Issuu

M AY 2019

Leaside Life leasidelife.com

No. 84

Howard Birnie inducted into the Toronto Sports Hall of Fame page 28

ED BARRETT

The Leaside Pub hosts 416Cares

Story on page 11.

ALIANA CRAIG: SYNCHRO SUPERSTAR • PG. 4

OPAL PROGRAM AT NORTHLEA EM&S • PG. 14

EVIDENCE OF THE BOYD GANG IN LEASIDE • PG. 24

THE GEORGIA WALSH PLAYGROUND IS COMING! PG. 2 LEASIDE GETS A NEW PARK PG. 5 WHAT IS LEASIDE’S CYCLING CULTURE? PG. 22 TERRY FALLIS SKYDIVES PG. 16 AND MUCH MORE!!

VISIT US AT LEASIDELIFE.COM: COMMUNITY DIRECTORY • UP TO DATE EVENTS • ARCHIVED STORIES

State-of-the-art playground will celebrate Georgia Walsh in style

Leaside Life • May 2019

Left: the City of Toronto plans for the privately funded renovation and renaming of the Trace Manes playground in memory of Georgia Walsh.

by JILLIAN WALSH The Walsh family is thrilled to announce that construction on The Georgia Walsh Memorial Playground will start this July 2019, and will be completed this November, with an official ribbon-cutting ceremony set for next spring. As you can imagine, since this is

one of the largest privately funded playgrounds the City has worked on, with a budget of $1.3 million, the process from start to completion has been a long one. In the months following Georgia’s accident the family asked themselves a few very important questions: 1. How can we best celebrate the life of our precious daughter? 2. How can we make sure that

Georgia’s loss does not cause other parents and children to live in fear of going outdoors to play in downtown Toronto? 3. How can we give back to the community of Leaside and surrounding neighbourhoods for their outpouring of love and support in the months following this tragedy? The answer came easily: a playground...and not just any playground. Trace Manes playground was in dire need of an upgrade, so this seemed the ideal opportunity to give Leaside what it desperately needed, but never had before: a state-of-the-art playground, which will be like no other in the city. One of the more important variables was to ensure the availability of a variety of play options for multiple ages. The playground was to be an experience for the whole family to enjoy, whether you wanted to stop by for 20 minutes or two hours. So, the challenge for the City was working within its existing small footprint to maximize space yet

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provide a rich experience for both children and their caregivers. It was also vital to create a playground that respected the view of neighbouring houses and the integrity and aesthetic of the existing neighbourhood. The goal was to create a design with the City that meets today’s tastes without looking dated 25 years from now. In the renderings, you will see a wealth of features for everyone: a fully fenced-in space for increased safety, a rubberized surface for all abilities, wheelchair accessibility, bike racks for kids, stroller parking, an uninterrupted walkway from McRae to Rumsey, seating scattered throughout the playground to allow caregivers to comfortably keep an eye on their kids wherever they are, a shaded table area, sandbox, green space for comfort and play, a multitiered senior play structure and junior play structure, an OMNI Spinner, a four-person seesaw,

a circular netted Global Motion spinner, a three-bay swing set with toddler swings, regular swings and a special needs Friendship swing for a parent and child to enjoy together, a secret tunnel to the sandbox, an artificially created hilled surface with climbing ropes, monkey bars, and climbing rings, a wonderful splash pad for children of all ages to enjoy all day long, and last but not least, a beautiful donor wall on the wall of the walkway to celebrate the incredible donors who made the Walsh family’s dream a reality. Visit RememberingGeorgiaWalsh. com to follow the construction process from July. ■

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Patrick Rocca bro ke r

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: Karli Vezina leasidelifepublishing@gmail.com ph. 647-978-4487 or 416-504-8047

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Leaside Life • May 2019

PLAYGROUND, continued

LEASIDE PEOPLE • MEET YOUR NEIGHBOURS

In synch – Alianna Craig swims into a bright future I love sports. I spend a lot of time watching sports, reading about sports, and I love being active. But there are a lot of sports I know nothing about. Such is the case with synchronized swimming. Sure, I’ve watched it during the Olympics. But until I met Leasider Alianna Craig, I had no idea about the complexity of, and the incredible athleticism required to excel in, synchronized swimming. Synchronized swimming, now named artistic swimming by the International Olympic Committee, can be roughly summed up as a combination of gymnastics, dance, and swimming. Participants perform solo or team routines for judges which involve a combination of movements or positions and lifts, all while the competitors stay afloat, never being allowed to touch the bottom of the pool. The sport requires participants to be strong swimmers, to have incredible aerobic endurance, and to be flexible, strong, artistic, and graceful. Craig, an eighth grader at

Susan Scandiffio Columnist

Bessborough School, has participated in synchro swimming for the past four years, and last year, in only her third year of the sport, she, along with her team from the Toronto Synchro Club, finished an incredible 11th in the country. In March in Ottawa, Craig participated in the Leslie Taylor National Qualifiers, ranking 35th in the province individually moving her on to the second round for Team Ontario. Her team finished 6th in the province, qualifying them for the National stream, and her Combo team finished 4th in the province. Craig spends 20 to 27 hours each week training both in and out of the pool at the University

