Leaside Life Issue 61 June 2017

No. 61 / JUNE 2017

Leaside Life

Michael Bliss 1941-2017 Page 17

leasidelifenews.com

BRUCE ZINGER

Rise and shine with Leaside’s Morning Glory Cycling Club

BY DANIEL GIRARD It started with a simple enough goal – two buddies looking to fit exercise into their busy lives. Fraser Chapman and Chris Ferron, who had spent a couple of years riding their road bicycles most evenings after work, had to find another time to meet after the arrival of Chapman’s first child, Sadie. They switched their daily exercise from 5:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. when schedules had fewer conflicts. It was spring 2008 when the pair first hit the road in the morning darkness, quickly discovering they were not alone. Single and dual cyclists were everywhere, prompting Chapman and Ferron to frequently change course, chase those other riders down for introductions and to share email addresses so group rides could be arranged. Three weeks in, their group numbered 40 and the Morning Glory Cycling Club (MGCC) was born. “The goal was to get out, be physically active, get fresh air and be social, and still be home to be a parent or a husband or a wife and take care of all those responsibilities that come with getting older,” says Chapman, the club’s president and co-founder. “From there, it was just

word of mouth.” Nearly a decade on, the MGCC is expected to top 1,400 members this season, which began April 1 and runs until Halloween. In addition to the original chapter in Leaside, there are now groups in High Park and Oakville, a racing program for all ages and skills as well as an under 23 Youth Development Team. A big focus of MGCC this year is growing their youth skills development program for riders aged 4 to 16. Philanthropy has always been a core value at MGCC. About $80,000 in bursaries has been given to young amateur cyclists in recent years. Also, members participate in many of the organized charitable rides that take place throughout the season and raise about $1 million annually for various charities. “The philosophy is one of extreme inclusiveness,” says Chapman, adding that cycling can be an intimidating sport, especially for novices when it comes to such things as understanding equipment and learning how to get faster. “We’ve always tried to offer wide open arms to an activity where your first time out the big fear you have is slowing other riders down. CYCLING, Page 31

Leaside’s Canada 150 Ambassador

MEET LEASIDER KATE MCDONALD BUTLER, GRANDDAUGHTER OF LUCY MAUD MONTGOMERY AND CANADA’S OFFICIAL 150 AMBASSADOR – PAGE 3

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LETTERS

ED

ITED

The City not doing enough I was reading the article by Cheryl Vanderburg – Leaside Litterati (April 2017) and I was quite surprised that Cheryl stated that the City of Toronto was doing a lot with respect to basement flooding in Toronto. Many “experts” I spoke with share the exact opposite opinion for the following reasons (not a complete list): Toronto Water has no policy requiring abandoned sanitary laterals to be capped like most jurisdictions in North America. Toronto Water issues dewatering permits for construction sites that allow developers to pump all water on site into the storm/sanitary systems using huge pumps that continue to operate even if a massive storm is coming. Toronto Water’s record on downspout disconnection is abysmal, as far more are still connected notwithstanding a bylaw that states they must be disconnected unless an

exemption is provided. City of Toronto is allowing constant development replacing a few bathrooms with thousands of bathrooms under the assumption that there will be no stress to the storm/sanitary systems that are not being enhanced. Many areas of Ward 26 (Leaside) are now ranked 4 on a 5 scale severity scale (5 being the worst) for the potential of basement flooding. Many neighbours have been flooded not only once but twice and even more. City of Toronto response to aging infrastructure is advising residents to install backwater valves that do fail and for which the City of Toronto only partially covers the initial cost, and only once. Insurance companies are drastically increasing insurance coverage premiums, increasing deductibles and capping coverage based on basement flooding severity scale rankings. Most premiums do not cover sump pit rise in water table – that is what happens in nature as rain falls, which means that sump pumps can never fail. Hard landscaping such as illegal driveway pads and illegal driveway widening is rampant in Leaside and contributes to potential surcharging of the sanitary/storm system. LETTERS, Page 27

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Kate Macdonald Butler: Leaside’s Canada 150 Ambassador

Columnist

One of Canada’s most enduring literary icons is Lucy Maud Montgomery, known for her Anne of Green Gables series of novels as well as a myriad of other works. Interest in Anne never seems to wane as is evidenced by the most recent CBC series. Leaside has its own connection to Montgomery in the person of her granddaughter, Kate Macdonald Butler, who runs the company Heirs of L. M. Montgomery Inc., from her office on Commercial Rd. On top of her extensive duties as president of the family business, Kate has been chosen as a Canada 150 Ambassador to promote events celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday on social media platforms. As president of Heirs of L. M. Montgomery, Inc., Kate oversees and supports all groups pursuing

Patrick Rocca b ro ke r

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Kate Butler

recently returned from a trip to Japan to promote the release of the first instalment of the film in 60 theatres there. The movie will also be released on Netflix in the coming months. Kate is also involved in plans for a new museum proposed for Norval, Ont., where her grandmother lived when her husband was the Presbyterian minister there, and had a meeting regarding an Anne of Green Gables house and gift shop while she was in Japan. In her spare time, Kate is revising and expanding an Anne cookbook for children, originally published in 1984, which is to BUTLER, Page 25

Leaside Life, June 2017

Janis Fertuck

projects related to her grandmother and Anne, and feels it is “important to look after this legacy.” This involves the ownership and regulation of trademarks related to the works and name of Lucy Maud Montgomery, which enables the heirs, as stated on their website, to control the use of the author’s “name, titles and other elements of her creations…in association with products, events and services.” In addition, the company handles publishing and film rights to Montgomery’s works, and new adaptations and editions are always being proposed. Recent examples are an opera to be performed by retired singers in Japan in 2018 and a young adult novel called Maud based on Montgomery’s teenage years. The Heirs have also combined with the province of Prince Edward Island to form the Anne of Green Gables Licensing Authority, which regulates all merchandising activities. Kate acts as an executive producer of the Breakthrough Entertainment film L. M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables, starring Martin Sheen and released last year. In fact, she

THE PARKS OF LEASIDE 4

Ken Mallett

The rich history of Serena Gundy

Many of today’s Leasiders are mapping. unaware that the natural beauty of “I believe the map I produced shows the area from Bayview Ave. across the land set aside for the Gundy the West Don River all the way to As the weather warms up and country estate,” he says. Here are Leslie St. led several wealthy famthe outdoors beckon, activities at some excerpts from his notes: ilies in Toronto to build stately Leaside’s Serena Gundy Park are “In 1927 James Gundy chose an country mansions in the early heating up too. The park – named 1900s. These magnificent after the first wife of the late James estates around the edge of H. Gundy, head of the Wood Gundy Toronto eventually became securities firm – is located in North part of the Sunnybrook Leaside in the West Don River Park system. Valley, north of Leasider John Eglinton Ave. East. Naulls, a local hisOne of Toronto’s torian and cartogmost beautirapher, has been ful parks, Serena poking around in Gundy boasts horse the minutes of stables, walking/ Leaside Council hiking trails, picnic meetings going as sites and sports fields for far back as 1913 cricket, rugby, soccer, and and has come up field hockey, among others. John Naulls with some fasciAlong with the nearby Wilket nating details about the early Creek Park, it surrounds the vast days of the Gundy Estate and Sunnybrook Park system, a green how it came to be one of Toronto’s ribbon of trails that meander 12 area in Leaside to set up a seasonal premier parks. He has also prokilometres from the manicured residence and garden in the valley duced a map of the area based on Edwards Gardens in the north portion of the town. Leaside Council Leaside Council notes and various to the rustic Warden Woods in was happy to accept his offer. years of aerial photography and the south. The property seems to have been sold on an acre by acre basis.” And this from the minutes of Leaside Council meetings: Ages 4½ “On June 1, 1927, the Leaside to 13 Council would review a letter, from Gundy, to purchase part of Leaside in the Don Ravine. Council accepted the offer, and by July the deal was complete, with 68 acres and streets removed from Leaside. By the end of November, more acreage had been bought.” Naulls says, “Basically, a year went by and on October 31, 1928, Council would hear from Gundy again. He was ready to proceed with the estate. A request was made to Immersive week of circus day camp provide road access to his property.” Council notes: He would enter the Aerial and ground acrobatics, juggling, estate from Eglinton Ave. and drive crafts, clowning & more north along the Aerodrome west boundary on Sutherland Dr. The Indoor and outdoor activities new road would turn east along Students invite friends & family to a the Aerodrome northern boundcircus show at the end of the week! ary known as Broadway Ave. to the estate entrance. Leaside would establish this road at a cost to the Town of $8,355.00. Also offering Circus Classes, Leaside would help hide the property from view by planting up to Birthday Parties & more 500 trees. Council would agree to all his requests. In the spring of 1929, the building of the Gundy home began and the 822 Millwood Road @ Leaside United Church road was started.

