Beach Metro Community News October 18, 2022

welcome to uncommon

value

• Symmetrical Full-Time AWD

X-MODE® for extra traction

Award-winning safety features

On the run in the Beach

Rock with Love fundraising event for cancer research remembers Beacher Sarah McComb

By Ahmed Dirie

THE FAMILY and friends of Sarah McComb will hold the first annual Rock with Love, a concert in her honour with the proceeds going towards the Sarah McComb Benefit Fund to support cancer research.

Sarah passed away on Sept. 19, 2021 following her second bout with breast cancer. She is sur vived by her husband, Wes Mc Comb, four children as well as both parents and her sister, Ciara. Rock with Love will be held at

the Opera House on Queen Street East on Saturday, Nov. 5, with doors opening at 7 p.m.

An avid fan of both rock music and attending concerts, Sarah’s family felt that Rock with Love would be the perfect way to hon our her memory.

Sarah was an integral part of the Beach community as a moth er, swim coach, substitute teacher, a Brown Owl for the Girl Guides and more, said Wes.

“She was always very children oriented,” he said.

Although Sarah stayed at home

to raise their children, she began teacher’s college as soon as her youngest began Kindergarten. Shortly thereafter she began as a substitute teacher at the school her children attended, St. Denis Catholic School in the Beach.

“It was a perfect gig for her,” said Wes. “She worked when she wanted to and she knew all the teachers and the kids in her class. She loved teaching and she loved kids, right? That was her whole thing.”

As a substitute teacher, Sarah taught all the different grades

and so following her passing, they all made commemorative art which Sarah’s family has kept.

“She was very, very art oriented,” said Wes. “A lot of her last endeav ours there in the last couple of years were her painting paddles.”

Despite a familial history of cancer, Sarah’s initial diagnosis did come as a shock given her active lifestyle.

“It couldn’t be cancer, according to the doctors, because she was healthy, breastfed the children and all the other indicators,” said Wes. “She did the radiation, the chemo and had the

Fear Factory back in the Beach for Halloween

By Cole Hayes

FEAR FACTORY makes its return to the Beaches Recreation Centre af ter the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the event being cancelled the two previous years.

Fear Factory is a Halloween staple in the community, providing scares and memories for Beach residents who attend.

Taking place on Oct. 28, 29 and 30, it is also a way for the Beaches Rec reation Centre to collect food dona tions for Community Centre 55.

The last Fear Factory was in 2019 and it was the most successful one the centre had hosted.

“Every year it gets better, but the last one we had the largest number of people chickening out and we had the largest amount of volunteers. There were close to 30 people inside that gym for two and a half hours screaming and being scary,” said Jay Marks who has been running Fear Factory every year since 2009.

The event is volunteer based, and Marks said they are the ones who make Fear Factory happen.

Marks has a passion for Halloween and the horror genre which is anoth er reason why the event is a success.

“It’s my Christmas,” he said.

Those attending need to know that Fear Factory is not your standard

PHOTOS: ALAN SHACKLETON

Photo above, runners in the Grade 4 girls race take part in the Toronto Catholic District School Board’s South Divisional cross country meet in the Kew Beach area last Tuesday. Photo below, runners in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon make the east-end turn at Balsam Avenue and Queen Street East on Sunday morning.

•

Full-Time AWD

Excellent fuel-efficiency • Award-winning safety features

“Our family helping

family”

been

A LL- W EAT H E R D R I V E EVENT

Community Centre 55’s Debbie Visconti retiring after 12 years as Executive Director

By Alan Shackleton

AFTER 12 years in the role, Debbie Visconti will be retir ing as Executive Director of Community Centre 55 this month

Her last day will be Mon day, Oct. 31.

Visconti started at Com munity Centre 55 (CC55) in 2010. She took the job after a 29-year career with a major Canadian bank, and said it was a decision she has never regretted.

“It was the best decision of my life to come here,” she said. “It has been my plea sure and I am so thankful for the support. It’s all been good, and now it’s time to go.”

Visconti became only the second Executive Director that CC55 has ever had. Af ter Bob Murdoch, who had been in the position since CC55 first opened on the site of the former police station on Main Street in 1976, she was approached by a num ber of people regarding ap plying for the job.

Visconti was already a volunteer member of CC55’s board at the time, using her banking experience to serve as treasurer.

“I was certainly not look

Debbie Visconti, executive director of Community Centre 55, will be retiring at the end of this month. She started in the job of Executive Director in 2010.

ing for another job, but Bob Murdoch was retiring after 30 years and he said, ‘You should apply for it’ and I got it,” said Visconti.

She had been a volunteer

on the board since the 1990s and always felt connected to CC55 and the East Toronto community.

She grew up in neighbour hood, living on Woodlee Av enue which is just west of the centre, and she attended Kimberley Public School which is directly across the street from CC55.

“It’s such a pleasure to be able to look out my of fice window and see my old school,” said Visconti.

She pointed out the school has been renovated since she went there. After Kimberly, she attended Bowmore and then went to high school at Monarch Park Collegiate.

VALLEY DRIVE $1,999,000

Located on a quiet, safe dead end street and perched high above the valley on a 294 ft. ravine lot, it's the first time this home has been on the market in more than 50 years. Large principal rooms include 3 bedrooms, main floor family room , finished basement apartment, attached garage and parking for up to three cars.

970 GREENWOOD AVENUE $1,089,000

Extra-wide semi detached home with 27 foot frontage, private driveway and numerous fruit trees in yard. Well cared for by the same family for many decades and just waiting for your personal touch.

After high school, she at tended Ryerson (now Toron to Metropolitan University) where she took business. She was then hired by Sco tiabank where she worked in a number of positions includ ing being international proj ects manager for the bank in the Caribbean.

Visconti admitted to be ing a bit nervous at the time about leaving her long and secure banking career to come and work at a commu nity centre. “I was scared. I didn’t really know if the skills that I had were trans ferable,” she said.

However, Visconti said her decision to try something new with CC55 also came at the “right time in my life and it was so different from what I was doing.”

She said there are many people and organizations she wants to thank for the support they have given her and CC55 over the past 12 years. Her children, Vanes sa, 21, and Michael, 26, and her husband Rick have been

critically important in that support, she said.

“My kids practically grew up here,” she said of CC55.

Visconti also wanted to thank Gene Domagala, the Beach’s super volunteer, for the key role he plays not only with CC55 but the entire community.

“Gene was very close to Bob, and he is a strong pres ence in the community. I am so grateful to him. He comes in every day and I know I can always count on Gene to help with whatever we are do ing. He has been extremely helpful and has always had my back, and I will miss him here.”

Visconti won’t be too far from the community as she lives in southwest Scarbor ough, and will be continu ing in her role as Executive Director of the Grace Pascoe Centre Food Bank at Calvary Baptist Church, which is just south of CC55 on Main Street.

She said the need for food banks is growing all across the city, including the East Toronto area, and that is something she has seen in her roles with both the food bank and CC55.

Visconti sees that need in CC55’s Share A Christmas program which marked its 40th year of helping local families during the holidays in 2021.

For the last two years be cause of COVID-19, Share A Christmas had to swerve from a program that col lected thousands of pounds of non-perishable food do nations to one that gave out thousands of dollars in grocery gift cards to those in need. That required a big financial ask from the community as the program now needed their money as opposed to their volunteer hours helping to sort and pack food donations, she said.

“I can’t thank the com munity enough. They are so generous when we need them,” said Visconti of the ongoing and changing sup port that has been given to Share A Christmas.

She also thanked the CC55 board for its support of her and the staff. “The board has been fabulous and very supportive of everything we do,” said Visconti. “We have a small but powerful staff.”

The new Executive Direc tor will be Reza Khoshdel, and he officially starts on Nov. 1. Visconti said she wishes him as much success and fulfillment as she has had in the role at CC55.

In retirement, Visconti said she and her husband will just be doing more of the things they already like to do which are travelling and go ing to concerts.

PHOTO: ALAN SHACKLETON

Lola’s Dip fundraiser and memorial set for afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 23

THE LOLA Dip will take place in the Beach on Sunday, Oct. 23.

Held in memory of Lola Bower, the event is a fundraiser for Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children in which participants take a plunge into the chilly waters of Lake Ontario.

It is slated to take place from 2 to 4 p.m. at Lola’s Bench on the Boardwalk a little bit east of the Donald D Summerville pool.

Lola Bower died at the age of 16 days in 2015 due to an enlarged heart. The day, Oct. 23, is Lola’s birthday.

Every year since, her family (parents Geoff and Ofelia, and sister Mar) have held a fund raiser for SickKids in Lola’s memory.

In previous year’s they did a walk in the community, but last year decided to do Lola’s Dip into the lake. A huge crowd turned out

for the event to remember Lola and support SickKids.

“If there was a visible example of what a supportive community looks like, it would be this,” said organizers of this year’s Lola’s Dip in a release sent to Beach Metro Community News

“You don’t have to dip in the lake. You don’t have to donate to attend. You can just come out and witness love,” the organizers said.

This year’s dip is expected to be an even bigger event than the one in fall of 2021.

There will be live music, food, speeches and surprises, organizers said.

For more information on Lola’s Dip and the ways that you can support it, please go to https://fundraise.sickkidsfoundation.com/ lola

Beachers and Malvern alumni from 1962-72 reunion planned

JOHN WATT is organizing a reunion and get-together for all past and present Beach ers from the 1962 to 1972 era this month.

The gathering, billed as the Last Blast by Watt as it is the final one he will be organiz ing, will take place on Saturday, Oct. 22, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Grover Pub on Kingston Road, just east of Main Street. There will be a DJ at the event.

“I am flying in from Victoria B.C. on Oct 20 and others coming from out of town and province, plus your local diehards that never left the Beach,” said Watt of those who will

be attending. Many of those attending will be alumni of Malvern Collegiate Institute from the years 1962 to 1972, said Watt.

Watt and his partner Elaine Tanner, who also lived in the Beach for a period of time, said the Oct. 22 date has special meaning to them. In 1968, Tanner became the first wom an to win an Olympic medal in swimming for Canada at the age of 17. At the Mexico Olym pic Games in 1968, Tanner (known as Mighty Mouse) won two silver medals in individual events and a bronze medal as a member of the relay team.

Leslieville girl walks 91 kilometres in four days to raise funds for Covenant House

A 10-YEAR-OLD Leslieville resident recently completed a fundraising walk of more than 90 kilometres in sup port of Covenant House.

Evangeline Link did the walk over the Thanksgiv ing weekend. She started at her grandparents’ house in Binbrook, near Hamilton, on Friday, Oct. 7, morning and completed the walk at noon on Monday, Oct. 10.

She told Beach Metro Com munity News that she chose to do the walk in support of Covenant House because of the work it does helping to protect and rebuild the lives of young people facing chal lenges related to homeless ness.

“I’m fortunate enough to know what I have, and I want to give that chance to other people,” said Evangeline. “I

just imagine myself in that position, and I would feel sad.”

Her original fundraising goal was $1,000, but she end ed up raising $4,685.

Evangeline said she was inspired to do the walk by one of her teachers who took part in the Ride To Conquer Cancer to Niagara Falls.

“I thought that was really cool and she inspired me, and I wanted to do some thing like that,” said Evan geline.

