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ANNUAL HEALTH & WELLNESS EDITION
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DR. PAYAL SETH
Long Branch Resident & Owner of Lakeshore Smiles Dentistry
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MASTHEAD EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS JUNE MACDONALD-JENKINS Sr. Dean of Faculty of Social and Community Services, Humber College
MIKE WIXSON Producer of the Etobicoke Lakeshore Podcast & Owner of The Pod Plant
KAM SARAN BRAD JONES South Etobicoke Resident & Business President & Owner of Ridley Funeral Development Manager at Office146 Home in New Toronto TALISA HASKINS Flesherton Resident & Registered Psychotherapist
HILIARY BREADNER Production Manager & Graphic Design; Owner of Hiliary Breadner Graphics
AMANDA KIRKLAND Long Branch Resident and Personal Development Coach
BILL ZUFELT Long Branch Resident and Chair of the History & Culture Committee, LBNA
JONATHAN NHAN Pharmacist, Hypnotist & Certified Diabetes Educator
JAMES MALONEY Member of Parliamen for the riding of Etobicoke-Lakeshore
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TABLE OF CONTENTS JANUARY 2022 PUBLISHER’S NOTE...p8
LIFE’S UNDERTAKINGS...p28
JAMES MALONEY...p10
ETOBICOKE LAKESHORE PRESS is the only
Roger Tumminieri reflects upon the new year with skepticism and optimism. Join James for his annual New Year’s Levee virtually on Jan. 16th.
COMMUNITY...p12
We recap the 2021 Skate With Santa event.
THE COUNTY LIFE...p16
Celebrating Rural Life in Southwestern Ontario. Read Chapter 1.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT...p18
Long Branch’s Amanda Kirkland helps us stress less.
WELLNESS...p20
Jonathan Nhan offers some sound advice to evaluate change.
Read the farewell article from local Funeral Director and New Toronto resident, Brad Jones. monthly magazine that’s focused on life in South Etobicoke. It is mailed to houses in Long Branch, New Toronto & Mimico by Canada Post. Additional copies are available for pick-up at local businesses. We capture life in South Etobicoke by highlighting the many positive contributions to our community by local business owners, elected officials, and residents. No part of this publication in any of its forms may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. 146 Thirtieth St, Suite 100, Unit 25, Etobicoke, ON M8W 3C4 Follow Us on Instagram #I EL @etobicokelakeshorepress www.etobicokelakeshorepress.com Published By
COVER STORY...p26
Meet Dr. Payal Seth, Long Branch Resident and Owner of Lakeshore Smiles Dentistry.
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE NEW YEAR EDITION
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ROGER TUMMINIERI
Publisher, Etobicoke Lakeshore Press etobicokelakeshorepress@gmail.com www.EtobicokeLakeshorePress.com @etobicokelakeshorepress
Welcome to our annual Health & Wellness edition and our first issue of 2022. Another pandemic year has passed and we keep on keeping on. Is life getting easier? Perhaps for some it is, but for many, I suppose things are still challenging - maybe more so now than ever. Coping with change is never easy. Coping with uncertainty is always hard. I’d like to think we’re getting used to life under Covid’s thumb. I’d like to think we’ve started to figure out a way to co-exist with it; to manage its ebbs and flows. The truth is, I have no idea. I’ll be vey honest with you now. I don’t know what to believe.
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With one foot still in the city and the other in the country, I have a very conflicted view of this whole thing. More vaccines, more boosters, more lockdowns, more homeschooling? I’m not sure who to trust. The government? The media? The medical community? The pharmaceutical industry? My own intuition? I don’t think I’m alone here in posing these questions and feeling this level of uncertainty. There are some who will believe without question and comply. Others will inherently not believe what they’re being told and will never comply.
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What’s the happy medium? Who am I to say? Of all the publisher’s notes I’ve written over the years, this has been the toughest. Usually, the words come flying out of my mind and onto my computer screen. This month, however, I’m struggling to find the right ones to write. I hope you take this as it is intended simply one man’s view of our current state of affairs and with a grain of hope for a happier, healthier new year.
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Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best in 2022!
JAMES MALONEY JANUARY 2022 UPDATE
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First and foremost, I would like to wish everyone a safe and happy 2022. I realize we are faced with new challenges with the arrival of Omicron. One of the best gifts you can give yourself and others is to get your COVID-19 vaccination and booster shot, to protect yourself and those you love. Please visit https://covid-19.ontario.ca/ book-vaccine/ or call your local pharmacy. New Year’s Levee Part of getting through all of this is to be there for each other. As we rebuild, recalibrate, we will forge ahead, positive as we move forward. This year, I will hold my annual New Year’s Levee virtually on Sunday January 16, 2022 from noon to two p.m. Please call my office to get the link at (416) 251-5510 or email me at james.maloney@parl.gc.ca Avoid Foreign Travel 10
Unfortunately, part of protecting yourself means making informed decisions about travel. International travel for non-essential reasons is to be avoided for the foreseeable future. As the Omicron situation develops internationally with incredible speed, travelling could mean you get stranded abroad and /or bring new cases of Omicron back home with you. If you still decide on travelling out of the country, stay up to date on all the requirements and make sure you download the arriveCAN app. All travellers, with limited exceptions, whether entering Canada by air, land, rail or marine vessel, must use ArriveCAN. You’ll need to submit your information within 72 hours before your arrival to Canada. If you don’t, you may run into problems re-entering the country and won’t be eligible for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption and face other delays or fines.
