Hateful messages hit close to home

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9:32 am

In two separate incidents only days apart, vandals struck in Thornhill with hateful attacks on both the community’s Jewish and Arab communities.

The first incident occurred at the Jaffari Centre, an Islamic community centre and mosque near Bathurst Street and Highway 7. Passersby were shocked to see the phrases “Arab Go Home” and “Fuck Gaza” scrawled across a sidewalk leading to the centre. Days later, the words “Fuck Israel” and a swastika symbol were found spray-painted on a bus stop in the Beverley Glen neighbourhood.

Jaffari spokesperson Shabbir Jaffer said that though the act was disturbing, the community is trying to get back to normal.
“Right after the incident happened, we celebrated Eid, so obviously we tried to put on a brave face,” said Jaffer, who added that he was hopeful that Canadians would remain peaceful despite the current tensions in Gaza. “Everyone fears for what’s happening there, but we want to keep Canada a safe and sensible environment.”

Councillor Howard Shore says that both acts hurt the community deeply and can trigger a sense of fear. “In a predominantly Jewish community, especially with a lot of seniors, seeing a swastika or the words ‘F Israel,’ that’s very heavy stuff.” Shore was appalled by the graffiti at the Jaffari Centre. He said that he has witnessed a great deal of Islamophobia during his time as a councillor, despite Markham’s increasing diversity. “When the subtext is ‘every Muslim is a terrorist,’ you can get away with that kind of crap.”

“In a predominantly Jewish community, seeing a swastika is heavy stuff.”

On Aug. 10, a 19-year-old Toronto man was arrested in connection with the bus stop graffiti as well as similar incidents in 2013 and early 2014. The investigation into the Jaffari Centre graffiti is still ongoing. Constable Andy Pattenden, York Regional Police, said that it can be hard to find a suspect in graffiti cases.

“It’s not like tagging where they’re using a particular technique or logo identifying themselves,” said Pattenden. “They are difficult investigations, but we have increased patrols in the area and we’re doing everything we can.”

Reducing flight noise in our areas

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9:32 am

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On Aug. 5, I had the honour of hosting the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, to meet with members of the Toronto Aviation Noise Group and other area stakeholders to discuss the impact aircraft noise is having on our residential communities, such as Leaside, Lawrence Park, Hogg’s Hollow and the Don Mills area. A number of items were discussed, including best practices for balancing the demands of travellers and trade with community concerns.

While the discussion focused on flight paths to and from Toronto Pearson International Airport, it also looked at the issue from a national perspective. It considered how all parties — NAV Canada, airports, airlines, Transport Canada and communities — can work together to manage and reduce the impacts of aircraft noise. The minister also noted that she is working with key stakeholders to develop greater transparency in the decision-making process for flight paths.

The discussion also highlighted efforts by the air industry to reduce noise. In doing so, Minister Raitt noted that increased airport traffic has brought important benefits to Canada’s trade and tourism industry, as well as to local citizens.

In closing, Minister Raitt expressed our government’s commitment to continue working to find solutions to noise problems, while allowing the air industry to offer Canadians the air services they need. I look forward to continuing these discussions.

It is an honour and privilege to serve the people of Don Valley West, and I hope to continue bringing their concerns to the attention of my honourable colleagues.

One gutsy journey

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3:12 pm

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In late November 2002, Forest Hill resident Raquel Feldberg began to cry.

While she lay helpless in an emergency hospital bed, debilitated by the clawing agony of the ulcerative colitis she had just been diagnosed with, it was the worry in her husband Alan’s eyes that sent tears rolling.

It was a time of confusion, fear and frustration, when all she wanted to do was celebrate the couple’s second child, who was just months old at the time. The diagnosis began a painful 11-year journey of medication, unsuccessful surgeries and unfathomable stress for the family. Fortunately, after more than a decade, great strides forward in research have been made to help Raquel Feldberg and thousands of other Canadians suffering from the strains of inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s and colitis.

“I know how bad this is [ulcerative colitis]. I feel now I need to help,” Raquel said. “I’m on a mission to help. It’s very hard to talk about the disease, and some people simply don’t have the strength, so I feel I should.”

