Issuu

D E C E M B E R 2021

Leaside Life leasidelife.com

No. 115

Important school safety update from our trustee Pg. 16

The Leaside Toy Drive organizing committee: (l-r), David Skelly, Lisa Lefebvre, Daryn Everett, Edward Wong, Jeff Hohner & Mike Zivot.

Andy Elde r, Grilltime

ORTING LOCAL

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Leaside Life • December 2021

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Editor’s Welcome

Look who’s 10! Leaside Life is marking its 10th birthday with the issue you’re reading now. Founded by newspaper veterans Harry and Ruth Goldhar, who had previously published The Town Crier group of papers, Leaside Life was a return to publishing after they sold The Town Crier in 1996. As columnist Allan Williams wrote in March 2017: “By 2011 or so both Goldhars thought it might be time to start up another local paper in Leaside. ‘It had been a while,’ says Harry, ‘and I didn’t think it would be that hard, although we wondered if it would work. From the beginning we thought of it as a community project. We were fortunate to get people who were willing to write for it. ...The idea was not only to present news but to present different opinions from the community.’” Some of the original Leaside Lifers are still with the publication,

Jane Auster Editor Leaside Life

notably publisher Lorna Krawchuk and Leaside Residents Association co-president Carol Burtin Fripp from the time the association was known as the Leaside Property Owners’ Association. At five years as editor of Leaside Life, I am still a relative newbie. But I continue to take the direction seriously of making our content local, local, local. We are always on the lookout for stories that will resonate with you, our readers. So, this holiday season, as you’re raising a glass and maybe even opening presents you’ve bought from some of Leaside’s first-rate shops, take a moment to add a toast to Leaside Life. Happy holidays from all of us! n

HAPPY HOLIDAYS It’s the most wonderful time of year to celebrate the spirit of giving back. We are proud to be supporting Leaside Toy Drive and local merchants in December through the Toy Drive Local program. Please join us in supporting our community at LeasideToyDrive.ca FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS, WARMEST WISHES FOR A JOYFUL SEASON AND A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

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Remembering the Sangamo company

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Long-time Leaside residents may remember the Sangamo Company Ltd. at 215 Laird Drive near Eglinton – a site now occupied by Canadian Tire and other retail establishments. Sangamo specialized in The Sangamo plant on Laird, 1955. the production of electric motors and meters, which it shipped to dozens of and running by 1942. It is said that countries worldwide. In its heyday Howard Talbot, Leaside’s energetic in the 1940s-1970s, its offices and and entrepreneurial mayor, played a factories in Leaside occupied nine key role in convincing the company acres and employed 1,000 people. to locate here. Sangamo Ltd. was a subsidiary of Sangamo was a progressive Sangamo Electric Co. of Springfield, employer. Soon after coming to Illinois. The Canadian subsidiary Leaside, it signed its first union had been in Canada since 1911 and agreement in 1945. Later in the operated a plant on Adelaide St. in decade, it became one of the first Toronto. As World War II loomed, Canadian companies to form the company realized it needed Labour-Management Production larger manufacturing facilities. It Committees – joint initiatives that chose Leaside as the site for a large, fostered cooperation and mutual new modern factory which was up understanding between labour and

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management. With the help of these committees, Sangamo significantly improved its employee relations and production. In the 1960s, the company also joined two other Leaside-based firms – Philips Electronics and Honeywell Controls – to establish the Leaside Education Assistance Project (LEAP). The project provided facilities and courses (in English, Math and Science) that enabled employees to complete their high school education on the job – with no pay reduction. It became a model for other companies and helped many workers advance to higher-level, better-paying jobs. Sangamo took pride in being a good corporate citizen. In addition to providing employment to many Leasiders and contributing to municipal revenues through its tax payments, the company was actively engaged in town life. During the war it participated in such key activities

SANGAMO Page 27

Leaside Life • December 2021

by T ED DEWELLES, Leaside Heritage Preservation Society

MEET A LEASIDE BUSINESS: WRITE IMPRESSIONS

Making the right “Impression” on Bayview by JANIS FERTUCK Write Impressions, the popular stationery store at the corner of Bayview and Millwood, has been attracting shoppers with its inviting window displays since 2000, making it one of the older businesses on our high street. Shop owner Cheryle Challe opened her first Write Impressions in Hamilton in 1986. She followed that with a second store there, and then added one in Oakville in 1999. With her success in Oakville, Cheryle decided to continue expanding her business with a suitable location in Toronto. She was pleased when her real estate agent found the Bayview location with a neighbourhood and demographic very similar to Oakville’s. Cheryle subsequently opened shops in Bloor West Village and Waterloo, but in the last few years has downsized to just the Oakville and Bayview locations. Initially, the Bayview store focused mainly on stationery products and pens. But given the vibrant nature of

JANIS FERTUCK

Leaside Life • December 2021

the community and the enthusiasm of the customers, Cheryle decided to add more home décor items such as napkins and candles – to accommodate Leasiders’ penchant for entertaining – as well as silk flowers, tea towels and children’s toys. She believes that once a store has found its niche, it becomes a “habit for customers who trust your taste.” Cheryle believes her shops have evolved from stationery shops to the lifestyle category of retail.

