Issuu

J U LY 2022

Happy Can

leasidelife.com

No. 122

Leaside’s foodie centre by LORNA KRAWCHUK If you’re a foodie, you’re probably familiar with the rise of food halls, those gastro-palaces showcasing a smorgasbord of culinary delights from a variety of restaurants and chefs. Leaside boasts its own food hall: East York Eats at 858 Eglinton Ave. East, between Laird and Sutherland, celebrated its first anniversary in June. The six featured eateries are independently owned businesses working together to produce, as they say, “fresh eats and sweet treats,” and offering takeout, delivery, dine-in and patio options. LOCAL B US TING IN OR E PP

Conspiracy Pizza Dan Rios of Conspiracy Pizza fame is the brainchild

Meet our new Don Valley West MPP Page 24

The boys of East York Eats: l-r: Roger, Alon, Barry, Vince, Peter, and Dan.

behind the food hall. You may recognize the Conspiracy name from the original partnership, starting in 2017, with Adam Skelly and Rios on Wicksteed. They enjoyed coming up with conspiracy-inspired names for their pizzas with a wide range of ingredients. The Grassy Knoll may not have been a top seller (it did feature a lot of kale) but everyone got the reference. In 2019, Dan bought out Adam, but remained on Wicksteed until December 2020. He jumped at the chance to sign a lease for a large space at 858 Eglinton Ave. East to be able to stay in the neighbourhood. He also wanted to keep the Conspiracy name after the move and build its brand. He employs eight delivery drivers, paying them a fair wage, enabling them to keep their tips and on busy nights, there can be six or seven people working on

the line. Celiacs like me are pleased that he’s offering gluten free options. Vegans can be accommodated as well. It’s all here – the classics, the interesting – and yes, he also has his own smoker out back. Phamily Eats Peter Pham grew up around food in Montreal where his mother ran a restaurant, and travelled to Hong Kong for a time to cook as well. But burnt out from that stressful life, he returned to Canada and worked in construction while making the patties and pot pies he loves in his condo on the weekends. An article published in BlogTO mentioning his side business generated 1,500 orders for patties! His normal weekly business was 20 orders, or 300 patties. Dan Rios came to the rescue.

FOODIE HALL Page 4

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Leaside Life • July 2022

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Editor’s Welcome Foodies delight! Leaside boasts its own food hall

Jane Auster

I’ve been a confirmed food hall fan since the concept of an all-under-one-roof culinary extravaganza experience was introduced in Toronto. I was one of those waiting with anticipation for the opening of Eataly, which I had read about years before the company announced plans to take on Toronto. Food halls, not to be confused with the food courts that grace many of our malls, are destinations in themselves, often showcasing local chefs, independent operators and global tastes. Many food halls are also hyper-local, catering to local tastes. They are culinary theatre personified. So, imagine my delight when Leaside Life publisher Lorna Krawchuk approached me with an idea to write about a Leaside-born and bred food hall, right on Eglinton between Laird and Sutherland. East York Eats emanates from the fertile imagination of Dan Rios of Conspiracy Pizza fame. His pizzeria originally, which partnered with

Adam Skelly of Adamson’s, has now joined with five other eateries working independently but also together to produce, as they say, “fresh eats with sweet treats.” Even though they launched in the midst of the pandemic, in June 2021, they’ve managed to attract a loyal following of food-aware customers attracted to the eclectic eats and the entrepreneurs behind those eats. Entrepreneurialism is thriving elsewhere in Leaside. With this issue we introduce a new regular column on the Leaside Business Park. Our talented co-op student Claire Hu interviewed the Leaside Business Park Association’s dynamic president Leslie Kellen, who shares his vision for the LBP. Far from being two solitudes, the Business Park and residential Leaside are finding more and more reasons to reach out and connect. Enjoy the issue! n

Editor Leaside Life

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Growing up and out with the Leaside Business Park

by CLAIRE HU

Leaside Life • July 2022

The Leaside Business Park is an evolving community with many stories to share from its vibrant past with even more stories to feature in its promising future. We can’t wait to tell them all. With this issue, Leaside Life launches a regular column exploring life at the park. Leslie Kellen, current president of the Leaside Business Park Association (LBPA), is a passionate leader who generously shared with us the association’s plan to achieve a bright future for this important Leaside neighbourhood: What is your vision for the Leaside Business Park? The vision is for the community to be collaborative, to be healthy, vibrant, and to continue to grow and evolve. The way that the community is going to prosper is going to look different depending on the lens that you’re viewing it through. If you’re looking at it through the business lens

BUSINESS PARK Page 22

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Foodies delight at East York Eats food hall

Leaside Life • July 2022

Through his friend Roger Li, Rios had tried and loved the patties. While waiting for his new premises to be renovated, Dan helped Peter get those patties out the door and set up a proper patty and pot pie business. Peter offers pot pies – chicken and short rib, frozen or fresh, and patties – vegan, spicy or mild beef – as well as a home-made hot sauce.

time job at Adamson BBQ, where he met Dan at Conspiracy, and Dan started to sell Vincent’s ice cream at Conspiracy Pizza. But what to call the new ice cream venture? Because of his hip hop background, the words “turnt up,” a slang term for getting excited, combined with the word “churned” for the ice cream-making process, produced the business name Churnt Up.

Churnt Up Vincent Lao took chef training at George Brown Community College before co-owning a popular burrito franchise for about 10 years. Then, one balmy February day, he wanted ice cream, and there was none to be found that met his standards – premium handcrafted, small batches, high quality ingredients. Much to his surprise, he could buy a small ice cream machine for about $100, so he promptly bought one and started playing with ice cream. His first organized ventures were at dance workshops (Vince is also a dancer and hip hop choreographer). His ice cream was a hit. By coincidence, Vince also had a part-

Bao is Life Roger Li first tasted pork belly buns in 2013 at a downtown eatery. He couldn’t figure out how to make something that tasted right to him, until a friend with a Taiwanese background showed him how they were made, by steaming rather than baking, and that got him going. By 2016, he had started making his bao (bread) as a catering company, mostly cooking from home, but using commissary kitchens for larger events. His day job was at a bank, but friends always said he was miserable there, and should do something else. In 2017, he was working for Dan at Conspiracy Pizza, but