Her parents and broth er, along with other fam ily members and friends, accompanied Evangeline on portions of the walk but she was the only one who walked the entire 91-kilometre dis tance.

Her mother Teresita said

Local Journalism Initiative

Evangeline would walk ap proximately 25 or 26 kilome tres (or about seven hours) each day of the walk. They would stay in a hotel near where the day’s walk ended, and pick up at exactly the same spot the next day.

Evangeline said her par ents needed some convinc ing when she first proposed the idea of the walk.

However, they came around once the logistics were worked out and they saw how committed their daughter was to it.

She said she trained for the trek by going for long walks three times a day -- do ing an hour-long walk in the morning, a half-hour walk in the afternoon, and after din ner another hour-long walk.

She said the weather was not too much of a challenge during the Thanksgiving weekend walk.

“The weather was beauti ful, but at times it would be windy and cold, and my feet were really sore,” said Evan geline.

She thanked everyone who helped make her walk a success.

“Definitely my family—my mom, my dad, my brother, and my cat —and my teach er, Miss Newman, who did the bike ride. My friends, and then, my other family— my grandparents, my aunts, my uncles, my cousins,” she said.

Evangeline was greeted by a large crowd of support ers when she completed the walk to her Leslieville home on Thanksgiving Day.

“I ran the last kilometre,” she said. “I felt happy and sad at the same time that it was over, but I felt happy that I accomplished 91 kilo metres.”

The Other One of A Kind Craft Show and Sale set for Nov. 12

THE OTHER One of A Kind Craft Show and Sale is back as an in-person event next month at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 11 on Dawes Road.

The boutique craft show features an array of handcrafted items created by ar tisans, and food vendors put ting an emphasis on vegan treats. The show is set for Saturday Nov. 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The annual show was put on hold for the past two years as an in-per son event due to COVID-19. This year’s show is raising funds for The Scarborough

Women’s Centre and The Beaches Mental Health Well ness Centre. For info, email vickytsorlinis@rogers.com Legion hosts Halloween party on Oct. 30

THE ROYAL Canadian Le gion Branch 11, 9 Dawes Rd., hosts a Happy Halloween bash on Saturday, Oct. 30. The celebration takes place from 1 to 7 p.m. There will be a prize for best cos tume. Admission is free, but a meal ticket is available for $15 per person. Entertain ment will be provided by the Big City Ramblers. For info, call 416-699-1353.

PHOTOS: SUBMITTED

Photo at left, Evangeline Link is welcomed by a cheering crowd in Leslieville as she completes her four-day walk to raise funds for Covenant House. Photo at right, Evangeline with flowers after finishing the 91-kilo metre walk on Thanksgiving Day.

Amarachi Amadike is a Local Journalism Initia tive Reporter for Beach Metro Community News. His reporting is funded by the Government of Canada through its Local Journal ism Initiative.

Spiros & Sons say farewell after almost three decades

By Alan Shackleton

PAUL AND Tom Koskinas will be closing down the car repair centre and gas station they have been running on Kingston Road on the corner of Courcelette Road for the last 27 years.

Spiros & Sons has already stopped pumping gas at the station and the auto repair portion of the business could be closed by as early as Oct. 17, but a final date has yet to be set.

When they opened back in 1995 in partnership with their father Spiros (hence the name Spiros & Sons), the gas station they bought had seen better days.

But they soon cleaned it up and made it a trusted business and a part of the community for almost three decades.

“It took more than a week just to clean it up,” said Paul of the site when the family took it over.

Their dad Spiros wanted to run “an old-school service station” on the site, he said.

That meant not just pump ing gas full service, but also doing repairs to customers’ cars.

The combined service sta tion model has pretty much disappeared as it is mostly now self-serve gas stations and separate car repair cen tres.

The Koskinas fam ily always owned the station though they got the gas from different oil companies over the years, including most recently Top Valu and also Pioneer which was the gas they pumped when they first opened.

“Everybody is going to self-serve and corporateowned gas stations now,” said Tom. “It was time to close it.”

However, though they are out of the gas pumping busi ness they are moving the car repair service to a new loca

Tom and Paul Koskinas in front of Spiros & Sons last week. The service station is closing down after 27 years at the corner of Kingston and Courcelette roads. Their dad Spiros, who they opened the busi ness with in 1995, was not available for the photo as he is in Greece at the moment.

tion at 301 Danforth Rd., be tween Birchmount and War den avenues. Which means they are still in the general area and available to their longtime and loyal custom ers who depend on them.

Along with keeping the car connection, the Koskinas family will also be maintain ing their link to the south west Scarborough and Beach communities as they still own the land at Kingston and Fallingbrook that the station was on.

Planned for the site now is an eight-storey condomin ium called the Courcelette. It is a project the Koskinas family is involved in as they did not want to just sell the land and take no responsibil ity for what was built there. They wanted to make sure what was built would not be a problem for the neighbours.

“We didn’t want to sell and just walk away and let them do what they wanted with it,” said Tom of the decision not to sell to a developer and to maintain ownership of the land themselves.

“We want this to blend in with the community and be done the right way,” he said.

“We still own the land and

we have partnered with a company to build the condo,” added Tom.

Making sure the build ing will be environmentally friendly of constructed to the highest LEED standards was very important to the family, he said. “The neigbours will love it. It was better than us just pulling up. We leave a beautiful building here rath er than a gas station.”

Tom said the family had received substantial offers for the property in the past but wanted to keep it in the family and make sure what ever was built was an asset to the neighbourhood. “They gave us great support and we wanted to do the same.”

On behalf of the fam ily, Paul and Tom said they wanted to thank the com munity for the great sup port they have been given over the past 27 years. “Ev erybody has just been so supportive. We could not have asked for better neigh bours,” said Paul.

“Right from Day One I felt like it was a family here with the customers and every one,” said Tom. “I want to say thanks for the 27 years of incredible support.”

Good

PHOTO: ALAN SHACKLETON

Don’t be invisible when it comes to Toronto’s future - please vote

alan Shackleton Beach Metro News Editor

Weare less than a week away now from the Toronto municipal elec tion.

I hope voters across the city show more enthusiasm for this up coming vote than they did during the full eight days of advance polls that ended last Friday.

According to reports, voter turnout at the advance polls was about seven per cent lower than in 2018. And they were about 24 per cent less than in the 2014 Toronto election. I find this disturbing and depressing, especially given the fact the polls were open three more days than in past elections.

The City of Toronto also made a

special point of having the advance polls operating during the Thanks giving long weekend so students coming homes from their schools for the holidays would be able to vote.

Fat lot of good that seems to have done.

I note Bill Suddick’s cartoon this week and the frightening, gladhanding municipal politician in it, but wonder if this year’s election/ Halloween costume might better reflect a voter as the Invisible Man or Invisible Woman.

And then soon that invisible vot er can be depicted as the hapless victim of political corruption, nonexistent city services, rising crime, the lack of anything even imper sonating affordable housing and ultimately life under a dictatorship while all the while whining about “how did it get so bad” and “those useless politicians” and “I hate the government”...but I digress.

Look, I realize if you’re read ing this column you are already engaged in municipal politics and the well-being of the community you live in.

That’s admirable, so I won’t spend the rest of this column be rating you for not voting because quite frankly you probably already have or will vote. I’m preaching to the choir here as they say.

A reminder though, that Elec tion Day in Toronto is Monday, Oct. 24, and the polls will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

And once those polls close, here’s what you can expect from Beach Metro Community News when it comes to Election Night coverage. We’ll have reporters out covering the races for Toronto Council in the wards of BeachesEast York, Scarborough Southwest and Toronto-Danforth.

We’ll posting stories up on our website on the night of Oct. 24 with

results for the Toronto Council and school board races in the wards we cover. I’m expecting the results to come pretty quickly on Elec tion Night so check in with us on both our social media pages and website to see who will be repre senting you for the next four years.

In the 2018 Toronto election, 98 per cent of the results were in and posted by 9 p.m. -- one hour after the polls closed. That’s impressive work by Toronto’s election plan ners and poll workers.

They are doing their part to make this election work and to make it easier than ever to vote.

I believe Beach Metro Commu nity News is also doing its part to provide voters with information about the candidates. In today’s paper we have profiles of public school board Trustee candidates, and in our Oct. 4 paper we profiled Toronto Council and Toronto Catholic District School Board

candidates. These profiles are available to read on our website at www.beachmetro.com prior to Election Day. You will also find coverage of candidates’ meetings and debates on our website.

I will say I am bit disappointed in the Trustee candidates in the wards we cover for the Conseil scolaire Viamonde (French public board) and the Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (French Catholic school board). They provided no contact info and then, after we found their contact info anyway, were unable to send us profiles in time for today’s paper. They will be on our website this week, though.

I ask those of you who already voted or will be voting to try and convince your friends, family, coworkers and others who say they won’t be voting to change their minds. Tell them not be invisible when it comes to our city’s future.

Beach Metro Community News, published by Ward 9 Community News Inc., is a non-profit, non-partisan community newspaper founded in 1972 and published 23 times a year. It is distributed free by volunteers in East Toronto and Southwest Scarborough and paid for by our advertisers.

2196 Gerrard St. E., Toronto, ON, M4E 2C7 PHONE: 416-698-1164 FAX: 416-698-1253 beachmetro.com

PUBLISHER & GENERAL MANAGER Susan Legge susan@beachmetro.com

EDITOR

Alan Shackleton (ext. 23) alan@beachmetro.com

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Mark Ireland (ext. 26) mark@beachmetro.com

PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Melinda Drake (ext. 27) melinda@beachmetro.com

ACCOUNTS MANAGER

Hope Armstrong (ext. 21) hope@beachmetro.com

CLASSIFIED AD/PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY LEAD Carolin Schmidt (ext. 22) carolin@beachmetro.com

Beach Memories

Historic walk to focus on eastern end of Queen Street East

(2161 Queen St. E.) just east of Lee Avenue.

Gene DomaGala

On Oct. 29 at 1 p.m.

be doing the second half of the Queen Street East historic walk.

The portion of the walk will cover the area between Lee Av enue and the R. C. Harris Water Treatment plant at the far east end of Queen Street East.

For those who wish to take part, we will be meeting in front of the Beaches Branch Library

Did you know this is the 20th an niversary of the year Queen Street East was chosen as the Best Main Street in Ontario by TVO (TVOn tario)?

Queen Street East is important in many ways including history, recreation, education, religion and entertainment just to name a few.

It has the distinction of being home to the oldest continuously run motion picture house – the Fox Theatre – in Canada. But do you know the original name of the Fox and why it was changed?

There were also two other the

atres on Queen Street East located east of Lee Avenue, one of them opened four years before the Fox.

We also have historic churches that will be included on our walk.

One of them is 140 years old, and another had its beginning in a church that sometimes would at tract 1,500 people and had to hold services outside in a tent.

Some of the buildings we will see are listed as heritage because of their architecture and historic significance.

We also had a funeral parlour on Queen Street East, though many people do not know that now.

We’ll also visit a famous local

restaurant that has Good Food and a name that has become legendary in Toronto and beyond. Can you guess its name?

There are many people who have contributed to the history of Toronto and Canada who have called Queen Street East and the side streets running off it their home.

