December 26

W W W. INE AT OM L N O S VISIT U RKMIRROR .C O E A ST Y

Serving LEASIDE-BENNINGTON, DANFORTH VILLAGE, NORTH RIVERDALE and BROADVIEW

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Local residents invited to annual New Year’s Levee

®

INSIDE David Nickle on the city hall beat / 5

DON’T GET See our local events listings / 10

Constituency Office 1821 Danforth Avenue, Toronto T: 416-690-1032 F: 416-690-8420 mprue-co@ndp.on.ca www.michaelprue.com

Bored THIS GET

Local residents are invited to MPP Michael Prue, Torontowelcome 2014 with area poliDanforth MPP Peter Tabuns, ticians and some of Beaches-East York their neighbours on public school trustee Sheila Cary-Meagher, Sunday, Jan. 5.

The annual New Toronto-Danforth Year’s Levee, from 1 public school trustee to 3 p.m. that afterCathy Dandy, Beachesnoon at the East East York MP Matthew York Civic Centre, is Kellway and TorontoDanforth MP Craig a traditional gathering meant to let local Scott are expected to people meet their MP attend.

Organizers say the political represenCRAIG SCOTT tatives. event also features This year, Ward 31 a jazz trio and light Beaches-East York councillor refreshments. Food bank donaJanet Davis, Ward 29 Torontotions will be appreciated.

Danforth Councillor Mary The East York Civic Centre is Fragedakis, Beaches-East York located at 850 Coxwell Ave.

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WE’VE GOT JUST THE THING to keep you and your family from going stir-crazy over the holiday break. Check out our family friendly events listing on page 6.

A Regency Christmas in the Valley takes place for the next two weekends at Todmorden Mills.

Visitors can learn about the simple pleasures and décor of a Regency-era Christmas featuring Todmorden’s early 19thcentury historic homes.

The homes will be decorated traditionally with real evergreen garlands, as well as the “kissing

bough” hanging in the Helliwell parlour, apples, candles and mistletoe.

Admission for adults is $5.31; for youth/seniors: $3; and for children: $2 (plus tax).

Times are Dec. 27 to Dec. 30, noon to 4 p.m; Dec. 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Jan. 2 to Jan. 5, noon to 4 p.m.

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THE MIRROR e | Thursday, December 26, 2013 |

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3

Leaside company comes up with skateboard kits DANIELA PITEO eym@insidetoronto.com All it takes is a foam mould, maple wood veneer, glue, a vacuum bag, a wine pump and a bit of imagination and anyone can create a one-ofa-kind custom-made skateboard.

Norah Jackson and her husband Ted Hunter developed this method of skateboards, which is now its own company – Roarockit on Millwood Drive in Leaside – completely by accident.

Windsurfers “Neither my husband nor I skateboard, but we are avid windsurfers,” Jackson said.

“We were vacationing in Maui and while we were touring around we found an abandoned woodshop.”

Jackson’s husband, was immediately intrigued by the neglected shop and began to ask around about it.

“My husband is an artist and teaches a woodworking class at OCAD (Ontario College of Art and Design),” said Jackson.

After speaking to a few of the locals, Hunter and Jackson discovered the shop had been

abandoned because there was no one available to teach.

Hunter volunteered his services with the provision he could clean and take over the shop to his liking and the owner of the space agreed, again with one proviso – he must have a class for children.

“Ted has only taught college kids, so he didn’t know what he would do,” Jackson said.

“I told him, ‘You bend a lot of wood into sculptures, why don’t you bend one into a skateboard?”

The pair quickly found the nearest board shop and began asking questions about decks.

“It turns out the best skateboards are made from hard Canadian maple,” Jackson said.

From there, Hunter offered a workshop on creating your own board with a Styrofoam mould, seven layers of maple veneer that are shaved to fit the mould’s shape, glue to bind them together, then sealed in a vinyl bag where a wine pump sucks the air out creating a vacuum.

After the method was developed, Jackson, now the president of Roarockit, and

Photo/ROB DE Freitas

Photo/COURTESY

Right, Ted Hunter and Norah Jackson at Leaside’s Roarockit skateboard company. Above, Chris Bennett with a bamboo board.

her husband packed up their idea and brought the method to Canada.

The couple spent one year refining their process and began making kits that could be distributed worldwide.

“We wanted to bring the idea across the world, so we produced do-it-yourself kits,” said Jackson.

“You can make your own board in your dorm room, your garage, wherever you’d like.”

“Since we already developed the method in Maui and produced the kits, it just seemed natural to start a school here too,” said Jackson.

They started their own

workshops teaching children 13 years of age and older and the company that started from an abandoned workshop in Maui, now has a small staff of avid skateboarders following in Hunter’s footsteps.