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Leaside Life, June 2017

Columnist

THE STREETS OF LEASIDE

Bennington Heights While not technically in Leaside, Bennington Heights Drive is close enough to share an M4G postal code. This curving road is the “main street” of the neighbourhood known as Bennington Heights. Thousands of years ago, Bennington Heights was on the shoreline of Lake Iroquois (Lake Ontario). It was first settled in the 1870s by John Cudmore and Daniel Ryan, who operated successful market gardens on their properties until the area was developed in 1889. The Cudmore farm was subdivided for residential development (a trend that lives on today!) in 1889 and again in 1912. Ryan’s property, located just north of the Cudmore farm, was also subdivided in stages, first in 1891 and again in 1946. In 1912, Ryan sold his property to Thomas Weatherhead, a solicitor for

the East York School Board. When Thomas lived at 30 Rosemount Avenue, he had the street’s name changed to Bennington Heights Drive, Bennington having been his

practising with his sons David and Peter until he died on December 24, 1975. Evelyn Weatherhead was successful in her own right, serving as national president of the Home and School Association of Canada. Cudmore Farm In 1951, she was president of the Ryerson Institute (now University) and on April 8, 1958, was elected the president of the Ontario Home and School Association. The Weatherhead family were members of Rosedale United Church, and both of their funeral services were held there. Evelyn died on June 26, 1969 and is buried beside her husband in Mount Pleasant Cemetery. ■ Jeanne Hopkins spent most wife Evelyn’s maiden name. of her life in the historic Henry Farm Evelyn Maude Bennington was community of North York. She realthe daughter of Colonel Alfred ized her passion for local history in Bennington (1860-1933) and the Canadiana department of the Gertrude Peck of Prescott, Ontario. North York Public Library, where On August 31, 1925, she married she worked for 27 years. She is the Thomas Weatherhead of Toronto. author of many articles and five books Thomas was a successful lawyer, of local history.

Wilfrid Heighington (left) and his brother Geoffrey.

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By JEANNE HOPKINS

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What would TRACE MANES say? Trace Manes Park is named in honour of a popular Leaside mayor of the late 1940s. It comprises a baseball diamond – the home of Leaside Atom Baseball (LAB) – a sports field, the summer home of Pedalheads Bike Camp. It’s also the home of the Leaside Tennis Club with its six tennis courts, the Leaside Public Library, Trace Manes Park Community Centre, and the children’s wading pool and park. Phew! That’s a lot of activities. As I do my weekly cleanups, I often look up to the heavens and wonder what Trace Manes would think of his legacy. Does he see the dogs pooping in the Millwood/Rumsey corner entrance and their owners who don’t ‘stoop and scoop’? Does he see the smokers who sit on the benches and leave a mound of butts at their feet? Or the late night beer drinkers who toss their empties carelessly on the ground? I don’t mind picking up this random litter as my hope is that when the park is clean, ‘people won’t litter where there is no litter’. What I do resent is cleaning up after the permit holders – I’m talking to you, LAB and Pedalheads – whose responsibility it is as part of

Cheryl Vanderburg Leaside Litterati

their contract with the city to leave their section of the park neat and clean after their activity finishes. At the beginning of the baseball season the diamond dugouts and bleachers are spic and span. Then, as the season progresses, the dugouts become increasingly littered with Dubble Bubble gum and wrappers, empty water bottles, sunflower seed bags and shells and scorecards, and the bleachers become littered with Tim’s and Starbucks takeaway cups. Thankfully LAB does respond to my emails and someone does come by to pick up. And their behaviour does improve. But the question I always ask myself is, why do I need to remind them every year? I dream of a season where the coaches, players and parents from the get-go take responsibility to clean up after them-

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selves and leave the diamond as they found it. It’s the same with Pedalheads. On day one of camp, the sports field is clean as a whistle. Then the campers have their first snacks and lunch under the trees along Rumsey and leave the area littered with food and beverage wrappers, and those pesky handlebar ribbons begin to break off and litter the entire field. So once again, I take a few pictures, send a quick email, which always gets a very apologetic response, and the field is cleaned and the behaviour remedied. But why do I have to be the ‘litter police’ every year. Shouldn’t this be part of the staff training and camper orientation? The biggest conundrum is how to keep the children’s park litter-free as there is no permit holder to hound. I recently attended a public consultation on the Trace Manes Playground Rejuvenation Project in Memory of Georgia Walsh. I’m delighted that the park is getting a facelift and will provide more safety and enjoyment for Leaside families. But I am also concerned that increased usage will inevitably lead to more litter. And the only plans in place by the City to address this issue are to add more and larger waste receptacles, increase no-littering signage, and hope for good behaviour from park users. I’m sure that the 80/20 rule applies to littering – 80 per cent of park users clean up after themselves while 20 per cent don’t. So really, in the end, it’s up to us as a community to decide if we want a clean park and what we’re prepared to do to keep it clean. Food for thought for the Rejuvenation Project Committee and for all of us living near or using the park. ■

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Leaside Life, June 2017

Lawyer

Leaside’s boxing great SHAWN O’SULLIVAN

Leaside Life, June 2017

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Alan Redway Columnist

Do you remember when Leasider Shawn O’Sullivan won the gold medal at the World Amateur Boxing Championships in 1981 and again in 1983? At the time he was the toast of the town and the Borough of East York. Shawn grew up on Donlea Drive along with his twin sister Maureen and his younger brother Kevin. Shawn jokes that he is the eldest because he was born a few minutes before Maureen. He first learned to box under the guidance and instruction of his father Michael. Michael O’Sullivan was a TTC bus driver and I often chatted with him when I rode his bus on my way downtown. As an amateur boxer, Shawn rang up 94 victories while losing only six times, a record matched by very few, if any, other Canadian boxers. At

the age of 16 he won the Canadian Junior title in Whitehorse, Yukon. Then in 1981, as a 19 year old, he defeated the Cuban Olympic gold medalist, Armando Martinez, twice on his way to winning the gold medal as a light middleweight in the World Amateur Boxing Championships. That year he was named Canada’s Athlete of the Year. In 1984 at the Los Angeles Olympics, after totally dominating his earlier opponents, he fought an American, Frank Tate, for the gold medal. During the second round of the championship match, Shawn took Tate to two standing eight counts and nearly a third as the round ended. But the judges awarded the match and thus the gold medal to Frank Tate. When the gold medal was draped around Tate’s neck, the crowd booed. Later, even Tate’s coach admitted Shawn may have won. After winning the Olympic silver medal, Shawn turned professional. He won his first 11 bouts as a welterweight. When he finally retired from boxing he had recorded 23 wins, 16 of them by knockouts.

During his boxing career Shawn’s head took a terrific pounding. Since retiring from boxing 20 years ago, he has been diagnosed with brain damage from the many cumulative blows to his head. Today sports’ head injuries, like concussions, generate a great deal more public atten-

Shawn O’Sullivan tion and concern than they did while Shawn was boxing. In 2015, Leaside’s pride, Shawn O’Sullivan, was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. ■ Alan Redway is a former East York mayor and federal cabinet minister.

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Leaside Life, June 2017

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DANIEL GIRARD

Duane Ward (above), George Bell (below), and Robbie Alomar (right)

Roberto Alomar, the first player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, and fellow former Jays George Bell and Duane Ward, led a skills clinic for about 150 players from the Leaside Atom Baseball Association at Trace Manes Park on Mother’s Day.

high marks in school while juggling WANTED: individual for part-time her hockey, refereeing, as well as work. Must be in top-notch physiwork on her school yearbook. She cal condition, willing to work early also plays and referees ball hockey mornings and late nights, and able Susan Scandiffio and will spend her summer working to withstand verbal abuse and a Columnist at Just Hockey. (Sensing a theme?) constant questioning of your skills. Moranne’s parents, Jeff and Miah, This may be a job application say the family has visited arenas far many would avoid. But under the tutelage of the Toronto Leaside Girls portive of one another, Jeff laughHockey Association (TLGHA)'s ingly noted that Moranne’s getting long-time referee-in-chief Ian Shaw, her licence in January meant that he hundreds upon hundreds of females was happily freed up from practices not only accepted jobs as referees ending at 10:30 at night! but became skillful and confident in A group of two TLGHA board their positions. members along with Ian Shaw’s wife, Ian Shaw was the founding presPat, and daughter, Jenny Shaw, chose ident of the TLGHA and throughMoranne as the recipient of the out his 25+ years as a volunteer award. “Moranne has such a posin Leaside girls' hockey, served as itive attitude and loves the game,” head coach, assistant coach, trainer, commented Jenny Shaw, who has manager, tournament director, and known Moranne as both a player referee-in-chief. A father of three and referee over the years. Jenny daughters who were/are all hockey said the committee was tremenplayers and referees, Ian provided dously impressed with Moranne’s Ian Shaw guidance not only to his commitment to the game, own girls, but to counther contribution to her less others. community through her After Ian's passing volunteer work, and her in 2016, the TLGHA skills as a referee. established the Ian Shaw Being a referee isn’t Memorial Scholarship an easy task, pointed to recognize a young out TLGHA President woman who, like Ian, Jennifer Smith. Smith, had exhibited passion who also referees, for the game, and comexplained that not only mitment through officimust referees have a thorating either as a referee ough and sound knowlor timekeeper. The recipedge of the game itself, ient would also be a but must be willing to young woman who had endure criticism (to put shown a commitment to it mildly!) from players, hockey, community and coaches, and those in the education. stands. On May 10, 2017, the Moranne is not only TLGHA was thrilled to experienced in handling award the first Ian Shaw the critiques emanatMemorial Scholarship to Moranne accepting the gift along with (l-r: Jennifer Smith, ing from the ice and the Moranne Parsons. (President, TLGHA), Jenny Shaw (Ian’s daughter), Pat Shaw stands, but does so with Moranne, a Grade 12 confidence, patience, (Ian’s wife), and Suzanne Hume (Registrar, TLGHA). student at Northern integrity, consistency, Secondary School, played and conviction. These as a Wildcat for eight years, worked and wide across the city in Moranne’s are the refereeing qualities that she as a referee for four years, and vollong hockey career (as well as with has, and will continue to apply, to unteered in the league's Learn to her two hockey-playing younger other areas in her life – qualities she Play program. A diligent student, sisters, Erin and Mireille). While the learned under the guidance of her Moranne has managed to obtain family is clearly tremendously supgreat teacher, Ian Shaw. ■