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As with many businesses, Write Impressions has faced some challenges, especially during lockdown. But Cheryle’s staff – Ken, the manager, and Ana, the sales associate – kept curbside shopping going by displaying more products in the windows and organizing binders and baskets of sample cards for customers to peruse. Their efforts paid off in the continued support of their clients. In fact, both the window and interior displays have been key to attracting and retaining customers. Cheryle explains that she and Ken love “merchandising and making everything look beautiful and simple” to show customers how to create their own look. It is not surprising, then, that the store has been the recipient of Leaside Life’s “Best Holiday Window” award in the past. In addition to refreshing her displays, Cheryle introduces new products to keep customers interested. For example, a line of bath and skin care products, seasonal decorations, kitchen items and vegan purses have joined the regular stock. Jigsaw puzzles have gained in popularity during the pandemic, and teddy bears and fountain pens are enjoying a revival. The biggest sellers, however, are still cards, napkins and candles. Even with supply chain issues, the store these days is busy with people admiring the festive decorations and scooping up unique tree ornaments, cards, gourmet popcorn and seasonal décor items. Perennial favourites are Frasier Fir candles and soaps, which disappear quickly every year. Sales associate Ana credits Cheryle’s “aesthetic vision, great personal taste and eye for quality items” for the store’s success. Ana enjoys “helping people put something special together and finding the perfect gift,” and she compares the store to “a village shop where people can catch up with their neighbours.” Cheryle says her success stems from hard work, love of the job, “amazing staff” and loyal customers. She feels rewarded to be “an integral part of the neighbourhood.” n

Leaside Life • December 2021

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MEET A LEASIDE BUSINESS: BLACKBIRD BOATWORKS

Leaside Life • December 2021

Muskoka elegance right in Leaside by KEN MALLETT You see them everywhere in Muskoka, but almost nowhere else in the world, these beautiful classic runabouts. Imagine floating masterpieces in mahogany and chrome, idling powerfully at dockside or carving across the lake, ferrying ladies in summer frocks and gentlemen in cream-coloured dinner jackets to champagne-and-caviar parties in the mid-summer dusk. They speak – quietly – of capital L Luxury. Elegance. Refinement. Romance. Now meet the guy who makes them, by hand, in a workshop in the Leaside Business Park. His name is Paul Hunter, and he runs BlackBird Boatworks, builders and restorers of classic, individually-crafted wooden powerboats in a workshop on Canvarco Road. Hunter has lived in Leaside much of his life, but his workshop was in Baysville on Lake of Bays in

The Blackbird 22 Gentleman’s Racer

Muskoka for many years. He commuted in reverse – north to Muskoka early in the week, back home to Leaside for the weekend. “Muskoka is home to the largest concentration of antique and classic wooden boats in North America,” he says, “but the weekly

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commute became too much. So, I moved back to a shop five minutes from home.” He started to build boats – specifically hand-made wooden boats – a little late in life. “Midlife crisis got me into boat building. It was either cars or boats and boats offered a lot more freedom for pushing the envelope, of design, of performance,” he says. “I started my boat building career in the late 1990s. Now I am capable of building the entire boat from scratch, but I mainly concentrate on the finishes and the engineering.” And his purpose is simple: “We are committed to making the finest mahogany runabouts in the world. We were born into the Muskoka tradition of fine boat-building and we proudly assume the passion and responsibility of that succession.” Building classic wooden powerboats has a long history among Muskoka craftsmen. But BlackBird is different from other builders. “Traditional boat builders in Muskoka will build a new boat from either an existing or a new design, employing methods and finishes traditionally used in Muskoka. Most of the boat builders are restorers first, working on the magnificent historic boats of the area. “We start from scratch. We design out all of the limitations of the old patterns of our boats, so we have a clean sheet of paper to work with. “All of our hardware is propri-

BLACKBIRD Page 30

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MEET A LEASIDE BUSINESS: COBS BREAD

Fiona Boylan couldn’t resist the fresh-baked aroma by LORNA KRAWCHUK COBS Bread has been a Leaside favourite since it opened its doors more than a decade ago with Fiona Boylan at the franchise helm. Fiona Boylan comes to COBS Bread with varied skills and talents. She started out as an elementary school teacher, completed business school, worked in the not-for-profit sector, continued at the CRTC and Rogers Wireless before deciding right after the 2008 financial meltdown that she “was looking for a change in her life, and that a good fit would be something entrepreneurial.” The bakery experience called to her. A bakery, she says, is “a happy place that smells good, and with no high-pressure sales.” COBS Bread started in Australia before coming to these shores and opening in British Columbia and Ontario – where their first local store was the one we know and love on Bayview. A dozen years ago, Fiona became its franchisee-owner.

DEBORAH GARDNER

Leaside Life • December 2021

Fiona (right) and staff.

She likes the stability of a franchise with corporate help, but acknowledges that it is “busier and more stressful than I had anticipated.” What she really loves is the sense

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of community, both within the bakery and our wider community. For instance, her head baker, Sake, has been with her for 10 years. Fiona describes Sake and the other bakers as “magical bread elves in whom she has complete trust.” He works with six or seven other bakers, their shifts starting each night at 11 p.m. or midnight to be ready for the morning crowd, and on some busy days, the last baker leaves at 3:30 in the afternoon. Many of the sales staff are also long-time employees. High school students who work there in the summer often return for the holidays rush to help out. What truly pleases Fiona is they recommend COBS to their friends as a good place to work. “I’d be lost without the team we have here, and are proud of what we do.” Especially during all the trials since a year-ago-March, she and her staff greatly value the “gracious community” who have kept coming to the store, bringing smiles, appreciation, and sometimes treats for the COBS staff as well. COBS corporately supplies the recipes, ingredients and the “look” for what you see on their shelves, but there is “a bit of a guessing game” in figuring out, for instance, how many loaves of sourdough might actually be picked up in a day, and how to navigate that process within a limited space, that takes 36-48 hours. On Christmas Eve, for instance, 3,000 dinner rolls and 90 loaves of sourdough will move out the door. It goes without saying that food safety rules are rigorously followed, and all health inspections pass muster. COBS’ philosophy is Bake, Open, Close, Donate, REPEAT. The donation aspect is part of the company ethos, and end-of-the-day giving is important. It’s not leftovers that are given away at the end of each day, but quality bread and baked goods that make their way to a number of charities to be donated, not sold. It often takes two well-laden vehicles to handle the nightly haul. Fiona is such a COBS believer that she now is in charge of three COBS locations. Five years ago, she added a new location in the west end of the Danforth, and three years ago, she took over a location on Bloor Street in the Annex. That is a lot of bread! n

