Globe and Mail: Friends Step up for Lori's Legacy

GIVING BACK

Friends step up for Lori's Legacy

The donors Lorna and Doug Martin

PAUL WALDIE

November 29, 2008

The Gift: Nearly $1-million and climbing

The Cause: St. Joseph's Health Centre Foundation

The Reason: To fund special rooms for cancer patients and medical equipment.

When Lorna and Doug Martin lost their only daughter, Lori, to esophageal cancer in February, 1996, they wanted to do something in her memory. They remembered the old crank-up bed their daughter had at St. Joseph's Health Centre in Toronto and they asked for donations to buy the hospital a new electronic bed. So much money poured in that the couple managed to not only fund a new bed, but also refurbish an entire room with air conditioning, a reclining chair for family members and a warmer decor. The first "Lori's Room" opened in August, 1996, but the Martins didn't stop there.

With the help of friends in their Toronto neighbourhood, they raised more money to fix up other rooms in the hospital's cancer wing. They also started an annual walk-a-thon in 1999 that raised around $75,000 last year.

Today St. Joseph's has 26 Lori's Rooms, which cost about $10,000 apiece. The Lori's Legacy Fund has contributed $500,000 toward construction of a new, spacious chemotherapy clinic and a special quiet room, where doctors, patients and family members can meet privately. It has also funded awards for oncology nurses to help pay for educational courses and it is raising money for a $350,000 digital mammography machine.

"I don't know how to put it but we sort of threw some seeds into a garden, the garden started to grow and it kind of grew way beyond our expectations," said Ms. Martin, 79, who is a retired school secretary. "It started as a mom-and-pop operation at our kitchen table."

When Mr. Martin, a long-time school board administrator and community volunteer, died last year Ms. Martin worried that she wouldn't be able to continue the fund. But a dozen friends have stepped in to help.

"I thought this is going to be the end of Lori's Legacy," she said. "But we have a group that is really gung ho."

pwaldie@globeandmail.com

Calls for bottled water bans grow in Canada

From Wikinews, the free news source you can write!

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Calls_for_bottled_water_bans_grow_in_Canada

Saturday, August 23, 2008

London, Ontario is the latest in a string of Canadian cities to have acted on increasing public demand to ban bottled water. On Monday, the decision to eliminate bottled water sales in city-run facilities was passed by London's city council with a vote of 15-3 in favour. The move was driven by a desire to reduce waste and shipping, have a lower impact on the environment and promote tap water as a cheap and safe alternative.

London's new restrictions will be implemented over the next several months in buildings that are already equipped with water fountains. Bottled water will still be permitted at many city-run events, such as upcoming summer festivals. Privately-owned retailers will not be affected by the ban.

Other cities, such as Vancouver, Ottawa and Kitchener, that are already engaged in debate on the issue, may now be watching London carefully for how the ban plays out. Other areas have already begun to phone London with questions on the details of its new regulations. Toronto has begun taking a look at bottled water packaging as part of its waste diversion strategy, and its public school board is looking into the possibility of a total restriction on bottled water sales.

In recent years, an awareness of the energy that is required to manufacture, transport and recycle the product has spread nation-wide. Proponents of the ban point to the fact that it can produce as much as 150 times the volume of greenhouse gas when producing bottled water as compared to supplying the same volume of tap water. They also point out that the water that goes into bottled water products is not inspected as frequently as tap water in Canadian cities.

Some have taken this cause to heart more than others, such as British Environment Minister Phil Woolas, who called the use of bottled water "morally unacceptable." Restaurant critic Giles Coren of The Times of Londoncriticizes those who use the product as "the new smokers."

Canada's beverage industry has come down with criticism on the increasing opposition to bottled water. Spokesman Scott Tabachnick for Coca-Cola Co., which produces Dasani brand bottled water, commented on the convenience of the product: "It's hard to bring your kitchen sink with you."Vancouver City Councillor Tim Stevenson thinks that bottled water's time has come and gone: "Bottled water companies have had a fabulous ride on an unnecessary fad." Vancouver officials are still determining how bottled water restrictions, which have been voted for by the City Council, can be phased in.

Next month, the city is planning to initiate a marketing campaign encouraging Vancouver residents to choose tap water and to remember to carry reusable drinking containers whenever possible.

Renowned environmental activist Dr. David Suzuki has praised London's decision, saying that it represents a turning point for people's perceptions on the issue: "I'm really delighted that London has done this because it really makes us focus on some fundamental issues." He hopes that someday people will "look at anyone who hauls out a bottle of water and say, 'What the hell's wrong with you?'"

Important Meeting in our Community, November 27, 2008

Your participation is very important.

For information on this issue see:

www.fiftyonelakeshoredrive.blogspot.com

Community Consultation Meeting

Meeting Date: Thursday, November 27, 2008

Meeting Time: 7 P.M. to 9 P.M.

Meeting Location: The Assembly Hall, in the Performance Hall

1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive

Planning application for: 51 LAKE SHORE DRIVE

Site

The site is located at the southeast corner of Lake Shore Drive and Fourth Street, and is adjacent to Lake Ontario. The property is almost rectangular in shape and generally flat.  A two-storey building exists at the front of the property beside Lake Shore Drive and was formerly used by Lake Side Lodge, a seniors retirement home.

Proposal

The development proposal is to permit a 4-storey townhouse block containing 7 townhouse dwelling units. Driveway access to six of the townhouse units will be from Lake Shore Drive. Driveway access to the most southerly townhouse unit in the block will be from Fourth Street. The front facades of all the townhouse units will face Fourth Street.

