North Toronto Daily Updates
A quick look at news, views and things to do locally
Reminder: Yonge line shut down for weekend
Not that you should be out and about this weekend anyway, but this is a reminder there will be no subway service on Line 1 between St. Clair and Finch stations on Saturday and Sunday. The closure is to accommodate Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction and work on the line’s signal system, the TTC says.
See April 5 item below for further details.
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.
More murder charges in laneway shooting
A second arrest for murder was made yesterday, about two months after a shooting in a laneway near Rosedale’s Mathersfield Drive left a man dead and a woman wounded.
A 20-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder, the same charges as those faced by another 20-year-old who was arrested March 30. Read the story in Streeter news.
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.
Part of westbound Lonsdale shutdown
The westbound lane of Lonsdale Road at Avenue Road, just where Avenue curves around Upper Canada College, is closed as of today, the city advises. The closure, expected to last until April 16, is due to construction on a Bell pit.
Weekend subway shutdown on Yonge line
There will be no subway service on the Yonge Street line between St. Clair and Finch stations on April 10 and 11, the Toronto Transit Commission has announced. The shutdown is to accommodate Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit construction but the TTC will take advantage of the closure to work on the Automatic Train Control signal system project.
Shuttle buses will operate.
All affected stations, except North York Centre Station, will stay open for the purchase of PRESTO fares and connection to other subway and surface routes.
At the York Mills Station, the Old York Mills Road entrance will be closed. And at Lawrence Station, the automatic entrances at Ranleigh Avenue and Bedford Park Avenue will also be closed.
Four COVID cases at Yonge-St. Clair Loblaws
Four staff have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Loblaws store at 12 St. Clair Ave. E. — in the building at the northeast corner of Yonge and St. Clair — the grocery chain reported today.
The last days worked by the employees were recorded as March 21, March 22, March 24 and March 30.
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.
City golf courses to open Thursday
Don Valley Golf Course at 4200 Yonge Street is among the city-run courses to open Thursday, several days ahead of schedule.
The city announced all five of its golf courses are opening for the 2021 season on April 1.
Guidelines have been developed in consultation with Toronto Public Health, including physical distancing between golfers and disinfection of equipment and surfaces, the city said in a press release today.
Tee times will be 10 minutes apart, starting at 7 a.m. and ending at dusk. Tee times are expected to sell out quickly, so residents are encouraged to book early. (Call Don Valley at 416-392-2465.)
Southbound Avenue Road closures
The southbound lane of Avenue Road at Cortleigh Boulevard, in the Lytton Park area, is to be shut down as of today for more than a month, the city says. The unspecified construction work causing the closure is estimated to continue until April 30.
Further down the road, the southbound lane at 620 Avenue Rd. is closed from March 23 to April 5, due to construction on a Bell pit.
Third COVID-19 case at midtown grocery store
The Metro grocery store in the Yonge Eglinton Centre reported a case of COVID-19 among its staff today, its third case in just over a week. The last day of work for the latest employee who tested positive is listed as March 11.
Previous positive tests were reported by the store at 2300 Yonge St. on March 15 and 19. Respective last days on the job for those employees were March 11 and 15.
Driver found after girl struck, leg broken in Davisville
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.
Lanes closed on Lawrence East
Eastbound lanes of Lawrence Avenue are closed at 755 Lawrence Ave. East, just west of Leslie Street, until May 31, the city says. The closure is due to loading and offloading of machinery and material for construction. Two-way traffic is maintained, using westbound lanes, during the closure.
City promises to revive Little Jamaica
City promises to revive Little JamaicaMayor John Tory has promised at a virtual public meeting to give Little Jamaica the long-overdue attention it deserves.
Plans to rejuvenate the Eglinton West business and residential community were discussed by Tory, city councillors, local businesspeople and others at the March 4 meeting. Read the story about the meeting.
New locations coming for photo radar
You have until May to improve your driving on Blythwood Road, near Blyth Hill Road, and on 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.
Arrest for child pornography
A man was arrested yesterday after a home near Bathurst Road and Lawrence Avenue West was searched by the Toronto Police Service’s Child Exploitation Section.
Police say child pornography had been uploaded to the internet and child sexual abuse material was found at the residence.
A 23-year-old appeared in court on March 2 and faces four counts of possessing and accessing child pornography.
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.
COVID case at Sobeys
Sobeys grocery store at 81 St. Clair Ave. E. reports today a positive COVID-19 test of an employee. The employee’s last day at work was recorded as Feb. 21.
Bayview bar and grill 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.
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.
Lawrence Park among neighbourhoods with lowest COVID-19 rates
Lawrence Park appear to be one of the safest areas in Toronto, judging by the latest figures from the province. In fact, the city’s mapping of the COVID rates over a recent three-week period shows Lawrence Park South to have experienced only 59 cases per 100,000 population — the lowest rate in Toronto.
Other midtown areas getting good news are Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills with 65 and Yonge-St. Clair with 80 — well below 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.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day at home
Special dinners-for-two and online social events are among the ways being offered to lovers to enjoy this Feb. 14 during the lockdown.
Order or sign up online now for a safe Valentine’s Day in Toronto. Here are some suggestions.
Local Starbucks among those shut down
The Starbucks at 1909 Yonge St. at Davisville Avenue is among the 25 locations shutting down over the recent weekend and today in Toronto.