The conventional method of manufacturing skateboards requires heavy machinery and expensive moulds. It delivers

an end result of often costly and mass produced decks.

“This method is a very effective way to make a beautiful, one-of-kind board,” Jackson said.

According to Jackson, this unique method is now being taught all over the world, not just sold in kits.

“This all came about by accident back in Maui,” said Jackson.

“It’s why we have palm trees on our logo.”

i

For more on Roarockit, call 1-888-857-7790 or visit www. roarockit.com

Memorial remembers young men lost to violence ANDREW PALAMARCHUK apalamarchuk@insidetoronto.com

Four mothers who lost their sons to gun violence were given a community hug by friends, family and strangers at a recent memorial.

Dozens holding candles formed a circle around the women during a moving memorial ceremony at Monsignor Fraser College on Norfinch Drive.

“The importance is really to comfort those who are going through grief,” said grief therapist Rev. Sky Starr, who organized the fourth annual interfaith community memorial.

“The pain really never goes away. It gets easier over time, but it’s always there.”

Two of the mothers experienced relatively recent loss: Comfort Duodu’s 15-year-old son Kwame and Stephanie

Whyte’s 16-year-old son O’She were gunned down in front of Duodu’s townhouse in the Jane and Finch area Aug. 23.

Also taking part were Riverdale resident Joan Howard, whose 24-year-old son Kempton was killed on Dec. 13, 2003, near Main Street and Danforth Avenue; and Etobicoke resident Julia Farquharson, who lost her 24-year-old son Segun on May 18, 2001.

Howard said the ceremony is a part of the healing process.

“Everybody comes together and reaches out and helps each other.”

Farquharson noted there’s a stigma attached to being the mother of a murder victim.

“It’s hard especially when society looks at parents like us and thinks that we’re not good parents,” she said,

adding she brought her son up with “manners and good values.”

Segun was shot in the chest during a botched robbery; he wasn’t involved in gangs or drugs.

“It’s not our fault because we didn’t bring the guns i n t o o u r c o m m u n i t y.

How’s it getting here?” said Farquharson.

Starr said the holiday season is a difficult time for people dealing with a loss.

“So it really is important for them to know that they are not alone, that there are people in the community that can support them,” she said.

“When we come together and circle them, it’s like we’re circling them with love and togetherness.”

i

For more info, email skystarr@yahoo.ca or visit www. outofboundsjf.org

Staff photo/ANDREW PALAMARCHUK

Comfort Duodu, left, Stephanie Whyte, Joan Howard and Julia Farquharson participate in an inter-faith community memorial service in support of mothers of murder victims held recently at Monsignor Fraser College-Norfinch campus.

| THE MIRROR e | Thursday, December 26, 2013

community

THE MIRROR e | Thursday, December 26, 2013 |

4

opinion

The East York Mirror is published every Thursday at 175 Gordon Baker Rd., Toronto, ON, M2H 0A2, by Metroland Media Toronto, a Division of Metroland Media Group Ltd.

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T

he holiday break presents a welcome opportunity for us to relax and spend time with loved ones.

And you needn’t feel restricted to the confines of your home. If you’re looking to share in an experience, start a new family tradition or explore a new neighbourhood, Toronto is simply a great place to be. When it comes to finding things to do in the city at this time of year, there are a lot of options. Our feature on page 6 lists a number of events in Toronto’s communities taking place over the coming days. There’s a wide array of choices for those looking to add a fresh experience to this year’s holiday season and make it a truly special time. our view For example, if the goal is to get outside and get a bit of City a great exercise, there are skiing, snowboarding, skating and snowplace to be shoeing options. For those more during holidays adventurous, there’s the 34th Annual Hair of the Dog run and walk in the Beach area on New Year’s Day. If you’re more interested in the spectator side of things in athletics, Toronto also has several highcalibre hockey tournaments to take in. The immediate post-Christmas period has several tourneys on tap including the Toronto Marlboros International Holiday Classic from Dec. 26 to 30. Hosted at the Canlan arenas in Etobicoke and North York as well as North York’s Chesswood Arenas, the AAA tournament features top teams from the minor bantam, bantam and minor midget divisions.

If you’re looking to be entertained, there are several family-friendly activities including theatrical productions and visits to museums and other city attractions including the CN Tower, the Ontario Science Centre and Fort York to consider.

This time is also a chance to get to know a new area of the city a little better. Toronto’s 140 neighbourhoods make up a diverse, vibrant city, with unique experiences to be discovered in each of them. Consider adding a new experience to your holiday time this year. *** You can find more Toronto events at our online community calendar at insidetoronto.com.

Additionally, if you have an event and wish to submit it to us, visit bit.ly/torontocalendar for instructions and helpful suggestions for posting.

column

How to keep your new year’s resolution

I

f you still haven’t settled on your 2014 new year’s resolution yet, you better get a move on. The New Year’s Eve countdown is rapidly approaching.

