Leaside Daily Updates
A quick look at news, views and things to do locally
South end of Bayview to be car-free again
For six months last year, as part of the the ActiveTO program, the city closed stretches of Bayview Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard to traffic on weekends and turned the roads over to pedestrians, joggers and cyclists.
It was so popular that city council agreed yesterday to run the program again this year — with a few changes. Read all about it.
Car thefts up in this area
Do you have a Lexus, Toyota SUV or Land Rover? If so, maybe you’d better take some extra precautions, because these are among the favoured models for vehicle thieves in 53 Division.
The area is experiencing a hike in high-end car thefts, by thieves who use electronic methods, police are warning.
See the report and what you can do to protect your car.
All Toronto schools shut down
Only yesterday Toronto Public Health advised the closing of 20 schools across Toronto for COVID investigations. Today the rest of Toronto’s elementary, middle and secondary schools are shuttered on the orders of Toronto’s chief medical officer, Dr. Eileen de Villa.
Students are to transition to remote learning which is to continue until April 18 — although this end date may also be extended, TPH warns. See the full story.
Arrest for murder in Rosedale laneway shooting
Police announced today they have arrested a 20-year-old man for first-degree murder and attempted murder for an alleged shooting on Jan. 29 that left a man dead and a woman seriously wounded in north Rosedale.
The shooting took place in or near a laneway running beside and behind houses on Mathersfield Drive, in an area sometimes considered part of Summerhill. See the story.
Thorncliffe Park PS (again) among schools shut down by COVID-19
Yesterday, the Toronto school board announced classes at Thorncliffe Park Public School and Gateway Public School were being shut down and moved online as of today.
The total number of TDSB schools closed in two days is now up to six, and with Catholic school board closures the total for this week has reached 11.
It’s the second time around for Thorncliffe Park PS as it was also closed in December for similar reasons. See the full story.
Driver found after girl struck, leg broken
Police have found a driver who left the site of a collision in which a seven-year-old girl suffered a broken leg yesterday.
The girl was allegedly struck by a vehicle in the Cleveland Street and Manor Road area.
The driver is reported to have remained at the scene briefly and spoken with the girl and her mother before he left the scene.
The girl was taken to hospital and diagnosed with a broken leg.
With the help of the public, police located the vehicle and identified the driver, they said. The investigation is ongoing.
Sunnybrook vaccinating 900 today
The Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is holding a clinic to vaccinate about 900 people against COVID-19 today. In line for shots are those who 80 or older, as well as Indigenous adults, community healthcare workers, hospital staff, long-term care staff, retirement homes staff, and adults who receive home care.
It’s one of Toronto’s 18 clinics operating today, including mobile teams and on-site vaccinations, to vaccinate groups identified by the province as priorities.
New locations coming for photo radar
You have until May to improve your driving on Blythwood Road, near Blyth Hill Road, and Leslie Street, south of Lawrence Avenue East. That’s when the city’s automatic speed enforcement (ASE) devices will be moved to these locations to catch speeding drivers in Don Valley West ward. This will be the third locations for the ASEs. They are currently snapping pictures and issuing tickets from their sites on Thorncliffe Park Drive and Erskine Avenue.
COVID case found at Loblaws on Redway
A team member tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19, reported Loblaws at 11 Redway Rd. today. The last day the employee worked was recorded as Feb. 28.
How safe do you feel? Tell the city
The deadline is approaching to fill out the SafeTO survey. The city wants to know the level of safety and wellbeing you feel in your community, and your priorities for the SafeTO plan to guide social systems — like community services, healthcare, policing — in serving Torontonians.
The online survey, which should take less than 10 minutes, is to be completed before March 12.
Further road restriction on Eglinton
Another closure on Eglinton Avenue East is coming up, but this one is not directly to do with building the Crosstown LRT. The eastbound curb lane from Avon Drive to Brentcliffe Road is being closed from March 3 to April 16 due to watermain installation, the city advises. However, one lane of traffic is to be maintained in each direction.
McSorley’s back in (takeout) business
Leaside’s popular McSorley’s Saloon and Grill re-opens on Bayview Avenue today after temporarily closing in January, following a 10-month period since the first pandemic lockdown.