For most of the past decade she had struggled with fatigue and medication side effects but “managed well enough.” In late 2011 her disease became dire and unmanageable with medication alone. It meant a series of serious surgeries, one to remove her colon outright and one that was an unsuccessful J-pouch operation (a surgically constructed internal reservoir) that eventually led to complications of infection and gangrene. For the better part of two years she was in and out of hospital, but all the while, helped fundraise for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada (CCC) and used her skill as an artist to provide items for the organization’s charitable auctions. In early 2013 she had successful J-pouch surgery and, while recovering in her hospital bed, used her cellphone to begin a personal fundraising campaign for CCC’s annual Gutsy Walk. Just five and a half weeks out of that surgery, she walked in the event and was awarded as Toronto’s top CCC fundraiser and one of the top 10 in Canada. She continues on and took part in this year’s Gutsy Walk, held earlier in June, and she and her team, This Bag Ain’t Prada, were again among the top 10 fundraisers in the country.

Masters in the art of heart

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3:12 pm

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There are a lot of important moving cogs required to keep the wheels turning at a major hospital like Sunnybrook.

Although they carry no scalpel nor even a medical degree during their rounds of miles of Sunnybrook hallways, Stan and Daphne Tully have been breathing vibrant life and hope there for more than 60 years combined.

Stan, 89, and Daphne, 91, are long-retired veterans: she of the British navy and he of the air force. They came to Canada in the mid-1950s and settled in the North York area of Toronto in the early 1970s, when Daphne began to teach herself how to paint. A friend of the couple was a volunteer at Sunnybrook and wondered if the retired couple might want to fill their days helping in the facility as well. Now, for Daphne, some 34 years later and Stan, almost 30 years later, the two can’t imagine life without their volunteer duties.

“I’m going to volunteer there for as long as I can. It is because of this [volunteering] that we are as well and happy as we are,” Daphne said.

“It’s a glorious reason to be getting out of the bed and going in the morning,” Stan added.

Their nearly three decades of impact is practically written on the walls there. Daphne’s late-blooming talent as an artist was natural, and she began a series of art-based fundraisers and programs to assist recovering patients at Sunnybrook.

Immobilized patients would receive personalized painted ceiling tiles, and she crafted large paintings to be sold at charity auctions. She has also created more than 400 cards and postcards featuring her art for the hospital gift shops and auctions.

“I see that as my legacy and something I’m very proud to leave behind,” she said. “We’ve made so many great connections with the patients through the art.”

Meanwhile, Stan, who had a triple bypass surgery in recent years, now spends the bulk of his volunteer time in the hospital’s Heartpal program, meeting with patients facing similar surgeries as a calming force and as a show of inspiration of a long, healthy, happy life after heart surgery.

A different kind of prom

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3:12 pm

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Elise Kayfetz has always had a passion for working with the elderly. In 2010 Kayfetz, a gerontologist, created the Yellow Rose Project to connect millennials and generation Xers with the last group of Holocaust survivors. Now, the Yellow Rose Project has just hosted its fifth annual seniors’ prom, which saw more than 450 Holocaust survivors in attendance.

The prom, which was hosted on June 18 at the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto Congregation near Bathurst Street and Clark Avenue, was a great way for survivors to connect not only with each other, but with young people who could help pass on their stories. All participants are given yellow roses.

“It started off as just a senior prom,” said Kayfetz. “Then one survivor said, ‘I used to be designated with a yellow star, and now I have a yellow rose.’”

The event helps to not only teach younger generations about the Holocaust and those affected by it, but to also preserve the stories for years to come. “We’re able to do it right now because the survivors are still here,” said Kayfetz. “We naturally foster relationships between survivors and younger adults. They’re like adopted grandparents at this point. When they pass on, they have a strong group of people who are here and who will remember them.”

Not only has the response from the survivors warmed her heart, but the young volunteers have been inspiring to Kayfetz. “I think not enough credit has been given to the volunteers,” she said. “No one gets paid, no one is an employee, not even myself. It’s very rare that an event is being put on by young professionals who want to make the time to give back.”

The event featured traditional and contemporary music, the Jewish Men’s Choir and a comedy performance. Kayfetz hopes to soon extend the event to Israel, and there are also talks of hosting one in New York.

“Every year I promise to stop, take a deep breath and look around the room and see that we’ve put that many survivors in one room with young people to gather around and celebrate,” she said. “Everyone is in that room wearing a yellow rose and not a yellow star. This is a lesson to us that we’re going to celebrate life and we’re going to get rid of hate.