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Leaside Life • December 2021

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Leaside seniors’ teams Hall of Fame-bound Leaside Life • December 2021

by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO

all age levels. One of the most successful programs ever run at Talbot is in the Senior, or over 21, age group. And this year, Baseball Ontario is recognizing the outstanding success of the

Talbot Park. They call it “The Shrine.”When you enter the ballpark at Bayview and Eglinton, you know what you’re going to get pretty much every time. A well-maintained baseball field. The popular snack bar. The manual scoreboard. Parents, kids, coaches, and the officiating crew. Fans sitting outside the fence at home plate. And if you’re walking or driving on Eglinton when a game is underway, you might just want to keep your LEASIDE The 1988 Seniors team. eyes peeled in case SPORTS a homer makes its way over the fence. Leaside Senior teams which played It hasn’t changed all that between 1972 and 1989 by inductmuch since the Leaside Baseball ing them into their Hall of Fame. Association formed in 1946. The teams, known as the Maple What also hasn’t changed are the Leafs, Hurricanes, and Leafs over fun, friendships, and competition at the years, won an incredible 11

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OBA titles in 18 years. In addition, they won five Halton County titles and five Greater Toronto League championships. The teams were led by head coach Ric Fleury and assistants Sam Leonard and Joe Irvine. Former players Brian Osborne, Brian Revin, and Jim Eliopoulos recall their years with the team with fondness and pride. Osborne, who played with the team from 1980 to 1990, remembers the “excitable” Ric Fleury, as well as “the odd beer after the game, and maybe

The 1983 Seniors champs.

a meal across the street at the Sunnybrook restaurant.” He also notes that there was a true spirit of camaraderie amongst the team members, several of whom he’s still in contact with. Calling the induction “very meaningful,” Osborne notes that the players worked hard and competed as a tight group. Brian Revin spent several years in the 70s and early 80s as a member of the Leaside senior team. Chosen to play outfield for Team Canada, he took a break from Leaside during those years to represent his country away from Talbot. Still involved in baseball as a player and a coach, Revin notes that having the Leaside Senior teams inducted into the OBA Hall of Fame “is quite a thrill and honour. We were constantly the top team in Ontario and the recognition we are now getting is heart-warming and appreciated.” Jim Eliopoulos was a member of the Leaside Seniors both before and

BASEBALL Page 30

Leaside Life • December 2021

Business Park Association promotes collaboration at 2021 AGM Earlier this year I interviewed Leslie Kellen, the newly appointed president of the Leaside Business Park Association (LBPA). The LBPA is a not-for-profit corporation originally formed more than 50 years ago, mandated to promote the Leaside Business Park as a desirable location to conduct business. At the time, Leslie said, “The key to the LBPA’s future success leading business in the park is the ability to adapt and grow, to be inclusive, and to support innovation and explore synergies with the excellent and diverse stakeholder groups in the park and throughout the city of Toronto.” The LBPA’s November 10 virtual Annual General Meeting offers the broader Leaside community a good opportunity to learn more about the work of this group. The LBPA welcomed new directors Ahmed Hussein, the executive director of the TNO, Andy Elder, proprietor of GrillTime, and Annissa Rodriguez, director of people and technology at

Glenn Asano The Business of Leaside

XYZ Storage. These three will join eight returning directors, including president Leslie Kellen (XYZ Storage), Dag Enhorning (Siltech), Jeff Hohner (Tecumseh Capital), Kendall Fullerton (Lincoln Electric), Iulian Sandu (Tremco), Mary Chong (Revelo Bikes), Jeff Carefoote (Amsterdam Brewery), and myself (Leaside Innovation Centre) on the LBPA board for 2022. If I could summarize the overarching feeling I got during the AGM, it would be one of “inclusiveness” and a meeting designed to engage a diverse set of stakeholders and open the door for increased collaboration. In just over 90 minutes there were nine non-LBPA speakers, including Geoff Kettel of the Leaside Residents Association, developer Charles Goldsmith, Shukria Dualeh from The Neighbourhood Organization (TNO), Councillor Jaye Robinson, MPP Kathleen Wynne, MP Rob Oliphant, Thomas McGinty from City Economic Development, property, Malcolm MacKay of Metrolinx, and Ann Brown and Patrick Rocca of the Leaside Heritage Society. First speaker Charles Goldsmith, developer of the 154 Wicksteed Ave. project, said that “the association needs additional help, and that comes in the form of funding. The lack of funds for this organization to access services they need, such as traffic engineers, planners, and PR consultants, could be detrimental to the community. As such, my business partner Peter Shultz and I are providing the LBPA with $5,000 of sponsorship funding this year and are challenging other stakeholders to do the same.” Certainly, this AGM was an opportunity to understand varying perspectives and to identify the challenges we as Leaside residents and business owners can expect in the future. Three consistently mentioned topics were: (1) the impact of zoning and development on jobs and traffic;

(2) Covid recovery and assistance for local business; and (3) the location of the proposed Metrolinx train maintenance and storage facility. The arrival of Covid has disrupted many businesses. Councillor Jaye Robinson confirmed that “the number one thing we’re dealing with at City Hall is the continued challenges related to the pandemic.” In her role as TTC chair, she explained that “in September, we are only at 30 per cent of where we were preCovid, so you can imagine the financial impacts are very significant.” To make matters worse there has also been a ‘ransomware’ attack that has been very difficult to deal with. MP Rob Oliphant told the audience that “about 90 cents on every public dollar that was spent during the pandemic has come from the federal government” and that “over 400 small businesses in Don Valley West sought and got help from our office.” In future, the federal government will move away from blanket programs in favour of more targeted programs to vulnerable sectors including hospitality, tourism, transportation and travel. At the municipal level, Thomas McGinty pointed to several “main street recovery and rebuild initiatives happening right now… to support those [vulnerable] sectors.” There is an accelerator program and an innovation fund to help retailers. There is CaféTO, a commercial rehabilitation fund to help revitalize vacant space in the city for occupancy, the Plaza Pops program to increase the vibrancy of strip malls, the Digital Main Street program to help companies adopt digital platforms, and the city’s façade improvement program. The city also continues to help guide employers through workplace health and safety plans and best practices to prevent Covid in the workplace, and is offering a rapid screening initiative for businesses that has been a big part of reopening here in the city. Employment lands are a top priority Speaking about development, Geoff Kettel noted that development and transportation issues are being driven by the Eglinton Crosstown and the ‘intensification’ underway in