“All McSorley’s patrons can rest assured that their signature dishes are still available for takeout and delivery by third-party apps, with direct delivery from the saloon in the future,” general manager Avery Barker says. Get the full story.
Two-for-one offer to encourage local heritage group membership
The newly formed Leaside Heritage Preservation Society is seeking members and volunteers. The group, dedicated to finding and preserving material relating to Leaside’s more than 100-year-old history, is offering an introductory buy-one-get-one-free membership offer.
The LHPS is focusing on issues including the community’s huge contribution to both World Wars, the many important companies locating here in the 1920s–1950s, the people and events that have shaped the neighbourhood, and the everyday lives of residents who helped make Leaside one of Canada’s best places to live, says an email from the society.
Residents are asked to visit the LHPS website to see their offer: buy one individual membership and receive another free of charge for a family member, friend or neighbour.
As a new season of the gun shapes up….
We need strong gun control to help stop handgun violence that is once again terrorizing Toronto residents — in all parts of the city. And the federal government ban on military-style assault weapons, while welcome, is not nearly enough, Streeter editorial argues.
Read and comment on the editorial.
Leaside among neighbourhoods with low COVID-19 rates
Leaside appear to be one of the relatively safer areas in Toronto, judging by the latest figures from the province. The city’s mapping of the COVID rates over a recent three-week period shows Leaside-Bennington to have experienced 101 cases per 100,000 population.
This is far below its neighbour Thorncliffe Park, which has a rate of 526 cases. This is still better than the worst-hit areas in Toronto with more than 700 cases per 100,000. See how our neighbourhoods compare to other central, midtown and east-end areas.
Arrest in two robberies at same store
A 39-year-old man has been arrested after two retail robberies near Overlea Boulevard and Thorncliffe Park Drive yesterday. The first was actually an attempted robbery as a man allegedly entered the store, threatened to kill the clerk and tried to open the cash register. He failed however and fled the store empty-handed, police say.
Later in the day, the man allegedly returned to the store, forced his way behind the counter and took cigarettes from the display case. When the clerk ran from the store, the man chased the clerk and assaulted her, before fleeing to a vehicle, according to police.
Officers were able to identify a man and he was charged with two counts each of robbery and failing to comply with a release order.
Bridle Path fire reported
About 10 a.m. today, fire and police services have reported a fire at a home near Lawrence Avenue East and Park Lane Circle in the Bridle Path area. Medics are on the scene but no injuries have been reported yet. All occupants are said to have exited the house. More to come on this breaking story.
COVID-19 reported at local drug mart
Today the Shoppers Drug Mart at 1860 Bayview St. (at Broadway Avenue) is the latest to report an employee testing positive for COVID-19. The team member’s last day worked was Jan. 28, the store says.
Logo chosen for new Leaside heritage group
Logo chosen for new Leaside heritage groupOut of 29 entries, the Leaside Heritage Preservation Society has chosen a design for its logo by Leaside resident and graphic designer Cathy Lam Freer.
The new logo features a stylized image of the octagonal home built by William Lea starting in 1851 and named “Leaside.”
More details of deadly shooting released
More information about Friday’s shooting, including the identity of the homicide victim, has been added by police. A description of a vehicle that sped away from the scene is also included in a statement released late yesterday afternoon. See the updated story.
Shooting leaves man dead, woman wounded in Rosedale-Summerhill laneway
One person is dead and one critically injured after a shooting yesterday evening in a neighbourhood variously described as being in North Rosedale or in Summerhill.
After calls reporting gunshots, police found the two suffering from wounds near Mathersfield Drive at about 8 p.m.
The shooting is thought to have taken place in a laneway running between houses on Mathersfield and the railway tracks barrier. Here’s what we know so far.
Another COVID case in a Thorncliffe grocery store
Food Basics has joined the list of grocery stores reporting recent COVID-19 cases in the area. An employee at 45 Overlea Blvd. tested positive today, the last day of the employee’s work being recorded as Jan. 22.
