Monday, December 30, 2019

Third Suspect Jason Williams 38, of Brampton arrested in slaying of Mario Ibrahim in Mississauga

Peel Regional Police say they have arrested a third suspect in connection with the murder of a 26-year-old man who was gunned down outside a Mississauga condo building in October.

Officers were called to a shooting outside of the building on Webb Drive at around 11:50 p.m. on Oct. 22.

They arrived to find Mario Ibrahim of Stoufville suffering from gunshot wounds. First responders tried to save his life, but he died from his injuries.

According to police, Ibrahim was seated in a vehicle when a suspect walked up and fired at him multiple times before fleeing the scene in a dark-coloured SUV.

Investigators have said that two days before Ibrahim was fatally gunned down, he was the subject of another murder attempt that occurred while he was in a vehicle on Highway 401.

That incident occurred on Oct. 20. Police said that Ibrahim and a friend were leaving a business in Mississauga at around 1:35 a.m. and were travelling in a vehicle on Highway 401, approaching Highway 427, when a dark-coloured SUV pulled alongside the vehicle and shot at them several times.

The vehicle was struck multiple times, but nobody was injured in that incident.

Since Ibrahim’s killing, investigators have seized a brown 2012 Infinity IFX SUV which they allege was used in both the murder and the attempted murder. Police say the same vehicle has been tied to an armed robbery that took place at an adult entertainment club on Invader Crescent in Mississauga on Oct. 9.

On Dec. 4, a man and a woman – both from Mississauga – were arrested in connection with Ibrahim’s killing.

Brandon Drakes-Simons, 24, has been charged with first-degree murder. Melnee Christian, 24, was arrested in Calgary and returned to Ontario to face a first-degree murder charge.

In a news release, police said that 38-year-old Jason Williams of Brampton was arrested for first-degree murder in Brampton Monday morning. He was scheduled to make a court appearance Monday.

Investigators also said Monday that the investigation is ongoing and they anticipate further charges.

Police say that 34-year-old Justin Malcolm of Brampton is wanted for robbery and firearm-related offences in connection with the Oct. 9 club robbery.

Anyone with further information is being asked to contact investigators.

Please share this

Toronto Police arrest Ryan Foster 30, suspect in violent gas station robbery



Toronto police have arrested a suspect wanted in connection to the brutal assault of a gas station cashier last summer in downtown Toronto.

Police said the attack happened on June 13 just after 4 a.m. when a man, disguised with a baseball hat and hoodie, walked into a gas station at Front Street East and Sherbourne Street.

The suspect, brandishing a knife, immediately jumped over the counter and demanded that the employee open the cash register and lay on the floor.

The employee complied and the suspect began clearing money out of the register.


The suspect then started stomping on the employee’s head several times before running out of the store.

A customer later found the employee unconscious on the ground and called police. The victim suffered serious injuries including a fractured skull and orbital bone as well as cuts and bruising to his face.

On Sunday, December 29, 2019, police arrested Ryan Foster, 30, of Toronto.

He’s facing two counts each of robbery with an offensive weapon, disguise with intent, possession of a weapon and aggravated assault.
Please share this

No injuries after shots fired at bar in Jane St and Weston Rd area


Officers are investigating after shots were fired at a bar in Mount Dennis early Monday morning.

Police say shots were fired at a bar in the area of Jane Street and Weston Road shortly after midnight.

The windows of the building were shattered as a result of the gunfire and three shell casings were found at the scene.

Detailed descriptions of possible suspects or a suspect vehicle have not been released.

No one was injured.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident.

Please share this

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Oklahoma City Thunder at Toronto Raptors Game Highlights December 29, 2019



Please share this

Domonic Romal Kelly, 26, was shot to death in a car outside the 6 Eva Rd Etobicoke condo on Friday


Police have now identified the man fatally shot outside of an Etobicoke condo building early Friday morning.

In a news release issued Sunday, investigators confirmed that 26-year-old Domonic Romal Kelly was shot and killed while seated inside a parked vehicle near a building at 6 Eva Road, located near Highway 427 and Burnhamthorpe Road.

Police say suspects in a dark-coloured, four-door SUV pulled up beside Kelly’s car at around 1 a.m. and fired several shots at the victim’s vehicle before taking off.

Kelly was rushed to a trauma centre via emergency run but later died.

Several residents previously told the media that the shots were so intense that it sounded like they had come from an automatic weapon.

Police have not released any suspect descriptions and no arrests have been made.

Officers are asking anyone who witnessed the homicide or has dash camera footage of the area to contact investigators.

Please share this

Koshin Yusuf 26, of Toronto died after shooting on McCowan Road, north of Eglinton Avenue East


Toronto police say a 26-year-old man is dead after an early morning shooting in the city’s east end on Sunday.

Police said officers and paramedics were called to an apartment building on McCowan Road, north of Eglinton Avenue East, at around 2:50 a.m. with reports gunshots were fired.

According to a statement released Sunday afternoon, the victim was approached by two suspects outside the building before he was shot multiple times.

Police said the victim, who was later identified as Koshin Yusuf, died at the scene.

“The investigation remains ongoing and officers are urging anyone who was in the area at the time, or has any information about the shooting, to contact police,” the statement said.

“In particular, anyone with CCTV or dash-cam footage, around the time of the incident, is also encouraged to contact detectives.”

As of Sunday afternoon, police didn’t release a description of the suspects.
Please share this

Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics NBA Game Highlights December 28, 2019



Please share this

New York Rangers @ Toronto Maple Leafs 12/28/19



Please share this

Two people injured in stabbing near Collinson Boulevard and Wilson Avenue in North York


TORONTO -- Two people are suffering from serious injuries after a stabbing in North York Sunday morning.

Toronto police said they received a call at around 9:50 a.m. about the incident on Collinson Boulevard and Wilson Avenue.

Paramedics said a man and woman were transported from the scene to a trauma centre for treatment.

One person is in custody in connection with the incident and no other suspects are outstanding, police said. 
Please share this

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Josue Varela-Granado 21 of Toronto facing 16 charges after police confrontation

A 21-year-old man is facing up 16 charges following a confrontation with police in which the suspect allegedly pushed an officer into live traffic in Etobicoke.

Police say just before 5:30 a.m. Saturday, officers stopped behind a vehicle involved in a collision in the area of Lake Shore Boulevard and Ellis Avenue.

As police were attempting to arrest the man who they believed to be impaired by drugs, the suspect pushed the officer into live traffic before attempting to flee on foot.

Police pursued the man across the Gardiner Expressway and say there was a violent struggle once he was caught.

A loaded and concealed handgun along with a quantity of narcotics was seized.

Josue Varela-Granado of Toronto is facing a number of charges including impaired driving by drug, carrying a concealed weapon, assaulting a peace officer and several narcotics charges.