In the meantime, a word of advice: if you’re hoping to keep your resolution longer than the usual second or two most people seem to last, the experts say a good support system is the key.

My pal Mike took that information to heart.

He dropped by to tell me his resolution the other day and asked if he could lean on me from time to time to help him see things through. I have to tell you, I was touched. In all the years I’ve known him he’s never reached out like that before.

“You know you can,” I said, as a tiny tear appeared in the corner of my eye.

“And to prove I mean business, I’ll call you right after dinner next Wednesday.”

“WEDNESDAY,” he shrieked. “What on earth for?”

jamie wayne guest column “That’s Jan. 1, big guy,” I bubbled excitedly. “I want you to know I’ll be there for you from day one.”

“No way I’m kicking things off on a Wednesday,” he snapped. “You can’t start a new year’s resolution in the middle of the week. It’s too unsettling.”

“No problemo. I’ll just catch up with you Thursday night, then.”

“You’re not serious, I hope,” he scoffed.

“Jan. 2 doesn’t work, either?”

“Do the math, “ he explained. “It’s the first day back to work after the Christmas holidays. I’ll have way too much on my plate at the office to try and initiate a major lifestyle change at the same time.”

“Gotcha. I’ll make it the evening of Friday the third.

We’ll be good to go. And I

won’t call, I’ll actually come over. How do you like them apples?”

Mike shook his head.

“Come on, man. Nobody in his right mind begins anything of importance on a Friday. We’re programmed from our childhood to think of Friday as the end of the week.”

“Shall I touch base Saturday perhaps, Jan. 4?” I asked hopefully.

“Give me a break. Who starts new things at the beginning of a weekend?”

“Sunday, then? The fifth of January?” I sighed.

“The END of a weekend?

That’s even worse.”

“So by process of elimination I’m guessing your resolution will be starting on Monday, Jan. 6. I’ll jot that down on my calendar right now. How about I give you a dingle right after WWE Monday Night Raw?” “Don’t bother. I’ll be too busy. My mom’s coming in that week from Halifax.”

“How about the following

Monday, then?”

“Sorry. I won’t be around.

I’ll be in Stockholm for an old-timer’s hockey tournament.”

“Mike, just out of curiosity, what was your resolution again?”

“Come on, man. I told you 20 times already. It’s to stop procrastinating.

But enough about me. You never told me your resolution.”

“To stop being so darn forgetful.”

“Excellent choice. And just to let you know, I’ll be there for you, too, Jamie, OK?” “Thanks, pal. It means a lot to me to hear you say that.”

“That’s what friends are for, buddy. So when are you gonna start yours?”

“Huh? Start my what?”

Jamie Wayne is a lifelong columnist, who takes writing very seriously. The topics?

Not so much. Contact him at jamie.wayne@sympatico.ca

i

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5

A terrible year for Toronto

I

t’s been a good year, 2013 has, for the profile of municipal journalism. That goes without saying – the Ford follies have put city hall reporters in a class akin to reality TV hosts – but it needs saying that it has been a terrible year for municipal governance, civic engagement, and community in this city.

It started out bad enough.

Since 2010, it’s become clear that a large number of residents of Toronto’s suburban communities have come to hate those who live closer to the downtown core, and for a large number of downtowners, the feeling seems mutual.

It’s a particularly unhealthy tribalism we’ve caught ourselves in – a tribalism that’s stoked and been stoked by Mayor Rob Ford and his brother Doug.

When the year began, with Mayor Ford successfully challenging a ruling to remove him from office for a conflict of interest, the division simmered. When newspaper reports revealed that Ford had appeared in a video smoking crack cocaine and was prone

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����� ������ ��� ���� to bouts of public drunkenness, his evolving denials poured gasoline on the fire.

We in the media helped fuel that further, relentlessly seeking clarification from a mayor who refused to do so, camping outside his office and occasionally outside his home – allowing conspiracy theorists to posit that the media ‘elites’ were attempting to run the mayor out of office based on some kind of class-based agenda.

We couldn’t have played it differently – as events transpired, it emerged that Mayor Ford was lying about nearly everything; that a video of him smoking crack cocaine did indeed exist and police were investigating him, and on and on. The mayor’s behaviour and untruthfulness was, to put it mildly, unprecedented, and journalists who don’t chase that down, aren’t doing their job.

But in doing our jobs – in shedding light, and posing questions, and persisting • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

– yes, we helped make it worse.

For much of 2013, as a colleague of mine observed recently, the news cycle has lived on the timetable of an angry drug user. And day in, day out, we’ve highlighted the grossest dysfunction of the communities in which we live.

Some have taken to calling it all a distraction, but I submit that it’s more an amplification, a distortion – not of the sins of our mayor, but the forces that are tearing the city apart. In the months and years to come, someone is going to have to fix that.