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Leaside Life • May 2019

LEASIDE SPORTS

of Toronto, Ryerson University, and the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. Land training involves aerobic exercise, weight lifting, Pilates and yoga. Craig’s flexibility is phenomenal, with her mom, Karen Craig, commenting that she often comes across Alianna in pretzel-like shapes in their family room. Despite a rigorous schedule involving tournaments across the country, Craig notes that her teachers and principal at Bessborough School have been extremely accommodating. As her mom proudly points out, Alianna is a very strong student and has maintained an average in the 90s while managing to juggle her busy schedule. Her parents and brother Connor are also very supportive. While synchronized swimming may seem like a relatively safe sport, injuries include concussions, strained muscles, back strains, and knee tendonitis. Fortunately, Craig has had only minor injuries, and says she would like to participate in the sport as long into her life as she can. With 20 to 27 hours of training every week, Craig still has found time to participate in many school sports including track, football, and basketball, and sits on the school’s athletic council. Craig also joined with her dad SYNCHRO page 10

Leaside Gardens’ landlocked backyard to become a public park So, it may be a while before much happens there (and giving the dog walkers some company!), but new green is coming. ■

Leaside Life • May 2019

What a pleasant surprise, Leaside is about to gain a new park! Actually, it’s not really new, there is a landlocked space hidden away behind the Leaside Memorial Community Gardens that’s about to get a whole lot more accessible. The only ones who currently know about the green space are a few intrepid explorers who slip through the side alley beside the entrance to the William Lea Room, often with a dog in tow. Seems to me that the board of Leaside Gardens may be forgiven for thinking that they owned it! Why is it happening? It’s all due to the redevelopment of Sunnybrook Plaza. RioCan and their new development partners, Concert Properties, were required to provide funds for parkland, and 21 Southvale Drive was the property they were able to acquire from a list of candidates provided by the Parks Department. Admittedly, the new public park that is enabled by

the provision of access is a good distance away from the development that made it possible, but with major new developments coming into that area, ultimately Leaside as a whole will benefit. How will this happen? First, the 21 Southvale property will be delivered to the City by Concert Properties in “base park condition,” which means the building will be demolished, and the lot cleared, sodded, and fenced. City Parks will then hire park planning consultants and conduct a broad community consultation to find out about the ideas of the neighbours, and well as those Leasiders farther away, about the role of the new park, and how it should serve the community. And then, of course, depending on the final design, there will be a need for capital funds in order to build what the plan recommends.

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LEASIDE PEOPLE • MEET YOUR NEIGHBOURS

Claudine Lukawesky is inspired to run Many of us were first inspired to run by Terry Fox. His Marathon of Hope launched the annual mid-September run that has honoured him since 1981 and raised over $750 million for cancer awareness and research. Leaside mother Claudine Lukawesky was also inspired when “a Northlea teacher wanted to encourage her students to participate in track and field as an entry point to exercise. She asked me if I’d be willing to help out.” Claudine stepped up, and a decade later she’s still breathing life into a morning ritual that has many students starting their day with a burst of exercise. “These early morning outings, named The Kilometre Club, are staffed by Grade 8 volunteers, parents and a few teachers,” she says. “The Club relies on and appreciates the volunteers’ and the school administrators’ support. I devote approximately 10 hours in advance of the

LEASIDE SPORTS

club startup to order materials and draw up duty and class lists. On the first of 13 consecutive days, I arrive 30 minutes early to brief volunteers

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SUZANNE PARK

Leaside Life • May 2019

by SUZANNE PARK

and ensure everything is set up, ready to go, and wraps by 8:30.” The club runs pretty seamlessly, she adds. “We start on a Wednesday, with morning announcements to remind everyone that Kilometre Club starts in two days and will run for the next few weeks.” A key principle is to encourage students of various ages and abilities to participate in a noncompetitive physical activity and experience the joy of exercising together. “Everyone who comes out is encouraged, and most return for all 13 days. Kids can be seen running, walking, even being pushed in a wheelchair around the Northlea track. For some this is their first experience with organized physical activity,” Claudine says. The club’s success is based on a few simple guidelines. Every runner gets an athlete’s bracelet charm each day and receives one Popsicle stick for each 200-metre lap of the track. The volunteers record how many sticks each child collects and records that number on the student’s class tally sheet along with the number of students in the class participating that day. The class with the highest number of students participating and the most kilometres earns a highly coveted pizza party when KC wraps for the season. Claudine received a third inspiration for running a few years ago when a dear friend of hers, who suffered severe injuries as a battered woman, asked, “Would you be willing to run a marathon on my behalf to raise funds for the Canadian Women’s Foundation for victims of domestic violence?” Though she’d never considered running a marathon, after a brief hesitation, Claude responded with a resounding “Yes.” So, on Sunday, April 28th as Claude puts it, “I will be challenging myself to run the Big Sur Marathon in California by not training for it. This is deliberate and for all the right reasons. I am running this marathon without training in solidarity with victims of domestic violence who do not train their bodies and minds to be battered or train their bodies to recover from being battered. The approximate four hours of pain I may feel is nothing compared to the lifetime of pain they endure.” To learn more: http://support.canadianwomen.org. ■

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Peaches & Green: promoting healthy living for nearly three decades

Leaside Life • May 2019

by VICKI HALL In 1990, George Chow opened a small health food and supplement store on Bayview Avenue with the goal of bringing specialty foods, education, guidance and excellent customer service to a growing population of consumers looking for an alternative direction in health and wellness. At that time Peaches & Green was one of the only shops outside of Toronto General Hospital to stock a range of gluten-free products for those suffering from Celiac disease. From those early days, the small shop has grown into much more than a health food store. According to manager Elizabeth Ronan, the shop is more of a ‘natural pharmacy’ supplying vitamins, botanicals, homeopathic medicines and products that promote healthy living.