Purpose of the Meeting

The meeting will provide an opportunity for the community to have input on this project, view the plans and ask questions.  If you cannot attend the meeting, you can still make your views known by sending a fax to  (416) 394-6063 or by writing to Gregg Lintern, Director, Community Planning, Etobicoke York District, City Planning Division, 2 Civic Centre Crt.  3^rd Floor, Toronto On., M9C 5A3.

If you would like further information about the proposal, please contact Greg Hobson-Garcia, Planner, at (416) 394-2615.

You may also contact Councillor Mark Grimes, Ward 6, at (416) 397-9273 or by email to councillor_grimes@toronto.ca

Notice to correspondents

Personal information received at the community consultation meeting or contained in your correspondence to the City, is collected under the City of Toronto Act, 2006, the Planning Act, and the City of Toronto Municipal Code.  The City collects this information to enable it to make an informed decision on the relevant issue(s).  Individuals who submit correspondence should be aware that any personal information in their communication will become part of the public record.  The City will make it available to the public, unless the individual expressly requests the City to remove the personal information.  Questions about the collection of this information may be directed to the Planner listed above.

Attendant Care Services can be made available with some advance notice.

We were away

We were away on vacation for several weeks.  Please wait for us while we reorganize ourself and get back to publishing community news.

Warmest regards,

April

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all.

Regards

The Spirit of Lakeshore

Cybercriminals syndicating Google Trends keywords to serve malware

by Dancho Danchev on http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1995&tag=nl.e539

In an underground ecosystem that is anything but old fashioned when it comes to abusing legitimate web services, cybecriminals have started exploiting the traffic momentum, and by monitoring the peak traffic for popular search queries using Google’s Trends, are syndicating the keywords in order to acquire the traffic and direct it to malware serving blogs primarily hosted at Windows Live’s Spaces.

According to a recent advisory issued by Webroot :

“For the first time, hackers are capitalizing on the top news stories from Google Trends Labs, which lists the day’s most frequently searched topics, which can include news of the Wall St. bail out or the presidential campaign,” said Paul Piccard, director of Threat Research, Webroot. “These highly relevant news stories and videos are being posted to the hackers’ fake blogs to increase the site’s Google search rankings.

These fraudulent blogs contain several video links about the news story for which the users were originally searching. Once a user clicks on one of the video links, they are prompted to download a video codec that downloads a rogue antispyware program designed to goad the user into purchasing an illegitimate program that may put their personal information and data at even greater risk. “

Let’s take a sample, and confirm the ongoing syndication of popular keywords in order to attract traffic to the several hundred malware serving blogs.

A random keyword “on fire” like gwen ifill wheelchair indicates that 55 minutes ago a malware serving blog has been successfully crawled and is now appearing within the first 10 results thanks to the high page rank of Windows Live Spaces. Upon clicking the link, the user is exposed to the typical ActiveX Object Error message that is attempting to trick them into installing TrojanDownloader:Win32/Zlob.AMV with 10 out of 36 AV scanners currently detecting it (27.78%).

Moreover, in order to ensure that their fake blogs will get crawled in the shortest time frame possible so that they can better abuse the momentum peak of the search query, they’re naturally taking advantage of the pre-registered blogs at popular blogging platforms which Google is crawling literally in real-time. Syndicating this particular keyword in order to serve malware is not an isolated event, with several hundred currently active blogs doing exactly the same as soon as Google Trends refreshes its hourly feed.

Malware campaigns have been taking advantage of pure SEO (search engine optimization), and mostly blackhat SEO techniques, during the entire 2008. The difference between the ongoing campaign and previous ones, is that the current approach has a higher probability of attracting generic search traffic since it’s relying on the world’s most popular search engine to tip them on what has the world been searching for during the past hour.

Dancho Danchev is an independent security consultant and cyber threats analyst, with extensive experience in open source intelligence gathering, malware and E-crime incident response. Dancho is also involved in business development, marketing research and competitive intelligence as an independent contractor. He's been an active security blogger since 2007, and maintains a popular security blog sharing real-time threats intelligence data with the rest of the community on a daily basis.

October 9, 2008, Lakeshore Planning Council Meeting

The Lakeshore Planning Council will meet:

When: Thursday, October 9, 2008 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Where: LAMP

Look for the agenda and minutes next week.

Do Not Tax Our Schools

Over the past three years, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has paid the federal government $21.7 million in GST. About $40,000 for each of our 550 schools over the three years. Or about $80 for each of our 270,000 students over the three years. The TDSB has asked for a reprieve from this tax on the school system. Similar figures are reported by school boards across Canada.

It is frustrating to supporters of public education to see the federal government receive GST on the construction of new schools, while at the same moment GST is not collected on the construction of a new prison whether built municipally, provincially or federally. GST is also collected on computers, repairs, pencils, paper - the list goes on.

We have launched a website http://www.donttaxourschools.org/ to deliver a message to all federal candidates in Canada. At present every candidate in Canada with an email address can be reached through our website. We have also created an engine for supporters to send a message to your friends, family and colleagues.

Last week we launched a media campaign with great success with coverage in all local newspapers, the majority of radio and some television. A radio advertising campaign took place on 680 News. A note is going home to all TDSB students and staff, signs are being installed at all TDSB schools and emails are flying. We need everyone with a passion for promoting a better TDSB to help get the word out.

Please forward this message to your contacts - We have to deliver our message - Use our website - http://www.donttaxourschools.org/ . Go to our "What Can You Do" page to tell your candidates, family, friends and neighbours across Canada - Don' t Tax Our Schools .

Thanks for helping our movement get the word out across Canada.
http://www.donttaxourschools.org/

Upcoming Events at Palais Royale

THANKSGIVING BUFFET BRUNCH

When: Monday October 13, 2008, 11:30 am
Where: Palais Royal, 1601 Lakeshore Blvd. West

Celebrate the harvest and give thanks for a successful bounty of crops.