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JAMES MALONEY Member of Parliament Etobicoke-Lakeshore
Calling all Youth! We are putting together our 2022 Youth Council! As a member of my Constituency Youth Council, you will meet with other youth and me on a regular basis to discuss, and act on, issues and topics that affect YOU. By getting involved, you will learn about Canada’s political process, develop leadership skills and most importantly, be involved in our community. If you are between the ages of 16-24 and are interested, APPLY NOW! Email me at james.maloney@parl.gc.ca or visit my website to apply: Jamesmaloney.libparl.ca 2022 Calendar While the last year and a half has been one of the most challenging times faced by all of us, our community has proven to be resilient. We have been neighbours helping neighbours, small businesses supporting others, front-line workers helping all of us.
As I reflected on our challenges, I thought of stories of our past and I realized that generations before us overcame incredible obstacles as well. For my calendar this year, I turned to the Etobicoke Historical Society, Humber College, City of Toronto, Library and Archives Canada and the TTC who have kept those stories alive, reminding us that we are never alone. So keep your eyes open in early 2022 for your calendar with some of those stories and I want to thank the Etobicoke Historical Society in particular for their cooperation. Stay safe everyone. JAMES MALONEY
Member of Parliament Etobicoke-Lakeshore james.maloney@parl.gc.ca
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COMMUNITY 2021 SKATE WITH SANTA Thank you to the Volunteer Committee for a wonderful 2021 Skate With Santa event. Special thanks to Lisa Daly (www.lisadaly. ca) for shooting such great photos of those in attendance. If you’d like to view and download your photo, please visit www. etobicokelakeshorepress.com Happy New Year!
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Thank you to the Volunteer Committee for a attendance. wonderful 2021 Skate With Santa event. If you’d like to view and download your photo, Special thanks to Lisa Daly (www.lisadaly.ca) please visit www.etobicokelakeshorepress.com for shooting such great photos of those in Happy New Year!
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HISTORY TRAINS, PLANES, & AUTOMOBILES Trains, Planes, & Automobiles (Ships, too) For a relatively small resort on Lake Ontario, the growing village of Long Branch had a bounty of transportation choices well over a century ago. For folks wanting to visit our quaint, lush tree haven, the options were populated with everything traditional including horseback, wagon or sleigh, to the newest of motor car technology.
would have to pay to enlist and be trained on Curtis JN3 (Jennys) at the Royal Air Force. The Curtis JN3 biplanes soon became the sky honeys and flew the way for a relentless interest and exploration of aviation. Thanks to the Jennys and RCAF and local training airfields, Amelia Earhart got her initial flying appetite when she visited Toronto and snuck in a few shared flights in 1917.
Hard to fathom but battery charged electric vehicles were making a huge presence traveling on the old King’s Highway # 2 ( Lake Shore Boulevard). No charging stations, just a couple of extension wires from the street car poles to the car! Must have been quite a sight to witness someone climbing up a hydro pole at the foot of Royal York Rd. to snap-zap on the vehicle’s charging wires especially for F.B. Featherstonhaugh’s electric car of 1893.
Probably the most popular mode of transport was the Toronto & Mimico Electric Railway, a single track which followed Lake Shore Blvd from Sunnyside over a trestle bridge on Etobicoke Creek and terminated in Port Credit. The electric radial cars were single, double and even double decked. For a quick jaunt from the city to Long Branch or vice versa, it was the lifeline for shopping, working, medical (St Joseph’s) and visiting friends and family.
But for those who had the resources to own and operate a gasoline powered motor car, Model T’s, Chevrolets, Dodges, and Tudhopes, totally “fit in”. What I am referring to is that the large wooden spoked rubber wheels were handy in climbing out of deep trenched gravel and mud roads, especially in spring.
In 1928 the TMER tracks were torn up and replaced with the Toronto Transit Commission’s streetcar line that looped at the bottom of Brown’s Line. And speaking of tracks, what ever happened to the Long Branch Grand Trunk Railway Station? Short answer: it WAS proposed, but never built.
