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COMMUNITY
3
Pilot program at two library branches casts light on depression TAMARA SHEPHARD tshephard@insidetoronto.com Gabi Kresic eagerly basks in the bright lamp’s light at her neighbourhood Brentwood library branch.Toronto Public Library (TPL) is shining its own light on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) by introducing light therapy lamps at Brentwood branch in Etobicoke and Malvern branch in Scarborough, as part of a pilot project launched last week.The lamps mimic natural sunlight to treat SAD, a type of depression related to lack of sunlight, particularly in winter."It has been an impossible winter," Kresic said, of Toronto’s dark and dreary days throughout January and into February. "I think everyone suffers from SAD. Some of us, it affects us more."In Canada, millions of people suffer from a degree of SAD due to lack of sunlight. Between two and three per cent of the population has full-blown SAD, with symptoms that include fatigue, decreased energy, sleep disorders, weight gain, irritability, and feelings of anxiety and despair. Another 15 per cent have a less severe experience, the Canadian Mental Health Association reported.Daily, Kresic sits beneath the bright lamp for half an hour, ever since reading a newspaper article about it last Friday.
Justin Greaves/Metroland
Ensar Sehic uses a light therapy lamp at the Toronto Public Library Malvern branch on Toronto Public Library is conducting a pilot project to allow library users to use two light therapy lamps on a first-come, first-served basis at its Malvern branch in Scarborough, and at its Brentwood branch in Etobicoke. The lamps are used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Canadian Mental Health Association research indicates two to three per cent of Ontarians have SAD, while another 15 per cent have a less severe experience. Normally, she visits the library monthly. "For me, it’s not about the winter; it’s not about the length of the days. It’s the sunlight and the blue sky," Kresic explained of her need for sunlight. "You may not have sun on 40 C days in summer. For me, sunlight is essential."Kresic is such a fan - she once had a light therapy lamp at home - she has offered to purchase and donate a third lamp to Brentwood branch.Each library branch has two lamps. After a threemonth pilot and feedback from users, the lamps could be expanded to other branches, TPL officials
said.Kresic suggested library staff start a sign-up sheet, and consider hosting public lectures given by experts "not just about light therapy, but also other things you can do (to combat depression)".Lillian Galati is also a fan of the lamps, and urges TPL to expand the program.Since Friday, Galati has trekked twice to the Brentwood branch to read beneath the lamps, despite the fact her neighbourhood library is Richview branch. She plans to make use of the lamps twice a week."It’s nice to get the heat and the light on you, especially when there is
WHO WE ARE Dana Robbins John Willems Cheryl Phillips Joanne Burghardt Grace Peacock Georgia Balogiannis Mike Banville Katherine Porcheron Alison Fauquier
TPL.TPL paid $240 for each therapy lamp, giving people who might not otherwise afford one to try it out.Information is available at each library branch outlining the therapy lamp’s use, who should avoid it and how to use it. It is recommended users sit or read in front of the lamp between 20 and 30 minutes. Users should sit two feet away and not stare directly into the light.People with retinal disease, macular degeneration or diabetes, and those taking melatonin, thioridazine or lithium, should consult a doctor before using light therapy lamps, TPL advise-
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none (outside)," Galati said, while reading The Nest, a novel by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney.Dr. Robert Levitan, a professor of psychiatry and physiology at the University of Toronto, who is the depression chair at U of T and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, welcomes the idea. Last year, TPL reached out to Levitan to inform him of the proposed service. Levitan told TPL officials no such service existed in Toronto, and that he supported the idea, said Alex Carruthers, manager of learning and community engagement for
d.Although the program is only in its second week, Tiziano Vanola, who heads the Brentwood branch, said users’ feedback has been positive. Some people have asked if the program will be expanded and even if they can donate a lamp to the branch. "Some people actually said they experience the ’winter blues,’ and they plan on using the lamps on a regular basis," Vanola said.It is the first time the light therapy lamps are being used in libraries in Ontario.TPL considered the program after learning of the lamps’ use in libraries first in Edmonton, then in Winnipeg.In 2014, Robin Mazumder, an occupational therapist and MacEwan University instructor, donated three light therapy lamps to the Stanley A. Milner Library in downtown Edmonton.The Awesome Edmonton Foundation had awarded Mazumder a $1,000 prize for his bright idea to bring light therapy to public spaces. Mazumder found a willing partner in Edmonton Public Library.TPL selected the Brentwood and Malvern branches because both are busy locations, Vanola said. The pilot program runs until the end of April. Library staff encourage users to provide feedback by filling out a form at each branch or online https:// www.surveymonkey.com/ r/lighttherapylamp."At the end of the pilot project, we’ll collect all the data, see what feedback users gave us, and evaluate if we continue the project, expand it to other branches, and if we do expand, to which branches," Vanola said.
