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EVENTS LISTING NOT JUST FOR KIDS SHOP LOCAL
Remembering Hallowe’en and Christmas 2019
Happy Valentine’s Day Where there is Welcome to the Winter 2020 edition love, there is life of the Southampton newsletter. Mahatma Ghandi
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Save the Dates! Upcoming events For important business… in the local community… Wine tasting at Southampton…
• Sunday March 1st • 3-5pm in the Sommerset Lounge
Tickets - $20 per person - must be purchased in advance. Limit two (2) tickets per suite. Swansea Book Club Fri Feb 14th, Fri Mar 13th Hosted by Sandra Mills and Liz Earley. See them in person, @1:30pm… Free event or, check the posters or, ask the Concierge.
Local History The Lion Monument Contributed by David Farrell Toronto Light Fest Distillery District There are several curious and interesting sites as one walks Until March 1st west along the Lakeshore Path from the bridge at the south end of Roncesvalles to the beautiful white Humber Bay Arch Bridge. They include the Palais Royale, the Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion, and the historic Joy Gas Station. Perhaps the oddest site, however, is the sadly isolated and neglected Lion Monument.
The Lion Monument was constructed in 1940 to commemorate the WIldlife Photographer of the Year opening of the Queen ROM, til March 29th Elizabeth Way and was originally placed at its eastern opening View the complete between the east and Swansea Town Hall west bound traffic. Calendar
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The highway, which connected Toronto and Niagara Falls, More Upcoming was completed in time to celebrate the first visit of a Community Events… reigning British monarch, King George VI. The highway was officially opened by Her Majesty Elizabeth, the Queen Consort, for whom it was named.
The highway was a curiosity at the time of its completion in that it featured several draw bridges which frequently stopped car traffic for hours at a time during the summer HighPark Nature Centre because of the importance of shipping on the Welland Family Equinox Event Canal and in Hamilton Harbour. The other oddity about the Full details here highway was its sudden end point to the west of Toronto which caused traffic issues throughout Mimico and Swansea. This aspect was resolved in the 1950’s with the construction of the Gardiner Expressway and a new bridge over the Humber River which allowed for uninterrupted traffic flow into the city.
The Lion Monument was a landmark, but it stood in the way of progress and the ever growing Sorauren Farmer’s Market demand for more road Family Day Events capacity and greater Full details here numbers of lanes necessitated its removal from the roadway. It was relocated to its present site, in Sir Casimir Gzowski Park, in 1974 by the City of Toronto. It is all but hidden among bushes and trees, close by an off leash area for dogs. The monument was designed by the architect William Lyon Sommerville, who also was commissioned to design the Henley Bridge Canada Blooms on the QEW near St. Catherines. The main feature of the Enercare Centre monument is a tall column topped by a crown and featuring March 13 - 22, 2020 sculpted profiles of King George and Queen Elizabeth. The Full details here base section includes the two meter tall, snarling lion which gives the monument its name.The dedication on the
!3 FEBRUARY 2020 [email protected] monument refers to the ‘courage and resolution’ of the monarchs. The royal visit was seen at the time as a way of ensuring the loyalty of Canadians to a Britain which was facing the prospect of the outbreak of war in Europe. The monument was rededicated in its current location in 1989 by Elizabeth, who by that time was the Queen Mother.
The Lion Monument certainly speaks to Canada’s history with the monarchy and our ongoing status as subjects of the current Queen Elizabeth, daughter of woman who gave her name to the highway. It is in a neglected state and badly in need of cleaning. The plaque has been damaged and was recently replaced. One can only wonder if Harry and Megan, now that they plan to make Canada their home, will take any interest in the roadway named for his great-grandmother and the beautiful monument which she dedicated forty-nine years after it was constructed in her honour.
Secure, Security, Secured. Top tips for ensuring personal and building security Contributed by Claus Hoff
What does security mean? Freedom from risk or danger; safety. Freedom from doubt, anxiety, or fear. Measures adopted by a homeowner to prevent a crime such as burglary or assault. Freedom to protect unauthorized entry. How can we help each other?
1. Do not allow tagalongs into 1 Ripley. If you are entering the building via the front (main) entrance, or the side entrance after a walk and there are strangers behind you, ensure they follow established process to check with security concierge on duty, or use the enterphone. 2. The same principle applies for resident parking. If you see someone who doesn’t belong, or any suspicious activity report it to security concierge asap, or POLICE if required. 3. Lock your doors and keep them locked. Activate your alarm system if you have one. Be sure to keep your vehicles locked, and again, report any suspicious activity as required.
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4. Do not let unauthorized persons into the building via your enterphone. 5. Always report to security concierge any and all suspicious behaviour or persons.
In Toronto in 2018 there were 7,551 Break and Enters, and 4,200 autos stolen. Let us help security and our friends, neighbours and look out for each other, as we do not want to be part of these statistics.
Let us be safe and secure at all times.
