O C TO B E R 2020
Leaside Life
No. 101
leasidelife.com
The Georgia Walsh Memorial playground at Trace Manes is nearing completion. Page 3.
The mid-rise march: Development creeps up Bayview’s west side.
ROBIN DICKIE
Page 26.
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Enjoy the ride!
Leaside Life • October 2020
2
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We’re in the midst of a transformation. Yes, some of the transformation is being driven by the pandemic and the pivots we are all making. But much of the transformation in Leaside is happening organically. Take Bayview. It would be hard to miss the new mid-rise development rising from the ground on the west side, between Soudan and Hillsdale. It’s the first of a number in what can only be seen as a mid-rise march down Bayview all the way from near Eglinton to just north of Merton. One of these developments will rise on the site of what is currently a much-loved Valu-mart. While there’s no guarantee, we do hear the Valumart, or another grocery store, will return to this location as part of the new development. Geoff Kettel offers his unique take on this new mid-rise rush down Bayview in his Saving Old Leaside column. East of Bayview there is renewed interest in the future and fate of the Leaside Business Park, which offers a unique opportunity for transformation into a thriving live-work neighbourhood in the heart of Toronto. As Business of Leaside columnist Glenn Asano says this issue: “We’re going
Jane Auster Editor Leaside Life
to need a strategic business plan for the Leaside Business Park. More importantly, if we want to do it right we need resources – both time and money – to build a blueprint for the park’s future that works for all stakeholders.” His preference is to create new jobs with less focus on increasing the number of new residents. The residents are coming already – especially near the new Laird and Brentcliffe Crosstown LRT hubs. With all the changes taking place, the time seems right to contemplate Leaside’s role in transforming Toronto into a 15-minute city. This concept is sweeping parts of the world, most notably Paris. Imagine living and working in Leaside and being able to meet all of your daily needs by walking or biking – and all within 15 minutes. According to columnist Holly Reid, this is an attainable goal...right now. Are you ready for your transformation? ■
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Park life! Georgia Walsh Memorial Playground ready for action
to celebrate the life of their precious daughter and to give back to the neighbourhood which had shown so much love and support following their tragic loss. The upgrades to the park will make the new playground accessible to children of all ages and abilities and will be a source of fun and enjoyment for many, many years to come. Stay tuned for more news! ■
Patrick Rocca b r o k er
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Leaside Life • October 2020
If you’ve strolled by the Leaside Library recently, you will have noticed the exciting goings-on at the playground, nearly ready to welcome the new Georgia Walsh Memorial Playground addition. With a towering play structure with slides, a colourful smaller play structure with tubes for crawling and bars to swing on, and monkey bars already in place, kids (and their caretakers) can’t wait to explore and enjoy the brand-new space. By the end of September, the splash pad and its equipment will have been installed along with the sand-box, swings, artificial turf, and rubber playground surface. The goal for the end of November includes the installation of the final playground pieces (including two spinners), fencing and railings, benches and tables, and planting throughout the park. The playground is definitely the state-of-the-art park the Walsh family envisioned when they decided
CITY OF TORONTO
by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO
3
LEASIDE PEOPLE • MEET YOUR NEIGHBOURS
Celese Fletcher put down roots here 37 years ago
Leaside Life • October 2020
by LORNA KRAWCHUK Thirty-seven years ago, Celese Fletcher was looking for a house that wasn’t too much of a commute from work at CanWest Global at Barber Green and Don Mills Road. All these years later, Celese is still happy to be in that Leaside house at Rumsey and Eglinton she was fortunate enough to find. As the family expanded to include three sons, “the house got smaller and smaller – but we can’t move to Aurora,” says Celese today. “It is a good house for all of us.” Living in one place this long did not necessarily come naturally to Celese. Her early life was nomadic. Her father, now 92, was an engineer, town planner and environmental planner. She was born in Vancouver, but lived in Manchester, England for a time and in Kitimat, BC – just two of the many places where her father’s work and studying took their family.
Her given name provides a bit of a challenge for the unobservant. No, it is not Celeste! She provides pronunciation help by comparing it to “isosceles” (as in triangle). Celese’s work life with CanWest Global kept her in the same place for many years, even as she changed jobs within the company. She started in news and ended up as national vice-president, labour relations. When the time came to leave CanWest, the travelling started again – but this time from her solid home base in Leaside. She has worked in, Celese with her painting Into the Woods.
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among other places, Singapore, for the Tahltan First Nations in northern British Columbia, and closer to home, for various boards of education on issues of diversity and inclusion, while learning “how to become an expert on how to get people to work together better.” Her approach is to be “consultative and collaborative” and learn “how best to use this to guide and support groups, hoping for outcomes of simple and effective things going forward.” One project saw her driving into Tumbler Ridge, a mining town in northern BC. For some reason it felt familiar to her. When she checked, she discovered that her father had created the town plan. Now that the last of her sons has moved out, Celese is finding more time to indulge her passion to create art. She has been a recreational painter for more than 25 years, working in acrylics. She does portraits, landscapes, and loves abstract impressionism – particularly the work of Chinese impressionists. So far, she hasn’t hosted a local exhibition, but was featured in a show presented by the South Channel Association in Georgian Bay. ■
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Leaside Life • October 2020
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LEASIDE PEOPLE • MEET YOUR NEIGHBOURS 6
The passions of Leaside’s Isabel Santos When Isabel Santos was growing up in the Philippines, her mother bred parakeets, sometimes caring for up to 40 at a time. When the numbers became too much to handle, she sold them to pet shops. Isabel brought this love of birds with her when she immigrated to Canada eight years ago after being impressed with the warmth and friendliness of Canadians while on a trip to North America. She first lived in Oakville, but soon got a job in sales and marketing in downtown Toronto, which prompted her to seek out a more conveniently located residence. She was attracted to the shops and services on Bayview and has been enjoying the activities and quiet, safe environment of Leaside for the last five years. While working downtown and living in Leaside, Isabel was surprised to notice such colourful migratory birds as scarlet tanagers, warblers and chickadees. Looking
Isabel with her sketchbooks.
