Sam the Record Man sign probably gone for good

The iconic neon Sam the Record Man sign will likely never cast its rays on Yonge Street again. Ryerson University, which bought and demolished the famous Yonge Street record store to make way for its new Student Learning Centre, promised to re-hang the sign in 2008, but now the city is preparing to let the university off the hook.

A revised heritage proposal, which still needs the approval of city council, requires Ryerson to keep the sign in storage for up to two years while "other preservation opportunities are explored." The change also mandates alternative "commemorative actions" by the university in the form of a granite or bronze interpretive plaque to be sunk into the sidewalk just north of Gould Street.



Ryerson has been stalling on returning the two-storey sign to the street - Yonge or Gould - for more than five years, citing cost, design, and safety concerns. A report by custom signage experts Gregory Signs & Engraving Ltd. said mercury could leak from the sign in the event of a fire. A shortage of qualified neon sign professionals, a problem that also disrupted restoration of the El Macambo sign, further stymied progress.

To further complicate the issue, the architects responsible for the Student Learning Centre noted the giant records clashed with the modern design of the new building. "[Snohetta and Zeidler Partnership Architects] cited resource and energy concerns, conflict with the design of the new building and the distraction within the interior of the building caused by the signs' flashing lights," the report says.



The sign was built in 1961 to mark Sam Sniderman's flagship record store. The company grew from a stand in the Sniderman family's radio store to a much-loved nationwide chain - "140 locations, coast to coast." Today only one store remains, tucked in a corner of the Quinte Mall in Belleville, Ont.
Heritage staff say they're "disappointed" the signs won't been restored to their original location but are "satisfied" Ryerson explored all possible avenues.
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Several stabbings overnight in Toronto

TORONTO - An arrest was made Saturday in a stabbing at Kingston Rd. bar Saturday when the accused returned for a drink.

A man was stabbed outside the Sunny Sports Bar and Grill on Kingston Rd. near Galloway Rd. around 11 p.m. after one man was stabbed. He was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

“It happened out in front of the bar, so there were lots of people,” said 43 Division Staff-Sgt. Danny Dion.

But late Saturday the accused when a 55-year-old man showed up for a drink and people in the bar called police, police said.

That was part of a violent start to the Labour Day weekend as police investigated a spate of separate stabbings ibetween Friday night and early Saturday morning.

Another young man is in custody and one was taken to hospital after an altercation broke out around 3 a.m. Saturday morning on Yonge St. near Sheppard Ave W.

Staff-Sgt. Cheryl King of 32 Division couldn’t say how the altercation started but that it occurred right on the street and resulted in a 20-year-old man being taken to hospital with a stab wound to his shoulder. He has since been released from hospital.

Sam Naghavi of Richmond Hill is charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm.

And nvestigators responded to an incident on Eglinton Ave. W. near Keele St. just before midnight, where a 22-year-old was stabbed in the stomach by another man. The victim, however, isn’t talking to investigators.

“Because the victim is being uncooperative and not telling us anything ... we only have one of the video cameras (in the area) that caught it.” said 12 Division Staff-Sgt. Keith Smith, adding that it has left police with no idea of a motive, or a good description of the suspect. “Maybe after one ... or two days in hospital, he’ll let us know what happened.”

The victim was taken to Sunnybrook Hospital, underwent emergency surgery and was in stable condition as of Saturday afternoon.

And in an incident near Yonge and Dundas Sts., police found a male stabbing victim in a parking lot around 1 a.m. He was taken to hospital with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Please share this

Toronto is the Worlds 4th Most Livable City

4. Toronto
What Telegraph Travel says:
"North America’s fourth largest city is arguably its most vibrant, thanks to the waves of young immigrants, who have transformed a rather sober destination into the world’s most cosmopolitan. Few cities are as creative, thanks to talented fashion designers and artists, architects and craftspeople, musicians and chefs. The museums are world class, while the large student population adds to the buzz. "
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Rob Ford, Kathleen Wynne admit to smoking pot

Fessing up to indulging in marijuana is apparently the new cool thing to do for Canadian politicians.
Following in the wake of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau’s support for legalizing pot as well as an admission that he’s taken a “puff” since becoming an MP, other big names are talking about their own history with marijuana.

On Wednesday, Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne admitted she smoked a joint — 35 years ago, before she was elected to provincial parliament.

The Canadian Press reports she couldn’t say whether she was on board with Trudeau when it comes to legalization and would want to discuss the pros and cons first.

Later on, Toronto mayor Rob Ford was asked at a presser if he’s smoked marijuana and said not only that he had, but that he’d smoked “a lot of it.”

Although that admission should come as no surprise given that in 1999 he was arrested in Miami for drunk driving and marijuana possession.

The Huffington Post Canada recently asked NDP leader Tom Mulcair and Prime Minister Stephen Harper about their marijuana use. Mulcair said he has in the past, but refused to say when. Harper has never even tried pot due to asthma, his office told HuffPost.

Although certainly a current hot topic, Canadian politicians have often been quizzed on whether or not they use, or have used, marijuana.

Politicians who have admitted to at least trying marijuana (even if they didn’t like it) include:

• Jim Flaherty, Conservative Minister of Finance
• Stockwell Day, former Conservative cabinet minister
• Jack Layton, late leader of the NDP
• Dalton McGuinty, former Liberal premier of Ontario
• Brad Wall, premier of Saskatchewan

Former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin may or may not have also eaten hash brownies.

According to the Centre for Addition and Mental Health, 44 per cent of Canadians have tried marijuana at some point in their lives. The 2007 World Drug Study, Canadians smoke pot at four times the world average. Canadian teens also smoke more pot than any other country’s youth in the developed world, according to the World Health Organization.

In short, Canadians like pot — and so do our politicians.
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Is Giorgio Mammoliti's giant flagpole dream dead?

If you have driven near Finch Ave. and Highway 400 at any point in the past two years without becoming overwhelmed by patriotic fervour, know that it was not supposed to be this way.

There was supposed to be a giant Canadian flag. Atop a giant flagpole, North America’s largest. Tourists were supposed to flock to the adjacent square. And a long-ignored corner of the city was supposed to stand tall as a destination — a destination where otherwise Canadian Canadians might well break down in grateful tears.

“It waves so slowly,” Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti said in 2010 of a similar flag in Mexico City, “you want to cry about how proud we are to be Canadian.”

In 2010, Mammoliti’s council colleagues took a break from Viagra jokes long enough to approve the project 30-6. Mammoliti said the flag would be flying by Canada Day 2011.

It never happened.

The city was directed to buy two vacant hectares at Finch and Arrow Rd., erect the 125-metre pole, and then recoup the millions of dollars in costs from the Emery Village Business Improvement Area. But negotiations with the landowner failed “over a year ago,” said city official Mike Major. “There were always challenges to delivering this project ... a key issue was the city being able to acquire the property at a reasonable price.”

Whether the project is all but dead depends on whom you talk to. Sandra Farina, the BIA’s executive director, said Wednesday that the group is “not currently pursuing it in any which way right now.”

She added: “There’s nothing happening with the BIA and the flagpole right now. We are at a standstill with that. It’s not an ongoing issue.”

Mammoliti disagrees. “The Emery Village Square is a project that is alive,” he said in an email, “and well deserved” by the area.

After the Star contacted Mammoliti, Farina quickly issued a “clarification” email, saying: “I want to reiterate and clarify that the Emery Village Square project is an active file.”