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SUSAN SCANDIFFIO

Leaside Life, June 2017

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The Ian Shaw Memorial Scholarship Recognizing a young woman with a real passion for the game

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Gundy.. From Page 4 A further request to close Eglinton Ave. along the estate’s southern boundary would discourage entry by the public. No development of Leaside occurred near the estate until the late 1940s to early 1950s. Council notes reveal that on Feb. 2, 1948, Gundy would donate the sloping portion of his land to Leaside for park use. The estate appears not to have been in use until 1958. It was recommended that Leaside buy the estate for $45,000 and then place it under control of the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. In 1960, 62.6 acres of the estate were donated back to Leaside along with a recommendation that an entrance be created to the park from Leslie St. on the understanding that $200,000 would be spent during a 10-year period on park improvements and that a suitable memorial, approved by the trustees of the estate, would be erected. A bronze plaque built into the stone gates at the Broadway Ave. entrance honours this generous gift. ■

MAP: COURTESY JOHN NAULLS PHOTO: ROBIN DICKIE

Leaside Life, June 2017

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Happy Anniversary! Pawfect treatment for two decades at the Laird Eglinton Pet Hospital irritating them. During his 23-year career as a vet Tung hasn’t had any celebrity animals as patients, but he has had a few celebrity owners (no names, please). “Regardless, we treat all our patients like celebrities,” Tung says. “The key to our Leaside relationship is how we interact with our clients. I can honestly say our staff is overwhelmingly the best I’ve ever had the fortune to work with. They care so much to make sure the pet or client is completely taken care of. That level of care and compassion creates a culture, and once you have that, the rest is easy.” ■

Leaside Life, June 2017

Larry Tung began to develop roots in Leaside as the Laird Eglinton Pet Hospital grew and flourished. The veteran veterinarian managed the hospital, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in Leaside this year, at its original location in Leaside Plaza on Eglinton next to PetSmart and Canadian Tire but found it was too small to handle a busy and growing customer base, so he moved in 2011 to the current location at 211 Laird Dr. “I didn’t grow up in Leaside and it wasn’t until I started working here that I began to put down roots,” Tung says. “As I spent time interacting with clients, hiring local residents and taking part in local events I began to really feel a part of the community. Now my kids attend some of the local schools and participate in Leaside sports teams. You can’t interact with people for 20 years and not feel an attachment to them.” The hospital currently has a staff of six part- and full-time vets who offer a complete range of services and procedures including annual vaccines, wellness exams, general and emergency surgery, nutrition, digital x-rays, dentistry, general grooming and pet boarding for Leaside residents’ cats, dogs, pocket pets like hamsters, as well as rabbits and ferrets. Each of the hospital’s vets has special areas of interest, but all share a common passion to help the pets and their owners work closely as a team to provide the best level of care.

“The most satisfying situations for me are when I’m able to help pets who are facing difficult, possibly life-threatening or debilitating situations and give them a second chance at having a better quality of life with their owners and their families,” Tung says. “Anyone who has had a pet knows how special and meaningful that relationship can be. Helping to keep that relationship going a little longer can make all the difference.” Over the years, Tung has had some unusual situations to deal with. He’s seen lots of stolen dogs or pets who are sick from eating objects or substances that their owners don’t want him to know about. Sometimes seniors want to keep their pets alive in bad situations because they remind them of a deceased spouse or loved one. One of the biggest mistakes many owners make is to assume that their pet is slowing down or acting peculiarly from old age when in fact they may be in pain or something might be

Resident House Kitty Samwell (left) with the heart-shaped nose rules the roost. Above: various patients recuperate. Bottom left: Dr. Tung and his assistant treat a cat with an eye infection. The two and four-legged staff pose for a group photo.

PHOTOS BY ROBIN DICKIE

By TALBOT BOGGS

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The Leaside Gardener: Embracing our roots! 14

Leaside Life, June 2017

Deborah Kuchme Columnist

Leaside has been fortunate to have in its history a series of events where each change of hands made a positive difference in embracing our rich nature. John Lea knew it with his farmland in 1819 and so did his son William, the poet and nature lover who expanded the farm. Fredrick Todd knew it too when he designed our streets with the Garden City principles and envisioned these streets filled with our native plants. Each one embraced this land for its natural and unique qualities, and so should we. So why do so many of us go against the natural grain of our landscape? Imagine a beautiful garden in Brazil or any lush tropical place. Now imagine that naturally beautiful garden being made to look more “Canadian”. Clear out that agave, remove those palms, change the soil and insert a mass of golden rod, add

a few sugar maples, some white pine and one big yellow birch. Sounds silly, right? Yet gardeners and landscape designers have been doing this to environments for centuries, altering, “correcting,” and reinventing. One part creator, one part artist and some strange need to be a master over nature. I too have been guilty of this. My first garden design was more akin to the south of France than to southern Ontario. Though beautiful, it took me years to understand how wrong that was and even longer to correct. I still have a long way to go to make it truly local, but I’m more proud of it today because now it does more than just look pretty, it functions as a local ecosystem. It rarely needs watering because it’s more diverse, with a variety of compatible companion plants that support each other and allow it to take care of itself. It makes a hospitable home for the pollinators and our native wildlife, and all of that is what a good garden can and should do. Does yours? If you’re struggling with your garden or wasting resources on it, then you’re probably fighting a garden rather than working with one. Whether you’ve been here for years or

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just moved in to the neighbourhood, take a good long look at your garden and ask yourself if it truly belongs here. How many native plants do you have? Does your garden help the pollinators and native wildlife or is it purely decorative? Are you working with this land or trying to make it some other place? We have great roots in Leaside.

Why not embrace them? Leasiders live in a special area of rich natural beauty. That’s because this is a part of the deciduous forest region. The smallest of all forests in Canada, yet home to the largest diversity of any of our forest regions. This is what gives us our fertile soil. But botanical fascination, artistic expression and design trends encouraged much of our disconnected behaviour. Somehow we forgot that land is a natural part of the biosphere that connects us to all things. Along the way, we placed our needs above all others (the flora and fauna) in the natural world. It’s up to each of us to reconnect and understand how nature works. Take a stroll through Serena Gundy Park and see how a forest works close up. Drive down the Don Valley Parkway and witness that raw diversity as one great mass. This is where to get your understanding and inspiration for how we need to garden in Leaside. I’m not suggesting you turn your yard into a forest, nor am I saying to restrict your choices to native species. Be conscious of what you put in the ground and when in doubt, choose natives first. Be aware of invasive species because this list is growing. Seek out information and share what you learn. Join the Leaside Garden Society, our very own group of garden specialists and enthusiasts. With knowledge and understanding, your garden can be a piece of our natural environment once again. ■

Leaside Life, June 2017

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LEASIDE PEOPLE • MEET YOUR NEIGHBOURS

Hard work doesn’t kill anyone, says Leaside centenarian Millie Umahara

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Leaside Life, June 2017

By JANIS FERTUCK

PHOTOS BY JANIS FERTUCK

Long-time Leaside resident and CNIB employee Millie Umehara became a centenarian on April 10. A party was held in her honour at the CNIB on Bayview Ave. Millie grew up on a farm in Oak Ridges, but gradually lost her sight in her 20s as a result of retinitis pigmentosa. A home teacher from the CNIB taught her Braille as well as home and personal management skills. Millie was such a good student that she moved to Toronto in 1949 to take the training as a home teacher herself at the CNIB, which was located downtown on Beverley St. at the time. Home teachers, or rehabilitation teachers as they are now called, help those who have lost their sight to organize and arrange their homes, so they can continue to do all the chores they used to do. Once again, Millie excelled at the task, living in Windsor for a few years and serving the area, before becoming the Ontario Supervisor of Home Teachers. In this capacity, this remarkable woman travelled throughout the province on her own, by train, working with her extensive team. When in Toronto, she lived in an apartment at Bayview and Glenvale, conveniently close to the CNIB. According to her friend and colleague, Florence Carter, Millie was “a great boss and supervisor.” She was such a kind and caring person that “when she took you into her office for a chat, you didn’t realize until afterward that she had been