JANIS FERTUCK
Leaside Life • October 2020
by JANIS FERTUCK
them up on the internet in 2016, she found an ad for FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program) Canada. Her interest was piqued and she attended a meeting to learn more. What she learned had such a major impact on her that she became a volunteer with the organization. According to their website, FLAP’s mission is “to improve and educate
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people to take actions that keep birds safe from bird-building collisions” as over 25 million birds are killed this way every year. Since 1993, the organization has become a leading authority on the issue, “safeguarding birds through advocacy, policy development, research, awareness, education and outreach” with various campaigns and initiatives. In fact, they played a part in Toronto’s implementation of bird-friendly development guidelines and have acted as consultants to other cities. As a field volunteer, Isabel patrols designated hot spots for bird collisions before dawn. She used to patrol buildings downtown, but now that she is working online, her regular areas are the RBC building and the Salvation Army headquarters on Overlea and the high rises on Concorde Place near Wynford Dr. On a busy day, she might find eight to 10 birds. When she finds a stunned bird, Isabel puts it in a paper bag with tissue for cushioning. If it recovers in a few hours, she releases it back into nature, often in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery – a rewarding moment for Isabel. An injured bird is taken to the Toronto Wildlife Centre, and dead birds are tagged, placed in plastic bags, and sent to the ROM for their Annual Bird Layout, an artistic display highlighting the seriousness of the problem artistically. In addition to her work with FLAP, Isabel is involved in Urban Sketchers Toronto, for which she acts as the main administrator and organizer of various workshops and events. She and her fellow sketchers enjoy SANTOS Page 19
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Re: Cycling in Leaside Ms. Burtin Fripp’s balanced and thoughtful article inviting a renewed discussion on cycling in the city and more specifically in Leaside was innocuous enough that Mr. Cartney’s tartly worded response then caught me quite by surprise. By insisting upon strict enforcement of the HTA, Cartney hews closely to the long-held party line of his ilk. These arguments have played out in the pages of the Globe and Mail for time immemorial, but they kicked up noticeably during the war on the car. At that time, the Globe employed a small number of columnists and editors whose delight it was gently to troll the cycling advocacy. Well, times have changed, haven’t they? In just yesterday’s edition, we have the current auto columnist imploring people like Mr. Cartney to smarten up and get real. And this spring has seen one of the former trolls also swung round to the new reality.
So, while I hadn’t been planning to respond, in part because I’ve said my piece in so many responses over the years, here’s a few new thoughts that I haven’t previously mined for the benefit of Mr Cartney. This week, I found myself at a suburban hockey arena for the first time in a while. Since spectators still are not allowed inside, I found myself taking long walks in the neighbourhood. So for 8 hours this week I walked three of our finest suburban highways, Sheppard, Keele and Jane, closing the loop through York U. During this time, I witnessed NO ONE riding on the highway. Despite that it is required by law that cyclists do so. Instead, everyone was riding on the sidewalk! So, I was passed perhaps a dozen times, within a few inches, by a cyclist. None of them swerved to pass me, in other words. Not only did I not get struck to the ground, I didn’t even begrudge the insult. During this past week, there was just the one shooting that I know of, that took place in the communities that I was passing through. If you can get yourself killed by gunshot in this city, why on earth would you ever consent to getting yourself killed by a driver like Mr. Cartney?
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LETTERS Page 31
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Leaside Life • October 2020
Y
ERS M TT A LE
LETTERS
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Trading ballet slippers for hockey skates changed my life Last year I did something I never imagined I’d do. I hung up my ballet slippers and traded them for hockey skates. At age 16, I decided to take up hockey. Yes, you read that right: hockey. Although I grew up with a Leafs fan as a dad, it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I became a fan as well. I have now become a full-on fanatic, analyzing statistics, player trades, top draft candidates and of course keeping track of all the standings. Who would have thought math could be so useful? Now, I can update my dad on trades, news and events – something neither of us expected to happen.
LEASIDE SPORTS
Through my interest in the game I decided I wanted to try playing hockey, and with the encouragement of my hockey-playing friend Jessica, I took the leap and signed up for skating lessons. The first step in this new adventure was getting hockey skates. I had always used figure skates, so that was the first obstacle I had to overcome. The second was my age: most people start skating at the age of four. To improve my skating abilities I put my ego aside and signed up for lessons with four-year-olds! In those lessons I grew more confident and learned how to dodge falling kids, but it wasn’t until the summer when I took lessons from Hockey Extreme that I started to see improvements. I learned how to stickhandle, skate and most importantly stop. I learned the basics needed to start playing on a team. Finally, I took the huge leap of signing up for Leaside Wildcats girls’ house-league hockey. I’ve been lucky that through this journey I have had my friend Jessica beside me and even playing on the same team. I’ve also been lucky to have a great team and coaches who have embraced my newness to hockey and helped me improve over the course of the season. With the help of Coach Lawrence and Phil and my teammates I have been able to accomplish my aims of scoring a goal and improving my game, and was thrilled to get a compliment from Coach Lawrence, who said, “It is great to see Zhen grow and develop as a hockey player (and teammate). She has a very positive attitude.” Hockey has become a huge part of my life. As a result of my love for the game I am excited to attend Ryerson’s Sport Media program. If you had told me three years ago that I would be going into sports media and journalism and playing hockey, I would have said you were crazy. This experience has taught me that you never know where you might go in life, and no matter what your age you can always learn something new. Take that first step and see where it leads. Somewhere exciting. ■ SUZANNE PARK
Leaside Life • October 2020
by ZHEN PARK-VANDAL
Zhen (right) and her friend Jessica ready to hit the ice.