Come to the Palais Royale; let’s celebrate together with a magnificent Thanksgiving Buffet Brunch skillfully prepared by Chef Steffan Howard and his Crew. In addition to the classic Thanksgiving offerings, Chef Howard will take advantage of the Savour Ontario Pear Up October Program where he will feature cuisine with some of the finest Ontario Pears freshly picked at Bizjak Farms in Beamsville, just an hour and fifteen minutes west of us. Enjoy these tree ripened tastes sprinkled throughout our bountiful brunch.

Join us Monday October 13th at 11:30am. Listen to the sounds of the Toronto All Star Big Band Trio. Call for reservations. Seating is limited. $41.95 adults, (+ taxes and gratuities) $20.00 children 5 – 12 years (+ taxes and gratuities)
Alcohol not included.
Wheelchair accessible.

Happy Thanksgiving!

HALLOWEEN NIGHT

When: Friday, October 31, 2008, 8:00 pm
Where: Palais Royale, 1601 Lakeshore Blvd., West

Presents...

An Evening of Grand Illusion, Magic and Mystery

On Halloween night immerse yourself in a world where you will be overwhelmed with wonder as you witness acts creating the impossible.

Palais Royale, one of Toronto’s historic buildings becomes transformed into a setting of mystery, where Vladimir, Master Illusionist, will perform unbelievable feats of fantasy.

Dress in Disguise, and dine in the shadows with our offerings of a light mystery dinner buffet while you listen to Richard Victor Borg on the elegant grand piano.

Cash bar available
Prize for best costume
Doors & buffet - 8:00 pm
Show 9:30 pm
Tickets $60.00 available at http://www.ticketweb.ca or call
1-888-222-6608
Or call Palais Royale at 416-533-3553

Call soon tickets limited.

Pianist, songwriter, entertainer http://www.richardborg.com/

Events at the Assembly Hall

This is one of many events at our fabulous Assembly Hall. For a complete listing, select the link on the City of Toronto, Assembly Hall focus page. See "What's Happening at the Hall".

Elemental: Presented by the Assembly Hall

When: September 25, 2008
From: 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Art Show Opening Reception

Elemental – An artistic exploration of the four elements – earth, wind, fire and water. Featuring outstanding works in various media by established local artists: Sandy Brand, Ray Brown, Roswita Busskamp, Kenneth Charles Day, Kathy Kranias, Lorna Livey, Dania Madera-Lerman and Barb Symons. For more information, please call the Assembly Hall at 416-338-7255.

Show runs Sept. 25 - Oct 24. Gallery hours are Mon to Fri: 12 pm – 5 pm and Sat: 10 am – 1 pm
Please note: The Gallery will be closed Oct. 11-13 for Thanksgiving.

Another great, local musical event, October 17, 2008

Mark your calendar for another great, local musical event:

Virgil Scott will be performing with the The Virgil Scott Band ...

At: Maple Leaf House Grill & Lounge (1st and Lakeshore Blvd., across from McDonald's)
On: Friday, October 17, 2008
From: 8:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Soft 60's R&B Tunes and Jazz Standards

Another great way to meet your neighbours!

Another supplier source for Organic Food Programs

You can locate local suppliers of organic produce and products at www.okorganix.com

A special thank you to a reader for providing this information.

Continue to Shop the Shore

Let us keep the lakeshore thriving with the Shop the Shore concept embedded in our daily practice.

Regards

32nd Annual General Meeting, LAMP Community Health Centre

32nd Annual General Meeting, LAMP Community Health Centre

When: Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: At The Assembly Hall, 1 Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive, corner of Lake Shore Blvd. and Kipling Ave
Details: Registration 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., Meeting 7:00 p.m.

Crime and Punishment
A Look at Part of the Recent Toronto Star Investigative Reporting Series
Keynote Speaker Award Winning Toronto Star Journalist Jim Rankin

Join us for an extraordinary evening with award winning Toronto Star Journalist Jim Rankin. His recent investigative reporting series “ Crime and Punishment” with fellow journalists reveals some startling information on the “M8V” postal code area. As well, the series uncovers statistics that prove investing large amounts of money into more and bigger prisons has failed to reduce crime. In fact the research shows skyrocketing taxpayers costs to build more and bigger prisons, has prompted some American states to change their policy and strategy, investing instead into sectors that address the root causes of crime, poverty.

Join us to become better informed to make better decisions that impact the safety of our community.

Business Meeting to follow.
Entertainment and light refreshments will be provided.
Come out and meet your neighbours.
EVERYONE WELCOME!

For more info contact Faye Worth
416.252.6471

fayew@lampchc.org

Thank You

Thank you to all who participated in the Annual Lake Shore Drive Street Sale.

Greening Your Business, September 10, 2008

South Etobicoke Environmental Liaison Committee in cooperation with Ecovert, sustainable real estate solutions, presents:

Greening Your Business

What is a sustainable business, how do you take the next steps, and what options are available to you?

We will discuss the framework for conducting your business in an environmentally friendly manner while still maintaining your bottom line.

When: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 2:00 to 4:30 PM
Location: Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall

Guest Speakers:

Andrew Nobrega and Jim Lord
Ecovert - Sustainability Consultants www.ecovert.ca
www.ecovert.ca

Chantal Brundage
Green T-Biz - A division of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement areas www.greentbiz.org

Kirk Johnson
Ontario Power Authority - The OPA is responsible for the Ontario electrical system www.powerauthority.on.