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left to travel. When he returned, he was driving for Uber, among other things, and happened to show up at Conspiracy. A conversation about delivery morphed into a discussion about turning Roger’s bao-making into an independent business. And the name? Vince Lao plays basketball, and as they were tossing around possible names for Roger’s business, they were thinking about “ball is life” – which then became Bao is Life. Midnight Cookie In the cold winter of 2021, Emily Banks and her boyfriend, Alon Steinbach, moved to Toronto, Emily’s hometown from Tel Aviv, where they had been working. They were having no luck finding any sort of late-night sweet treats or snacks. Even though Emily’s business skills are in digital strategy, she is also an enthusiastic home baker. Starting in her mother’s kitchen, she and her boyfriend spent two months perfecting cookie bases they could use to get specialty cookies from order to destination, still warm, in under an hour. She used social media to get the word out, which worked so well that the home oven was no longer large enough to accommodate the orders. Just by chance, Emily’s mother drove by 858 Eglinton Ave. East and saw a sign advertising a food hall. Emily phoned, talked with Dan, and thus was born Midnight Cookie, with a large commercial oven. These are cookies you can order at 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. on the weekend, and have them freshly baked and delivered to you, warm, usually within the hour. Chocolate chunk, M&M, Caramilk, “Just the Dough” are only a few of the yummy offerings. Southern Crown Caribbean Smokehouse This is the only business in the food hall with two owners. Kyle McClure grew up in the southern states, while Barrington Graham was a child in Jamaica. As an adult in Canada, Barrington owned a Caribbean restaurant for a number of years, while Kyle started with an apprenticeship with the Millcroft Inn before working as a chef for over 20 years. For the past decade, the two of them worked for a large fine-din-

FOODIE HALL Page 29

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Leaside Life • July 2022

Community

Burritos. Bowls. Salads. Wraps. Soups. Smoothies. Juices and more…

where, night and day, in all weather conditions, includRon Butcher fondly recalls cycling ing snow. “I get around WHERE the streets of Leaside as a youngToronto and Leaside so ARE THEY ster. “My bike provided freedom, easily visiting family and NOW? adventure and fun. I felt I could friends, picking up and delivgo any way and do anything. My ering things, enjoying restauschool friends and I would set out rants and music venues.” in front of my house on Cameron He’s dedicated to shopping Crescent and race around the block local. “In Leaside it’s the in opposite directions, riding as fast Bayview strip where it’s a joy as we could to claim first back to to see familiar shopkeepers the start. The roads had next to no and run into friends. In the traffic after school until just before UK my 25-mile grocery shopdinnertime.” ping route always includes Ron’s passion for cycling hasn’t elevenses, a cycling break at a waned in the intervening decades café for a sweet and coffee.” whether he’s at his current home, Ron also cycles to his various in England, or visiting Leaside. He work gigs, even those in the moved across the pond in 2007 and heart of London. “I catch the visits Leaside friends and family, train and disembark 10 miles including his daughter Liza, regfrom Harrods and ride along ularly. “I moved for love and as Grand Union to Paddington I started exploring Britain on my Station, then into Hyde Park, bike, both city and country roads and the last five minutes on revealed interesting and scenic the busy streets. I feel safe places,” says Ron. everywhere I cycle thanks to With few exceptions, cycling is his the British traffic code giving preferred mode of transportation. pedestrians and then cyclists When in Leaside he rides everythe right of way.” For the past 15 years Ron and his band of Brit buddies, aged 60s to mid-80s, have embarked on an annual cycling trip. “Our Scottish planner, Willie, spends six months doing all the research, charting out the route, calculating the budget and booking the meals and accommodations for the journey plus adding historical and unique sights to our itinerary. We have no support Leaside Village vehicle so we economize on what we bring, ensuring we’re prepared for all Medical Clinic weather conditions. Recent trips have included a week cycling in Glasgow and Mull of Kintyre (homestead of Paul McCartney), Northern Ireland, the Shetland and Orkneys and we have a long bucket list.” Ron’s group uses the Strava app to track their trip. It charts their daily The new Leaside Village Medical Clinic is thrilled to provide kilometres, duration of riding time, many medical services for our Leaside Community. average and fastest speed, which We offer Family Medicine, Dermatology, Cosmetic Services, Cardiology, Ron reported as 39km/hour, when Urology, IV Iron Infusions and Orthopedic services in our newly built, comfortable cycling downhill. and easily accessible medical clinic. In addition, we offer Physiotherapy and These days he lives in Denham, Orthotic services powered by the experienced team from Foundation Physiotherapy. a 50-minute cycle journey from We are honored to welcome psychologist Dr. Jennifer Brownstein, who now offers Windsor, so on June 2, he and his individual and group therapy to increase your overall well being. friends cycled to the Royal Farm Shop Café to enjoy a coffee cake and Check out our website at www.LVMC.ca or call us at (416) 487-2442. catch the Royal flyover launching We look forward to serving our community! the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. As he Leaside Village Plaza, Unit 206, 25 Industrial St., East York, Ontario says of his own cycling adventures, (above the Shoppers Drug Mart/PetSmart) “Jump on a bike. Enjoy the freedom and adventure that awaits.” n by SUZANNE PARK

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Leaside Life • July 2022

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Building St. Cuthbert’s new wall one stone at a time Over this past winter, if you’ve been keeping an eye on the Bayview Garden project on the northern part of the property at St. Cuthbert’s Church, you will have noticed significant change – especially in the dry stone wall going north from the church front entrance. The man responsible for the wall transformation is Menno Braam, who began this project last fall – carefully moving all the stones from the head-height wall into a cagedoff portion of the church parking lot. Then, once regrading had taken place at the corner, he spent the winter moving those stones back again – but this time, into a lower drystone wall, and a plinth for an electronic sign. There is still more than enough stone for the next part of the project – completing a water feature farther down St. Cuthbert’s Road. Menno worked in all kinds of weather conditions, often with only a tiny tent to offer protection from

LORNA KRAWCHUK

Leaside Life • July 2022

by LORNA KRAWCHUK

the weather. Braam is one of the founding members of the Dry Stone Walling Association of Canada. There are about 50 members now, most of whom work in Ontario. He also

holds two levels of certification from the Dry Stone Walling Association of Great Britain, as well as instructor qualifications. You might well have seen him at Canada Blooms over the years, working on demon-