Please share this

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. New Jersey Devils Dec. 27, 2019



William Nylander scored the winner and added two assists, John Tavares picked up three points and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the New Jersey Devils 5-4.

Please share this

Toronto Maple Leafs win 6th straight after Devils score own goal in OT


Damon Severson had never scored an overtime goal in the NHL, and this wasn't how he envisioned his first.

The Devils defenceman backhanded the puck into his own net with 2:22 left in overtime, gifting the Toronto Maple Leafs a 5-4 win over New Jersey on Friday night for their season-best sixth straight victory.

Severson got the puck after Toronto's William Nylander lost control of it driving toward New Jersey's net. The 25-year-old Severson inadvertently beat goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood while trying to clear the puck out of danger. Nylander was credited with the goal.

“I was just trying to protect the puck," said Severson, who was consoled by teammates while leaving the ice. “I was not trying to do anything with it. Protect the puck and then get it out of harm’s way. I just hit it by accident into our own net.”

Nylander set up the play by taking the puck from Jack Hughes. It's Toronto's longest winning streak since November of 2017.

“It's nice to get some puck luck and have bounces go your way," Maple Leafs goaltender Michael Hutchinson said after making 24 saves. “Start of the season, felt I was playing well and making other teams have to make good plays to score goals but just as a team we weren't getting those fortunate bounces to go our way, so it's nice to get those bounces. We need to create our own luck and bounces.”

Zach Hyman, Ilya Mikheyev, Kasperi Kapanen and John Tavares scored for Toronto, which witnessed a scary moment in the third period when Mikheyev sustained a deep gash on his right wrist from Hughes' skate.

“It was obviously scary there, seeing that much blood,'' Tavares said. ”Obviously, a guy that we care deeply about and was having a great night and playing tremendous for us, so thoughts are with him.''

Mikheyev was being held for observation at a hospital.

Nico Hischier, Nitita Gusev, Kyle Palmieri and Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey, and Blackwood made 32 saves.

“Obviously, it is a tough one to swallow, but it is what it is," Palmieri said. “Mistakes. You are going to be the hero some nights and but it’s about coming in the next day and being ready."

Tavares tied it at 4 with 11:45 left in the third period with a tap-in power-play goal from Blackwood's crease. Nylander made the pass to set it up.

The teams combined for seven goals during a wide-open first 40 minutes. Palmieri and Bratt got the last two a little more than three minutes apart to give the Devils a 4-3 lead.

Palmieri scored his 15th of the season on a point-blank shot shortly after lifting Tyson Barrie's stick to take the puck and tie it at 3. Palmieri jumped on a centre -ice turnover by Kapanen to set up the go-ahead goal by Bratt at 10:11.

Hyman and Mikheyev scored 19 seconds apart late in the first period to give the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead.

With the Devils on a two-man advantage, Gusev tied it at 1:42 of the second period. Kapanen put Toronto ahead with a top-shelf shot at 5:18, but the Devils countered with two over the next five minutes for their second lead. Hischier had scored the game's first goal early.

NOTES: The teams will play two more times this season, both in Toronto (Jan. 14, Mar. 17). ... Toronto had 19 shots in the first period. It was still seven shy of its season high for a period, which it has done twice. ... Toronto is 12-4 since Sheldon Keefe replaced Mike Babcock as coach. ... Devils are 2-6 in overtime. The Maple Leafs are 5-4.
Please share this

Toronto Maple Leafs' Trevor Moore out indefinitely with concussion


Toronto Maple Leafs forward Trevor Moore will not play Friday against the New Jersey Devils and is out of the lineup indefinitely due to a concussion, the team announced.

Moore was held out of the lineup for just over a month, while battling a shoulder injury and returned on Dec. 21 against the Detroit Red Wings. However, he was ruled out of the lineup again for the Dec. 23 contest against the Carolina Hurricanes with an undisclosed injury.

The 24-year-old has posted three goals and five points in 22 games.

Toronto also recalled forward Adam Brooks and defenceman Martin Marincin from the AHL on Friday. Brooks will likely fill Moore’s void in the lineup.

It’s been an injury-riddled season for the Maple Leafs, with Mitch Marner, John Tavares, Andreas Johnsson all missing significant time this season due to various ailments, and Moore is the latest to join the infirmary ward.
Please share this

Anoshirvan Shirizadeh, 34, of Richmond Hill charged in 12 hour police standoff


A man who barricaded himself in a home for 12 hours in Richmond Hill is facing a long list of charges.

The incident began around around 10:30 a.m. Friday morning when an officer pulled over a vehicle at a gas station at Major Mackenzie Drive and Bayview Avenue during a traffic stop.

The driver then allegedly pulled out a firearm and started shooting at police.

The suspect then went inside a home on Elmwood Avenue. Police evacuated nearby homes in the area and began negotiating with the suspect.

After spending most of the day negotiating with the man, tactical units advanced on the home just before 10 p.m. and later emerged with a suspect in handcuffs.

Anoshirvan Shirizadeh, 34, of Richmond Hill is facing 10 charges including attempted murder, assault with intent to resist and several weapons charges.

The Special Investigations Unit has invoked their mandate and will also be investigating. Police have not confirmed whether Shirizadeh was injured in the alleged exchange of gunfire.

Shirizadeh remains in custody and will appear in court on Jan. 2.
Please share this

Two men dead from stab wounds near The Collegeway and Winston Churchill Blvd Mississauga apartment


Two men are dead after an altercation inside a Mississauga apartment building.

Police were called to the address near The Collegeway and Winston Churchill Boulevard just before 1 a.m. for a disturbance call.

Once on scene they located the two males with stab wounds somewhere outside of the apartment unit, where the altercation is believed to have taken place.

One of them was pronounced dead on scene while the other was taken to hospital, where he was subsequently pronounced dead.

Police say that they are not looking for any outstanding suspects in the case. .

“It is our understanding at this time that an altercation took place between both males and was not necessarily an attack on one male,” Const. Sarah Patten told reporters at the scene. “We believe it was an isolated incident between both males.”

Patten said that right now police are investigating the incident as a double homicide.

She said that one of the victims was in his late 20s while the other was in his 40s.

Both males were known to each other but were not related, Patten said.

At this time it is unclear whether the males lived in the building.

“Officers will be canvassing the area for video surveillance and for any other witnesses, so we are waiting to gather all that evidence” Patten said. “Our homicide bureau has carriage of it (the investigation) at this time.”
Please share this

235 Gosford Ave Toronto residents raising concerns over building safety


Dozens of units have been re-occupied at 235 Gosford Boulevard and many more could be on Monday, but some residents are raising concerns about the building’s safety after a fatal five-alarm fire.

They are asking the city to halt what they are calling a “rushed effort” to bring tenants back to the North York highrise.

