and construction. The new park includes an outdoor amphitheatre, interactive children’s play area, open central lawn for community gatherings, extra wide concrete pathways and an accessible ramp system. Jonah Rannie is one of the landscape architects who designed the park. Rannie works with Arcadis, tasked with realizing a sustainable zone out of a former parking lot. Rannie explained that “we began developing the park during

A few weeks ago, I visited Scarborough’s Craigton Court Tot Lot, which I thought was Toronto’s saddest playground. But its sadness came less from design than from age and poor repair – fixable problems, especially with the street slated for redevelopment. What makes Radar Park in Leaside so tragic is that, unlike the Craigton Court Tot Lot, it is not old or in a state of disrepair. It’s brand new. It’s terrible. And it’s a missed opportunity. At its recent official opening, Radar Park was celebrated as not only a park but a “history hub” – and the park’s unusual name is a tribute to the neighbourhood’s history as a major manufacturing hub for the Allies in World War II. In the 1940s, Research Enterprises Ltd (REL) employed thousands in the Leaside area and helped produce the radar equipment that was indispensable in guarding against the German bombings of Britain. Other streets in the area (Aerodrome Crescent, Research Road) echo this history as well. So conceptually, I am fully on board: naming a park to honour the area’s history, and theming the play equipment around radar and communication? Fantastic! Lacking in execution Unfortunately, the execution is such an utter disappointment that it would almost be better off as a parking lot. As a playground, there’s only one piece of equipment: a large structure made of yellow piping, topped with what looks like a radar dish. It’s neat to look at, but not much to climb on. My son’s first reaction was a very diplomatic, “this is…not very much.” Okay, but there’s more to a park than just the playground, right? Sadly, Radar Park fails just as much in that capacity as well. There’s a semi-shaded stage that looks more like a half-finished barn, and no seating from which to enjoy whatever performances that stage might host. It’s as if the stage were made for the

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RADAR PARK FACE-OFF continued

Where’s the vision? That one element – binoculars that you can’t look through – is probably the most apt metaphor for the lack of vision on display at this park. Its small size isn’t its fault, but great things can be done in small foot-

prints. Interactive panels, a spinner made to look like a radar screen, talk tubes...there are so many elements that would have enriched this spot and paid tribute to the history for which it claims to act as a hub. There may be factors at work here that I’m not aware of, but my guess is that this playground’s shortcomings are a result of Section 42 of the Ontario Planning Act. Section 42 allows municipalities to require developers to set aside space and/ or money for parks when building condos. Unsurprisingly, Toronto has many “Section 42” playgrounds, and they’re usually okay, although you can sometimes spot evidence of corner cutting. But Radar Park is a new low, and a cynical sign of developers’ priorities. I’m giving this one a score of 42, and recommending you leave this playground off your radar. Andrew Moore is a teacher and father of two known as Danforth Dad, rating some 270 public playgrounds across the city. n

Covid and so our aim was to create a welcoming open green space – a place that area residents could make into their own backyard.” He explained that they also aimed to respect the industrial heritage of the site. “The City wished for non-traditional children’s play equipment, so we created a unique structure that is both interactive and reminiscent of equipment manufactured at REL.” The equipment even includes special binoculars which reveal a vintage photo of a female REL employee at work when you peer through the lens. Rannie added that the park includes an expansive tree canopy and perennial native shrub gardens. His proudest feature is the open sunken rain garden; all water slopes towards it where fresh rainwater can be collected and stored. Radar Park is a model for how Leaside may evolve in the face of continuing development. The small plot of land on Eglinton East has gone from an industrial zone to an eco-conscious and family-friendly space now on locals’ radar. n

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ribbon-cutting and is now ready to be retired. The green space is too small to be useful, and despite the words “history hub” used in every post about said ribbon-cutting, it’s hard to know what exactly they mean by that. It’s not like the park is an open-air museum or anything. Oh, wait, there is one thing: at one end of the structure are what look like binoculars – many playgrounds have this – only when you look inside you realize that they’re not actually binoculars but a kind of Fisher-Price Viewmaster, with an image of a factory worker from the 1940s diligently working away on some radar. (Or at least, I assume that’s what the image is; as far as I could tell, there’s nothing around to explain the image.)