Millie and Iona. reprimanding you.” She went on to say that Millie was a mentor to many rehabilitation teachers and was “more of a friend than a boss.” After her rewarding and enjoyable career, Millie retired in 1982, but then started volunteering in the music library at the CNIB. At the same time, she and her sighted friend, Lillian Malley, embarked upon several years of later life learning by attending a lecture series at Glendon College in general interest courses such as music and world religions. At first, they hiked up Bayview, but as the years passed, started taking the bus and later getting rides from East York Harmony Hall services. Lillian and Millie also attended Northlea United Church, and travelled extensively to Spain, England, France, Mexico, Florida and Arizona over the years. It was only three years ago that

Millie moved into The Millwood Retirement Residence at 921 Millwood. While she enjoys the level of care there, she says that there are days when she would like to be back in her old apartment. She is also sorry that so many of her friends are gone, but has learned to make friends with younger people in their 70s and 80s. In fact, with her new friends at The Millwood, Millie goes out for lunch to such nearby restaurants as Stars and Olde Yorke Fish and Chips. Another friend is Iona Gherasim, who met Millie in 1980 at the CNIB. Millie was her mentor while Iona was being trained as a rehabilitation teacher. Iona and Florence were instrumental in planning Millie’s party. Iona had the guest list printed in Braille so that Millie could look forward to enjoying her guests, mostly professional people from her working days. She is also having congratulatory letters from Prime Minister Trudeau, Premier Wynne, Councillor Burnside and Queen Elizabeth printed in Braille and put into a binder for Millie. As for the secret to Millie’s longevity, she said that she has good genes. Her mother lived to 99 and her father into his 80s. She also commented, “Hard work does not kill anyone,” and thinks that the most important factor in a long life is “having a purpose in life so that you don’t give up.” This is obviously the motto that has inspired Millie throughout her long and fulfilling life, and will serve as an inspiration to others. ■

Hitting a tee-shot down the fairway with Iona Gherasim and OVIG By JANIS FERTUCK Golfers are well known for being so devoted to their sport they will get out on their Iona at home. favourite course as soon as it opens in the spring regardless of the weather, and continue to play well into the fall with frost on the ground. But there is one group who take their enthusiasm to an even higher level, who are so passionate about golf they pursue it despite being visually impaired. Golf for blind and visually impaired enthusiasts is a growing trend both nationally and internationally, and Ontario has its own association, known as OVIG or Ontario Visually Impaired Golfers. According to its brochure, OVIG is a charitable

organization whose mission is “to provide instruction and opportunities to play the game to blind and visually-impaired Ontarians.” Some were golfers before losing their sight, while others took up golf afterwards. Leaside’s local OVIG member is Iona Gherasim, who was born in Regina with the hereditary eye disease, retinitis pigmentosa. Her paternal grandmother and father had the condition, as do two of her three siblings. She started working at the CNIB in 1980 as a rehabilitation teacher, or to use today’s term, an “independent living skills specialist.” She then became the supervisor of the rehabilitation teachers, later the supervisor of the intake department, and then the team leader of services for North York. Although she retired IONA GHERASIM, Page 19

We were very sorry to learn of the death of noted historian Michael Bliss, long-time Leaside resident and Leaside Life contributor. We were very fortunate to have him grace our publication for so many years with his witty takes on life in Leaside. He will be missed. —Editor Allan Williams’ Leaside Life profile of Bliss appeared in 2013. It is reprinted here in an edited version. One of Canada’s best-known and most prolific historians is a Leasider. In fact, Michael Bliss and his wife Liz, who marked their 50th wedding anniversary [in 2013], have lived in Leaside all their married life, first in Thorncliffe Park (which was part of the Town of Leaside at the time), then on Macnaughton Rd. and, since June 1973, on Bessborough Dr. The couple’s three children, a son and two daughters, all attended Leaside schools and played minor sports. “I did my share of coaching,” Bliss recalls. “I umpired boys basketball, coached girls softball and girls hockey too – both our daughters played at Leaside Gardens.” All three children are now married with children of their own; two are lawyers in Vancouver, the third a school teacher in Toronto. “We’ve been very happy in Leaside,” Bliss says. “I see it as a small town in the middle of a great city where we have the best of both worlds.” Michael Bliss grew up in Kingsville and says he always loved books, and knew as a boy that he wanted to write them one day. But he studied science and philosophy at UofT, taught school for two years at Lawrence Park Collegiate – and got married – before committing to a career in History. The late 1960s was a time of rapid expansion on Canadian campuses and he was hired by the University of Toronto’s History Department even before finishing his doctorate. While Bliss liked teaching, it was the book projects he’s enjoyed most.

books he dreamed of writing. He still keeps busy. He’s working with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute promoting intelligent debate on historical and contemporary issues. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa which [has transformed] into the Museum of Canadian History with galleries scheduled to open in time for Canada’s 150th birthday. “For the first time Canada is going to have a national museum of its history and for an historian this is really exciting.” He also published his memoirs in 2011, Writing History: A Professor’s Life, a very engaging and enjoyable read. Recently, he was involved in attempts to save the back campus at U of T from being converted to Astroturf. Despite city council approval earlier this summer, Bliss says the battle isn’t over: “We’ve lost for now – it’s a shameful thing for the university to do – but we’ll not rest until we have real grass back on our campus!” “I’ve been blessed with a long life, good health and a lot of energy,” says Bliss, “and I hope to be around for a while yet. I plan to write a new preface for a centennial edition of The Discovery of Insulin [in 2022].” ■

All Don Valley West residents are invited to celebrate 150 years of our beloved Canada…

CANADA DAY PICNIC Saturday, July 1, 2017 12:00–3:00 pm Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute 135 Overlea Boulevard (Overlea and Don Mills)

Free food, information booths, live entertainment and fun for the Kids!

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Leaside Life, June 2017

ALLAN WILLIAMS

RIP Michael Bliss

“Both working in the archives and writing in my study are a kind of time-travel, a constant dialogue with the sources,” he says. “A long day’s work writing history can be very satisfying.” He’s written about Canada’s business and political history, and is best-known to Canadians for his frequent appearances on television and in newspapers as a commentator, especially during the constitutional debates of the 1980s and ’90s. But it is to medical history that he has devoted most of his time and energy. His most enduring book has been The Discovery of Insulin, which tells the fascinating story of Banting and Best, their teamwork and rivalry leading to the discovery in Toronto in 1922 that offered diabetics a chance to live a relatively normal life. The book is still in print after more than thirty years and has been translated into six languages. Bliss is still asked to give talks on the subject. Biographies of two medical pioneers, Canadian Sir William Osler, “the father of modern medicine,” and American Harvey Cushing, the founder of modern neurosurgery, published in 1999 and 2005 respectively, were well-received and unlikely to be superseded. They certainly classify as the big, heavy

Leaside Life, June 2017

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The Reverend Veronica Roynon is not the Queen of England! Not everyone is willing to step up for a challenge, even when it sounds interesting. But the Rev. Veronica Roynon has stepped up for many challenges over her life. Her latest is to be screened to work as a spiritual care professional at Sunnybrook conducting a Sunday church service in H Wing three Sundays a month for anyone to attend, and then visiting veterans individually in K wing on Sunday and Monday. She continues to volunteer at the Central North Correctional Centre, a maximum security institution in Penetanguishene monthly. While in Toronto, she stays with her son in Leaside and also visits with her daughter in the Beaches. While Veronica is now an ordained priest in the Anglican Church, her route to the priesthood was not a straight line. In fact, she had no idea she would be called to the church when she came to Canada from England with a job offer to nurse. She worked first in Peterborough, and then got a room in a house on Millwood Rd. with friends. She found employment in the OR at Sunnybrook, and then at Sick Kids as a paediatric nurse. After the birth of her son, David, she realized that it was difficult to work and find childcare. So she

Lorna Krawchuk Publisher Leaside Life

plopped David into his stroller and saw the government day nursery officials about opening an infant daycare centre. The officials asked if she would agree to get certification in Early Childhood Education – which she did at night school. She then went searching for space and found a house on Laird Dr. that was zoned commercial. She had to say she was teaching the babies singing and dancing in order to get her licence to care for 12 infants between the ages of 2 months and 2½ years. This was the start of Leaside Daycare in 1971. When the house at 100 McRae, zoned residential, came on the market, she bought it, because with residential zoning, she and her staff could care for 32 infants, plus the house had three floors and a big fenced yard. All was going well until these infants were too old to stay. No problem! 73 Fleming came on the market and was bought for use with children 2½ to 5 years. The Rolph Rd. space for school-aged children was next, but this time as a not-

The Rev. Veronica Roynon for-profit with parents as a board of directors. Veronica is no longer involved, but Leaside Daycare continues successfully to this day. The next, more pastoral, phase of Veronica’s life started at St. Cuthbert’s Church. A new priest, Michael Thompson, recognized her spiritual gifts. Ian and Jo Nicholl, originally church friends, with a cottage in Port Sydney, encouraged her to find a cottage there too. Instead, she found a century home and moved there. Through correspondence, she got the qualifications to become a lay reader in the Anglican Church. Then came a fateful phone call. “Hello, this is the Bishop of Algoma, and I’d like to speak to Veronica Roynon,” said a voice. Veronica’s reply? “Oh, I can do better than that – this is the Queen of England.” The voice came back, “But I am the Bishop of Algoma, and you are NOT the Queen.” He was offering her a position in Manitouwadge in Northern Ontario near Marathon to be a full-time lay minister. Off she went for three years, but decided to progress from being a lay reader to an Anglican priest, and acquired her Master of Divinity from Trinity College at the University of Toronto. That was 13 years ago. After serving as a priest in various parishes in the Diocese of Algoma, she is now formally retired, but continues as a spiritual companion or director for individuals – a version of “one on one ministry, which I love,” she says. Now she’s ready for her next adventure at Sunnybrook. You can be sure there will be a lot of one on one ministry. ■