| Etobicoke Guardian | Thursday, February 23, 2017
Feeling SAD? Library offers light therapy
COMMUNITY
Etobicoke Guardian | Thursday, February 23, 2017 |
4
Etobicoke Civic Centre design competition kicks off Dr. Christina H. Dhillon & Associates
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Build Toronto kicked off its international design competition for the new Etobicoke Civic Centre this week by shortlisting five architectural teams to develop the "new heart of Etobicoke." The goal of the Etobicoke Civic Centre design competition is to develop a vision for a new integrated hub including a civic square, civic offices, a library, a daycare centre and a recreation centre - on the Westwood Theatre Lands at the southwest corner of Dundas and Kipling. "This is the beginning of an exciting project to design an entirely new community with a civic centre and public space, that will also allow us to streamline the Six Points intersection and make this the heart of Etobicoke," Coun. David Shiner, chair of the Build Toronto board, said in a statement. "As stewards of public
land, Build Toronto and the city are driving the focus on city-building by exploring creative and innovative design ideas and bringing them to the forefront of this transformation." The shortlisted teams, comprised of firms from Brooklyn, N.Y.; Copenhagen, Denmark; London, U.K.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Rotterdam, the Netherlands; and Toronto, Ont., include: . Adamson Associates Architects, Henning Larsen Architects, PMA Landscape Architects . Diamond Schmitt Architects, Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates . KPMB Architects, West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture . Montgomery Sisam Architects, Adjaye Associates, OLIN . Moriyama and Teshima Architects, MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects, FORREC Ltd.
The design component of the selection process is scheduled to be judged by a jury of leaders in the fields of planning, urban design, architecture and landscape architecture in late April 2017, following a public presentation of the final design submissions. "Through the international design competition, industry jury selection and public input, we are all helping to shape the new Etobicoke Civic Centre - which is exactly what civic centres represent," Etobicoke-Lakeshore Coun. Justin Di Ciano said in a statement. "This will not only become the new heart of Etobicoke, but it will also create a renewed area of activity, commerce and civic space for the local community and the city." City council will consider the results of the design competition in the third quarter of 2017.
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EVENTS
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l Saturday, February 25 Coldest Night of the Year 2017 WHEN: 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. WHERE: Church on the Queensway, 1536 The Queensway, Toronto CONTACT: 416 640 2005, events@havenontheq.com A family-friendly winter fundraising event for Etobicoke’s homeless, hungry and hurting, the WALK takes place on the evening of Feb 25.
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5 things to do this weekend
What Rocks Can Teach Us About Life WHEN: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. WHERE: St. James United Church, 400 Burnhamthorpe , Toronto CONTACT: Coral Prebble, 416622-4113, cprebble@rogers.com Learn what rocks can teach us about life; bring your own small rocks and learn about them.Speaker Jon Linton who has been studying rocks as a hobby for 50 years.
l Friday, February 17 Canadian International Auto Show WHEN: 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. WHERE: Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 222 Bremner Blvd., Toronto CONTACT: autoshow.ca/ COST: Various prices The Canadian International Auto Show is the country’s largest consumer show - a leader in lifestyle, technology and all things automotive. Feb. 17-26.
l Wednesday, March 1 Micro Greens Growing Workshop WHEN: 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. WHERE: Stonegate CHC, 150 Berry Road, Etobicoke, Toronto CONTACT: 416-231-7070 Get excited about spring with Carolin Taron, as she leads participants through a free workshop on growing sprouts.