Agenda

2:00 Welcome - South Etobicoke Environmental Liaison
Committee

2:05 Introduction with objectives

2:10 Description of policy, physical and highly marketable green features

2:30 Breakout to discuss brainstorm ideas

3:00 Discussion of categories of change (based on the LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program)

3:20 Green Tbiz – Toronto success stories and how GreenTbiz can help your business

3:35 Ontario Power Authority – Assistance programs that are available to business

3:50 Questions

4:30 Adjourn

Annual Lake Shore Drive Street Sale, Saturday, September 6, 2008

Keep Saturday, September 6, 2008 open for the Annual Lake Shore Drive Street Sale. It is another way to "Shop the Shore". AND if you are all shopped out, come and meet your neighbours. We would be so happy to meet you. Many Lake Shore Drive residents are proud supporters of the Lori's Legacy fund.

Pleased to meet you.

Discussion on Poverty and Housing in the Lakeshore

Why I love the lakeshore

Why I love the lakeshore.

taken by Robin McCubbin

Lakeshore Events

Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming Lakeshore events such as:

Lakeshorelicious, and

Shop the Shore

Got to love those captions!!!

Dancing on the Shore

Ballroom and Latin Dance Lessons

Beginners and Intermediate

every THURSDAY

New Session STARTS: Thursday, September 18, 2008

Course#1: 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm --- RUMBA
Course#2: 8:00 pm t0 9:00 pm --- SALSA
Course#3: 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm --- SLOW WALTZ

Location: Maple Leaf House, 2749 Lake Shore Blvd., West, South Etobicoke
West of Royal York Rd. and East of Islington Avenue
Southwest corner of Lakeshore Blvd., West and 1st Street, and
Across the street from McDonalds

Each course is 8 weeks = $80.00
Singles and Couples, All ages welcome
Dance partner not required
For more information and registration please call (416)-255-6819 or
email: halina_b@hotmail.com

Lessons from Mississauga about Smart Growth

From: The Mississauga News

OMB decision a smart move

2008-08-19 19:34:01.000

The message is clear: Mississauga residents want development that fits into their communities, rather than buildings that simply adorn them.

While Mark Bozzo’s Queenscorp proposal for a “landmark” building in Lakeview was thorough and innovative, the project just didn’t fit into the neighbourhood.

The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) had no choice but to uphold the City’s planning guidelines and restrictions for a site that is currently zoned for a maximum four-storey development.
Queenscorp’s proposal for a 21-storey building is more than five times higher than that allowed under the City’s planning policies: Allowing the development would have made a mockery of Mississauga’s planning authority.

While Bozzo is understandably, if somewhat naively, upset by the “imaginary municipal border” that separated approval for a similarly sized Etobicoke building from disapproval for his Mississauga initiative, the boundary between the two communities is very real.

Mississauga is a unique and separate city, distinctively different on many levels from its neighbour to the east. What’s good enough for Etobicoke, or Toronto, isn’t necessarily good for Mississauga.

Nobody would argue — probably not even Ward 1 councillor Carmen Corbasson who led the City’s charge against the Queenscorp proposal at the OMB — that Lakeview could use an esthetic shot in the arm.

But Corbasson was bang on when, in response to the OMB decision, she said, “Smart growth doesn’t mean dumping...height everywhere, especially in a very stable area like Lakeview.”
While parts of Lakeview are decaying and aging less than gracefully, any development in that area must fit comfortably with existing structures and community expectations.

Smart growth is not just about adding height and increasing densities: It’s about creating harmonious communities that combine to make the city, as a whole, a better place.

June 5, 2008 Public Meeting on Colonel Samuel Smith Park Ice Trail

Hello all,

Attached please find the summary notes from the Colonel Samuel Smith Park Ice Trail public meeting held on June 5th for your records. The report includes a cover letter from the City, as well as the report from Urban Forestry that was requested.

Sincerely,
Susan

Susan Hall, B.Sc, MES Vice President, Central Canada
LURA Consulting lura.ca
shall@lura.ca t:416.536.9674 f:416.536.3453 c:416.886.8205515 Consumers Road Suite 201, Toronto, ON M2J 4Z2, Canada

The Summary Report is not attached here.


Opening Letter...

August 14th, 2008

On Thursday June 5th 2008, Parks Forestry and Recreation staff in conjunction with Councillor Grime’s office organized an open house to present the conceptual plan for the proposed Skating Trail in Etobicoke Lakeshore. The meeting was hosted by LURA Consulting, a firm hired by the City to facilitate the discussion, collect and organize comments and feedback from the community, and prepare a summary report.

Some residents expressed excitement and support for what will become a great family destination in your neighbourhood. Others raised concerns regarding the potential impact of a skating trail in this area. Be assured that City staff are committed to developing this project taking into account the importance of the sensitivities of the park and community, and without disturbing the existing Wetlands-Wildlife Restoration Trail.

In proceeding with the project, the City will be issuing a proposal call in September for qualified and experienced firms to initiate the design phase. It is anticipated that the project would be complete and
operational for the 2009 skating season
I appreciate the time and effort you have taken to be engaged in this process and providing your
opinions and input. LURA Consulting will continue to receive your comments as the Project progresses so please forward any comments to shall@lura.ca.