One of them is Dr. Fred Urqu hart and his wife Norah who dis covered where Monarch butterflies go when they migrate.

Another is a distinguished agriculturist who invented and cultivated Marquis Wheat which became the staple of the Prairie

Provinces and their farming.

We will also visit the site of the house of Mrs. Jessie Cunningham where during the First World War it was used as a boarding house by her for more than 20 young Ca nadians who signed up to join the army including her own son.

There are many other historic stories along Queen Street East including banks, apartment build ings, the sites of former amuse ment parks, and of course the R. C. Harris Water Treatment Plant.

I look forward to seeing you on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 1 p.m. in front of the Beaches Branch Library for the start of the walk.

profiles for

In order to help local voters make an informed choice in this month’s municipal election, Beach Metro Community News asked candidates in the wards of BeachesEast York, Scarborough Southwest and Toronto-Danforth to send us a short profile of themselves. Candidates who did not respond to our request are not featured in these profiles. Here are the profiles of the candidates running for Trustee positions with the Toronto District School Board in those wards. Also running for TDSB Trustee in Beaches-East York is Sanjai Kumar. Remember, Election Day is Mon day, Oct. 24.

Michelle Aarts

Engagement in school and community has always been a priority for me, as a parent, as a neighbour, and as the TDSB Trustee for Beaches East York since 2018.

Over the last four years I have worked within the TDSB to increase funding and programming for antiracism, mental health, equity, student voice, outdoor education, active schools, and technology. I have also worked at the provincial level to advocate for better funding and resources, curriculum changes, and to advance equity. In Beaches-East York I have worked to support partnerships with the City to increase health and safety, neighbourhood safety, community access, and active travel infrastructure. I have also worked to increase partnerships with community agencies who are critical to supporting the needs of families.

My priorities for the next term include:

• Pandemic recovery (reading, mathematics, wellbeing, and human resources)

• Increased partnerships for mental health, food security, and student need

• Continuing to build resources to combat racism and hate

• Meeting the education Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

• Increased supports for special education and inclusive classrooms

• Expanded access to programs based on student interest

• Increasing communication and access to information for families and the public

• Advocate for greater infrastructure funding, especially for accessibility, and greater au tonomy in decision making for school upgrades and new builds

• Continuing to advocate for schools as community hubs

The past four years have been challenging and rewarding. There is still more work to do to develop inclusive and accessible schools within the TDSB and advance equity across the Province. I hope that you can support me in continuing this work.

Chris Jones

Happy Fall Everyone! My name is Chris Jones and I’m running for TDSB Trustee for Beaches-East York.

I was born, raised, and attended public school in our ward and now my wife and I are proudly sending our two children to the local public school. As parents of young children, we are at the beginning of a 14+ year relationship with the TDSB and our priorities will naturally evolve over that time.

The public school board of a world-class city like Toronto should be prepared for those changing priori ties and the evolution of our culture in order to best prepare children to be the leaders of tomorrow. The Board should be in constant connection with the community and always be responsive when concerns are voiced, that is the role of a Trustee. I vow to fulfil that role, stay connected and be present!

Why vote for me? I have relevant experience leading the board of the local unionized day care centre, an MBA from a top business school, my mother was a TDSB teacher, I married a teacher and most importantly, I will bring a strong voice for our community to the Board. My specific priorities centre on ensuring that any new focus that has been implemented due to the pandemic to better our children’s mental health or to temporarily upgrade school infrastructure will be made permanent and evolve. Some children, much like some adults, weathered the lockdowns and restrictions better than others and our school programs need to be viewed through that lens to ensure equal opportunities going forward. I also plan to sup port teachers in the invaluable role they play in the learning environment to address equity and inclusion on every level.

Read more about me and my platform at https://www.votechrisjones.ca/ or contact me any time!

brings

that take

Steps to the water, nestled in a boutique building in the heart of The Beach, enjoy all the neighbourhood has to offer right at your front door. This spacious one-bedroom boasts a functional layout with large open-concept living and ample storage.

Community Calendar

OCT. 21: Kingston Road Village Concert Series presents ‘Welcome to the Cabaret’ at Kingston Road United Church, 975 Kingston Rd., 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $35 advance, $40 at door. Cash bar. Tickets: WelcometotheCabaret.eventbrite.com

OCT. 22: Malvern Reunion “1962-72” at The Gro ver Pub, 676 Kingston Rd., 4-7 p.m. “Rockin 1960s/70” DJ. Host organizer John Watt. Lim ited capacity. Info: wattj928@gmail.com

OCT. 23: Lunch & Learn at RCL Branch 11, main floor, 9 Dawes Rd. Doors open 12 noon, at 12:30 a light lun cheon, followed by ‘Bomb Girls’ presentation by author Barbara Dickson. Tickets $10 p/p available from the Clubroom Bar Steward or contact June Smith at judo smith@sympatico.ca. A very worthwhile and interest ing historical event that took place in East Toronto.

OCT. 29: Historic Walk along Queen Street East with Gene Domagala, 1 p.m. Meet at Beaches Library, 2161 Queen St. E.

OCT. 29: Acoustic Harvest Healing Garden Fund raiser featuring Allison Lupton, Tony McManus, Shane Cook, with Joe Phillips at St. Paul’s United Church, 200 McIntosh St., 8 p.m. Tickets: $30 Advance on our websitehttps://acousticharvest.us18.list-manage.com/ track/click?u=3be65d51cbe7321ed23da0c04&id=57 418c663f&e=f6f01e00c3 www.acousticharvest.ca, or cash at door. Masking is strongly recommended.

OCT. 29: Jazz Vespers at Hope United Church, 2550 Danforth Ave., 4:30 p.m. Featuring Beachside Brass, a New Orleans style band based in the Beaches, special izing in jazz, pop, and funk tunes. Formerly known as “Black Knight Brass”, the ensemble was formed from Malvern C.I. alumni. Admission is by freewill offering.

OCT. 29: Halloween Party at Royal Cana dian Legion, 243 Coxwell Ave., 8 p.m.-1 a.m. Mu sic, dancing, and prizes. Info: 416-465-0120

OCT. 30: All Hallows’ Music Service at Birchcliff Bluffs United Church, 33 East Rd., 10:30 a.m. Discover the Celtic roots of Halloween at Birchcliff Bluffs United Church’s monthly music service. Featuring Irish fiddler and Yeats scholar Daniel Giverin, we’ll explore stories and songs about the history of our modern celebration and dis cover how it connects to church! Info: www.bbuc.ca

NOV. 3: Book Launch - An Unrecognized Contribu tion: Women and Their Work in 19th Century To ronto by Elizabeth (Liz) Gillan Muir at Noonan’s Pub, 141 Danforth Ave., 5-7 p.m. All welcome.

NOV. 5: Jazz & Reflection with The Octokats at Beach United Church, 140 Wineva Ave., 4:30 p.m. The essence of cool jazz octet in a musical exploration of East Coast meets West Coast Jazz. Freewill offering. Eventbrite: https:// www.eventbrite.ca/e/jazz-and-reflection-the-octokatstickets-430864636727. More info: beachunitedchurch.com

NOV. 26: Christmas Craft Market at Royal Canadian Legion, 243 Coxwell Ave., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Info: 416-465-0120

DANCING WITH PARKINSON’S (DWP) Free Dance Classes for Seniors at Woodgreen Commu nity Services, 721 Broadview Ave. (basement level), Wednesdays 3:30-4:30 p.m. In partnership with Wood green Seniors’ Active Living Centre. Open to se niors of all abilities and mobilities. Registration info: 416-466-2111, www.dancingwithparkinsons.com

VARIETY VILLAGE FOOD DRIVE until November 20 in support of Feed Scarborough, Food Securities initiative. Please drop a non-perishable food item to Variety Village, 3701 Danforth Ave., and let’s sup port our community and make a difference! Drop off: Mon-Fri, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat & Sun 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

F8 PHOTO COLLECTIVE presents ‘Openings’ at Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw St., 2nd floor, Oct. 18-31. Meet the artists: Oct. 21 & 28 from 5-8 p.m., Oct. 22 & 29 from 2-5 p.m. Info: www.f8photographycollective.com

THE BEATLES AND THEIR WORLD: A 6-Part Lec ture Series presented by Beach United Church (140 Wineva Ave.) with Dr. Mike Daley, musicologist and storyteller, Mondays, 10 a.m.-12 noon until Nov. 28 (no lecture Oct. 24). For info and tickets visit: https://www. eventbrite.ca/e/the-beatles-and-their-world-a-six-partlecture-series-with-dr-mike-daley-tickets-242928875807

DANFORTH VILLAGE CHILDREN’S CHOIR at Hope United Church, 2550 Danforth Ave., Thursdays 4:30 p.m, starting Oct. 20. Directed by Sarah Isles. Semester fee: $100 ( Full bursaries available). Registration and Info: 416-6919682, Hopeunitedchurch@gmail.com, www.hopeunited.ca

BEACHES MENTAL WELLNESS GROUP meets each Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Community Centre 55, 97 Main St. at Swanwick. Info: www.mentalwellness. help. Or join us most nights of the week on Zoom. Go to: https://www.meetup.com. Ask to join us: Mental Wellness Peer-to-Peer Support-Groups

DANFORTH MENTAL WELLNESS GROUP. Join us most days for a free video support group run through ZOOM. Sign up and get details at https:// www.meetup.com/Mental-Wellness-Peer-to-PeerSupport-Groups/. Info: www.mentalwellness.help

BEACH PHOTO CLUB. Are you interested in photogra phy? We invite all shutterbugs to check out our local photo club. We offer a range of activities including guest speak ers, mentorship, opportunities to share your work, photo excursions, competitions, practical seminars and more! We meet the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month from September to June, 7-9:30 p.m., at Beach United Church, 140 Wineva Ave. (unless specified in program). Info: beachphotoclub.com or email beachphotoclub@gmail.com

BEACH INTERFAITH OUTREACH LUNCHES, 11 a.m. •Mondays at Corpus Christi Church (16 Lockwood Rd.) •Tuesdays – alternating locations: St. Nicholas Anglican Church (1512 Kingston Rd.), Oct. 25, Nov. 8, 22, Dec. 6, 20, Jan. 10 etc. and St. Aidan’s Anglican Church, (2423 Queen St. E), Oct. 18, Nov. 1, 15, 29, Dec. 13, 27, Jan. 10 etc. •Wednesdays at Beaches Hebrew

Institute (109 Kenilworth Ave.) •Thursdays at Beach United Church (140 Wineva Ave.) •Fridays at Kings ton Road United Church (975 Kingston Rd.). Lunch format may vary site to site. Info: 416-691-6869

CHAN BUDDHIST SOCIETY OF CANADA, 84 Swanwick Ave. All are welcome. Every Sunday 10 a.m. Chinese morning service in person; 6 p.m. free meditation class, instructed by Chan/Zen Bud dhist monk. Info: ShengGuang Sifu 416-816-6630

GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS. If you or a fam ily member are struggling with gambling, Gamblers Anonymous is there to HELP. Call: 1(855) 222-5542 or visit www.gatoronto.ca

LIBRARIES

BEACHES LIBRARY, 2161 Queen St. E. •Nov. 2: Beaches Book Club, 7-8 p.m. (first Wednes day of every month). Info: 416-393-7703