A lawyer representing the group of residents says no information has been disclosed about what criteria is being used to determine whether the units are safe and habitable and they are concerned about air quality and the presence of toxic soot.

According to a letter to Mayor John Tory, residents are asking for the reoccupation be stopped until “an environmental engineer and/or indoor air quality hygienist confirms the building is safe.”

Just over 25 units were reoccupied on the Dec. 21st and 47 units are expected to be ready for re-occupation on Dec. 30.

A welcome letter from the building’s management, Ronkay Management, said the building has passed two fire safety inspections, the most recent on Dec. 19.

There is still no official word on the cause of the five-alarm blaze that started in an eighth floor apartment unit which claimed the life of one man and left several hundred residents displaced.

Preliminary reports said the fire did not look suspicious and the Ontario Fire Marshal’s office had narrowed the source of the fire down to one of the two bedrooms in the unit.
Please share this

Friday, December 27, 2019

Man shot and killed condo at complex in the area of Eva Road and The West Mall


Toronto police investigate a shooting in the area of Eva Road and The West Mall on Dec. 27, 2019.

A man is dead after an early-morning shooting in Etobicoke.

Toronto police were called to a condo complex in the area of Eva Road and The West Mall just after 1 a.m. on Friday for reports of machine gun fire.

When they arrived at the scene, the man was found suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to hospital, where he later died.

Police have yet to release suspect information but say there are reports that a white car was chasing a black car in the area.
Please share this

Thursday, December 26, 2019

CityTV reporter Tina Yazdani gets "FHRITP" by young man at Eaton Centre in Toronto


A vulgar phrase directed at TV reporters has reared its ugly face yet again.

CityTV reporter Tina Yazdani was at the Eaton Centre speaking with a woman about her Boxing Day shopping finds when a young man interrupted the interview.

“F— her right in the p—-,” he said into the camera and immediately walked away.

The obscene phrase was made famous in the city following a Toronto FC game in May 2015 involving CityTV News reporter Shauna Hunt.

An exasperated Yazdani shared the video via Twitter.

“It’s almost 2020 and somehow the abhorrent FHRITP trend that started in 2014 is still a problem here in Toronto,” she wrote. “We were at the Eaton Centre for Boxing Day coverage, interviewing a shopper, when it happened. Shame on this person.”


And, believe it or not, another young man is alleged to have said the same thing to a male TV reporter at a different mall.

Global News reporter Albert Delitala replied to her tweet and said the same phrase was used while he was recording a story at Yorkdale Shopping Centre.



These two incidents continue a disturbing trend of young men shouting the obscene phrase when a camera is rolling this year.

In June, after Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, a fan was interviewed by CP24 when he used the same phrase while speaking about Ayesha Curry, wife of Warriors star Stephen Curry.

Also, back in February, another young man blurted out the offensive phrase while CityTV News reporter Erica Natividad was conducting an interview, which was not live.

“No, I’m pretty sure your mom won’t be happy to see this,” cameraman Tony Fera shared on Twitter as he followed the man to help identify him.
Please share this

Dalibor Dolic, 55, was found slain in a residence at 251 Sherbourne St. on Sunday


An unknown trouble call from last weekend in Cabbagetown has become Toronto’s 74th murder of the year.

On Sunday afternoon, Toronto Community Housing Special Constables attended a complex at 251 Sherbourne St. — just north of Dundas St. E. — to conduct a well-being check and located a man in an address who was pronounced dead at the scene.

He has since been identified as 55-year-old Dalibor Dolic.

Toronto homicide officers are investigating the death and are asking anyone who had contact with Dolic between Dec. 16 and Dec. 22 to call police at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Please share this

Shooting on Christmas in Cabbagetown near Dundas and Sackville st


Emergency crews rushed a man with serious injuries to hospital after a shooting in Cabbagetown Wednesday night.

Police received reports of gunshots at around 11 p.m., in the Dundas and Sackville streets area on Dec. 25. Upon arrival, they located a man with gunshot wounds and transported him to hospital.

Police are on scene and investigating. No suspect information has been released.
Please share this

Adam Abdi sentenced to 12 years for 2018 shooting spree of random victims in Etobicoke



Adam Abdi was on a trajectory that would make any parent proud.

After graduating high school in Brampton as an Ontario scholar, Abdi was accepted in the engineering programs at the University of Toronto and York University. He excelled at sports and travelled overseas with his family to support humanitarian causes.

Yet, on five separate occasions in January 2018, Abdi drove his mother’s white Honda to Etobicoke, parked the vehicle, pulled a black mask over his face and randomly shot people he’d never met.

Miraculously, no one was killed. At the time, Abdi was under a firearm prohibition order.

Earlier this week, Superior Court Justice John McMahon accepted a Crown-defence joint submission and sentenced Abdi to 12 years in a federal penitentiary after he took responsibility for the unprovoked shootings involving six victims.

In October, Abdi pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of discharge a firearm with intent to wound, and breaching a firearm prohibition order. All other charges, including four counts of attempted murder, were withdrawn.

The sentence is on the “extreme low end of the range” but is appropriate in light of his guilty plea, family and community support, young age and mental health challenges, McMahon said.

Abdi is 22.

During three of the incidents, he discharged more than one bullet. At one crime scene, police recovered eight spent casings.

The sentencing hearing left one big unanswered question.

“It’s a mystery to us why these shootings occurred,” said Crown attorney Thomas Mack, noting that while the shootings have the hallmark of gang activity, there’s no evidence to support that.

The judge called the incidents “motiveless shootings” but said they appear to be another example of innocent young Black men being shot simply because of where they live, something “this court all too often lately has seen.”

Abdi’s shooting spree began Jan. 9, 2018 at 4 p.m., when he took aim at two people having a conversation in the front entrance of an apartment building at 560 The West Mall. Abdi fired several shots through the interior and exterior glass doors, sending the pair running for their lives. A projectile grazed the man’s arm, causing a minor injury. A 15-year-old girl escaped unharmed.

Next, Abdi targeted the Ardwick community, near Islington Avenue and Finch Avenue West. Each time, he drove to the Toronto Community Housing complex in a white Honda CRV and concealed his identity with a hooded sweatshirt and black Chicago White Sox baseball hat. He was recorded by surveillance cameras stalking in and around townhouse complex.

“I don’t think it’s any stretch to say the residents of this community must have been terrified by these shootings — that they might be the next random victim,” Mack told court Monday.

On Jan. 16, 2018, Abdi approached and stared at a man who was standing outside a unit in the Ardwick complex. Abdi produced a semi-automatic handgun, pointed it at the man and fired from close range. The victim ducked but was shot and a bullet grazed his upper arm.

Four days later, Abdi was armed and back at Ardwick in the late afternoon. He fired a shot at a man who was there visiting a friend. He dropped to the ground when he saw the gun and was not injured.