Manager Elizabeth Ronan and owner George Chow. The benefits of a long-standing community shop are many. George has had the pleasure of seeing generations of families from the Leaside

community come through his doors. Clients who are now grandparents have introduced the shop to their children and they have in turn passed on the benefits of Peaches & Green to their children’s children. That is no small feat in today’s ultra-completive wellness industry. Elizabeth believes that the personal service, including knowing customers by name, is one of the foremost reasons Peaches & Green remains a Bayview staple. There is a special satisfaction in knowing you are part of the health and wellness of the community at large. Part of the evolution of Peaches & Green has included expanding their product offerings. All supplements, botanicals and homeopathic remedies are carefully vetted. A small but carefully curated ‘Lifestyle’ section includes environmentally friendly offerings such as Swell Bottles, Boomerang litterless lunch containers, essential oil diffusers and natural cleaning products including Leaside-based Lainnir. Items from Canada (Green Beaver, Smith Farms and Oneka natural beauty are just a few), Toronto, and especially Leaside are given preference. Products that tell a story and local partnerships are important to the team. A recently launched Peaches & Green website carries a wide range of the in-store products for online shopping. www.peachesandgreen.com ■

Synchro...

Leaside Life • May 2019

Step Right

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few days before the evening by SUE BARRETT The final cheque. that their charity had been What happens when you chosen to be presented to gather at least 100 people the group. They were asked in one room, and each one to make a very short, under donates $100 for a great two-minute speech – no cause? visuals, just them and a That’s the premise behind microphone – about their 416Cares. On Thursday, nominated charity. March 28, this newly The three nominated charcreated group held its ities were The Assaulted inaugural event at The Women’s Help Line, Leaside Pub. Covenant House and It’s a social and fun way Moorelands Kids. for all those registered On the night of the event, FROM THE once to attend a donor event the speeches were comCOVER to make a sizeable charplete, the attendees cast a itable impact by pooling vote for the charity that had their funds. Donors can nominate won their heart. came from Leaside, Moore Park, a registered Canadian charity, speMoorelands Kids came out on Bennington Heights, Rosedale, cifically one that’s active within the top. A presentation cheque for Lawrence Park and other Midtown Toronto area. $17,650 was written on the spot. neighbourhoods. The goal for the Leaside Pub inauThere were some last-minute donaThe response to the event was overgural event was $10,000. tions, so a final cheque for $18,250 whelming, with close to 200 people On the 28 th , cofounders – was presented to representatives registering (and donating) and some Rosedale resident James MacIntosh from Moorelands Kids on April 150 attending the actual pub night. and Moore Park resident Anthony 11 (see photo). Out of the 35 nominated chariBoright – along with the rest of the The 416Cares team is planning its ties, three were randomly drawn a 416Cares team, joined friends and second event for Fall 2019. To learn week before the event. The nomifriends of friends at the pub. People more, visit www.416Cares.ca. ■ nating members were informed a

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Leaside Life • May 2019

The Leaside Pub hosts 416Cares– good friends, good causes

Want to become partners in grime? Some days I feel on my own in my pursuit of a litter-free Leaside. And then partners-in-grime appear with their helping hands. On a mid-March Monday I spent the morning running errands on Bayview. The street itself looked respectable, however many of the litter bins were overflowing. I sent a note to the BayviewLeaside BIA. “I’m sure the BIA knows there is a City litter bin issue on Bayview. Over the winter the bins have been overflowing causing litter to be strewn on the road and sidewalk beside them, and the flower boxes are being used as alternatives. Very yucky indeed. I pick up litter as I am doing my errands. However, frequently I can’t find a bin to put it in as they are full. Apparently, the city of Philadelphia is legislating that ‘all corner stores and restaurants put trash and recycling bins near their entrances in an effort to reduce litter.’ Is this something the BIA could ask of Bayview merchants? I’m sure it would help.” I received an encouraging reply. “Thank you for your efforts in helping to keep our community

Cheryl Vanderburg Leaside Litterati

CHERYL VANDERBURG

Leaside Life • May 2019

green. I agree that garbage bins and litter on our streets is an issue within our area. The idea of asking our biggest contributors of waste to

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put trash bins near their entrances is a great idea. There are obviously some considerations that the BIA would need to discuss but I will bring this idea up at our next board meeting!” Little did I know that Phil Penney, a fellow grime-buster living on Millwood near Bayview, was also hard at work! “Hi Cheryl, just read your article in Leaside Life – keep up the good work. I’ve just spent an hour on the phone to 3-1-1 reporting problems and hopefully getting them fixed. They ranged from an abandoned car to a pile of furniture on a front lawn that had been there for months to the revolting overflowing garbage bins on Bayview. The agent I spoke with advised that the only way problems such as these will be dealt with is if residents call 3-1-1. The good news is their staff are excellent and get results. I also talked to Lesley Burlie in Councillor Jaye Robinson’s office to find out how frequently the bins on Bayview are supposed to be emptied. The ones near Millwood are a disgrace. Did you happen to watch ‘Prince Charles at 70’ on PBS Sunday night? Both William and Harry emphasized how Charles would take them litter picking at one of their country estates on a regular basis, so much so that it’s now in their DNA. We need to encourage Leaside families to do the same!” Penney’s outcomes were also cheering. “Within 48 hours of my call to 3-1-1 the three bins near my intersection had been dealt with as had the ticketing of the abandoned car. And I received an email from the Councillor’s office: ‘I am copying Pierre St-Jean, Manager, Solid Waste Operations regarding your question about the garbage bins on Bayview near Millwood. Pierre, Mr. Penney is very concerned about the overflowing waste receptacles on Bayview. He would like to find out the collection schedule for these bins.’” St-Jean’s reply was hopeful. “Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate the annoyance of having to look at overflowing bins on a regular basis. We have been struggling with a couple of issues that have affected our collection schedule. We are working on the solution.” There is power in the collective. Together we can do something extraordinary for Leaside. ■