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A room of one’s own
Leaside Life • October 2020
10
I’m writing this column in the room where I’m blessed to do most of my writing. I’m sitting in the third-floor library in our home overlooking our backyard and its huge maple trees. When I’m ensconced here, it’s tough to pry me out (though my family seems quite content to have me sequestered here, sometimes for hours on end). We undertook a massive renovation of our home back in 2008. And when I say massive, I mean our 1913 home was completely gutted. At one point, the roof and third floor were … well… gone. I remember standing in our second-floor bedroom and realizing that above me was not the ceiling I knew so well, but blue sky. Now you may want to sit down for a moment and gather yourself because I know this will be a shock to any Leasider, or any homeowner anywhere who has tackled a renovation, but ours took longer and cost more than planned. Yes, I know, it was a stunning development. But in the end, we were eventually able to move back into our new home and have loved it ever since. Beyond having our third floor and
Terry Fallis Columnist
The author’s library.
roof back where they belong, the library is my favourite part of our renovated home. There were other contenders for that coveted designation, including central air conditioning, a spacious family room, a bathroom where the shower and the bathtub are two different things, and a beautiful back deck that will never collapse during a party as our previous one did. There were
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no injuries, other than debilitating embarrassment. But in my book, pun intended, the library wins for me, hands down. Despite the headline on this column, which I have stolen from a Virginia Woolf essay, this room was never intended to be “Terry’s library.” It belongs to the whole family. But I suspect I could claim squatters’ rights based on how much time I spend here. Floor-to-ceiling built-in shelves filled with our books – some of which I’ve even read – surround and inspire me. Kidding. I’ve actually read many, even most, of them. But there remain quite a few I haven’t yet cracked. And that actually makes me feel good. I know that in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep, or if I’m home alone with nothing to do (I think that happened once in 1993 for about 90 minutes), I can ascend the staircase to the third floor, scan the shelves, pull out a book, drop into the red easy chair that once graced my grandparents’ living room, and fall into a book. If the weather is nice, I can read on the library’s balcony deck communing with the squirrels in the upper reaches of the maples. It doesn’t get much better than that. Certain artifacts in this library take on new meaning in the COVID era when I’m able to spend much more time in here than I ever have before. A metal replica of the Eiffel Tower reminds me of the Paris we will not be visiting this year. An antique Underwood typewriter, its inner workings rusted and seized, sits on a shelf directly in my line of sight, offering encouraging vibes from long-gone writers. Above me on the wall, almost presiding over my writing, is a photograph of Robertson Davies, a novelist I revere. Instead of putting my shoulder to the wheel and getting on with the writing I have to do – like this column for instance – I often discover my eyes wandering around the room, savouring the sight of favourite books read and new ones still to read. There are far worse places to isolate and ride out these strange times. In a pandemic, you pause more to appreciate what you have, and then you get back to your writing. A two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Terry Fallis grew up in Leaside and is the award-winning writer of seven national bestsellers, including his most recent, Albatross, all published by McClelland & Stewart. ■
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October is that special month when we celebrate the harvest with Thanksgiving, then Halloween, which originally marked the end of the harvest. This year, on October 1 at 5:05 p.m., the Harvest Moon will shine bright over Leaside, adding extra light and providing us with longer hours to harvest. Yes, October is all about the harvest, but as I look back, it’s hard to imagine any harvest at all. The growing season of 2020 was an unprecedented time full of challenges for gardeners, the garden industry and in particular, community gardens. Read on and you’ll soon see what I mean. Greenwin Community Garden
Back in March, I learned about an ambitious plan to transform the existing allotment garden at 71 Thorncliffe Park Drive into something bigger and better. With a quarter acre of available space, the site would soon become a community urban farm to make more quality produce available to the
The Leaside Gardener Debora Kuchme Columnist
residents of Thorncliffe Park. The concept was elegant in its simplicity. Volunteers help with garden duties for shares in the harvest. This was the brainchild of Michelle Delaney, who created the original garden at 71 and the community gardens at Leaside Park. She’s a longtime resident of 71 (knows the site like the back of her hand) and also an expert gardener in permaculture, sustainable landscaping, organic land care, and is the lead gardener of the Thorncliffe Park Urban Farmers.
What could possibly go wrong? Enter COVID-19. The lockdown made sourcing seeds and seedlings difficult for every gardener, but to make matters worse, on March 30, an emergency order lumped community gardens in with other recreational amenities being closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. It would have been easier just to leave things as they were, but
KATHI DAVIES
Leaside Life • October 2020
12
The Leaside harvest report 2020 Part 1: community gardens
Some of the bounty from St. Cuthbert’s Community Garden. instead, a very determined Michelle rolled up her sleeves and used the lockdown time to focus on rebuilding the garden herself. It took many petitions signed by thousands of people to get the government to understand that community gardens are an essential service. With community support, donations and a lot of hard work, the volunteers were harvesting in the first week of June. By early September, after a summer of extreme heat and drought, this extremely healthy quarter acre of land had produced over 1,000 pounds of the most magnificent vegetables I’ve ever seen! By the end of October, thousands of pounds more will be added to their harvest – all to be given away for free to volunteers and residents in need. St Cuthbert’s Community Garden
On a Wednesday morning back in September, I was invited to experience a harvesting day at The St Cuthbert’s Community Garden. Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I saw were rows upon rows of lush, healthy greens bursting with tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis and peppers, all surrounded by an assortGARDENS Page 25
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Leaside Life • October 2020
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Leaside’s been given a gift; let’s not squander it The COVID-19 pandemic has offered Leaside a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reimagine the employment area known as the Leaside Business Park – the employment area bounded by Eglinton on the north, the DVP to the east, Laird/Millwood to the west and Overlea on the south. The pandemic’s effect on the future use of commercial office space will undoubtedly play a factor. That, when combined with (1) the changes resulting from the City of Toronto’s Official Plan Review specifying the types and nature of acceptable business; (2) the subsequent work plan item PH14.4 (approved on June 29th that went into force on August 4, 2020), which identifies Leaside as an MTSA (major transit station area) and calls for the creation of 16,000 new jobs OR residences within 500-800 sq. m. of the coming Laird Station; and (3) the rethinking of globalization, which just might have light manufacturing jobs ‘onshoring’ and coming back, leaves no doubt in my mind that change is afoot for Leaside’s Business Park.
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ial ventures, thus bringing to fruition Frederick’s Todd’s ‘garden city’ vision (rebranded today as the ‘livework-play’ lifestyle). Not many in Toronto can enjoy this live-workplay lifestyle while at the same time having access to decent-sized backyards, good schools, friendly neighbours, proximity to the downtown core, transit options, and oodles of local talent in both Leaside and Thorncliffe. This truly is a gift. We just need to attract the right kinds of businesses and the right kinds of commercial developers to make this all work.