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ST. CUTHBERT’S continued And while dry stone work is what he dearly loves, he is happy to take on other projects for walkways, benches, and even projects involving mortar. Menno also teaches workshops for Landscape Ontario for people in the industry, and weekend courses through Dry Stone Canada that appeal to those wanting to tackle a project on their own property. When he and I spoke, he gave me a bit of a crash course in dry stone techniques. The largest stones are at the bottom, and the wall is thicker at the bottom than at the top. The wall needs to be thick enough to withstand frost heave. The stones overlap, so water doesn’t get trapped. Around knee-height, every few feet there are “through stones” going back-to-front in the wall, stitching the two halves together. According to Menno, dry stone work is a combination of “friction and physics.” One piece of advice he offered: even if it’s tempting, don’t pick out what looks like loose stone in a dry stone wall. In fact, that stone is quite solid. n

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Leaside Life • July 2022

stration dry stone wall projects with other professionals. Originally from Etobicoke, Menno worked in a video store after high school before joining a landscaping company. His parents encouraged him to attend Bryn Athyn College in Pennsylvania where he studied philosophy and religion for two years. But what stayed with him most when he returned home was the beautiful stonework of the buildings there, and more particularly the dry stone. Since returning to Canada, Menno has completed five years of apprenticeship and continues to upgrade his qualifications since starting his own business – Whistling Dwarf Stonework – in 2001. Why Whistling Dwarf? Author Graham Hancock, in a book, Fingerprints of the Gods, credited whistling dwarfs for some of the world’s oldest and finest stonework in Peru. Apparently, they whistled the stones into place. No such luck for Menno. His work requires strength and good judgment, along with regular chiropractic treatments to keep him going.

Reminiscing at Leaside Memorial Gardens

Leaside Life • July 2022

Earlier this week, our weekly ball hockey game, normally played on the outdoor pad at Withrow Park in Riverdale, was moved indoors due to rain. This happens now and then. Frankly, it happens more frequently than we might like. It just seems that if it’s going to rain, even if only for a short time, it tends to happen on Tuesday evenings during ball hockey season. However, on the positive side of the ledger, this sometimes means we play at Leaside Gardens. Such was the case this week. For someone as sentimental and nostalgic as I, being back in the arena where I played my entire minor hockey career, starting more than 50 years ago, can be a little overwhelming. It’s easy to be distracted by familiar sights and the memories they prompt – like the display cases with team photos and trophies along the west wall, or the dressing rooms that still look (and smell) pretty much as they did back in the ’70s. Now, mentally glazing over and drifting away occasionally to reminisce is usually fine, but doing it during the game in the middle of your shift is not recommended. At one point the other

Terry Fallis Columnist

night, I was waiting for the ref to drop the ball for a faceoff when my eyes, and my mind, shifted to the gondola up above from which my brother and I would often watch our sons’ games in their final season on Leaside’s Select team. (It was a joy to coach our sons and watch them play,

“...what an extraordinary community resource [the arena] is and has been for so many decades...” but I digress.) Anyway, it turns out I was still standing there at the faceoff circle gazing up into the gondola long after the play had moved into our zone. “Wake up!” came the call

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from my bench – I won’t repeat the profane epithet that accompanied it. It seems most of my teammates aren’t quite so wrapped up in their Leaside arena memories. (I will point out that I did score in that game, which is as rare these days as the Leafs making it through round one of the playoffs. So all was forgiven.) Being back at Leaside Gardens this week brought back other memories, like spending summer Saturday afternoons swimming at the pool and perfecting our can-openers off the high diving board to yield splashes of maximum height. Or Friday night free skates and the adolescent hormonal currents running just beneath the surface, which I’ve written about in this space before. Or when I was invited to speak at a couple of Leaside Sports Hall of Fame events in the William Lea Room. (When I was first approached about speaking, I thought they wanted to induct me into the Hall. But no, it was Terry Caffery inducted that year, not I.) And I’ve lost count of all the hockey tournaments I played in, coached in, or volunteered for over the years, but they all trigger great memories of long ago, growing up in Leaside. Early in our Leaside hockey career, such as it was, my mother would always try to feed us a big breakfast on Saturday mornings before we’d head off to the arena for our game. But my twin brother and I were always a little tense before taking to the ice – you know, with the stakes being so high and all – so we had very little pre-game appetite. So the phrase, “we’re not hungry on hockey days” became legendary in our house. Unfortunately, I seem to have outgrown my pre-game fasting and all the benefits that came with it. Now, at 62-years-old, I never pass up the opportunity for a meal, before, after, or even during the game. Being back at Leaside Gardens this week also reminded me what an extraordinary community resource it is and has been for so many decades. It was great to be back there, even if we did lose our game. (Did I mention I scored?) 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. His most recent, Operation Angus, is now in bookstores. You can also subscribe to his newsletter: https://terryfallis.substack.com. n

Leaside Life • July 2022

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What’s the new “normal” for Leaside sports? by SUSAN SCANDIFFIO Throughout the pandemic, like so many others, I have contemplated what life might look like once we return to “normal.” Will “normal” be the normal of pre-Covid? For me, these thoughts have included our active lifestyle. How, if at all, did the pandemic alter our habits? Have parents reconsidered the importance of organized team sports? Are kids itching to return to their chosen activities? Studies have shown that for many, lockdowns resulted in more sedentary lifestyles. For others, it was a time to embrace a less crowded calendar and adopt new activities on their own time. Have kids returned to organized sports? Or have they discovered new active choices not involving strict time commitments? And what’s with all the kids on skateboards? Have the cancellations of team and school sports and the bans (during the pandemic) on accessing public outdoor play equipment altered kids’ desire to be active? With so many questions in mind,

BRETT PURCELL

Leaside Life • July 2022

I approached the coordinators of the Leaside Girls Softball League to gauge their insights on how the pandemic has, and possibly continues to, affect their organization. The Leaside Girls’ Softball League has been running for 17 years with more than a thousand players having participated in that time. The league runs in May and June, or as co-convenor Carla Findlater describes it, “post-hockey and pre-summer.” As a non-profit organization, the