Then on Jan. 21, 2018, around 3:30 p.m., a man in his mid-30s was sitting in his car parked at 1 Ardwick Blvd. with his four-year-old daughter asleep in the rear. He was waiting for his girlfriend to use the washroom when he notice a tall, skinny man wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and Chicago White Sox baseball cap approach his vehicle. Abdi fired multiple shots from close range, sending the man ducking for cover. He sustained minor injuries and his daughter was not injured.

About an hour later, Abdi was behind the wheel of the Honda when he fired at least two shots at a man walking on Cambrian Road, near Wareside Road, a 15-minute drive southwest of Ardwick. The pedestrian suffered two gunshot wounds to his lower torso.

Police reviewed surveillance footage which showed a white SUV making a U-turn about a minute after the shooting. Located on the ground nearby was an Ontario licence plate registered to Abdi’s mother. Police arrested him at the family’s house in Brampton, where they obtained a search warrant and discovered a black Chicago White Sox baseball hat, a Smith & Wesson gun and ammunition.

Defence lawyer Dirk Derstine told court Monday it would be wrong to conclude mental health did not play a role in Abdi’s crimes.

In October 2017, a psychiatrist in Nairobi diagnosed Abdi with having bipolar disorder. He was prescribed lithium, but when he returned to Canada, he did not seek further medical attention, Derstine told court.

That year was also a turning point, Derstine said. While in Somalia, Abdi, who “appeared more affluent than the people around him” was kidnapped. He was released days later after his uncle paid a ransom. His family noticed behavioural changes in him, something his sister, Salma Abdi, addressed in a letter filed in court.

The “incredible trauma” he experienced impacted every aspect of his life, she wrote, noting her brother became withdrawn, emotionally detached and reclusive.

“In hindsight, I wish we had sought the expertise of many more medical and health practitioners in order to best craft a plan for Adam’s well-being and success.”

The judge directed that Abdi undergo a psychiatric assessment. After his pre-sentence custody was factored in, Abdi has eight years and 11 months to serve of his 12-year sentence.

McMahon — once again — blasted the unacceptable number of lockdowns at the Toronto South Detention Centre, where Abdi has been held. Because “nothing is being done by the Ministry of Corrections to remedy it, to the best of my knowledge,” the judge said he would grant him enhanced credit of 76 days time served.
Please share this

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | December 25, 2019



CELTICS at RAPTORS | FULL GAME HIGHLIGHTS | December 25, 2019 Jaylen Brown scored 30 PTS on 10-13 shooting to lift the Boston Celtics to the #NBAXmas victory over the Toronto Raptors, 118-102. Kemba Walker added 22 PTS for Boston, while Enes Kanter tallied a 12-PT, 11-REB double-double. Fred VanVleet led Toronto with 27 PTS, and Chris Boucher scored a career-high 24 PTS.
Please share this

Toronto taxi industry suit against the city over losses after Uber’s arrival is tossed out


An Ontario judge has rejected a $1.7-billion attempt by taxi plate owners to sue Toronto over losses suffered after Uber entered the city.

In a recently released Ontario Superior Court of Justice decision, Justice Paul Perell ruled that Toronto had no legal requirement to shield owners of the plates from financial harm caused by the city’s actions.

“There is no obligation to protect the economic interests of those granted taxi licences,” Justice Perell wrote. “Legislative activities inevitably affect individual citizens; for some the affect is positive, and for others the affect is negative.”

By denying certification, his decision means the case cannot proceed as a class action. However, one of the three plaintiffs said they were mulling their legal options and are planning to consult their fellow members of a taxi industry umbrella group, which has been supporting the suit.

“Number one, we can appeal it, and we have 30 days to do that. Or we can … go at it in another way, as individuals,” said Lawrence Eisenberg, adding that the judge left plate owners “no choice” but to fight on.

“He said basically that the city can do anything it wants.”

Mr. Eisenberg owns three taxi plates while fellow plaintiffs Behrouz Khamza and Sukhvir Thethi have two and one, respectively. They argue that the city, having created the conditions that gave the taxi plates their value, should be held responsible for having changed the rules to allow Uber, thereby damaging their assets.

The plates, which are issued by the city and can be bought and sold on a secondary market, permit the owner to operate a taxi or to have someone do so on their behalf. City-enforced limits on the number of plates had long helped push up their market value, which at one point hit a high of around $380,000.

However, the advent of ride-hailing companies such as Uber Technologies Inc. increased the number of vehicles chasing customers and caused plate values to plummet. According to one industry veteran, they are now trading for $10,000 to $12,000.

Justice Perell’s ruling comes after years of turmoil in the taxi industry, which has been hit hard by the emergence of Uber and other ride-hailing companies. The industry, in many cities accustomed to operating in a protected market, has seen major losses. A number of cases of driver suicide, particularly in New York, have been attributed to financial problems.

Around the world, cities have struggled to manage these new transportation providers.

Canadian jurisdictions have taken different approaches. Vancouver has long been closed to ride-hailing companies, with British Columbia announcing only this month that it would permit them. The Quebec government is ready to compensate taxi plate owners who have lost money, although the industry wants more and has taken the government to court.

In Toronto, which failed in its attempt to get an injunction to stop Uber and eventually rewrote its regulations to allow ride-hailing, there has been no serious talk at city hall about compensation.

The plaintiffs alleged in their statement of claim that the city did not properly enforce its own laws and did not act to protect the value of their plates. They launched their attempted class-action suit last year, specifying damages of $340,000 for each of the 5,500 taxi plates issued by the city, and moved for certification in March.

The lawyer for the plaintiffs declined comment this week. A spokeswoman for the city of Toronto said in an e-mail that staff “will be reviewing the decision and determine next steps as appropriate.”

In his ruling, the judge noted that the plaintiffs had to meet a five-point test for certification. He determined that they had satisfied several of the criteria and he was quite harsh on some of the city’s arguments, calling one feeble and saying another “misses the target by the proverbial country mile.”

But Justice Perell ultimately ruled that the plaintiffs failed the part of the test requiring that there be a legitimate cause of action.
Please share this

Merry Christmas Toronto



Please share this

Rapper Bvlly Jahquar Stewart dead at 24 after shooting outside his native Toronto


Rapper Bvlly was fatally shot in Oshawa, outside Toronto Tuesday, police said.

The 24-year-old performer, whose real name was Jahquar Stewart, was gunned down near a block of townhouses, according to Canadian media.

Calls at around 3 a.m. alerted authorities to the area near the Chevron Prince Path, Durham Regional Police told the outlet, where Bvlly was pronounced dead after suffering multiple gunshots.

Police cordoned off a red Mazda 3 sedan parked adjacent to the area where Bvlly was killed near Simcoe Street North and Britannia Avenue West, the outlet reported.

A resident nearby to the crime scene told the media seven gunshots rang out that he could hear while in his garage.