DANFORTH/COXWELL LIBRARY, 1675 Dan forth Ave. •Oct. 26: Let’s Make a Haunted House, 3:45-4:45 p.m. For ages 8 and up with parents/care givers. Registration required. •Oct. 27: Halloween Pyjama Time!, 7-7:30 p.m. Stories, songs and rhymes for ages 5 and under with parents/caregivers. Wear your pj’s! Registration required. Info: 416-393-7783

GERRARD ASHDALE LIBRARY, 1432 Gerrard St. E. •Oct. 20: Vote PopUp, 3-5 p.m. Celebrate democracy at this non-partisan family-friendly, fictional Vote PopUp. •Oct. 22: Halloween Family Time, 11:30 a.m.-12 noon. A spooky, fun story time for children 5 and under with parents/caregivers. Dress in costume! Info: 416-393-7717

TAYLOR LIBRARY, 1440 Kingston Rd. •Nov. 1: Book Club, 2-3 p.m. (first Tuesday of every month). Info: 416-396-8939

CHURCHES

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST NORWAY Anglican Church, 470 Woodbine Ave. Welcome to St. John the Baptist Norway! We are a growing community which enjoys the Anglican expression of the Christian faith. We gather to connect with one another and worship God on Sundays at 9 a.m. on ZOOM and In-Person or on Livestream at 10:30 a.m. We have a Food Pantry open on Monday mornings from 10 a.m.-12 noon. Info: stjohnsnorway.com, 416-691-4560

ST. AIDAN’S ANGLICAN CHURCH, 2423 Queen St. E. welcomes you to join us for Sunday worship at 8:30am in person, or at 10:30 am in person or on Zoom. Wednes days: Mid-week service, 10:30 am; Christian Meditation at 7:30 pm. All welcome. Our energetic, active church offers varied opportunities for spiritual growth, vibrant Chil dren’s and Music programs, Youth activities, and a strong commitment to action on social justice and environmental issues. Holiday Craft Market is Dec. 3. Interested vendors please contact office@staidansinthebeach.com to arrange for a table. Info: www.staidansinthebeach.com, 416-691-2222

ST. JOHN’S CATHOLIC CHURCH, 794 Kingston Rd. No registration required. Masks needed. Masses: Sat. Vigil at 4:30 pm, Sun. 9 & 11 am, Tue. - Fri. 8:15 am. Confessions 3:45 to 4:15 on Sat. Please contact church office: stjohnsto.archtoronto.org, 416-698-1105

BIRCHCLIFF BLUFFS UNITED CHURCH, 33 East Rd. Sundays at 10:30 a.m. We are a diverse, open, and inclusive Christian community where you will find many possibili ties for nurturing your own spirituality and enriching your life, as well as opportunities to serve others through acts of caring, compassion and justice. Our wonderful music program includes special monthly Musical Sunday Services (the last Sunday of each month.) Also home to the Bluffs Food Bank, Toby’s Place (a safe space for LGBTQ2S+ Youth) and Dorothy’s Place (serving LG BTQ+ seniors). Whatever you are wearing, whatever you feel about God, wherever you are on your spiritual journey - you will fit right in. Sunday school and nurs ery care available. Info: 416-694-4081, www.bbuc.ca

BEACH UNITED CHURCH. 140 Wineva Ave., invites you to share in worship with us each week. We offer a combination of in person and YouTube livestream op portunities on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. We rec ognize that for some people in person activities remain a challenge. Health and safety is paramount to us as well. We ask that all folks attending for in person wor ship wear a mask to help care for the most vulnerable in our community. Services are led by our creative and passionate music director Steven Webb and Rev Greg Daly our minister. In addition to Sunday services Beach United Church offers a variety of inspirational music and educational programs open to the entire Beach com munity. For links to our upcoming worship services, or information about our upcoming events and programs, please visit our website at beachunitedchurch.com

BEACHES PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 64 Glen Manor Dr. We are an inclusive and affirming congregation in the heart of the Beach. BPC has strong commitments to community service and social justice issues. Highlights include providing non-perishable foods for those in need through our Free Food Pantry outside the church building. Our Refugee Committee has been in operation for many years helping families and individuals arrive and start a new life in Canada. We will be hosting Cof fee Outreach on Nov. 2 from 1-3 p.m. An opportunity for people in the neighbourhood to gather for coffee, snacks and fellowship. Our book study group ‘Theology on Tap’ meets every Monday at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Current book being discussed is “Jewish and Christian Women in the Ancient World”. For a link to the service and more info please visit our website www.beacheschurch.org or call 416-699-5871. Minister: The Reverend Katherine McCloskey SCARBOROUGH BAPTIST CHURCH, 1597 Kings ton Rd. We invite you to join us on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. for Worship In-Person and on Zoom, and Sun day evenings at 6 p.m. on Zoom only. Info: www.scar boroughbaptist.ca or church office 416-698-1973

Votes

TDSB Trustee candidate profiles for Scarborough Southwest

In order to help local voters make an informed choice in this month’s municipal election, Beach Metro Community News asked candidates in the wards of BeachesEast York, Scarborough Southwest and Toronto-Danforth to send us a short profile of themselves. Candidates who did not respond to our request are not featured in these profiles. Here are the profiles of the candidates running for Trustee positions with the Toronto District School Board in those wards. Please visit our website at www. beachmetro.com for more information on the candidates. Remember, Election Day is Monday, Oct. 24.

Guled Arale

My name is Guled Arale and I’m running to be the next Toronto District School Board Trustee (TDSB) for Scarborough Southwest.

I was raised in Scarborough and attended Oakridge Elementary School, Samuel Hearne Middle School and SATEC High School where I learned the importance of investing in public education.

As a community organizer and past Vice President of the University of Toronto Scarborough Students’ Union, I have over a decade of experience working to make progressive change in our community.

I’m proud to have helped expand the number of priority community centres in Scarborough that of fer lower income families free recreational program ming. And I have a track record of getting results with my advocacy work to make post-secondary education more affordable and establish the Ontario Anti-Racism Directorate to tackle systemic racism.

If I’m elected, my top priorities will include:

Addressing the billion dollar repair backlog in Scarborough schools by working to close loopholes that stop development funds from going to TDSB schools.

Creating an updated TDSB mental health strategy that includes a plan to support every school with counsellors trained in providing one-on-one mental health support

Championing public education and organizing against underfunding and cuts, while work ing to implement a new funding formula that protects our schools.

I hope to connect with you at the door or in the community in the weeks ahead.

Please visit my website, www.guledarale.com, to learn more about my campaign and vision for our schools in Scarborough Southwest.

Robert McDermott

As a candidate for public school trustee in the up coming municipal election in Ward 18 Scarborough Southwest I would like thank Beach Metro Communi ty News for giving me the opportunity to share the is sues that parents, teachers and residents in the ward have said need to be addressed.

As a long-time resident and community activist, I have seen many children going to school hungry, pre dominantly from poor or low-income families.

I have always been a strong supporter of a Universal Healthy Food Program in our schools. This program could be funded equally between the city and province or possibly corporate sponsorship.

With the increase in food prices and inflation at a 40 year high, more and more families are finding it more difficult to feed their children. Every student needs a nutritious meal to start their day. I would go one step further and say that there should be a National Healthy Food Program for students across the country. Canada is the only G7 coun try without a national school food program.

The other issues I will be addressing are: funding for education, including extra curricular programs, standardized testing, teacher shortages, school safety, technology and the drop out rate

I have been serving Scarborough for more than 25 years as a realtor. I grew up and attended school in Scarborough and am a former member of the Advisory Committee on Continuing Education at Centennial College.

I look forward to serving you as your local public school board trustee and thank you for your support

Kim Martin

My name is Kim Martin and I want to be your next Trustee in Scarborough Southwest.

I’ve always been an engaged mom. Since my chil dren started at our local school I’ve been volunteering in increasingly more responsible roles on our School Advisory Council for seven years. As an employee of Variety Village, I engage with the community at large throughout the week. I feel strongly that community engagement is an integral part of the Trustee job. Before this I worked at a school responsible for com munications, events, and fundraising. This is where I learned what it takes to provide an environment for children to thrive and grow. Combined with my pre vious experience in the automotive, technology, and fitness industries I am well equipped to serve as your next Trustee.

I’m ready to work, ready to help our students as Parthi has laid a great foundation to build on. We need to continue to bring appropriate programming and resources for our kids to engage in and thrive. This means smart planning for building/renovating schools, relevant program development, and having the tools that our students and teachers need. I will ensure that your voices will be heard so that together we can build stronger schools and communi ties. This includes continuing to require accountability, transparency, creativity, and a prob lem solving mindset.

Why am I running for Trustee? When I stand in the middle of the school yard at drop off and the bell rings I hear the children’s voices as they run to get in line to enter the school. It’s for them, it’s for their futures, it’s for our communities, creating tomorrow’s citizens!

For more about me, please visit my website VoteforKim.ca or email me trustee.kmartin@ gmail.com.

Anna Sidiropoulos

Anna Sidiropoulos, a local business owner and life time resident of Cliffside, is mother to three TDSB students.

Two of Anna’s children are in the Birchmount Ex ceptional Athlete Program, two are part of the Ex tended French Program and one has learning chal lenges. These experiences, along with the 12 years of volunteering at her children’s schools (eight as School Council Chair), makes her the most relevant and com mitted candidate.

Anna will PUT STUDENTS FIRST in every decision at the board by: Promoting parent engagement, a key success factor in student achievement; Supporting op portunities for all students by focusing on their indi vidual skill sets through differentiated and individu alized learning; Facilitating and strengthening better communication between the TDSB and parents for greater accountability; Fostering positive relationships among ALL stakeholders in our children’s education; and listening and respect ing the diverse voices of her constituents and community members.

“I first met Anna a number of years ago at a meeting for parent council chairpersons within the ward. My first impressions of Anna were of a person who was friendly, knowledgeable, and selfless. Those first impressions hold true to this day and after years of working together I can add words like dedicated, advocate, and tireless. As a parent of two students in the TDSB, a former parent council chair, and a behaviour therapist working with students in the community, I can honestly say that Anna has all the right qualities and skills to be a fantastic trustee. Ward 18 needs and deserves a trustee whose priority is the students, who has the desire and skills to advocate for everyone, and who wants this role within our community for the right reasons,” said Ying Ong, member of School Council for Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute and a local resident.

Election Day is Oct. 24. Please remember to vote!

Other candidates running for Toronto District School Board Trustee in Scarborough Southwest are Malika Ghous, Naser Kaid, Sonny Mir and Daniel Pan.

TDSB Trustee candidate profiles for Toronto-Danforth

In order to help local voters make an informed choice in this month’s municipal election, Beach Metro Community News asked candidates in the wards of BeachesEast York, Scarborough Southwest and Toronto-Danforth to send us a short profile of themselves. Candidates who did not respond to our request are not featured in these profiles. Here are the profiles of the candidates running for Trustee positions with the Toronto District School Board in those wards. Please visit our website at www. beachmetro.com for more information on the candidates. Remember, Election Day is Monday, Oct. 24.

Sara Ehrhardt

My name is Sara Ehrhardt and I am running to be public school trustee in Toronto-Danforth.