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league has operated through the generosity of sponsors. It’s a league which not only encourages skill development and fun for girls in Grades 3 to 12 but also provides leadership roles for girls to boost their confidence, gain a clearer understanding of how organizations run, and offer them a role they might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience. The older girls organize umpire scheduling, run the league’s social media accounts, and help coordinate merchandising. This year, though, the league has seen a substantial drop in both registrations and sponsorships. For some of the league’s previous sponsors, Covid hit their businesses hard, leaving them understandably unable to continue their former financial backing. According to Findlater, the league is aware that some players have left the sport as they discovered other interests during their years away from the field. She also knows that some families experienced, and have decided to continue, a slower lifestyle with fewer outside commitments. One of the challenges in being unable to play for three years in a league with combined age groups is that some girls missed the introductory two years and are playing with girls with more experience. It’s a frustrating challenge for both players and coaches but one which is being approached with understanding and a plan to get the girls’ skill levels back up to speed without too much pressure. In terms of fun, though, Findlater comments, “it feels like Covid never happened.”

SPORTS Page 15

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Leaside Life • July 2022

Drive to “open up” neighbourhoods like Leaside slows Expanding Housing Options in Neighbourhoods (EHON) is a set of City Planning-led initiatives intended to intensify the lands designated as neighbourhoods – the so-called “Yellow Belt” – in Toronto. It is driven by the twin “housing crises” of lack of supply and lack of affordability. “Opening up” neighbourhoods is seen as being one of the ways to relieve the problems. Not everyone agrees – some say there is no lack of supply, housing starts have exceeded the population increase, and the escalated prices are due to rampant speculation. Nevertheless, Toronto has drunk the Kool-Aid and is determined to intensify the neighbourhoods, with the housing type triplets – Laneway Suites, Garden Suites and Multiplexes. Where does this stand right now? Laneway Suites Laneway suites – secondary suites (to a main residence) on a laneway – have been approved, but have limited application in Leaside as

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Saving old Leaside there are few lanes here! There is just one built, on the lane behind Randolph south of Stickney (see LL July 2021). Garden Suites In March 2022, seven residents’ organizations appealed the City’s approval of Garden Suites legislation to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) – LRA was not one of the appellants, as we were not eligible to do so. The appellant residents’ organizations are not against Garden Suites per se but have concerns about how the Official Plan Amendment and zoning bylaws are written. The appeal was registered with the OLT. City Legal then brought forward a Motion to Dismiss the

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Garden Suites Appeal, and a hearing date was set for June 2. The seven residents’ organizations submitted a letter to the councillors on May 5. In preparation for the City Council meeting on May 11, they asked the councillors to consider tabling/supporting a motion “to direct staff to meet with us to resolve our concerns rather than seeking to litigate and trying to dismiss the appeal on June 2.” At the May 11 City Council session, a motion was approved for City Legal and Planning to meet with the appellants, and the meeting was held on May 20. The City listened to the RAs’ submission and provided their explanations for some of the items of concern, but there was no discussion of any possible modifications. The OLT proceeded on June 2. City Legal presented their Motion and Affidavits, followed by William Roberts, legal counsel for the Appellants presenting the Motion and Affidavits. They now await an OLT decision on the Motion to Dismiss. Multiplexes The third component of EHON is Multiplexes (duplex, triplex and fourplex) – the idea is to encourage these forms of housing throughout every neighbourhood. A draft Official Plan Amendment (OPA) was distributed on May 5, 2022, and the public were asked to submit their comments by May 31, 2022. The Federation of North Toronto Residents Assns (FoNTRA) (of which LRA is a member) reviewed the document but had many questions that could not be answered or understood unless one could read the OPA in conjunction with the proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendment (ZBA), which is not yet available. The schedule called for the EHON Multiplexes OPA being approved by the end of the current City Council term, although the Zoning Bylaw Amendments would not be published for review until early 2023. FoNTRA felt that the two should be reviewed together. They questioned the rush to approve this before City Council’s end of term before the election. LRA sent an email to our councillor and city officials asking that the review/ approval of the proposed Official Plan Amendment be deferred.

NEIGHBOURHOODS cont’d 15

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SPORTS From Page 12 For player parent Kathleen Benum, “baseball is as much about fun and sport as it is about community. It’s great to have that sense of community and belonging back.” Player Madeline Walsh echoes Benum’s thoughts on the sense of community experienced through the league. She also comments that she is “so excited to be playing a sport I love with my sister and friends! It’s so great to be back and finally ‘normal’ again!” Check out the league: https://leasidegirlssoftball.weebly.com. n

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On May 26, the EHON team announced a change in the schedule: only a Proposals Report will be presented to the Planning and Housing Committee on July 5; they will NOT be asked to approve the Draft OPA. Rather, “both the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw amendments are expected to be brought forward at the same time in early 2023.” FoNTRA submitted a very detailed Comment letter on May 31 accompanied by a Planning Report by ARRIS Strategy Studio on the Draft OPA. There are many questions and concerns about the OPA, the not yet published ZBA, and the new concept of ‘Building Envelope’ or ‘Permitted Envelope’ and how all of this will impact our neighbourhoods. So, how far should the City go to open up neighbourhoods to new types of housing – to so-called “gentle density”? Maybe more time is needed to examine this important question. In March I wrote that “City Planning is moving rapidly on multiplexes and the policy may well be approved by the time City Council holds its last regular meeting in July.” Hopefully, now that additional time has been secured, it can be used for constructive discussions between now and 2023. This question of how far the City should go (and how) is important to residents, and deserves much more consideration than the City has allowed for so far. A few meetings on Zoom with maybe 100 people on the line from a wide area is no way to have an effective conversation. Neighbourhoods are not the same. I think the fair way to do this is using local area planning, not one-sizefits-all “as of right” rezoning across Toronto. n

LHS teacher retires after 37 years and 8 principals by JANIS FERTUCK One of the most versatile and involved teachers to grace the halls of Leaside High School is retiring after 37 years. Mary Morrison was hired in 1985 and has taught girls’ physical education, science and mathematics over her career, coached a variety of teams, and been an integral part of many clubs, committees and special events. Mary grew up in Montreal and had her first teaching job there after obtaining Bachelor’s degrees in Arts, Physical Education and Education at Queen’s University. While she started out in phys. ed., Mary gradually moved on to science and math, teaching only math in the last 12 years. She counts Phys. Ed. Head Wayne Wessell, Math Head Dave Stickney and Principal Tony Tumminieri as her early mentors. Mary’s science colleague, Nadia Moledina, has always been impressed by her “passion for teaching, strong work ethic, mentoring of new teachers, organizational skills and desire to help students to achieve to their highest poten-