Iona Gherasim... 19

Leaside Life, June 2017

From Page 16 more than a decade ago, she continues to volunteer at the CNIB. Iona has a remarkably positive attitude towards her impairment, which progressively worsened in her 50s to the point that today she has only about five per cent of her vision. In fact, she is grateful that she had the “luxury” of adjusting to the loss of her vision gradually over time. This positive attitude led Iona to join OVIG in 1992, upon returning from a few years in Edmonton, despite having no previous golf experience. “I joined for the outdoor exercise and the opportunity to meet new people,” she says. “My play has improved over the years with the help of lessons and the association’s coaches.” Ilona participates in all of the Ontario tournaments each year with the assistance of her coach, Diana Ranken. Diana, and other volunteer coaches, like her are the key ingredient in blind golfing. They act as guides accompanying golfers on their rounds, setting up the ball and giving tips on direction and distance. Four municipal courses, Tam O’Shanter, Scarlett Woods, Don Valley and Humber Valley, offer a discount to OVIG members so the coach is not required to pay the green fee. In addition, the Toronto Hunt Club is free to OVIG members on Monday afternoons during the season. These discounts are of vital importance to an organization like OVIG since many of its members live on fixed incomes and need financial assistance to take part. For example, the association will cover the cost of lessons for its members at Don Montgomery Community Centre Gym, or part of the cost for private lessons. It will also cover the green fee and food for members in tournaments. The major fundraising event for the year is the Colin Kressler Charity Tournament held in July at the Cardinal Golf Course in Newmarket. A banquet wraps up the day of play. Last year’s tournament, with 137 players, raised $9,500. Iona has high praise for OVIG as it gives its members the chance to get out to different courses, challenges players to improve their skills, and provides social opportunities. Highlights for her occur when she “hits a tee-shot that goes straight down the fairway 150 yards, or makes par. I encourage other visually-impaired players to give golf a try because it can be very rewarding.” It certainly has been for Iona and so many others. ■

The four Fiat bike jump

Leaside Life, June 2017

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It was the summer of 1972. I was 12 years old, and coincidently, so was my twin brother, Tim. One day after school, we both walked into the Fiat dealership that used to be located on the southeast corner of Bayview and Eglinton, years before the McDonald’s opened at that same spot. Tim was the daredevil and I was his agent. I asked to speak to the manager. We cooled our heels in the showroom for a few minutes before we were ushered into the manager’s office. I had already instructed Tim to let me do that talking, so I took the lead. “Thanks for seeing us. To get right to the point, my brother Tim here is prepared to jump his bicycle over four of your Fiats. It’s dangerous and it’s never been done before. Think of the publicity for your dealership.” Just to give you a moment to catch up, you have to remember that back in 1973, Evel Knievel and his death-defying motorcycle jumps were all the rage. Tim and I were big fans and actually attended Evel’s 1974 jump at the Canadian National Exhibition. So, inspired by

Terry Fallis

Guest Columnist

a crazy American dude in a white leather jumpsuit flying a Harley Davidson through the air, Tim and I, along with several neighbourhood kids, had been tempting gravity by jumping our bikes off a wooden ramp, soaring for quite some distance, and landing — sometimes even on the landing ramp. As the speeds, distances, and heights all increased, Tim emerged as the most skillful jumper of us all. Of course, he had saved his money and bought one of the very first bikes with shock absorbers. It was manufactured by Yamaha and was essentially a motorcycle without the

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motor. And man did it fly. In hindsight, it’s a miracle none of us was seriously maimed. This was of course long before the days of bicycle helmets, let alone the laws that would eventually require them. We thought Tim just might be the next big thing on the stunt circuit. We painted the takeoff and landing ramps in a vibrant cream colour (it was the only paint we could find in the basement), and even stenciled Tim’s name in gold lettering on them. We were headed for the big time. To stay in a jump-ready state, and to at least give the appearance of danger, we’d often stretch out a few neighbourhood kids, head to toe, between the ramps. We didn’t even make them sign release forms. Tim would soar over them and land perfectly. We even broke out the measuring tape one day and determined that Tim’s best jump covered 24 feet from liftoff to landing. And that was the moment the four Fiat bike jump idea was born. Sure, it wasn’t exactly the Snake River Canyon leap Evel Knievel attempted some years later, but a 12 year old hurtling over four Fiats, now that would have been epic. “Let me get this straight,” said the guy at the Fiat dealership. “You want me to loan you four Fiats so you can jump a bicycle over them?” “Right.” “How old are you?” “Twelve,” I replied. “We’re both 12.” “And you think there would be lots of publicity for my Fiat dealership.” “Exactly!” I agreed, poised to close the deal. “Well, I think you’re right. There would certainly be lots of publicity,” he said. “I think you’d better leave now.” We were back on the street a few seconds later. “I don’t get it. We were so close,” I said. “Let’s walk up to Rumble Pontiac Buick and see if they’ll give us their cars.” “I don’t think so,” Tim replied. “Buicks are a lot bigger than Fiats.” The big jump never happened. ■ A two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Terry Fallis is the award-winning author of five national bestsellers, including his most recent, Poles Apart, all published by McClelland & Stewart. His sixth novel, One Brother Shy, was published in May, 2017.

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LEASIDE PEOPLE • MEET YOUR LOCAL RETAILER

Everything fishy about De La Mer

The shop prides itself on bringing Leaside the freshest seafood from Canada and around the world. Front shop staff are trained in all aspects of the seafood they sell, and they take great pride in educating the customer and creating an overall pleasant experience. In fact, if a staff

safe seafood choices. But why not expand your palate a little and try some of Dave and Kate’s suggestions. Dave suggests the Petrale sole, a west coast sustainably caught fish and the “Gone Fishing” smoked salmon, which is coated in a rub of cumin, coriander, oregano and garlic that’s fabulous with a salad. Kate enthusiastically endorses the “Spicy Fish Lover’s” seafood pizza or the lobster mac & cheese. Or on a cool rainy day, you might want to try one of their soups, such as potato leek or saffron fish. Except for the chowders, they are shelf stable for up to a year, so you might want to consider picking up a few for your pantry. De La Mer carries a wide range of fish from across Canada. Their rainbow trout is from St. Thomas, Ont., pickerel swims in from Lake Erie, and yellow perch from Lake Huron. Canada’s east coast provides De La Mer with the freshest haddock, while the west coast brings us halibut, wild salmon, sole and black cod. All these choices arrive at the store within 24 to 48 hours of being processed, so you’re guaranteed the freshest seafood. If you’re looking for recipes for any of these offerings, look no further than the De La Mer website – www. delamer.com, which offers a wide

member can’t answer a specific question from customers, Dave will personally call them in the evening to offer information. Talk about personalized customer service! Currently the top sellers in the shop include Oceanwise Salmon, crab cakes and Oceanwise Smoked Salmon. Those all seem like pretty

variety of recipes as well as some easy how-tos. Starting on the May long weekend, the shop resumed its Saturday BBQs, which run until Labour Day weekend. The salmon burger or smoked salmon sausage costs only $5 each – easily the most wallet-friendly lunch on Bayview. ■

Vicki Hall Columnist

As I sit down to write this, I’ve just finished a wonderful Friday night dinner of delicious rainbow trout. It’s one of my favourite types of fish, which I picked up at de la mer on Bayview. I also happen to be a big fan of their king crab, which is a New Year’s Eve staple in my home. I had a chance to sit down with David Owen, one of the co-owners of De La Mer, and Kate, the Bayview location manager, for an excellent education in all things fishy. De La Mer is celebrating seven years on Bayview Ave., and is the first store of Dave and co-owner Blake Edwards’ three-store chain, with locations on the Danforth in the east end and Roncesvalles in the west end. I asked Dave why he and Blake decided to open up a seafood shop (or “seafood boutique,” as I like to call it) on Bayview, and he answered pretty quickly that they noticed a fishmonger was the missing business on the Bayview strip. No science behind their decision, but they both have a background in food (as professionally trained cooks) and sales, so it worked. How lucky for our seafood-loving community.