My child is in Grade 2 at Duke of Connaught and we spent two years in virtual school through Morse. I sat on the Duke of Connaught School Advisory Council in 2020/21. I work full time for the Ontario Public Service and have degrees in engineering and public policy.

With the challenges of the last few years, we need a school board trustee who will be a champion for all our kids. I am running for trustee because I know I can be that champion.

As a co-founder of Toronto East Enders for Child Care, my advocacy generated national attention, helped save city and school childcare centres from cuts, and contributed to government action on creat ing affordable child care.

In 2017, when the Duke school pool was threatened with closure due to budget cuts, I suc cessfully fought alongside other parents to save the pool and increase city swim classes across the east end.

As your trustee, I will continue to advance the values of our community at the Toronto Dis trict School Board. These include: safer schools that support our children’s wellbeing; trans parency around our schools and the board; advancing equity, inclusion and social justice; and collaborating with parents and educators on improvements.

The coming years will continue to be challenging for all public services. But our schools –and our kids – need us. I am excited to work together to make our schools better and I hope to have your support.

For more information, visit http://www.SaraForTrustee.ca or contact my campaign at Sara TrusteeCampaign@gmail.com or at 647-691-9133.

Sukhpreet Sangha

I teach law and run related programming in eight TDSB high schools through U of T Law.

Two of the schools I teach in are in Toronto-Dan forth, and one is just north of it. I work in schools that are under-resourced, with learners that are primarily racialized and from low-income households, as well as with many newcomer students in ESL classes.

This work, coupled with my previous work as a prac ticing lawyer, is what led me to run for TDSB trustee. I know what our schools are like from the inside, and how to improve them.

I am a progressive lawyer and educator because of the strong, public education I received growing up as a working-class kid in Kitchener, Ontario. I moved to Toronto in 2010 and have lived here ever since, while becoming increasingly frustrated with the growing in equalities and shrinking opportunities for residents who are not wealthy. Good public educa tion is a key path to fulfilling futures for youth.

My three priorities are funding, fairness, and facilities.

I want to ensure that the TDSB fights for adequate funding from the province and strength ens its commitments to decolonizing our schools and battling anti-Black racism within them.

I also want to fight back against regressive attacks on sex education, gender identity, and anti-racism education.

I will devise creative solutions to ensure that students feel cared for and valued, not dis tracted by decrepit, overheated buildings.

Many education workers’ contracts expired at the end of August, so this is an important time to elect trustees like me who will support workers’ rights if the province fails them.

To learn more about me and my priorities and to hear from those who have endorsed me, please visit sukhforthebooks.com. Vote Sukhpreet Sangha for Toronto-Danforth TDSB Trust ee! Thank you.

Matt Farrell

As a long-time resident of the City of Toronto, I am proud to work and raise a family in such a vibrant community. Coming from a long line of educational professionals, I have a deep respect and appreciation for our public education system and its value to our communities. This respect is only deepened through my experiences as a contract lecturer at various GTA universities and colleges.

With an extensive background in labour relations and negotiations, I am uniquely suited to provide in sight and leadership as the Board considers upcoming union contract negotiations. Goals of fair compensa tion and fiscal responsibility may appear to be oppos ing interests, but I know from experience a mutual so lution can always be achieved. This is the perspective I will bring as the TDSB enters into negotiations with its unions with a “students-first” mandate underlying everything.

In my current role, I also have responsibility for facility renewal and capital planning. I believe this puts me in an ideal position to support TDSB staff to address the challenge of a $4-billion repair backlog.

I have also been fortunate to contribute to my community as a volunteer board member and professionally have worked closely with municipal agency boards, setting priorities and providing leadership.

Please visit my website, www.mattfarrell.vote, which details actionable plans to bring about positive change within the TDSB to address many of our most challenging issues, in cluding student equity, school safety, combating hate, class sizes and more.

I am looking forward to using my experience and energy to focus on this new opportunity as TDSB Trustee for Toronto-Danforth.

Nicole Ufoegbune

Nicole Ufoegbune is running for office and seeking your vote because she values education and believes that by addressing four priorities, we can take action on delivering the quality education every student in this city deserves.

If elected as the TDSB Trustee for Ward 15,TorontoDanforth, Nicole pledges to work with you, the key stakeholders, to realize this significant outcome and will leverage her expertise in business and public administration, her experience mentoring youth in Ontario public schools, her skills teaching Universitylevel finance and business sessions, and her experi ence driving efficiencies in large, complex organiza tions — to create exceptional learning environments for students.

Nicole grew up in many of Canada’s most vibrant cities and during her school years. She stayed busy with academics, the school band, swim ming and almost every school sport. She made her first foray into politics as a teenager in her bid to become the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board Student Trustee for her local community. Eager to learn more about business and policy, Nicole completed a Bachelor of Commerce, Honours, Finance degree at the University of Ottawa; as well as a bilingual Master of Arts in Public Administration degree, while working as an Economist in the public sector.

Nicole has travelled extensively across Canada to study important policy issues and to con nect and consult with Canadians on the topics that matter most — including finance, public sector performance, and real solutions for pressing city challenges.

Through these experiences and research findings, Nicole further recognized the impor tance of building a world-class education system and believes this can be enhanced through her campaign platform, which entails (1) Ending Academic Streaming; (2) Fostering Safe, Healthy and Inclusive Schools; (3) Bolstering Parent & Caregiver Engagement; and (4) Sup porting Efficient Financial Stewardship.

Nicole welcomes the opportunity to serve as your representative; please visit www.voteni coleto.ca/

Election Day is Oct. 24. Please remember to vote!

On The Wild Side

Fall brings changing colours, migrating birds and woolly bear caterpillars

Fall has arrived. Some people love the break from the heat, some like the changing colours in the trees, and many others have been waiting all year for their pumpkin-spice

As for me, I’ve had a few autumn trips to Northern Ontario planned for ages, that I’m finally going to make happen. I’m expecting to see a lot of eagles, and I’ve got my fingers crossed for moose, bear, and lynx sightings. I assume I’m go ing to get lost on a few back roads, but I think I’ll enjoy the adventure of finding my way back.

Finally, I’ve had a scenery

picture I’ve been hoping to capture for years: fog over a lake with the background trees during their full colour change. I couldn’t tell you why I want that particular picture, but I feel like it’s been missing from my col lection.

Before I take off north, however, there are a few local things I can intend to advantage of.

On a good northwestern windy day, I should be able to see dozens, or even hundreds, of hawks, osprey, turkey vultures, and eagles flying along Lake Ontario on their way south.

Dozens of songbirds and the remaining monarch butterflies are also making their way along the water’s edge.

I’ve been watching them every year for well over a decade, and I still think I see something noteworthy

every time I go out.

If you’ve never gone down to watch for them, maybe this is the year to try something new? Anywhere along Lake Ontario, but the Scarborough Bluffs in par ticular, should give you the best chance for some neat sightings.

The last few weeks have also brought me two ran dom, but interesting, wild

life encounters. The other day I came across a baby milk snake on my own front walk. I had my hands full of groceries, so I couldn’t get a picture in time, but I know my mouth dropped as it slithered across the drive way and then into a crack by my front stairs.

I quickly unloaded all the food, grabbed one of my trail cams, set it up, and then

grabbed my iPad to watch, off and on for three hours, to see if he would come out again. Yes, I really did watch the trail camera live, lol! My husband looked at me like I was crazy, and he might be right, but then again, he regularly spends over three hours watching the Blue Jays play. Unfortunately, the snake didn’t come out.

The other cool sighting was of a woolly bear cater pillar, (Pyrrharctia isabella). These amazing black and rust-coloured caterpillars eventually turn into the orangey-yellow Isabella Tiger Moth.

My husband Erle found this guy on the ground in our back patio. I safely put him into a container, so I could take a few photos, be fore moving him onto a tree branch where I assumed he was less likely to get stepped on.

After letting him go, I went back inside and did a little reading up on them. Apparently they have 14 feet, and many people believe they can predict the weather. Supposedly, the more black on their body, the more severe the next winter will be. I didn’t have any other woolly bears to compare this guy to, so I’ll assume it’ll be winter as usual for us in the GTA: cold and otherwise unpredict able. Woolly bears should be fattening up right now and getting ready to hibernate through the winter. When they wake up in the spring, they’ll spend just a few days eating before spinning their cocoons. Maybe I’ll see him again next year, in moth form.

Have a great fall, every one. Hopefully soon I’ll have some good stories to share from my trips up north.

PHOTO: ANN BROKELMAN

A wooly bear caterpillar recently photographed in Scarborough.

Better things with a Desjardins Agent

The Main Menu Visiting farms brings back orchard memories

Jan main is an author, cooking instructor and caterer janmainskitchen@

AS I looked at the basket of perfect apples, blemish free and enticing, it brought back memories of the orchard at my parent’s home near Cale don East.

In the past, they had a scenic apple orchard in the front of the property laden with blossom in early spring and covered with apples in the fall.

Each tree produced a dif ferent apple variety, tasty but not blemish free. The apples were irregular in size and shape, often with worm holes and not easy to pick! You needed a ladder and skill to get all the fruit from those high, wide spreading apple branches. It was a time- con suming business.

Nowadays, farming is big business. You have to pro duce quality and quantity for an ever- increasing popula tion who demand high stan dards of beautiful looking and tasty food.

To keep costs down, crops need to be harvested easily by machine with a minimum of hand labour.

Gone are the days when lo cal farm help is readily avail able. Today, migrant workers are essential to the farming community to help produce and harvest crops. In many cases they return annu ally to their Canadian farm where they play an impor tant role in farm production.

At a recent media day with Farm and Food Care of Ontario, a bus load of food writers visited an apple farm, and a strawberry and raspberry farm in Simcoe County.

These farms reflected the farmer’s knowledge, hard work and innovation to make the farms successful in ever changing times.

They have to produce quality food in large quan tities with a short growing season for critical consum ers and still make a profit to stay in business. This is no mean feat.

The fruit farms I visited on Sept. 8 were impressive. The apple farm no longer had the orchard of my childhood (de scribed above.).

Instead, there were rows of vertical trees about a per son’s reaching height, laden with perfect fruit. Each side of the tree could be picked easily by one person in min utes, in most cases, ladder free.

To help them with these jobs, this farm family hired a crew of Jamaican work ers who return annually and become part of the farm team making production and harvesting possible. (Please note, this farm advertises for local help regularly but there are no replies- migrant workers are critical to the success of the farm.)

Likewise, at the straw berry and raspberry farms, raspberries are grown on tall, single raspberry canes in flower pots to control quality of soil and health of the plant. Perfect raspber ries were visible within easy reach for picking.

Strawberries were grown in rows of window boxes at waist height with luscious berries hanging at the side of the boxes, again ready for picking at standing height instead of stooping.

Both fruits were protected from heavy rains and cold by plastic domes which helps extends the growing season.

Ever changing methods produce quality food for you to enjoy in these recipes:

Apple Any Berry Pie with Crumble Topping

Try a variety of apples to give a different flavour and texture.