Battle of Bathurst continues on

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3:12 pm

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A hotly contested development proposal at Bathurst and Ner Israel Drive has had the Thornhill Woods community voicing disapproval for months — and Coun. Sandra Yeung Racco is trying to keep everything calm. The Jaffari Centre has applied to construct two 17-storey towers along with an Islamic community centre. Locals have criticized the density, and they are now concerned about the Vaughan Glen Hospital, a heritage site on the lot.

“Jaffari … has continued to demonstrate a complete lack of commitment to the preservation of this site,” said an online petition by the Preserve Thornhill Woods Community Association.

Yeung Racco is optimistic that the issue can be tackled with a working group. “The group will be a good starting point to discuss the preservation of the building,” said Yeung Racco.

905 resident can’t change her unlucky address

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3:12 pm

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Despite an impassioned plea to Richmond Hill Town Council, Maryam Mojtahedzadeh cannot change her address from 13 Breda Crt. to another number — so she is now looking to move out.

She had applied for the change believing the address had brought her bad luck, including being rediagnosed with cancer and the death of a loved one.

“All this [is] happening, and I don’t know why, and I am thinking, maybe [it’s] number 13,” said Mojtahedzadeh. “I am scared something will happen again.”

After rejecting her initial application, at a June 3 council committee of the whole (COW) meeting, council directed staff to provide a report explaining the town’s policy on address changes to Mojtahedzadeh, who speaks English as a second language. Although the town does not assign new homes with a 13 address, older homes with the number remain.

Planning commissioner Ana Bassios said that suffixes are not normally permitted on separate lots on Richmond Hill streets, but owners can appeal.

In this case, the decision went to the neighbours.

“She had to obtain in writing the OK from 11 Breda Crt. that she use 11A, and that wasn’t obtained,” said Coun. Nick Papa, whose ward Mojtahedzadeh resides in.

The house is currently listed for sale, which may have caused the neighbours to be indifferent.

“The next door neighbours either didn’t care or didn’t see the value in confusing the numbering system when 13 Breda Court is up for sale,” said local and regional councillor Brenda Hogg.

Hogg was the lone dissenting voice in even directing staff to compile the report, saying that it would set a bad precedent.

“I don’t want the message out there that we’ll waffle on number changes,” said Hogg.

In addition to her address change being rejected, council also refused Mojtahedzadeh’s request that the $482 fee paid to file the rejected application be repaid.

“Everyone wants to help, but we have a policy to stick to,” said Coun. Castro Liu. “The fee is not refundable.”

Harmonizing Yonge Street

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3:12 pm

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Coun. John Filion is hoping the City of Toronto’s new review of its official plan for a large portion of Yonge Street in North York will help to create a better space for the increasingly dense neighbourhood.

“Developers are starting to put in more applications, so we need to develop policies to deal with them,” said Filion. “There’s also still the possibility of the Yonge subway being extended up to Highway 7.”

Filion hopes to avoid previous “mistakes” that were made along Yonge by restricting tall buildings to sites with subway stations, and he wants to eventually turn neighbourhoods surrounding Yonge in his ward into more self-contained neighbourhoods. “A place where kids can walk to school and there’s bike trails off the road,” he said.

“This [review] will determine the level of development that can be supported,” said city senior planner Rob Gibson.

Major mall expansion

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3:12 pm

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Construction has recently begun on Richmond Hill’s Hillcrest Mall in front of the Bay — and though the mall is mum on which stores are coming to town, representatives from high-end sports retailer Sporting Life have said that the store will be arriving at Hillcrest in 2016.

The retailer opened its first location in midtown Toronto in 1979 and has since grown to reach various locations around the province.

The announcement of its expansion into Richmond Hill was timed up with the announcement that it would be partnering with Alpine Ontario Alpin on a five-year sponsorship contract.

John Roe, Sporting Life director of marketing, said that the expansion will help the retailer reach skiers across the province. “We believe in getting behind our initiatives and doing them right, [such as] opening a new store,” said Roe.

Sporting Life reports that its new location will contain 32,000 square feet of retail space — which is supported by an application made last year by Hillcrest to the Town of Richmond Hill, which requested a site plan amendment to permit a 40,300-square-foot expansion. The plan, according to the application, is to consolidate the two Bay stores into one enlarged unit and reconfigure the south end of the mall.

Several representatives from owner Oxford Properties Group stated that they were unable to comment on any new tenants.

Hillcrest spokesperson Stairky Fok remained unsure about when Sporting Life would be arriving and was surprised to learn that Sporting Life had publically announced the location and opening date on their website.