BIA board member Tim Lambrinos said the city “sabotaged” the project by walking away from land talks even though the two sides weren’t far apart. He said there is still hope: a private investor, whom he didn’t name might come on board. “I think it’s going to fly,” he said.

Visitors to Mammoliti’s office have long been greeted by an architectural model of the project Mammoliti proudly placed just outside. But this summer it has been missing the miniature flagpole.

Somebody took the thing. Nobody knows why.
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Tax auditors target condo sellers in hunt for ‘flippers’

A Toronto tax lawyer is warning realtors — and people who’ve bought and sold new condos over the past seven years — that they could become unwitting victims of what he calls “abusive audit practices” by the Canada Revenue Agency.

Tax auditors have been targeting the once red-hot Toronto and Vancouver real estate markets, looking primarily for people who bought condos before they were built, intending to flip them for a profit as soon as the project is complete.

But other folks, including some who were forced to sell because their circumstances changed in the years it took for their new condo or home to be built, have been hit with the kind of massive tax bills usually reserved for real estate speculators.

Toronto tax lawyer William Howse is warning realtors in a two-page bulletin, now being distributed to brokerages, that they also could be inadvertently swept up in the net.

He cautions that if they have advised clients to cash in their condos or new homes too soon after construction is completed, even to use the gains to buy up, they could have clients sue for advice that is deemed to have run afoul of the taxman.

The Toronto Real Estate Board declined to discuss the issue, other than to say the rules are “generally clear on the amount of time one has to occupy a unit (as a principal residence) to benefit from a capital gains exemption.”

But the reality is, the law does not stipulate a specific amount of time.

Folks who’ve sold condos or houses less than a year after taking possession seem to be the prime focus of CRA auditors so far, but tax lawyers are advising clients they could be at risk of a tax bill for at least 50 per cent of any gains made if they’ve sold before living in the property 18 months to two years.

The CRA’s approach has not changed, it’s just that there have been so many more condo transactions the past few years in Toronto and Vancouver, in particular, said Sam Papadopoulos, a CRA spokesperson for the Ontario region.

“We’ve just been a little more aggressive in sending out questionnaires,” he added.

“The CRA’s challenge is to ensure compliance with the tax legislation it administers. The recent construction boom in condos and housing has garnered CRA attention to ensure that profits are reported and that GST/HST housing rebates are appropriately claimed.”

Some folks have received tax bills on the full gains. About 250 buyers in Toronto and Vancouver have been asked to refund GST and HST rebates on homes that auditors have deemed aren’t being used as primary residences.

“This is a full frontal attack on everybody out there who has bought and sold a property because values have gone up so much as a result of the real estate boom,” said Howse, corporate counsel to The Taxperts Group, a private tax-law firm, and a speaker to the real estate industry on tax issues.

There’s no doubt the recent condo boom has spawned a get-rich-quick mentality over the past few years. Even tax lawyers acknowledge they’re seeing more people with little knowledge of legal and tax requirements jump into the market.

Some have been buying and selling condos as investments, without even disclosing the deals to their accountants, or getting HST rebates on new investment properties.

For years, auditors have been using real estate databases, land registry information, building permit information and lists of purchasers provided by developers to better target those trying to avoid, or evade, tax on those gains.

But, over the past year in particular, auditors seem to be taking more of a tax first, ask-questions-later approach to even deals involving principal residences, which have been traditionally exempt from capital gains taxes, tax lawyers say.

They are seeing cases where clients bought condos or new homes years ago, in the preconstruction phase, but had to sell soon after taking possession because of extenuating circumstances such as job losses, relationship breakdowns or health reasons.

Even some with no history of buying and selling multiple properties are being treated as if they are flippers and slapped with tax bills on 100 per cent of the gains, plus 50 per penalties, said Kitchener tax lawyer James Rhodes.

He has been contacted by 10 people so far, most of whom, he said, had no idea their condo purchases were being flagged for an audit and simply filled out the questionnaire from the CRA, asking for details of all their real estate transactions going back to January, 2007.

Some 1,200 of the questionnaires have gone out in the GTA area so far this year, said Papadopoulos. All have a cover letter, he noted. It makes reference to an audit. Another 160 have gone out in the Vancouver area.

In about 250 cases, auditors have asked for immediate repayment of HST or GST rebates, so far the average is about $5,300, said Papadopoulos, granted only to buyers of new homes and condos that are intended to be their principal residence.

Howse is representing 10 new home and condo buyers right now facing major tax bills from the CRA.

One has her new home up for sale in the wake of a bout of unemployment and the breakdown of her relationship. She said she has had to pay back tens of thousands in HST rebates because she disclosed to an auditor that she has no plans to live in the house.

She’s now appealing, a process that, if the case goes all the way to tax court, could cost $10,000 just in legal bills.

But that’s the last resort, Papadopoulos stressed.

“We are not unreasonable. If you have the facts, and you can support them, then you can file an objection and you can present your case to an appeals officer,” he said. “It’s all about the facts.”
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Developers warn Metrolinx Big Move transit plan will add thousands of dollars to cost of new homes

Metrolinx’s $50-billion Big Move public-transit expansion will unfairly add thousands of dollars to the price of a new home, property developers warn.

The provincial agency has recommended a one per cent sales tax, a five-cent-a-litre gas tax, parking levies, and a 15 per cent increase in development charges to raise $2 billion annually for transportation infrastructure over the next 25 years.

It would boost rapid transit in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) from the current 500 kilometres of lines to 1,700 kilometres, and improve access so that 75 per cent of residents would be within two kilometres of a stop.

But the Ontario Home Builders’ Association, the Building Industry and Land Development Association and the Hamilton-Halton Home Builders’ Association say the scheme “makes transit-oriented communities less affordable by imposing additional charges, levies and taxes on new home buyers and new businesses.”

“We strongly oppose the proposed revenue (tax) tools which disproportionately target new home buyers and new businesses across the GTHA,” the industry groups say in a July 8 letter to Metrolinx president CEO Bruce McCuaig obtained by the Star.

“This is an inequitable and unfair approach that will embed the cost of infrastructure, meant to last upwards of 75 years, into the . . . mortgages of new home purchasers or onto the costs of new employment centres,” the missive said.

Metrolinx countered that “developers are a major beneficiary of growth therefore it is not unreasonable to ask them to help pay for it.”

“During our (public) consultations across the GTHA we consistently heard about the need for more public transit and the impact of congestion,” said the agency’s Anne Marie Aikins, noting gridlock costs the local economy $6 billion a year in lost productivity.

“People told us they were willing to pay more for transit if they knew it was going exclusively to pay for more transit in their communities. We listened,” Aikins said.

“We acknowledged that there will be a cost to households for this needed investment in transit — that’s why we are upfront about the costs,” she said.

Indeed, when Metrolinx unveiled its investment strategy for bankrolling transit in May, it insisted the cost of the Big Move to the average household would be $477 a year in additional levies.

The builders said raising sales tax rates and development charges would “erode affordability” and mean “new home buyers and new businesses will take on costs that are completely disproportionate to existing residents and businesses.”

They calculate that a new house in Markham, for example, could see an extra $15,000 in charges. That’s over and above the $118,400 in average government-imposed fees now included in the price.

“There is no new money to be found in a system where nearly one-quarter of the price of a new home can be attributed to taxes, charges and fees,” said the letter signed by Joe Vaccaro of the OHBA, Bryan Tuckey of BILD, and Mathieu Langelier of the HHHBA and copied to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and senior cabinet ministers.

The industry representatives point out that current development charges total $19,956 per home in Toronto, which city council is expected to double. In Oakville, it’s now $58,929 a house while in Brampton the charges are $63,505, Markham $62,391, Ajax $35,590, and $35,682 in Hamilton.