Early varieties like Paula Red and MacIntosh will be softer and sweeter than crisp varieties such as Cor tland or Gala. Honey Crisp is a relatively new, popular variety more expensive than the others because it is more difficult to produce but just as the name suggests, sweet like honey with a character istic crispness. Ambrosia has a firm texture but a lus cious sweetness, perfect for a pie. Try a selection for fun!

Apple Berry Filling 4 cups (1 L) sliced, peeled apples (about 5)

2 cups (500 mL) berries such as cranberries, fresh or dried, or straw berries or raspberries, fresh or frozen

1/2 to 3/4- cup (125175 mL) granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the fruit

2 tsp (10 mL) grated lemon rind

1 9-inch (23 cm) pre pared pie shell

Crumble Topping

1/4 cup (50 mL) melted butter

1/2 cup (125 mL) each, quick oats and all-pur pose flour

1/2 cup (125 mL) brown sugar

1 tsp (5 mL) ground cin namon

Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C). In a mixing bowl, combine together apples, cranberries, (or other berries) sugar and lemon rind. Set aside.

In another bowl, stir to gether melted butter, oat meal, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon until well com bined.

Spoon apple-berry fill ing into prepared pie shell. Sprinkle evening with crum ble topping.

Bake in pie on cookie sheet in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.

Reduce heat to 375 F 190 C). and continue baking un til fruit is tender about 30-35 minutes.

Cool on rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream. Serves 6.

Gingered Apple and Carrot Soup

A warming soup for a blus tery day, it is quickly made for an inviting lunch. Butter nut squash could be substi tuted for carrots.

2lbs (1 kg) carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1 onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 box 1 litre/ 4 cups chicken stock and 2 cups/500 mL water

2 tbsp (25 mL) peeled and grated fresh ginger root

1 can (375 mL) evapo rated milk

1 tsp (5 mL) salt

1/2 tsp (2mL) fresh black pepper

In a saucepan combine carrots, apples, onion, cel ery, chicken stock, water and grated ginger.

Cook on medium high un til tender about 25-30 min utes.

Puree mixture in blender until smooth; add evaporat ed milk, salt and pepper.

Taste. Adjust seasoning, Serves 4-6.

Arts & Entertainment

Local actor Ali Kazmi on stage in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

By Sean Meral

LESLIEVILLE ACTOR Ali Kazmi will be playing the role of Uday Hussein, eldest son of Saddam Hussein, in the production of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo which is now on stage at Crow’s Theatre.

The play runs at the Car law Avenue and Dundas Street East theatre until Nov. 6. The Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony-nominated produc tion is a dark comedy based in Iraq in 2003.

“Bengal Tiger was sup posed to first happen in January,” said Kazmi. “Then

Omicron happened, and it all got shut down.”

After production was halt ed three days before open ing, Kazmi said he is excited to finally be able to take on his role in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo

Kazmi also just finished up his role as Astrov in Uncle Vanya, which also played at Crow’s.

“I saw my dad play Astrov back in 2007 in Pakistan,” said Kazmi. “So, when I was offered the role, I called my dad, and we cried on the phone together.”

A family devoted to the arts, Sahira and Rahat Ka zmi, paved the way for Paki stani cinema and television. Sahira, Ali’s mother, was awarded the Pride of Perfor mance Award by the Presi dent of Pakistan. Rahat, his father, has been in dozens of roles, many of which were di rected by Sahira.

“That’s the thing about it, back then it wasn’t about the money, there wasn’t even that much,” said Kazmi. “They are just intellectuals who love the arts and that’s one thing I’ve carried with me always.”

Having been in a music video shot by his mother for Pakistani Independence Day at the age of two, Kazmi said he didn’t really get a knack for acting until the age of seven.

“There was a show my mom directed where my

father played a doctor and whenever there would be a flashback to him in an orphanage, I would play a younger him,” said Kazmi.

“In that moment I looked at everything and realized, this is where I belong.”

That moment is what in spired him to pursue acting to try and create something to continue the family legacy.

“I moved to Canada when I was 25, and I was an actor in Pakistan before that,” said Kazmi.

“But you have to create

your own magic here.”

After graduating from the Toronto Film School, Kazmi sought and secured his first role where he was a part of a small production performed in the alleys behind Honest Eds.

Kazmi would go on to work at film studios in the Leslieville and East Toronto area and he said he fell in love with the neighbour hood. He moved to Leslieville in 2015.

Kazmi said his love for the stage was re-realized during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This [Uncle Vanya] is ac tually my first formal theatre show in Canada,” said Kazmi said. “I have been filming for TV but when the pandemic started, I decided ‘I have to go back to the first level.’”

The transition back to the stage has also allowed Kazmi to get more involved with the Leslieville community.

“It really feels like a com munity, there’s a cute little café there or a bar over there we all love to go to” he said.

“I’m a true Leslieville man, I love this place.”

For tickets to Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, please visit www.crowstheatre. com/whats-on/view-all/ben galtigerbaghdadzoo

Kingston Road Village Concert Series set to start

THE KINGSTON Road Vil lage Concert Series presents its first performance of the 2022/2023 season this Friday night.

All of the concerts will take place at Kingston Road United Church, 975 Kingston Rd.

Concerts scheduled for this season are Welcome to the Cabaret on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m.; Sultans of String Christmas Caravan on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at 7 p.m.; Side by Side - Winter Bach #1 on Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023; and Side by Side - Win ter Bach #2 on Saturday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m.

Advance tickets for all concerts are $35, and they are $40 at the door. Children under 12 are admitted free. Those attending are remind ed that food bank donations are always gratefully ac cepted.

The season opening con cert, Welcome to the Caba ret, features Reilly Nelson, mezzo soprano, Kevin Ahfat, piano/organ and John Let tieri, accordion. Drinks will be served and those attend ing (who are of legal age) can relax with a cocktail while Reilly offers songs made fa mous by Vera Lynn and Mol ly Drake, subversive refrains

by Kurt Weill and more.

To order tickets or for more information, please go to www.kruc.ca/concertseries.

Danforth Village Children’s Choir gathers THE DANFORTH Village

Children’s Choir will hold its first gathering and begin re hearsals this week for its fall semester.

Open to children between the ages of six to 12, the choir will be directed by Sarah Isles. The inaugural gather ing is at Hope United Church (northwest corner of Main Street and Danforth Avenue) on Thursday, Oct. 20, start ing at 4:30 p.m. That will be the choir’s rehearsal space going forward.

The music repertoire of the choir will focus on world music, as well as children’s music from Canadian com posers.

The fall semester fee for participants is $100 which covers the costs of music and staff. Full bursaries can be available.

For more information on the Danforth Village Chil dren’s Choir, please call 416691-9682 or send an email to Hope United Church at Hopeunitedchurch@gmail. com

PHOTO: SUBMITTED Ali Kazmi will play the role of Uday Hussein, eldest son of Saddam Hussein, in the produc tion of Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo now on stage at Crow’s Theatre.

Pegasus Incredible Film Festival set for Oct. 22

Amarachi Amadike, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

THE PEGASUS Community Project is hosting its first film festival for people in the disability community since the COVID-19 pandemic be gan.

On Saturday, Oct. 22, the Pegasus Incredible Film Fes tival (PIFF) returns with a showcase of 12 films created by its members in collabora tion with filmmakers from the disability community and volunteer film students.

The festival is at Innis Town Hall Theatre, 2 Sussex Ave. in Toronto.

After drawing inspiration from Halifax’s The Bluenose Ability Arts & Film Festival (BAAFF) and Toronto’s The Reel Abilities Film Festival (RAFF), the Pegasus organi zation put together its own film festival to provide an outlet for participants to tell their stories.

Their first offering was a six-film project in 2017, cre ated with help from film stu dents across the GTA. Since then, PIFF has grown in size with this year marking its biggest collection of films so far.

“There are eight different organizations involved and one independent filmmaker,” said PIFF Coordinator Tess Murray.

She said the purpose of PIFF is to “engage adults in the disability community” so the festival isn’t reserved only for Pegasus members. Although participants get help putting the projects together from volunteer filmmakers, they have full artistic freedom. This year’s festival is the first one since 2019 so a few submissions are films that were created prior or during the pandem ic. Some, said Murray, were made through Zoom. The festival has a wide range of

genres including horrors, comedies and a music video. The films are about two to five minutes long.

Proceeds will be reinvest ed into the festival’s growth as well as into purchasing more equipment to further expand the reach in order to bring this opportunity to more people.

“We’re hoping to grow and reach out to even more organizations and individu als and just make it a space and festival where people who are part of the disability community feel included and to have this open up, even more, to the public,” said Murray.

She anticipates growth that could see the festival expand to multiple days. “Right now, it’s just one day–two screenings,” she said. “I would definitely be inter ested in broadening our au dience.”

More information on PIFF

is at www.pifftoronto.ca

Tickets are $15 but any one who cannot make it in person can view a virtual screening for $10. Tickets can be purchased at www. eventbrite.ca/e/pegasusincredible-film-festival-tick ets-425703208757

“What I’m really excited about is the variety [of films] and how they’re all so differ ent,” said Murray.

Based out of its head office on Kingston Road, Pegasus was founded in 1994 to help adults with developmental disabilities adopt adult roles in their community.

For more info, please go to www.pegasustoronto.ca

Amarachi Amadike is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for Beach Metro Community News. His re porting is funded by the Gov ernment of Canada through its Local Journalism Initia tive.

Halloween fundraiser at Beaches Recreation Centre

haunted house. In fact, if you refer to it as a haunted house in front of Marks he will make you do 10 push ups.

“Haunted houses tend to be more hokey and you walk through them but you can see this is different. It’s a ride, you sit in a two-person

cart and get pushed back wards,” said Marks. “It’s quite the experience! You have the tents and the awe some props and the acting on top of that. I also think it’s cooler to say Fear Fac tory rather than a haunted house.”

In the last 13 years, Fear

Factory has doubled in size and it keeps getting bigger each year. When Fear Fac tory started it was held in a hallway whereas now it is held in the gym with lines of people daring to go in.

Fear Factory’s admission is free with a food donation. The donations go to Commu

nity Centre 55 and there are usually hundreds of pounds of food donated.

Fear Factory runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Beaches Recreation Centre, 6 Wil liamson Rd. on Friday Oct. 28, and Saturday Oct. 29; and on Sunday, Oct. 30, from 1 to 3 p.m.

the GTA for 29 years, Carpet Mill is a premier choice for

contrac tors, designers and real estate

so many of our supply chains interrupted, you can rely on Carpet Mill for over 10,000 SF allocated to stock on location, Including Carpets, Remnants, Vinyl and Area rugs. This paired with our in-house master installation teams, ensures that we can accommodate a timely professional installation in a fraction of the time as most

specialize in

bind ing,

and

installation as well as hard surface

lation. Ask about

‘Fear’ from Page

Deja

Scarborough Road area memory

By David Van Dyke

PHOTO: DAVID VAN DYKE

HEALTH

DR. KARIN RUMMELL & ASSOCIATES

OPTOMETRISTS

PSYCHOTHERAPY

Tara Shannon

579 Kingston Rd (corner Main) 416 698-6960 tara@tarashannon.ca

BALSAM DENTAL

Dentistry

BEACHES OPTOMETRY CLINIC

Dr. Linda Chan, Optometrist

Lisa Romano-Dwyer BSc, MSW, PhD, RSW

Registered Social Worker & Psychotherapist

Lakeside Wellness Therapy Affiliates Individual & Couple Care Child & Adolescent Counselling Services Wellness Life Coaching 1755 Queen St. E. • 416-951-8280

Carolyn Dallman Downes

Registered Psychotherapist Depression, Anxiety, Grief, Relationships. www.CarolynDallmanDownes.com 416-363-0065

DR. LINDA WINTER

Psychologist

Dr. Linda Iny Lempert

COUNSELLING

Catherine Allon, BSc, MEd Are You Ready to Solve Your Life & Relationship Issues? 416-694-0232 www.energyawakening.com Spiritual Counselling

INSURANCE

WELLNESS

Leane

ACCOUNTING

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

Corporate

Bus: 416 270-9898 98 Scarboro Beach

William F. Deneault

Chartered Accountant

• Corporate & Personal Tax

• Specializing in small to medium business

• Financial advice 21 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 502 Tel: (416) 962-2186

Kriens LaRose, LLP

Chartered Professional Accountants

• Accounting services for owner-managed businesses.