It’s part of a Canada-wide cutback by the U.S.-based coffee chain as it moves to alternative, digital means of delivering all those Tall, Grande and Venti beverages. See the whole story.
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.
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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.
COVID-19 found by 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.
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.
Carbon monoxide in Bridle Path kills one, injures four
A man, 39, has been pronounced dead, while a woman and a child have been seriously injured in a Bridle Path-area home found to have high levels of carbon monoxide yesterday evening.
Two officers who rescued the two injured parties were also sent to hospital, police said.
Two more COVID cases uncovered in Loblaw-related stores
Loblaws grocery store at 3501 Yonge St. and the Loblaw-owned Shopper’s Drug Mart at 2528 Bayview Ave. have reported two staff tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19.
The stores each reported one case, respectively on Jan. 25 and Jan 19. The last reported working days for the affected employees were Jan. 18 and Jan. 19.
Seven COVID cases reported yesterday by chain in North Toronto
Yesterday was a bad day for coronavirus at Loblaw-related stores. Seven cases were reported at three stores in the North Toronto area on Jan. 20.
Three “team members” at Fortinos, 700 Lawrence Ave. W., tested positive for COVID-19, Loblaw reported on Jan. 20. The last days they worked in the store were recorded between Jan. 12 and 18.
Also on Jan. 20, two staff at Jason’s No Frills, 1951 Eglington Ave. W., were reported as testing positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. Their last days on the job were Jan. 15 and 18.
And still on Jan. 20, two employees tested positive at Shoppers Drug Mart, 759 Mt. Pleasant Rd., their last days at work being Jan. 13 and Jan. 15.
Knife-wielding man reported in store
Images of a man who allegedly pulled a knife on a store employee last month have been released in an assault with a weapon investigation.
Police responded to the call at about 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 13 at a grocery store near Lawrence Avenue West and Allen Road.
It was reported a man had tried to leave the store with concealed merchandise when he was confronted by an employee. He had then allegedly pulled out a knife and pointed it at the employee before fleeing.
Security camera images of a man dressed in dark clothes and carrying a red bag were released today.
North Toronto drivers drew fewer ASE speeding tickets
Nearly 3,800 speeding tickets were issued by four photo radar stations in North Toronto wards over five months last year, according to figures released today.
That may sound like a lot but it’s actually a little lower than in other parts of Toronto. Across the city, 50 ASE devices issued a total of 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, two in each ward placed mainly near schools, were moved to new locations beginning in late November.
Leading the count in North Toronto was an ASE station in Eglinton-Lawrence ward, while the North Toronto location with the smallest number of tickets issued was also in Eglinton Lawrence. Between them were the two locations in Don Valley West ward.
Results from the two locations in Don Valley West were:
- Ridge Hill Drive west of Old Park Road in Eglinton-Lawrence: 1,469
- Ranleigh Avenue east of Yonge Street in Don Valley West: 874
- Bessborough Drive north of Field Avenue in Don Valley West: 817
- Corona Street south of Claver Avenue in Eglinton-Lawrence: 622
We’ll see how local drivers do at the four new ASE locations: on Erskine Avenue west of Redpath Avenue, on Thorncliffe Park Drive near 79 Thorncliffe Park Dr., on Avenue Road near Castlefield Avenue, and on Bedford Park Avenue west of Yonge Street.
Yonge Street Metro stores report positive COVID tests
Three Metro grocery stores have recorded a total of five COVID-19 cases at Yonge Street locations over the past week:
- On Jan. 11 and 18, the store at 3142 Yonge St. reported positive tests of employees whose last days of work were Dec. 15 and Jan. 13.
- On Jan. 12 and 17, the store at 2300 Yonge St. reported positive tests of staff whose last days of work were Jan. 6 and 10, respectively.
- Also on Jan. 12, the 444 Yonge St. store reported a positive COVID-19 test of an employee who was last on the job in November.
Woman reported assaulted by massage therapist in home
A 61-year-old Toronto man has been charged with sexual assault after a woman was allegedly attacked while receiving a massage in her home near Spadina road and Dupont street.
The alleged assault by a man working as a massage therapist took place on Jan. 7.
Police said they believed there may be other victims.
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.
COVID-19 case found at Deer Park drug mart
Loblaw Companies has reported today a staff member at Shoppers Drug Mart, 1507 Yonge St., has tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. The employee’s last day at work at the Deer Park-area store was Jan. 4, according to the company.
On Jan. 4, Loblaw reported more than 75 employees at its stores — including Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart, No Frills, Fortinos and other stores — in the GTA had tested positive since Dec. 24.
Shermans’ son was asked to repay multimillion-dollar loan before murders: news report
Jonathon Sherman, son of murdered couple Barry and Honey Sherman, says his father was in a difficult financial situation and two weeks before the deaths had asked Jonathon and his business partner to pay back a loan of between $50 million and $60 million, according to Toronto Star reporter Kevin Donovan.
Donovan interviewed Jonathon Sherman in December, said the story posted on Toronto.com today.
Sherman denied to the reporter he killed his parents over the money however.
Eglinton East 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.
Local child care free for essential workers
Columbus Early Learning Centres at 50 Claver Ave. (Dufferin Street and Lawrence Avenue West) is one of 35 child care programs approved to provide emergency care for the children of essential workers in Toronto communities during the current lockdown of elementary schools.
Families that meet Ontario’s definition of essential workers can apply directly to the approved centres for this free service funded by the province.
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