Toronto Council has taken the first steps in doing so, sidelining Mayor Ford and putting the agreeable face of Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly at the head of council. The last year of the term has hopes of being sedate, conciliatory and friendly.

We’ve got a city broken by anger, suspicion and paranoia and we’re going to have to get past that, if there’s to be any hope at all.

i

Ka re n St i n t z o f f i c i a l l y announced she will step down from her position as chair of the TTC board in February.

Stintz, who intends to run in the 2014 mayoral election, made the announcement at last week’s TTC board meeting.

She will leave the chair’s seat as of Feb. 22, 2014, but will remain on the board. She has already endorsed fellow board member Josh Colle as her replacement.

Maria Augimeri, a longtime TTC commissioner, is also considered a contender for the position. City council will vote on Stintz’s replacement at its Feb. 19 session.

RAISES FUNDS FOR UNITED WAY ◗TTC

The TTC raised almost $860,000 in 2013 for its annual campaign to benefit the United Way. The commission’s employees organized weekly $1 pizza sales at subway stations over the year. They also contributed to the campaign through payroll deductions as well

����� ����� TO �� TRANSIT staff events, said a press release.

Last week, representatives from TTC management and the Amalgamated Transit Union local 113 presented a cheque to the United Way for the amount.

STOP POLE FEEDBACK SOUGHT ◗BUS

The TTC is seeking public feedback for redesigned bus stop poles and shelter maps introduced earlier in the year.

The redesigned infrastructure was installed on a trial basis along the 94 Wellesley bus route in February.

At the time TTC senior executive Chris Upfold said the intention of the new look was to provide clearer information to customers while preserving the iconic nature of past TTC design.

Critics of the designs say they are too simplified and of

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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Councillor

Ward 26 • Don Valley West

councillor_parker@toronto.ca www.johnparker.ca

Please join me on January 1st from 1pm-4pm at Leaside Gardens for my annual New Year’s Day Free Skate!

less value to local commuters.

A short online survey for the new designs is available on www.ttc.ca AND TTC FREE ON NEW YEAR’S EVE ◗GO

GO Transit service will be free of charge as of 8 p.m. New Year’s Eve. Train and bus service arriving and departing from Union Station will also be extended so revellers can party late into the night.

During the day, regular afternoon train trips on all seven GO train lines will be moved to earlier in the day to accommodate commuters leaving work early.

GO also revealed its 2014 schedule which will include new bus timetables and some additional morning train trips.

For info about the changes and holiday scheduling visit www.gotransit.com.

The TTC will also be free of charge on New Year’s Eve. Rahul Gupta is The Mirror’s transit reporter. His column appears on Thursday. Reach him on Twitter: @TOinTRANSIT

i

FUTURE SHOP CORRECTION NOTICE

David Nickle is The Mirror’s city hall reporter. His column appears every Thursday.

Home Depot Hudson’s Bay Co. Lastmans Bad Boy Leon’s Furniture Ltd Loblaws Inc. Lowes Loyal True Inc. - Fu Yao Loyal True Inc. - Great Food Metro Michaels No Frills Old Navy Pape Foodland Pharma Plus

Happy New Year!

Stintz to leave TTC chair post by Feb. 22

Too many clothes & nothing to wear?

Cash in your closet at TrendTrunk.com

www.TrendTrunk.com

NEWSPAPER RETRACTION FOR THE FUTURE SHOP DECEMBER 26 BOXING DAY FLYER In the Boxing Day flyer, on page 1, the Samsung Galaxy S4 (Web Code: 10248518/19/20/21/22/23) was advertised with an incorrect savings claim. Please be advised that the correct price is $0 save $100, NOT $0 save $180.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused our valued customers.

| THE MIRROR e | Thursday, December 26, 2013

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THE MIRROR e | Thursday, December 26, 2013 |

6

activities

K eep busy over the holiday break Find something that suits you, with this listing of family-friendly activities

T

he holidays are coming to an end, but there’s still plenty to do in the community and across the city. No need to stay at home! Here are our suggestions on things to do with the family.

The Christmas Flower Show at Allan Gardens.

Events by Date w December 26

Guided Walks in Rouge Park Stretch your legs and walk Rouge Park Dec. 26 to 31 and Jan. 1 at various times and locations. Free. Visit www. rougepark.com, call 905-713-3184 or email hike@rougepark.com Christmas Treats Trek Watch as the Toronto Zoo’s animals receive their Christmas treats from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Bring a nonperishable item for the food bank. Halfprice admission. Toronto Zoo, 2000 Meadowvale Rd. Visit bit.ly/1bAczsl

Zoo animals get Christmas treats too on Dec. 26.

