ww The East York THAT’S A RAP n New music video out OBSERVER Page 7 Serving our community since 1972 Vol. 42, No. 8 www.torontoobserver.ca Friday, October 11, 2013 n COMMUNITY City seeks input on priority locations By ALEXANDRA GATER The Observer The City of Toronto is calling on residents, community partners and city council to have their say about how it should choose the next seven Neigh- bourhood Improvement Areas (former- ly recognized as “Priority Neighbour- hoods”) in a series of eight meetings. Two East York-area neighbourhoods are already on the list of Toronto com- munities identified as needing better city services: Crescent Town near Victoria Park and Danforth av- enues and Flemingdon Taylor Giffin /// Observer @ Park-O’Connor, with A veggie-lover’s paradise its epicentre near the lO Take the Mike Hill of Hillsview Farms sells homegrown, chemical-free produce at the East York Farmer’s Market. The Don Valley Parkway market is held at the East York Civic Centre every Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. until Nov. 5. consulta- and Eglinton Avenue. tion survey online They were given the at www. original designation toronto.ca/ of priority neigh- neighbour- hood bourhoods by the city and the United Way in 2005. Since then, Strap on those skates, East York they and Toronto’s 11 other designated neighbourhoods have shared about $225 million in special investments. Politicians, hockey players The new series of meetings is part of the first significant revision of the list and residents on-hand for — which could see deletions from the opening of Leaside ice pad roster as well as additions. The second meeting saw citizens By COREY SAVARD and agency representatives gathered at The Observer Monarch Park Collegiate in East York on Monday. Leaside residents recently gathered to cele- The meetings, taking place across brate the city’s first new indoor ice pad in 40 the city this month, are part of the new years. Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy 2020, Hockey players, politicians and officials of seeking input on what makes a healthy the Leaside Hockey Association were all on neighbourhood. hand last Saturday for the ribbon cutting, open- Denise Campbell, director of resour- ing a single pad surface that will be a twin ex- Corey Savard /// Observer ces for the City of Toronto, says the pansion to the 61-year-old Leaside Memorial strategy relies on community participa- Gardens Arena at 1073 Mill St. Leaside residents hit the ice for the first free skate at the new ice pad. tion. Ontario Premier and Liberal MPP for Don “We are working with researchers, Valley West Kathleen Wynne and Don Valley the opening, said the couple’s two sons grew the land from the Ontario Reality Corporation. working with data and city staff are in West Conservative MP John Carmichael spoke up playing at the arena. The family approached The initial $1 million would pay for the ar- communities, but we only have some proudly of the project that was first proposed in Mercer knowing there had been several break- chitects and for the city to plan what financial perspective,” Campbell said. “I think 1999. The focus was then put on three young downs in talks on how to make more ice avail- commitment would be needed. residents and businesses and other members of the arena’s three youth programs able to Leaside residents. Mercer said if it were not for the Clarks, the stakeholders bring other knowledge to (the Leaside Skating Club, the Toronto-Lea- “They came to me and asked me what did project would have taken at least two more the table that will help guide our priori- side Girls Hockey Association and the Leaside we really need and I said we need to show the years. tization process and help us make some Hockey Association) who officially opened the people at city hall that the community is com- The couple originally wanted to remain of the hard choices.” new pad with a snip of the scissors. mitted. They said, ‘Great, we’ll give you $1 anonymous to avoid the press, but chose to The city has been conducting re- The project got $12.5 million from the mu- million you do what you have to do to get this come forward because they felt the project search on how to designate Neighbour- nicipal, provincial and federal governments, job done,’” Mercer said. “That’s what really got would only be accomplished if someone took hood Improvement Areas. but it also required private donations —includ- the whole thing started.” leadership. “Five keys areas were identified that ing $1 million coming from a previously anon- A major obstacle was the land where the In addition to the Clarks’ donation, $2.5 mil- need to be considered by city council ymous source. expansion was to be built. It was situated on lion was raised by the community to offset the Paul Mercer, chair of the expansion commit- provincial land, previously occupied by the cost of purchasing the land for expansion, as n See FIVE, page 2 tee and family friend of Peter and Kathy Clark, Ontario Film Review Board, and the only way well as an undisclosed amount by Prime Min- who made their identity as donors known at forward for Mercer was if the city purchased ister Stephen Harper, who grew up in Leaside. 