Nacho wants to know – what kind of dog are you? by NAMYA MILLER Local Leaside author Elena McBride has just published a children’s picture book, What Kind of Dog are You?, inspired by her dog, Nacho, and their adventures around Leaside. Nacho is an American Bulldog whose big, friendly personality makes him a neighbourhood favourite. The book follows Nacho on a walk, where he greets every animal he meets with the same question – “what kind of dog are you?” – hoping to make new friends and learn interesting facts on his journey. The idea for the book hit McBride on a walk, when Nacho spotted a group of geese and immediately wanted to make friends. McBride had never seen a dog interested in befriending all animals, instead of chasing them away. After that, McBride said that she wanted to share Nacho’s kindness with kids. The author set her book in Leaside because that is where Nacho normally walks. She also knew it would be fun and comforting for neighbourhood kids to learn about local

animals. McBride’s favourite part of the book is when Nacho looks down at a snail: his big and friendly demeanor captures his personality perfectly. Throughout the story, Nacho is kind and friendly to everyone he meets, even though they are different. McBride hopes that children learn from this message.

COURTESY ELENA MCBRIDE

Leaside Life • September 2026

Stephanie Bowman Member of Provincial Parliament for Don Valley West

Happy Back to School! Wishing students, parents, teachers, and staff a successful start to the 2026-2027 school year! Constituency office 795 Eglinton Avenue East Unit 101, Toronto, ON M4G 4E4 416-425-6777 Stay Connected Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates sbowman.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

Spinks Veterinary Clinic joins the fun Nacho’s vet, at Spinks Veterinary Clinic, was thrilled when they learned that McBride was writing a book about beloved Nacho. McBride decided to donate five dollars from every book sale to the Farley Foundation, a fund offering coverage for people who cannot afford vet bills. The Farley Foundation works directly with Spinks Veterinary Clinic. The biggest challenge in writing her book, said McBride, was expressing Nacho’s personality through the pages. Nacho, an American Bulldog, is a breed some find scary or aggressive, though Nacho is exactly the opposite. To show his friendly nature, all the animals Nacho encountered were drawn as smiling and did not look frightened. There were plenty of corrections to be made in first drafts: at first Nacho was drawn as extremely skinny, but Nacho is a large muscular dog. Watching her ideas come to life made the work worth it. Writing the book has changed the way McBride looks at small adventures. Now, every time Nacho sees a new animal, McBride checks his reaction to a new friend. Her advice to writers looking to write children’s books about pets? “Just write it, even if it feels silly. Kids like silly things!,” said McBride. The author now plans to write a second book about Nacho, this time meeting different farm animals. What Kind of Dog are You? is available at Indigo or the FriesenPress online bookstore, https://books. friesenpress.com/store. n

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Leaside Life • September 2026

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Garden Court tenants face unaffordable rent increases Three years have elapsed since I wrote about the Garden Court Apartments on Bayview Avenue – Leaside’s Beaux Arts masterpiece – comprising 10 buildings (105 units) set against a landscaped courtyard, which has been undergoing continuing renovations to balconies, brickwork, walkways, steps, retaining walls, and landscaping. Tenants were concerned about the erosion of heritage features, such as the replacement of front door porch overhangs that originally were a single sheet of copper with multipiece (and less expensive – and leakprone) aluminum (see photo). Garden Court Apartments is a rental property, with tenants who are mostly older. Such tenants seek to age in place amid tranquil surroundings and amenities close at hand, especially the proximity to Bayview Avenue shopping, and to medical facilities, like Sunnybrook Hospital, only a short bus ride away. Tenants pay heavily for renos However, while the physical work on-site is over, the financial impact

on tenants is ongoing. Tenants have been paying heavily for the renovations made to the property following the approval of “above guideline increases” (AGI). In addition to inflationary rent increases (Ontario Guideline), Ontario allows landlords to apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) for AGI for capital expenditures, such as

Geoff Kettel Saving Old Leaside

MARTA O’BRIEN

Leaside Life • September 2026

The original — and the replacement porticos.