ROM for the Holidays, Toys, Games and Gatherings Play games from various cultures and 130 years of Canada’s favourite pastimes, scavenger hunt and more at the Royal Ontario Museum until Jan. 5 and included with admission. Various times.

Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park www.rom.on.ca

Centennial Park Conservatory Christmas Flower Show Centennial Park Conservatory Christmas Flower Show takes place until Jan. 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Free. Centennial Park Conservatory, 151 Elmcrest Rd. Call Scott Nisbet, 416-392-1417, www.toronto.ca/parks/ conservatories Christmas in the Park You are invited to Christmas in the Park at Colborne Lodge from noon to 4 p.m. until Jan. 5. It is closed Dec. 26 and Jan. 1. Tour Colborne House and celebrate a Victorian Christmas. Various costs.

Colborne Lodge at High Park, 11 Colborne Lodge Dr. Email clodge@ toronto.ca Boxing Day Hike of The Toronto Islands Take a 12-kilometre, four-hour mostly flat hike of Toronto Islands at 9:30 a.m. when you catch the ferry, returning to Toronto at 4 p.m. (catching either the 3:15 or 3:45 p.m. ferry). Ferry costs $7 for adults, $4.50 for students and seniors and $3.50 for juniors.

Donations to the Escarpment Legacy Fund accepted. Toronto Island Ferry, 9 Queens Quay W. Contact Toronto Bruce Trail Club, www.torontobrucetrailclub. org, 416-763-9061, information@torontobrucetrailclub.org. Hike is Free.

Animal Stories Animal Stories presents the tales of humans’ encounters through ceramics from the 17th century to our day.

The exhibition also features illustrated books alongside ceramics Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Jan. 12. Cost ranges from $1 to $9 and free for children 12 and under with a paying adult. Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park Visit bit. ly/18S5aG5 Ross Petty’s The Little Mermaid This show is more like the Hans Christian Anderson fable than the Disney version and it runs at various times and dates until Jan. 4. Tickets range from $27 to $235 for a family four pack. Elgin Theatre, 189 Yonge St. Visit www.rosspetty.com/tickets.php The Nutcracker Presented by The National Ballet of Canada, The Nutcracker is set in 19th-

FIND MORE EVENTS ONLINE! Learn how to access our calendar, view events across the city and post your own. Go to bit.ly/ torontocalendar century Russia and takes audiences through the glittering world of the Snow Queen to the splendour of the Sugar Plum Fairy’s palace at various times and dates and prices until Jan. 4.

Four Season Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W. Visit http://bit.ly/1buVxL6

Lace up your skates at the Dieppe Park rinks.

Balmy Beach Canoe Club holds its annual Hair of the Dog Fun Run Jan. 1. Visit www.balmybeachcanoe.com

Victoria Park and Finch avenues This is a park with a small hill, which is good for younger kids. n The ‘Sugar Bowl’, 3900 Danforth Ave. across from Variety Village.

It really is shaped like a bowl so there is no danger of sliding onto the road. And it’s not too steep or too long, so perfect for younger kids. n Hill behind Variety Village, 3701 Danforth Ave. n Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute, 550 Markham Rd.

Skating

n Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Ave., outdoor rink is open until March, Monday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. but closed Christmas and Boxing Day. Weather permitting. Call ahead at 416-596-7670 for updates. Skate rentals and sharpening is $5 each. Visit ebw.evergreen.ca/whats-on/recreation/skating n Harbourfront’s The Natrel Rink, 235 Queens Q. W., the artificially cooled outdoor rink, is also open. There are rentals, change rooms and skate sharpening. Visit www.harbourfrontcentre. com n For a complete list of City of Toronto arenas and rinks in your neighbourhood, visit bit.ly/18X9dRG

Tobogganing

(Suggestions from Metroland Media Toronto staff) n Shawnee Park, 81 Shawnee Circle at

Hitting the hill at Riverdale Park.

n Cedarvale Park, 443 Arlington Ave. n ‘Murder’ Hill at Graydon Hall, 185 Graydon Hall Dr. just east of Don Mills. n Dallington Park at Sheppard Avenue and Leslie Street. n Christie Pits, 750 Bloor St. W. at Christie Street n Riverdale Park at Broadview Avenue and Gerrard Street n Greenwood Park, 1041 Gerrard St. E.

What is your favourite tobogganing spot? Email letters@insidetoronto.com

Skiing and Snowboarding

n Centennial Park offers a ski and snowboard school, snowboard and downhill rentals, helmet rentals, T-bar, carpet lift, night skiing and snack bar.

The facilities are open, weather permitting, mid-December until mid-March and the hours are Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at various prices. Centennial Park, 256 Centennial Park Rd. Call 416-394-8754 n Earl Bales Park Earl Bales Park offers snowboard and downhill rentals, helmet rentals, ski and snowboard school, snowmaking, four-passenger chair lift, rope tow, night skiing, snack bar and a fireplace opening, weather permitting, Dec. 14, and closing March 16. Open various days and times and costs.