BUSINESS PARK continued

Very messy process in Thorncliffe Park with Metrolinx The location of the proposed Metrolinx train maintenance and storage facility that will support the Ontario line came up. MPP Kathleen Wynne expressed her frustration with the lack of communication/ consultation between Metrolinx and the affected stakeholders during the site selection process. She suggested that this has led to a “very messy process in Thorncliffe Park with Metrolinx.” She described her efforts to facilitate two meetings between Metrolinx and the affected business and residential communities as “counterproductive, particularly the community table” when faced with an “intractable position on the part of Metrolinx.” She added that “it’s going to be an ongoing issue for many years, quite frankly, because there’s a conversation with Hydro One about developing some of the hydro lands.” Metrolinx’s Malcolm MacKay, the program sponsor for the Ontario line, described the site selection process and how a “hybrid solution” was created to effectively split the occupation of the area into two, thus keeping the heavy industrial business along Beth Nealson Dr. and Wicksteed Ave. He explained that Metrolinx is “actively working with affected businesses to relocate them. He highlighted a “very active community benefits program” that

Metrolinx is implementing, “which will allow us to bring services into the community through engagement with the elected officials, as well as the community.” He also referred to the “200 to 300 jobs [that will be] available, and to the competitive advantage the Ontario line will bring to the local community. As contentious as several of these issues sound, there were plenty of examples highlighted at the AGM showing that this disparate group of stakeholders can indeed create synergy by working together to strengthen the infrastructure and local business ecosystem that will drive future growth. In his first year at the helm of the LBPA, I feel Leslie Kellen is successfully steering the ship, and although the waters remain far from calm, a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor! 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. n

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Happy Holidays I know this has been a challenging year for us all and I sincerely hope that things turn around soon and we all can soon return to our normal community life that we love. I wish you all the best for the holiday season. Please take care and stay safe. Kathleen Wynne, MPP

Don Valley West 416-425-6777

kwynne.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

Leaside Life • December 2021

Leaside to meet the targets set out in the Ontario growth plan. (You can read more from Geoff in his yearend review in this issue.) Clearly, we can expect zoning changes. Thomas McGinty mentioned two City initiatives currently underway – the Municipal Comprehensive Review and the Zoning Conformity Bylaw – with implications for the Leaside employment zone. He said that “the purpose of this exercise is just to remove some permitted uses from the zoning bylaws so [they] align with the official plan. ... what that means for Leaside is that several uses that are currently permitted in the bylaws will no longer be allowed, and the intent of that is to remove those uses that would tend to destabilize a well-functioning employment area and then also address the issue of uses that take up a lot of space and don’t necessarily have the return on employment.”

Corona Christmas 2.0 Leaside Life • December 2021

Welcome to Corona Christmas 2.0. If you’d asked me a year ago whether our world would have returned to some semblance of normal for Christmas 2021, I would have said “yes.” I mean, who among us thought that with Christmas looming just ahead, we’d still be monitoring the daily “numbers,” wearing our masks whenever we’re indoors — except when actively stuffing our gullet with dearly missed restaurant meals — and worrying about the particularly stubborn Delta variant? Yet here we are! I now even have my booster shot for those of us who were given a double dose of AstraZeneca the first time around. Yet, even with more than 80% of Ontarians double vaxxed, we’re still in it. We are not yet free and clear. Last year at this time I wrote about how different our first pandemic holiday season promised to be. And it was. No large family gatherings. No parties. No caroling. No communal punch bowl of eggnog. Okay, we still had turkey, and quite a lot of

Terry Fallis Columnist

it, I must say. But we were all pretty much on our own, sequestered in our homes. I wrote back then that while unfortunate not to be with our extended families, we should all look on the bright side and embrace the slower-paced, less frenetic version of Christmas, for the good of us all. In hindsight, I think we were actually doing more than protecting ourselves, our family and friends from the Covid threat. I think we were also practising enlightened self-interest from a different perspective. Last year, we had a very rare Christmas opportunity to just relax a little bit. Settle in with a stack of books or a Netflix account for a couple of weeks of

rest and restoration. How often has that happened in our lifetimes? Say, never? I truly believe that removing the traditional Christmas frenzy and stress was very therapeutic for us all and likely put us in a much stronger position to weather the pandemic’s third wave that hit last spring. So, with Christmas just round the corner, here we are with three waves already behind us. Unfortunately, the fourth wave is still strong enough for surfing, so we’re not quite ready to crack open the champagne. We’ve come such a long way. Let’s not blow it now! Despite how tempting it is to turn back the clock and embark on a traditional pre-Covid Christmas, let’s hang on a bit longer and just once more (please let it just be once more) embrace a more relaxed, less chaotic, and above all, safer approach to the holiday season. And on a positive note, you can enjoy with no guilt. No need to feel bad about not doing more this season. No need to brave 12 different malls in search of the hottest new toy. No need to have 85 friends and neighbours over for a holiday open house that takes three weeks to plan and two weeks to clean up. No need to pack the family in the car and drive three hours to visit distant relatives. No need and no guilt. Like last year, welcome this precious and rare chance to slow down again and cocoon with your own family in your own home. We need to recharge our batteries and prepare for the final effort to put this fourth wave behind us. Trust me, at some point in the future, when we’re immersed again in the seasonal consumer feeding frenzy, when none of us has a spare moment to reflect on anything but getting to the next party, finding that elusive last gift, or yet again sweeping up dead needles shed by the Christmas tree, we may look back upon our two calmer Corona Christmases (please let there only be two) with something akin to wistful warmth and fondness. And to all a good night. A two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Terry Fallis grew up in Leaside and is the award-winning writer of eight national bestsellers, all published by McClelland & Stewart. His most recent, Operation Angus, is now in bookstores. n