Yours truly,


perMichael Schreiner
Manager Construction Management
/Capital Projects

I Opt Out

The Canadian government passed legislation in 2005 mandating the creation of a do-not-call registry. The registry is scheduled to take effect in mid-2008, yet many Canadians may be disappointed to learn about the exemption of a wide range of organizations (registered charities, business with prior relationships, political parties, survey companies, and newspapers). Under the law, exempted organizations are permitted to make unsolicited telephone calls despite the inclusion of the number in the do-not-call registry. However, organizations must remove numbers from their lists if specifically requested to do so. IOptOut takes advantage of this approach by allowing Canadians to create and manage a personal do-not-call list that begins where do-not-call legislation ends. Once you register, you'll be able to view a categorized list where you can opt-out of further contact from exempt organizations. To do this we send an email notification to each organization on your behalf requesting that your name, email address and phone number(s) be removed from their active marketing lists.
If you'd like to learn more, please see www.ioptout.ca.

Content from the Ioptout website.

Lake Shore Drive Annual Street Sale, Saturday, September 6, 2008 (Rain date, September 7)

Join your friends and neighbours on Saturday, September 6, 2008 for the

Annual Lake Shore Drive Street Sale

with a rain date Sunday, September 7, 2008.

Come and find that special "something" that you have been looking for forever.

And if you are not interested in browsing or shopping, come and meet your neighbours. We would be happy to see you.

You can also support the Lori's Legacy Fund.

I find this medical waste once or twice every year after a storm has churned up the lake. I also sweep up bags of plastic bottle caps, pens, sanitary items and shards of broken plastic.

Recycle your plant pots at Loblaws stores

Article, Friday, June 20, 2008, on Ecochick.ca

Have you been feverishly gardening, planting your perennials, annuals, baskets, bins, veggie gardens? And do you have a pile of leftover plant pots and flats to show for it?

Don't pitch them - take them to a Loblaws chain store (so Loblaws, Independents, Great Canadian Superstore, etc.). Make sure it's one that has a a garden center, because those ones have a recycling bin where you can drop off the pots. They'll use them for next year's plants. Which is awesome, because much of the plastic used in these pots isn't easily recyclable, so if you put them in the streetside bins they might end up in the landfill. Booo! So bring 'em back and get them reused. Your garden will thank you for it.

Worth Repeating

The Home Depot Canada Launches CFL Recycling Initiative
by Earth 911 on November 7th, 2007


Toronto—The Home Depot Canada announced a national in-store compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL) recyclingprogram at all 160 The Home Depot Canada locations, helping customers make environmentally conscious decisions from purchase to disposal.

This free service is the first such offering so widely available in Canada, and by November 22, Canadians will be able to bring in their expired CFLs to any The Home Depot store, assured that each bulb will be recycled safely. The program is supported by Philips Lighting and Fluorescent Lamp Recyclers Inc.

“The CFL recycling program is another example of how The Home Depot is encouraging customers to make energy efficient changes in their homes,” said Annette Verschuren, President, The Home Depot Canada and Asia. “With stores located in every province, this program is the first national solution to providing Canadians with a convenient way to recycle CFLs.”

At each The Home Depot store, customers will find a CFL recycling unit located at the entrance by the special services desk. Customers can simply bring in their expired CFLs, place them in one of the plastic bags provided, seal the bag and deposit it into the display.

Each store monitors the unit and once full, sends the expired CFLs to be responsibly recycled by Fluorescent Lamp Recyclers Inc., in Ayr, Ontario.

“Consumers face a barrier in making better environmental decisions, such as what to do with their expired CFLs,” said Michael Gentile, Vice President and General Manager, Philips Lighting. “Having CFL recycling units located in so many stores across Canada will allow customers to feel completely confident in purchasing and using CFLs in their homes.”

While more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs, CFLs contain mercury, which can be toxic to the environment if disposed of improperly. For more information on mercury, visit Earth 911’s Mercury page.

As the largest retailer of light bulbs in the country, The Home Depot is on track to sell seven million CFLs in 2007, which will provide Canadians approximately $315 million in energy savings and save 755,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases over the life of the bulbs.

Organic Food Delivery Programs--Toronto and Area

Toronto's organic food delivery programs have expanded in the past years. They have also expanded what they sell. The following list shows organic food companies currently delivering in Metropolitan Toronto and area:

Beretta Organic Farms
(416) 674-5609
fax (416) 487-0514
thefarm@berettaorganics.com
http://www.berettaorganics.com/
OCPP Certified: Beef, Pork, Chicken, Turkey, Grass Fed beef.

Damn Good Food
(416) 948-6162;
fax (416) 968-1493
beth@dirt.zzn.com
http://www.beths.home-page.org/
This biweekly delivery service runs from late spring until late fall. The set box ($60 plus $6 delivery in the GTA) includes produce, one prepared vegetarian meal and fresh flowers. Every third delivery, participants are invited to another participants home for a vegetarian potluck with a guest speaker/performer and to pick up their box. Also has customized orders offering meat, dairy/eggs, bulk foods, packaged foods, processed foods, frozen foods, beverages, baked goods.

Field to Table
200 Eastern Ave.,
Toronto, Ont.,
M5A 1J1
(416) 363-0474;
fax (416) 363-6441
goodfoodbox@foodshare.net
http://www.foodshare.net/
This non-profit organization offers biweekly organic (small $20, large $30) and non-organic produce boxes with deliveries to almost 200 drop-off locations in the GTA.

Front Door Organics
879 Islington Ave.,
Etobicoke, Ont
M8Z 4N9
(416) 201-3000;
fax (416) 201-3002
frdoor@interlog.com
http://www.frontdoororganics.com/
Offers a produce box (small $29, large $39) weekly or biweekly with up to 2 substitutions and also has customized orders offering produce, dairy/eggs, packaged foods, processed foods, beverages.

Hallelujah Organics Inc.
(also is a retail store)
110 Pony Drive,
Newmarket, Ont.,
L3Y 7B6
(905) 953-7900 or 1-888-607-3734
matthews@neptune.on.ca
http://www.hallelujah.on.ca/
Customized orders offering produce, meat, dairy/eggs, packaged foods, processed foods, frozen foods, beverages, baked goods.