A resident named Amanda Alldread told The Star about the 'scary' sequence she experienced as she headed out to smoke a cigarette.

'I opened the door and heard "Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop" … there were about 10 shots,' Alldread said. 'I ducked back in because I was scared.'

She said when the gunfire ceased, she saw a white vehicle with tinted windows vacating the area. She added: 'I thought I lived in a good neighborhood, but I guess things can happen anywhere.'

Bvlly, a Toronto native, released the single No Light Bag last year and the album Made In Austria three months ago.

Homicide and forensics officials were working on the scene, Durham Regional Police said in a statement, adding that no arrests have been made in the case.

Police said that anyone with information about this shooting is asked to contact Det. Lock of the Homicide Unit at 1-888-579-1520 ext. 5418 or Det. Moore at ext. 5326.

Information can be sent anonymously information 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online, with a $2,000 cash reward offered to those with pertinent information in the case.
Please share this

The NBA comes to Toronto on Christmas Day


The MVP is playing.

So are the reigning champions, north of the border.

And out in LA, the NBA’s newest dynamic duos will square off as well.

On the 65th day of the season, with 454 games – more than one-third of the schedule – already in the books, the NBA’s unofficial start date has arrived. The annual Christmas Day quintupleheader of games is Wednesday, the day when the casual fan typically turns his or her attention toward the NBA.

“It’s going to be cool, man,” said Toronto guard Kyle Lowry, who’ll be making his Christmas debut. “It’s going to be very cool. I’ve always watched it on TV ever since I was a young child. And it’s going to be awesome to step foot on that floor on Christmas Day, have my family and friends around and have the whole world watching.”

The good news from a ratings perspective: Four of the Eastern Conference’s five best teams so far are on the schedule, all playing each other. The bad news: The two worst teams in the Western Conference so far also are on the schedule. But LeBron James and Anthony Davis’ first Christmas as Los Angeles Lakers teammates – facing off against the crosstown rival Clippers – should certainly draw plenty of eyeballs.

“I hope everybody has a great holiday and spends some time with their families, but it’s about the next opponent in front of us,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “We have to get a win.”

The other matchups: Boston goes to Toronto in the NBA’s first Christmas game in Canada, followed by Milwaukee visiting Philadelphia, Houston going to Golden State, the Lakers-Clippers contest and then a nightcap between New Orleans and a Denver team led by Nikola Jokic and off to the best start in franchise history at 20-8.

“You’re always told that the best teams play on Christmas, the All-Star players play on Christmas and the whole world is watching this game,” said Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, the league’s reigning MVP who has even better numbers this year than he did a year ago.

The potential certainly exists for some playoff-preview matchups. It’s not a stretch to think that the Raptors and Celtics or 76ers and Bucks will wind up meeting in a best-of-seven come April or May. And the same holds true in Los Angeles, where the Clippers and Lakers might be the best of the West.

The Lakers have Davis and James. The Clippers now have Paul George and two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. Those two pairings shook up the league’s landscape considerably when they came together this past summer, and so far with the Lakers at 24-6 and the Clippers at 22-10, neither side has much to complain about.

“I think we’re good,” George said. “I think we’re good.”

The Clippers are 10-3 in games where both Leonard and George start. Davis and James are one of two duos where both are averaging more than 25 points per game; Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins in Minnesota are the other.

The pairing of James and Davis has looked spectacular at times already. If there was any confusion about whether those two superstar talents could work together, those questions have been answered.

“We know what the end goal is,” Davis said. “And when you have guys like that, with veteran leadership, when everyone is locked in to our goal, it’s easy for us to jell together.”

James puts it even more simply.

“It’s about getting better, each and every day,” James said.

Christmas is where last year’s Lakers season went wrong – they were fourth in the West, then James got hurt on Dec. 25 and LA went on a free fall out of the playoff picture. And injuries will affect some of what the league gets to display on Christmas this year as well.

Golden State has been doomed by injuries all season, with no Klay Thompson and no Stephen Curry for much of this season. New Orleans was picked to be part of the showcase day because of No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, who has yet to appear in a regular-season game – his summer league was cut short by injury, and a stellar preseason ended the same way. And Toronto is missing several top players right now, including Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol.

But make no mistake: The Raptors have been waiting a long time to be part of NBA Christmas. Wednesday is their first time on the holiday schedule since 2001.

“It’ll be interesting,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. “I wish we had more of our regular guys playing in it, but we’ve got to go play the game nevertheless. So we’ll see. I think it’ll be fun. I’m getting a lot of messages from back home. Everybody’s going to be watching.”
Please share this

1 person killed after being struck by train at Union Station Toronto


A person has died after being struck by a train at Union Station Tuesday night.

Metrolinx called the incident a "tragic accident."

Around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, a Lakeshore West train struck a person at Union Station, according to Metrolinx.

It is not clear how the person was struck by the train.

All UP Express trains were suspended for the night, but have since resumed.

Police have not released any more information about the victim or the circumstances of the incident.
Please share this

Male victim shot and seriously hurt outside Studio6 hotel in Mississauga


A male victim is in serious condition in hospital after he was shot outside a hotel in central Mississauga on Wednesday morning.

Peel Regional Police say they were called to Studio 6 hotel, in the Hurontario Street and Britannia Road area, just after 1 a.m. for a report of a shooting.

They arrived to find a male victim suffering from gunshot wounds and a black Audi sedan riddled with bullet holes.

Paramedics took the victim to a Toronto hospital trauma centre for treatment.

A black running shoe and multiple shell casings were seen scattered around the bullet-riddled vehicle.
Please share this

Person found without vital signs in burning dumpster at 44 Romfield Dr in North York


A person was found inside a burning dumpster in North York Tuesday afternoon, Toronto paramedics say.

Emergency personnel responded to reports of a fire in a dumpster at 44 Romfield Drive near Keele and Finch at 3:45 p.m.

Paramedics said they attended the scene and assessed a patient for life-threatening injuries but did not transport the patient to hospital.

Toronto police confirmed they were called to the scene, but would not provide any additional information.
Please share this

Sister Carmelina's sainthood moves from Toronto to the Vatican

Father Claudio Piccinini could use a few miracles.

For one, a miracle would really help Sister Carmelina Tarantino. She died in 1992, but a confirmed miracle now would send her sainthood application hurtling through to the next phase of the bureaucratic process in Rome.

The Archdiocese of Toronto recently wrapped up its 10-year investigation of Sister Carmelina and sent 10,000-pages of documents to the Vatican in November. She could be Toronto's first-ever saint, but the process can take years - even centuries - to complete.

Piccinini, a 79-year-old Catholic priest who belongs to the Passionist congregation, does not have that long. His once-dark beard and curly hair have gone white.

