ww The East York ROLL CALL n Roller derby skates into town OBSERVER Page 5 Serving our community since 1972 Vol. 43, No. 6 www.torontoobserver.ca Friday, April 25, 2014 Who will lead the Liberals? Candidates line up to represent the Liberals in Beaches-East York riding By NOLAN WHITE The Observer The competition is heating up in Beaches-East York to carry the Liberal banner into the next federal election. Businessman Tom McGee is already holding events in the riding to promote his run at the local riding associa- tion’s nomination. Meanwhile, lawyer Jeff Rybak — also the vice-president of the Harmony Hall Centre for Seniors — has launched a website for his campaign to become the Liberals’ candidate in the riding. And now fellow lawyer Nathaniel Erskine-Smith is pro- moting his intent to capture the riding association’s nod. All with the federal election still a year and a half away. But the local Liberals are laying groundwork now in the hope that next year they’ll recapture Beaches-East York from New Democrat MP Matthew Kellway, who beat incumbent Liberal Maria Minna in 2011. For his part, Smith, 29, says he has had a nearly life-long interest in politics — since his years on student council, back when he attended high school at Malvern Collegiate. He has been a lawyer since 2011, practicing in commercial litigation, but he said he also tries to maintain involvement in public interest matters of the community. In an interview, Smith said that he was born and raised in Beaches-East York. He went on to study politics at Queen’s University, constitutional law in law school at Queen’s and political theory at the University of Oxford. While a 23-year-old student at Queen’s, Smith ran for Kingston city council. Though unsuccessful, he said it was a great learning experience. As for his politics today, he said, “I’m tired of the way Jeremy Hon /// Observer Harper has governed our country and I want to do some- thing about it — and [Justin] Trudeau has called for open Music in the air nominations and generational change within the Liberal Julian Nalli (left) and Nic Ladouceur staked out the Danforth on Wednesday to celebrate spring with some jazz. The duo — Nalli is originally from Langley, B.C. and Ladouceur is from Yellow- n See CANDIDATES, page 8 knife, N.W.T. — say they came to Toronto because “there are more opportunities to be creative.” He wasn’t afraid to die, but wanted it to be on his own terms Dr. Donald Low didn’t get the death he’d hoped for. Now his widow has taken up the fight for Canadians’ right to die with dignity By DAVID KENNEDY microbiologist who would become one of the Several days before his death, Low released cide remains illegal in Canada. The Supreme The Observer public faces of SARS in Toronto, developed a video outlining his attempt to cope with his Court cites the 20-year old ruling in Sue Ro- a working relationship that would eventually terminal illness, and his search for driguez v. British Columbia as authoritative In the spring of 2003, it felt like Toronto was transition into marriage. a way to die with dignity. Now a on the issue. Rodriguez, who struggled with coming apart at the seams. “For Don and I,” Taylor recently told a class registered physician’s assistant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or “Lou Ordinary people walked the streets in surgical of Centennial College journalism students at and teacher at McMaster Uni- Gehrig’s disease,” was not allowed to seek masks and staff at Toronto East General Hos- their East York campus, “SARS was the begin- versity, Taylor has taken up medical assistance to end her own life. pital wore hazmat suits. The emergency room ning of a wonderful romance and relationship her late husband’s legacy and While several legal challenges have been at Scarborough Grace Hospital was shut down that brought two families together.” speaks at events about the need made since, none has set a new precedent. and the World Health Organization issued a The couple was married for 10 happy years for assisted suicide. As a microbiologist and doctor of infec- travel advisory for Toronto. before Low was diagnosed with a rare, untreat- Despite continued chal- tious disease, Donald Low understood SARS was in full swing. able brain-stem tumour in February 2013. He lenges, assisted sui- that there was no treatment or cure Amid the chaos, Maureen Taylor, a health died that September after eight months of de- reporter for the CBC, and Dr. Donald Low, a teriorating health. n TAYLOR n See KEEPING, page 2 2 NEWS The East York