4169 Bathurst St., one light south of Sheppard Avenue West inside Earl Bales Park. Call 416-395-7931.

Greenhouses

n Allan Gardens Soak in summer heat at the Christmas Flower Show at Allan Gardens Conservatory.

The indoor botanical garden comprises six greenhouses offering more than 16,000 square feet of colourful plants and flowers from around the world.

Located at 19 Horticultural Ave.

in brief

EAST YORK

YOUR WORLD IS UNLIMITED

bear dip Bottle drive at local Beer Store wpolar The Toronto Polar Bear Club hosts a bottle drive in East York to benefit Habitat for Humanity, and its upcoming Polar Bear Dip fundraiser in Lake Ontario.

The dip is Jan. 1 at Sunnyside Beach.

The bottle drive, collecting empty beer, wine and liquor bottles and cans to return for deposit, is at the Woodbine and Barker avenues Beer Store on Dec. 28 and 29.

eastyorkmirror.com

pets Rats, worms and crickets If you don’t like live feeding your reptile, there are options

offers support for families wAl-Anon/Alateen

u

The holiday season can put extra stress on families whose loved ones have drinking problems.

Every festive event has the opportunity for conflict and hostile confrontations when someone drinks too much.

Al-Anon/Alateen Family Groups offer help and hope to anyone who has been affected by someone else’s drinking.

For more information, call 416-4103809 or visit al-anon.alateen.on.ca

food Turkey spring rolls You know what time it is - turkey leftover time

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Snow Pass for students to ski The Canadian Ski Council is offering Snow Passes for students in Grades 4 and 5, which will grant them three free lift tickets at each of the more than 150 ski areas across Canada participating in the program.

For a full listing of participating Ontario ski hills, go to http://bit.ly/1bZskuw

w

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7 | THE MIRROR e | Thursday, December 26, 2013

community

THE MIRROR e | Thursday, December 26, 2013 |

8

community

Danforth winter celebration

Staff photos/NICK PERRY

WINTER FUN: Above, PyRomeo performs fire tricks at East Lynn Park during the winter festival hosted by the Danforth Mosiac BIA. Left, Susan Bates serves hot chocolate up hot chocolate for those attending the festivities.

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Se����’s Gr�et�ngs W����ng A�� My F���ly, F�i�n�s & C�i��ts A V�ry He��thy & Joy��s M�rry C�r�stm�s. H�v� A S�f� An� H�ppy H��iday Se����!! Th��� Y�� F�r A�� Y��r S�pp�r� Thr�u�h��� Th� Ye�rs. W�rmes� W���es An� H�ppy N�� Ye�r! May Y�� H�v� Gre�� He��t�, H�pp�ness An� Success I� 2014!

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Happy Holidays Wishing Our Community a Safe, Happy Holiday Season and All The Best For 2014!

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I would like to wish you a very joyous holiday season.

Happy New Year and All The Best in 2014!

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T h e R e a l E s tat e Depa rt m e n t At T or on t o C o m m u n i t y N e w s W i sh e s Y o u

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And

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May 2014 Bring Happiness, Prosperity And Success To All Our Clients And Readers.

| THE MIRROR e | Thursday, December 26, 2013

ATTENTION REALTORS!

Happy New Year from the Kaushansky Brown Team

community calendar

happening in

east york

THE MIRROR e | Thursday, December 26, 2013 |

10

it’s happening

looking ahead

w Saturday, Dec. 28

w Weekends at Brickworks

Open Mic at Du Cafe WHEN: 3 to 7 p.m. WHERE: Du Cafe, 885 O’Connor Dr. CONTACT: Crystal Holmes, 416-752-2233, ducafe@ gmail.ca COST: Free Artists, genres, and fans welcome.

The Children’s Garden WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. WHERE: 550 Bayview Ave. CONTACT: 416-596-7670, info@evergreen.ca COST: $5 suggested donation Take part in projects, crafts and games with an elemental theme.

A typical day includes: 10:30 a.m. welcome circle; 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. pizza from outdoor wood oven for sale; 1 to 3 p.m. shelter building.

Children must be supervised. Weekly activities respond to the changing seasons and weather based on the natural materials available.

w Sunday, Dec. 29

Sunday Afternoon Euchre WHEN: 12:30 p.m. WHERE: Royal Canadian Legion Branch 22, 1240 Woodbine Ave. CONTACT: Jim Farrell, 416-425-1714, jimb.farrell@ yahoo.ca COST: $7 Everyone welcome.

Check out our complete online community calendar by visiting www.east yorkmirror.com. Read weeks of listings from your East York neighbourhoods as well as events from across Toronto.