Condo Compendium Things to Know and Appreciate about life at Southampton…
A big Southampton welcome to Bujar
We would like to welcome Bujar Sinaj ACMO IHM. Bujar will be filling the role of Property Manager on a temporary basis during the search for a full time replacement for Maryan. Bujar is a long time employee of Dell Management and is working hard to familiarize himself with Southampton.
Aquafit @ Southampton
Pardoning the pun… the instructor led aquavit classes are going along swimmingly now that the pool has re-opened
Contact Pat Comar for more information or to get yourself on the wait list.
Reminder also that the informal aquafit group continues to get together at 11:00am on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Chair Yoga @ Southampton: Date Change!!
Chair yoga also continues… but note the change of date.Chair yoga is now held every Monday, from 10:00am until 11:00am in the aerobics room. Free for all.
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Southampton Winter Book Club
Join us for our final two meetings of this reading season.
Saturday March 7th: Bring your own book to share Saturday April 4th: Book TBD
All meetings convene at 1:00pm. Meetings are usually held in the Sommerset Lounge but location is confirmed via e-mail the day before.
New members always welcome. Fill out this Google Form to express your interest… Or send an e-mail to [email protected].
Planning a Get-Away? Travel Tidbits Contributed by Claus Hoff
Cuba is a fantastic all year round destination, offering sun, sea and sand, with many options for accommodations, including all inclusive, apartments, and more. Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and has many airports to choose from, with numerous direct flights from Toronto via Air Canada, Air Transat, West Jet, and Sunwing. There is no shortage of destination packages and flight schedules to choose from.
A good tip is to always take an early morning departure so that you will be able to enjoy the full 7 day package.
Cuba has great resorts, great
!6 FEBRUARY 2020 [email protected] beaches, great people and very good weather. My wife and I have been numerous times. The best time to have a vacation in Cuba is in the summer, as it is very inexpensive. For those of us that have to rent cottages here in Ontario, the cost for a ‘C’ or ‘B’ rated cottage typically runs between $1900 and $2300 Can per week just for the cottage. Cuba has many packages available for starting at $800 per person with AI AND AIRFARE included. Best yet, you are almost guaranteed to have great weather. Factor this in alongside great beaches, the ocean, temperatures above 30°C in the summer…
A few tips for travelling to Cuba include:
• Do tip chambermaids, servers, bartenders, omelette and pasta persons all a few US dollars per day, as the average salary is $25 USD per month. • While Cuban food is delicious, it can be quite different from the usual North American fare. If you’re food sensitive, figure out what you like and stick with it. • Carry small items like hair barrettes, baseball caps, t-shirts, old watches, etc. Ensure that they still work as the Cubans have little or no access to many such items that we take for granted. We have done this numerous times, big hit.
Our personal favourite spot to spend time in is Cayo Coca on the Northern coast of Cuba. Cayo Coco is a tropical island in the Jardines del Rey chain, off central Cuba. Known for its white- sand beaches and coral reefs. This northern coast is dotted with all-inclusive resorts. Natural features include lagoons and marshes that are home to birds such as the white ibis as well as a native colony of pink flamingos that's ranked among the largest in the Americas.
Pack your bag, enjoy a different culture. For more information, check the Cuba Tourist Board of Canada website, and/or the Cuba Tourism Travel Portal.
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Southampton Newsletter Call for Content and Contributors
Do you have anything of interest that you’d like to share with the condo community?
• Do you know of any free - or by admission - events coming up in the late winter and/or early spring of 2020 that others might be interested in knowing about?
• For instance, great effort was made to find multi-faith events happening in our local area this holiday season…but…
This edition features what we hope to continue with as regular columns: • Local History; • Condo Compendium; • Seasonal Happenings; and, • Planning a Get-Away (Travel Tidbits from residents). We’d like to also feature additional regular columns, such as: • Local Restaurant Reviews; • Photos; • Recipes (family secrets and others); and, • anything else residents would find useful that perhaps we’ve not yet thought of!
Join our newsletter team, or simply submit your idea. Contact the newsletter team directly via e-mail at
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One final note regarding newsletter distribution… If you are not yet signed up for electronic communication from the Southampton Condo… there’s no time like the present. Since the newsletter is being produced in full colour, and in an effort to reduce paper consumption, distribution will be electronic.
One hard copy, for archival purposes and for those who prefer print, will always be available in a ‘Southampton News’ binder to be located in the Library.
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Links embedded in the newsletter
• Distillery District Light Fest https://torontolightfest.com/ • Swansea Town Hall Book Club http://swanseatownhall.ca/sth/?p=6872
• Swansea Town Hall Calendar http://swanseatownhall.ca/sth/?p=6872 • ROM, Wildlife Photographer of the Year https://www.rom.on.ca/en • High Park Nature Centre Special Events https://highparknaturecentre.com/index.php/special-events
• Sorauren Farmer’s Market Family Day https://www.soraurenmarket.com/
• Canada Blooms https://canadablooms.com/ • Cuba Tourist Board of Canada https://www.gocuba.ca/en/ • Cuba Travel: Tourism Portal https://www.cubatravel.cu/en
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