DO YOU KNOW A GREAT SPORTS LEADER, VOLUNTEER, ATHLETE OR TEAM? Nominations are now open for the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame and for Athlete/Team of the Year, 2019. ALSO Nominations are now being accepted for Historic Teams for induction into the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame. Visit leasidesports.com to nominate or for eligibility criteria. DEADLINE FOR NOMINATIONS IS JUNE 10, 2019.

The Leaside Sports Hall of Fame gratefully acknowledges the generous support in 2018 from PATRICKROCCA .com 416.322.8000 mail@patrickrocca.com

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The 2019 Induction Ceremony and Community Reception wil be held on Friday, November 15th at Leaside Memorial Gardens Arena

Most of us have fond childhood memories of playing in the snow. But the children of Northlea Elementary and Middle School got a special treat on March 1, 2019 when the school held its first Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) Play Day. Principal Barbara Sandler first announced in last June’s newsletter that the school would be joining the OPAL program in September, explaining that the TDSB had partnered with Earth Day Canada and the OPAL initiative from the UK three years ago. The purpose of the program, according to OPAL and Earth Day Canada, is “to make play an integral part of the school day” so children “can explore their imaginations, physicality, friendships and the world around them.” This is especially important since only about 9% of children aged 5 to 17 get the required 60 minutes of exercise a day (source: Northlea newsletter). The benefits of unstructured play are well-known – from promoting physical and emotional health and well-being to improving social skills,

Janis Fertuck Columnist

learning and attention at school. March 1 was the official launch of one of OPAL’s key components – “playing with loose parts” – and was a good opportunity “to gather

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momentum for the OPAL program and the ways in which it can be incorporated into various aspects of the curriculum,” according to VicePrincipal Rachel Berger, the lead administrator for the program. She also created the slogan “Create and Play Your Way” referring to the student-driven, unstructured nature of the activities. Fittingly, the sun was shining as classes came out to embrace the joys of OPAL in four different time slots as well as at recess and lunch. They happily descended on an array of actual loose parts, various items that had been donated over the past few months – tires, feather dusters, kitchen equipment, milk crates, plastic tubing, boxes and suitcases – used for building different structures, making up games, cooking and baking, playing tug-of-war and sledding. Amanda Santos, Grade1/2 teacher and curator of the loose parts, explained that because this type of play has “no fixed outcome,” it allows students to see what they can do, encouraging them to make their own decisions and try different approaches to problems while weighing the possible risks, with the guidance of teachers. In this scenario, she added, “kids can learn things that we can’t teach them, and it gives the staff a good opportunity to see our students in a different light.” The day was a great success with all the students engaged and enjoying themselves. Ms. Berger commented that no one complained or asked to go inside to the warming station, and it was an “excellent opportunity to assess the program.” Staff were asked to fill out feedback forms about their “stars” and “wishes” for the day to help chart the OPAL path ahead. That consultation process has been part of the program since September. As Principal Sandler said, the Play Day provided the staff with the chance to “learn more about our students’ interests and desires. We want OPAL to meet the community’s needs,” and therefore “we are implementing it gradually and are working to keep the lines of conversation open with students, staff and parents” to ensure the best possible OPAL experience for the children of Northlea. ■

JANIS FERTUCK

Leaside Life • May 2019

Northlea puts the “play” in OPAL Play Day

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Leaside Life • May 2019

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Terry Fallis takes up skydiving It was about this time of year back in 1978 when I approached my mother to tell her that I wanted to jump out of an airplane. Without batting an eye she responded, “Were you planning on wearing a parachute?” Back in my teenage years, I had a couple of items on my life list. One was to sail on a tall ship, and the other was to try parachuting. I confess I haven’t made much progress on the tall ship goal. I learned quite early in life that I can get sea sick in the Holiday Inn hot-tub. So the notion of circumnavigating the globe in a square-rigger seemed unlikely despite a love for nautical novels. But I was still attracted to the idea of trying my hand – and the rest of my body – at skydiving. To me, getting myself out that open plane door was a significant mental hurdle to surmount. After all, skiing is an exciting sport, but it’s also logical. There is a hill and you slide down it on two wooden slats. It makes

Terry Fallis Columnist

sense. On the other hand, when you get into a small plane, you’re really not supposed to get out of it again until it safely lands. So leaping out midflight, 2,800 feet about the very hard ground seems like lunacy. Even though I was 18 years old at the time, I was fully prepared for my mother to veto the idea, you know, because of the whole lunacy thing. But she didn’t. She may well have thought the idea would never leave the limited confines of my brainpan. I did occasionally have a reputation for being all wind-up and no pitch. So, she probably thought the plan would simply fade away like so many of my other harebrained schemes. But it didn’t. I really