Garden Court AGI Rent Summary 2022

2023

2024

2025

2026

2027

Ontario Guideline

1.2

2.5

2.1

1.9

AGI Requested Amount

10.0

7.1

4.17

TBA

Revoked

–

AGI Ordered Amount

9.0*

6.3**

Pending Hearing

–

*9% to be paid 3% each year for three years from 2025 **6.3% to be paid 3%, 3% and 0.3% from 2026 Table Note: The payment footnotes are not exactly accurate, because payment timing depends on whether tenants are named in both AGIs and whether they paid in advance before the orders came down.

renovations. The AGI process of landlord applications and LTB tribunal orders is extremely complex and lengthy – requiring tenant organizing and professional assistance. This makes for an expensive process, in time as well as money, and it’s also stressful for tenants. How rent increases play out See the chart showing the Ontario Guideline, the AGI requested by the landlord, and the AGI order by the LTB. For 2022, the LTB approved a 9% AGI (reduced from 10% requested) in January 2025, with a back payment deadline of July 2025. For 2023, the LTB approved a 6.3% AGI (reduced from 7.1% requested) in December 2025, with a back payment deadline of June 2026. Both AGIs are in addition to the Ontario Guidelines for 2022 (1.2%), 2023 (2.5%), and 2024 (2.5%) that tenants had already paid over those years. By July 2025, tenants had faced a cumulative increase of 15.2% once you tally the 2022 AGI Order and Guideline Increases (see chart). Regarding the 2023 LTB ordered AGI, a procedural dispute means the 2023 AGI payment is pending.

GARDEN COURT continued

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Leaside Life • September 2026

Tenants are forced to leave As a direct consequence of the rent back payments, several tenants have been forced to leave and find other accommodation. Rents for a one-bedroom apartment are currently over $2,000 per month; for a two-bedroom apartment, rents are approaching $3,000 per month. The volunteer leadership of the Garden Court Tenants Assn (GCTA) has provided invaluable advice and assistance to tenants, while having to learn and understand landlord and tenant law, in addition to keeping up with their regular (paid) jobs. Reflecting on the affordability impact on the lives of people, I have similar thoughts to three years ago: “take a walk though Garden Court and look for yourself. And spare a thought for the hard-done tenants who struggle, in their formerly tranquil, still beautiful haven.” Today, tenants, many of whom are on fixed incomes, still struggle and question whether the tranquility truly exists anymore. NOTE: I appreciate the assistance of Brandie Silva, co-chair of the GCTA, in writing this article. n

From Talbot Park to San Diego, local baller hits it big Susan Scandiffio

Playing the odds … if you discovered that your kitchen faucet had a 0.01% chance of breaking, would you continue to use that tap to wash your dishes or call in an expensive plumber? These are the odds that a Canadian high school baseball player has of being drafted into Major League Baseball (MLB). But despite the odds at 0.01%, Leaside’s Elliot Lascelles never gave up on the dream. From his days in t-ball, through 10 years of Leaside AAA baseball playing with kids one to two years older, suiting up with the Toronto Mets of the Canadian Premier Baseball League and with the Canadian National Junior team, Lascelles’ drive to improve and succeed at the game never wavered.

LEASIDE SPORTS

Elliot playing for Leaside and signing with the San Diego Padres.