SUSAN SMITH

Leaside Life • July 2022

tial” by providing extra help in the morning and at lunch. Students both past and present have high praise for Mary’s excellent teaching skills and her talent for fostering a love of math and science. Graduating students Trinity Ung

and Arvin Ashouri commented that she “creates a balance between conveying the curriculum and maintaining the well-being of her students.” Mary also made her mark outside the classroom, coaching a variety of sports. Her most recent team accomplishments were in field hockey, winning a silver medal in 2018 and a division championship in 2019. In addition, she took part in several committees over the years such as Staffing, Numeracy, Scholarship and Commencement. When she was the advisor to the Environment Club, the group introduced the blue bin recycling program and designed and planted the native plant garden in the front circle. But perhaps her most significant contribution to extracurricular activities was as the organizer of the very successful charity fundraiser fashion shows from 2004 to 2016, which raised over $40,000 for causes such as the Humane Society, One Child, Pancreatic Cancer Research and Sleeping Children Around the World. As Science Head Helen Panayiotou said, “No matter what extracurricular Mary took on, she always gave 100% and her enthusiasm was contagious.” Mary says that one of her biggest recent challenges has been “dealing with the shifts from virtual to hybrid to in-person learning during the pandemic and the effects on the students’ well-being.” But she takes pride in “inspiring students to become more self-directed and seeing them develop into peer leaders and successful university students.” Principal Barbara Nixon says she has “the utmost respect for Mary as a life-long learner” who mastered new teaching techniques, even in her final year.” Working under eight principals, Mary experienced many changes in terms of curriculum, board initiatives, student demographics and digital platforms. But many aspects of the school have remained consistent, she said, including “the tradition of excellence, the strong collaborative staff, extracurriculars and the positive parental and community support.” What’s next for this exemplary teacher? For now, Mary plans to spend some time in Collingwood and focus on her fitness regime. She will be missed! n

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Leaside Life • July 2022

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Bikes Without Borders cycles to Leaside by HOLLY REID Step into the Amsterdam Brewery these days and you’ll find more than beer on the storage racks. The brewery at 45 Esandar Drive is sharing some of its 65,000 sq. ft. site with registered charity Bikes Without Borders. Conceived by social entrepreneur Mike Brcic, Bikes Without Borders seeks to empower marginalized people with greater mobility through bicycles. I toured the facilities with volunteer coordinator Greg Andre-Barrett, which is chock-a-block with donated bikes in various states of repair. One raft of refurbished bikes is destined for Africa via World Vision, but the majority of bikes they distribute are to newcomers, refugees and low-income Canadians in the Toronto area. For many people, a bike is the cheapest way to get around, whether it is to explore their new city or to get to work or school. Andre-Barrett says the cost of transit is high in the GTA, but a bike makes getting around free, preserving whatever income or savings people have for food and shelter. The organization normally gets about 300 bikes per year into

HOLLY REID

Leaside Life • July 2022

Bikes Without Borders and Amsterdam Brewery – bikes on the bottom and beer on top!

people’s hands, but this year, with Amsterdam Brewery’s amazing support, they are upping their game. “Our Great Bike Recycle program’s stretch goal is to get 1,000 refurbished bikes per year to people who need them. To make this happen, we need more volunteers to help us transform donated bikes into bikes that are ready to ride,” explains Andre-Barrett. All are welcome to volunteer and will receive training on how to fix bikes and on basic bike mechanics. For young people, this can be a gateway to getting a job in a bike shop, or a means of earning community

service hours for school. Amsterdam Brewery has long been associated with bikes, with brews featuring bikes on the label and names such as “3 Speed,” “Big Wheel,” and “Cruiser.” Supporting Bikes Without Borders by providing space and funding a part-time bike mechanic seems like the perfect way for the company to give back. How can Leasiders help? Become a volunteer bike mechanic, volunteer to pick up or deliver bikes and/or make a bike or financial donation. Visit https://bikeswithoutborders.org to learn more. n

Tour de Thorncliffe is back! Building on the success of last summer, the Gateway Bike Hub, Women’s Cycling Network and Thorncliffe Park Autism Support Network (TPASN) are repeating the Tour de Thorncliffe bike-athon. The goal for 2022 is to raise $10,000 to run an eight-week free camp for kids with autism. TPASN has secured federal funding for student counsellors, and donations from the Tour de Thorncliffe will provide the rest. “For some kids, especially those who have high needs, this camp is the only option to spend summer meaningfully. Dozens of parents are endlessly grateful to our community for this opportunity,” says TPASN founder Shakhlo Sharipova.

How can you get involved? Be a rider and collect sponsors, sponsor a rider or make a donation. The Tour de Thorncliffe starts with a kick-off event on June 18th and runs to July 16th, when it will wrap up with community celebration. Learn more at https://tourdethorncliffe.ca. n

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Leaside Life • July 2022

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It’s Gardenzilla to the rescue! Perhaps you’re having trouble controlling a monster shrub that quickly outgrew its space. Maybe your garden is suddenly full of weeds because you’re just too busy. How about that overly demanding lawn? Whatever your garden battles, Gardenzilla will come to the rescue! Their mission is to make sustainable landscape services accessible and affordable for busy families and homeowners. And they’re right here in Leaside after moving to the ’hood from East York a few years ago! Check out the Gardenzilla website and you will find all of the services they provide along with upfront pricing (no guessing, no surprises) or you can simply request a quote for a specific job. It’s fast and easy! They do lawn and garden maintenance, custom care (maybe you just need a few shrubs pruned) spring/fall garden cleanups, seasonal planters (book now for fall), landscape designbuild services, and so much more – including snow removal. Check out their Facebook page and you can see some garden transformations, read customer reviews and view the Gardenzilla team in action. And notice how happy they look!

This is the kind of local success story that makes one proud and it’s not just because of their amazing growth. It’s more about how and why they grew.