David & Kate

Leaside Life Published once a month in Leaside,Toronto ON, by FH Publishing Inc., 1444 Dupont St., Unit 11A, M6P 4H3 416-504-8047 Circulation 10,000 to every door in M4G PUBLISHER: Lorna Krawchuk EDITOR: Jane W. Auster GRAPHIC DESIGN: Robin Dickie ADVERTISING: Robyn Israel leasidelifepublishing@gmail.com ph. 416-276-0937 or 416-504-8047

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Jon Burnside Councillor, Toronto Ward 26 Don Valley West

North Leaside traffic calming – driving forward Early in 2015, I formed traffic committees in both North and South Leaside, each with a mandate to assess Leaside’s traffic situation and offer potential solutions to community concerns of volume, safety and quality-of-life issues. In selecting committee members, I sought to have a wide scope of representation: people residing on both “quiet” and “busy” streets and people with different perspectives – seniors, those with school-aged children, newer residents, and long-time ones as well. After two years and literally thousands of hours of work, the North Leaside Traffic Committee (NLTC) presented their findings to the community at the town hall I hosted on May 9. Although they formulated 16 different plans, they narrowed the options to two for the community to consider. John Gaitanakis, chair of the NLTC, gave a detailed overview of the situation, a recommended traffic calming proposal, and then answered questions from a packed William Lea Room. In deciding upon a preferred solution, it was stressed that the NLTC took a community-wide view of the challenge rather than a street-tostreet approach where there would be winners and losers. Their proposal was the only one of the 16 in which any potential negative impact (primarily inconvenience) would be borne by all members of community equally. Also highlighted was the fact that intensification of the Eglinton corridor between Bayview and Don Mills will bring thousands of new residents to the area. Not only will this presumably increase “cut-through” traffic, the political implications are such that this may be the last chance to tackle the problem. While the NLTC presented a traffic maze as one of the options, it ultimately recommended creating culde-sacs at each of the entry points to the community from Bayview Ave. The proposal would first be implemented as a short-term pilot project

BURNSIDE, cont’d

Butler... From Page 3 be released in September. As if this weren’t enough, this year, she is also serving as one of the Canada 150 ambassadors, whose job is to promote, participate in, and report on, Canada 150 events on social media. The group consists of athletes, musicians, artists, scientists and others who are well known in their fields, and includes such notables as Lawrence Hill, David Johnston, Alex Trebek, Roberta Bondar and Milos Raonic. Some events suggested for the ambassadors to date revolved around Flag Day, National Film Day and Earth Day. Kate plans to take part in events on National Aboriginal Day on June 21, Multiculturalism Day on June 27, and Canada Day itself. A special highlight for her will be the opening of Mosaicanada 150/2017, a giant plant sculpture garden in Gatineau, on June 30. It promises to be the biggest horticultural event in Canada, and will reflect 150 years of history, culture, values and art in 40 different exhibits. Not surprisingly, a sculpture of Anne of Green Gables herself will greet visitors to the garden in Jacques-Cartier Park. Kate also has plans to visit many of Canada’s national parks using the Discovery Pass, which provides free admission to all of our national parks during 2017 and is available on the Parks Canada Agency website. In fact, Kate has largely kept her summer open in order to enjoy various Canada 150 events. “I feel totally honoured as a Canadian to be selected as an ambassador,” she says – a fitting role for the granddaughter of one of our most beloved writers. ■

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Leaside Life, June 2017

so the community would have an opportunity to change its mind. The NLTC is requesting that residents complete a short survey before June 30. If the community responds favourably, then further consultation and a formal poll will take place over the coming months. To move forward, a minimum of 60 per cent of voting age residents will need to respond, with 50 per cent + one answering favourably. Any changes would still need to be approved by Community Council. Please visit my website (ward26. ca) to view the entire town hall, the standalone slide presentation, and a link to the online survey. ■ councillor_burnside@toronto.ca

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THE CHURCHES OF LEASIDE

Leaside Life, June 2017

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What will Leaside’s churches look like in another generation? Writing profiles of each of Leaside’s six main churches over the past year was both a pleasure and an eye-opener. [The series began with Leaside United in June 2016 and concluded with St. Augustine’s Anglican in February 2017; all six profiles are posted at www.leasidelifenews.com.] It was a pleasure meeting and talking with so many dedicated people who care deeply about their churches, are proud of their history and role in the community, and are engaged in their activities. It was an eye-opener to see the similarity in the challenges they face, regardless of denomination, and how serious, even existential, those challenges may be. Leaside’s rapid growth in the postwar years coincided with a period of optimism and expansion in Canadian churches as well. It was an era when families newly arrived in a community looked around for a church to join, usually of the same denomination that one of the couple had grown up in. It’s no surprise that those days are largely past in Canada, and Leaside’s churches are feeling the pressure. All reported declining attendance and a difficulty in attracting new, younger members. With the exception of St. Anselm’s, where the children from the school next door are automatically included in parish activities, all said they have fewer and fewer children involved, while several

An aerial view of St. Anselm’s. recalled Sunday schools with hundreds of children enrolled as recently as the 1970s. The leadership team members at each church are getting older and don’t have the energy they once had. The next generation of leaders, if they are around at all, are much less willing to serve on boards and com-

Allan Williams Columnist

mittees. “Declining volunteer capacity” was one of the reasons cited when the Glebe Church opted to merge with Leaside Presbyterian in 2013. It was the impetus for recent governance reforms at Northlea United. And Leaside United has just amalgamated with PresteignWoodbine United Church.

Detail of stained glass window at St. Augustine’s. Declining membership means less revenue from offerings. Possibly this reduced capacity has led to a greater focus on setting priorities and pursuing them more urgently because our churches have become focal points for community action on issues of social concern. It is remarkable that each Leaside church, either alone or in partnership, sponsored Syrian refugees in 2016, and each generously supports programs to help those in greatest need in our immediate area – in Thorncliffe and Flemingdon, for example – or in the wider city and world. The leaders I spoke with all talked enthusiastically about these community outreach projects, even as they acknowledged declining financial resources. Which brings us to the church buildings themselves – beautiful structures but expensive to maintain. Most of Leaside’s churches now double as concert venues and other kinds of performance space. They rent out their facilities for

badminton, ball hockey, basketball and bridge; they host yoga studios and a wide assortment of other community activities. They have permanent or long-term relationships with tenants like Mrs. Park’s Nursery School at Leaside United, Children’s Garden School at Leaside Presbyterian and the Maria Montessori School at Northlea. And each relies increasingly on this community rental revenue to meet its operating budget. A few have one or more generous benefactors who can be approached – for now – to help with capital projects or other needs. Is the current situation sustainable? One church leader said, “No one has suggested turning the church into condos yet, but in 20 years, who knows where we’ll be?” Between them Leaside’s six churches sit on about six acres of prime real estate. “No question they’re all worth a lot of money,” said realtor Patrick Rocca, “but the value depends on what the buyer would be able to do with it. An average building lot in Leaside is worth about $1.5 to $1.7 million – and that’s just for the land. Conversion to condos would be a different matter.” This is not intended to be alarmist. Our local church leaders are optimistic and hard-working, and none has talked about closing doors any time soon. And the local congregations don’t have a free hand to sell their property in any case. But this is to suggest that if we value Leaside’s churches as “community assets” and would like them still to be around in another generation, both as places of worship and as neighbourhood venues for concerts, badminton, yoga and other activities, then the wider community should get engaged to help find creative ways to keep our churches financially viable into the future. ■

Northlea United

From Page 2 City of Toronto is using outdated end of life system infiltration rates for planning new developments that will stress the aging storm/sanitary system when the up-to-date infiltration rates are available. Most of the City of Toronto storm/ sanitary system is at end of life. The recently proposed Toronto Water stormwater charge to provide stable funding has been criticized by many “experts” as being not geared to managing water at source and providing no incentives to manage water at source. Articles like Cheryl’s lull readers into feeling that the City is addressing the issue – it is not. — Rick Price, Leaside Re: Traffic Woes at Rolph Road (May, 2017): I am a parent at Northlea Elementary School in charge of Kiss ‘n’ Ride and now the CAA Safety Foot Patrol (kids in Grades 6-8). You should come and take a look at this new initiative where we help kids cross safely around school. We just started the program in April and have 25 patrollers registered. They do 8:30-8:45 a.m. daily at the corner of Rumsey and Divadale. Hoping to expand to all corners once patrollers are fully trained. All schools in Leaside should get involved. Training is done with Toronto Police and CAA. Kids wear a lime green vest, etc. We are making a difference and slowing traffic down and making drivers more aware. Traffic infractions are off the charts and Toronto Police Service has no budget for crossing guards. This is a proactive way to help keep our area safer. The LRT is not helping and is creating all kinds of redirected traffic into our community. —Valerie Cooke, Leaside Re: Royce Frith Article (February, 2017) Thank you for the article on Senator Royce Frith. I came across this article while doing our family history. In an attempt to populate ancestry.ca I googled my godfather’s name. I found your article. Much appreciated. ■ —Summer Ross

WX

EVENTS LEASIDE GARDEN SOCIETY

Experience the latest trend in relaxation! Colouring sheets, crayons, markers and relaxing music supplied. Recurring Tuesdays: 7pm - 8:15pm. June 6, 13, 20, 27th. For all teens and adults.

The Leaside Garden Society meets nine times a year for friendly and informative sessions on gardening topics. For more information, please call 416-422-0538 or e-mail leaside@gardenontario.org

Games Night!

Summer Flower Show Saturday: 11am - 4pm. June 24

From Nature to Canvas

Leaside Garden Society Meeting June 8th at 7:30pm in the Leaside Library, 165 McRae Dr. Jim Lounsbery will speak about Little Known Garden Gems.