Sunday KARAOKE WHEN: 5 to 9 p.m. WHERE: Royal Canadian Legion Branch 22, 1240 Woodbine Ave. CONTACT: Jim Farrell, 416-425-1714 COST: Free Sing or listen and have a few laughs.

w Monday, Dec. 30

Cribbage WHEN: 7:15 p.m. WHERE: Royal Canadian Legion Branch 22, 1240 Woodbine Ave.l CONTACT: Jim Farrell, 416-425-1714 COST: $6

w Tuesday, Dec. 31

Toddler Playtime WHEN: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. WHERE: Monarch Park Stadium,1 Han-

son St., 1 Hanson St CONTACT: Alicia Lashley, 647-267-9904, www. monarchparkstadium.com, alicia@ monarchparkstadium.com COST: $3 to $6 per child Games and activities for the kids.

Each session includes a structured activity such as parachuting, obstacle races and soccer games.

w Sunday, Jan. 5

East York New Years Levee WHEN: 1 to 3 p.m. WHERE: East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Ave. CONTACT: Councillor Janet Davis, 416-392-4035 COST: Free Welcome in the new year with Councillors Janet Davis, Mary Fragedakis,

Michael Prue, Peter Tabuns, Matthew Kellway, Craig Scott, Sheila CaryMeagher and Cathy Dandy.

Twelfth Night on the Twelfth Night WHEN: 7 to 9 p.m. WHERE: Du Cafe, 885 O’Connor Drive CONTACT: Tyler Sequin, info@eastendarts.ca COST: Free Read a part in Shakespeare’s classic.

Participants will draw roles randomly and dive into the text.

w Tuesday, Jan. 7

Resumes and Cover Letters WHEN: 2 to 3:30 p.m. WHERE: S. Walter Stewart Library, 170 Memorial

w Saturday, Jan. 11

Park Dr. CONTACT: 416-396-3975 COST: Free A representative from WoodGreen Community Services shows how to create effective resumes and cover letters. To register call 416-396-3975.

Open Mic at Du Cafe WHEN: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. WHERE: Du Cafe, 885 O’Connor Drive CONTACT: Crystal Holmes, 4167522233, , ducafe@ymail.ca COST: Free Du Cafe is holding an open mic on saturday from 3-7pm. We’re located at 885 O’Connor Drive, just north of St. Clair, all artists, genres, and fans welcome.

w Thursday, Jan. 9

Japanese Garden Design WHEN: 7 p.m. WHERE: Leaside Public Library, 165 McRae Dr. CONTACT: bethparker@sympatico.ca COST: Free Wolfegang Bonham speaks on Japanese Garden Design.

w Sunday, Jan.12

Sunday Afternoon Euchre WHEN: 12:30 p.m. WHERE: Royal Canadian Legion Branch 22, 1240 Woodbine Ave.CONTACT: Jim Farrell, 416-425-1714, jimb.farrell@yahoo.ca COST: $7.00 Enjoy playing cards? Come out on Sundady and enjoy a fun early afternoon of euchre. Everyone is welcome.

w Friday, Jan. 10

Fun at the library: Teen Gaming WHEN: 4 to 5 p.m. WHERE: S. Walter Stewart, 170 Memorial Park Ave. CONTACT: 416-396-3975 COST: Free Play Wii, PS3, or 360 game time.

Future dates: Jan. 24 and Feb 14. For ages: 11 to 18.

get listed!

w Sunday, Jan. 12

East York Community Kitchen WHEN: 3 to 6 p.m. WHERE: East York Community Centre, 1081 1/2 Pape Ave. CONTACT: Jennifer Kim, 416-532-7840, eyckitchen@gmail. com COST: Free Come join us as we cook and eat a tasty, nutritious meal. Learn new recipes and skills while socializing with your neighbours. Registration is required and child care is available.

The East York Mirror wants your community listings. Whether it’s a music night or a non-profit group’s program for kids, The Mirror wants to know about it so others can attend. Sign up online at eastyorkmirror.com to submit your events (click the Sign Up link in the top right corner of the page).

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business

Education tax unfair to Toronto, says city BIA group DAVID NICKLE dnickle@insidetoronto.com Running a successfully competitive small business can be a trick at the best of times. But for the past 15 years, Toronto business owners have been operating with a handicap that many of their neighbours outside of the 416 area code have not.

Property taxes going to fund provincial education are higher in Toronto than they are in surrounding municipalities – and while relief has been promised, it’s not coming quickly enough for business leaders.

“The difference for Toronto could amount to thousands of dollars,” said Lionel Miskin, vice-president of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA), which represents 74 BIAs (comprising of some 35,000 business and property owners) across the city.