In the fall of Grade 12, many MLB teams began reaching out, and, as he spoke with various organizations in-person and via Zoom, he notes that this was the first time he realized that he had “a real shot.” With his family by his side at his home this past July 11th, that

“real shot” became a reality when 18-year-old Lascelles was drafted by the San Diego Padres of the National League. Heading to the Padres Though the 6’2” left-handed hitting shortstop had been scouted by several teams, Lascelles was thrilled to be selected by the Padres, noting that “they have great player development and a great front office.” He also has profound admiration for their players including centre fielder Jackson Merrill and first baseman Ty France, whom he admires for their great “work ethic.” Lascelles is now with the team at their training facility in Phoenix putting in six days a week of practices, conditioning and skill development. He is also committed to Yale University, but is pursuing his professional baseball career first. Between his family, Leaside Baseball, the Toronto Mets, the Canadian National Junior Team and his teachers at Upper Canada College, Lascelles has had a tremendous support system over the years. Reflecting on his journey, Lascelles notes that he is “really thankful for that community. I couldn't have really done it without a lot of those people.” As it all began at Talbot Park so many years ago, it was especially fitting that later in the day that he was drafted, Lascelles attended his brother Oliver’s game at the field. He may have come a long way from his t-ball days but for Elliot Lascelles, Leaside will always be home. n

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Leaside Life • September 2026

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PRIZES! Before you start, here are some fun facts about Leaside you may or may not know:

by Susan Scandiffio

Last year, Leaside Life challenged readers to get out and explore the neighbourhood – and you answered the call! Readers of all ages walked, biked and rolled their way around Leaside, discovering places they had never noticed before.

Tear out this page (front & back)

WIN

This year, we’re back with a brand-new set of clues and even more corners of the community to discover. HOW TO ENTER Find the answers to as many of the scavenger hunt questions as you can, then submit your entry by October 1st. By email: Send your answers to leasidelife@gmail.com. Photos of you, your family or friends on the hunt are welcome! By mail: Send your completed entry to: Leaside Life, 30 Commercial Rd. Toronto, ON M4G 1Z4 PRIZES! Entries with 20 or more correct answers will be entered into the prize draws. Get every answer correct and you’ll also be entered into the draw for our Super Grand Prize!

• William Lea settled in the area in 1820, and his son John built an octagonal house in the 1850s, which he called ‘Leaside.’ • Leaside was formally incorporated as a planned town in 1913 with 43 residents (the neighbourhood now has a population of approximately 17,000). • Leaside was the site of Canada’s first airmail delivery on June 18, 1918. • Notable alumni from Leaside High School include actor Will Arnett and author Margaret Atwood. • The Leaside Baseball Association was established in 1946 and the Leaside Wildcats first played in 1974. • Leaside’s first general store was Perrem and Knight, which opened in 1923 at 322 Sutherland Dr.

Good luck, have fun — and happy exploring!

On the patio outside The Millwood Retirement Home at 921 Millwood Rd. there are three animal statues that stand atop three brick pillars. What animals are they?

To the left of the PetSmart at 25 Industrial St. (a.k.a. the Longo’s Mall) is a city garbage can. In the window above the can is a picture of an animal. What is that animal?

There is a mural painted on the side of the Metro Vinyl Club at 42 Laird Dr. What animal is on that mural?

At the corner of Laird Drive and Commercial Road beside the XCopper Building is a brightly painted utility box. What does it say on it?

1601 Bayview Ave. was built in 1936 as the Bayview Theatre and in 1965 became the Bayview Playhouse. Now a Shoppers Drug Mart, there are still many features of the theatre remaining. How many lights are currently under the marquee (the red overhang)?

On the west side of Bessborough School, there’s a rock on the ground with a plaque on it. The plaque is dedicated to an invaluable volunteer at the school and in the community. What is the name of that person?

What colour are the squiggles spraypainted on the hydro pole outside 38 Beaufield Ave.?

In front of 131 Hanna Rd. are two stamps showing the years the sidewalks were installed. One is easy to read, one is not! What year appears on the one that is stamped “Maple-Crete”?

To the far left of the Northlea United Church sign at 125 Brentcliffe Rd., left of the Little Free Library, is a wooden pole painted yellow on the bottom with a white sign with red lettering. What does the sign say?

What colour is the bottle filling station/water fountain at Radar Park at 26 Brentcliffe Rd., behind 939 Eglinton Ave. East?