2 NEWS The East York Observer /// Friday, Oct. 11, 2013 POLICE & Suspect FIRE sought in No arrest in mugging subway A 22-year-old female was robbery mugged in the area of Woodbine Second robbery and Danforth avenues on Oct. at Chester station 4. The suspect, since August a male, obtained a phone and fled the scene. The By NAOMI GROSMAN woman was left The Observer unharmed. No arrest has been Police are looking for a sus- made. pect following an armed rob- bery at Chester subway station on Sunday after 10 p.m. Diamond ring This is the third armed rob- bery of a TTC booth collector taken in B&E since August. Two previous A break and en- robberies happened at Ches- ter was reported ter station and Christie station on Oct. 2 on on Aug. 6, and Aug. 26, re- Barrington Av- spectively. Police suspect the enue, in the area same per- between Main son com- Street and Dawes mitted all Road near Dan- three rob- forth. Computer beries. equipment, a dia- “From mond ring and the security watch were sto- video, we len. Police have Rajesh Sammy /// Observer believe that n Suspect made no arrests. Matthew Pellegrino describes the importance of testing the cooling pipes with nitrogen for leaks. the suspect ~ Naomi Grosman He predicts that the Dieppe Park hockey rink and pleasure skating loop will be ready sometime in is the same from two months mid-November or early December. ago,” said Victor Kwong, media relations officer with Toronto Police Services. WHAS T’ This is of special concern Rink renovations almost ready to police, as Staff Inspect- UP IN E.Y. or Mike Earl spoke to press By RAJESH SAMMY der way at Dieppe Park in the Contracting, the construc- they are about 75-per-cent about the incidences in Au- The Observer Greenwood and Cosburn av- tion is more than half-done. complete.” gust only last week, voicing Multicultural enues area for a new hockey They’ve been on the job since The week’s work has in- concern that the perpetrator laughs galore Sometime in the next four rink and separate leisure skat- late May. cluded testing the cooling might strike again. He spoke to six weeks, East York should ing loop. “So far, I’d say, maybe 15 pipes to make sure there are to media again at a press con- Toronto’s multi- have its own Nathan Phillips The price tag for the reno- trades in and out, but in total no leaks by putting “nitrogen ference on Oct. 7. cultural comedy Square, where children and vations is at $2.4 million, ac- probably around 20, because in the circuits so they can find “My view is that this is show returns to parents will be able to go to cording to Councillor Mary we still have to get the land- out where the leaks are,” Pel- brazen, bold and almost a slap The Danforth enjoy a night of skating. Fragedakis, Ward 29/Toron- scapers and pavers,” Pellegri- legrino said. in the face to the TTC and the Music Hall on After consultation with the to-Danforth. no said. He predicted that the police,” Earl said. He added Thursday, Oct. community in the summer of It may look messy right This week, Pellegrino ex- project would be finished that police are concerned the 17, presented 2012, members of East York now, but according to Mat- plained, refrigeration com- sometime between “mid-No- violence may escalate. by CBC Radio. can breathe a sigh of relief. thew Pellegrino, a worker pany Cimco has been “roll- vember to the first week of Danny Nicholson, corporate Special guests Renovations are well un- for Frank Pellegrino General ing out the cooling pipes, and December.” communications with TTC, include Angelo said they Tsarouchas, are work- Sabrina Jalees ing closely and Elvira Kurt. The five keys to a healthy neighbourhood with police @ Tickets are avail- and have O able through Cont’d. from page 1 important? Is anything coun- taken steps Ticketmaster. cil should consider outside of to mini- l For more in order to identify Neigh- the five keys? What do non- mize rob- East York stories, go bourhood Improvement Ar- improvement areas need? beries.