In its golden 1890-1910’s decades, the Long Branch Park pier was still docking steamships from all ports of Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes thanks to the opening of the Welland Canal. Fashionable, romantic and opulent, these floating hotel steamships (side winders to propeller driven) graced Long Branch in the multitudes. The steamships, The White Star, J.W.Steinhoff, Greyhound and Rubert visited on a daily to a bi-weekly basis. You could, of course, hire the private services of a lake schooner like ‘The Defiance’ when it wasn’t busy stone-hooking Dufferin shale for the foundations of Toronto buildings. In 1915, up in the sky one could see and hear the humming training squadrons form the Long Branch Aerodrome (where the NEW Lakeview presentation centre is today). Not for the faint of heart but to the service to our country, young men and women
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Must have been frustrating if not humiliating that one would first have to Mimico (eastbound) or Port Credit (westbound) to actually board a passenger train in a civilized manner. I checked out all the old Grand Trunk Maps and it is true, no Long Branch stop. Well, not quite. Some individuals in their tenacious fashion mounted a small wooden waiting hut at the top of Dahlia Avenue (32nd St.). The waiting shelter was furnished with a large flag. (Remember Petticoat Junction?). If you wanted to board a train you would have to first WAVE the train down, then step up to the train and plead mercy with the conductor. All aboard!!!
BILL ZUFELT
Long Branch Resident and Chair of the History and Culture Committee Long Branch Neighbourhood Association bill.zufelt@lbna.ca
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Photo By: Joe Scully Joe Scully is a cowboy, rodeo announcer, drone pilot & real estate photographer from Flesherton, ON. www.showyourlisting.com www.fiatluxmedia.com
THE COUNTY LIFE CHAPTER 1 Let’s start at the beginning... Before The County Life, there was Hello Country Magazine. Before that, the Etobicoke Lakeshore Press. That’s a pretty good snapshot of what our lives have been like over the past few years. We’re one of the families who’ve given up the city life for a new, simpler one in the country. I know we’re not alone in this pursuit. The pandemic kicked into high-gear people’s desire for a more simple life - one with more space and further away from other people. We can attest. We made the move in 2019; pre-pandemic. #blessed We sold our bungalow in the quiet, lakeside neighbourhood of Long Branch in South Etobicoke and bought a farm just outside Flesherton. Flesherton? Yes, exactly. We wanted to live outside of a very small town not too, too far from Toronto. At the time, we thought I’d be commuting more since I still had an office in the city. A max, two-hour drive from home to office wasn’t too crazy. I can deal with that. Or so I thought.
By: Papa Country
only one who needed two grocery carts to transport his first lockdown grocery shop from the checkout aisle to the truck. Yep, it’s kind of embarrassing now, but at the time it totally made sense. Two growing boys. A bag of milk a day just for the two-year-old. You get the picture. My cart overfloweth. Then all of a sudden, a woman walked up to me - as if to intervene on what surely looked looting - and said: “I’m a Farmer’s wife. I’ve been a Farmer’s wife for 60 years. We’re prepared.” And then she stood there and looked at me and then looked at my cart and then looked back at me. Oh, snap (I grew up in Scarborough). What do I do now? “I’m totally not prepared,” I said as I lowered my head and shook it slightly. “We’re new here. We just moved up from the city and we’ve got two young boys...yada yada yada...and so, yeah...” I gestured with my hands so as to imply innocence. To which she replied... “We’re prepared.” And then she smiled at me as she walked away carrying her tiny shopping basket. Read Chapter 2 now at www.thecountylife.ca
Just as I was starting to loath the twice and often thrice-weekly trips to and from the city, the pandemic hit. I still remember where I was when Doug Ford announced the first province-wide lockdown. I was on my way to drop our eldest off at March Break camp when the Premier took to the radio. Immediately after the announcement, I turned the truck around, dropped our son off at home, and drove solo to the Foodland in Markdale. I envisioned some apocalyptic scene unfolding as I pulled into the grocery store parking lot. Looting? Fires? Zombies? Nah! Just a bunch of unmasked people (remember those days), doing the same thing I was doing - well, not quite. I was the Independent Publisher of Print Magazines & Podcasts
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PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT STRESS LESS “Remember that stress doesn’t come from what’s going on in your life. It comes from your thoughts about what’s going on in your life.” - Andrew J. Bernstein Friends, I ain’t telling you how to live, perhaps think instead about changing lanes. Move over to the slow lane, hang out with some turtles. When you are overwhelmed with a to-do-list that is growing at the rate of Popeye Chicken franchises in Ontario, and reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, it’s time to stop and take a pause. You are STRESSED! How are you best going to diffuse this moment before you explode like Canada Day fireworks? We can’t eliminate stress from our lives, no matter how hard we try, but we can become resilient to stress. We can take control of our thoughts that are contributing to sometimes feeling like a whirling dervish about to take flight. Stress is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or demanding circumstances. Stress can be heightened by a situation out of your comfort zone. By training yourself to become more resilient to stress, you will reduce your level of stress by understanding the situation, your abilities, and options. You will become calm as a baby at rest, objective as a judge, practical as a good theory, proactive as a politician, oriented on solutions, and not on problems. You get the drift. Stop overthinking and panicking! Instead, start observing and assessing then seeking solutions that lead to action. Anything less is a missed opportunity for growth. Reframing the situation is one way of changing the way you look at something and, thus, changing your experience of it. It can turn a stressful event into either something highly traumatic or a challenge to be overcome bravely. Or it can depict a really bad day as a mildly low point in an overall wonderful life. Or it can see a mistake as a learning experience.