The Organic Farm
801 Collinson Rd.,
Dundas, Ont.,
L9H 5E2
1-877-223-0542;
fax (905) 627-5171
birch.tree@primus.ca
http://www.the-organic-farm.com/
Customized orders offering produce, dairy/eggs, bulk foods, packaged foods, processed foods, frozen foods, beverages, baked goods
[Blogmaster Note: I was unable to reach the website owner to determine why the website was unavailable. The email address does not work either. However, I am leaving this post in case it is a temporary condition]

Penny's Organic Produce
53 Golfview Ave.,
Toronto, Ont.,
M4E 2J9
(416) 691-2571
Customized orders offering produce, dairy/eggs, bulk foods, packaged foods, processed foods, beverages, baked goods

True Food - Farm Store and Market
(also a retail store)
2499 York Rd. 30,
Stouffville, Ont.
L4A 7X4
(905) 643-3383;
fax (905) 642-1276
(outside the GTA 1-888-257-FOOD; fax 1-888-257-3316)
info@OrganicHomeDelivery.com
http://www.organichomedelivery.com/
Customized orders offering produce, meat, dairy/eggs, bulk foods, packaged foods, processed foods, frozen foods, beverages, baked goods.

Wanigan Toronto Organics
1-877-926-4426
info@mywowbox.com
http://www.torontoorganics.com/
Offers several sizes of produce boxes ($29-$49) or customized orders offering produce, meat, dairy/eggs, bulk foods, packaged foods, processed foods, frozen foods, beverages, baked goods.

Wanigan Whole Foods Inc.
1-877-WANIGAN (926-4426)
fax (519) 938-9396
info@wanigan.com;
http://www.wanigan.com/
Customized orders (minimum order $70, plus $5 delivery) offering produce, dairy/eggs, bulk foods, packaged foods, processed foods, frozen foods, beverages, baked goods.

Vital Planet on Lake Shore Boulevard sells a selection of organic produce.

Park Saviours

Salvatore, and a group of garden angels, turned a mean little dirt patch in South Etobicoke into a peaceful intermission from the hubbub of Lake Shore Boulevard. A parkette at the bottom of Sand Beach Road, with a jaw dropping view of Toronto, was overgrown and unmanaged. It was a horrible pit of weeds, garbage and abandonment.

A nearby community member decided to do something about it. With the help of a few residents, Salvatore turned the ugly, decheveled parkette into a sweet enclave. Residents donated plants, pots, seeds, structures, and labour and Savatore pressed the donations into the soil like a patchwork quilt. This is Salvatore's labour of love. And the labour is not simple because Salvator is combating Parkinson's.

I am inspired by Salvatore, his garden angels and the results they produced together. The visit brought a tear to my eye.

See the slideshow below.

A Reel Green Lawn

A great article about Reel Mowers from another blog called GREENR

Time to get in shape for summer! Join a gym? Install a pool? Forget it, just cut the grass! Go green and get exercise at the same time using a manual reel mower this summer.

Actually, new manual reel mowers are not as strenuous to use as they were in the past, so you may want to keep that gym membership. Whatever suits you. What should suit us all, though, is doing the right thing, eco-friendly speaking. And there’s a lot going for manual mowers in this area.

According to Statistics Canada, gas powered lawn devices, including weed trimmers, lawn edgers and leaf blowers, release 80 000 tonnes of pollutants in Canada annually, using 151 million liters of fuel. This may be surprising information to some who wonder what harm could be done with such a little engine. The problem is, standard power mowers burn gasoline and oil, and in a very inefficient manner. Add to this the small amounts of gas and oil spilled during refueling and we’ve got another ecological hazard: ground and surface water contamination.

Many people may chose power mowers out of habit, but the manual reel mower is an old-fashioned machine that could become the way of the future. As mentioned, they are now engineered to be lighter and easier to push than most power operated ones. To make it an even easier job, cut the grass once every week or two, depending on growth, as push mowers work better on shorter grass. And there are no repairs to worry about. Just keep the blade sharp, which will also make for easier cutting.

Another real draw factor is the quiet operation of push mowers. Enjoy a much more relaxing experience cutting the lawn listening to nature’s own sounds instead of having an engine roaring in your ears.

What about the aesthetics of your lawn? There again, manual mowers win. Because they cut like scissors and don’t tear the grass at the roots, they do a better job. In addition, the smaller pieces of cut grass can simply be left on the lawn to breakdown and put nutrients back into the soil, eliminating the need for fertilizers. Overall, manual mowers promote lush, healthy grass and are perfect for lawns less than a half acre in size. If it’s absolutely necessary that you use an alternative, look into rechargeable electric mowers which are more efficient than gas powered, or look for one with low emissions.

In short, reel mowers are pushing their way back into mainstream landscaping for good reason: get the looks you want, the exercise you need, minus the emissions and noise pollution you can do without.

Skating Trail#2: An email to Mark Grimes

I hear the Lakeshore community saying "NO" to skating trails, sex and strip clubs and being a dumping ground for undesirable, questionable projects.

I hear the community saying that they want to be involved in the creation of their community and image. I hear them saying let us repair and improve the recreational offerings that we already have in the Prince of Wales Park and other existing structures. This reflects the spirit of reuse, recycle and refuse that our city is strongly advocating.

I hear the community saying they want to be known as the community with a heart, spirit, neighbourliness, caring, peacefulness and pride. The community want to surround their lives with 'undisturbed' nature, clean streets, inspiring retail venues, town squares in a village atmosphere where there is sufficient commerce to sustain a thriving community. When community members tell someone where they are from, they want them to respond, "Oh, wow, you are so lucky."