“If my business is on the south side of Steeles Avenue in Toronto and I’m competing with businesses on the north

side of Steeles Avenue, which is in Markham, I’m at a huge disadvantage.”

The reasons behind that disadvantage is historic – stretching back to Mike Harris’ Common Sense Revolution in the late 1990s, continuing through governments led by Ernie Eves, Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne.

Through it all, businesses in Toronto have waited, sometimes patiently, sometimes less so, for the mess borne of a seismic change in the way education was administered in this province to be fixed.

It was a bright winter’s day in 1998 that Ernie Eves, Finance Minister in Mike Harris’ Progressive Conservative Government, came to a Danforth Avenue restaurant promising relief.

Ev e s w a s p r o m i s i n g among other things, to fix the Business Education Tax – a levy on businesses across the province, imposed when the PC government took over the funding of education from local boards of education that same year.

Staff photo/Erin Hatfield

Provincial education taxes are unfair to Toronto, says the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) which has a petition calling for them to be changed.

The change resulted in inequities.

When local boards levied property taxes for local schools, they taxed according to local needs, and all those tax dollars went into local schools. But with the Ministry of Education allocating funding according to a specific formula, the money raised was spread across the province according to

regional needs.

The province immediately equalized residential property tax rates for education. But business tax rates remained at their legacy rates, which varied widely from municipality to municipality.

Because of that shift, Toronto and other large municipalities took on a larger portion of the property tax burden than smaller

ones.

Eves committed to change all that – over time, cutting business taxes for relatively high rates so that it eventually would equalize at 1.6 per cent.

The initial target date set

by Eves for achieving that rate was 2007. By the time they left office in 2003, the Progressive Conservatives were cutting the tax by $400 million a year.

That didn’t last long.

When the Ontario Liberals took over that year, it froze the reductions until the 2007 budget, when it announced it would resume the cuts, once again targeting complete reduction of the rates by 2014.

But in the 2012 budget, the government announced another freeze in the phaseout – until 2017-18, when the provincial budget is anticipated to be balanced.

For TABIA, that’s too late.

In a July, 2013 report commissioned by TABIA and the Ontario Business Improvement Area

Associations indicated that the freeze would effectively penalize Toronto, where business taxes remain higher than normal, and would not significantly speed up the rate at which the deficit is eliminated.

Officials at the Ontario Ministry of Finance would not comment on the report but pointed to the 2012 provincial budget documents.

The documents indicate that “high BET rates have been cut significantly, resulting in annual savings of over $200 million for Ontario businesses,” and highlight the fact that businesses in Toronto have seen an $18.1 million BET reduction over the course of the program.

TABIA is hoping that Premier Wynne will move where her predecessor, McGuinty, has proven unwilling, and has organized a petition of business owners to bring political pressure to do so.

For more on the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas , visit www.toronto-bia.com

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| THE MIRROR e | Thursday, December 26, 2013

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THE MIRROR e| Thursday, December 26, 2013 |

14

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Water and garbage rates slated to increase in 2014 DAVID NICKLE dnickle@insidetoronto.com

diversions

Toronto Council has agreed to put off the question of contracting out garbage east of Yonge Street until after next year’s municipal election – siding with Mayor Rob Ford, in a clash with public works and infrastructure committee chair Denzil Minnan-Wong.

Ford asked council at last week’s meeting to request a report on the pros and cons of contracting out garbage collection on the east end of the city, to be delivered to the public works and infrastructure committee in 2015.

“I find that we’ve had huge success contracting out garbage collection in Etobicoke, then finally got everything

going west of Yonge Street.

The proof is in the pudding – I’ll be shocked if it comes back that it’s cheaper to do it in house,” said Ford.

“This is not anti-union. I encourage unions to compete and vote, and if people disagree this will be a great election issue, just like it was last time.”

Earlier in the term, the

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city contracted out about a quarter of the city’s garbage collection to Green For Life, and got changes to the collective agreements with city outside workers that allow the city to contract out the rest of garbage collection.

But Ford had held off on moving ahead with full contracted out garbage until after the election.

Minnan-Wong, who is openly considering a run for mayor himself, made it clear he’d like to see if it can go ahead more quickly. He moved to have the entire matter referred to the committee he chairs.

“I believe that we should look at options, but the appropriate place for that to go is to committee,” he said.

Councillors voted down Minnan-Wong’s referral, and supported Ford’s – despite the fact that some councillors criticized the political maneuvering behind the move. “It’s the worst kind of politics,” said Parkdale-High Park Councillor Gord Perks.

i

For more city hall news, visit us online at www.eastyorkmirror.com.

Sudoku (difficult)

last week’s answers

How to do it: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3 by 3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

w See answers to this week’s

puzzles in next Thursday’s edition

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| THE MIRROR e | Thursday, December 26, 2013

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THE MIRROR e | Thursday, December 26, 2013 |

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