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Catch yourself when you’re slipping into negative and stress-inducing patterns of thinking. Are your thoughts true? Is what you’re telling yourself even true? Adopt thoughts that fit your situation AND reflect a more positive outlook. When you’re looking at a potentially stressful situation, see if you can view it as a challenge versus something negative. That’s the gist of reframing - it can have a major impact on your experience of stress. Changing the way you look at your life can truly change your life. Who knows, you may end up like Nicole Kidman portraying Lucille Ball in the recently released “Being the Ricardos”. Spending too much time focusing on trying to climb the proverbial mountain of things to do contributes to anxiety and stress. So back to building resilience to stress – if by using the Loreal skin care line, you can increase your skin’s resilience – anything is possible. The stress is just in our heads.
AMANDA KIRKLAND
Personal Development Coach www.amandakirkland.com
I am passionate about my work because I’ve experienced first-hand the life-changing results and shifts possible when working with the unconscious mind. If you are interested in making positive changes in your life, let’s book an initial consultation call. Tell me your story and we can evaluate where you are right now and where you want to be and identify what’s blocking you from achieving the results you desire. My coaching programs use specific ENLP tools the can rewire unhealthy strategies and break through existing challenges to find more ease and joy in your life. These tools are different because they uncover the root cause of surfacelevel problems. We will clear these blocks at the unconscious and cellular level allowing you to see effective results over a short time. Email me at amanda@amandakirkland.com or visit www.amandakirkland.com to connect!
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WELLNESS A MODEL TO EVALUATE CHANGE Health and wellness is about personal change. Without the readiness to change, no tip, trick or article will help you achieve the level of health or wellness that you want. The underlying assumption here is that you are not at the level of health and/or wellness that you want to be at, so to get there, something must change. At the start of a new year, during a time when new starts and the interest to change are fresh in our collective minds, how can you make the change that you want seem less daunting and more achievable? I used to think that making changes and new habits was hard. I’m going to share with you the principles that you can evaluate the topic of change that you want and break it down simply so you can start moving and taking action. The model of Logical Levels by George Bateson and Robert Dilts is a way to evaluate and breakdown the various factors that affect a particular change that you want to make. This model describes a hierarchy of six interrelated levels: 1. Purpose; 2. Identity; 3. Beliefs and Values; 4. Capabilities; 5. Behaviours; and 6. Environment. Changes on the higher levels almost always result in changes on the lower levels. Changes on the lower levels may affect the higher levels, but the magnitude of that effect is much smaller. Starting at the level of Environment, this has the least amount of influence on the changes that we want to make, and also is the easiest to change; however, many people get stuck on this level. Environment is everything external to yourself, including physical location, the people that you spend time with, and the thoughts, feelings, and opinions of others about you. One of the most common manifestations of getting stuck on this level is finding external reasons that a change does not stick. If the reason a change doesn’t happen is because of something external, then you are stuck on blaming your environment for the inability to achieve your goals. Ask yourself “what can I change about my external environment to move me towards my goal?” 20
JONATHAN NHAN Behaviours are often the focus of change through instilling new habits as a means to make changes stick. From a 2009 study in the European Journal of Social Psychology, it was found that it takes an average of 66 days for a new habit to become automatic. Focusing only on behaviour can be a large time investment and success requires consistency. Luckily, there are other factors that can make this change easier. Improving your Capabilities will help make behaviour change easier. It’s easier to do something if you understand the why, how, and what to do. Now we have arrived at the level of Beliefs and Values. This is the level that is easiest to explore and can have the most impact, if you are able to look critically and let go of beliefs and values that hold you back. Henry Ford was quoted as saying “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t - you’re right”. When you find that you’re telling yourself that you can’t do something, ask yourself “How is this belief serving you?”. Look carefully at your limiting beliefs and examine how much (or how little!) truth they hold. What about your Identity? There is the level of your identity that is core to your being, and yet on another level, there are labels that you apply to yourself and mistakenly use that label as your identity. Consider someone who says “I am a smoker”. Is being a “smoker” an identity? Or is it a mislabeled shorthand description
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for someone who participates in the behaviour of smoking. If you consider yourself a “smoker”, then to continue being a smoker, you must smoke. This is an interesting example of having a behaviour define your identity, isn’t it? Finally, your Purpose defines all that you do. This is not something that needs changing, but consider understanding your actions in the context of how it serves your higher purpose. When you understand the purpose that you hold, you can then consider how you can reframe your goals in a way that also