Glenn Asano The Business of Leaside
ROBIN DICKIE
Leaside Life • October 2020
14
Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity The Crosstown stations are nearly complete; data about the fallout from the pandemic are being acted upon; the province and the City have adopted new growth plans. Is Leaside’s business infrastructure ready? The conditions to justify change are compelling and change is welcome, so long as we are prepared. But, overall I feel we will need a considerable amount of effort to fully realize the benefits because I sense we are not ready… yet. The alternative is dire. If we are not able to put in place a plan to create 16,000 new jobs, there is a potential threat that proactive residential developers will take advantage of the City’s offer to “consider requests to convert employment areas,” as of August 4, 2020. There’s no need to panic…yet. The Leaside Business Park is a protected employment area, and this will not change any time soon, especially if my friends at the Leaside Business Park Association (LBPA) have a say. This “gift” is our chance at realizing Leaside’s original raison d’être. As my colleague Geoff Kettel reminded me, Leaside has a very real chance at being a relatively self-sustaining neighbourhood in the heart of Toronto as a light industrial manufacturing centre and a burgeoning hub for entrepreneur-
A thriving live-work neighbourhood We’re going to need a strategic business plan for the Leaside Business Park. More importantly, if we want to do it right we need resources – both time and money – to build a blueprint for the park’s future that works for all stakeholders. I’m happy to report that back in 2019 the LBPA executive team began preliminary strategic planning about the role and needs of the business park in the future. Plans were underway to pick up the discussion this March when COVID19 hit. In both instances I had the privilege of working directly with the group and can confidently say there is a strong desire to lead the change, but a woefully bare cupboard when it comes to resources, or dedicated staff, which renders the desire relatively mute. The stakes here are big. The business park employed 10,130 fulland part-time employees in 2018. Adding 16,000 new jobs to the park would more than double capacity. Is this realistic? Even if some of the allotment will be taken up by new residential units on Eglinton and down Laird, the scale of meeting the MTSA requirements is daunting. What types of jobs, what types of businesses, how to attract investment, who will do the work? Any plan that gets tabled needs to be done professionally. How can our governments think a solid plan will emerge organically? I believe they will help, but will need insight from our ‘boots on the ground’ perspective. The stated City priority for their “engagement strategy” is to prioritize the growth plan for Leaside station (Phase 1) first, then Laird station (Phase 2) next. BUSINESS PARK Page 19
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Could Leaside be a 15-minute city? Leaside was ahead of the curve As Geoff Kettel pointed out in the September 2020 issue of Leaside Life, the 15-minute city is not a new vision for Leaside – this is how the community worked pre-World War II when homes and jobs were in close proximity. Today, Leaside remains immensely walkable and bikeable, a result of being planned in 1912, long before personal automobiles became the norm. What’s more, we are close to almost everything we need. Mainstreet retail and dining on Bayview and on Eglinton and big box stores on Laird are all within walking and cycling distance. For recreation, there’s an arena, curling club and pool, tennis courts, multiple parks and playgrounds as well as links to Toronto’s ravine system. A local library and community centre, plus churches and schools are accessible on mainly quiet roads. Services from car repairs and electronics to spas and salons dot our business districts. And for health care, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is just up the street.
by HOLLY REID The 15-minute city is an idea currently getting more than its 15 minutes of fame. Paris is planning to be one, Ottawa has made it part of its new official plan and C40 Cities are touting the concept as one that will make our lives “more convenient, less stressful and more sustainable.” So, what exactly is the 15-minute city and why is it getting so much attention right now? Blame the pandemic A 15-minute city is one where residents can meet all of their everyday needs within a short walk or bike ride. That means retailers for groceries and other goods, healthcare services, recreation and entertainment are all within a walkable or bikeable distance. But it also means that workplaces, schools and other amenities are in close proximity too. Thanks to COVID-19, a 15-minute city is more achievable today. That’s because more people are working from home, and the workplace commute that was often longer than 15 minutes has been largely eliminated.
HOLLY REID
Leaside Life • October 2020
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Imagine your 15-minute city day Without a lengthy commute to work, there’s extra time to play with. If you have kids, why not walk or bike with them to school? You may be reluctant to go to a gym, so aim to hike or bike for fitness. Perhaps you worked downtown and would do some shopping in the PATH or meet a colleague for lunch. Now you can stroll to Bayview or bike to Yonge and do the same. You may find that just to get out of the house, you shop for groceries more frequently, making it easier to carry purchases home. Still, not every trip can be walked or cycled, and inevitably there will be cold days, snowy days and rainy days when driving is preferable. But that’s the beauty of the 15-minute city – you have the option to walk and bike whenever you can. Leaside’s 15-minute city qualifications are obvious – almost everything you might want can be easily reached on foot or by bike, so why not give it a try? 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. ■
Leaside teacher wins coveted activism award by LORNA KRAWCHUK A gifted Leasider has won the prestigious 2020 Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario Anti-Racist and Equity Activism Award. The students in the Literacy Enrichment Academic Program (LEAP) at Thorncliffe Park Public School are fortunate to have Diana Hernandez as their teacher. Diana’s love of teaching began early when, as a child in Colombia, she would assign homework to the neighbourhood kids. Then, armed with her university degree, she started actually teaching. She met her Canadian husband-to-be in Colombia, and the two of them taught in other Central American countries before settling in Canada. Since 2006, Diana has been at Thorncliffe, but maintaining her love of volunteering in other parts of the world for a year or so every few years. Most recently, now on her own, she worked in Zanzibar, training teachers for the Ministry of Education, and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she taught English as a Second Language (ESL), mostly to refugees from Myanmar.
