GOING THE FULL MONTY WINTERLICIOUS KICKS OFF The countdown to opening night Restarants in Scarborough take part begins at Scarborough Village in the annual food festival - See page 5 - See page 8 THE EAST TORONTO OBSERVER • Friday • February 4 • 2011 • • PUBLISHED BY UTSC/CENTENNIAL COLLEGE JOURNALISM STUDENTS AND SERVING SCARBOROUGH • •TORONTOOBSERVER.CA• T oxic gas kills man Furnace fumes send two police officers to hospital KYLE LARKIN “As [the officers] entered The Observer the basement, they were both overcome by carbon monox- Carbon monoxide leaking ide,” he said. from a faulty or decrepit fur- The officers were rushed nace killed a man in his Scar- to North York General Hos- borough home and sent two pital where they were treated police officers to hospital. for non-life threatening in- “They … barely made it out juries. They have since been of the house,” Det. Jason Cole released. of 42 Division said. Cole could not confirm The officers arrived at the reports that a paramedic was home on Wishing Well Drive also hospitalized. JESSICA MOY/The Observer near Sheppard Avenue East Toronto Fire Services con- Sunday after a call from a firmed the source of the nox- Kung Hei Fat Choi worried neighbour. ious fumes was the faulty fur- They were searching the nace, police said. Scarborough Town Centre celebrates the year of the rabbit with traditional lion dance parades, said to home for anyone else who The furnace may have been bring good luck and fortune. The spectacle ran Jan. 29-30. See page 4. may have been inside after an outdated model left over discovering the man’s body, from a conversion to gas from Cole said. oil, Cole said. TTC heeds public over bus route concerns C OLE CARRUTHERS proposed cuts to routes from proposed will help increase The Observer all over the city. service on routes where it “The data [of the routes and will be needed most this fall The TTC announced sun- ridership] is always available in anticipation of record-level day that it will only be cutting and at the ready,” TTC service ridership this year of 487 mil- 19 bus routes. manager Mitch Stambler said. lion,” according to TTC infor- Public consultations over “We had to decide what the mation at the event the last few weeks drew vari- cutoff would be [and] check Marjorie Nicolaou, a resi- ous objections to cutting the the area for community access dent of Scarborough, came to original 48 routes under con- so we don’t leave a gaping the meeting to suggest stag- sideration. hole.” gered service instead of full- Scarborough residents went The TTC’s proposed route out cuts. to the Scarborough Civic Cen- changes would take effect “I want the TTC to look tre on Jan. 26, to voice their on May 8. The slash-and-burn into timing and scheduling,” concerns. approach to bus routes was Nicalou said. “I see buses TTC chair Karen Stintz delayed to Jan. 12 to decide go by on weeknights and it’s COLE CARRUTHERS/The Observer and other representatives an- which routes had the lowest empty, but they should still With the proposed changes of the TTC accepted, 10 Scarborough routes will be swered questions from com- levels of ridership. offer hourly service. This altered, including the 116 Morningside. munity members about the “The route changes being brings major concern for the elderly.” Malvern resident Rathika and family who will be af- the public meeting. Scarborough Sitsabaiesan uses the TTC to fected by the cuts. “I don’t have much faith.,” routes affected I don’t have much get to work. She is concerned “I know people who might she said. “Look how many faith. Look how that once services are cut, they have to quit work because people are here. They’re too n 43 Kennedy will never return. of this,” she said. “Service busy working their two or n 42 Cummer many people “It’s not like we’re ever should get better over time, three jobs to be as involved as n116 Morningside going to get a subway,” Sit- but they’re just taking [it] others in the city.” n are here. sabaiesan said. I was told at away and making it more dif- With the proposed changes 169 Huntingwood the meeting it will be a hun- ficult.” already being fine-tuned by n167 Pharmacy N. — Rathika dred years before a subway Sitsabaiesan sighed the TTC they said, it is at least n 130 Middlefield Sitsabaiesan comes to Scarborough.” when asked about the low encouraging that officials are n 86 Scarborough “ She worries about friends turnout and the impact of listening to the public’s input. The East Toronto Observer, February 4th, 2011 - PAGE 2 NEWS School board parking lot a tough sell Rigid condition of sale for excess land proves discouraging to buyers CHANTELLE HENRIQUES company