serves that purpose. Consider the goal or resolution that you have set for yourself this year. Where does the perceived barrier to your goal lie on this hierarchy, and how can you utilize the higher levels of this hierarchy to make change quicker and more effective? Find Jon at jnthn.ca
Jonathan Nhan Co-Founder, Curate and Upgrade
WELLNESS SETTING SMART GOALS FOR 2022 Happy New Year!! Ever wonder why new years resolutions never seem to stick? Seriously, more than half of resolutions set prior to a new year eventually fail. Mostly because we make big plans without a specific set of actions or steps to follow to help us be successful. Sure, it’s great to want to go to the gym more, or eat healthier, or quit smoking. But how can we make sure these lifestyle changes last more than the first weeks of 2022? The key is just that; look at it as a lifestyle change, not a resolution. Stick with a SMART goal. Make sure your plan is Specific, clear and concrete rather than vague and open ended. Set a Measurement. Whether it’s a timeline, or a tracking method, find a way to hold yourself accountable. Check in to see if your goal is Achievable. Are the parameters you are setting yourself realistic? Ask yourself, is your goal Relevant? Does it really matter to you, and will it be something you want to stick with, or are you choosing a goal based on the pressures or trends of others? Finally, consider the Timeline. Make sure you are giving yourself enough time to achieve your goals, and perhaps break things down into smaller, more manageable steps. As we enter into a new year, I am eager
TALISA HASKINS to announce some changes that will be occurring within my practice. Stay tuned for the February edition of this publication to learn more. Wishing you a safe and healthy start to 2022.. Talisa Haskins Registered Psychotherapist www.talisahaskins.com 905.960.4876
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FINANCE 5 TIPS FOR SETTING REALISTIC FINANCIAL GOALS
Goals are often a great motivator. They can push us to complete a gruelling athletic event or reach the top of a mountain trail. In other instances, the right goals can help us improve our financial health and stability. No matter what kind they may be, the best goals are those we succeed in reaching. With personal finance, as with anything, our goals need to be realistic. They need to be based on hard numbers and achievable outcomes. Good financial goal-setting requires a bit of a balancing act between different priorities, obligations, and expenses. Done right, realistic financial goals can lead to improved financial resilience. Here’s some advice to think about when setting financial goals. Be specific about what you want to achieve Vague, inexact wishes are the enemy of good goal setting. Definable outcomes, however, help establish the steps necessary to reaching your target, whatever it may be. Perhaps your goal is to save for a dream vacation. Maybe you want to purchase property. Or maybe you’re ditching your job to launch a small business. Once you have a clear end point in mind, you can start plotting all the small steps and minigoals along the way that will ultimately lead to a larger achievement. It begins with a good budget Understanding where our money goes each month is essential to knowing how to allocate it toward financial goals. The numbers behind good, realistic financial goals will be based on the real spending habits in your budget, so make it accurate and detailed. Once you’ve built a budget to keep tabs on your spending, you’ll need to stay up to date on the numbers and make sure you’re staying on track. From time to time, you may also need to adjust your budget to account for any changes to monthly income or spending.
needs. For instance, even while you’re working to pay back student debt, you can’t forget about contributing to future savings, or keeping enough cash around to handle any emergency expenses that may come up. Be willing to roll with some punches, and readjust as required Whether we like it or not, life happens. As you pursue your financial goals, unexpected expenses will no doubt arise from time to time, interrupting your progress and forcing a temporary reallocation of resources. Although it’s certainly irritating to fall short of financial targets, don’t be discouraged when expenses throw you for a loop. Get back on track as soon as your budget and circumstances permit and update your timelines and targets if necessary. Being flexible and adaptable will help you get to the finish line and turn your financial goals into reality. Find a buddy to support your journey to financial goals Achieving financial goals is always easier when it’s done with trusted support. Whether it’s a partner, friend, or financial professional, find someone (or several people) you can turn to for encouragement, understanding, and accountability. Be willing to share your goals and ask your supporters to do their part to help keep you on the path to achieving them. This article is not intended to provide financial or financial planning advice, please call or email Moya Financial and they will be more than happy to chat with you!
Set goals for different life stages Financial planning is a lifetime job, with changing needs and demands as you progress along your path. That means you need goals that account for all three of your short-term, medium-term, and long-term financial
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ETOBICOKE LAKESHORE PRESS
PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS IN SOUTH ETOBICOKE! Contact Roger Tumminieri, Publisher etobicokelakeshorepress@gmail.com (416) 788-0716 www.etobicokelakeshorepress.com
HUMBER COLLEGE COMMUNITY UPDATE
Welcome to 2022 at Humber College’s Lakeshore campus! My name is June MacDonald-Jenkins, and I am the new Senior Dean of the Faculty of Social and Community Services and the Principal of the Lakeshore campus. What an incredible opportunity it is for me to highlight the incredible activities and work of our students, faculty and staff at the Lakeshore campus and its impact on the community in this submission. In this issue we want to draw your attention to some great milestones and accomplishments: Five years of the Interpretive Centre.