The Leaside Gardener Debora Kuchme Columnist

JAMES TAYLOR

Leaside Life • July 2022

Michael Chudy started this company with just one truck and a dream. That was back in 2014. Now, at their Leaside headquarters (a half-acre yard, office and nursery), the team stands at 42 this year, maintaining more than 800 client properties. Considered the best rated lawn and garden services in Midtown Toronto (thanks to all of their 10/10 reviews) they are the 2022 winner of The Best of The Best Award from HomeStars.

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Staff are the key Having worked in this business a long time, Chudy knows that the best way to make his clients happy is to provide them with great work, reliable service and fair pricing. It all comes down to having highly skilled staff who really enjoy what they do. “Our staff is the foundation of our company,” Chudy told me. “Without them, we don’t exist.” At Gardenzilla, staff comes first, customers second and the bottom line third. Now, two more values have been added to include the community and the planet. The green in Gardenzilla grows Creating greener landscapes is something Gardenzilla has been doing for quite a while with pollinator, native species and rain garden plantings. They convert front and back lawns into low maintenance mulched gardens and now do 60-80 of those a year. They offer Smart About Salt approved snow removal (operation certified to reduce the environmental impact of salt). And just recently, they became Toronto’s certified residential installer of Stormflow permeable resurfacing. This is a locally made recycled product with a wide range of environmental benefits, including a reduction in water runoff. It’s used to overcoat existing surfaces or create new driveways, paths, patios or any surface you want to make permeable. But for years, the garden industry has been doing more harm than good with their gas-fuelled equipment. I’m happy to report that Gardenzilla is changing all that. They offer all-electric gardening services, and will be expanding to include all-electric mowing for urban gardens next year. They are always looking for ways to be greener. Last December Chudy made an endof-season speech to his staff and said, “I have three children of my own, and many of you have or plan to have families. I want to leave them a better world, and I want to tell them proudly about the work that we’re doing.” It IS easy to be green. Just ask Gardenzilla. Visit leasidelife.com for the extended version of this article with more photos! n

Leaside Life • July 2022

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of a historic, industrial, heavy manufacturing business, it’s important that you maintain the right to operate your business in ways that require truck traffic and in ways that require potentially having smokestacks and specific distribution requirements. If you’re looking at it as a retail business, then factors like increased density, foot traffic, a healthy and vibrant sidewalk, transportation systems, and commercial offices become important. We work closely with the Leaside Heritage Preservation Society, and from their lens, preserving the great history of the area and making sure that it survives the generations to come is important. And then you look at the residential view: we also work closely with the Leaside Residents Association on the kinds of things that are important to residents for a healthy community now and in the future. I see us playing a really key role in being able to advocate across all stakeholder groups for what’s important, ultimately creating a symbiotic relationship among all of us. Because the LBP is such an old industrial area, it has quite a few brownfield sites. How do you think this affects potential business owners from moving into the area and redeveloping it? The costs of possibly remediating contaminated lands are going to be factored into anyone’s underwriting when they’re looking at making an investment or moving in. I don’t think that brownfield sites are unique to Leaside or Toronto. It really comes down to what the cost for cleaning that contamination is going to be, and how to best mitigate those challenges to have a successful business. As the LRT construction comes to a close and more people look into finding business areas along that transit line, do you think that the Leaside Business Park’s brownfield sites will deter possible investors? People will be able to work around brownfield sites and the LBPA will still be able to boom as the LRT line finishes up because there’s nothing about the LRT line specifically that’s making the sites more contaminated. If anything, the areas on the periphery of where the LRT line work is taking place are being cleaned up to a much higher standard than they were originally. Businesses that are going

History of the Leaside Business Park, Wikipedia-style Birth: Born in the late 1800s, the valuable land and community we live in now was initially bought for transportation purposes. Ontario and Quebec railways purchased the current Leaside land to place maintenance shops and train stations. As the popularity and potential of this small railway port grew, it was eventually rebought with the intention of repurposing to become a new town. In 1913, the town of Leaside was established along with Canada’s first planned industrial development park: the Leaside Business Park. Adolescence: Canadian Wire and Cable, a major contributor to the town’s success, moved in during Leaside’s founding year. They brought with them a bank, jobs, and housing for employees, playing an invaluable role in developing Leaside’s economy for the first few decades. The small town grew to accomplish great goals, creating “record quantities of munitions for British and U.S governments” and housing an airfield which achieved “the first regular air-mail service in North America,” according to the LBPA’s website and based on the text titled Leaside by former city councillor Jane Pitfield. As the town flourished and merged with neighbouring small municipalities to form the City of Toronto, its industrial roots remained true to themselves, providing a dynamic and lively community for the Leaside area. n

to move into the area are going to improve upon those sites as well. When you’re talking about development in the area, not only would brownfields not dissuade anyone from moving in, but there is a tremendous community benefit in cleaning up these sites. Future issues will profile individual businesses as well as examine important issues in the business park. n

Bowman holds DVW for the Liberals – a Q&A 24

“I have always been someone who believes in the value of community service.”

Leaside Life • July 2022

by LUCAS FLEMMING On June 2nd Ontario gave Doug Ford and the PC party its second majority mandate in the Ontario legislature. Locally, in our riding of Don Valley West, voters chose to continue the 20-year history of electing Liberal candidates. Liberal Stephanie Bowman easily defeated high profile PC candidate Mark Saunders by a margin of almost 2,000 votes. Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with our new MPP on a range of topics from her personal background to the challenges of representing a riding as diverse as DVW, to what she hopes to accomplish over the coming years. An accountant by trade, Bowman is a former bank executive who recently served as a member of the board of the Bank of Canada. Previously, she was a long-time senior executive with Scotiabank as well as a partner at accounting firm Ernst & Young. Born in London, Ont., Bowman is a mother of two young adult children, who, along with her husband, have lived in the riding for more than 27 years. You have had an extremely success-