Thank you AS WE VENTURE TOWARDS THE HOLIDAY SEASON AND NEW YEAR. PLEASE KNOW THAT OUR MEMBER BUSINESSES ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT. THRIVING, VIBRANT MAIN STREETS ARE A CREDIT NOT ONLY TO THE BUSINESSES THAT CALL THEM HOME, BUT TO THE COMMUNITY OF NEIGHBOURS WHO VALUE THEM. SHOPPING, DINING AND ACCESSING PERSONAL SERVICES LOCALLY HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT. HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR FROM THE BAYVIEW LEASIDE BIA. Parkhurst Avenue to Davisville Avenue www.BayviewLeasideBIA.com @BayviewLeasideBIA

Leaside Life • December 2021

After-hours gatherings are turning Leaside school grounds into danger zones For the last year and a half, teenage socialization has been particularly affected because of the pandemic. While we are all relieved that vaccination uptake is high among our teens, allowing them to reconnect with friends once again, many of us are concerned about a noted increase in weekend gatherings on TDSB sites after dark, particularly in Leaside. While such gatherings are not new, this summer and fall we have witnessed a significant change, not only in the size and noise level, but also the frequent acts of vandalism that often accompany these events. For nearby residents, these latenight gatherings are disruptive and upsetting; for children who use our schoolyards and playgrounds on the weekends, the broken glass and garbage left behind create an unsightly, even dangerous, environment. Moreover, they are an insult to the pride and hard work put into making these spaces inviting. With the pandemic is still very much a reality, our caretakers need to

Rachel Chernos Lin

Trustee, Ward 11

spend their time keeping our buildings safe and clean on the inside, not cleaning up messes left by disrespectful young people who know better than to litter or throw beer bottles on the pavement where they inevitably shatter. After one weekend of parties at Northlea Elementary and Leaside High, both sites were left with multiple broken windows, many of them brand new, and at Northlea, outdoor lights were shattered. Another weekend, a wheelchair ramp to a portable was ripped apart and moved to the middle of the field. Such acts of vandalism impose unnecessary costs on facility budgets which ought to be focused on aging infrastructure.

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During the course of the last year, many community members have expressed their concerns and frustration. In response, I have met with neighbours, Toronto Police Services (TPS), Councillor Robinson’s office, parent council representatives, school administrators, and TDSB staff, including TDSB security, looking for ways to deal with this issue. On the local level, principals have reached out to their school families and met with students to discuss and underscore the importance of being good neighbours within their community. Principals have also been working with TDSB security and the Safe and Caring Schools department to explore all available resources to prevent these events from recurring. The increase since last June in size and level of noise and destruction has made it clear that the entire Leaside community must work together to address this issue. So, what can we all do to help? TPS staff from 53 Division are requesting that Leasiders alert them when issues arise, either by calling 911 if the issue requires immediate police or emergency services, or by calling the non-emergency line at 416-8082222. Residents can also call TDSB security at 416-395-4620. For both TPS and TDSB security, logging calls from specific areas and sites is crucial, as it enables them to allocate resources strategically. As a parent and member of this community for almost two decades, I have witnessed first-hand the frequent and positive engagement of our youth: stepping up to run charitable initiatives, creating businesses through social entrepreneurship, and taking on leadership roles that all of us can be proud of and learn from. The gatherings we have been witnessing in Leaside in recent months should not define our youth. So, please, let’s all check in with our kids, and empower our families and youth to make choices that support our community. If your children are struggling, please reach out to your school principals, teachers, or guidance counsellors – they can offer support and access resources for your children and families. Leaside is a wonderful neighbourhood. It’s incumbent upon all of us to do our part to preserve it as a safe and welcoming community. n

My year-end development review Leaside Life • December 2021

An invitation to speak to the Leaside Business Park Association AGM led me to consider the state of the nation (pardon me, the Town of Leaside). Plus this is the year-end edition of Leaside Life. Let’s start with historical context, and to remember that Leaside was laid out in 1912 by landscape architect Frederick Gage Todd, for the Canadian Northern Railways with a residential area and an industrial area – in other words, Leaside was a complete community right from its start! Leaside was incorporated in 1913 and was an independent municipality until 1967, then joined with East York to become the Borough of East York until 1998, when the six municipalities were amalgamated into the City of Toronto. Intensification comes to Leaside Driven by the Eglinton Crosstown LRT development, Leaside is dealing with major change by way of intensification: basically, high-rise on Eglinton, at Bayview, and at Laird, and mid-rise on the west sides of Bayview and Laird. The Eglinton Connects Plan mandated high-rise development for the Bayview Focus Area and the Laird Focus Area (Laird to Aerodrome and Eglinton to Vanderhoof).The Laird Focus Area Plan provided for Mixed Use development on the two-thirds of the area of the properties fronting on Eglinton, with Employment Areas on the remainder, fronting on Vanderhoof. It also provided for Mixed Use development on the west side of Laird. However, the implementation of Official Plan Amendment (OPA 450) for the Laird Focus Area is under appeal to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT, formerly the OMB, LPAT) by a property owner in each area:

and Laird Station MTSAs.