Lakeshore
Grounds
One of our strongest connections to the community is through the Lakeshore Grounds
Interpretive Centre. This month marks its fifth anniversary. Since its inception, the Interpretive Centre has served as a unique cultural resource. It first opened in 2017 inside the Student Welcome and Resource Centre. Established with the mission to research, preserve, and share the natural and built heritage of the Lakeshore Grounds, the Interpretive Centre has been a unique hub for both students and the Etobicoke-Lakeshore 24
community to engage with artefacts and artwork that offer a diverse perspective of the region’s compelling history. To date, the Centre has hosted 20 exhibitions on campus. These exhibitions centre on core themes: Indigenous heritage, mental health, education and environmental sustainability. In March of 2020, the Interpretive Centre team went fully remote but flourished online with virtual programming, including a series of digital exhibits, tours and interactive arts-based workshops. In celebration of the Interpretive Centre’s fifth birthday, the team is putting together a new exhibition highlighting the Centre’s values and dynamic history.
The exhibition will invite community members to reflect on the unique stories shared by the Interpretive Centre and preview its future programming. Visit LakeshoreGrounds.ca to access the Interpretive Centre’s ongoing digital programming. You can also find them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @LakeshoreGrnds for updates on all upcoming events and exhibitions taking place in 2022.
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Claire Buchanan Student success I am pleased to share so much good news this month. I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to one of our exceptional students making a splash this year at Humber. You will likely hear her on Radio Humber if you’re a regular listener, and if not, you will hear her on a sportscast soon. Claire Buchanan is a para sport advocate, multi-sport athlete, single mother and speaker who brings awareness to para hockey. As an athlete ambassador, she speaks to groups of young women across Canada, including rural communities where para-sports are harder to access.
“I want to make sure I don’t run into injuries and stay healthy as an athlete. The fact that the school I’m going to offers massage therapy and I can access it in between classes has been huge,” said Buchanan. Claire’s appointments enrich the massage therapy students’ learning. She says that most RMTs have never treated a disabled athlete, and she’s happy to help educate them about her sport and how her body works.
Claire’s athleticism and advocacy have created the perfect platform for her next endeavour, a career in radio broadcasting. She is as outspoken about Humber as she is about para-sport. Claire recently shared that Humber is critical to her training regimen. She uses the services of our massage therapy students at Humber’s North campus. “As a disabled athlete, we would only really see our registered massage therapists (RMTs) and physiotherapists at training camp. During COVID, I haven’t had access to any of those services,” she said. The sledge hockey season is ramping up for the first time in two years since the pandemic shut down most high-performance sports camps and events.
To learn more about Claire, you can listen to her podcast, The Neutral Zone, which she produces with four of her friends who are also disabled athletes. She will graduate from Radio Broadcasting in 2023. I look forward to sharing more about our beautiful Lakeshore campus and our incredible students in the coming months. JUNE MACDONALD-JENKINS
Sr. Dean Faculty of Social and Community Services Principal, Lakeshore Campus
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COVER STORY TAKING THE RISK AND STARTING
What does it take to start a business? What does it take to start a business during a pandemic? In my opinion, it takes courage, commitment, and community. Here’s what Long Branch resident and owner of Lakeshore Smiles Dentistry, Dr. Payal Seth, had to say about what inspired her leap of faith, her commitment to ensuring the safety of her staff and patients, and what sets her practice apart from others... “Starting a new business requires a lot of planning and execution especially during the pandemic,” she explains. “Like every other small family business, we had our apprehensions, too, and since I took over this practice right at the onset of the pandemic, there was a lot of uncertainty on how things would shape out. But being in the healthcare/ dental field, I knew that communities would need essential and emergency dental care for their well being and I was fortunate that once the restrictions were lifted, our patients came back for their regular check ups and pending treatments that were delayed due to the restrictions. “Opening a business during the pandemic was highly challenging but the safety of our patients and staff has always been our 26
top priority,” she continues. “With new guidelines from our governing body and Public Health, we made alterations in our clinic where we enclosed all of our operatories by installing barriers at the doors, optimized the ventilation, and placed high efficiency HEPA filtration units. In our waiting area, the chairs are spaced 2 metres apart and we no longer offer any reading material, magazines, toys and refreshments. We also made administrative changes to optimize processes and workflows to minimize potential contact. The patients are pre-screened with a Covid questionnaire before and on the day of their appointment. The appointments are spaced out between patients to allow physical distancing. Our staff also has to go through a series of questions and temperature checks before starting their shift. We are equipped with PPE’s and our team is vaccinated against Covid-19. “My approach as a dental practitioner is to work collaboratively with my patients to understand their goals and provide the utmost care. Our team strives to provide a comforting environment to our patients from the time they call to book their appointment until their treatment is completed. The team of dentists, hygienists and administrative staff at our clinic always encourage our patients to