He stands on a bridge over a waterfall on a 200-acre property known as Teopoli, or the City of God, in Gravenhurst, Ont. Beavers swim in the creek as he reflects on Sister Carmelina's life, and the time he has left.

“We really miss her. What she could do, I could not dream of doing,” Piccinini says.

What she could do was attract legions of devotees, who lined up to see her in what Piccinini calls the “glory days” of the 1970s and 80s.

Sister Carmelina first came to Canada from Liveri, near Naples, Italy, on July 4, 1964 to join her seven brothers and sisters who were already here. Three other siblings remained in Italy.

She was not well, and eventually she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. By 1969, she was admitted to Riverdale Hospital and would never leave. Doctors removed her left leg, left hip and her right breast. She lost the use of her right leg. She was given, at most, two months to live.

She lived through high fevers, headaches and bodily pain that only abated, briefly, with her morphine shot that came every six hours. The wounds from her surgeries never healed, so hospital staff built a canopy of her bed sheets so the seeping blood wouldn't stick.

She lay prone the rest of her life, only her arms and head able to move.


One day in 1973, Sister Carmelina called Piccinini from the hospital after hearing him on the radio. She told the priest about her illness and her then four-year stay in the hospital.

“I got it very quickly that this person is a very special individual,” Piccinini says.

He told her about Societa Unita, an association of Roman Catholic families he started, and his dream for the land in Gravenhurst: to build a destination for people to pray, relax and have fun. She fell in love with the idea. He fell for her devotion, wisdom and her seemingly inhuman tolerance for suffering.

“I wish I could help you,” she said.

“You can because you got the goods,” he remembers telling her.

A lifelong friendship blossomed, and in those “glory days” of the 70s and 80s Sister Carmelina attracted legions of devotees. They lined up inside Riverdale Hospital, which has since been demolished to make way for a new hospital, to talk to her, to be in her presence.

“Now we say, 'Where are you? We need you here. We need a miracle. We need people. We need help.”'

Hundreds still flock to Teopoli every year, including an annual summer pilgrimage from Toronto that takes about eight days to walk. They come to kiss the five-metre tall cross that is the compound's focal point; to soak up the memory of Sister Carmelina; and to spend a day in prayer.

But they used to come by the thousands.

And in the intervening years, many of the property's buildings have fallen into disrepair - two had to be demolished in 2018, including the chapel, the contents of which are now in the dining room.

Teopoli is the result of both Sister Carmelina's vision and the hard work of Piccinini and many others in the devoted Italian-Canadian Catholic community.

The devotees remain steadfast. Three of them - Romeo Meleca, 88, Frank Tedesco, 93, and, Joe Colalillo, 72 - tend to a long to-do list of chores on a chilly December day. Winter is downtime at Teopoli, with fewer visitors than in the warmer months. For now, only Colalillo lives on the property.


Meleca lost his ability to walk in 1976. Arthritis affected several discs in his back and he needed crutches to walk. Inspired by Sister Carmelina's suffering, he threw away his medication. Five years later, his back healed, he walked to Teopoli, some 200 kilometres away, the first pilgrim. He walked again last year.

“I have been helping here at Teopoli ever since, to thank God for my legs,” Meleca says as he wipes sweat from his brow and sips red wine.

In 1976, Piccinini says he did “the craziest thing in his life” when he asked to see Sister Carmelina's diary.

“A man does not ask a woman to allow you to read her diary,” he says. She was on a spiritual journey, but she was also suffering. He wanted to see if he could help.

She said yes.

“On June 2, 1975, my dear good friend Jesus came to see me,” she wrote.

“I just went dead,” Piccinini says.

“I thought, 'Is this really happening or is this in your mind? Are you hallucinating?”'

He spent years probing her claim, being “part FBI agent.” She detailed the experiences in her diary, including prayers with Jesus, who she said held her hands at her bedside.

Piccinini says he tested her, asking her to write down one of the prayers. When he returned the next week, he found a prayer in Latin, a language Sister Carmelina, who had only a fifth-grade education, did not speak.

“I'm looking at all her books, thinking she copied it. She's a genius and out-thinking me,” he says.

“She wakes up and says, 'You can look all you want, you're not going to find it there.”'

Then came the “incident in Massachusetts,” as Piccinini calls it.

He was working there when a woman, full of tears, told him about her inability to get pregnant. He told her he'd ask for Sister Carmelina's help. He phoned his good friend that night, and she told him to relay the message that the woman would get pregnant.

Piccinini says he reluctantly told the woman. Several months later, the woman returned with news she was pregnant and later gave birth to a baby boy. Her doctors, Piccinini said, were astounded.

He was now convinced Sister Carmelina was “in tune with God.”

So in 1977, Piccinini helped her become a Passionist Sister of St. Paul of the Cross. More than 300 packed into a room at the hospital for the ceremony.

Now, Sister Carmelina has the backing of Catholics across Toronto, including Rev. Frank Carpinelli, who was tasked as the woman's postulator, shepherding the 10-year-probe of Sister Carmelina - gathering her writings, tapes and testimonials of 60 people who knew her.

“We ended up with 10,865 pages of documentation,” Carpinelli said.

That filled six banker's boxes. And he needed three copies, with each document notarized.

“From what I experienced, I am absolutely convinced this is a very holy woman,” he said.

“Now we wait.”

The next step is to be declared venerable, which means, essentially, she “was a good person who we should honour as an example,” according to Cardinal Thomas Collins of the Toronto archdiocese.

Collins does not think Sister Carmelina will have to wait long to become venerable, but after that she'll need a couple of miracles to become a saint.


“Then we ask the Lord to show us a sign that this is someone we should look to as a model Christian,” Collins says. “That is usually a miracle.”

A thorough vetting process kicks in at the Vatican, which employs a number of people, including medical experts - ideally atheists - and a lawyer, the Devil's Advocate, to poke holes in miraculous claims.

The miracles are usually medical in nature and cannot be explained by science, Carpinelli says.

Once satisfied, the person is beatified and declared “blessed.” After that, Sister Carmelina would need one more miracle to be declared a saint, a process called canonization.

The cardinal says Sister Carmelina's message is more important than the road to sainthood.

“The message is simple: show love, even despite suffering,” Collins said.

“I sure think she's a saint. Her holiness came in bearing with an illness with love and not with anger. And by doing that she changed the lives of countless of people. She did more from her hospital bed than most people do any other way.”

Please share this

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Dale Nelson 31, of Toronto charged in fatal stabbing of 51-year-old Andrew Downs in Parkdale


TORONTO -- A 31-year-old man has been charged in connection with the death of a Toronto man who was stabbed outside of a Parkdale apartment complex Monday afternoon.

Emergency crews were called to the area of Jameson Avenue and King Street just before 2 p.m. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a man suffering from stab wounds.

The victim, who has since been identified as 51-year-old Andrew Downs, was rushed to the hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.