Geoff Kettel

Saving old Leaside (a) Hyde Park, the owner of the block east of Brentcliffe is appealing multiple provisions of OPA 450. We understand that they just submitted an application for the property – we have yet to see it. (b) Core Development has an active planning application for two midrises at 126-132 Laird and 134 Laird. OPA 450 proposes a setback from the property line on the west side of Laird to allow for improved streetscaping, sidewalks and bike lanes. Unfortunately, this is being appealed by the applicant. The next stage in dealing with OPA 450 appeals is a case management conference scheduled for Nov. 29, 2021. Meanwhile the 126-132 Laird and 134 Laird development applications, submitted in 2020, have been appealed to the OLT owing to Council’s not making a decision within the Planning Act’s 90-day time frame. The province approved a revised Growth Plan in 2019, which set (minimum) targets for jobs and population around Major Transit Station Areas (MTSAs). The Ford government widened the MTSA from 500m to “500m to 800m” from the transit station, actually increasing the area potentially affected by up to 258%! The City has to submit its implementation plan for the revised MTSA targets by June 2022. So, next spring we’ll be watching to see what the City proposes for the Leaside (Bayview)

Approved projects on Eglinton • The Sunnybrook Plaza redevelopment at 660 Eglinton Ave E (RioCan) is on hold awaiting completion of the Leaside LRT station. • The Canadian Tire plaza at 815-845 Eglinton Ave E. (RioCan) development is at site plan application stage. • The Diamond/Camrost development at 939 Eglinton Ave E. (Brentcliffe) is well underway with the first development phase, the two towers fronting on Eglinton, almost completed. Under the five-year review of the Official Plan currently in progress, property owners in designated Employment Lands are given a window to request conversion from Employment Lands to other uses, mainly Mixed Use. Ten requests affecting our area came in by the deadline, including properties at Brentcliffe/ Vanderhoof, Leaside Village (Laird Drive), and the Redway Road Loblaws. These requests appear to be an effort to bring more residential into the Business Park, and as such the LRA will likely oppose them. In our experience the conversion to “Mixed Use” becomes a licence to build homes, with little else. Not exactly a “complete community.” Residential development Change remains incremental, courtesy of a steady flow of applications for “minor variances” to the Committee of Adjustment. The LRA continues to oppose applications which are not “minor” and which do not maintain the character of the neighbourhood. However, bigger changes may be coming with the City’s adoption of laneway housing, (pending) garden suites, and “missing middle” housing. Stay tuned! n

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Leaside Life • December 2021

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Hidden Bayview One of the charming aspects of our Bayview shopping strip is the old-fashioned feel it has…the mom and pop stores and small, unique shops that have, in many cases, been there for a long time. If you look closely you can see architectural elements of bygone days…specifically in the Art Deco store fronts, polished steel, black ceramic tiles (remember the old TTC platforms?), and curved walls. Also as renovations occur, you can often see the remnants of a former store’s signage that evokes our history. We hope that these cool, retro features don’t disappear forever! Here are some neat examples...Robin Dickie

VIRGINIA LENNOX KELLY

Leaside Life • December 2021

Introducing Toy Drive Local by STAN FLEMMING One of the mandates of Leaside Life is to provide ways for our readers to connect to one another with the ultimate goal of fostering a deeper sense of community within Leaside. On December 2nd, the Leaside Toy Drive will be hosting its second Virtual Comedy Night, No Pants Required. All funds raised at this event go directly to purchasing over 4,000 toys for kids in need in our neighbouring community of Thorncliffe Park. If you have not already purchased your tickets – there is still time, a donation of $50 (or more) gets you a ticket to the online (adult humour) evening of comedy. But we wanted to find a way to do more and in this spirit, Leaside Life could think of no better organization to partner with than Leaside Toy Drive. This new partnership is called Toy Drive Local. Leaside Life and Leaside Toy Drive have teamed up to create a unique, engaging, cause marketing program that will allow local merchants to create meaningful connections with new customers, encourage repeat visits from loyal shoppers, and drive sales this holiday season. Toy Drive Local is more than just a fundraising campaign. It’s a new way for residents, businesses, and supporters to join forces to strengthen our Leaside community. The best part is that every dollar raised goes directly to purchasing additional toys for kids in need. Here’s how it works: • Visit Leaside Toy Drive and sign up for Toy Drive Local. Registration includes easily and securely enrolling your Visa or Mastercard. • Explore Toy Drive Local and the participating local merchant offers. • Shop the merchant offers with your enrolled card between December 3 and December 31. And when you do, donations go to Leaside Toy Drive! There is nothing for you or the merchant to do. And you are not donating your own money – you are just shopping as usual! • B oosted – All merchant donations are boosted in total by at least 100%! Yes, at least doubled thanks to Lexus On The Park, Toyota On The Park, and other generous Booster sponsors! • Dashboard – You will have your own dashboard on Toy Drive Local to follow donations made by local merchants and boosters because of your purchases. We hope you will take a moment and consider participating in this new initiative. The need in Thorncliffe Park has sadly never been greater and by signing up and using this new platform, you can through your everyday transactions, both support our local Leaside merchants and at the same time lend extra financial support directly to Toy Drive. And remember, shop local! n

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Leaside Life • December 2021

LOCAL SHOPPING GUIDE

Leaside Life • December 2021

Nominations for Agnes Macphail Award now open The East York Agnes Macphail Recognition Committee is now accepting nominations for the 28th Annual Agnes Macphail Award, to be presented in March 2022 either online or at the East York Civic Centre. Agnes Campbell Macphail (18901954) was the first woman elected to the House of Commons (1921) and the first seated in the Ontario Legislature (1943). During her years in office, she focused on issues of equality rights and social justice. Each nominee must be a resident of the former Borough of East York and an outstanding volunteer leader in community life in areas includ-

ing, but not limited to: women’s rights, fairness to seniors, criminal justice and penal reform, international peace and disarmament, and to adequate housing, health care and education. Email committee chair Lorna Krawchuk at LTKrawchuk8@ aol.com for nomination forms and more information. Contributions to the award can be made through The East York Foundation, c/o G. Piercey, 50 Merritt Rd., East York M4B 3K6. Donations go directly to a registered charity of the recipient’s choice. Charitable receipts are issued for donations over $25. n