Trivia Night WHEN: 5 p.m. - 11 p.m. WHERE: St. Demetrius Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 3338 Lakeshore Blvd. W., Toronto CONTACT: Halyna, 416-2557506, stdemetrius@rogers.com Fun night of trivia and a delicious varenyky (pyrohy) supper.
Etobicoke Horticultural Society March Meeting WHEN: 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. WHERE: Fairfield Seniors’ Centre, 80 Lothian Ave., Toronto CONTACT: 416-233-9795 Etobicoke Horticultural Society’s
March meeting features a guest speaker, a "bring & buy" table, and a raffle. l Thursday, March 2 Try SCUBA with EUC WHEN: 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. WHERE: Albion Pool and Health Club, 1485 Albion Rd., Toronto CONTACT: EUC Marketing, (647) 723-6382, EUC_Marketing@euc.ca, https://www.euc.ca/ COST: 15.00 The Etobicoke Underwater Club (in existence since 1957) is hosting a Try SCUBA event. l Friday, March 3 Intellectual Freedom in the Surveillance Age WHEN: 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. WHERE: Brentwood Library, 36 Brentwood Rd, North, Toronto CONTACT: Todd Buhrows, 416394-5247, tbuhrows@torontopubliclibrary.ca COST: Join Brenda McPhail, Director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s Privacy, Surveillance, and Technology Project.
l Monday, February 20 Winter Stations 2017 WHEN: 8 a.m. - 11 p.m. WHERE: The Beaches, - From Woodbine to Victoria Park along the Waterfront CONTACT: info@winterstations.com COST: Winter Stations is now in its third-year, bringing temporary public art installations to The Beaches, Feb. 20 to March 27. l Thursday, February 23 The Artist Project WHEN: 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. WHERE: Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place, 195 Princes’ Blvd., Toronto CONTACT: info@theartistproject.com COST: Various prices
Justin Greaves/Metroland
A dog walks past one of the exhibits called "North" during the 3rd annual Winter Stations event.
Visitors can explore and discover works of art from over 250 top contemporary artists from Canada and abroad. l Friday, February 24 38th Rhubarb Festival WHEN: 10 a.m. - 11 p.m. WHERE: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St., Toronto CONTACT: (416) 975-8555, http://buddiesinbadtimes.com/rhubarb COST: Various prices Canada’s longest-running new works festival is a hotbed of
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l Friday, February 24 Rumors: presented by Theatre Etobicoke WHEN: 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. WHERE: Assembly Hall Theatre, 1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Dr., Toronto CONTACT: Theatre Etobicoke, 416-246-1889 Rumors: presented by Theatre EtobicokeFebruary 23, 24, 25, March 3 & 4 at 8 pm and March 5 at 2 pm.
Etobicoke Guardian | Thursday, February 23, 2017 |
6
MISSION TO SANDY LAKE 2017
Cynthia Reason/Metroland
Two busloads of children from Thomas Fiddler Memorial Elementary School braved the -34C weather to greet the arrival of the Stanley Cup at Sandy Lake First Nation air field. The banner they’re holding, written in Oji-Cree, reads ‘Welcome to Sandy Lake. Thank you for bringing the Stanley Cup’.