“A 15 per cent increase to these charges represents nearly $10,000 in new taxes in a number of GTA communities,” they added, vowing to lobby the government on “the far-reaching impacts of these proposals on new home buyers, new employers and renovation consumers.”

Metrolinx’s Aikins, for her part, emphasized that “it will be worth the investment at getting better mobility for residents and businesses.”

“We ensured fairness,” she said. “The costs and benefits of the investment strategy were distributed fairly across all population groups. Tools were selected so that no one group pays too much or benefits too little.”

Wynne’s minority Liberal government has a consultative panel studying Metrolinx’s recommendations and getting feedback on the viability of the plan.

The premier has said road tolls or some other charges loom, but there’s no firm timetable yet for when the Big Move could begin.
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Toronto’s top apartment building for complaints: 79 Thorncliffe Park

The grim dirt-grey exterior of 79 Thorncliffe Park Dr., with its dilapidated balconies and drooping electrical wiring, only hints at the problems within.

Cockroaches, poor ventilation and plumbing problems topped the list of concerns for the apartment tower that have made it the most complained-about residential property in Toronto this year.

A Star analysis of 33,587 entries in Toronto’s Municipal Licensing and Standards investigations database reveals 59 official complaints have been lodged with the city about that apartment building alone.

“There’s water leaking through the ceilings, and there are cockroaches and mice everywhere,” says Abbas Kolia, the president of the tenants association.

Kolia, 60, says many tenants don’t have the choice to move.

“It’s hard for these people, who are mostly immigrants from India and Pakistan, to find another affordable place to live,” he says.

“Many of the tenants don’t speak proper English, so when they complain to the landlord they aren’t understood and the issues end up just getting ignored.”

However, one licensing official says an audit of the building, near Overlea Blvd. and Don Mills Rd., showed the number of problems is not out of line for a building of its size. But residents are not alone.

About one-third of the complaints made to the city division between January and Aug. 16 of this year — more than 11,000 — concerned property standards. Such complaints involve issues with the interior and exterior condition of the building, driveways, trees and ground cover.

Readers can explore the data collected through the Star’s interactive dashboard, to see whether their building has been investigated, or download information for their own offline analysis.

Property records show that 79 Thorncliffe Park Dr. was purchased by Q Residential in August 2007 for $54.3 million. Representatives of the company did not return calls asking about issues at the building.

On June 8, the tenants association staged a rally to protest conditions within the collection of buildings at 71, 75, and 79 Thorncliffe Park Dr., all of which it owned by Q Residential.

John Parker, councillor for Ward 26, Don Valley West, attended the rally and was given a tour of 71 Thorncliffe Park Rd. But he downplayed the concerns.

“In one unit, the tenant pulled out the stove to show me the remains of one dead cockroach,” says Parker.

“It’s clear there’s a housekeeping issue in some of the units.” The councillor argues it only takes one mismanaged kitchen for cockroaches to infiltrate an entire building.

But Kolia says Parker is trivializing the condition of the properties.

“There wasn’t just one dead cockroach,” he says. “There were 20 to 25 of them, on the stove and in the cupboards, sharing the floor with a 2-year old girl.”

“If there were no serious issues, then why have we organized marches the last two years?”

But Parker says conditions have actually improved dramatically in the three buildings over the past decade, and that there are other properties in the city in far worse condition.

“If you’re going to orchestrate a huge tenant rally, invite the media, and try and make an issue of the sorry state of these buildings — and the worst that they find is one dead cockroach,” he says, “at that point I think we can all agree that the resources of the city should be applied to areas where the problems are far more serious.”

The Star’s analysis shows that the ward with the most property-standards complaints was Etobicoke-Lakeshore, with 527. There are 28 wards that have lodged more complaints than Don Valley West’s 230.

Bill Blakes, an investigations manager with the city’s licensing and standards division, agrees that 79 Thorncliffe Park Dr. isn’t the worst building he’s seen.

At Parker’s request, Blakes conducted an audit of the property on June 18, and residents were encouraged to file complaints to his team.

The audit recorded a total of 75 interior and exterior deficiencies, ranging from cracked walls and poorly maintained electrical fixtures to an inadequate ventilation system.

“But in a 17-storey building, that figure isn’t excessive,” says Blakes. “If you look at any building, there’s not many that we’re not going to find something wrong with.”

The investigations manager says his team found nothing that merited immediate remedial action from the division, and that the problems were largely general maintenance issues.

“If anything serious was found — like loose bricks falling from a balcony or a severe cockroach infestation — there would have been a separate report and we would have taken immediate action,” said Blakes.

The top five most-investigated addresses

1) 79 Thorncliffe Park Dr., in the Overlea Blvd. and Don Mills Rd. area

2) 607-617 The East Mall, north of Rathburn Rd.

3) 34 Brookwell Dr., near Sheppard Ave. W and Sentinel Rd.

4) 160 Chalkfarm Dr., near Jane St. and Sheppard Ave. W.

5) 1032 Queen St. W., between Ossington Ave. and Dovercourt Rd.
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Cronut burger's maple-bacon jam source of food-poisoning outbreak

Epic Burgers and Waffles will be open again at the Canadian National Exhibition -- but the cronut burger is off the menu.

Toronto Public Health confirmed Tuesday that the maple-bacon jam toppingon the cronut burger was the source of the food-borne illness outbreak that struck around 223 people at the CNE last week.

In a press release, public health said they will allow the burger maker - Epic Burgers and Waffles - to reopen Tuesday provided they no longer serve up the jam on the headline-grabbing burger.

On Friday, public health confirmed samples of the cronut burger tested positive for Staphylococcus aureus toxin - a nasty bacteria that can cause food-borne illness.

Public health said further tests confirmed the topping contained the bacteria and was the source of the illnesses.

“New lab results indicate that the maple bacon jam, which is one component of the cronut burger, is the cause of food-borne illnesses at the CNE,”

Dr. David McKeown, chief medical officer of health, stated Tuesday. “We have ensured the contaminated product is not served. There is no risk to the public.”

The public health investigation is now focusing on the supplier of the bacon jam, Le Dolci - a bakery that partnered with Epic Burgers in making the cronut burger.

“TPH will ensure that there will be no distribution of food products including the bacon jam from that establishment pending further investigation,” public health stated.

“Epic Burger and Waffles will be allowed to reopen at the CNE today as long as they do not serve the maple-bacon jam from this supplier and all food-safety requirements are met.”

In a statement on their Facebook page, Epic Burgers stressed public health confirmed their burgers “continue to be safe and of a high standard.”

The eatery said Le Dolci is no longer a supplier.

“The jam was used as a topping solely on one of our menu items, the cronut burger,” the statement read.

“As a result of this finding Epic Burgers and Waffles have decided to remove the cronut burger from our menu and we will no longer do business with the aforementioned supplier.”

Epic Burgers concluded by saying they look forward to serving up food again to CNE visitors.

“With the green light to reopen given to us by the city’s health unit. We look forward to serving the public for the remainder of the CNE and well into the future,” the company stated.

Le Dolci posted a statement on its Facebook page Tuesday afternoon.

"Some of you may have heard the news today. We thank all of our loyal customers, friends and family for their support and kind words," the company stated. "At present we are fully cooperating with Toronto Public Health and will update you as soon as we can."

Earlier in the day, Le Dolci said it was closed the rest of the week due to a summer holiday.

In an additional statement, the bakery said the holiday was "planned months ago."