Celebrate Christmas with Leaside United Church inside, outside and online! Advent Services

Nov 28, Dec 5, Dec 12, Dec 19 at 10:30 am In-person, Zoom & YouTube

Carols by Candlelight

A joint musical celebration with Northlea United Church & Leaside United Church, in support of Out-of-the-Cold Dec 12 at 7 pm Zoom & YouTube

Quiet Christmas

This reflective service offers space for all of the emotions we carry this Christmas season at the end of a challenging year Dec 16 at 7 pm In-person, Zoom & YouTube

In the Wild Carol Sing Dec 19 from 3-3:30 pm In-person on Church lawn

Carols and Choirs Christmas Eve Service

An opportunity for all ages to sing together and celebrate Christmas! Dec 24 from 5-5:30 pm on Church lawn

Christmas Eve Service

Dec 24 at 8 pm In-person, Zoom & YouTube 822 Millwood Road (at the corner of Millwood & McRae) www.leasideunited.org

dvent & Christmas

You are invited to join us: December 19, 4pm • Quiet Christmas December 20, 7pm • Virtual Carols with Friends December 24, 4pm • Christmas Eve Family Service – Lively and Interactive December 24, 8pm • Christmas Eve Traditional Choral Eucharist

December 25, 9am • Christmas Day Service

ME CON

Virtual Advent Study Series – Dec 1, 8, 15 & 22 at 7:30 pm Hallelujah: The Bible and Handel’s Messiah

ER SH

S T. C U T H B E RT ’ S , L E A S I D E

ST. CUTHBERT’S, LEASIDE 1399 Bayview Avenue 416-485-0329 • stcuthbertsleaside.com stcuthbertleaside@toronto.anglican.ca

Leaside Life • December 2021

at St. Cuthbert’s, Leaside!

Leaside Life • December 2021

THE

Curious Idler New book of poetry released by former Leasider Nathaniel Moore Nathaniel Moore, author of 10 books of poetry and fiction, was born in Toronto in 1974 and grew up in North Leaside. His 2014 novel Savage, set in Leaside, won the ReLit Award for best independent novel. Moore has just released his most recent work, a collection of poems, entitled Constrictor, published by Mansfield Press. The collection of 25 poems features a number of Leaside references and takes a realistic and sometimes dark journey. One poem, Duckworth’s Pool in North Leaside, alludes early on to the heavier subject matter to come. The final poem, Constrictor, starts out quietly as Moore paints what some consider a typical Leaside, but as the poem unfolds the reader is drawn into a world of trauma, Nathaniel Moore

secrets and teenage sexual abuse. For some the poem is not easy to read and in the end notes Moore reminds the readers, that if you know someone who is being sexually abused, to reach out and offer help. And if you are a victim of sexual abuse, to find someone to talk to. Moore currently resides in New Brunswick with his wife and daughter. Constrictor is available on Amazon or from Nathaniel at hello@moorehype.com.

food boxes by bike to help address food insecurity in Toronto. The group is looking for new volunteers in the community to help continue this important work. No special bike equipment is needed, meals are packed in a backpack and deliveries are local within the Thorncliffe neighbourhood. To learn more: https://www.bikebrigade.ca.

City council works to help small businesses with property tax reduction

Our hearts were broken as we learned of the passing of Robyn Israel this past October. In her role as advertising coordinator, Robyn was an integral part of our Leaside Life team from 2017 to 2018. Born in Halifax, Robyn graduated from St. Mary’s University and moved to Toronto, where she worked for 20 years in the group benefits industry. She was deeply and passionately involved in the Leaside community, including roles in the South Leaside Monday Group, Bessborough Home and School, and more recently the Leaside Baseball Association. Robyn’s infectious spirit, her love and care for her family and community will be missed by many, most especially her husband of 16 years, Jeff, and her two children Cassidy and Connor.

Toronto City Council approved a new small business property subclass that will provide a 15 per cent property tax reduction to small businesses. Small business property owners do not need to apply for this tax relief, as all commercial properties will be assessed for eligibility. The new small business property tax subclass will come into effect for the 2022 tax year. It is estimated that property tax reductions will apply to approximately 25,000 small businesses across Toronto, or 60 per cent of all commercial properties. Hopefully this program can offer some relief to local Leaside merchants.

East York Halal Meals on Wheels campaign is looking for new riders Since the onset of the pandemic, the Bike Brigade community, 1,000+ volunteers, has delivered over 20,000 hot meals and 10,000

In Memoriam – RIP Robyn Israel

It’s cold outside, but colder for some than others! Each night in Toronto, reportedly some 7,000 people suffer from homelessness. Life without a home is always difficult but as the winter months approach, the burden is

IDLER continued

SANGAMO From page 3

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as blood drives and air raid precaution drills. After the war it was a major supporter and booster of the town’s growth. In the popular 1958 booklet, The Leaside Story, by Charles Clay, Sangamo bought a full-page ad declaring how proud it was to have “played its part in the vibrant expansion of Leaside.” When Leaside celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1963, Sangamo marked the occasion by buying another fullpage ad – this time in the Leaside Advertiser – which highlighted its strong presence in the community. Some Leasiders may recall that the company had a locomotive outside its factory, which it used as an emergency generator. Others will remember its large revolving sign at the corner of Eglinton and Laird. For years, the sign was a Leaside landmark. It is now long gone – as is Sangamo itself. By the early 1980s the company had been acquired by energy giant Schlumberger Industries. By the early 1990s it had left Leaside altogether, ending a 50-year presence in the community. n