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wanted to try it, to test myself, and to see if I could live down getting seasick in that Holiday Inn hot-tub. I signed up for the one-day course at the Toronto Parachute School based in Arthur, just north of the city. I spent nearly the entire day training for what to do in the remote chance that something went wrong – or in parachuting parlance, a minor or major malfunction. Several experienced skydivers were jumping that day while my fellow trainees and I practised our exit from the plan and our arch. We took a break for lunch and watched as six skydivers jumped from about 10,000 feet for a very long freefall before pulling their ripcords. We watched five parachutes blossom, but the sixth just flapped behind the last jumper like a big red streamer. We could hear our instructor repeating to himself in increasingly agitated tones: “Come on Bob, hit the reserve, PULL THE RESERVE!” Finally, when it looked as if Bob was just about out of airspace, his reserve chute deployed and he landed gently in the nearby field. Over the loudspeaker, the head of the school piped up: “Well folks, congratulations to Bob, who has just successfully landed his first minor malfunction. Well done and drinks are on him.” Everybody cheered. Half my class left immediately without even seeking a refund. But I stayed. Later that evening, when the sun had already dipped below the horizon, I took off in what I seem to remember was a Cessna 206. When we reached our jump altitude of 2,800, the sun was well above the horizon and shining brightly. I was first up. I slid to the open door and swung my legs out into the whipping slipstream as I’d been taught. At the appointed moment, the jumpmaster tapped my shoulder and I pushed out into my arch and started my count. My static line triggered the parachute about two seconds after I left the plane and I felt that happy tug and watched as my old-school canopy chute opened above me. I remember just how silent it was when I was on my own floating down, the plane by then a small speck in the distance. I landed safely. Over the course of the next several months, I jumped six more times, but by that stage, the thrill had worn off. Years later, my mother admitted her unbridled hysteria at the thought of my exiting the door of a plane. ■

VECTORSTOCK

Leaside Life • May 2019

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Leaside Life • May 2019

Can we make Leaside green with envy? I had put it off as long as I could, but on April 10th I reluctantly paid a visit to the gas station on Millwood Road. The $1.47 per litre confirmed the federal carbon tax was no April fool’s joke. Coincidentally, earlier in the week the “Canada’s Changing Climate Report” was released, replete with dire warnings and grim consequences. Global emissions of carbon dioxide from human activity will largely determine how much warming Canada and the world will experience in the future, an outcome that is effectively irreversible. Alarmingly, Canada’s average temperature has risen at a rate that is double the global average and the effects of warming are evident in many parts of the country and projected to intensify in the future. Admittedly, I have been more than slow off the mark when it comes to issues related to our environment and have flippantly remarked that I’m waiting for the engineers to solve this problem. It’s not because I’m a climate change denier, I embrace the scientific method. I’m ashamed to say it – it’s because I have been lazy. Long

Glenn Asano The Business of Leaside

overdue, the time has come to change my attitude and behaviour. Beyond the obvious three Rs that my kids focus on in their eco-clubs, I wanted to learn more about the ideas that animate the “green economy” and the “circular economy.” Introduced in 1989, the green economy’s conceptual foundation recognizes that the separation of economic development and environmental policies is artificial and the two can be mutually-reinforcing. The UN describes an ideal scenario where growth in employment and income are driven by public and private investment in a way that generates profit while at the same time signiﬁcantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities through reduced carbon emissions and pollution, improved resource and waste

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management, the reuse of raw materials and the transition towards sustainable consumption and production. The circular economy was coined in 1990 and refers to an economic model whose principal aim is to keep the value of products, materials and resources in the economy for as long as possible to minimize the consumption of resources (think Extoggery on Brentcliffe). Supporting green business initiatives in Leaside Among the numerous and sometimes opportunistic green terminology I came across during the course of this inquiry, three terms that I gravitated toward because of their relevance to Leaside were: green business, “greenpreneurship” and the green neighbourhood. A green business is one whose operating footprint makes a positive contribution toward achieving the overarching goal of a green economy by integrating the principles of sustainability and environmentalism into its business decisions, processes, supply chains, stakeholder relationships and the products/services they have on offer. Although there are many organizations proclaiming to certify a business green, what I found was that there appears to be some latitude toward just how green a company can be. Some are “born green” because they are new, while others are taking the necessary steps toward greening their business due to industry or product lifecycle. I now conclude that I should be supporting green businesses over traditional ones wherever possible. I need to be making a conscious effort to learn more about the businesses I frequent, and in some cases make necessary changes. Here in Leaside there are plenty of green success stories. Over on Commercial Rd., I would be remiss not to draw your attention to Summerhill, a world-leading energy efficiency and product stewardship services company that is making a real difference. A mere five-minute walk away down on Industrial St. are the greenpreneurs at Revelo, whose mission is to create clean and efficient portable transportation solutions for smart commuting. In fact, I was so inspired when I met design engineer Henry Chong that I bought my very first bike, ever! Not to be outdone, a well-informed colleague identified no fewer than 36 green businesses on Bayview alone (the full list is avail-