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A BUSINESS ask questions and we happily answer them throughout the course of the treatment. We also do direct billing to insurance and offer flexible payment plans to patients who do not have insurance coverage.” Being the curious fellow that I am, I tend to want to know what draws folks to South Etobicoke and, specifically, Long Branch. If you’re reading this, it’s very likely that you understand how special this community is. So why did Dr. Seth and her family decide to move here and open up a dental practice? “When I was doing my research for a suitable location for owning a dental practice, Long Branch was on top of the list for various reasons,” she explains. “Long Branch is one of the most vibrant and up-and-coming communities in the GTA with a great mix of young families, working individuals, seniors, and students. This neighbourhood has a unique history, offers a great lifestyle with recreational spots for the community, and its proximity to the GO station and transit that connect you directly with the city were all selling point for me. “Being parents of a toddler girl, we always wanted to raise our daughter in a community that has access to childcare, great schools, lush green parks and, as nature lovers, the proximity to the waterfront was the icing on the cake for me and my spouse to call this beautiful neighbourhood Home,” says Dr. Seth. “Moreover, my clinic and house are walking distance from Marie Curtis Park, which is where you will see me spending most of my time in the summer after work
By: Roger Tumminieri with my family.” So, what does the future hold for Dr. Seth and Lakeshore Smiles Dentistry? “I believe that one is a student for life and should continue to learn with every opportunity,” explains Dr. Seth. “I consider myself to be fortunate in a field that is ever evolving and provides us with various opportunities and channels to learn. Being trained at one of the most prestigious dental schools in North America, my passion for learning and upgrading myself has never been conceded. I love to keep myself abreast of new advancements and techniques in dentistry by taking continuing education courses. I aspire to update myself so that I can provide great care to my patients with the latest tools and techniques. “As we head into the new year, I would urge readers to focus on overall health and well being. I would also like to thank the community for giving me and my team an opportunity to serve them over the last year and half. I will leave you with this quote...” “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever” – Gandhi DR. PAYAL SETH
Lakeshore Smiles Dentistry, 3867 Lake Shore Blvd. West
416.503.3000 www.lakeshoresmilesdentistry.com
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LIFE’S UNDERTAKINGS REMEMBER WHAT One of the many reasons why being a funeral director adds meaning and depth to my life is that I am permitted to take care of people, both the living and the dead. Whether they stand in front of me weeping or they reach out from beyond the grave through stories, my work continually forces me to look at where I am out of alignment or out of integrity in my own life. As always, death teaches us fundamental truths about living well, living wisely and living kindly. Life is not long, people. Sure, funeral directors know how the show ends but you’d be amazed at how often we too get overwhelmed and scattered by the daily circus called “busy, busy.”
BRAD JONES
Owner, Ridley Funeral Home
Have you ever heard of the “widow’s diet”? Don’t get too excited. The diet isn’t a New Year’s miracle capable of shrinking those old Covid curves and new Christmas bulges. Tea and toast is a common “meal” prepared by the broken-hearted. Sure, when we’re bored, we eat. But when we’re bereaved, we ban food from our priorities. If you’ve ever failed on any sort of diet (I have! I have!), you know that food is one of the great joys in life, a powerful source of memory, tradition, community and belonging. “Comfort food” feeds our mind, body and spirit so it’s no surprise that sadness easily and steadily erodes a grieving person’s desire for proper nourishment and tender self-care. I have made at-home visits to more than 5000 elderly widows and widowers over the years and if there’s one thing I know for sure: tea and toast are the daily menu, especially in the first weeks of bereavement. (Yup, your tuna casserole is that important to the future of community and humanity.) Death is a master teacher to the left behind. Facing death and surviving its impact changes the trajectory of our lives. In light of that dark reality, who possibly has time or inclination to cook, eat and be merry when our world is being burned and bulldozed? A loved one’s death is a constantly changing constellation; life gets divided between a blown-apart “before” and a terrifying “what now?” slideshow of fear, loneliness and anxiety. (If bereavement sounds a lot like pandemic living, you are correct. Please, turn off the news, give yourself a respite from doom and you’ll soften your head and heart.)