I hear a community so full of desire to look and be better that almost every neighbourhood (community) exchange is crackling with ideas on how to paint an improved image.

The desire is strong and the will is strong. Let us create...

Lakeshore, Simply Beautiful

Regards,


April MacDonell

Welcome to THE SPIRIT OF LAKESHORE

Richard Harwood's words were so appropriate and inspiring I had to copy them. It reflects the goal of "The Spirit of Lakeshore".

Building Community Spirit (Excerpt)
Posted at January 17, 2006 05:10 PM in Public Life
by Richard C. Harwood

Community Spirit is not something to be relegated to the margins of our civic lives. Nor is it some theory to be expounded upon in academic papers, or an outcome to be delivered by public relations experts. Instead, community spirit must be both real and authentic. Authentic community spirit is vital because it reflects the true sense of connection people have to one another. It is the belief that there are issues, challenges, and opportunities that can only be met when we act together. It is a desire to know what exists beyond oneself – how others think, what they do, what they need – how we can live and act together.

Bricks and mortar can give us places to eat, meet and play – all vital to a community; but alone they cannot create the spirit that must fill those places in order for there actually to be a functioning community. For that we need citizens and leaders alike to find what gives them the will not just to survive, but to thrive and to take steps together to forge an authentic community spirit.

Residents upset by swingers clubs, Globe and Mail

Revival of dormant licences skirts new rules and brings sex businesses to west end

JEFF GRAY
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
June 25, 2008 at 5:14 AM EDT

Just weeks after residents of a gradually gentrifying west-end neighbourhood protested against the surprise appearance of a strip club on Toronto's Lake Shore Boulevard, they are now aghast that two so-called swingers clubs have recently set up shop nearby.

Mark Grimes persuaded his fellow councillors to pass a motion yesterday ordering city bureaucrats and police to "act on the mechanisms available" to stop the establishment of swingers clubs, some of which advertise "on-premise" sex.

Mr. Grimes's motion also calls for the city manager to "act on the mechanisms available" to stop the reissue of adult entertainment licences that have not been active for years.

It was this situation that sparked residents' anger in the Lake Shore Boulevard West and Islington Avenue areas last month, after a country-and-western bar used a "grandfathered" adult-entertainment licence that dated from the 1990s to reopen as a strip club called Jay Jay's Inn, despite new rules barring new establishments near schools and residential areas.

Mr. Grimes said he was having trouble getting answers from city bureaucrats about what powers the city has to stop owners of dormant strip-club licences from opening for business once again. He also said the city does not appear to know how many so-called "sleeping" strip-club licences exist.

Now, residents are upset about a swingers club almost across the road from the strip club, called Menage a Quatre. Mr. Grimes's motion, passed by council, said the club is meant "to allow swingers to engage in multi-partner sexual acts."

Another club in the area, called HERS Night Club, advertises itself on its website as a venue for customers, who pay $5 to $60 admission, "to get away from the hypocrisy and double standards of the outside world and come live out sexual dreams and desires." (It also says on its site that it is moving to a new location.)

Local resident Scott Waddell, who started a Web petition to fight the strip club, said he moved to the area with his wife and young son last year before these businesses came to light.

"I wouldn't buy a house around the corner from a swingers club, just because I don't want to raise my kids there," Mr. Waddell said.

Swingers clubs that encourage members to participate in group sex acts have been emboldened in recent years by a 2005 Supreme Court of Canada ruling, and others exist elsewhere in the city.

End

How to get rid of STUFF

Our household recently joined the "Freecycle Network" to help us get rid of our precious "stuff". Yesterday we gave our first bundle of freecycle content to someone who really wanted it. It felt really good. Someone is also coming to pick stuff up on Friday. You can offer spare wood, plants, nails, tools, paint, furniture, clothing, kitchen items, magazines, paper, craft supplies, fax machines, computer parts, cables and much more. The idea is to keep as much as possible out of landfill. You can also make requests. Someone on the network is building a shed with free recycled building supplies.

We are also attempting to see if we can launch a neighbourly recycle effort called "Cycle Twice" using this blog. Please let me know if you have anything you would like to part with (for free) and we will happily post it for you.

The benefit of a neighbourhood recycling effort is distance, neighbourliness and environmental stewardship; you may be able to recycle within walking distance and simultaneously meet someone new.

Learn more about the official Freecycle network below:

The Freecycle Network (TM) is open to all who want to "recycle" that special something rather than throw it away. Whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano or an old door, feel free to post it. Or maybe you're looking to acquire something yourself! Nonprofit groups are also welcome to participate too!

One constraint: everything posted must be free. The Freecycle Network is a nonprofit organization and a movement of people interested in keeping good stuff out of landfills.
Check out freecycle.org for other cities and information!




Click to join FreecycleTO

Skating Trail--An email to Mark Grimes and Lura Consulting

I thought the outpouring of negative sentiment on the skateboard park in Sam Smith would have been a clear signal but obviously it fell on deaf ears.

I have numerous objections. First and foremost is that the community fought and worked hard to have Sam Smith a naturalized environment. Humber College is a gem in that it integrates with this concept. But there are no shortages of people who have little respect for community needs, urban ‘wildlife’ and most of all democratic principles. Not long ago it was a wind power generator next door and then the skate board park with a concession stand. Now it’s an energy intensive intrusive skating trail promoted as a ‘destination’ by those who have little knowledge of what and how a ‘destination ‘ is created.