Bringing the hockey dream to Sandy Lake Stanley Cup, mountains of hockey equipment delivered to remote First Nations reserve CYNTHIA REASON creason@insidetoronto.com
SANDY
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LAKE
There was a buzz in the arctic air at Sandy Lake First Nation earlier this month that not even the -34C polar chill could numb – word had it that Lord Stanley was about to land in town. On the local radio station, Chief Bart Meekis issued an urgent plea for all 3,500 residents of the remote northern Ontario reserve to “Let’s all get to the airport Toronto now and show our happiness!” At Thomas Fiddler Memorial Elementary School, students put the last-minute
touches on a colourful banner written in their native Oji-Cree, welcoming the Stanley Cup and its contingent of carriers from Etobicoke. And at the landing site itself, dozens of pick-up trucks and school buses packed with excited hockey fans of all ages ringed the airstrip in anxious anticipation of the Holy Grail of hockey’s arrival. “The gravity of it all didn’t really hit me until we were landing in Sandy Lake and I looked out the window and saw the whole community out there in the cold waiting for us,” said Etobicoke-Lakeshore Councillor Mark Grimes, who used his connections at the Hockey Hall of Fame to arrange the
Cup’s visit to coincide with the delivery of 5,500 pounds of Rotary-donated hockey equipment to Sandy Lake – even successfully outbidding Justin Trudeau for the honour. As the charter flight carrying Grimes, Rotary representatives, a documentary film crew from Etobicoke-based Fifth Ground Entertainment, and the official “Keeper of the Cup” Howie Borrow touched down, the subzero temperatures seemingly melted away on a wave of enthusiasm that drove a flood of excited bodies from the warmth of their vehicles and onto the airfield – Chief Meekis one of the first among them. O Continued on page 7
Rotary-led equipment drive prompted visit O Continued from page 6 “To actually see it here in Sandy Lake, it brings so much hope and so much joy to my community. That the Stanley Cup would come to a remote place like this, it’s the first time I’ve ever heard of it,” Meekis said shortly after parading the Cup around Sandy Lake on the back of his pick-up truck, trailed by an escort of 16 flag-waving, skidoo-driving members of the Sandy Lake Canadian Rangers. While Lord Stanley’s 22-hour stay in Sandy Lake was widely celebrated as a “historic first”, Meekis pledged it most certainly won’t mark the Cup’s last long voyage to the remote fly-in community nearly 1,500 kms northwest of Toronto. “It will be back up here again in 2020, but next time it will be one of our young hockey players bringing it north as a Stanley Cup champion – hopefully with the Canadiens,” the Montreal fan said with a determined grin. “To us, the Stanley Cup promotes education, it promotes discipline, and it also promotes that you can be all you can be – and that’s something our kids need to see.” While the Cup’s arrival provided plenty of incentive to young hockey players in Sandy Lake to strive for NHL greatness, the accompanying delivery of 16 skids of gently used hockey gear collected by the Rotary Clubs of Etobicoke and Palgrave – and
shipped free-of-charge courtesy Wasaya Airways and the Grimes’ brothers Etobicoke-based logistics company, MGA International – brought with it the means with which to fulfill a hockey dream that, for many, would’ve otherwise been out of reach. Freight costs to communities like Sandy Lake, which are only accessible by land via ice roads for a few short weeks in the winter, drive the price of even the most basic of goods up at least threefold. In a community where even a 24-case of no-name bottled water sells for $27.79, that means the price of already-costly hockey equipment becomes prohibitively expensive for most families. “A lot of our youth want to get on the ice, but can’t afford the skates, which is sad because people here go hard for hockey – they absolutely love it,” said Jenn Elwell, the now “super famous” teacher who arranged the hockey donation with Rotary Etobicoke’s Laura Latham after stumbling upon a story about the club’s hockey drive on Facebook. “So for me, seeing my kids walk out of the gym today with skates in their hands and big smiles on their faces just melted my heart. It was so beautiful, because I know how much it
means to them.” Pittsburgh Penguins superfan Derek Monias, 13, not only walked away from the distribution event at Thomas Fiddler Memorial Elementary School last week with a hockey bag stuffed with new gear, he was also able to cross a key item off his bucket list. “I’ve always wanted to see the Stanley Cup in person and now I have. It’s every hockey player’s dream to one day achieve winning it,” he said with a shy smile. “This day, we all feel happy. The people that brought the Cup here have put a smile on everybody’s faces here in Sandy Lake and made them feel good inside.”
7 | Etobicoke Guardian | Thursday, February 23, 2017
MISSION TO SANDY LAKE 2017
Above right; Hundreds of Sandy Lake First Nations residents braved the -34C weather to greet Howie Borrow, Keeper of the Stanley Cup, and of course Lord Stanley himself at the Sandy Lake air field. Right; a young hockey player gets fitted for new blades while, below, members of the Sandy Lake First Nations hockey team tried out of some their near gear donated by the Rotary Club of Etobicoke during a pick-up hockey game at the local arena. Cynthia Reason photos
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Etobicoke Guardian | Thursday, February 23, 2017 |
8
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