Leaside Life • September 2026

R E G N E V CA

Leaside Life • September 2026

There’s a long sign advertising a brand of olives inside the front left hand side window of Badali’s Fruit Market at 1587 Bayview Ave. (left hand side when looking from outside). What is the brand name of those olives?

At the Church of Christ at 1708 Bayview is a black sign with yellow lettering on the set of doors closest to the road. What does that sign say? (Note: there are two signs. Look for the larger one.)

Outside 1425 Bayview Ave. is a Little Free Library with someone’s first name on it. What is that name?

On the Manor Road side of West Coast Kids at 1646 Bayview Ave. is a brown door. What are the three numbers beside that door?

How many benches (apart from those attached to a picnic table) are there at the Mallory Green parkette at 33 Mallory Cresc.?

At Father Caulfield Park at 19 Cameron Cresc. is a plaque on a rock. What does that plaque say?

Outside 323 Sutherland Rd. (just past Sutherland and McRae) is a community mailbox. What is the highest number on the boxes (i.e. not the letters A or B at the bottom)?

On the first block of Bessborough Dr. between Sutherland Dr. and Moore Ave., how many speed bumps are there? (Reminder that Bessborough is a one-way street from Sutherland Dr.)

How many mailboxes are to the left of the front doors at 1376 Bayview Ave.?

In the front window of White House Meats at 1523 Bayview Ave. is a large scale with a brand name in big letters at the top. What is that brand name?

In the front window of Bonnie Byford Real Estate at 1536 Bayview Ave. is a sign with a scavenger hunt word on it. What is that word?

In the front windows of the Jyugoya Japanese Restaurant at 1528 Bayview Ave. are two trees. What colour are the flowers on those trees?

There’s a date stone on the brick wall to the right of the main doors at Leaside Memorial Community Gardens and Arena at 1073 Millwood Rd. What date appears on that stone?

On the grass outside the tennis courts on McRae Road is a row of rental bikes. How many bike slots are there?

The outside of the Leaside LRT station on the SE corner of Eglinton and Bayview has four large windows and two doors, covered in a green background. Beyond are yellow footprints. How many footprints are there?

At Trace Manes Park at the corner of Millwood Rd. and Rumsey Rd. is a fire hydrant with peeling paint. What two colours appear on the hydrant?

In the front window of the Leaside Pub at 190 Laird Dr. is a sign with a scavenger hunt word on it. What is that word?

When you enter the Lyndhurst Centre at 520 Sutherland Dr., there’s a green and white sign on the grass to your right. What does that sign say?

What colour is the door at 352 Laird Dr. near the corner of Laird and Fairland in North Leaside?

In the front window of Bayview Vision at 1709 Bayview Ave. is a sign with a scavenger hunt word on it. What is that word?

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GO-KART From Page 3

Leaside Life • September 2026

told police that Jimmy wasn’t even old enough to have a driver’s licence – let alone be arrested for driving without one. “I am incensed,” she told the Telegram, “over the completely unfeeling method of dealing with my youngster.” When Leaside mayor Charles Hiscott heard what happened, he was also enraged. Calling the incident “ridiculous,” he demanded the charges against Jimmy be dropped immediately. “I have grave doubts,” he announced, “about the right of police to whisk this little boy away….to pick him up without notifying his parents.” Adding fuel to the fire, Jimmy’s mother told reporters that ever since the event her son had experienced nightmares. Major Canadian news By April 6, the episode was major news across Canada. The Telegram ran the story on its front page under the banner: “Police Arrest Boy-Driver, 9.” So did the Toronto Star, employing an even more sensational headline: “Police ‘Arrest’ Boy,

Jimmy Oliver and his Go-Cart, The Brantford Expositor, April 7, 1960.