According to investigators, there was an altercation between the victim and the suspect outside of the building prior to the stabbing. The two parties were known to one another, police said.

The suspect fled the scene before turning himself into police a short time later.

Dale Nelson, of Toronto, has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the incident.

Homicide investigators say they are still asking anyone who witnessed the incident or who may have dashboard camera video of the area to contact police or reach out to Crime Stoppers anonymously.
Please share this

Toronto Police searching for Ryan Foster, 30 in violent robbery investigation


TORONTO -- A man accused of robbing a gas station and violently assaulting an employee in downtown Toronto in June is being sought by police.

Police said that the incident happened on June 13 at about 4:08 a.m. after a man entered a gas station kiosk at Front Street East and Lower Sherbourne Street wearing a baseball hat and a hoodie pulled tightly around his face.

The suspect then brandished a knife and jumped over the counter before pointing the knife at the victim and demanding that he open the cash register, police allege. The suspect then ordered the victim to lay on the floor.

The suspect allegedly removed the money from the till and put it in his pockets while the victim remained on the floor, according to police.

After removing all the money from the till, police said the suspect “stomped” on the victim’s head several times, leaving him unconscious.

The suspect then fled the store.

Police said that the victim was later transported to hospital suffering from a fractured eye socket, a fractured skull, as well as cuts and bruising to his face.

A suspect has been identified by police as Ryan Foster, 30, of Toronto.

Foster is described by police as standing five-foot-eight to five-foot-ten with a muscular build. He has several tattoos on his body, including stars on his chest, the words “Foster Baby” on his right hand, a Pisces sign on the right side of this neck and a cross on his right forearm.

Police said that Foster should be considered dangerous, adding that anyone who sees Foster should not approach him but to call 9-1-1 instead.

Anyone with information is being asked to contact police at 416-808-7350 or to leave an anonymous tip at Crime Stoppers.
Please share this

Toronto Raptors at Indiana Pacers December 23, 2019



Aaron Holiday (19 PTS, 10 AST) and Myles Turner (24 PTS, 7 REB, 3 BLK) each hit a career-high 5 triples to lead the Indiana Pacers past the Toronto Raptors in OT, 120-115. T.J. Warren added 24 PTS in the win, while Kyle Lowry tallied 30 PTS, 6 REB, 9 AST and 5 3PM for Toronto.

Please share this

Carolina Hurricanes vs Toronto Maple Leafs December 23, 2019



Please share this

Toronto mayor John Tory: A $1.4 billion surplus isn’t big enough?


Toronto city council has just approved an extra increase in property taxes — another 1.0 per cent in 2020 and 2021 on top of a previously approved 0.5 per cent hike, and a full 1.5 per cent for four years starting in 2022. Mayor John Tory, previously a staunch supporter of holding the line on property taxes, pushed it. The vote went 22-3 in favour — a convincing margin considering most politicians hate to vote for higher taxes. Even many conservative commentators praised the hike as necessary to support social services and better infrastructure. Which makes me wonder: how many on council, in the media, or the city at large know anything about Toronto’s fiscal numbers? Does anyone?

Here’s a test. What was the City of Toronto’s actual bottom line in 2018, the last year for which it has published its financial results? I’ll give a hint: Toronto ran a surplus. How big? Here’s another hint: its expenses in 2018 totalled $12.3 billion.

So how big was Toronto’s 2018 surplus? You might have guessed something around $1 million. Maybe $10 million. Surely not more than $100 million. Why else would council be approving an extraordinary tax hike — against the mayor’s explicit previous promises — and why else would this reversal of a foundational policy be garnering widespread applause? Surely Toronto needs the money to avoid cuts to essential services and deterioration of its transit system, roads and sewers. If its bottom line isn’t in the red, it must be just barely in the black.

Almost nobody knows that Toronto ran a $1.4 billion surplus in 2018. Or that surpluses around 10 per cent of revenues are typical of the city’s performance over the past five years

Wrong, wrong and wrong! Toronto’s actual surplus in 2018 — the excess of the city’s total revenue over its total expenses — was more than $1.4 billion.

The city’s audited financial statements show that it realized more than $13.7 billion in revenue, which covered the $12.3 billion in expenses just mentioned, leaving a surplus upward of $1.4 billion.
That is a startling number. And not just as a prelude to an extraordinary tax hike. It means that Toronto’s surplus was more than 10 per cent of its revenue. In other words, for every dollar of revenue, it needed less than 90 cents to cover its expenses, with the rest going to build up its net worth. That’s as though the province of Ontario, with $153.7 billion in revenue in its latest (2018/19) fiscal year, had posted a $16.0 billion surplus, instead of its actual $7.4 billion deficit. Or as though the federal government, with $332.2 billion in revenue in 2018/19, had posted a $34.7 billion surplus, instead of its actual $14.0 billion deficit.

We should pause to give the City of Toronto credit for running in the black. It would be good for Ontarians if their provincial government did the same and good for all of Canada if the feds ceased their chronic borrowing.

But there’s a key difference at the city level. If Ontario or the federal government were running that far in the black, their budgets at the beginning of the year would prefigure the good news, and the budget debates would feature potential program increases and tax cuts. Toronto’s budgets prefigured nothing of the sort. The only way people in Toronto can get a sense of the city’s fiscal situation is by looking backward. Which hardly anybody does. So almost nobody knows that Toronto ran a $1.4 billion surplus in 2018. Or that surpluses around 10 per cent of revenues are typical of the city’s performance over the past five years.

How can this be? Each of those years featured high-anxiety debates about cuts in services and maintenance just to balance the budget. The weird answer — which also helps explain the city’s shabby and inadequate infrastructure — is that Toronto does not present budgets that match its financial statements. City budgets do not show capital investments as assets and amortize them as they deliver their services. That would be sensible: that is how they appear in Toronto’s financial statements, and how they appear in provincial and federal budgets and financial statements. Instead, Toronto’s budgets show them as cash outlays. That makes them look hard to afford — so Toronto builds less infrastructure, and more slowly, than it could.

This weird budgeting also helps explain the surpluses — and the tax increase council just voted — because it induces Toronto to collect too much cash upfront for what it does build. Think of the development charges that raise the price of new homes. And the property taxes its citizens pay already. The result of all this pre-paying is that the healthy overall fiscal position Toronto’s surpluses have created — positive net worth of $19.7 billion at the end of 2018 — includes something else council members probably don’t know about: $11.3 billion of financial assets. Toronto shouldn’t be running an investment portfolio. Some of that money should already have been invested in physical assets such as transit, roads and sewers. And some of it should not have been taxed at all.