"We will comment when we have further updates and news to share," the statement concluded.
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'Snitch Lady' Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo still fighting street crime in Toronto

It has been a year since the city's boisterous voice of the victims went silent.

Booted from Canada -- despite her volunteer efforts to combat gun violence -- Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo now fights crime in her homeland Nigeria.

But she still keeps an ear to the ground on what's happening in Toronto, staying in touch with youth, police and other sources through social media. The city's latest murder victims -- Kwame Duodu, 15, and

O'She Doyles-Whyte, 16 -- hit her especially hard because she spent years passionately trying to keep such kids alive and spreading the word about Crime Stoppers.

"It's so tragic," Omololu-Olunloyo said Monday.

Duodu and Doyles-Whyte were killed exactly a year to the day she was sent packing by immigration officials after a failed refugee bid.

Omololu-Olunloyo said friends are "praising" the pair on Facebook and Twitter, where she's still known as The Snitch Lady.

"Teens are all confused on why these two were targeted and telling me they were not into drugs or guns," she said.

If Omololu-Olunloyo was still in Toronto, she'd be working to convince youth to talk to cops and potentially help nab the killers.

Instead Omololu-Olunloyo is helping catch bad guys in Nigeria.

Although she lives in "a relatively upscale neighbourhood," two people have been killed in four shootings in her area since June. "All were people coming from the bank who were followed," Omololu-Olunloyo said.

Last month, she was in her garden when gunshots rang out. A passenger on the back of a motorcycle was shot in a robbery by a man on another motorcycle.

"Everyone was screaming running away," Omololu-Olunloyo recalled.

"But I walked right up to the scene, grabbed the bleeding man, put him in a car and we headed to the hospital."

She said many people in her hometown, Ibadan, are "scared" to get involved and immune to the violence, so she tries to lead by example.

The man survived thanks, in part, to her actions.

She also snapped photos of the gunman and passed them onto police, who were able to make an arrest.

Earlier this month, three officers were killed in a shootout with bandits in a police station.

Another 22 dead cops were found buried in a mass grave in May.
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Workers break through last rock wall of Billy Bishop Airport pedestrian tunnel

TORONTO – A backhoe has pounded through the last few meters of rock to open up the pedestrian tunnel linking Billy Bishop Airport to mainland Toronto.

Dozens gathered in the tunnel Friday to witness the event as huge boulders tumbled as the tunnel widened in a massive billowing of dust.
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A construction worker later emerged from the cloud to step over the newly-formed pile of rubble to become the first pedestrian to walk from Toronto to the Island in the new tunnel.

The Toronto Port Authority says drilling started in April 2012 and that the $82.5 million tunnel — 10 stories underground — is expected to open by fall 2014.

It says that the tunnel will have four moving sidewalks — two in each direction — making it possible to cross the 250 meters in less than six minutes.

Passengers using the airport previously had to rely on a ferry and the port authority says the tunnel and will “dramatically improve passenger flows.”

“People hunger for successful new transportation infrastructure and that’s what we’re building here,” said Geoffrey Wilson, president and CEO of the port authority.

“A year or so from now we’ll be walking through here.”

The port authority says the tunnel is being built through a public-private partnership model.

Wilson said the airport served 2.3 million passengers in 2012.
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Frontline cops to get stun guns: Report

Ontario Community Safety Minister Madeleine Meilleur will crack open the use-of-force toolbox available to frontline police officers Tuesday.

CHCH News reported that Meilleur would urge police chiefs across the province to provide officers with stun guns, such as Tasers, but the government refused to confirm it.

A 2009 Ontario review of stun guns found that most police forces support providing all primary response officers with the weapons in addition to a firearm.

Only officers in supervisory positions and tactical units are currently authorized to carry the weapons.

Meilleur’s announcement follows public concern raised over the death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim, who was fatally shot aboard a Toronto streetcar in a confrontation with police in July.

A passerby’s video of the incident was posted on YouTube and viewed almost 850,000 times as of Monday.

Dave McFadden, president of the Ontario Police Association (OPA), said he would be at the announcement Tuesday.

“Our main concern is to keep the public safe and our officers safe,” McFadden said.

Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin is investigating the training given to police officers to de-escalate dangerous situations.

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Decision to appoint Doug Holyday's replacement an insult to voters

TORONTO - Who’s afraid of Rob Ford? Plenty of people, it seems.

The decision to fill Etobicoke-Lakeshore MPP Doug Holyday’s vacant council seat through a byelection wasn’t the right thing to do. It was the only thing to do.

Still, for 22 timorous councillors at City Hall, the fact that Rob Ford supported the vote over the nominal appointment option sealed the deal.

So the recalcitrant will start the patronage machine and appoint somebody instead. It’s not recorded whether or not they poked their tongues out as they did it, but that’s the message they sent to voters when they moved to keep democracy in-house and out of the public domain.

Now the residents of Etobicoke Centre (Ward 3) have no chance to choose a representative.

Just why it took half a day of earnest chin wagging on the floor of City Hall to come to this illogical conclusion is extraordinary.

This council term ends on Nov. 30, 2014, so the traditionally accepted notion for a byelection was met.

Previous councils found nothing wrong with these requirements and a memorandum to councillors by city clerk Ulli Watkiss made this crystal clear.

The only reason this pattern has now been broken is because so many councillors flatter to deceive; they fear the extraordinary appeal of Rob Ford amongst voters.

They’re scared that he actually gets out there and knows how to campaign. Not only that, Rob Ford is clearly liked by plenty of voters.

That doesn’t fit with the self-serving narrative of so many at City Hall who would cast the mayor as a freak of nature, a man presented with the chains of office only because so many voters were just not paying attention the day they cast their ballot.

Nothing illustrates the degradation of our political culture better than the Toronto councillors who believe that Etobicoke voters cannot be trusted to make a choice of their own.

Those who backed the appointment process are simply reconfirming in the public mind that the political class exists only to look after itself.

Don’t believe me? Remember this.

The Etobicoke York community council will have a special meeting on Oct. 3 to recommend a preferred candidate to replace Holyday. Then council will have a special council meeting on Oct. 10 to make the final decision on appointing a candidate.

There is no guarantee that the community council recommendation will even be taken on board. There could be councillors who decide that they would rather do a deal behind closed doors and install a candidate all their own.

The appearance of Tammany Hall-style deal making and back scratching should have no place in modern government. A council seat should be won through the hard work of canvassing voters and meeting them on their doorstep.

This is something Rob Ford knows and does well. It’s why he is the antithesis of so many of his colleagues who prefer patronage to hard work.

Too often modern government at all levels is seen as an exclusive and elitist club. It encourages political elites to trade simplistic, cut-and-dried solutions to problems as the currency of electoral politics.

Now that has been confirmed and Toronto is the lesser for it.

“They don’t give two hoots about the residents of Ward 3” is how Councillor Doug Ford summed up the decision.

It’s hard to argue with that.
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Jane Finch shooting leaves two popular teens dead

Just before 8 a.m. Friday, O’She Doyles-Whyte woke up and tweeted: “R.I.P”

The 16-year-old had been posting it every so often, a shout-out to a fallen friend, 15-year-old Tahj Loor-Walters, who had been shot at the Yorkwoods Plaza, just south of Jane St. and Finch Ave., on July 28. Walters died two weeks later.

On Friday afternoon, less than six hours after sending that tweet, Doyles-Whyte and friend Kwame Duodu, 15, were both killed, gunned down at the front entrance of a townhome in a community housing complex. Doyles-Whyte died at the scene and Duodu died later in hospital, police confirmed.