“I don’t know why they put it on their website,” said Fok. “We don’t know any dates yet — if we did, we’d put it on our website.” Fok said that she doesn’t expect management to have details for several months. “Right now the Bay [south location] is open and everything is going on as usual.”

But Sporting Life remains adamant that they are coming. “I can say that this location is confirmed,” said marketing manager Angela Esguerra.

Leaside up for heritage designation

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3:12 pm

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One of the city’s most affluent and desirable neighbourhoods, Leaside, could have a new monicker as a heritage conservation district (HCD).

The Leaside Property Owners’ Association has presented an application to have the portion between Bayview Avenue to Laird Drive and Eglinton Avenue East to the Don Valley designated as an HCD, which North York Community Council has endorsed for further consideration.

“There will still be some debate about what is and what is not included in those boundaries, but that is the proposal,” explained Coun. John Parker, who is helping champion the cause. Although there are other communities with similar heritage designations, Parker said Leaside would represent the largest region to be given the demarcation. He explained that, if approved in the fall, the HCD will ensure future developments within Leaside must conform to the overall character of the neighbourhood.

Prince Andrew opens local school campus

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3:12 pm

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Students and staff at Bayview Glen School are getting quite familiar with the Duke of York.

No, not the Prince Arthur Avenue one, but rather the real-life, larger-than-life, flesh-and-blood Prince Andrew.

His Royal Highness paid his third visit to the Duncan Mill Road private school in June and his first in about 10 years.

Upon entering the school’s theatre for a special ceremony to commemorate the opening of the brand new Moatfield campus June 5, he admitted things looked a little different, including the smiling student faces, and he noted the major changes to the school since his last visit.

That last visit, 10 years ago, was to help dedicate the opening of the very theatre the June 5 ceremony was taking place in.

School director of admissions Judy Maxwell explained the prince’s strong connection to the school is through his role as patron for the few worldwide schools that are part of Round Square.

The organization is an international association of schools that help link the schools to the world at large.

Round Square schools work on a set of principles known as IDEALS (internationalism, democracy, environment, adventure, leadership and service).

Prince Andrew urged the students to take advantage of their new campus facilities that include 12 homeroom classrooms, three specialty instruction rooms, a new library, dining hall, exercise rooms and a gym.

He said school is more than book-led education but also an opportunity to foster friendships and social responsibility.

The project was an approximate $18 million investment overseen by MC Architects, encompassing a new prep school and the best in the latest educational technology to create a school that is certainly out of the ordinary.

“Take the opportunity you have now to expand your horizons; take advantage of your youth,” the duke said. “Life out there is much, much more competitive than we ever thought it would be.

“So don't be ordinary … ordinary won’t change the world,” he said.

School board to appeal park decision

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3:12 pm

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After the Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) request to sever and redevelop the lot at the Bannockburn School near Avenue Road and Brooke Avenue was rejected by the City of Toronto’s Committee of Adjustment, local parents were relieved to know their neighbourhood green space was saved. However, the board appealed the decision at the eleventh hour, which has residents and local politicians alike buckling up for another fight.

The community first learned of the TDSB’s idea of severing the land in late 2013. The proposed plan was to retain one site and continue leasing the land to the Bannockburn School, a private Montessori School, and have the second site, which had been deemed surplus, redeveloped.

The community has expressed frustration regarding the appeal, having fought so hard to save the green space in the first place.

“We have three public entities — the board, the city and the province — all agreeing that this space should remain as parkland,” said area parent Trish McMahon. “Yet the same institutions appear incapable of working together to find a creative solution.”

Coun. Karen Stintz, who has been part of the push to save the green space from the process’s early stages, says the community will fire back with the same tenacity as before.

“This is an issue that touches communities right across the city,” said Stintz. “We all need to buckle up and save the space.”

But, she said, it is frustrating to have to go through the process again. “It is a tremendous misuse of resources,” said Stintz. “Everyone will be ‘lawyering up,’ spending money on consultants … instead, the board and the city should be working in partnership to figure out a better solution.”

For many, the most upsetting part of the process was the board’s choice to make the decision without consulting the community in advance.

“The law is very clear that they’re supposed to have a public consultation process,” said member of provincial parliament Mike Colle.

“They just can not do this type of serious sell-off and severance of open space without consulting the community and the public that is the main shareholder,” he said.