When Toronto sets its 2020 budget, including the anticipated revenue from the new tax hike, councillors and city residents should insist on seeing projections that match what the city will publish at the end of the year. Those projections will show that Toronto is on course for another big surplus. Which will come as a surprise — to no-one more than the councillors who just voted for a tax increase and the pundits who applauded them for doing it.
Please share this

Michael Johnson, 40 Driver accused in deadly impaired collision denied bail

It wouldn’t be fair to society to grant bail to a man accused of driving drunk, killing two students and seriously injuring a third, a judge said Monday.

On Sunday evening, two 19-year-old Centennial College international students died while walking home with noodle dinners after being hit by an out-of-control car in the city’s east end on Sunday evening.

Michael Johnson, 40, of Pickering was arrested at the scene and faces nine charges including impaired driving causing death.

Toronto Police say the collision happened on Progress Ave. at Markham Rd. around 6:35 p.m Sunday when an eastbound Mazda lost control, mounted the sidewalk and hit a guardrail before striking three young male pedestrians.

The deceased were identified as Wei Jie Zhu-Li from China and Damir Kussain from Kazakhstan, while the man injured is Jun Je Zhu Li, Wei Jie’s older brother.

He remains in serious condition in hospital.

Centennial College said the three victims were international students who were staying at the Progress Campus residence over the holidays.

Police are asking anyone with information or dashcam footage to contact them 416-808-1900.

“This is a time for families, friends and festive fun. No one’s holiday should come to a tragic end because of an impaired driver,” said MADD Canada CEO Andrew Murie.

“If your going to be consuming alcohol, cannabis or other drugs, please play it safe and leave the driving to someone sober.”

Please share this

1 dead, 2 injured in overnight shootings around GTA


One person is dead and two others are injured after three separate shootings around the GTA Monday night.

Durham police Insp. Mitch Martin said they received a call for shots fired in Oshawa, near a new town house complex on Chevron Prince Path, near Simcoe Street and Highway 407.

When police arrived, they located a man with gunshot wounds, Martin said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Windows around the property were shattered.

Durham's homicide unit is investigating.

Two other shootings occurred in Toronto, one on Thorncliffe Park Drive and the other outside of a home near the corner of Bathurst Street and Finch Avenue.

Toronto police Duty Insp. Mandeep Mann said officers located a 19-year-old male on Thorncliffe Park Drive around midnight who was suffering from gunshot wounds. He was quickly transported to a trauma hospital in serious condition.

"I'm told that male is in stable condition and thankfully will survive his injuries," said Mann.

About an hour later, Mann said another male victim sustaining gunshot wounds was located on Dollery Court. He was also transported to a trauma hospital and is expected to live.

Mann said the victim was standing in front of a residence when three unknown males approached. One of the males fired at the victim before they fled westbound and hopped into a "dark model vehicle."

Police are still looking for suspects in all three shootings.
Please share this

Man seriously hurt at 126 Dollery Court in North York shooting



A man is in serious condition after he was shot outside a townhouse in North York’s Branson neighbourhood early on Tuesday morning.

Toronto police 32 Division said they were called to a home on Dollery Court, north of Finch Avenue West and west of Bathurst Street, at 1:20 a.m. for a report of shots fired.

They arrived to find an adult male suffering from at least one gunshot wound.

He was taken to a hospital trauma centre for treatment.

Paramedics say his injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Investigators said no suspect information was available.
Please share this

Man, 19, shot in both legs at 47 Thorncliffe Park Drive Toronto


A 19-year-old man is in serious but stable condition in hospital after he was shot in both legs in Toronto’s Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood late on Monday night.

Toronto police 53 Division said they were called to 47 Thorncliffe Park Drive, off Overlea Boulevard, at 11:49 p.m. for reports of shots fired.

Officers arrived to find a 19-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds to both legs.

He was rushed a hospital trauma centre for treatment.

Police and a witness said a black SUV was seen driving away from the area at a high rate of speed after the shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to call 416-808-5300.
Please share this

Monday, December 23, 2019

Two 19-year-old men and teen boy arrested after Scarborough muggings


Toronto police have charged two men and a teen boy with robbery following two Scarborough muggings earlier this month.

Police allege that on Friday, Dec. 13, and Thursday, Dec. 19, between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., three males were involved in muggings in the Scarborough area.

The males would watch their victims go into banks and then on their way back to their cars, the men would approach their victims from the back, assault and rob them of their belongings, police said in a Monday news release.

Police also allege that the perpetrators used a stolen car and committed offences in other areas.

On Saturday, police arrested Nelson Lasu and Jerome Brown, both 19, from Toronto. They are charged with two counts of robbery each, and three counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

Both appeared in court at Old City Hall on Sunday, Dec. 22.

On Sunday, police charged a 15-year-old boy from Toronto with two counts of robbery, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000 and three counts of disobeying a court order.

He appeared in court at 1911 Eglinton Avenue East on Monday.

He cannot be identified under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

As a result of further investigation, police now believe there may be other victims. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-4200, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477).

Please share this

Damir Kussain and Wei Jie Zhu-Li by Centennial College were car crash victims


Two Centennial College students killed when they were struck by an alleged impaired driver have been identified. A third student remains in hospital with serious injuries.

Police were called to the intersection of Markham Road and Progress Avenue at around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

When officers arrived, police said they found three pedestrians had been hit by a vehicle.

Two of the men, both 19, had life-threatening injuries and later died in hospital. A third man, aged 21, was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.


Two of the pedestrians are brothers — the 21-year-old in hospital and one of the 19-year-old men killed.

The victims have been identified as Damir Kussain and Wei Jie Zhu-Li by Centennial College. Jun Ji Zhu-Li is the third victim who remains in hospital. All three were international students.

“It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we must inform our Centennial College community of a tragic single-vehicle collision near Progress Campus last night that resulted in the deaths of two of our students and serious injury to another,” the college said in a statement.

Police said the three students were returning to campus after getting some food.

Police said the 40-year-old driver was heading east on Progress and through the intersection at a high rate of speed when he lost control of the vehicle, mounted the sidewalk, struck a guardrail and then hit the three pedestrians.

Michael Johnson, from Pickering, was arrested at the scene and is facing nine impaired driving related charges including two counts of impaired driving causing death.

Johnson was denied bail during a court appearance.

His father outside the courthouse said “I’m sorry, we’re sorry,” when asked if he had anything to say to the families of the two boys who were killed.

Please share this

Man dead after afternoon stabbing near Jameson Ave and King St downtown Toronto


A man has died after a stabbing near downtown Toronto, officials say.

A Toronto police spokesperson told Global News emergency crews were called to Jameson Avenue near King Street West just before 2 p.m. on Monday after the victim, who is believed to be in his 50s, was found with injuries.

A spokesperson for Toronto Paramedics said the man was taken to hospital in serious and “possibly life-threatening” injuries.

However, police later said the victim died in hospital.

Investigators said officers are looking for a male suspect.

Anyone with information was asked to call police at 416-808-1400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-8477.

Please share this