n w O e's d i s Lea
LORNA KRAWCHUK
Leaside Life • October 2020
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Back at Thorncliffe in 2017, she was itching to try some of the techniques of self-regulation she had been practising in Malaysia. Her opportunity came when the LEAP teacher retired, and her principal offered that class to her. The children in the LEAP program are mostly refugees and/or victims of PTSD, around 10 years of age, with
little earlier formal schooling. “The kids need to manage their feelings, be able to unwind so that they can be ready to learn,” says Diana. How to do that? “One method is ‘My Corner of Zen’ – a tent, with a mandala, pillows, stuffed animals, electric candles, reading materials, sand paintings – where students can come on their own for up to
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an hour at a time as they need.” Another fixture is a “Calming Corner” – equipped with manipulatives – squishy balls, spinners, sand pictures, a blanket, music. The “Calming Corner” morphed into “Calming Boxes” – one of which resides in the Vice-Principal’s office, and now, in most classrooms in the school. It costs about $50 to equip a box. As well, smaller versions are making their way home with students so they can use them at home when they feel the need. Diana is pleased to share her knowledge and methods with other staff at Thorncliffe, as well as doing workshops and presentations with another teacher at OISE, the Early Childhood Education program at Ryerson, and recently, online for other teachers. One day she was showing pictures to her students, one of which featured a class and teacher outside. There is a courtyard at Thorncliffe adjacent to her classroom. A child asked, “Why don’t we do that?” So, they started cleaning up the debris. Many of the kids had gardened in their earlier lives and were proud to tap that experience as they started planting. This sort of activity costs more than regular school budgets can handle. The students, with Diana’s help, started writing letters to a number of companies and possible funders. They were ecstatic when TD Friends of the Environment offered financial support to enable them to purchase interlock paving and octagonal tables for that first garden. They are still on the lookout for funds and volunteers (once COVID-19 regulations permit), since there are another seven unused courtyards at the school. This past winter, the class entered an “Entrepreneurial Partnership” and joined with BMO in a program to develop a product and sell it, with the students learning such skills as marketing and accounting. The intention was to make and sell fabric bags at the mall. They were off to a great start, when the pandemic closed it all down. Even though it hasn’t been completed, Diana judges the initiative a success – the students were enthusiastic and committed and bonded with their mentor from BMO. Asked if she had plans for heading off for another volunteer stint soon, Diana’s reply was an emphatic NO. “I love what I do. ...These kids have made me a creative teacher.” ■
Business Park... From Page 14 Bottom line is that the City will be directing resources and the LBPA is a stated “stakeholder” in that work plan, so I assume representatives of the LBPA will be all over that process. As I have often written, my preference is to create new jobs with less focus on increasing the number of new residents. An increase in the number of employees during the day will benefit local business yet not strain our residential infrastructure during the evenings when we are home (working!). The Leaside Business Park is ‘in play.’ The LBPA should continue to aggressively pursue sources of funding and set out an updated vision for its future. It needs the support of its many stakeholders (in particular property owners and commercial developers) to help craft a vision that seeks to move beyond “preservation” and toward one that embraces the future and drives growth. What types of businesses should be targeted to set up shop in the Leaside Business Park? Would you participate in a working session about the park where you could contribute your ideas and volunteer to assist the LBPA in this endeavour? Do you think Leaside’s infrastructure is ready to support this change? Let us know at leasidelife@ gmail.com. Leasider Glenn Asano is a partner and principal consultant for the strategy and business development practice at Centred Performance. He is also an Instructor with the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University. ■
Santos... From Page 6 exploring interesting city landmarks with their sketch pads. Sometimes her two passions converge such as in her sketches of the Bird Layout at the ROM. For more on FLAP’s programs and initiatives for a bird-friendly environment, visit flap.org and birdsafe.ca. Information about making windows safe can be found at toronto.ca under “Bird-Friendly Guidelines” and www.conveniencegroup.com/featherfriendly/feather-friendly. ■
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Leaside Life • October 2020
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A fond farewell to Mrs. Park’s School by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO Lindsay Blakely recalls fondly the beginning of a school year some years ago when one of her children was nervous about starting nursery school. “He loved baseball and wanted to bring his bat to school every day. Despite its being a foam bat, we would have understood if the teachers decided that bringing a bat to school was a bad idea. Instead, they understood immediately how this little bit of comfort would help make our son feel more at ease in his new surroundings. He ended up having a wonderful year and proudly carried that bat into class every day.” These are the types of memories that Blakely, and so many, many more parents cherish when recalling their kids’ experiences at Mrs. Park’s School. The comfort. The nurturing. The ease knowing that their children were well taken care of by an incredible staff. And, the knowledge their kids were receiving quality education that would serve as a great building block for entering full-time school later in their lives.
ROBIN DICKIE
Leaside Life • October 2020
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The musical concerts were a highlight of the Mrs. Park’s experience. These two former students are now in high school. For the thousands who have walked through the doors of Mrs. Park’s nursery school over the past 59 years, many look back with the same fondness. While the Blakely kids remember how great the daily snacks of arrowroot cookies, fruit, and juice
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were, others remember the joy of the December and June concerts. And all recall the fun. Second-year college student Rebecca Tralli still remembers the vehicles she played on in the gym, and the art classes. Play-based learning, in fact, was key to the teaching philosophy of the school long before it was an educational trend. Established as the Bayview Nursery in 1961 by Joan Park, the school was purchased by Mary Dwan King in 1998 and renamed Mrs. Park’s to honour Joan. While the original Mrs. Park had retired, she still returned to the school for four years to lead music classes with the kids. Mrs. Park, in fact, wrote many songs which kids continued to sing through the whole 59 years the school was open. Mrs. Park’s had always had a special place in Dwan King’s heart as her own children, Katie and Adam, had attended the school. She maintained the high standards of the nursery school and expanded the Mrs. Park’s program to include afternoon kindergarten classes, summer and March Break camps, and a second location, Mrs. Park’s Too at St. Cuthbert’s Church. For Dwan King and generations of families who sent their kids to Mrs. Park’s, teachers were the heart of the school. Former Mrs. Park’s teacher Liz Everett, whose own two girls attended the school, notes that the nursery school was her “happy place, and I am truly thankful to MRS. PARK’S Page 24
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Here’s to the new TNO Food Collaborative! (Part 2) by THE LEASIDE TOY DRIVE
(Part 1) by AAMIR SUKHERA, Trades Centre Coordinator at The Neighbourhood Organization A big thanks to our friends at the Leaside Toy Drive for your indispensable contributions not only in feeding hundreds and hundreds of families every month but also in the overall creation of the new food bank in Thorncliffe Park, the TNO Food Collaborative. Without the generosity of the corporations you reached out to and the overwhelming support of the people in Leaside and Davisville Village, these families would have gone hungry over the first wave of the pandemic. While we pray there is not a second wave, at least now thanks largely to you, we have solid infrastructure in place to feed our community (we are already the third largest member of Daily Bread Food Bank!). We would not have gotten here without Team Toy Drive. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your contributions and lasting rela-
Aamir and his son Mikael. tionships, which allow the food bank to be sustainable. Most of all, though, thank you for all your time and for being side by side with us during the dark and desperate early times. We did not know what to do and you gave us the knowledge, support, and motivation to keep going. We know you will need to work harder than ever in this difficult year to raise funds to buy and deliver gifts for all the primary school children in our community. Please know that you can count on our support to be side by side with you to help you reach your goal. All Stay new li info sting s rme d – have V Get i on t rtual T he w ours . aiti ng l ist!