9; Give Him Nightmares.” In total, 17 Canadian newspapers carried the story, including papers in Kingston, Windsor, Montreal, Saskatoon, Calgary and Vancouver. Virtually every article approached the story the same way – overzealous police had arrested a “little boy” without telling his parents. At first, the police defended their action, claiming they had gone to Jimmy’s house and informed his mother of the incident before arresting her son. But she vehemently denied this, and they soon withdrew

all charges – maintaining they never planned to prosecute. By this time, the affair had caught the attention of Magistrate Charles O. Bick, chair of the Metropolitan Board of Police Commissioners. He conceded that police had exercised poor judgment in arresting Jimmy and ordered Toronto Police Chief James Mackey to conduct a full investigation into the actions of the arresting officers. At the same time, Bick also emphasized that go-carts were dangerous and illegal as road vehicles under Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act – “a menace to automobile drivers as well as pedestrians.” Go-carts nevertheless remained popular across Canada – with some 4,000 carts and 100 clubs in existence throughout the country in 1960 alone. By 1964, merchants at Sunnybrook Plaza were giving them away in contests. Even Magistrate Bick was photographed driving one. To paraphrase Victor Hugo: There is nothing in the world as powerful as an idea whose time has come…despite what the authorities may think. n

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Leaside Life • September 2026

Back to school for the LRA? When I was a child, I was convinced that ‘Someone In Authority’ had made a big mistake to think that January was the start of the year. Everyone knew that September 1st was when things really started to happen! Labour Day, schools reopening, and the end of summer. Now, of course, I know better. But September does bring with it a certain new energy – and new activities. Municipal election season is upon us as well. And, in keeping with that I can announce that the Leaside Residents Association is holding our 2026 AGM and you are invited. The date is Tues., Oct. 13th. The venue is the William Lea Room at Leaside Memorial Gardens, at 7:30 p.m. (Doors open at 7 p.m.). As I write this column, before candidates’ registration date, I can’t give you full speaker details yet, but I can promise interesting and useful local information, an opportunity to share your opinions, a moderated Q&A session, and (not to forget) coffee. So please mark the day in your calendars and join us on Oct. 13th.

As ever, insufficient enforcement to counter the size of the problem is a concern. Has the new Line 5 Crosstown reduced, or possibly increased, the number of commuters using Leaside streets? Considering the amount of residential construction underway on our periphery, will we ever achieve real neighbourhood traffic control? These are some of the matters to be raised at our AGM!

Carol Burtin Fripp Co-president LRA

Traffic, traffic everywhere As we who live in Leaside know all too well, traffic issues continue. During the summer, the LRA heard from you and your neighbours about traffic volume and speed, about trucks travelling on our residential streets at all hours of the day and night, about vehicle noise and parking issues (especially near shopping and commercial areas).

More on the TTC In my next column I’ll be able to report on the TTC’s 2027 Annual Network (Round One) Planning Advisory meeting, which I will be attending. We’ll be discussing the city’s Express Bus network, construction impacts, and potential changes to selected bus routes’ availability and service. Stay tuned…. THE NEXT MEETING OF THE LRA BOARD IS WED., SEPT. 9TH, AT 7:30 P.M., AT TRACE MANES. SEE LEASIDERESIDENTS.CA FOR INFO. n

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MANOR HOUSE From Page 10

at the time. He would tell of riding his horse to Yonge and Eglinton. In his memoirs, Ben remembers the home with affection. He refers to it as a “rambling English style mansion on the outskirts of Toronto,” adding that the “estate was a dreamland: a children’s paradise, with plenty of space to roam and play and explore.” Referring to the extensive greenhouses adjacent to the home, he recalls “an enormous hothouse, which included a permanent solarium, with palms, lemon trees, orchids and exotic plants of all varieties.” The room of which he was fondest was “the hunt room, all in oak: including a double cathedral ceiling which rested on massive oak beams; the floor and walls were also of oak, and so was most of the exquisite period furniture. Everything clustered around a huge hunt table of great antiquity. Under the overhanging balcony, there was an enormous fireplace which could accommodate five-foot long logs with ease.” Dunkelman sold York Lodge in 1936 to Texan Captain James Flanagan, oil man, renowned collector and larger-than-life character. Read about Flanagan and Divadale, as he renamed it, in next month’s issue. n

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Leaside Life • September 2026

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