Observer /// Friday, April 25, 2014 POLICE & WHS at’ FIRE UP IN E.Y. Witnesses sought Harmonize at after teen shot Harmony Hall An 18-year-old The East York man admitted Barbershoppers himself to hospi- host their annual tal with gunshot charity auction wounds on April on Friday May 2, 12. This followed at Harmony Hall reports that shots Centre for Seniors had been fired on 2 Gower St. in the vicinity of Proceeds go to- Dawes Road and ward Harmonize Victoria Park Av- for Speech and enue. Police say Harmony Hall. that the victim is Tickets are $5 not cooperating, at the door. For but they believe more information there were wit- contact George at nesses to the 416-751-6456. shooting and are asking the public for assistance. Dancers step Anyone with infor- Xuyun Zeng /// The Observer out tomorrow mation is asked to call police at The ‘Shadow’ knows... Trade School To- 416-808-5400 or ronto is running Maureen Mann, adoption counsellor for the Toronto Cat Rescue agency, gives Shadow some love. Crime Stoppers dance classes Shadow was up for adoption at the “adopt-a-thon” held recently at Wag on the Danforth. anonymously at open to everyone 416-222-8477. tomorrow, April 26, at the Ralph Thornton Centre, Man arrested 765 Queen St. E. in luring case Weaving stories out of war They start at 11 a.m. and run until Police arrested a By BETH JARRELL “All of us are affected by war. Like many who write about extraordinary moments of de- 7 p.m. Teachers man on April 15 The Observer Our planet is deeply affect- war, Sileika has a personal con- cision-making where in sec- and students can following reports ed by the succession of war,” nection with some elements of onds everything hangs in the learn more and that someone Unless we learn from our Connelly said when asked why his work. His son served as a balance.” register at trad- was trying to past, it is often said, history she writes about such a difficult soldier in Afghanistan. He said The authors agreed there is eschool.coop/ lure young girls will repeat itself. This was the topic. “We carry the marks of that writing about war allows one element that keeps them Toronto/ into a car in East attitude at the Danforth-Cox- war in our DNA.” us to examine our values. coming back to what they do: York. On April 7, well library branch on April Connelly said that telling “War brings great questions the human aspect. They sur- Students make a 13-year-old girl 16, when a crowd of about people’s stories is what makes of moral high ground,” he said. mised that it is the human con- was walking along 40 gathered to see author Ray her work so interesting, but un- “We like to imagine ourselves nection that makes them keep beautiful music the sidewalk near Robertson moderate a discus- like a journalist, writers don’t as making these great moral going. An ensemble of Danforth and sion panel on writing about war feel the need to be objective decisions.” “When people were talking music students Coxwell avenues in fiction. with their storytelling. But, when asked to sum up [during interviews], I would from Centennial when a man drove Authors Antanis Sileika, “People will tell stories as why he believes people are in- pull out the human bits and College’s East up and tried to Nicole Lundrigan and Karen if telling them will bring them clined to read war fiction, Sile- weave them into my story,” York campus convince her to Connelly were present to de- some relief from the pain they ika said he thinks it’s the same Lundrigan said. is performing get into his car. bate the merits of writing about have experienced,” Sileika reason why he writes it. Lundrigan, who recently tomorrow, April Five days later, war, the challenges they face said. “When you’re collecting “War is very exciting. It’s published her fifth book, added 26, at the Toronto a second girl, and why writing about violent these stories, it feels like you’re horrible and bloody, but it’s that humour will even occa- Centre for the 16, was similarly history is important. doing something.” exciting,” he said. “It’s about sionally surface. Arts, 5040 Yonge approached near St. Tickets are Coxwell and Ger- $15 at the box rard Street. Fidai office or on Nasir has been Ticketmaster. The charged with two Keeping debate alive is Low’s ‘legacy’ show begins at 7 counts of crimi- p.m. nal harassment. Cont’d. from page 1 nity. I wish they could live in choose how I go.” that it’s not abused. No phy- Anyone with ad- my body for 24 hours and I Opponents of assisted sui- sician should have to provide ditional informa- for his illness.