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Thanks to Aamir for his kind words regarding the Leaside Toy Drive’s efforts to help establish the TNO Food Collaborative, but it is he and his TNO team who are the real heroes. And while we are proud of our contributions, we also want to acknowledge the generosity of the entire Leaside and Davisville Village community as well as the incredible work of individual volunteers such as Leaside Life’s own Susan Scandiffio. Through our collective efforts, we have generated more than $275,000 in both in-kind and cash donations. Further, we have left the TNO Food Collaborative with many sustainable processes and business relationships with food manufacturers like Agrocrop, which donated over 50,000 lbs. of lentils, and CocaCola Ltd., which donated 86,000 Minute Maid juice boxes as well as retailers like Loblaws Redway, among many others. Because of the pandemic, we know that physically hosting 150 people at the Leaside Pub is not viable for our fundraising event this year. We are investigating other ways to raise funds to continue our tradition of giving gifts to more than 4,000 children this December. Additional details will be shared in the coming weeks via Leasidetoydrive.ca. Our first step to bridge the gap is to launch our GoFundMe campaign much earlier (link to GoFundMe campaign is on Leasidetoydrive.ca), with an ambitious goal of raising $10,000. For this to be a success, we of course are leaning on the residents and businesses of Leaside and Davisville Village to generously support our campaign. Finally, we would like to extend a request for assistance on corporate donations. We thank the generous people at Spin Master who have provided incredible toys for the children for the last two years. We look forward to working with them again. If your company is able to donate or you have a contact who may be able to help, please reach out to us at Leasidetoydrive@gmail.com as we would love to work with more great corporate partners to deal with this growing need. Thank you once again for your ongoing support! ■
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Leaside Life • October 2020
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LHS 75th reunion scheduled for October officially cancelled October 2020 marks Leaside High School's 75th anniversary. This past January, Leaside Life writer Susan Scandiffio, in conjunction with the 75th LHS reunion committee, started a series of feature articles on an LHS personality from each decade. Commencing in January with LHS inaugural Principal Norman McLeod through to a story on ’90s grad Alyssa Kerbel, Susan shared with our readers the varied and interesting lives of individuals from this Leaside institution. The gala 75th reunion was planned for this October. Sadly, because of the pandemic, the organizing committee, led by chair Patty (Marks) Clark ’75, has had to cancel the event. As with any event of this magnitude, countless hours as well as significant financial resources were allocated to ensure a top-notch event. A refund of 85% of the facility deposit was arranged after a protracted but successful negotiation with the planned site venue and catering firm.
A full selection of Leaside 75th Anniversary apparel is available for a limited time at www.lhs75thapparel.ca. Given this positive news, ticket holders will be able to receive 85% of the ticket price paid for the banquet and 100% of the ticket price paid for the Leaside Live event. Requests for refunds will be accepted only for 60 days, after which any remaining funds will be
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allocated to the alumni association for use in scholarship funds or in preparation for a future reunion. Additional information on refunds is available on the alumni association website: https://leasidehighschool.com. Even though there will be no physical gathering to celebrate the 75th anniversary, Alpha Marketing, the organizing committee working with LHS alumni, has designed a wonderful selection of clothing items to mark the occasion. To view the selection and place your order, visit: lhs75thapparel.ca So, until we can safely gather again, “Stand Faithfully,” Leaside – Seas Gu Dileas. ■
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have had the opportunity to work with such a wonderful, caring, and nurturing staff that made Mrs. Park’s unique.” In the spring of this year, Dwan King made what she calls a bittersweet decision to retire and close the school. While she is thrilled to have more time to visit with her three grandchildren, she knows she will miss the parents and children of the school. “I am thankful for the staff and Leaside United Church and the congregation and staff over the years who always supported the school,” she says. “I had the best job in the world! How hard can it be to have a good time at nursery school?” ■
My fond farewell to Leaside’s Zamboni The smell of sweat made cold by the icy air; the walk from the change room to the rink made awkward by the blades of skates against rubber mats; the sound of ice being scraped from the surface as those on the rink come to a grinding halt. These are some of the memories that come to mind when I think of the skating rink at the Leaside Memorial Community Gardens. Despite the fact the arena has undergone many changes since its opening in 1951, the sense of community it provides has remained as strong as ever. I can vividly recall visiting the skating arena every Friday night in my early teenage years to skate with friends. Those nights were truly coming-of-age experiences. We were craving independence, and the Leaside Memorial Community Gardens provided that without sending us too far away from our nearby homes. After skating for a while, our legs would get sore, so we would retreat to the stands and watch as the Zamboni entered the rink to clean up the ice. As the machine did its rounds, I would watch in awe as the surface
of the ice became glossy and clear. There was something endearing about the way the blade methodically wiped the surface clean. Did you know that the lifespan of a Zamboni is 10 years? That means the current Zamboni, which was sponsored by Longo’s in 2012, is due for a replacement. After all, maintaining a Zamboni requires a lot of work! The arena has a mechanic on staff for oil changes and minor repairs, but an outside company is hired for major fixes. The drivers are responsible for filling the propane tank and changing the blade, which must be replaced every 100 hours. That sounds like a long time, but in reality, that is once or twice per week! Our arena’s maintenance has certainly come a long way since the ‘barrel flooding’ days, where between 1950 and the mid-80s, the ice had to be cleared with a shovel. Let us all say thank you to the Zamboni that has kept our ice clean for the past several years, and thank you to the Longo family for sponsoring it. The old machine will be going up for auction, and we eagerly await the arrival of our new Zamboni that will undoubtedly provide immense joy for years to come. ■