Whyte’s Twitter display name and profile were dedicated to Walters — whose friends called him “Skinny” — and another 15-year-old from the Jane and Finch area who was shot and killed in February: St. Aubyn Rodney or “Tubby.”

In the past six months, five teens have been shot and four have died within a one-kilometre radius in the Jane St. and Finch Ave. community. According to friends and online messages of condolence, the four teens who are now dead were all friends.

Neighbours gather as police investigate a brazen daytime shooting on Grandravine Dr. 

On Friday, emergency services were called to a home at 287 Grandravine Dr. at 1:30 p.m. — two teens had been shot. Police said three people fled the scene on bicycles. No suspects are in custody.

EMS said Duodu was rushed to a Sunnybrook Hospital’s trauma centre with life-threatening injuries. A woman who lives two doors down described him lying on the ground, his breathing shallow, as she told him: “Stay up, stay up.”

The woman, who would not give her name, said Doyles-Whyte lay nearby, a bicycle between his legs. He had been shot in the head.

“The second one, unfortunately, we could not resuscitate,” said EMS spokesperson Kim McKinnon.

Andre Jackson, 17, said he was best friends with Doyles-Whyte and had grown up next door to him.

“It is out of nowhere … He hasn’t even lived his life yet,” said Jackson, sitting with his head in his hands at the Yorkwoods Village complex. “Just a fun guy. Any time you needed anything, go to O’She.”

Ivan Watson, a cousin, had raced from work when he heard the news. He stood in front of a line of yellow police tape that criss-crossed between trees at the scene.

Neighbours are visibly distraught after a shooting on Grandravine Dr. on Friday. 

“What’d he do? That’s what I can’t understand. Why’d they shoot him?” he asked, describing how his cousin liked to have sleepovers with friends and play video games.

“He’s a good kid,” Watson said. “I’m sick right now.”

That shock was felt by others at the housing complex and online. Friends and residents all said the boys were not the “bad ones,” not tied up with gangs or drugs.

It’s not known whether Doyles-Whyte lived at the 306-unit complex. But on Friday his body lay under an orange tarp just outside an address identified as Duodu’s home by tenant representative Alicia Bartholemew.

Bartholemew said the two friends could always be seen together on the front porch after school.

“They’d usually just sit there and chill out,” she said, adding there had never been a shooting like this at the complex in the eight years she’s lived there.

In the weeks before he himself was gunned down, Walters also posted and retweeted messages in memory of Rodney, including one last post before he was shot.

Emergency workers attend to a man without vital signs at Sunnybrook Trauma Centre, after two teens were shot on Grandravine Cr. at Jane St. on Friday. 

Det.-Sgt. Dean Burks, a homicide detective working on the Walters case, confirmed Rodney and Walters knew each other but said their deaths were in no way connected. Walters was shot after riding his bicycle up to a cream-coloured car in the parking lot. Dozens saw the late-night shooting, and Burks has appealed for witnesses to come forward.

On Aug. 16, a 17-year-old was shot in the abdomen outside a highrise complex on Jane St. just north of where Walters was shot. That teen survived. Walters’ older brother tweeted about the shooting in support of the victim, but his tweets have since been deleted.

It’s not clear if any of the five shootings in the area are related.

“We are angered and saddened by the tragic loss of yet another young life to gun violence in this city,” read a statement Friday evening from Gene Jones, president of Toronto Community Housing, before it was known at Duodu had died.

“At the very point in their lives when they should be looking forward to a bright future, too many of our young people are losing their lives to gun violence.”

Jones called for the whole city to stand together against “the criminals who are opening fire in our communities.”

Online messages of grief poured in for the two teens as friends mourned lives lost so quickly.

“Toronto’s just one big battlefield,” wrote one.

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Two teens killed in shooting near Jane-Finch (Oshe O’She Doyles-Whyte, and Kwame Duodu)

TORONTO - Two teenaged boys — aged 15 and 17 — were gunned down in a community housing complex near Jane St. and Finch Ave. W. around 1:30 p.m. Friday.

One died on scene and was identified by shocked friends as Oshe O’She Doyles-Whyte, a 17-year-old who worked at a nearby summer camp.

The second teen, identified by friends as Kwame Duodu, succumbed to his injuries in hospital a few hours later.

The two boys were hit with multiple gunshots.

Police confirmed their families have been notified.

An orange tarp covered Doyles-Whyte’s body at the far end of a cordoned-off crime scene.

Genesis Shaw-Ottey, 15, last saw him two weeks ago. Dazed and speaking in a low voice, she said she only found out about the shooting when Doyles-Whyte distressed mother called her.

“I don’t think she should see this,” Shaw-Ottey said.

Oshe was her best friend, she said. He worked at a neighbourhood summer camp and was the kind of person who “lived every day one day at a time.”

“This is where he grew up, this is where he lives,” Shaw-Ottey said with tears in her eyes. “It’s not fair, it’s just not fair. He wasn’t perfect but no one is, and he was just an amazing person.”

Police are searching for three men involved in the bold daylight shooting.

Homicide Det.-Sgt. Terry Browne said the trio were on bicycles.

“We’re asking people who live in the general area who may have seen three individuals on bikes that may have caught their attention in and around the time,” he said.

When asked if the victims were targeted or shot at random, Browne said he had “nothing to suggest one way or the other but certainly we’re keeping our minds open to everything.”

Another 15-year-old boy died last after week after being shot more than two weeks earlier in the parking lot of Yorkwoods Plaza at Jane St. and Finch Ave. W. His name was not released.

And several other 15-year-old have been shot and killed in Toronto this year.

Tyson Bailey, a prominent football player at Central Tech, was gunned down Jan. 18 in a TCHC highrise in Regent Park.

Aubyn Rodney was shot to death Feb. 12 in another government housing complex on Turf Grassway— directly across the street from the Yorkwoods Plaza.

And Jarvis Montaque was listening to music with friends in front of his townhome in a TCHC complex on Jamestown Cr., near Kipling Ave. and Albion Rd., when he was shot dead from point blank range on Feb. 17.

On April 3, yet another 15-year-old was shot in a drive-by while walking with friends on Varna Dr., near Lawrence Ave. and Allen Rd.

He managed to survive. But the GTA’s most disturbing incident of gun violence so far this year was on Jan. 23, when nine-year-old Kesean Williams was shot through the living room window of his Brampton home as he watched television. A 17-year-old friend faces manslaughter in Rodney’s death, but the other killers continue to roam the streets.

Anyone with information should call police at 416-808-7400 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
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Jane and Finch shooting leaves one teen dead, another wounded

One teen is dead and another is wounded after a shooting near Jane and Finch Friday afternoon.

Emergency services were called to an apartment building at 287 Grandravine Dr. at 1:30 p.m., Toronto police spokesperson Tony Vella said. The shooting happened outside the building.

One of the boys was pronounced dead at the scene, said EMS spokesperson Kim McKinnon.

“Sadly, we’re only transporting one [of the victims] to hospital,” she said.

McKinnon didn’t know the exact age of the boys, but said they are in their early teens.

More to come.

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Construction worker dead after falling from Toronto building

The Toronto fire department says a construction worker has died after plunging 55 floors off a downtown building.

Capt. Mike Strapko says the man was on the 70th floor of a building (at 388 Yonge Street) when he fell off it around noon, dropping 181 metres before landing on the 15th floor rooftop of an adjacent building.

Strapko says the man was found a distance of 24 metres away from the building he fell from.

Strapko says police and emergency officials are at the scene.