• Personal and corporation income tax preparation.

• Audit and consulting services for not-for-profit organizations www.krienslarose.com 416-690-6800

Melani Norman CPA, CMA

Accounting Issues and Systems, Bookkeeping, Personal and Corporate Taxes Call 416-471-0337

Emily C. Larimer CPA, CGA

BOOKKEEPING & PERSONAL TAX RETURNS

INCLUDING TAXES IN ARREARS Call: 416-693-2274 emily@eclarimercpa.com www.eclarimercpa.com

Patrick Ruiz Professional Corporation CPA, CA

An accountant you can count on For your Small Business Self-employed income & investments Real Estate Rentals 647-300-4062 • patrick@prtaxcpa.com

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Guardian Mortgages

LAWYERS/LEGAL

LAWYERS/LEGAL Cont.

Shelly Pereira, Paralegal

Commissioner/Notary, Small Claims, Landlord & Tenant/other Tribunals, Municipal Offences, Letters & Mediation. Call for a Free 30 min. Consultation 647-693-6240 Toronto info@toronto-paralegal.net

Janet D’Arcy DC, FRCCSS (C) Chiropractor Sports Injury Specialist 2455A Queen St. East 416 690-6257

Open Saturdays

SPIRITUAL ADVISER

Retired Psychotherapist Finding meaning in your life 40 years experience • $80/hr Peg Earle M.A., M.Div., RMFT 647-970-6807

www.leanebesky.com

Best of Both Worlds. Same returns as the underlying fund/portfolio. Same MERs as the Mutual Fund. 100% Death Benefit Guarantee based on all contributions made before age 75. Learn more! Vic M. Sarju 416 560-0985

VETERINARIANS

D.V.M.

ANIMAL HOSPITAL

Kinga and Allen Chin Commercial / Residential / Investor Services P: 416-315-0355 955A Kingston Rd, Toronto, M3E 1S8 E: info@guardianmortgages.ca W:www.guardianmortgages.ca Serving the Beaches & GTA Powered by Mortgage Architects License #12728

LEE JAMES BOWES CIM, PFP Financial Planning & Investment Services

Assante Capital Management Ltd. 101 - 952 Kingston Road, Toronto 647-276-0072 lbowes@assante.com bowesfinancialgroup.ca

LEE JAMES BOWES CIM, PFP Estate Planning & Insurance Services

Assante Capital Management Inc. 101 - 952 Kingston Road, Toronto 647-276-0072 lbowes@assante.com bowesfinancialgroup.ca

Dashwood & Dashwood Barristers & Solicitors

Geoffrey J. Dashwood

961 Kingston Rd. Tel. 416-690-7222 Toronto, M4E 1S8 Fax. 416-690-8738

Snider & DiGregorio

Barristers, Solicitors, Notaries. 978 Kingston Road, Toronto, Ont., M4E 1S9 Tel: 416-699-0424 Fax: 416-699-0285

Email: info@sdlegal.ca

O’Reilly, Moll & Mian

Barristers, Solicitors, Notaries Public 300 Main Street 416-690-3324

DENISE BADLEY-CASTELLO Barrister, Solicitor, Notary Family • Wills & Estates Real Estate 2069 Danforth Ave. (Woodbine) 416-690-6195 dbadleylaw@rogers.com

KATHRYN WRIGHT Barrister & Solicitor Family Law & Mediation 416-699-8848 2239 Queen Street East www.kathrynwrightlaw.com kathrynwrightlaw@gmail.com

GARRY M. CASS

BARRISTER & SOLICITOR, TEP Wills/Estate Administration/Advice to Estate Trustees 416-767-CASS (2277) x 207 416-795-4899 (cell) 416-491-0273 (fax) garry@garrycass.com

Glover & Associates

Barristers, Solicitors, Notaries

Real Estate, Family, Litigation Wills & Estates, Corporate 416-691-3700

Queen and Hammersmith

Peter J. Salah Family Law Lawyer 124 Merton Street, Suite 300 We Collaborate, Negotiate & Litigate 416.752.8128 peter@salahlaw.ca www.salahlaw.ca

KAMRULHAFIZAHMED REAL ESTATE LAWYER 416 690 1855 [P 416 690 1866 [F 2972 DANFORTH AVE.

QUINN Family Law

Shelley C. Quinn, LL.B., LL.M. (Family Law) 662 Broadview Ave. t. (416) 551-1025 www.QuinnFamilyLaw.ca

MEDIATION/ARBITRATION

Divorce, Tenancy/Landlord disputes, Employment disputes.

Sarah Harvey & Associates 416-795-4181 info@sarahharveyandassociates.com

John H. BJARNASON, D.C. Chiropractor

1906 Queen St. E. (1 block east of Woodbine) 416-694-2868

BEACHES WELLNESS CENTRE Dr. Johanna Carlo Chiropractic & Registered Massage Therapy 2130 Queen Street East 416-698-7070

ASHBRIDGE’S HEALTH CENTRE

Dr. Emily Howell

Leesun, RMT Dr. Ceara Higgins

MASSAGE THERAPY

advancedapproaches massage.com

416-694-6767

THERAPY LOUNGE

Megan Evans, RMT, CRHP & Associates

Massage Therapy • Reflexology 2245 Queen St. East • 2nd floor • Open 7 days per week • www.therapylounge.ca 416-916-7122

URBAN CALM THERAPEUTICS

Stephanie Gage, RMT Kristina Pearsal, RMT 1789 Queen St. East, Unit 6 www.urbancalm.ca 416-698-3157

ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN

Jen Goddard, R.M.T.

Park Health Group

St.

VETERINARY

SERVICES

Dr. Barbara Houghton 647-221-5516

Aldo

CFP, CIM

We specialize in wealth & retirement strategies, RRSPs, RRIFs, TFSAs, RESPs, Pensions and more. Life Insurance, Disability, Critical Illness aldo.lopez-gil@edwardjones.com 416-691-8730

Beaches Family Law and MEDIATION

Linda Bronicheski, J.D. 47 Main Street (at Lyall) 416-763-6884 Linda@BeachesFamilyLaw.com

Reel Beach: Movies in East Toronto

Beacher Abuzeid in Netflix’s Luckiest Girl Alive

-- William Faulkner quote in

Recent news headlines can make us feel like we’re trapped in an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale: repression in Iran, Hockey Canada scandals, domestic violence and sexual assault trials.

One of the directors of Handmaid’s, Mike Barker, is at the helm of a new madein-Toronto drama dealing with the difficult subject of abuse.

Ani (Mila Kunis) is a suc cessful magazine writer who seemingly has everything in the Luckiest Girl Alive (streaming this month on Netflix). Her picture-perfect life begins to unravel when a true crime filmmaker Aaron (Dalmar Abuzeid) asks her to relive her traumatic past and she’s forced to confront the dark secrets she’s tried so hard to escape:

“I’m working on a docu mentary about the incident at your high school. There are still so many questions that you’ve never answered.

People want to know. Were you a hero or…accomplice? Don’t you want to tell your side of the story?”

Should Ani speak the truth about her traumatic experiences or remain silent? Are there excuses we tell ourselves? What is “the truth”? Will it bring Ani justice or ruin her life?

Luckiest Girl Alive is based on the best-selling 2015 debut novel of Jes sica Knoll with elements inspired by her real life. The author has revealed that she herself was assaulted as a teenager and feels she had to write the screenplay her self: “I can’t imagine anyone else touching this.”

The story is set in New

York and Nantucket, but filmed in Toronto, Cobourg and Whitby’s Trafalgar Castle School which stands in for a prestigious private academy. (The Elizabethanstyle castle from 1859 was the largest private dwelling in Canada before Casa Loma was built.)

Toronto is only mentioned when Ani’s boss Lola (Jenni fer Beals) tells Aaron, “I saw your short at the Toronto Film Festival a few years back.”

Mila Kunis and Dalmar Abuzeid (who grew up in the Beach) in Luckiest Girl Alive which was filmed in Toronto and area is now showing on Netflix. raised in the Beach and played bass in the band SoundSpeed. You may rec ognize him from Degrassi: the Next Generation or his Canadian Screen Awardwinning performance in Anne with an E Luckiest Girl Alive shows disturbing events which may trigger some viewers. Knoll has said that writing the novel helped her confront the trauma. Kunis hopes the film “helps people find their true voice if they feel they have lost it.”

Dalmar Abuzeid plays the filmmaker who upends Ani’s life. He recently tweeted, “I’m truly proud to be in this film… a gift of an experience to work on.”

Abuzeid was born and

Maybe by seeing through another’s eyes we can learn to have more compassion for their pain.

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.”

Bernie Fletcher

PHOTO: SABRINA LANTOS - NETFLIX

Balmy Beach rugby teams win McCormick Cup and Gee and Gage Cup

TWO BALMY Beach Rugby Club men’s teams recently won prestigious champion ships.

The Senior men’s 1XV (First 15) and the 2XV (Second 15) teams won the McCormick Cup and Gee and Gage Cup championships respectively.

The McCormick Cup is the Rugby Ontario championship trophy for First League teams in Senior men’s rugby. The Gee and Gage Cup is basically the Rugby Ontario champi onship for Second League teams in Senior men’s rugby

Balmy Beach’s 1XV won the McCormick Cup with a thrilling 24-23 victory over the Toronto Scottish at Fletcher’s Fields in Markham on Oct. 1 Balmy Beach’s 2XV won the Gee and Gage Cup with a 52-26 win over the Lindsay Rugby Football Club also on Oct. 1 at Fletcher’s Fields.

Balmy Beach Rugby Club head coach Iain McLeish was thrilled with the two cup wins. “This was the culmination of a two-year building process. Coming out of COVID we knew what our goal was, a McCormick Cup and Gee Gage Cup,” he said. “All of our play ers and coaches gave everything they had this season to ensure that we achieved that goal.”

The victory by the 1XV marks the 16th Mc Cormick Cup championship for Balmy Beach. That ties them with the Markham Irish for most McCormick Cup titles won by any club in the province.