Now I wish to point out that the city seems to have to spend my money on this while absolutely neglecting most of the installed recreation facilities it already has. Case in point, the Prince of Wales Park with its winter skating rink and a summer tennis court, both in destitute condition. No funds to revive it? None to keep it open? Rumor has it that the city will be closing this. And for good reason, the tennis court looks like rolling countryside and the nets are an embarrassment. The chain link fence is an eyesore as is the building with the fascia torn off. And the parking lot? Looks like Verdun after an artillery attack – you need 4WD to drive in and out! And it has no lights at all (although the city spent bundles to light a walk way across the park) and without lights anything goes there at night – I guess the city didn’t want to disturb the drug deals and happy hooker curb service that goes on there. And don’t get me started on the lack of management of the work done on 2nd street and the entrance to the park. If this were private industry there would be one black listed contractor and a city project engineer looking for work – both out the door due to blatant incompetence.

So you can pony up with $2M for something we as a community do not want and further neglect our needs. If one wishes to launch a tax payer revolt, this is a good start.


W. R. (Bil) Thuma, Geophysicist

Opinion about the Skating Trail proposal

Hello Everyone:

Mark Grimes' office and Lura Consulting are collecting comments about the proposed skating trail in our community.

Ensure your voice is heard and counted by emailing:

sobright@toronto.ca
shall@lura.ca, and/or
councillor_grimes@toronto.ca

For more information on this Skating Trail, please follow this link:

http://www.ccfew.org/html/proposed_skating_trail_at_sam_.html

Revitalization Tactics / Planning Meeting

Please join us at the following meetings:

Revitalization Tactics / Planning Meeting

When: Monday June 23rd. 7:00 pm
Where: Lakeshore Store Front Police Station

Please come with ideas you have on how to improve the Lakeshore.

We would like to talk about short term area improvement tatics that we can work on similar to the fantastic online video profiles. Some examples that have been mentioned include:

• shop local flyers
• neighborhood wide garage sale
• neigbourhood bbq or day at the park
• fundraiser,
• raise $$ and work with government for a new third street park, and
• your ideas.

There are a number of things we can do. Working together, we can make a difference.

The purpose of the meeting is to prioritize some of the ideas and start organizing to work on them, building on the momentum from the video's and community meetups. Given that everyone has busy schedules, we are seeing benefits of working in small teams that can co-ordinate their own schedules and then getting back together to discuss what is going on.

Please reply and advise if you will can attend.


Thanks

Scott Waddell
Adam Hughes

OurLakeshore.net

Sunday Drive

When I was a little girl my father took the whole family for a Sunday drive. I loved these Sunday drives. My husband now takes me for drives.

Here is a slideshow of our last drive. This is beautiful Dundas Ontario. Turn on your sound.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Would you like to see a slideshow of our area? Use the Comments below and tell me.

Tell the City Your Vision for Our Parks

Tell the City YOUR VISION

Would you BORROW $1.4 Million to ice skate outdoors 12 weeks a year? The City plans to build a $2 Million outdoor ice skating trail, paving 13,000 sq. feet of treed parkland in Col. Samuel Smith Park, a passive, environmentally sensitive park with wildlife and their habitat.

We don’t have enough parkland. Do we want to pave a unique park where our children can experience nature and wildlife, including threatened species? Do we need another place to skate? The City wants to CLOSE Recreation Centres and Pools and RAISE recreation fees. We need new playground equipment. We need a community centre. Is this a good use of our money?

What is your vision for our parks?

For more information please contact

goodneighbours@gmail.com ٠ Jem Cain: 416-259-7328
GO TO: http://www.friendsofsamsmithpark.blogspot.com/ and http://www.ccfew.org/

Reduce unwanted, unaddressed mail

We do not like to spend our time sifting through piles of unwanted and unaddressed mail. We also do not like the burden the discarded mail puts on our planet. We recently found websites that give options to reduce unwanted and unaddressed mail.

The Canadian Marketing Association's Do Not Contact Service enables individuals to reduce the number of marketing offers they receive by mail, telephone and fax. Consumers register to have their names removed from marketing lists held by members of the Canadian Marketing Association.

http://www.the-cma.org/?WCE=C=47%7CK=224217

The Red Dot Campaign is a website that emphasizes Canada Posts, 10 year old eco-friendly Consumer Choice option that reduces waste and clutter. All you need to do is put a “No Admail” or “No Junk Mail” sign on your mailbox. For more information see the Red Dot Campaign website.

http://www.reddotcampaign.ca/

UPDATE: It works. The "NO JUNK MAIL" poster obtained from the Red Dot Campaign website stopped the junk mail. You have to tape the poster directly on your mailbox though.

Graffiti, Graffiti, Graffiti

Have you noticed an increasing amount of Graffiti in the past few years? Have you taken the GO train from downtown Toronto to Mimico and noticed the endless stream of visual pollution and vandalism?

There is a petition on "The Lakeshore" website. The petition is called the:

Petition for Proposed Ontario Anti Graffiti Legislation

This petition is sponsored by the Lakeshore Business Improvement Area’s Merchants on behalf of MPP Laurel Broten. Please make a copy of this petition to gather signatures and send it to:

80 Grosvenor St, 11th Flr, Hepburn Block
Toronto ON M7A 2C4Tel : 416-326-3981Fax : 416-327-0833 or email to lbroten.mpp@liberal.ola.org

You may also find an electronic petition on Laurel Broten's website at http://www.laurelbroten.onmpp.ca/aspx/grafffitipetition.aspx

The Merchants of the Lakeshore appreciate your help and concern

Petitions can also be dropped off at the
Clock Factory 2881 Lakeshore Blvd. West (Lakeshore and 6th Street – Southside) or faxed to 416-255-9982

Lori's Legacy Walkathon-click to enlarge