Leaside Daily Updates: June–August 2019
A guided walk among the dead
What better way to top off a delightful middle-of-summer weekend than a visit to the graveyard. Mark your social calendar for 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 28 for a walking tour through Mount Pleasant Cemetery led by the Royal Ontario Museum’s ROMWalks volunteers. See the Things To Do listing for more information.
Vigil marks anniversary of Danforth shooting
One year after a Thorncliffe park resident went on a shooting rampage, killing two, wounding 12 and terrifying hundreds of others on Danforth Avenue, the Danforth community gathered to remember the victims and support the survivors this evening. They met in the rain by the Alexander the Great Parkette where the shooting began to exchange feelings of pain and words of hope. See the story in words and pictures.
Rocca awarded by MP at barbecue
Don Valley East MP Rob Oliphant gave local realtor and philanthropist Patrick Rocca the Citizenship Award today. The award was presented at Rocca’s neighbourhood barbecue held at Valu-Mart on Bayview Avenue. Here’s how Oliphant described it on Twitter:
Proud to present @PatrickRocca with the MP’s Citizenship Award at his neighbourhood BBQ today at Valu-Mart on Bayview. Patrick’s philanthropy and support for the Leaside and Davisville communities are remarkable. pic.twitter.com/4u1DLj2soz
— Rob Oliphant (@Rob_Oliphant) July 5, 2019
Oliphant’s Canada Day celebration on July 1
Don Valley East and West reps hold their annual Canada Celebration tomorrow. MPs Rob Oliphant and Yasmine Ratansi, plus MPPs Michael Coteau and Kathleen Wynne host the event at Aga Khan Park, 77 Wynford Dr., from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free food, drinks and entertainment are featured.
Celebrants are advised to bring a refillable water bottle, a chair, and/or umbrella and sunscreen. Free parking is available at Canada Post.
Lane naming for Edna Beange came with warning
The late Edna Beange will be watching to make sure the lane named for her is kept clean and accessible, MP Rob Oliphant joked at the naming ceremony on June 25. Friends, family and political reps gathered to pay tribute to the lifelong activist. See the story.
Banner year for Leaside High track team
Leaside High School sent a contingent of 26 members to Alumni Stadium at the University of Guelph from June 6 to 8 for OFSAA — and ended up with eight medal. It was a banner season that also included Leaside’s senior girls finishing atop the provincials with points. Get the full story.
Lane to be named for Edna Beange tomorrow
Edna Beange Lane will be unveiled at 3:30 p.m. on June 25. Don Valley West councillor Jaye Robinson, members of the Beange family, and friends in the community are expected to be at the ceremony for the street running east from Bayview Avenue, south of McRae Drive. Refreshments are to be served after the ceremony in the SAHIL common room at 1387 Bayview Ave.
Edna Beange was an East York councillor and lifelong community organizer in Leaside and Toronto, including helping found Stay at Home in Leaside (SAHIL). She died in January, having spent her own senior years in the garden apartments on Bayview near the lane soon to be named for her.
Lemonade stand puts squeeze on diabetes
If you’re in the area, stop at the lemonade stand at Lexus on the Park and Toyota on the Park, 1075 Leslie St., today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fifth annual Put a Squeeze on Diabetes fundraiser is a community-based initiative started by two boys from Leaside in Toronto: Jamie Cleghorn and Max Armstrong. It raises funds to send kids with type 1 diabetes to Diabetes Canada’s D-Camps where they can get the medical care they need while having fun at camp.
No motive found for mass shooting
Eleven months after the Danforth shootings, investigators have failed to find a motive for the event that left three people dead and 13 wounded. Police chief Mark Saunders released a report today that outlines a history of mental health issues and assessments calling Faisal Hussain, who lived in Thorncliffe Park with his parents, a risk for violence. But he did not seem to be motivated by racism, hatred or ideology, police found. Read the full story.
MakerKids Leaside opening on Bayview
MakerKids is opening a new space at 1661 Bayview Ave. Makerkids Leaside will actually be the company’s first franchise. Its grand opening will be June 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (See more at the Things To Do listing.)
The company offers camps, after-school programs and parties to teach kids STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Its programs have been selling out, with plenty of demand coming from the north end of Toronto, and so it had to add a new permanent location, it says. The camps formerly held at the York School at Yonge and St Clair will now be held at MakerKids Leaside.
Don Valley East MPP aims to take over Liberals
From West to East? Don Valley East MPP Michael Coteau announced yesterday he is running to be the next long-term leader of the provincial Liberal Party, since the resignation of Don Valley West’s Kathleen Wynne. (John Frasier has been interim leader.) Born in England, Coteau was raised in Flemingdon Park, attending Leaside High School and Carleton University. He won election for three terms as a school trustee and was elected to Queen’s Park three times, and was appointed to Wynne’s cabinet in ministerial positions.
“I’m running because of the economic divide that’s taking place and the erosion of the middle class and I’m running to ensure there’s a party that’s ready to take on the challenges that Ontario is going to face…over the next few decades.” https://t.co/hYOwvAvjGW #onpoli
— TeamCoteau (@CoteauTeam) June 16, 2019
Two hit-and-runs reported, driver taken into custody
An impaired driver has been taken into custody after two collisions in Leaside early this morning, police say. A parked car was reportedly hit on Southvale Drive near Bayview Avenue and a man on a scooter was hit on Bayview near Eglinton Avenue East. A man was arrested near Eglinton and Brentcliffe Road with significant damage to its front end, police say.
NDP candidate chosen in Don Valley West
Retired history professor Laurel MacDowell has been nominated as NDP candidate in the coming federal election.
MacDowell has lived in the area for more than 30 years and raised three children here. The biggest issue for her is climate change, which she calls “not only an ecological crisis but a human crisis.
MacDowell says she is looking for both financial support and volunteers in her campaign.
She will be challenging Liberal Rob Oliphant, who has been MP for the riding for seven of the past 11 years.
Local ‘Jurassic Park’ to cheer Raptors
Leasiders are cheering on the Raptors from their own “Jurassic Park” tomorrow night. For Game 2 of the NBA finals on Sunday, a section of the parking lot at Leaside Village at Laird and Esandar drives is being closed off to watch the game and enjoy some drinks and snacks provided by local businesses. Check the Leaside Community Facebook page for more information. Update: see our coverage of the event on June 2.