able at www.leasidelife.com). I was also reminded of the “LocalLea,” a green-leaning community currency concept originally conceived by local marketing visionary Michael Zivot. The idea may have been slightly ahead of its time, but I think the right time has arrived and we have the makings of what could become a very successful green economy right at our doorstep. Families flourish in green neighbourhoods True to Leaside’s historical roots as a bonafide Garden City (see Debora Kuchme’s article, Feb. 2019), would it not make sense for all of us to work toward the goal of Leaside becoming one of Canada’s greenest neighbourhoods? Green neighbourhoods are more likely to be close to commercial streets, employment lands, and amenities. They are economically successful and provide a healthier environment where families can flourish. Today, being green is no longer an economic hardship; it is a catalyst for innovation, new market opportunity, and wealth creation. Imagine innovative and profitable green businesses, led by greenpreneurs, providing green jobs, powered and encouraged by a talented and green community – for the benefit of all. Hey Leaside, we can do it. Are you ready? Would you like to help develop the plan for a greener future in Leaside? Do you have green ideas that you want implemented? What kind of support do you need to bring those ideas to life? Let us know at leasidelife@gmail.com. ■

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Leaside Life • May 2019

GREEN continued

It appears the cold weather is behind us and spring is finally on the horizon in Toronto. Spring also marks the beginning of construction season in Toronto, and I’m writing today with an update on new policies to protect our neighbourhoods. Over the years, I’ve received countless emails from Don Valley West residents concerned about disruptive residential construction sites in their neighbourhoods. In my first term, I moved a series of motions directing Toronto Building to improve the City’s response to problematic sites and ensure that buildings are constructed according to approved plans and permissions. Thanks to the invaluable input from Ward 15 residents, I was able to spearhead the development of a comprehensive, interdivisional Residential Infill Construction Strategy. The Strategy focuses on three major areas: streamlining the City’s complaint management process, encouraging good construction practices, and improving communication with residents. Several aspects of this strategy have already

Jaye Robinson Councillor

been implemented, including: • Additional building inspections – in 2017, Toronto Building implemented a required introductory inspection to set out expectations and consequences at the outset of the construction process. • Interdivisional working groups – established to create a complaint tracking policy and procedure to enable the City to respond more quickly and effectively to resident complaints.

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• As-built survey – builders are required to submit an as-built survey completed by a certified Ontario Land Surveyor prior to the construction of the first-floor walls to confirm the location and height of the building. • Training for inspectors – Building inspectors are now being trained to recognize zoning issues to ensure that buildings comply with approved plans and permits. An update on the new Residential Infill Construction Strategy was recently adopted by City Council. This update specifically includes policies to: • Require builders to provide a public notice sign on site, including contact and building permit information. The purpose is to provide the public with a gateway to real-time information about permissions and enforcements. • Continue and expand the Dedicated Enforcement Unit, an inter-divisional group that surveys properties across the City and identifies all outstanding issues. In the 2017 summer pilot program, 117 of the 139 sites that required follow-up achieved compliance within two weeks. • Empower Toronto Building inspectors to levy fines for construction fencing infractions. Currently, only Transportation Services or Municipal Licensing & Standards is able to enforce fencing bylaws. This amendment will make the inspection process more efficient, as only the building inspector will need to visit the site. The Residential Infill Construction Strategy initiated the production of several new online and printed resources for Torontonians, including a dedicated website. The Good Neighbour Guide and Homeowner’s Guide to Building Permits, available on the City’s website, are fantastic resources for residents looking to learn more about residential construction in their neighbourhoods. After almost five years, I am pleased to see the regulations inspired by my original motion finally being implemented. These initiatives will improve transparency and accessibility for Leaside residents throughout the residential infill construction process. ■

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Urban or suburban? What’s Leaside’s cycling culture?

Leaside Life • May 2019

by HOLLY REID Earlier in the year, a few Leasiders from Cycle Don Valley Midtown attended the launch of a new report from The Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT) about biking beyond the downtown core. The report highlights the different needs and challenges when building a cycling culture in the suburbs. Toronto’s cycling network in the downtown core is considered to be “developed.” Outside the downtown core, not so much. Cycling infrastructure says “suburban” As noted in the August 2018 Leaside Life, Leasiders have access to great biking routes through the trail system and neighbourhoods to the south and east. And as Susan Scandiffio wrote in the same issue, we have amazing mountain bike trails on our doorstep in Crothers Woods. But within Leaside proper, our only cycling infrastructure is a signed route on Broadway Ave.

How many car trips could you make by bike or on foot? At a leisurely pace, you can cover 5 km in 25 minutes by bike. Walking 2 km takes about the same amount of time, and walking there and back adds more than 5,000 steps to your day.

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This would suggest that our cycling culture is suburban, focused on recreation and not transportation. With some changes on our local roads and better connections to and from our neighbourhood, Leasiders could enjoy the best of both – safe connected routes for utility cycling, such as errands and commuting, and easy access to Toronto’s multiuse paths and trails for recreation. According to TCAT, Toronto’s suburbs (of which Leaside is one) have 1.5 million daily car trips of 5 km or less that could be comfortably cycled, eliminating the estimated 1.25 kg of CO2 emissions associated with each car trip of the same length. Toronto is targeting 75 per cent of these trips to be biked or walked by 2050. More urban-style infrastructure needed As the accompanying map indicates, a 5-km radius from Leaside library covers considerable territory. Destinations, such as Sunnybrook Hospital, the Shops of Don Mills, amenities on Eglinton, Mount Pleasant and Yonge Street, and subway stations from Rosedale to Lawrence, are all within reach by bike. Dial the distance down to 2 km, an easy distance for walking or cycling, and you have covered all of Leaside’s amenities – schools, sports facilities, places of worship, the library, community centre and local shopping and dining. While destinations may be close, the route to get there by bike can sometimes be intimidating. Cycle Don Valley Midtown is developing a proposal for safe and connected routes within Leaside that complement the LPOA’s traffic plan. Eglinton Connects is on track to deliver protected cycle tracks for east-west crosstown travel by bike. Both Laird in Focus and Midtown in Focus include transportation studies to examine cycling options on major corridors. If these plans come to fruition, Leasiders will be in a cycling sweet spot with access to both urban and suburban facilities. Holly Reid is a recreational road rider and cycling commuter. An advocate for safe cycling, she is a member of Cycle Don Valley Midtown, Cycle Toronto’s advocacy group for Wards15/16. ■