Sexual assault reported at station after altercation on bus
A man is being sought after an incident that began with a verbal altercation on a bus in the Thorncliffe Park area and allegedly ended with a sexual assault at a subway station Wednesday afternoon.
The 30-year-old woman and an unidentified man reportedly got off the bus at Broadview Station and the woman was sexually assaulted. The man then fled into the station, police say.
He is described as brown, 45–50 years old, 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-nine, and having a medium build. He was last seen wearing a red and black hooded jacket, a black baseball cap, black pants, brown boots and a blue mask.
COVID-19 cases at local food stores
Two food store conglomerates have reported four cases of COVID-19 at stores in the area over the past week.
Loblaw Companies issued a statement on Jan. 24 that a team member at the Loblaws grocery store on Redway Road has tested positive. The employee’s last day on the job was Jan. 21.
This follows a statement on Jan. 17 that a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 at the Bayview Valu-mart, having last worked there on Jan. 15.
Metro grocery stores announced on Jan. 25 and Jan. 19 two cases of positive tests at its Food Basics store on Overlea Boulevard. The employees’ last days of work were, respectively, Dec. 20 and Jan. 15.
Pedestrian struck, seriously injured on Bayview Extension
The Bayview extension was shut down today after a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian left the latter with serious injuries, police report. The incident happened at about 10 a.m. on Bayview north of Queen Street east. The road was closed for several hours while police investigated.
Heritage group formed to start Leaside museum
The fear of losing the area’s unique character is driving some residents to start a museum to preserve Leaside’s past.
Spearheaded by resident Ann Brown, and encouraged by former premier Kathleen Wynne and the Toronto Historical Society, the newly formed Leaside Heritage Preservation Society is scouting out a location and historical exhibits for the museum.
Don Valley West drivers drew fewer ASE speeding tickets
Nearly 1,700 speeding tickets were issued by two photo radar stations in the Don Valley West ward over five months last year, according to figures released today.
This may sound like a lot but it’s actually lower than in other parts of Toronto. Across the city, 50 ASE devices issued 53,090 tickets during the first round — an average of nearly 1,062 per location.
These tickets were from the first round of automated speed enforcement (ASE) devices from July 6 to Nov. 30, 2020. The devices, placed mainly near schools, were moved to new locations beginning in late November.
Results from the two locations in Don Valley West were:
- Bessborough Drive north of Field Avenue: 817
- Ranleigh Avenue east of Yonge Street: 874
We’ll see how local drivers do at the two new ASE locations: on Erskine Avenue west of Redpath Avenue and on Thorncliffe Park Drive near 79 Thorncliffe Park Dr.
Local libraries open for pickup and drop-off
Branches of the Toronto Public Library will remain open during the lockdown beginning tomorrow — but for pickup and drop-off of library materials only.
Current operational hours are being maintained. A previous communication that branches will close at 8 p.m. were mistaken, the TPL says.
Leaside grocery store reports COVID case
Metro grocery stores have reported a positive COVID-19 test of an employee at its store at Eglinton Avenue East and Bayview Avenue. The employee’s last day of work at the store was recorded as Jan. 4.
Stay home for New Year’s
There’s nothing planned in Toronto for New Year’s eve tonight — so stay home. Celebrate in person only with people living under your roof or celebrate with others virtually. That’s the city’s message for residents during the strangest New Year’s most of us have ever faced.
Keep each other safe and #StayHome this #NYE2020. There are many ways to safely make the holidays memorable. Ring in the new year only with people you live with every day. Connect virtually with your family and friends for celebrations. More: https://t.co/xdQN6mm4I0 #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/MXHlVAYstG
— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) December 31, 2020
Arrest for alleged murder of lawyer
A 62-year-old woman has been charged with first-degree murder after the death of a Toronto lawyer on Eglinton Avenue East.
The arrest came five days after a man identified as Scott Andrew Rosen, 52, was allegedly run down by a vehicle while walking in or near a garage on Eglinton, west of Mt. Pleasant Road, on Dec. 18.
Read the story in Streeter news.
New group to remember and preserve Leaside’s history
The storied past of Leaside will be the focus of a new organization created by local residents, the non-profit group announced today.