is marketing the The Observer property to potential buyers. The Toronto Parking Au- Potential buyers are being thority (TPA) was interested scared away from a piece of in buying the land, which it real estate behind the Scar- had planned to run as a city- borough Civic Centre be- owned Green P parking lot, cause of one rigid condition she said. of sale. The TPA backed out of the The Toronto District deal after it learned of the School Board has been try- TDSB’s condition of sale, ing to sell the parking lot on parking authority spokesper- Borough Drive since 2008 son Ian Maher said. but has only received signs “They did not indicate that of interest from one source. they in fact did have an ongo- Shirley Hoy, CEO of the ing interest in the lands,” he Toronto Lands Corporation, said. says the trouble lies with the The TDSB did not respond board’s desire to maintain to requests for comment by a minimum 123 of the 200 press time. available parking spaces. The board has a policy of “I reported in June of last selling surplus property — year saying as long as that often the result of declining condition is there, no devel- enrolment — to free up mon- CHANTELLE HENRIQUES/The Observer The TDSB plans to keep at least 123 parking spots out of 200, near the Scarborough Civic Centre, discouraging oper or private interest can be ey that can be used to fund buyers. The parking lot has been for sale since 2008 but only attracted interest from one potential buyer. developed,” said Hoy, whose other priorities. Egypt turmoil prompts Donor equality News sought by service Briefs concerns for relatives Ban on blood donations from Deceased man JANICE YEUNG University of Toronto Scar- The online censors in Egypt gay men is appealed identified The Observer borough. have proven how undemo- The Special Investigations “She was on the street with cratic the government is, JAMES WATTIE was never released public- Unit has identified the man As thousands of protestors other protestors. Tahmasebi said The Observer ly — a sexually active gay who died after being arrest- in Egypt take to the streets, “The government is trying Social media sites were man who donated blood and ed for allegedly shoplifting demanding the resignation to scare people now by not blocked last Friday, with gov- Blood donations are a gift repeatedly gave misleading in a Scarborough grocery of President Hosni Mubarak, protecting them, but in fact, ernment officials minimizing thousands of people depend answers during the screening store on Jan. 26. Kenrick Ter- many in Scarborough are left the Egyptians have shown Internet traffic to near noth- on to survive. However, due process. rence McLennan, 51, went into medical distress while worrying about stranded fam- their unity by coming togeth- ing. to a 1977 prohibition, many Freeman then sent an being questioned by police. ily and friends. er to protect their neighbour- “No one has done what gay men are denied anonymous email The SIU is investigating the Crowds there are defying hoods.” Egypt is doing now,” Tah- the opportunity to to CBS saying he case. imposed curfews and gather- She described her friend’s masebi said. “This gets the donate. gave incorrect infor- ing in Cairo’s accounts of people very angry at the gov- Canadian Blood mation because he Tahrir Square locals tak- ernment.” Services (CBS) has disagreed with the Grits hold into the night. ing over Eeid Saleh is the manager publicly announced MSM — males who As ten- from police of Lotus Catering and Fine it is pursuing a have sex with males budget meeting Democracy sion in Egypt and clean- Food, an Egyptian restaurant change in policy that — policy. Scarborough Liberal MPs heightens, ing the on Lawrence Avenue East. has banned men who Janet Wong, a is not some- McCANN held a pre-budget consul- groups of streets after He has most of his family in have had sex with spokesperson for tation meeting Saturday Canadians thing you protests — Cairo. men from donating CBS, said that was with residents at the Scar- are being all of which “Egypt is a very good blood. the first time such a case was borough Civic Centre. Lo- evacuated to gain she says country,” he said. CBS is hoping to reduce brought forward. cals voiced their concerns Europe every displays “It is just that the govern- the time they must wait as “As a result of the email, about the amount of time it would take to get out day. overnight genuine ment lacks values and people well as target precise high- CBS was required to pull that of the $56-billion national Canadian selfless- are suffering from the auto- risk sexual activities instead unit of blood from the sys- — Victoria deficit.