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Post Second World War Leaside was a “small town in Toronto” (to quote a former prime minister who grew up here around that time), a mature community, with good jobs, and modest but well cared for homes. But did you know that Leaside was also the location of the most important scene in a live action thriller movie that played out over a threeyear period in Toronto? Leaside hosted what was at the time (1951) the biggest bank robbery in the history of Toronto – the work of the infamous Boyd Gang. Between 1949 and 1952, Edwin Alonzo Boyd committed at least 11 bank robberies and escaped from the Don Jail twice, sparking a media frenzy and the largest manhunt in Canadian history. Boyd robbed a Toronto branch of the Bank of Montreal with a German Luger on September 9, 1949 while drunk and escaped with US$3,000 (equivalent of $31,600 in 2018). With others, he committed six more robberies before he was caught and imprisoned in the Don Jail. There he met Willie Jackson and Lennie Jackson (no relation) and together

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they broke out of jail with a hacksaw concealed in Lennie’s artificial leg. After their escape, they were joined by Valent Lesso (a.k.a. Steve Suchan) and committed four more robberies in four months for US$75,000 (equivalent of $780,000 in 2018). In one of those they made off with US$46,000 from the Royal Bank’s Leaside branch – a large haul because it was the payroll for a nearby CNR operation and the Frigidaire plant in nearby Scarborough. Boyd was arrested, and although he escaped the noose, he was sentenced to eight life terms plus 27 years concurrently. Boyd was released in 1962, but returned to prison for four more years after parole violations. He then moved to Canada’s west coast where he lived out his years under an assumed name, to die in 2002 at the age of 88. The three years of live action enthralled people across Toronto. Toronto Mayor Allan Lamport was clear that his major concern at the time was for the protection of the police: “The most obvious protection they (the police) are entitled to is the elimination of opportunities for profitable crime. When men can walk into a bank, speak a few words to the staff, and walk out with forty-six thousand dollars in cash – as Boyd and a handful of henchmen did at the Royal Bank of Canada branch in Leaside, a Toronto suburb, on Nov. 30, 1951 – then, believe me, there will always be those willing to work for five minutes for that kind of money. They will be willing even though this work might involve carrying a loaded pistol and maybe having to shoot a policeman, a bank clerk or an innocent bystander.” So where is this Royal Bank of Canada in Leaside? You’re no doubt thinking – yes, it’s on the west side of Bayview at Belsize. Well, actually no, it was on the east side of Laird Drive at Commercial Road. No longer a bank, the current address, 143 Laird, hosts the X-Copper, who fights traffic tickets and criminal charges. It now stands by itself – the former truck body business, Diesel Equipment Ltd (DEL), moved, its building was demolished last fall, and it will likely be replaced by a new home for the MAZDA dealership, which is expected to move across the road. With acknowledgements and thanks to Robert Shirlow, retired Metro Toronto Police officer. ■

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Leaside Life • May 2019

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Leaside Life • May 2019

School gardens of Leaside? Last month I wrote about the Leaside Garden Society’s Junior Gardener Program and how the many benefits of garden-based learning can help our youth to become smarter, happier and healthier. After quoting encouraging words from Rick Hutchings of the LGS, my closing line was “Here’s to school gardens in Leaside!” But soon after that article was released, the Ford government announced their own vision of education by increasing class sizes (high schools will be hit the hardest), which will in turn eliminate thousands of teaching jobs. To make matters worse, they plan to implement four mandatory e-learning classes that will add new challenges for both students and teachers. Is there any hope for school gardens now? This news certainly makes things harder because no matter how big or small, a school garden requires funding, expert planning of the site, a gardening coordinator, a maintenance plan (especially for the summer months) and most important of all, participating, enthusiastic, supportive teachers.

The Leaside Gardener: Debora Kuchme Columnist

That list may appear daunting, but with creative resourcefulness, almost everything listed could be had through grants, partnership programs and with local volunteers. Organizations like the Leaside Garden Society, Evergreen, Green Thumbs and Tree Canada are just a few, but there are many that can help. The only difficult part (especially now) is the time commitment required by the teachers. So, are school gardens really necessary? It’s not because I’m a gardener that I love the concept and it’s not because Leaside is a Garden City that it all fits so well. The reason school gardens are important and why they are sprouting up all over the world is that garden-based learning has been well researched and proving to be more than just a valuable teaching tool that’s both enrich-