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Despite my long-time belief in the “eat, eat, eat, you’ll feel better” approach to life that I regularly share with grieving families (and sometimes myself at 3 a.m.), imagine my surprise when I discovered that I too had fallen into the disastrous tea-and-toast diet. As anyone who’s suffered a life-altering disappointment knows, whether we’re knocked down by divorce, disease or depression, our ability to taste and savour the joy of life is diminished while navigating a new, darker world. Take, for example, my personal and professional circus a number of years ago. I spent 25 years commuting from Hamilton to Toronto for work, eager to make a long-time vision real: moving my family into the apartment above Ridley’s, our funeral home here in Etobicoke. A big goal demands big energy and I had an infinite amount of energy and ambition to burn, or so I thought. My life-altering mistake was one the majority of women, especially mothers and/or daughters caring for elderly parents, understand and have suffered through. I put everyone’s needs, both at work and at home, ahead of my own well-being. I ran my life like it was a race until my emotional health faltered, followed by my physical health collapsing and gasping “enough”. Death didn’t come for me (that would be super weird if I were dead and still writing but it would be sort of cool) but Death did send two of its toughest cousins – grief and transformation. Working 10-hour days, acting on community and association boards, coaching soccer/football/ basketball for my six kids (ages 11 to 27), running a small business, staying out of my wife’s way, caring for my grieving father. Everything that was important stopped when I
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REALLY MATTERS got sick. What didn’t stop? The people I loved stepped up and helped the sick man (me) in the hospital bed. I couldn’t walk, I couldn’t lift anything, and no one knew what was wrong except that something was very, very wrong. I share this story not for pity but for passion and perspective. How many wishes do you have right now? Probably a lot, right? I mean, Santa is always listening. But for sick people they have only one wish: to be healthy again. (If you’re wondering, dying people who accept their inevitable fate only have one wish: to feel peace and be allowed to let go and leave.) When life goes off the rails, we know there’s something new in the oven. We cannot discern what cake is baking; it could be delicious or poison. We just don’t know to what degree life is going to brighten or darken. But during times of tremendous change we are called to remind ourselves, and others, of what matters and what works. Being angry at myself doesn’t work. Hating my body doesn’t work. Blaming others doesn’t work. Feeling self-pity and self-loathing doesn’t work. Eating nothing but tea and toast doesn’t work. Just like the bereaved once they’re gifted with time and intention to heal, from my hospital bed I was able to reframe and redirect my life. I started to notice who came to visit me (and who didn’t because they were “busy”), who tried to feed me (everyone) and who never succumbed to fear and despair (my wife). I believe the most patient person on the planet would eyeroll if they were informed, like I was, that chronic stress was strangling my good health and good tidings. I had an impressive and rare autoimmune disorder yet long-term treatment was focused solely on reducing stress and taking time for myself. I was told not to sweat the small stuff. Say that to someone making a 12-course Christmas dinner with the in-laws in the living room and kids stampeding over their feet! My doctors delivered a ridiculous piece of advice. And a transformative way to live, love and stay present. When life is joyful or at least mundane and routine, we push ourselves into the future, confident people, places and things will be upgraded into better, happier, richer, best.
The dying and dead teach me so much every day, and for them and their families, I am forever grateful. (You didn’t see that coming, did you? I realize I write words that make the average person uncomfortable: dying, death, grief, God, faith, hope, funerals, prayer, tuna casserole.) But how often do we, the living and left behind, take good, good care of our mind, body and spirit when we’re in pain or feeling afraid? By taking care of ourselves kindly, patiently and lovingly, we strengthen the pillars holding up a meaningful and merry life that supports not just you but those who love and rely on you. As this new year unfolds, I am stepping away from sharing my stories, thoughts, wishes and dreams in print. I am not going anywhere but, like you, I am changing. I’ll still be working and running Ridley’s, living upstairs with my wife and our circus animals (‘member the six kids?), and slowly but surely getting back to the community involvement I’ve missed so much. If you see me walking with Arthur, our family dog and therapy-dog-in-training, please stop and say hello. Taking time for ourselves doesn’t just mean being alone. We are social creatures wired for storytelling, belonging, laughing, hugs and tears. (See? I’m telling you, funerals offer strength and sweetness.) As we journey further into the shadow of winter and move toward a new season, always remember that life is more than tea and toast. Sadness and disappointment, fear and loss will always invite us into the dark so we can heal and emerge anew. So often we forget that when we shine our light by taking care of ourselves, darkness and fear vanish. You are the light of the world and that light is the love and legacy you get to leave behind. It really is a beautiful life. Enjoy your time here. You chose to be here, to bring the light and the love, and we are grateful. Happy New Year, thank you for reading and God bless you. Brad Jones is president of locally-owned, commission-free Ridley Funeral Home (3080 Lake Shore Blvd W.) in Etobicoke. Although he is saying “farewell” to these pages, you are always welcome to reach out to Brad and ask for help, a hug or any kind of healing you need. You are not alone on this journey called life. Brad can be reached at 416-259-3705 or Bradjones@ridleyfuneralhome.com Going forward and forever, please know that every individual, every family is welcome to gather and grieve at Ridley Funeral Home.
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