The Leaside Heritage Preservation Society (LHPS) was actually founded in November as a member of the Ontario Historical Society.
“The only thing missing in the remarkable history of our Leaside neighbourhood has been a coordinated effort to memorialize and preserve that history,” LHPS board chairperson Ann Brown said in today’s press release. “Every one of us on the Board is focused on taking steps to preserve and promote the historical contributions of Leaside, for the enjoyment and education of the community today and for future generations.”
Streeter will have more about this group’s work, but in the meantime you can check it out online at its website or on its Facebook page.
Man arrested for break-in after chase on foot
Police responding to a break and enter in progress at Laird Drive and Eglinton Avenue East yesterday morning ended up arresting a 24-year-old man.
Officers reportedly arrived shortly after 5 a.m. to find a man on scene and pursued him briefly on foot before arresting him.
Isaac Harvey faces nine counts of breaking and entering and six other charges, including breach of probation. He is to appear in court today.
Police treat death of lawyer on Eglinton as murder
A lawyer was reportedly walking in or near a garage on Eglinton Avenue East late yesterday afternoon when he was struck by a vehicle — in what police are investigating as a murder.
Officers found a man with no vital signs. Identified as lawyer Scott Andrew Rosen, 52, he was pronounced dead on the scene.
Witnesses said he has been stuck down by U-Haul van or pickup, which fled the scene eastbound on Eglinton. Here’s what we know so far.
CampTO and winter instruction programs cancelled
City-run holiday camps and skiing or skating lessons have been shut down by Toronto’s rising COVID-19 numbers.
The cancellations were announced today, following recommendations from Toronto Public Health and the city’s medical health officer, Dr. Eileen de Villa.
Midtown break-ins lead to 56 charges — so far
Two people were arrested on a total of 56 charges and property was recovered in an investigation of a string of break-ins in 13 and 53 divisions. One man is still sought by police.
Homes were broken into at night-time while, in some cases, residents slept and were unaware of being robbed until morning, police said. See the whole story.
Nine TDSB schools now closed by COVID outbreaks
Grenoble Public School in Flemingdon Park is among the latest schools to be shut down by Toronto Public health after outbreaks of COVID-19.
This brings the total number of school closures to 13, including nine in the Toronto District School Board system — and four in the Thorncliffe and Flemingdon Park area. Get the full story.
Bayview closed by falling pipe
A 10-foot piece of pipe fell onto Bayview Avenue under the Prince Edward Viaduct — also known as the Bloor Viaduct — today at about 3:50 p.m., police reported. Bayview was closed and Rosedale Valley Road traffic diverted southbound only on Bayview, police reported.
The bridge was examined and determined to be safe, police said. Traffic on Bayview was reopened, they reported at about 8 p.m.
East Toronto testing sites extended through December
The temporary COVID-19 testing sites set up in in East Toronto (see Nov. 2 item below) are being continued until the end of December, Michael Garron Hospital has announced. The popup sites offer drop-in and same-day appointments for residents of priority neighbourhoods in East Toronto, as well as for the homeless and those without internet access.
The testing sites being extended to the end of December include:
- East York Community Centre, 1081 Pape Ave.
- Warden Woods Community Centre, 76 Firvalley Ct.
- Dennis R. Timbrell Resource Centre, 29 St Dennis Dr.
- Angela James Arena, 165 Grenoble Dr.
- South Riverdale Community Health Centre, 955 Queen St. E.
- Thorncliffe Park, 45 Overlea Blvd.
- Oakridge Community Recreation Centre, 63 Pharmacy Ave.
- Crescent Town Health Centre, 4 Market Place
See the website for dates, times and how to get tested
COVID count up to 26 positive cases at closed school
Toronto Public Health closed Thorncliffe Park Public School as of yesterday evening after nineteen cases of coronavirus came to light during an asymptomatic testing pilot project at the school.
Figures from the Toronto District School Board this morning show the number of active cases has risen at the school to 24 students and two staff.
Leaside schools faring better
With a school in their sister neighbourhood of Thorncliffe Park being shut down by COVID-19, Leaside parents must be wondering if their own kids’ schools will be next. But, although Leaside schools have also experienced the virus, so far their numbers are far below Thorncliffe Park PS’s 26 active cases.