LEASIDE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF ’57 REUNION Alumni are planning a 60 year reunion on June 6th @ the Leaside Tennis Club. Lead co-ordinator is Peter White 416-421-7227 pwhite@sympatico.ca

Enjoy solving/completing jigsaw puzzles or playing games. Tuesdays: 6:30pm - 8:15 pm. June 6, 13, 20, 27. Drop in. Everyone welcome. Paintings Exhibit in the Community Room by Georgia Bowen. Ongoing Event: June 1st – June 30. Everyone welcome. Interested in Becoming a Mystery Shopper? Investigate this option to make some extra cash! Learn how to search for reputable job sources and avoid scams. Presented by an experienced mystery shopper. Saturday: 2pm - 3pm. June 10th. Everyone welcome. No registration. Learn to Camp with Parks Canada

1399 Bayview Ave., 416-485-0329

Learn about Canada’s national parks, tips on planning a camping trip, and related skills like setting up a tent and cooking in the outdoors. Presented by Parks Canada as part of Canada’s 150th anniversary celebrations. Saturday: 2pm - 4pm June 3rd. Free program.

“Gadgets and Gizmos” Summer Day Camp

Leaside Needleworx Group

July 24-28: A week of adventure for children ages 4-12. $100 includes lunch, snacks, Bible stories, fun activities from 10am to 4pm, with extended care 8:30am to 5pm for additional $50. Register online at stcuthbertsleaside.com or contact Maureen 416485-0329 maureeno@bellnet.ca

(Knitting and Crocheting at the Library) Bring your own projects or start something new. Recurring Fridays: 10am - 11:45am. June 2, 09, 16, 23, 30. Everyone welcome.

LEASIDE UNITED CHURCH Everything Kids Sale, Saturday, June 3rd, 9am-1pm.

ST. CUTHBERT’S CHURCH

LEASIDE PRESBYTERIAN 670 Eglinton Ave. E. Kid’s Club Friday, June 9 from 9am. – 4pm. Cost: $30 per child or $50 for families. Activities include: baking, crafts and music. Snacks, drinks and a hot lunch are provided! To register your children or to learn more, contact Rev. Angela at 416-422-0510 Ext 25.

ST. AUGUSTINE’S ANGLICAN CHURCH 1847 Bayview Ave. Listen to great live music by local artists and have a coffee and dessert with friends. The Groove Room Coffee House, Friday June 9, 7:00-8:30pm. Cost is $5 with proceeds to the Flemingdon Park Food Bank. We are looking for performers. Contact Augustine@bellnet.ca

LEASIDE LIBRARY 165 McRae Drive, Toronto, ON M4G 1S8 416-396-3835

ADULT & TEEN PROGRAMMING: Adult Colouring Party

Leaside Writers Group Are you looking for a creative place to meet with other like-minded individuals? Join us. Saturday: 10am. - 11:45am. June 10th. Drop in. Everyone welcome. Play Reading Group Join us in reading a thought-provoking play each month – from comedy to award-winning drama. Saturday 10am - 12pm. June 17. Call to Register. Limited Space.

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING: TD Summer Reading Club 2017 Celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday and join this year’s TD Summer Reading Club! Visit the library to register and receive your free reading kit. Ongoing summer event starting Sat. Jun 17. Ask staff for assistance. Father’s Day Craft Tuesday: 4:30pm - 5:30pm. June 13. Drop in program.

OUTSIDE GROUPS: Leaside: Discover Your Heritage Explore Ontario of yesterday and today with Barry Penhale and special guests. For more info, please contact Marjorie McLeod at 416-425-1392. Tues., June 6, 2pm-4pm. Send us your free listing for July by June 10th – leasidelife@gmail.com

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Leaside Life, June 2017

Letters..

STEM Day at Bessborough

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If you haven’t heard of STEM, you should know it’s one of the biggest trends in education and a new way of engaging students, especially female students, in learning more about science and math. STEM is an acronym referring to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and Leaside is not immune to its influence. Recently, Bessborough Elementary and Middle School, partnering with Leaside High students, held a schoolwide STEM Day to generate interest in these subjects through activities closely linked to the curriculum and focusing on inquiry-based learning. After discussing the idea of a STEM Day with Principal Patricia Broderick, Grade 6 teacher Sarah Buksner gathered ideas, interest and help for each division of the

Grade 6 teacher Sarah Buksner and student teacher, Sasha Haber with a roller-coaster made out of plastic straws. school: kindergarten, primary (Grades 1 to 3), junior (Grades 3 to 6), and intermediate (Grades 7 and 8). Each division came up with a focus for its activities. Using the theme of “Nature Helps,” the three kindergarten classes took part in five different activities during their morning session. At each activity, teacher Mark King, his educational assistant, Aki Miller, and parent volunteers Sarah Zimmerman and Katie Robertson engaged the students to promote inquiry-based learning and a more thoughtful approach to their work. Leaside High School students from Grades 10, 11 and 12 science classes worked with participants in Grades

Janis Fertuck Columnist

1 to 8 on their STEM activities under the guidance of the Curriculum Leader for Science Helen Panayiotou and Grade 10 teacher Mimoza Stermasi. In each classroom, the students rotated through two or three activities related to specific themes while the LHS students led the work at each station. The activities were chosen to match the curriculum requirements and interests of the students. In the primary grades, for instance, the theme was “Saving the World,” while the junior division focused on the “Engineers are Creators” theme, and the intermediate division chose “Innovation and Sustainability” as its theme. The day was an unqualified success, especially in terms of the connection forged between the two groups of students. The teachers were very pleased with the effort and enthusiasm of the high school students, who enjoyed revisiting the more “hands-on” style of learning used in elementary school. And they were able to engage the attention of the younger children, who were thrilled to be working with the older students. As Ms. Buksner’s student teacher, Sasha Haber, said, “The high school students were indispensable in creating a successful day,” and Ms. Panayiotou noted that the day “instilled curiosity in both groups of students.” Moreover, the teachers felt the time together demonstrated that closer communication between the schools would, as Ms. Buksner said, “ease the transition to high school and allow for more continuity in inquiry-based learning to capitalize on the interest in STEM activities at the feeder-school level.” STEM Day definitely achieved its goal of “focusing on cross-curricular studies and creating excitement about collaborative learning,” said Ms. Buksner. And it showed the students that anyone can have fun and be successful in the maths and sciences – a worthwhile outcome indeed. Here’s to more STEM days in Leaside! ■

CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVID SPARROW! Leasider David Sparrow was elected National President of ACTRA (the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists) at the union’s Council meeting in Toronto on May 13th and 14th. ACTRA represents the work-life interests of more than 23,000 professional unionized performers working in recorded media to tell great Canadian stories to the world. Sparrow served as president of ACTRA Toronto for four years before this election as national president for a two-year term. A performer himself, he has appeared in over 100 film & TV roles, including Serendipity, Corner Gas, Star Trek Voyager, Fargo and Odd

Squad, along with doing voice work in commercials and cartoons. “In 2018 ACTRA will celebrate 75 years of supporting the arts in Canada and ensuring Canadian voices are heard around the world,” said Sparrow. “I look forward to working with my colleagues from across the country to continue this good work.” You may recognize Sparrow from a series in Leaside Life for his 2017 resolution to embark on a new exercise and fitness regime. For the record, his exercise regime was on a temporary hiatus while he recovered from a broken rib, but he’s up to 32 push-ups now…all at once. Way to go, Dave! —Allan Williams

Leaside Life, June 2017

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Leaside Life, June 2017

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From Page 1 Seven days a week during the season, MGCC groups leave from the parking lot of Valu-Mart at Bayview and Davisville. Departure time is 5:40 a.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m., 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. on weekends. There are rides for all skill levels – from those averaging 20 km/h up to those at 35 km/h-plus – with distances ranging from 45 kilometres on weekdays and up to 100 kilometres on Saturdays and Sundays. Each ride features two marshals in safety vests at the front and back of the pack. About 80 per cent of club members are men, with an average age of 42. Women’s average age is 37. “The bike breaks down all barriers,” Chapman says of club rides where members will spend an entire journey in conversation with people whose paths they likely wouldn’t otherwise cross. And, although the club has seen tremendous growth since that first spring morning nine years ago, Chapman says there’s still plenty of room for those who want to come out and give it a try. “There’s no limit to the amount of good people we want to ride bikes with,” he says. ■

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Leaside Life, June 2017

Leaside Gate

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Leaside Life, June 2017

When I first learned that my request to spend a day at 53 Division had been approved, I was excited. Shortly after, my mood shifted to nervous and then to dread. What unit would I work with? Would there be danger lurking at every corner? Police Constable and Community Response Unit member Brenda Dolenc suggested that a day with the Primary Response Unit might be more exciting, but much as I love Leaside Life, I was not (yet) ready to die for it. I humbly requested to tag along with her in the CRU. The CRU is highly interactive, and includes constables on bikes, neighbourhood officers, the Crime Prevention Unit, Traffic Response Unit, School Relations Officers, and other community-related departments. The Primary Response Unit deals with emergency calls. There is also the Criminal Investigation Bureau, where you’ll find detectives, the Fraud Unit, the Major Crime Unit and other investigative branches. I stuck with the CRU to see what it’s like being an officer in our part of the Big Smoke. My tour of 53 Division started through the eyes of a prisoner, where I was shown the rooms where I’d be searched and processed, then to the holding room and later, the interview room. From there the CRU officers were heading to their biweekly ball hockey game at the Jenner Jean-Marie Community Centre on Thorncliffe Park Drive, so I tagged along. One might think the constables would play their co-workers. Instead, the officers from 53 Division play neighbourhood kids who live in the Thorncliffe Park area to help boost

youth morale. Police Constables Karimloo and Michaelides, the neighbourhood officers for Thorncliffe Park Drive at the helm of the first annual ball hockey league, were encouraged to see increasing attendance at these events. “It’s good for them to see us out of uniform,” said PC Karimloo, because “depending on what country resi-

see they’re Karli Vezina human too. Especially with the kids, he said, “Sometimes they’re surprised to learn that the officers have the same interests as the youth, like sports or teams, and we can interact with them on that level.” The main objective here is breaking down barriers and building trust in the