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ing and enjoyable. With teen anxiety and depression reaching an all-time high, these gardens are having a positive effect on the mental wellbeing of students and providing an educational sanctuary away from the pressures of test scores, social media and homework overload. According to GreenHeart Education (www.greenhearted.org/ school-gardens): “School gardens are a wonderful way to use the schoolyard as a classroom, reconnect students with the natural world and the true source of their food, and teach them valuable gardening and agriculture concepts and skills that integrate with several subjects, such as math, science, art, health and physical education, and social studies, as well as several educational goals, including personal and social responsibility.” So, yes, I do believe school gardens are necessary, for every child in every grade. And the best part is knowing that here in Leaside, help is all around. We just need to come together and begin because even the smallest school garden can make a positive difference for now and the future. ■

Councillor Jaye Robinson and City of Toronto

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Leaside Life • May 2019

The Bantam Gold Select Flames

HOCKEY SEASON ROUNDUP: The Atom AA Leaside Flames capped off an impressive season by winning the GTHL City Championships. With only one loss in the playoffs, this team was an unstoppable force. 11 of the 16 kids have been playing together since the age of 6, and 14 have only played for the Leaside Flames. The Minor Midget A Flames also won the GTHL, the NYHL Bantam Select Gold won their championship, and three Leaside Grade 10 boys were drafted to the OHL including Aidan Shepard, Forbes Andersen and Oliver Smith. Good job! SEE LEASIDELIFE.COM FOR MAY EVENT LISTINGS

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by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO Leaside Baseball has been in operation for 71 years and for the past 45 of those years, the league has been presided over by the King of Leaside Baseball, Howard Birnie. Not only is Birnie the president of the league, he is also the treasurer, registrar, convenor, groundskeeper, and, occasionally, overseer of the snack bar. And as many in the league would tell you, he has a mind like a steel trap and a smile that lights up the diamond. Birnie’s commitment to the game and the neighbourhood was recently recognized with his induction into the Toronto Sports Hall of Fame in the Community Sport Volunteer category. The award recognizes those who have made a significant impact on community sport in Toronto through their volunteer efforts. Birnie started playing baseball in 1952 and has remained with the game ever since. As a coach, Birnie led teams to seven league championships as well as an Ontario Championship, and in 1964, coached the U18 Junior National Team to a gold medal. Birnie also served in several positions with the Toronto Baseball Association, including as president from 1978-1985, and became president of Baseball Ontario in 1991. He has been widely recognized for his longstanding community efforts and commitment to baseball, including induction into the Leaside Hall of Fame, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and a Lifetime Membership with Baseball Ontario. To chat with Birnie, visit Talbot Park. Most days. Most nights. As he himself admits, his family is correct when they say that he spends more time there than at home. ■

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Making sense of the LRT, Leslie and Leaside

Leaside Life • May 2019

It is not for nothing Toronto is said to have two seasons: winter and construction. But for those of us living anywhere near the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, it’s construction season all year round. Major work continues. Starting on Canada Day, for two months Leslie Street will be closed at its southern end, just north of Eglinton Ave. This will allow Metrolinx to install tracks for Leslie’s LRT surface interchange. Eglinton will continue to be open, with one lane eastbound and one lane westbound, and access for pedestrians and bicycles maintained. Will this affect Leaside? You bet. Before Leslie is closed, work will cease on Bayview. And just as well, because the most immediate impact of the Leslie St. closure will be that Bayview becomes an alternate route for Leslie – all day, and particularly in the morning and evening peak periods. Drivers coming from the north or northeast of the city in the morning, who now travel south on Leslie and then west on Eglinton, will probably begin to bypass Leslie farther north, using York Mills Rd., or Sheppard

Carol Burtin Fripp Co-president, LPOA

July & August 2019 or Finch Ave. They will turn onto Bayview, their first opportunity to head south, and thus create a particularly heavy burden on this street. During the evening peak period, returning commuters will no doubt seek north- and eastbound alternatives to the gridlock on Bayview, i.e.,

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use Leaside’s residential streets to get to Eglinton eastbound. In short, nobody will be happy. But it’s work that has to be done. There are, however, some bright spots. First, Metrolinx promises to be finished by August 31st. Construction is scheduled for the lightest traffic period, when many people are away on holiday, their cars are not on the road, and schools are closed. Also, current turn restrictions on Bayview at Eglinton will be lifted. Right and left turns will once again be possible in all directions. There will no longer be lane changes and narrowings along Bayview necessitating sudden lane switches. Metrolinx, in conjunction with the city, plans a major advertising campaign about the Leslie closure, with advanced signage at main intersections far and near, to discourage drivers from only discovering the construction site at the last minute. Leslie St. will remain open – to traffic approaching from the north – so drivers coming from the north will still have complete access to businesses located there, and to Sunnybrook Park. However, TTC passengers using public transit will experience inconveniences. Southbound Leslie buses will drop passengers just north of the construction, and turn around. Passengers will have to transfer on foot to Eglinton buses. The Lawrence East route will be detoured from Leslie to Don Mills Rd. The TTC says it will provide advance information to transit riders using those routes. Leasiders will likely notice more crowded buses along Eglinton, as they will be carrying not only their normal riders but also passengers connecting from the Leslie routes. The LPOA raised this issue at Metrolinx’s public meeting in early April, and we were assured that additional buses would be made available. Once construction is underway we will raise the matter again. I have already spoken with Councillor Jaye Robinson regarding our concerns about anticipated traffic infiltration.

Our next monthly LPOA board meeting is on WEDNESDAY, MAY 1st at 7:30 p.m., in the Trace Manes building. Board meetings are always open to the public. For more information: lpoa.ca. ■

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