ful career in positions such as partner sidering government decisions on at EY, Bank of Canada board the environment, public educamember, and senior executive tion, and healthcare, as well at Scotiabank. What drove as local developments in your decision to become a the riding around misuspublic servant? ing power to overturn I have always been the Midtown in Focus someone who believes in plan, and implement the the value of community bill (OPA 405) that has service; I learned that from allowed for very tall conmy grandparents and my dominiums going up in our parents. Along with my corcommunity without any supporate career I was always SEE THE FULL porting infrastructure. INTERVIEW involved in a number of What are some of your overall AT WWW. charitable organizations wishes for our community? LEASIDELIFE. and those that support the When you have a strong slate of COM advancement of women. candidates, which we did, we have After I was involved with people with remarkably diverse backthe Bank and got to see firsthand grounds, people who are environmenthe impact of policy from an internal talists, businesspeople, and those who view, I thought it would be something are experienced in politics and policy. I I would want to “spring” my energy to, think leveraging those diverse and broad serving my community. Policy matters talents is what brings forward progresand good policy make a difference in sive and practical as well as achievable people’s lives; we need people from all solutions, which is what I want to make kinds of diverse backgrounds to bring sure we are doing. Growth and producsound public policy to bear in our protivity are somethings that I am really vincial government. interested in; it is part of the reason I I was also concerned about the direcfound my work at Bank of Canada tion our province was going in, conso fascinating. We all do better when the economy is growing because that gives us a stronger base for everyone to prosper from, while also making sure the revenues that come from that are funding our institutions and keeping them strong because we know that in Ontario and Toronto we have a very high rate of immigration and we need that; we want to make sure that those Canadians will do well. They will do well if they get access to high quality public education and healthcare. Your predecessor Kathleen Wynne was deeply involved and active in the Leaside community. Leaside Life is focused on providing hyper-local content to the residents of Leaside and Bennington. Is there anything you would like to say directly to the residents of this neighbourhood? We are open here, we are in the riding, I want them (residents) to reach out and feel free to talk to me about things they see that are troubling them, things that they think are going well that we want to build on in our community, and how we can collaborate across various levels of government. I have a great relationship with our MP as well as our city councillors, I want to make sure we can tackle issues that can be complicated because they cross various levels of government.

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Leaside’s indispensable public servant by TED DEWELLES, Leaside Heritage Preservation Society To the adults and children who go there to socialize and play, R.V. Burgess Park at 46 Thorncliffe Park Drive is a popular and valued community asset. But like many other civic landmarks in Toronto and elsewhere, it bears the name of someone whom many people no longer recognize. Who was R.V. Burgess? And why was a park named after him? Richard V. Burgess was arguably one of the most important and knowledgeable municipal officials in Leaside’s history. For over 30 years – from 1929 to 1962 – he served as Leaside’s Town Clerk and Treasurer, responsible for implementing the Town Council’s policies as well as managing and reporting on its finances. Throughout the years when Leaside operated as a separate municipality, he was the right arm of its government – the equivalent of a company’s chief operating officer. Burgess’s duties and responsibilities were extensive – and exhaustive. He seems to have done everything, from managing municipal tax rates and

Richard V. Burgess, 1938

communicating the town’s election dates, to reporting on fire inspection and safety procedures, developing regulations for TV antennas on house roofs, managing land expropriation for infrastructure development, overseeing the town’s relief efforts during the Depression, and providing and analyzing zoning information...and much more. He was frequently quoted in both the Globe & Mail and Toronto Star on issues relevant to civic affairs, such as automobile speed limits,

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alcohol permits, mail delivery, noise regulations, transit services, and police salaries and compensation. The Globe called him “the reigning authority on municipal affairs.” And, as if his official duties were not enough, Burgess was also treasurer of the Leaside Lions Club and a member of the Leaside Volunteer Fire Brigade. In 1952, he was appointed Justice of the Peace for York County. In his spare time, he raised chickens, which he exhibited in competitions at the CNE. Burgess lived most of his life in Leaside, moving here from East York in 1931 and residing at 72 Donegall Drive until his death in 1970. He was well known in the community, earning the nickname “Mr. Leaside” for his vast knowledge of local municipal history. After his retirement in 1962, people continued to draw on his institutional memory. In 1963, Leaside Mayor Beth Nealson asked him to assist the council in drafting an anti-amalgamation brief opposing Leaside’s merger with other municipalities. And in 1964, he played a major role in determining that an antique mayor’s chair thought to have belonged to Leaside since 1917 was actually a gift to former Leaside mayor Howard Talbot which originally belonged to the town of Yorkton, Sask. Acknowledging his long and valued service, the Leaside Council announced in June 1963 that a park in Thorncliffe would be named in his honour. This of course was R.V. Burgess Park – which in 2010 the Toronto Star called “a miracle” and “a model for what our public parks can be.” A model park bears the name of a model public servant. Sounds like a fitting legacy for a man who contributed so much to his community. n

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Leaside Life • July 2022

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Leaside Life • July 2022

Now that the provincial election is over, the question is: what happens next? Specifically, what happens next for Leaside, and for the larger City of Toronto? We’ve all heard, over and over, that the city is the ‘creature’ of the province and that the provincial government is not only in the driver’s seat, but also the owner of the car. Time will tell whether any of the controversial provincial changes made to our city’s planning procedures in recent (pre-election) months will remain or be amended, but for now residents’ groups like the Leaside Residents Association (LRA) have work to do at the city level. This means communicating and working with our councillor and city staff on matters concerning or affecting Leaside. I’m a strong believer in playing devil’s advocate to proposed planning and traffic applications and bylaws: taking the time to try to prevent unintended negative impacts, or at least to minimize them. As that old saying goes: “Act in haste, repent at leisure.”

Carol Burtin Fripp Co-president, LRA

Even with MZOs (Ministers’ Zoning Orders) and other policies fast-tracking housing and infrastructure, it is worth the effort to push for meaningful public consultations. One is not a NIMBY by holding out for good planning. Leaside’s location, in midtown Toronto, with the new Crosstown set to cut through our middle, makes us a very desirable target for development. As you have no doubt noticed, development applications are now being submitted not only on our outskirts, but also closer to us. It is important that your voice, opinions, and concerns are heard. The LRA, to be effective, needs your support to be effective. That means being a dues-paying ($30 annually) full member. It means joining the LRA board of directors, getting

involved in issues which affect you, and sharing your point of view and experience with us. Leaside as a community is stronger when the community is engaged. Don Valley West all candidates’ meeting Were you among the over 600 attendees at the recent all candidates Zoom meeting before the provincial election? We organized it in conjunction with nine other Don Valley West residents’ associations, and we are considering holding a similar meeting before the October municipal election. At this point we do not know who is running for councillor in our ward. A final list of candidates in the municipal election will only be certified by the City Clerk on Mon., Aug. 22, so it’s still early days. If there isn’t a contest in Ward 15, we might consider turning what would otherwise have been an all candidates meeting into a town hall opportunity: to offer ideas and proposals, with attendees identifying or suggesting priorities and directions they think the City should take (or NOT take). I’m inter-