He says the Ministry of Labour has been called in to investigate.

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Jack Layton lauded as Toronto statue unveiled

TORONTO - Jack Layton’s presence is now a fixture on Toronto’s waterfront.

The Layton statue was unveiled Thursday with great fanfare and lots of tributes to the former federal NDP leader.

Layton — who also served as a Toronto city councillor — died two years ago after a battle with cancer. His death came just months after he led the federal NDP to its largest victory in a general election and onto the official opposition benches.

The bronze statue, entitled “Jack’s got your back. Stronger Together: The Layton Memorial,” will greet visitors to Toronto’s waterfront just outside the newly renamed Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. The sculpture features Layton on the back seat of a tandem bike and an empty front seat that visitors can climb on for photos.

Olivia Chow, Layton’s widow, thanked everyone for the memorial. She talked about how they bought a tandem bike as a wedding present to each other, although Layton was usually the one riding in the front.

“In this great city, in this great country, we will carry on stronger together, working for a better future and always with a smile in our hearts,” Chow said. “Thank you, Jack.”

Mayor Rob Ford — who, as a rookie councillor, sat beside Layton — was on hand for the ceremony and recalled how Layton taught him an important lesson.

“He said, ‘Rob, never takes things personal, it’s politics,’” Ford recalled. “I’m still trying to learn that.

“This dedication is Toronto’s way of saying thank you. Thank you to Jack Layton for a life lived.”

Layton’s son, Councillor Mike Layton, said the statue was in the right place being so close to the Toronto Islands, “a spot that (his dad) loved.”

The Ontario Federation of Labour helped organize the fundraising for the statue.

OFL president Sid Ryan lauded Layton for “believing in raising people out of poverty.”

Ryan read out a long list of unions that helped donate to build the memorial to Layton.

“We’re delighted on behalf of the OFL ... to give this beautiful sculpture to the citizens of Canada and the citizens of Toronto,” he said.
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Mayor Rob Ford to take on Hulk Hogan in arm-wrestling match

TORONTO - Ford Nation is about to battle Hulkamania in a mayoral rumble.

Mayor Rob Ford will have an arm-wrestling match with Hulk Hogan Friday to kick off Fan Expo Canada.

“I’m ready,” Ford said Thursday. “Ooh yeaaah! I can’t wait, it’s going to be a lot of fun.

“It’s the first time the Hulkster is in Toronto (at Fan Expo), from what I understand. I want to thank him for coming because Fan Expo is going to be amazing.”

The match is set to take place at the Intercontinental Hotel adjacent to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, home to Fan Expo throughout the weekend.

Hogan’s people reached out to the mayor’s office with the arm-wrestling offer and he accepted the challenge, sources told the Toronto Sun.

But Ford admitted he’s not sure if he’ll be able to beat the 14-time world wrestling champ.

“I don’t know if I’m going to win the arm-wrestle but we’ll see,” he said. “I haven’t lifted too many weights lately, so we’ll see.”

The mayor said his brother, Councillor Doug Ford, was a big Hulkamaniac back in the 1980’s.

“He used to sit in the mirror and do one of these,” Ford said, flexing his arms.

Asked what he’s going to do when “Hulkamania runs wild” on him, Ford shrugged.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m really glad that (Hogan) is coming here, it’s going to bring a lot of excitement and that’s what we need.”

In a press release, Fan Expo described the face-off as a “friendly” competition between the mayor of Canada’s largest city and the legendary wrestler.

“Find out who will have reason to cheer: Hulkamaniacs or Ford Nation?” the statement read.

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong — a member of Ford’s executive committee — wasn’t optimistic about the mayor’s chances against Hogan.

“I’m putting my money on Hulk,” Minnan-Wong said.

More than 100,000 fans are expected to attend the Expo for a chance to meet sports and entertainment celebrities.

Along with Hogan, stars Carrie Fisher, David Hasselhoff, Dean Cain, Linda Hamilton and comic book legend Stan Lee are all expected to attend.
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Mayor Rob Ford gives Doug Holyday key to the city

TORONTO - Mayor Rob Ford lauded Doug Holyday Tuesday for standing by him “through thick and thin.”

Ford made the heartfelt comments while presenting the key to the city to his departing deputy mayor.

Calling Holyday a “friend and a mentor,” Ford saluted the newly-elected Etobicoke-Lakeshore PC MPP for his service to the city.

“Doug always, always stands for what is right,” Ford said. “Taxpayers are happy to know they have Doug Holyday in their corner fighting for them every single day.”

Holyday has often found himself defending Ford while the civic leader dodged reporters and ducked questions about his political and personal controversies.

“If I had to describe Doug Holyday in one word, I would choose the word ‘solid’, as solid as they come,” Ford said. “As my deputy mayor, Doug stood beside me through thick and thin. Very, very few people would do that.”

Holyday acknowledged being Ford’s deputy was a tough job at times.

“Every single day was a new day, the phone would ring at 6:15 a.m. or sometimes earlier and the media would be wanting to know about this or that, something would have happened overnight that I hadn’t even have heard of,” Holyday said.

“Anyways, Rob it certainly has not been dull, it’s been exciting.”

Holyday said Ford’s administration was on the “right track."

“I think you’ll do well. I think you’ll do well because you’re doing the right thing for the taxpayer and the citizens of Toronto and I think that’s the most important thing,” he said.

“I just urge you to keep your nose to the grindstone and get it done.”

A sign of Holyday’s new job and the scrutiny to come was present during the ceremony. A staff member from the provincial Liberals’ caucus services watched the presentation and recorded the speeches.
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Tensions boil during Forcillo bail hearing

TORONTO - An odd incident occurred before Const. James Forcillo’s bail hearing Tuesday at a University Ave. courthouse.

One of the two police officers who escorted Forcillo into court was observed staring at one of Sammy Yatim’s friends in the front row.

Forcillo faces a second-degree murder charge. He accused of firing nine shots, killing Yatim, 18, on a streetcar on July 27.

The court spectator, accompanied by a woman holding onto a black shirt that read “9 shots? … RIP Sammy Yatim,” just stared right back at the officer.

The officer walked to the man, got right in his face, and had what appeared to be some harsh words with him.

As the hearing began, Justice Gary Trotter made note of the situation, saying he didn’t want any disruptions.

“Everyone is welcome here, but I caution people that any attempt to talk to Mr. Forcillo won’t be tolerated,” Trotter firmly stated.

After it was decided that Forcillo would receive bail, the woman held up her black shirt towards the judge, and the man hung his head.

The pair, who refused to comment on what the officer said, waited outside the courtroom to talk with Forcillo’s lawyer Peter Brauti. The man and Brauti exchanged some brief words.

A short time later at a press conference outside the courthouse, where Bruati and Toronto Police Association President Mike McCormack spoke, a passing cyclist yelled obscenities. Several bystanders also heckled the speakers.

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Fate of Markham arena may be just weeks away

TORONTO - If you don’t build it, they won’t come.

The “it” is the controversial 20,000-seat, $325-million sports arena proposed for Markham, whose fate may now be just a few weeks away.

Graeme Roustan, chairman of GTA Sports and Entertainment, is the man behind the controversial project. The former Bauer Performance Sports chief maintains that if the GTA Centre is not built, Markham is certain to be bypassed for a host of events a multi-purpose facility would draw.

Roustan told the Toronto Sun feels he has made his case publicly and now he seeks a council vote on the matter, sooner rather than later.

“It may happen within weeks,” Roustan said, “and I would encourage that. Let’s put it to the 13 councillors in a public forum and see who is for it and who is against it.