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Gardens From Page 12 ment of colourful pollinator plants. It was hard to believe that a vegetable garden like this grew beyond the tall hedge of St Cuthbert’s Church. Yet there it was! I was greeted by team leader Kathi Davies, who told me how the 11 volunteer gardeners respect social distancing by taking turns tending to the crops. On that day I met her husband Bob, who was carefully picking tomatoes, along with Nancy Dorkin and Lorraine Short, who were busy bagging bush beans, peppers and cucumbers. As we walked around the garden, Kathi remembered how difficult it was to get started this year with a decreased seed supply and the hoarding of plants, but they also discov-
ered much good. Members of local Facebook groups happily shared their seedlings and supplies. And, thanks to their new 175-gallon cisterns to collect rainwater, their plants made it through the heat and drought. They believe their work became more important during this time of crisis and that their persistence, hard work and sharing have resulted in hundreds of dollars of fresh organic vegetables delivered weekly to the Flemingdon Park Community Food Bank. These are just two examples of the many successful harvests in our community. When the going gets tough, the tough really do get going. Thanks to all of their incredible efforts October remains as the month of harvest! Visit leasidelife.com to read the extended version of this article along with more photos of these special community gardens! ■
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Leaside Life • October 2020
by HILARY HARDIE
25
Mid-rises are marching down Bayview’s west side
Leaside Life • October 2020
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Mid-rise is coming to Bayview! Last month this column mentioned three projects: • 1408-1420 Bayview. Midblock between Merton and Davisville – the project rezoning is approved and the site plan is under review. • 1466-1500 Bayview (currently the Valu-mart site). Has a website (https://www.1500bayview.ca) but has not yet submitted an application. • 1674-1684 Bayview. Between Hillsdale and Soudan, which is under construction, rising about floor a week. Now enter 1718-1734 Bayview – mid-block between Soudan and Eglinton – which may be the most contentious of the new mid-rises. The proposal is for a nine-storey building (density 4.34 times the lot area) consisting of retail units at grade and residential uses above, including 123 residential units with a mix of unit types, including townhouse units and parking for 163 cars. The project involves the demolition of four two-storey semi-detached residential house-form
Geoff Kettel
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FROM THE COVER
buildings and one half of another two-storey semi-detached house at 1734 Bayview Avenue. Why contentious? One reason is the proposed location mid-block, with two-storey homes on each side, and backing onto two-sto-
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rey homes, without a rear laneway, which creates significant “fit” and connectivity concerns with the existing neighbourhood. The only access (and egress), being to Bayview Avenue, creates a difficult and potentially dangerous situation. The proximity to Eglinton Avenue makes a signalized intersection undesirable. In addition, we hear there may be another application in the works for a long-term care facility in the north part of the large block bounded by Eglinton, Soudan, Mann, and Bayview. This may lead to an assortment of buildings that do not relate to each other, and are out of scale. The City should require a block plan which considers building articulation, separation, connectivity/access and public realm. In addition, there should be consideration of how the development on this block affects the Talbot Apartments across the road, which are considered heritage properties. The proposed building is one storey and three metres higher than the permitted height, established through the recently approved Midtown in Focus secondary plan (which required approval by the province as well as the City). The shadow impacts of the additional height as well as balcony overview (privacy issues) on neighbouring properties, and on Bayview Avenue, will need to be assessed in relation to the regulatory angular planes. And here’s where the “creep” comes in – the Floor Space Index (FSI) comes in at 4.34 times the lot area, which is significantly higher than the other Bayview projects to date, and puts it in the same density class as the high-rise projects on Eglinton at Bayview, Laird and Brentcliffe which ultimately means that we are replacing a lot of trees and green space with concrete. Finally, as noted earlier, the buildings to be demolished currently include half of a semi-detached house. Regardless of whether this is legally allowable, it seems both highly inappropriate and undesirable! On September 10, North York Community Council approved a Preliminary Report that recommended that staff schedule a community consultation meeting for the application. So, you will shortly have an opportunity to have your say. Likely this will be a virtual meeting, our area’s first on a planning project. ■
The Leaside Sports Hall of Fame is a non profit organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting excellence in sport at the recreational, competitive and elite levels in and from the Leaside Community in Toronto.
Thank you to everyone who nominated some very worthy candidates for induction into the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame for 2020. Selection of inductees has taken place, however because of the current COVID 19 situation and the limitation of numbers allowed at gatherings, we have made the decision to postpone our traditional Mid-November Induction Ceremony and Community Reception until we can properly recognize and celebrate the talents of the inductees. We will announce plans for the induction of the 2020 inductees at a later date.
Since the 100th anniversary of the Leaside community in 2013, the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame has annually recognized and celebrated the talent of local athletes and the invaluable contribution of volunteers in sports.
The following will be inducted into the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame for 2020: Pete Dudley
Cal Gardner
Community Sports Builder
Athlete Hockey
Bill Kennedy Athlete Hockey / Baseball
Metropolitan Baseball Teams 1953-1956 Historical Teams
George Turrell Award - Lifetime Contribution
! u o Y k Than
James (Jim) Garvie (January 24, 1929 - June 6, 2020) We wish all community members the very best as we go through these challenging times.