PC Dolenc with Vezina outside 53 Division. dents are from, there’s a lot of stigma that follows people in uniform.” Being from the Middle East himself, he knows some cultures don’t hold officers in high regard. The CRU has done a lot with the kids around Thorncliffe Park in collaboration with Kids Up Front Toronto, an organization that accepts donated sporting event tickets and distributes them to kids in the community. They often get Toronto Rock lacrosse tickets and once even scored a box suite at the ACC for a Toronto Rock game. Constable Karimloo said it’s great to get involved and help the public

53 Division CRU members with their Thorncliffe Park ball hockey crew.

KARLI VEZINA

I’ll Try Anything Once!

community. Constable Michaelides added they’ve done team-building events like taking kids to the Sky Zone trampoline park, bowling, and a night out with dinner and a movie. This summer, 53 Division will be involved in multiple graffiti cleanup projects and several one-day sports events, including soccer, ball hockey and cricket. Soccer will take place at the Thorncliffe Soccer Club, ball hockey and cricket at the Jenner Jean-Marie Centre. Kids who want to get involved with the summertime fun can visit the soccer club or the Jean-Marie Centre to register. Back at the station and out of civvies, Constable Dolenc donned her uniform, acquired her gun, radio and keys to a squad car, and headed off to patrol. I headed home. On my way, I noticed a bulletin board in the hallway labelled Community Letters, tacked with letters from the locals. Constable Dolenc said she looks at the board for inspiration. During my brief look at a day in the life of an officer, I found the job equal parts awesome and terrifying. I think maybe I could survive Ontario Police College, but for now, I’ll leave Leaside policing to the experts. Don’t forget to email us at tryanythingleaside@gmail.com with ideas for what Karli should try next. ■

PC RON MACKAY

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Leaside Life, June 2017

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Carol Burtin Fripp Co-president, LPOA

Leasiders no doubt will recall the massive delays and congestion of a year or so ago, when the Bayview Extension was being repaved between Rosedale Valley Rd. and Moore Ave. Southbound traffic along Bayview Ave. was clogged, as were all access streets (Moore, McRae and Merton

be one lane for each direction during construction. First one side will be built, then the other. Turning movements will be maintained. There will be signage warning of delays; the LPOA is requesting that warning signs be located far enough away from the intersection to give drivers the time and distance to adopt alternate routes. Otherwise the construction site could come as an unpleas-

tees is: “How many people do you represent?” We have a better chance of successful outcomes if it’s evident that the neighbourhood supports our positions. That is why we continue to urge Leasiders to join the LPOA as members. With your annual dues of $25 you empower us. Your membership gives us strength as your representative.

Laird and Millwood among them). On one otherwise lovely evening it took the Fripps over an hour to get from Southvale Dr. to the Evergreen Brickworks. When it comes to traffic, long-term gain often means short-term pain. So prepare yourselves. This summer the City plans extensive reconstruction at and around the Laird/ Millwood intersection. Their aim is to reduce congestion, unsafe turning conditions, speeding and poor visibility where Malcolm Rd., Millwood Rd. and Laird Dr. converge. The City will be eliminating the (east to southbound) right turn yield lane from Millwood, and removing the cement median. Reshaping this intersection involves reconstruction of sidewalks, and relocation of hydro poles and bus stops. There will be wider sidewalks to improve street-crossing safety for pedestrians, and the overall look will be enhanced with what is called “soft landscaping,” such as plantings and trees. Work is scheduled to begin in July and finish in late September or early October. How will traffic and buses get through? Slowly. We’ve been advised that there will

ant surprise…not to mention a source of road rage. We are concerned with the effect the project will have on streets intersecting with Southvale, such as Southlea, Astor, Rolph, Hanna and Rutherglen, and streets parallel to Laird and Southvale, such as Leacrest, Sutherland and Randolph, particularly in the evening rush hour. There is no question traffic will be backed up. Preventing or discouraging drivers from turning onto these adjacent streets and weaving through Leaside will be a challenge, to say the least. The LPOA has already expressed concern to City staff and we hope to have a formal meeting with them soon. The City plans to keep Leasiders informed and up to date with pre-construction and construction notices (mailed, emailed, and posted online). The TTC will post details on bus stops and the TTC website. The LPOA will put all of the information and updates we receive on the LPOA website as well. Stay tuned…… One of the first questions the LPOA is asked when we are at the Ontario Municipal Board or City commit-

It also gives the LPOA financial security, so we know in advance that, if need be, we can afford to hire legal and planning consultants to help us win on issues that are important to the community. Legal and planning advice is expensive, but all too often essential and unavoidable. A case fought or mediated at the OMB can cost at least $40,000. Even for non-OMB matters there are expenses to cover, reports to write, information to gather. For those reading my column who are already members, thank you! We very much appreciate your membership and your generous donations. For those who are not (yet) members, please take a moment to consider joining the LPOA. Go to lpoa.ca and show your support! ■

The next monthly LPOA Board meeting is at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7th, at the Trace Manes building. These meetings are always open to the public, and take place on the first Wednesday of each month. We invite you to attend, whether for help or advice on local matters, or just to listen.

ROBIN DICKIE

Leaside Life, June 2017

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Get ready for construction woes at Laird and Millwood

Leaside Life, June 2017

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Leaside Life, June 2017

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In praise of the zipper merge on Bayview A couple of years ago my brother and I were having a discussion about the proper way to enter a highway when there is stop-and-go traffic. The two of us rarely agree on anything, so it wasn’t surprising that we disagreed on the appropriate course of action in this situation. He thought you’re better to go all the way to the end of the on-ramp lane, merging into traffic at the very last minute. I, on the other hand, suggested it made more sense to cut in at the first safe moment. Nothing got solved that day. We agreed to disagree. Fast forward to 2017. I’m driving in the car one Saturday a couple of months ago listening to the Motts on CFRB; they happened to be discussing the “zipper merge,” a situation where two parallel lanes of traffic are forced to merge into one lane imitating a zipper closing, hence the name. For those of you who aren’t aware of the Motts, they’re a husband-and-wife radio broadcasting team who often debate issues of the day on the radio.

Will Ashworth The business of Leaside

They had read with interest that transportation experts determined that the zipper merge was a more efficient way to process significant amounts of traffic forced to merge from two lanes to one (my brother’s solution) rather than at your earliest opportunity (my solution). While both the Motts felt that the zipper merge made sense from an intellectual standpoint, one of them wondered if Torontonians would be kind enough to implement something like this. The problem, they reckoned, was most people would lose their you-know-what if cars started passing them on the inside lane to do the zipper merge farther down the road – essentially at the last minute – and in doing so, get where they’re going sooner.

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What does the zipper merge have to do with Leaside? Plenty, if you’re anywhere near Bayview, which narrows from two lanes to one between Parkhurst and Eglinton. Having spent the better part of a year watching Bayview’s northbound traffic back up at all hours of the day

right outside my apartment, I can say with certainty that they were right to question whether drivers could be mature or kind enough to make this work effectively. Every morning and evening, my wife does battle with cars travelling northbound on Bayview between Parkhurst Blvd. and Eglinton Ave. Despite traffic being at a standstill, very few cars are willing to make room so she can turn onto Bayview heading southbound. The drivers might not be moving anywhere, but they’ll be damned if someone else can. It’s not logical, but it is human. Every once in a while, usually during evening rush hour, the zipper merge works like a charm because the volume of traffic forces drivers to occupy both lanes almost all the way to Eglinton. Sometimes it’s not possible because of parked cars, but when there’s nothing in the inside lane between Parkhurst and Eglinton, drivers ought to fill both lanes with cars and trucks. I’ve seen firsthand that it works. And while we’re at it, remember that when Bayview residents are trying to get out of their driveways in the morning, they’re not attempting to jump the queue, they’re just trying to get to work or take their kids to school, like everyone else. So, be nice Leaside and prepare to zip up with the zipper merge. ■

Leaside Life, June 2017

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CALL: 416-623-9479

Leaside Life, June 2017

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Tree removal & trimming Hedge removal & trimming Pruning & shaping Cabling, bolting & bracing Storm & wind damage Tree planting • Fertilizing • spraying Toronto arborists • Arborist reports Dead wooding Stump removal Ash tree removal Our fully insured service is the one to call for all your tree care needs. Contact us today. We look forward to working with you.

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