“That is how democracy works. So bring it on. At the same time let’s be clear about the potential benefits for Markham and the region.

“The GTA Centre is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city, its residents and businesses. It’s not just about the hockey possibilities, it’s about a range of entertainment options.”

Supporters claim the centre can be financially viable without a professional hockey league tenant — although that is the preferred option — given the potential for a large number of other events each year.

The closest council has come to finalizing its decision on the complex, destined for a home near Hwy. 407 and Kennedy Rd., came in January when it voted 7-6 in favour of a financial framework whereby the city and the private sector would share the cost of construction.

GTA Sports would oversee arena construction and operation while the city would own it.

If the vote does come next month, it will mark the end of two years of sometimes-bitter pubic debate.

It will also head off a move to kill the arena altogether.

Jack Heath, deputy mayor of Markham and originally a supporter, has now gone cold on the plan.

With speculation that the NHL will expand to Quebec City before any other Canadian option, Heath has said the need for a franchise in the GTA is far from a top priority for the league.

“When you add it all up, a second franchise for the GTA is not a priority. I have no interest in duplicating Copps Coliseum,” he was quoted Saturday in the Hockey News.

Heath’s withdrawal of support will be taken as comfort by local residents’ organizations that have spoken against the arena.

Hockey coach and enthusiast Kevin V. Huhn alluded to them when he sent a letter to all Markham councillors last month and urged approval.

Huhn lamented the “development phobic and rude residents” trying to kill the plan and their increasingly personal attacks on Graeme Roustan.

In a copy of that letter seen by the Toronto Sun, Huhn took aim at those who wilfully ignored the merits of the proposal.

“If you don’t build the facility, not only will Markham lose out on ever getting an NHL team, but you will tarnish yourselves as political leaders for years beyond your terms as being remembered as the ones who killed any chance of getting an NHL franchise for Markham.

“Rest assured, people will run against you on this failure. I am not sure you want to leave that as your legacy.”

Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, an early and outspoken backer of the original arena plan, was approached but declined the opportunity to comment on this story.
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Cronut burger stand shut as CNE probes illnesses

Toronto Public Health is investigating after five Canadian National Exhibition visitors were taken to the hospital with food poisoning Tuesday.

And public health officials tell the Toronto Sun that the CNE has ordered Epic Burgers and Waffles — the maker of the headline-grabbing cronut burger — not to open Wednesday until a health inspection has been done.

Paramedics ended up treating 12 people in total for symptoms that were all typical of gastrointestinal illness that night. While speculation is running rampant on social media on what particular food item made the people so sick, public health has yet to determine what caused the illness outbreak.

Public Health spokesman Kris Scheuer confirmed the CNE shut down Epic Burgers and Waffles Tuesday night.

“Toronto Public Health is doing its own food safety investigation,” Scheuer told the Sun Wednesday morning.

The eating establishment, which operates in the Ex’s food building, could not be immediately reached for comment.

Public health’s DineSafe website says the stand was inspected Aug. 16 and received a pass.

“No infractions were observed under the Food Premises Regulation during an inspection,” the website states.

Toronto EMS spokesman Kim McKinnon said paramedics who were stationed at the CNE grounds ended up treating a dozen people just after 4 p.m. on Tuesday — around five of those were transferred to local hospitals.

McKinnon said that the symptoms were all typical of gastrointestinal illness including dizziness, vomiting and cramps.

As for the cause of the illness, EMS officials wouldn’t say if there was a particular food that sparked the food poisoning outbreak.

“But we still encourage people to come down to the Ex and enjoy it,” McKinnon said. “Come prepared and ready to enjoy the day because it is going to be hot and they need to be hydrated and all those sorts of things.” Public health inspected 200 food establishments on opening weekend at the CNE.

From those, 17 were given conditional passes and one got a ticket.

“We continue to do follow-ups with all food premises throughout the run of the CNE,” the spokesman said.

The CNE issued a statement just before lunch on Wednesday.

“The Canadian National Exhibition, in conjunction with Toronto Public Health, took immediate action to determine what caused patrons to fall ill at the fair last evening,” read a statement posted on the CNE’s website. “An expert team is onsite at the CNE investigating the situation. The CNE remains open.”

The statement stressed the CNE is “very concerned about this situation and the people who have been affected by it."

“The CNE has stringent food safety regulations in place which are monitored daily,” the organization stated.

Anyone who felt ill after visiting the CNE Tuesday is asked to call the city’s 311 service or to call the CNE directly at 416-598-7285.

A spokesman for Mount Sinai Hospital confirmed some patients with gastrointestinal symptoms were taken there from the Ex.

“Several patients told us that they ate the cronut burger among other things at the CNE but we don’t know the cause of their illnesses,” Mount Sinai spokesman Leslie O’Leary said.

“You’ll have to speak with Toronto Public Health (about the cause), who I understand are currently investigating.
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Toronto Const. James Forcillo charged in shooting death of Sammy Yatim

Ontario's police watchdog has laid charges in a Toronto streetcar shooting that resulted in the death of 18-year-old Sammy Yatim.

Yatim was shot while brandishing a knife on board an empty streetcar last month, while in a standoff with police. As many as 23 police officers were at the site of the shooting, according to the Ontario Special Investigations Unit.

Video of the incident captured the moment when nine gunshots were fired, including several once Yatim had collapsed to the ground. The SIU allege a conductive energy device was also used on the victim while he was being subdued.

On Monday, the SIU announced a second-degree murder charge would be laid against suspect officer Const. James Forcillo.

"A warrant was issued this morning for the arrest of TPS Constable James Forcillo," a statement reads.

"Because the arrest warrant was just issued, Cst Forcillo has not been arrested at this point. An updated news release will be issued and tweeted as soon as there are any material developments."

The Yatim shooting has been a hot-button issue for the Toronto Police Service, thanks in part to the graphic nature of his death and the awareness raised by several publicly released videos.

Chief Bill Blair has promised the public that he was taking the incident seriously and tasked a retired judge to conduct an oversight investigation into the force. Ontario's ombudsman has launched a separate investigation focused on de-escalation tactics used by Ontario police forces.
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CNE opens to fanfare and deep-fried treats

The Canadian National Exhibition was filled with eager beavers Friday morning.

Fairgoers started filing into exhibition at 8 a.m., even though opening ceremonies didn't start for two more hours.

Rob Ford, who helped kick off the festivities, said his favourite part of the event is the food building, where delicacies such as Nutella french fries, deep fried whole onions, and all manner of baconated treats can be found.

“I come down all the time,” he said.

Ford ended his interview with assembled media once questions about his drinking and after-hours jail visit arose.

At the food building, hundreds of people gathered to sample some of the most decadent delicacies. Brian Lesznik, who comes to the CNE specifically for the food, said it’s all about gluttony.
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“There's so many new selections now that it's going to be a fun-filled day of eating!” he said, his eyes filled with hungry glee.

“It's fair food, it's time to eat.”

This year's invention: the cronut hamburger, a deep fried croissant covered in cinnamon sugar, filled with an all-beef burger patty, cheese and bacon-maple jam.

By 10:30, Epic Burgers & Waffles had already sold five cronut burgers to hungry people for what must have been the greasiest breakfast of their lives.

Lily Mark, whose whole family is excited to try the meaty confection, decided to err on the side of restraint and split the burger in four.

“So we can all taste,” she said.

But Karla Mount Steven, who's been coming to the CNE with her family for the last decade, can't have any of it.

She's getting married in November, so in her stead her sister, Holly Mount Steven, is pinch hitting.