Here’s a survey of active cases of positive tests at Leaside-area schools outside Thorncliffe Park, according to the Toronto District School Board’s figures, as of this morning:
- Bessborough Drive Elementary and Middle School — two active cases
- Leaside High School — three active cases
- Maurice Cody Junior Public School — three active cases
- Northlea Elementary and Middle School — zero active cases
Rolph Road Public School and Bennington Heights Elementary School are not listed as they have not reported any cases — active or resolved — since Nov. 10.
Shopping raccoon hits the news
The biggest news out of Leaside for quite a while seems to be video that has emerged of a wet raccoon wandering the aisles of Best Buy at the SmartCentres plaza on Laird Drive. The video taken by Jamie Muir on Nov. 21 has now appeared on numerous social media sites of major and minor news organizations.
A bargain-hunting raccoon caused some havoc at a Best Buy store in Toronto on Nov. 21. The critter, who appeared to be soaking wet, can be seen walking through the aisles of the store.
RELATED: https://t.co/7jIujVBOOA pic.twitter.com/VktPokvLFd
— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) November 27, 2020
Crane crashes across site for Mount Pleasant LRT station
Crews are trying today to lift a crane that toppled yesterday evening. The mobile crane fell across the construction site where a secondary entrance for the planned Mount Pleasant Station is being built on the Eglinton Crosstown LRT line.
One man suffered minor injuries and Eglinton Avenue East has been blocked to traffic ever since. See the whole story.
Thorncliffe among areas to get added COVID-19 supports
Toronto announced enhanced COVID-19 supports today, mainly targeting the northwest and northeast corners of the city where the pandemic has “exacerbated long-standing, systemic health inequities related to poverty, racism and other forms of discrimination.”
But residents of Thorncliffe Park are also considered vulnerable and will receive targeted neighbourhood support, the city says.
The city is working with the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Organization in the East York/Don Valley community to implement the enhanced supports.
Targeted measures include expanded testing sites, intensified community outreach and engagement, and income support for those who test positive and are unable to work due to mandatory isolation. They will also address the threat of eviction and improve newcomer access to COVID-19 services, among other measures, according to the city.
COVID case found at Overlea grocery store
The Metro grocery chain is announcing today an employee at Food Basics, 45 Overlea Blvd., has tested positive for COVID-19. The employee’s last day of work was Nov. 18, the store says.
Nine-year-old pedestrian struck at Millwood and McRae
A 9-year-old boy is in hospital after being hit by a car at Millwood Road and McRae Drive this afternoon. Police reported at about 2:45 p.m. being called to the intersection for a collision and finding the boy with unknown injuries. He had apparently been a pedestrian when he was struck.
Later, police reported the youth was “alert and responsive” but he was transported to hospital as a precaution.
The driver of the vehicle remained on the scene and was cooperative, police said.
Where to go when you have to go
If you’re a person who plans your outings around available washrooms, here’s welcome news for you. The city is refitting and reopening washrooms in parks — like at June Rowlands Park or Sunnybrook — this winter.
It’s also adding portable toilets to new locations, along with keeping washrooms going in the usual places like libraries and recreation centres.
Thorncliffe shows worst COVID-19 positivity rate in city
The four Ontario neighbourhoods with the highest COVID-19 positivity rates may all be in Peel Region, but right behind them is Toronto’s Thorncliffe Park.
In the community with the postal code beginning M4H, a study found 16.3 per cent of people tested for the coronavirus tested positive for the week ending Nov. 14, according to a report from the ICES institute.
This gives Thorncliffe the worst positivity rate in the city. The next nearest is the M9V neighbourhood in Etobicoke with a rate of 14.8 per cent.
Toronto as a whole has a positivity rate of 6.2 per cent, last week’s study found.
Jaye Robinson returns to public meeting
Don Valley West councillor and TTC chair Jaye Robinson attended a virtual meeting of the TTC board today — her first such public appearance since her cancer diagnosis more than a year ago.