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ested in your opinion! Please email the LRA at the address below. The next meeting of the Leaside Residents Association is on Wed., July 6th via Zoom. You are welcome to attend any of the LRA’s monthly board meetings, which take place on the first Wednesday of each month. If you’d like to come and watch, ask questions, or participate, please let us know by July 6th so we can send you the access details. You can also reach us at www.leasideresidents.ca. n

ing company, and continue to do so. Southern Crown came about because they both had down-time during the pandemic. This has become their “passion project” and “something we’re evolving.” They started with a location in Riverside, as well as popups in the city and in Caledon. Riverside is no more, but the popups will continue through to the fall. And how did they end up with East York Eats? The connection this time is through Peter Pham. They share the same meat supplier, and Peter suggested this location might work for them. Their smoker is outside the back of the building They also have a face cord of Ontario hardwood within reach to keep the smoker going. And the name? Joking around, they talked about Barrington’s mother’s Sunday church hat, which was described as a crown. From Sunday crown – of course, with a few beers, the name came – Southern Crown. All the businesses participate in www.leasidelocal.com, supporting the Thorncliffe Food Bank and Ukraine Relief Efforts through the Canada-Ukraine Foundation. n

BOWMAN From Page 24 What do you think will be most important for DVW and Ontario moving forward post-pandemic? I heard from a number of residents who own small businesses in sectors like tourism and hospitality. We want to make sure that all businesses are supported to recover, as well as the arts. We spoke to over 40 stakeholder groups on the policy team I was on, from the arts, to innovation, to technology companies, and small business associations. Those small businesses were really hurt being closed for so long, so we need to help them build back better, whether that be supporting them with digital capabilities, helping to continue to repay the debts they incurred during the pandemic – especially in sectors that were really hurt, like tourism, the arts, and entertainment, which are crucial parts of the economy. We want to make sure that we are telling both local visitors and those from outside the province that we are here, we are available to serve them again. Again, I think public education and healthcare have suffered. We have lost healthcare workers, nurses, and doctors to burnout, and we must make sure that the government stays focused on retaining and attracting new talent where we need to in those places and supporting our teachers so that our students are well prepared for the next phase of their life. Affordability is a big challenge for families right now. Again, I want to make sure that the current government is thinking about some specific measures that can help people right away with the challenges they face in terms of food prices and housing, to name a couple. To contact Stephanie Bowman, email: sbowman.mpp.co@liberal.ola. org or phone: 416-425-6777. n

Leaside Life • July 2022

NOW WHAT? continued

Leaside Life • July 2022

Bye bye, Lake Leaside? Property Standards By-law update Across Toronto, every single property is regulated by the Property Standards By-law in categories ranging from hot water supply and ventilation to pests and property cleanliness. In response to a number of City Council directives – including my October 2019 motion on dormant or abandoned construction sites, inspired by the infamous Lake Leaside – the Municipal Licensing and Standards (MLS) division is undertaking a multi-phased review of these regulations. Each year, the City receives an average of approximately 15,000 service requests related to property standards issues, making it one of the most common complaint categories. If the inspector responding to the complaint finds the property to be in violation of the by-law, they will issue the owner an “Order to Comply,” which can result in a fine of up to $50,000, depending on the nature of the offence. Under the current system, Orders to Comply can be appealed – sometimes adding months to the timeline for the

Jaye Robinson

Councillor, Ward 15, Don Valley West

issue to be addressed, even if there are immediate safety concerns. At the June City Council meeting, MLS staff presented a streamlined enforcement strategy that will introduce set, non-appealable fines for certain violations – especially those related to health and safety. In their report, City staff indicated that they expect the new, set fine schedule will also help the City regulate dormant con-

struction sites, such as Lake Leaside, going forward. We are now awaiting an update on the Ministry of the Attorney General’s decision to grant the City this authority. In addition, the new strategy will enhance the City’s approach to enforcing property standards at vacant homes – an increasingly familiar site in many of our local neighbourhoods. New data have shown that there could be more than 100,000 vacant houses in Toronto. At present, MLS is only made aware of issues related to these properties on a complaint basis. However, under the new strategy, staff will begin using data collected through the City’s Vacant Home Tax to proactively monitor vacant properties and address contraventions where they arise. As the City responds to a changing landscape of issues, it is critical that we continue re-assessing the enforcement tools available to us. On that note, I am looking forward to the next phase of the Property Standards By-law review getting underway. n

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Proud Leasider since 1998

Leaside 110 – how do we celebrate? by GEOFF KETTEL Did you know that May 7, 2023 will be the 110th anniversary of the incorporation of the Town of Leaside? The Leaside 100 Gala on April 27 2013 was a really great party, and remains a treasured memory for Leasiders... together with the other memorable activities like the archival exhibit and Layers of Leaside tableau, the Leaside – Then and Now video, John Naulls’ special maps of Leaside, the Leaside 100 quilt, the walking tour, the planting of three trees, and the hymn sing! So how do we celebrate Leaside 110? A small group convened by Leaside Life recently met to discuss this. Much has changed since 2013, a major one being that the municipal ward boundary changes, made in 2018, mean that the ward of which Leaside is a part today (Ward 15) is

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so much larger than the former Ward 26, and the amount of attention (and support) received from the former Councillor (John Parker) would be impossible today. But we continue to have vibrant community organizations like the Leaside Residents Association, the Leaside Garden Society, and even new ones like the Leaside Heritage Preservation Society (LHPS). Plus of course the churches, schools, and numerous sport and recreation organizations. Maybe the way to go is to invite Leaside organizations to focus on holding a special event for early May next year (and every year perhaps). So likely no Leaside 110 Gala next year, but we can still take the time to celebrate and also to look forward to the next phase in Leaside’s history. What do you think – please let us know at leasidelife@gmail.com. n

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Leaside Life • July 2022

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