“I'm gonna be brave for her,” she said.

Richard Nunez, who saw the cronut on TV, went all out and got it with bacon and egg in addition to the beef patty.

“It's good,” he said. “I can taste everything in it.”

Hazel May Newton opened the 135th CNE. At 102, she's been coming to the exhibition since she was 7 years old, when she won first place for her apple pie.

“Everybody knows me for my pie,” she said.

This year, she wants to win another prize. “I want to see if they can guess my age!” she said.
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Firefighters battle massive blaze near York University

Firefighters are at the scene of a massive blaze near Keele Street and Finch Avenue West.

Footage from Chopper 24 showed large flames atop the residential building, just south of York University, at the fire's peak.

Photos taken by CP24 viewers show a plume of dark smoke visible from several kilometres away.

The fire started at a residence on Applebaum Terrance around 1:35 p.m. and then spread to a neighbouring townhouse.

Firefighters went onto the rooftop patio of a neighbouring residence to pour water on the flames.

No injuries have been reported.

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Male wounded in shooting near Jane and Finch

A male is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after he was wounded in a shooting near Jane Street and Finch Avenue West on Friday afternoon.

A Toronto EMS spokesperson said the victim suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen, and he was conscious and alert as he was rushed to a trauma centre.

The male's injuries are being treated as life-threatening, the EMS spokesperson told CP24.

Witnesses told police six men were fighting when between five and six shots were suddenly fired.

The daylight shooting occurred on Jane, south of Finch, shortly after 1 p.m.

Several people were seen running from the area, police told CP24.

Police scoured the area with K9 units following the shooting.

No suspect descriptions were immediately available.
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Boy, 15, shot near Jane-Finch dies from injuries

TORONTO - Yet another young boy, not even old enough to drive, has died from bullets in the city.

Toronto Police say the latest murder victim, the fourth 15-year-old to die by gunfire this year, hung on for two-and-a-half weeks after being shot in a drive-by before finally succumbing to his injuries.

And investigators still don’t know why the teen was gunned down.

“Over the course of the past two weeks, investigators have determined there were numerous witnesses present at the time of this shooting,” Const. Tony Vella said Thursday.

“Police have spoken to some of those witnesses, but we know there were a lot more and we’re encouraging them to come forward.”

The boy, whose name has not been released, was riding a bike in the parking lot at Yorkwoods Plaza, on Jane St. south of Finch Ave. W., around 10 p.m. on July 28 when two men approached in a vehicle and opened fire.

Police have reviewed video from area surveillance cameras, so they know there were at least 20 people nearby when the gunfire erupted.

Some of those people rushed to help the boy after he was shot, but most took off without talking to cops.

The youngster died in hospital on Tuesday, becoming the city’s 37th murder victim of 2013.

Earlier this year a spate of deadly shootings claimed the lives of three 15-year-olds in less than a month.

Tyson Bailey, a prominent football player at Central Tech, was gunned down Jan. 18 in a TCHC highrise in Regent Park.

St. Aubyn Rodney was shot to death Feb. 12 in another government housing complex on Turf Grassway — directly across the street from the North York plaza where the latest 15-year-old murder victim was slain.

Jarvis Montaque was listening to music with friends in front of his townhome in a TCHC complex on Jamestown Cr., near Kipling Ave. and Albion Rd., when he was shot dead from point blank range on Feb. 17.

At the time, Homicide Det. Joyce Sherzer called the Grade 10 student’s killing “sad, pointless and frustrating.”

On Apr. 3, yet another 15-year-old was shot in a drive-by while walking with friends on Varna Dr., near Lawrence Ave. and Allen Rd.

He managed to survive.

But the GTA’s most disturbing incident of gun violence so far this year was on Jan. 23, when nine-year-old Kesean Williams was shot through the living room window of his Brampton home as he watched television.

A 17-year-old friend faces manslaughter in Rodney’s death, but the other killers all continue to roam the streets — largely because witnesses all too often remain tight-lipped.

In the wake of the latest boy’s death, homicide detectives have taken over the investigation and are appealing for help catching the teen’s killer.

Anyone with information in any of the unsolved murders is urged to call the homicide unit at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477).
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Highway 401 jammed by traffic incidents

Three separate accidents along Highway 401 this morning have caused traffic headaches for commuters in the Greater Toronto Area.

The eastbound express lanes were blocked just before the Don Valley Parkway because of a tractor-trailer that jackknifed and collided with two other transport trucks. That jammed the express lanes as far back as Keele Street, and was leading to heavy traffic in the collector lanes as well as slow-downs in the westbound lanes.

Emergency personnel were at the scene, and Ontario Provincial Police said they had cleared one of the blocked lanes by 9:30 a.m. and expected to open the rest by 10 a.m.

West of Toronto, one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes were closed near Guelph Line because a tractor-trailer went through the guard rail and spilled fuel. The OPP said the closures could last several hours and recommended motorists use an alternate route.

And east of the city, in Whitby, a Go bus and a tractor-trailer collided on the 401 westbound, but the vehicles were on the paved shoulder and traffic was clear.

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Anti-abortion pamphlets flood Brampton mailboxes

Shocking images of aborted fetuses are being dropped in the mailboxes of 100,000 households in Peel Region, where two MPs have been targeted by a pro-life campaign.

“I don’t want to ever see that again,” said Shalini Misir, a Brampton resident who says she still hasn’t gotten over the bloodied tiny bodies shown on the postcard style flyer she received in her mail last week.

The Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform, a Calgary-based anti-abortion group with a Toronto office, has targeted Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Parm Gill (Brampton-Springdale), Bal Gosal (Bramalea-Gore-Malton), Rick Dykstra (St. Catharines), and Michelle Rempel (Calgary Centre-North). All are Conservative MPs.

A spokesperson for CCBR said its campaign picked the five politicians because of their voting records on abortion issues and comments they have made about the subject.

“We started the campaign with these five politicians in May. It started in Stephen Harper’s (Calgary Southwest) riding, then we announced one more politician a week for five weeks,” said Jonathon Van Maren, while he was in Gill’s riding hand delivering postcards to homes.

He says 50,000 will be delivered in each of the five ridings, adding, “There are many more politicians to come.”

The postcards each have pictures of aborted fetuses right next to a photo of the MP representing the riding where the particular flyer is delivered.

Each MP is blamed for the gruesome outcome shown, and the cards encourage residents to contact their MP at the number provided.

“Why would people put that in a mailbox?” Misir asks. “There are so many children in the neighbourhood. I can’t imagine what they would be thinking if they saw that in the mailbox before an adult picked it up.”

It’s exactly the response, says Van Maren, that his group is trying to provoke.

“We’re quite glad that they’re perturbed. The images portray a disturbing reality. That’s an important part of the project; the exposure to what abortion looks like is one of the fundamental objectives of the project.”

Asked about the possibility of children seeing such disturbing imagery, he replied: “We recognize some children will see them ... they’re not the focus of our campaigns. It’s a shame young children have to see what we do to other young children.”

Gosal responded to the campaign against him and his colleagues.

“We have made it very clear that the government does not intend to reopen this debate. I would also like to clarify for my constituents that my image was used without my permission, and I am not distributing these myself, nor am I affiliated with the group.”

Gill did not respond.

Harper has been widely criticized by pro-life groups for refusing to reopen the abortion debate in the House of Commons.

Misir says the group’s campaign did not have the intended effect on her.

“They didn’t win me over. The only reason I called my MP was to complain about how disgusting this group’s flyer is. Their cause has been completely lost on me.”
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