“It’s been a long and tough road,” Robinson told the meeting. “While I’m not quite at the end, I’m very close and I feel very fortunate to be here.”
Crowded Overlea Bridge called dangerous for kids
Thorncliffe Park parents want the Overlea bridge redesigned to let kids physically distance while going to Valley Park Middle School and Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute, according to a CBC Toronto report.
“The bridge gets overcrowded in the morning and afternoon when kids go to school in the morning and come back home,” Huda Alyacoubi Jazairli, a mother of five, is quoted by the CBC as saying. “They walk shoulder-to-shoulder. There’s no way for them to practise social distancing.”
The Charles H. Hiscott Bridge on Overlea Boulevard crosses over the Don River West Branch ravine to connect Thorncliffe Park with Flemingdon Park where the schools are located.
An online petition is also calling for Overlea to have temporary widened sidewalks and protected bike lanes, noting, “Overlea is the only way for students in Thorncliffe to get to Valley Park and Marc Garneau. Hundreds of students walk to school every day, and there is very little space to social distance.”
The petition also calls for safety improvements to existing Thorncliffe bike lanes and to the E.T. Seton Park access road.
Order your Christmas tree from Scouts
Tomorrow is the first day to order your Christmas tree from the 132nd Toronto Scouts Group. They;re taking orders until Dec. 5. Pickup is on Dec. 4 or 5 at the Leaside Presbyterian Church on Eglinton Avenue East.
See the Streeter Things To Do listing for more details.
Photo radar units being moved around
After three months of issuing tickets, the city’s photo radar units are being moved. All 50 automated speed enforcement (ASE) devices will be moved to new locations starting this week “to address a greater number of areas with safety concerns and to encourage a wide-ranging deterrent effect,” the city said in a news release today.
In Don Valley West ward, the two new ASE sites are on Erskine Avenue, west of Redpath Avenue, and on Thorncliffe Park Drive, near 79 Thorncliffe Park Dr. Both are close to elementary schools.
The city reports 47,195 speeders were caught by ASE devices in the old locations, but the number of tickets issued fell in each of the second and third months.
• Beaches-Leslieville • Central Toronto • Don Valley • Forest Hill • North Toronto • Riverdale-East York
Leaside toy drive a little different this year
The Leaside Community Toy Drive has raised funds with a Guy’s Night Out comedy show every year. Well, the drive and the laughs are still on for this year but, thanks to COVID, the show is now virtual — and it’s for both sexes.
The drive has announced it will be presenting “Guy’s and Gal’s Night In: A Laugh and a Half in Pandemic Captivity” on Dec. 3 from 8 to 9:30 p.m. to be enjoyed at home — singly or by couples.
It’s a night of adult humour, teaming up with the Nowhere Comedy Club, along with a free draw and items to be auctioned.
Free tickets to the comedy night come with any donation of $50 or greater. The goal is to raise $15,000 to buy gifts for more than 4,000 children in Thorncliffe and Flemingdon Park.
Check the toy drive’s website for more details and to donate.
Seven popup testing sites in east end
Seven COVID-19 testing sites are popping up in East Toronto, Michael Garron Hospital is announcing.
Operated by East Toronto Health Partners, the temporary testing centres offer drop-in and same-day appointments for residents of priority neighbourhoods in East Toronto, as well as for the homeless and those without internet access.
Five new testing locations open this week and join the two sites that were launched and recently extended in Thorncliffe Park and Taylor-Massey (Crescent Town). The five new sites are at:
East York Community Centre, 1081 Pape Ave.
Nov. 2 to 30: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m.
Warden Woods Community Centre, 76 Firvalley Ct.
Nov. 5 to 30: Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m.
Dennis R. Timbrell Resource Centre, 29 St Dennis Dr.
Nov. 3 to 30: Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m.
Angela James Arena, 165 Grenoble Dr.)
Nov. 9 to 30: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 1 to 7 p.m.
South Riverdale Community Health Centre, 955 Queen St. E.
Nov. 7: Saturday, 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Nov. 10: Tuesday, 2 to 4 p.m.
Nov. 16: Monday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Nov. 17: Tuesday, 5 to 7 p.m.
About this article:
