Police offer $50,000 for information

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11:29 pm

IN A DESPERATE attempt to solve the murder of 18-year-old Keegan “Speckz” Allen that took place over two years ago, police recently announced a $50,000 reward for information that could lead to the arrest of the gunman.

“Quite frankly, the investigation is at a point now where it is starting to go cold,” Det. Sgt. Frank Skubic said at a recent press conference at Toronto Police headquarters. “It’s hoped that the issuance of a $50,000 reward will bring new life to this investigation.”

Allen was “caught in the line of fire” at a dance competition called Showdown 2007 where an estimated 600 youths were in attendance, some of whom were photographing and recording the event, held at the Hungarian House Cultural Centre on St. Clair Avenue West at Hendrick Avenue.

Around 2 a.m. on Oct. 8, as the competition’s final performances were going on, three shots were fired at the stage. Allen died the next day.
“To those persons present at the cultural centre the night that Keegan was shot and have not yet come forward, I am appealing to you all,” Skubic said, adding he is certain somebody from the crowd knows who is responsible.

Carol Allen, Keegan Allen’s mother, said it has been the hardest two years that anyone can face.

“…I am begging you, please, if you haven’t spoken up already, please call the police,” she said, pleading for the killer to come forward.
“You know what you did is wrong, and you have been living with this for the past two years. If you want to clear your name, you need to come forward; you need to say something to clear your conscience forever,” Carol Allen said, adding that person has shattered their lives.

Skubic said many witnesses have come forward with accounts, photos and videotape, which has been valuable, but has not helped them find the gunman.

Anyone with information is asked to call police.

100-year-old detailing allegedly removed

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11:28 pm

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The Owner of a house that was built for John Bayne Maclean, founder of Maclean’s magazine, has been accused of removing some historic elements, a move that could make it more difficult to designate it as a heritage building. The heritage designation may prevent the owner from gaining a permit to demolish the 100-year-old-structure.

“They are acting like vandals without an appreciation. They have been put on notice that this was a significance to the community and they are acting against that,” said Robert Levy, president of the Casa Loma Residents Association.

The house was designed by renowned architect John Lyle, who also designed Union Station and the Royal Alexandra Theatre.
Council was fast tracking the process that would determine if it was a historical site, Coun. Joe Mihevc said. “You think fair play would say, let’s figure it out, instead of taking the wrecking block to something,” Mihevc said, but added the removal of the fixtures was not illegal and no permit was necessary for the renovations.

“They are certainly within the bounds of the law,” he said

Richmond Hill business linked to Ponzi scheme

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11:26 pm

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A Richmond Hill business has been linked to a multi-million dollar fraud scheme.

Tzvi Erez, a well-known businessman who ran E Graphix Ltd., was arrested by members of the Toronto Police Fraud Squad, on June 18, 2009, and charged with multiple counts of uttering forged documents, fraud and failure to comply with probation.

According to police, between Aug. 22 and Dec. 8, 2008, Erez defrauded roughly $1.1 million from Glickma Investments Ltd. Through his investigation, court appointed receiver Jerry Henechowicz concluded in a series of reports that Erez “operated a Ponzi scheme,” and Henechowicz “found little evidence that Erez Group’s actual printing business was anything other than a very small print business.”

Henechowicz further concluded Erez “would provide copies of fraudulent and or forged purchase orders, financial statements and cheques allegedly received as payment from customers.”

Reached by telephone, Mr. Henechowicz had no comment on the case. Lou Brzezinski, a lawyer at Blaney McMurtry who was approached by the owner of Glickma Investments last February, said the matter is far from over. “It definitely will progress,” Brzezinski said. “I can tell you that there’s a whole new chapter two.” A call made to Howard Manis, Mr. Erez’s lawyer, was not returned.

User groups may have to face off for ice time

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11:25 pm

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A RECENT COUNCIL decision that requires all city-owned arenas to submit their ice allocation plans to the city may cause user groups to have to face off for private ice time.

The issue was brought to the attention of city council by the Leaside Girls Hockey Association who had threatened to take the city to the human rights commission if fair ice time was not addressed, and after much debate, council approved the motion on Dec. 4.

Ron Baker, president of the Leaside Girls Hockey Association, is happy with the decision.

“I think it goes a really long way,” Baker said. “The first step is to gather all of the various information from all of the various user groups.”
“You can’t make good decisions without good information,” he added.

Baker said the decision means looking at ice allocation across 48 user groups and deciding if all user groups are getting fair consideration.

“So if you’re doing that, that’s all we’ve been asking for,” Baker said.
He said the frustration is derived from the fact that they allow him to present his request, he shows them his numbers, and he is still denied adequate ice time.

At Forest Hill arena he said they were shut out for many years and described a similar situation at Ted Reeve arena, but noted Leaside Gardens Arena had a fair ice-allocation policy.

Brenda Patterson, general manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation, said the city should review the arenas’ ice times by March.
But Derek Woods, president of the Leaside Hockey Association, said he is afraid by the time parks and recreation okay the ice allocation plans, he is going to be behind in securing private ice time from other rinks, which he said his association uses for 70 per cent of its ice time.

“If the girls end up getting access to ice they didn’t have the other programs are going to end up being reduced or displaced to some other facility,” Woods said.

He said his association is usually told by March 1 by the Leaside board of management what ice times are available, but this year he is unsure when he will know.

“The boards have been asked not to confirm their ice time with their users until the city has had a chance to review,” Coun. Karen Stintz said. “But the city is notoriously delayed for confirming ice time.”
Woods added arenas could raise their prices if they choose.

Plumbing incident causes fire, destroys mansion

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11:23 pm

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AN INFERNO HAS left 9 Lauderdale Dr., near Bayview Avenue and York Mill Road, demolished, with a roof that has collapsed into the mansion and four walls filled with debris.

According to fire officials, a family of four reportedly rented the house recently, and at the time of the fire only the two children, the nanny and the plumber were inside. Everyone got out safely.

“We know there was a plumber working in the area where the fire started,” said Bob O’Hallarn, division commander of Toronto Fire Services. “And the plumber indicated that some material from soldering … fell inside the wall.”

He said, as a result, the fire will not be investigated by the Ontario fire marshal.

“…Although we haven’t examined it in great detail as of yet, and since we can’t get inside the building, because it’s declared unsafe, we suspect that’s how it started,” O’Hallarn said, adding the fire marshal only investigates if the cause is undetermined, if there is a gaseous explosion or if there is suspicion of arson.

It started in the basement of the home at around four p.m., and by the time the fire trucks arrived, O’Hallarn said, the fire was well underway.
“Our guys went in and planned their course of attack — until the floors started giving way under them or felt like they were going to because they were very soft — and fought it defensively then, from outside,” he said.

$5 million donation will fund new sports centre

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11:21 pm

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The Prosserman Jewish Community Centre is set to receive a $5 million addition thanks to a donation by the families of David Cynamon and Howard Sokoloski.

“I was thrilled,” said Bryan Keshen, executive director of Prosserman JCC, regarding the announcement. “For us, it means we’re that much closer to construction.”

The initiative is part of a joint venture by the families of Toronto Argonauts owners Cynamon and Sokolowski to fund a new state-of-the-art sports complex. Named the Cynamon/Sokolowski Sports Complex, the 71,000-square-foot facility will include indoor and outdoor pools, an indoor running track, a multi-sport gymnasium and a fitness centre. It will be part of the second phase of the Sherman Campus, located on 27.5 acres on Bathurst Street north of Sheppard Avenue, which opened its first phase in the fall.

“Sports have a way of bringing people from all backgrounds and experience together,” said David Cynamon. “My family and I are thrilled to be part of the growth of the [centre].” Howard Sokolowski agreed. “I can think of no better way to give back to a community than helping to give all Torontonians the opportunity to experience the love of sport,” he said.

Keshen said the centre would use sports and recreation to “strengthen and build community, within and outside of the Jewish community.

“This is the easy way to connect with people,” Keshen said. “A lot of what we do is about building strong social health networks because those social networks then support healthy communities.”

He added that the new facility and provided programs will address community desires. “These are the things that the community is just looking for, asking for, wanting and needing,” he said. Keshen said that the demolition of the old facility would happen “almost immediately.” A date for the centre’s completion has not been set.

Stop and stare at Parkdale's Made You Look

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9:10 am

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Made You Look is a jewelry store — well two really — filled with beautiful Canadian designs.

Located in the eclectic Parkdale neighbourhood, Made You Look has two stores, one directly across the street from the other. The north location is filled with precious metals, stones, and gems – the perfect spot to find an investment piece for any event. The south location specializes in unique costume pieces that ooze in personality.

One of the really exciting things about this store is that 20 of the designers actually produce their accessories in house with the Made You Look facilities. So, if you find a designer you really love and want to get a custom-made piece, you can speak directly with that designer.

I could spend hours looking through all the gorgeous pieces in this store, and it is my number one recommendation for clients looking for one-of-a-kind jewellery.

Made You Look is located at 1338 & 1273 Queen Street West, Toronto – 416.463.2136

Always on the lookout for Toronto’s best boutiques!

Wendy

As a personal style coach with THE REFINERY, Wendy Woods translates the world of fashion into a personal style that makes her clients shine, while introducing them to Toronto’s unique boutiques.

Plans for Hoggs Hollow park to be presented

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3:08 pm

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Designs plans to transform a portion of the overflow public parking lot adjacent to the Miller Tavern into parkland are slated to be unveiled to the community in the near future.

“It’s the northern gateway to the city, and we feel it’s important to retain as much green space as possible,” said Louise Sugar, vice-president of the York Mills Valley Association, of the park’s location.

A design first presented in October included components historically reflective of the Hogg’s Hollow area, including a sawmill relic.

Sugar said the park’s design would allow it to support area wildlife. “We want it to be as naturalized as possible, as an extension of this wildlife corridor that we have that’s very, very valuable to migrating animals and birds in the city,” she said.

When purchased in 1997 for $2.1 million, the city agreed to reconsider returning the lot to parkland once the purchase price had been recovered through parking permits. Approximately 1.7 acres of the lot are being considered for return, leaving roughly 180 parking spots. Coun. Cliff Jenkins said he expected construction to begin this year.

North Yorker linked to multi-million dollar scheme

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3:01 pm

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A former North York resident has been linked to a multi-million dollar fraud scheme. Tzvi Erez, a well-known businessman who up until last summer lived on Bannockburn Avenue, was arrested by members of the Toronto Police Fraud Squad, on June 18, 2009, and charged with multiple counts of uttering forged documents, fraud and failure to comply with probation.

According to police, between Aug. 22 and Dec. 8, 2008, Erez defrauded roughly $1.1 million from Glickma Investments Ltd.

Through his investigation, court appointed receiver Jerry Henechowicz concluded in a series of reports that Erez, who ran the E Graphix Ltd. print shop in Richmond Hill “operated a Ponzi scheme,” and “found little evidence that Erez Group’s actual printing business was anything other than a very small print business.”

Henechowicz further concluded Erez “would provide copies of fraudulent and or forged purchase orders, financial statements and cheques allegedly received as payment from customers.”

Reached by telephone, Mr. Henechowicz had no comment on the case.

Lou Brzezinski, a lawyer at Blaney McMurtry who was approached by the owner of Glickma Investments last February, said the matter is far from over. “It definitely will progress,” Brzezinski said. “I can tell you that there’s a whole new chapter two.” A call made to Howard Manis, Mr. Erez’s lawyer, was not returned.

After-school specialists

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1:30 pm

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Lori Greenspoon, a Toronto mother of two, first hired a tutor to help her son when he was in Grade 4.

“I sought out a private tutor to help him with homework completion and to give him an early model for how to do work well,” she recalls.
Her son wasn’t getting the one-on-one attention he needed to build self-confidence in the classroom, so Greenspoon enlisted the help of a qualified teacher on maternity leave.

Eight academic years later, her son is now in Grade 12 and in the process of applying to university. Greenspoon feels the once-a-week tutoring he received through elementary school and part of high school provided him with key strategies for problem solving and studying.

“The intention was never for his tutor to do his homework but rather analyze where he was getting stuck and provide tools needed to get through those tough spots,” Greenspoon says.

For many parents of both public and private school students, tutoring is used to supplement in-class learning.

“You can overdo it though,” Greenspoon warns. “We always kept my son’s tutoring sessions to once a week — the rest of the work he had to tackle on his own.”

This is a belief many educators share.

“One of the dangers of tutoring is that the sessions will become a crutch for learning,” says Sean Meggeson, principal teacher and tutor at Freemont Academy and Bayview Tutorial Institute. Meggeson adds that if such a scenario persists the tutoring will become ineffective because the child will fall behind the flow of his or her classroom.

“Most educators, if they’re good educators, know that just doing the work for the student won’t help anybody,” says Meggeson.
“A tutor’s primary goal should be to spark motivation and enrich the child’s learning process. The way they can do that properly is to come to the table with knowledge. Knowledge of the subject and the curriculum.”

According to Doug Moore, owner and principal of North Toronto Tutoring (part of North Toronto Academy), students are also best served if they come to their tutors prepared.

“Kids should try the work at home, keep track of the questions they have and present their needs to the tutor,” he recommends.
“It’s important for kids to think through their work themselves before seeking assistance, in order to build self-esteem and independence.”

Moore adds that a good tutor is able to provide some coaching to the student as well, offering practical tools for time management and organization skills as well as aiding with subject material.

“I often spent time talking with my son’s tutor, allowing me to pick up where she left off,” says Greenspoon.

A respectful relationship between the tutor and the student is also essential.

“It is often challenging for a parent to tutor his or her own children, especially adolescents, explains Steve Udvari, co-owner of the Study Spot, a Leaside-based academic coaching program for students in Grades 7 through university. “I’m a parent, too, and I notice that it’s much easier to get the same messages across to the students here than it is to get them across to my own children.”

Udvari adds that in order for a student to truly benefit from tutoring or coaching he or she must be willing to accept and benefit from the help.

“We’ve had to tell some parents that their child isn’t ready yet,” says Udvari. “We work with kids to help make them better students, but in order to succeed, they have to be held accountable.”

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the tutor-child relationship should come to an end. Educators agree that the best tutors will fundamentally improve the child’s approach to learning and then leave them to go out into the world.

“I look at it like this: after students work with us for a while, we become the voice in their heads,” says Udvari.
“We provide tools that allow them to be the best they can be, and offer tips for dealing with unfamiliar situations.”

Braised beef tongue and cheek at Torito

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11:49 am

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Torito Tapas Bar has long been a favourite restaurant for me to enjoy wonderful Spanish and South American influenced cuisine.

The owner, Veronica Laudes, is a charming and knowledgeable hostess. I considered the original chef, Carlos Hernandez (now on sabbatical), one of the best chefs in Toronto. His sous, Luis Valenzuela, has learned Carlos’ techniques well and has mastered his own.

To begin, we enjoyed the classical tapa of tortilla, a classical Spanish omelet, often served warm or at room temperature. This well rendered combination of thinly-sliced potatoes, onions and egg was slightly spicy and reminiscent of my recent trip to the Basque country of Spain.

A truly delicious, somewhat spicy, chestnut and chorizo soup followed. It incorporated the sweetness of finely diced carrots and a dash of olive oil — altogether a sensational complementary group of flavours and textures.

Pan fried sardines on a bed of beans, chopped radishes and fennel slaw was a follow up dish.

Next, white sea bass seviche touched with lime was served with sliced red onion, roasted corn kernels and chopped cilantro. A delightful dish.

Our next tapa was roasted quail with a pomegranate glaze, topped with pomegranate seeds and served with a well matched squash puree.

Then, one of my favourites, Chilean tripe stew — perfectly tender tripe with chickpeas topped with shaved parmesan cheese. This was a true stick to one’s ribs dish.

Our next tapa, another favourite of mine, braised beef tongue and cheek came with an intensely beef rich stock reduction and fingerling potatoes. The tongue was meltingly tender and such a good texture pairing with the beef cheeks.

Our final tapa was grilled flat iron steak, served medium rare, topped with a fried egg. It was also covered in chimichurri sauce and accompanied by the restaurant’s own homemade potato chips. Dessert was up next. A Spanish influenced almond cake with local pears compote and a very special taste complement of perfect crème fraiche. The coarsely textured almond cake was well matched to the sweet pear puree compote.

I highly recommend Torito Tapas Bar for it’s food, conviviality, casual ambiance and, oh yes I forgot, also their very good sangria.

276 Augusta Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5T 2L9, (647) 436-5874

Dr. Josh Josephson is the owner of The Cookbook Store and Josephson Opticians. He is a chevalier of Les Chevalier du Tastevin and the Le Chaine des Rotisseurs, a member of L’ordre Mondiale and a member and former president of the International Wine and Food Society, Toronto chapter.

Toronto could learn from New York model

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3:50 pm

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LAST WINTER, AS the federal Finance Department was preparing to spend billions of dollars to stimulate the economy in the face of a global economic meltdown, the David Suzuki Foundation offered its ideas on how to spend the money.

We recommended increased and sustained funding for public transit, subsidies for renewable energy and cash for research and development to green Canada’s auto sector.We also suggested that the government should take a closer look at the economic benefits of protecting our terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems.

We argued that protecting nature results in cost savings for governments because natural areas provide many direct ecological benefits that sustain the health and well-being of our communities at little or no cost. These include services like clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat and flood control. All of these are costly to replace if they are degraded or lost due to mismanagement, assuming they can be replaced at all.

The financial benefits of protecting nature have long been understood. For example, in the early 1990s, New York City chose to protect its watershed through land purchase, pollution control and conservation easements, rather than build new infrastructure to filter its water. In doing so, the city has saved billions of dollars in engineering costs.

Providing clean water at an affordable cost is a challenge in many Canadian cities because few draw their drinking water from protected watersheds. Cities like Toronto and Montreal must rely on expensive treatment systems because the ecosystems from which the water is drawn are already degraded or are tainted by pollution from industrial and agricultural activities and urban runoff.

In comparison, Vancouver’s drinking water comes from protected watersheds in the North Shore Mountains. These mature forests filter, store and regulate Vancouver’s drinking water at no cost to the taxpayer.

A recent joint study by municipal, provincial and federal agencies in B.C. estimated that Vancouver and surrounding communities could save about $1.1 million annually in storm-water infrastructure costs if they significantly increase urban forest cover.

This sort of research is important because policy-makers often ignore the full economic costs of degrading land and the ecological services it provides when making development decisions. For example, in 1973, British Columbia designated good quality farmland in the province as “agricultural land reserve” (ALR) where nonagricultural land use would be strictly controlled.

But the ALR has consistently been degraded by development, under the watch of government.

Successive governments have allowed more than 6,000 hectares of land to be removed for development from the ALR in and around the Vancouver region. It’s time we started looking at the true value of our forests, fields, farmlands and other natural and managed ecosystems beyond just the resources that we take from them.

Post City Magazines’ environmental columnist, David Suzuki, is the host of the CBC’s The Nature of Things. Dr. Suzuki is also the author of more than 30 books on ecology.