Leaside’s green assets and the City Ravine Strategy In 1995, journalist Robert Fulford wrote: “Ravines are to Toronto what canals are to Venice, hills are to San Francisco, and the Thames River is to London” – a sentiment that rings especially true in Ward 15. From Wilket Creek and Serena Gundy Park in the north to Crothers Woods in the south, Leaside is at the centre of Don Valley West’s extensive urban forest. In fact, Toronto’s ravine system is one of the largest in the world, spanning over 300 km – more than 30 times the area of New York’s Central Park! In 2017, the City adopted a comprehensive Ravine Strategy to ensure the continued prosperity of one of our most valuable natural assets. With an estimated value of over $7 billion, our ravines offer tangible benefits such as absorbing air pollutants, capturing dust, ash, and dirt, and efficiently storing rainwater. Last term, I broadened the Ravine Strategy’s scope by incorporating the internationally-recognized concept of “ecological integrity” to measure the health of ravines. Through a motion at Council, I directed City staff to finalize an implementation plan in collaboration with major research
Jaye Robinson Councillor
institutions, focusing on strategies to mitigate the threat of invasive species. In January 2020, City Council approved a specific, costed Implementation Plan with tangible measures to protect and enhance Toronto’s ravine network over the next 10 years. Our 2020 Ravine Strategy includes significant investments to enhance litter collection and invasive species control, along with data-driven plans that will protect, restore, and improve our natural habitats. In Crothers Woods – a 53-hectare forest located just south of Leaside – the City implemented an award-winning Trail Management Strategy that redesigned, repaired, and rerouted more than 10km of multi-use trails. This project has successfully reduced erosion, soil compaction, and tree root damage to
help sustain one of our most well-utilized local green spaces. Using a complex prioritization framework that takes into account factors such as existing ecological value, anticipated population growth, and concentration of environmentally significant areas, the Ravine Strategy has identified 10 Priority Investment Areas (PIAs) to help focus efforts. I’m pleased to advise that two of these PIAs are located in Don Valley West – Sunnybrook Park and the Lower Don River. While there is work planned for all 105 segments of our ravine system, PIAs will guide the City’s approach to implementing the Ravine Strategy. Save the Date: As a result of the pandemic, this year’s Ward 15 Environment Days were cancelled in the spring. I’m pleased to share that the City will be hosting “mini” Community Environment events this fall. If you’re interested in attending, the one closest to Leaside will be held on Sunday, Nov. 1, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., at Bermondsey Transfer Station – 188 Bermondsey Rd. You can learn more at toronto.ca/environment_ days. jayerobinson.ca ■
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Weed in Leaside? How does your garden grow?
Leaside Life • October 2020
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Leaside is renowned for its greenery, originally laid out a century ago on garden city principles, featuring long curved streets lined with trees. Lots of trees! Many Leaside homeowners and renters have green thumbs. They are spending a lot of time gardening, especially during the current pandemic, when so many of us are housebound. As you walk around Leaside, you see a wealth of blooming plants. Among them, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, foxglove, and earlier this season, lilies of the valley and daffodils. Increasingly, cannabis is also making an appearance in local gardens. Should it be treated differently from other plants? The Leaside Residents Association now represents renters as well as owners, and we’ve been asked whether, now that cannabis is legal, landlords may forbid their tenants from planting it in their common gardens, Unlike the other above-mentioned plants, cannabis is not considered toxic. But it
Carol Burtin Fripp Co-president, LRA
remains controversial despite being a legal product. As far as the LRA is concerned, where there is disagreement we much prefer that both parties try to come to an understanding, rather than our intervening. But here’s what the law says: according to the federal Cannabis Act, individuals may grow up to four plants in a residence, and “in a yard, garden, or any similar land” which is under or next to their unit. This is the case for both home owners and renters. However, landlords may include restrictions or conditions in the tenancy agreement signed by both landlord and tenant before
the tenant moves in. If there is no mention there regarding what may or may not be planted, it appears that cannabis can be legally planted. While still on the subject of cannabis, have you noticed how cannabis stores (aka “pot shops") have been proliferating along Bayview Avenue? The economic impact of the pandemic has led to the closure of many of Bayview’s smaller businesses, creating numerous vacancies. The “weed” business has moved right in. Quite a few of you have questioned whether there should be limitations on their numbers, and suggested the LRA complain to the City that Bayview has reached a critical mass. Or, in fact, reached that point a few months ago. But the matter is under the province’s jurisdiction, not Toronto’s, and other than restrictions such as how close a cannabis store may be located to a school, for instance, these shops are allowed.
ij The LRA board of directors hopes we will soon be able to hold in-person monthly meetings again, although at the moment the situation is still unclear. Thanks to technology, we can at least maintain accessibility to our meetings via Zoom. During this period of social distancing we want to continue to be as accessible as possible. If you wish to be a deputant or part of a deputation to the LRA’s next online meeting on OCTOBER 7th at 7:30 p.m., please contact us by that date (lpoa.ca) and we will supply you with the information to link to it. Please do not hesitate to contact us. ■
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. 416-504-8047 leasidelife@gmail.com leasidelife.com
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Letters From Page 7 So, to Mr. Cartney, I invite him to come ride with me. I know a handful of places in the city (there are many more), where I can get Mr. Cartney legally killed. I myself will survive as I have certain bike skills that you need to stay alive amongst the sharks. But Mr. Cartney, following my lead, will risk death. And if that comes to pass, his murderer will pay a fine of no more than $75, and no crime will have been committed. All that according to the letter of the law as laid down in his precious HTA. Jonathan Bishop I would like to thank Carol Burtin Fripp for her recent article in covering cycling etiquette. I walk a great deal in Leaside and sometimes over to Cleveland and on the other side of Eglinton. I find the cyclists on the sidewalks very frightening. They come up swiftly from behind me as you pointed out, or are coming straight for me forcing me to get out of the way. These events not only happen on side streets, but also on Bayview which is much more crowded. Many times I find it frightening. Periodically I ask the cyclist to please use the road and not the sidewalk. They do not move. I have thought about your invitation as to how we can deal with this. I do not have a silver bullet by any means. Since most of the cyclists are children of school age, maybe you have an education program in the schools lead by the community police. Maybe posting signs in strategic locations stressing safety would help. I worry that someone will be hurt if this practice continues. Thanks very much for bringing this important issue forward. Peter Shepard ■No part of the editorial content of this publication may be reprinted without the publisher’s written permission. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the editor or the publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to publisher’s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication.
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