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Leaside Life • December 2021

deepened by the often incredibly cold days and nights. Our neighbours from Rosedale United Church have been working to collect at least 500 warm jackets to provide to the people of Toronto who do not have the resources to purchase a winter jacket for themselves. Collected jackets will be distributed through the outreach facilities of Fred Victor, Metropolitan United Church, Sanctuary Toronto Ministries and the Roehampton Shelter. Additionally, you can make tax-deductible charitable donations by e-transfer to churchoffice@rosedaleunited.org. For more information: email cebarry@ sympatico.ca. n

Traffic woes – steam coming out of my ears? Leaside Life • December 2021

When the Leaside Residents Association met with the project management team of the City’s Leaside Traffic Management Plan (LTMP) in late August, we were quite optimistic we might see some progress fairly soon. The LTMP has been operating for well over two years now. Rather than wait until a final traffic plan for North and South Leaside is devised, we hoped that priority would be given to install a few interim measures (whether temporary or experimental) to provide some relief and greater safety to Leaside streets. In September, I wrote to Eric Chan, manager of the LTMP, reiterating the need for some visible action, and asking for information that we could share regarding details and estimated timing. I am sorry to report that in a subsequent conversation, I learned that Eric felt that installing interim or experimental measures now would be both premature and unjustifiable. He said that his team still need to know more about the current situation and decisions should be deferred until the Eglinton Crosstown LRT has been in service for a while (2022? 2023?) to gather more data on the impact of the LRT on car traffic patterns. I replied that with or without the LRT

Carol Burtin Fripp Co-president, LRA

we all already know that there will be the same directional flows and entry/ exit points for flow-through traffic from the major residential developments on Eglinton East, not to mention the expected impact from the Celestica site and major retail-related pressures on Leaside’s periphery. And that in the meanwhile our streets would not be becoming any safer. After all this time (including the many years LRA has spent on our own traffic studies), you can imagine my reaction. Although experimenting with a few interim traffic calming measures might provide “quick wins,” Eric stated they might not achieve any win at all, or even trigger worse situations. They might need to be altered or removed eventually. Better to wait. In the absence of further information, I let Eric know that I would be reporting our conversation in this, my next Leaside Life column. Despite this seeming lack of prog-

ress, it is always worth persevering in a good cause! Leasiders’ desire for action has not gone unnoticed. There is positive news. Councillor Jaye Robinson, her office staff and City staff, are planning a town hall in December to discuss the LTMP and what Eric Chan describes as a facilitated “quick win discussion.” Eric gives the evening of Mon., Dec. 13th as the town hall’s tentative date, and urges us to “stay tuned for more information to come.” As soon as the date and time are confirmed, the LRA will send out an e-blast. The councillor will be publicizing the event as well. Contact information will be supplied at that time. This will be an important meeting for all Leasiders, a real opportunity to ask your questions, and to have your say. Please attend! Our next board meeting is on Wed., Dec. 1st via Zoom. You are always welcome to attend any of the LRA’s monthly meetings, which take place on the first Wednesday of each month. If you’d like to come and watch, or participate, please let us know by Dec. 1st so we can send you the Zoom details. You can also find us at www. leasideresidents.ca. n

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Leaside Life • December 2021

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Leaside Life • December 2021

BLACKBIRD From page 6

BASEBALL From page 10

etary, our finishes are state of the art. And we have done extensive research and development to make our boats the best they can be.” Over the past 25 years, Hunter says, he has sourced the best craftsmen for design, engineering, interior upholstery, power train, and other features. This kind of attention to detail takes time. Construction of a BlackBird boat is imperceptibly slow. The shop is busy, but this is not an assembly line. “Presently, I am restoring a 15-foot early ’60s Peterborough, also restoring a BlackBird that sank, refinishing another BlackBird, and starting a new build,” says Hunter. The shape of a boat is visible in the frames, and it is easy to imagine the graceful lines that will be the result. His parting thought: “Owning a BlackBird is an experience. We want our customers involved and we want them to understand our commitment to their boat.” For more information and video: http://blackbirdboats.com. n

after playing for Canada at the 1984 Olympics. One of his funniest memories involves Fleury bringing a bucket of water and a ladle for the players to drink from. With the bucket sitting outside the dugout between third base and home plate, the water often gathered a fine layer of sand on the surface. Eliopoulos’s involvement in baseball continued as a bullpen catcher in the 80s for the Toronto Blue Jays, and as a coach for his son’s teams for 14 years. He “feels deeply honoured to be part of that era” and is still friends with “many if not all” of the players from his Leaside Senior days. For the past 75 years, “The Shrine” has seen its share of fun, friendships, and great baseball. For the Senior teams who took the field from 1972 to 1989, their incredible success has now been recognized with induction into the Baseball Ontario Hall of Fame. With 11 championships in 18 years, theirs is a team worthy of such acclaim. n

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Leaside Life

SENIOR FITNESS

leasidelife.com

Editor: Jane W. Auster Publisher: Lorna Krawchuk Webmaster: Erin Sorhaug Graphic Design: Robin Dickie Advertising: Karli Vezina FH Publishing Inc. 1 Wiltshire Ave, unit 114 Toronto, Ontario M6N 2V7

Toronto Finnish-Canadian Seniors Centre 795 Eglinton Avenue East

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FALL / WINTER / SPRING & SUMMER SESSIONS AQUA FITNESS * GROUP FITNESS * OSTEO FITNESS Office Hours: Mon. to Fri. 9 am–5 pm For more info contact: 416-425-4134 x 225 Email: emas@suomikoti.ca

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The Leaside Painter

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Local Leaside Business

Leaside Life • December 2021

LATE TAXES, SMALL BUSINESS ACCOUNTING AND TAX NEEDS

From all of us at Access Storage Wishing you and your family a safe and happy holiday season, and all the best in 2022!

HELP US BUILD A MOUNTAIN OF TOYS THIS CHRISTMAS! Bring a new unwrapped toy to any of our Ontario Access Storage locations until December 11th to be entered to WIN FREE STORAGE FOR A YEAR. *See store for details.

205 Wicksteed Avenue 40 Beth Nealson Drive

AccessStorage.ca