“It was an amazing feeling getting the win against the Scottish for our first McCormick Cup since 2015, said Balmy Beach captain Stephen Dwyer. “We have been working ex tremely hard for this moment all during the pandemic, putting in the extra work during the winter months to help us achieve it. It

would not have been possible without the sacrifices the guys made along the way and was also helped by our coaches who gave us the tools and game plan for us to be at our peak when it mattered the most.”

The score in the McCormick Cup champi onship game went back and forth and was described as “a hard-hitting battle.” The defence of Balmy Beach had to stand strong against numerous attempts by the Toronto Scottish during long periods in which they had possession of the ball.

“We had to gut up and defend over and over again for 10-plus minutes at a time. This made it absolutely integral that the Beach de fence hammered into the Scottish forwards in order to stop their momentum,” McLeish told Beach Metro Community News.

Balmy Beach led 17-15 at the half. The lowscoring second half was a defensive battle which saw Balmy Beach come back from be ing down 23-17 to score a try and successful convert to take the win by one point.

The final try for Balmy Beach in the dy ing minutes of the game was scored by Pete Vandersteen, but it would require the suc cessful kicking of the two-point convert by captain Dwyer to win the match. “Team Cap tain Stephen Drwyer lined up the kick, which banged off the uprights. Thankfully the rugby Gods were smiling on Beach and the ball crossed over the posts after the bounce. Score 24-23 for Beach,” wrote McLeish.

Toronto Scottish made a furious push to score at the end of the game, which included injury time, but Balmy Beach’s defence held.

Dwyer said the game and the McCormick Cup win as an emotional one and they drew inspiration from the late Paul Myers, a for mer team coach who died earlier this year.

“The game itself was crazy and I don’t

think we would have overcame the hurdles we faced without a little help from somebody very special to our team and the Beach, the late Paul Myers who sadly passed away this summer,” said Dwyer. “Paul was an influ ential part of our coaching group and it is without doubt extra special for us to be able to win this cup in memory of him.”

In the Gee and Gage Cup final, the Balmy Beach 2XV put in a strong over effort right from the start to double Lindsay 52-26 and take the title.

“As this game kicked off it became clear pretty quickly that Lindsay was in trouble,” wrote McLeish. “Led by Captain Malency Wainwright at inside centre and directed from the front by 16-year-old Stephen Webb, Beach marched down the field again and again seemingly unopposed. By the time the whistle blew for half time the score was 287. The deep Beach bench brought fresh legs into the fight with solid shifts put in by long time Beach stalwarts Brandon Connerty and Curtis Brown.”

Photo above shows the McCormick Cup winning Balmy Beach Senior men’s rugby team. Photo below shows the Gee and Gage Cup winning Senior men’s rugby team from Balmy Beach.

Rock with Love slated for Nov. 5 at The Opera House

operation to take the lump out.”

“Everything was fine,” he continued. “And then it came back again, seven years lat er.”

Despite the news, Sarah was courageous and stoic in the face of her initial diagno sis as well as its resurgence.

As a means of document ing her journey as well as to inspire others, Sarah cre ated and operated the Insta gram account, 2ndjourneyth roughcancer.

Much of the aforemen tioned art and decorative panels can also be seen there as well.

Sarah had such an effect on the community that an ongoing initiative, supported by Beaches-East York MPP Mary-Margaret McMahon, is underway to rename a lane way north of Queen Street East as the Sarah McComb Lane.

As embedded as she was in the community, Sarah had just as deep a relationship with the St. Michael’s Hos pital.

Not only was it the hospi tal where her father complet ed his internship, it is where her siblings and children were born as well as where she received a majority of her treatment for breast can cer.

The McCombs were also involved with the Angel’s Den program at St. Mi

chael’s, with Wes on the or ganizing committee for the past five years.

A twist on the popular Dragon’s Den series, Angel’s Den provides initial funding for clinicians and research ers so that they can create a prototype in the hopes of securing additional funding.

With an initial goal of be tween $100,000 and $150,000, the response to Rock with Love has been exceptional, said Wes.

“We’ve sold 500 tickets and capacity is going to be only about 700 so we’re al most sold out already,” he said. “That’ll get us close to

the $200,000 mark to fund the Sarah McComb Prize at An gels Den.”

“It’s a double whammy for her,” continued Wes. “She would’ve loved to have a par ty or musical concert in her name. She would love that. And then also getting to fund cancer research at St Mike’s is another thing she would have been ecstatic about.”

To purchase tickets to Rock with Love, please go to https://secure3.convio.net/ smh/site/Calendar/119307614 1?view=Detail&id=101421 or visit the Instagram account at www.instagram.com/rock withlove1/

Designated Sacred Fire Site at Norwood Park among three opened in Toronto

By Amarachi Amadike, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

THE CITY of Toronto re cently opened Designated Sacred Fire Sites in three lo cal parks earlier this month.

Toronto has put Action 15 of the City’s Reconciliation Action Plan in motion as it attempts to reduce barriers for Indigenous People ac cessing Sacred Fires.

On Oct. 4, the City of To ronto opened three desig nated Sacred Fire sites for First Nations, Inuit and Mé tis community members.

Following consultation from a number of Indigenous community members and leaders, it was determined that Allan Gardens, Christie Pits Park and Norwood Park were in the most pressing need of such sites.

“Since time immemorial, Indigenous Peoples have used Sacred Fires for well ness, healing and gather ings,” stated a press release from the City of Toronto an nouncing the openings of the sites. “Just as some people gather in churches, temples,

mosques or synagogues, In digenous ceremonies hap pen on the land.”

In recent times, Toronto has attempted to further enhance access to land for Indigenous ceremonies. In 2021, Toronto Council ap proved bylaw amendments to create a new classification for fees associated with cul tural fires.

According to the press release, a separate category for open air burnings re lated to cultural or religious events ensures “TFS (To ronto Fire Service) is able to administer approvals as required under the Ontario Fire Code” as well as estab lishing fire safety “while rec ognizing the importance of Indigenous Sacred Fires in Indigenous culture”.

The newly designated fire sites will be inspected by TFS once a year to make sure the safety standards, as required by the Ontario Fire Code, are being met. Sa cred Fires at undesignated sites are also permitted as long as Indigenous commu nity members contact IAO or

TFS for the required safety inspections.

Each location has an In digenous site facilitator from the community. These site facilitators also came together to serve as a com mittee of advisors for the City of Toronto. Together with City staff, they picked the locations and advised on materials needed for each Sacred Fire site. As com munity members begin to use the sites, facilitators will be available to guide them through the process. Those who want to take photos or film are advised to seek the permission of the Elder and/ or Fire Keeper to respect the spiritual nature of the sites.

Norwood Park is at 16 Nor wood Rd. Toronto’s other Designated Sacred Fire Sites are at Christie Pits Park and Allan Gardens.

Amarachi Amadike is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for Beach Metro Community News. His re porting is funded by the Gov ernment of Canada through its Local Journalism Initia tive.

PHOTO: SUBMITTED

Sarah McComb, shown with her painted paddles, will be remembered at fundraiser in early November to support cancer research.

The Steve & Sally Stavro Family YMCA is now open.

From teens who land their first jobs thanks to our leadership programs to parents who find fulfillment in volunteering, millions of people have changed their lives at the Y. Join us as a member, volunteer, or donor to see for yourself the vibrant, supportive community that makes our charity so special.

Try The Y Today.

Scan to learn more.

Halloween Food Truck Festival set for Variety Village on Oct. 29 and 30

LOCAL RESIDENTS are invited to take part in a Halloween Toronto Food Truck Festival in support of Variety Village on Saturday, Oct. 29, and Sunday, Oct. 30.

The celebration will take place outside at Variety Village, 3701 Danforth Ave. east of Birchmount Road, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Sunday.

There will also be an Open House taking place at Variety Village during the Halloween festival hours for those who are interested in touring the facility.

This will be the second year in a row for the Halloween Food Truck Festival at Variety Village.

The festival will be a family friendly and accessible Hal loween celebration.

There will be lots of food and drinks available courtesy of Canadian Food Truck Festival members, entertainment, crafts, kids costume contests, a pet contest, and plenty of treats available for those attending.

Entrance admission fee is a minimum $5 donation which will go to support Variety Village’s programs for individuals with disabilities.

Food items and other refreshments are available for pur chase at the food trucks taking part in the festival. There will also be a beer tent at this year’s festival featuring Saulter Street Brewing and Great Lakes Brewing.

Food trucks slated to take part in the festival are Food from East; The Ultimate Food Truck; Arepa Republic; Cheeseh eadz; Heavenly Dreams; Jerk Brothers; La Fiesta; Cheesecake by Heirloom; Super Churros; Philthy Phil’s; and Rebozos.

Those attending are encouraged come in Halloween cos tumes.

Slated entertainers include Kevin Foster; Josh Taerk; Kayar Live; Samantha Elyse Music; New Moon Junction; The Flying Sparrows; Aaron and Aimee Allen; and Thorn Among Roses.

The festival will be set up at Variety Village and also in the neighbouring parking lot of Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute.

For more information, please go to https://varietyontario. ca/foodtruckfestival

Neighbourhood Stops and Shops

The Peak of Lakeside Living

venience, and community, presenting a rare opportu nity to live in a stylish new build home South of Kings ton Road. It’s the perfect place, and the perfect time.

Perched atop the Scar borough Bluffs within the coveted neighbourhood of Birch Cliff, a striking new community rises up over the lake. Birchcliff Urban Towns is offering a rare, limited col lection of just six new town homes - your final chance to live in this spectacular new community.

For a limited time, when you buy a brand new home at Birchcliff, you can benefit from an incredible array of incentives as a show of ap preciation for choosing to purchase with us. Your home at Birchcliff can benefit from a 0% interest rate on your mortgage, capped at 7% for one year*. This way, your new home has never been more affordable. And with a low deposit structure, a oneyear free maintenance credit alongside free parking and more, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of these ex clusive offers.

With construction well underway, the striking style

of this limited collection of urban towns is coming to life for all to see. Bold con temporary architecture cre ates a trendy streetscape surrounded by nature. Sleek modern interiors are accent ed by luxurious features and upscale materials. A fourstorey eco-friendly build ing, heated and cooled by geothermal technology. This is the perfect time to own a Birchcliff Urban Townhome, a brand new residence with a complete 7-year Tarion Warranty. And unlike other new construction homes, they’re almost ready to move in. At Birchcliff Urban Towns, you have the exclu sive opportunity to buy this fall, and move in by Spring/ Summer 2023.

Birchcliff Urban Towns brings you close to every thing you need to live a balanced lifestyle just five minutes from Warden Sta tion. Beaches, bluffs, and beautiful views blend per fectly with connections, con

Contact Birchcliff Urban Towns today to book a pri vate appointment and learn more about these fantastic limited-time incentives and exclusive release. This is your final chance to own at Birchcliff, and move in by this coming Spring/Summer. To learn more, email us at: sales@birchcliff-towns.ca

*Some restrictions may apply. 0% interest rate incentive covers up to 7% for 1 year (i.e. with a 25 year amor tization period, 80% loan-to-ratio, the 7% interest rate coverage is only valid in the first year of mortgage). Capped rate does not increase with rising mortgage rates. Please speak to a Sales Representative for more de tails. The special incentive program is a Limited Time offer. Prices, incen tives and specifications are subject to change without notice. E. & O.E.

– BMN Sponsored Content–