PHOTO: Phil Lameira

The all-day event kicks off at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, when the most fetching pair of dogs will be crowned Slobber King and Queen to lead a pack parade.

Dog owners are asked to meet for the parade in Beaches Park, at the boathouse just below the foot of Leuty Avenue.

Slobberfest prizes include awards for the best dog costume, howl, trick, and kiss, plus prizes for the top hot-dog bobber, ice-cream eater and the dogs with the softest and the roughest coat.

Volunteers will also be measuring up the competition throughout the day to recognize the tallest and shortest dogs, as well as dogs with longest and shortest ears and tails.

Along with vendors offering dog services and treats of all kinds, the Chip Truck from Toronto Animal Services will be on hand to provide microchip IDs.

The rice-sized chips will be installed and tested by a TAS veterinarian, and do not require anesthetic. The passive, radio-frequency chips can then be used by shelters, animal control officers and other veterinarians to make sure lost dogs find their way home.

For more information, phone Community Centre 55 at 416-691-1113.

No. This not a joke, but the truth. When it comes to women’s hygiene, dignity and self-worth, underwear is no laughing matter. Students in your author’s grade 12 French course at Notre Dame believe this and wanted to make a difference in the lives of women in developing nations.

Students in grade 12 French at Notre Dame teamed up with We Care Underwear, to collect over 150 pairs of underwear for women in Haiti and Zimbabwe.

Students had been reading the novel Les Trésors d’Haiti and learning about the challenging aftermath of the 2010 earthquake that devastated lives in Haiti, when they decided they wanted to make a difference.

Sadly, some families in Haiti are still living in tent cities three years after the earthquake.

“I can’t imagine being a woman in that situation,” said grade 12 student Samantha Pollock.

That was when Maggie Hayes and her local foundation We Care Underwear stepped into the school and changed the lives of not only the 22 students in French class, but of the 700 young women enrolled at Notre Dame.

What started off as a class discussion about the lives of women globally, turned into a full fledged campaign called Sauvez la planète avec des bobettes. The aim of the campaign is to get students at Notre Dame to bring in underwear for donation for women in developing nations.

“You don’t realize how much you have until you open your eyes to other people’s situations around the world,” said Sarah Abulencia-Leeming, a student in the grade 12 French class.

Students collected over 150 pairs of underwear to be shipped overseas, showing that if you have the will, there is always a way.

We Care Underwear is an organization in the Beach dedicated to promoting the dignity, hygiene and self-worth of women in developing nations. For more information visit their site at wecarewithunderwear.ca or their Facebook page at facebook.com/WeCareWithUnderwear.

Ghassemi-Shall’s wife, Antonella Mega, has led an unwavering campaign to free her husband ever since. The five-year anniversary of his arrest is fast approaching, and the details surrounding her husband’s death sentence are unsure.

“We don’t know where we are in terms of that,” she said.

On Monday, May 27 at 6:30 p.m., Mega, the Beaches chapter of Amnesty International, and Iran Action Circle are organizing an event at St. John Norway church, to raise awareness of Ghassemi-Shall’s situation. Marina Nemat, author of Prisoner of Tehran, will speak at the event. Nemat was imprisoned in Evin prison in 1982, the same prison where Ghassemi-Shall is being held.

For more information, including links to the petition to free Ghassemi-Shall, other ways to get involved and Mega’s blog, visit freehamid.org.

Add a cracked garage and complaints that a crane operator swung a loaded cement bucket over families' backyards, and a few residents in the 22 homes that border the site are threatening to sue.

Owner Frank Magno and construction manager Nick Ainis say they will quickly mend the conflicts.

“We are trying, despite what people feel about us sometimes,” said Ainis, principal at Fusioncorp Developments Inc., the company overseeing construction of the 12-storey, 148-unit condo.

“A lot of the problem is breakdown in communication,” he added. “All of a sudden someone will call the city, and then we'll hear from the city. But we don't hear from the neighbours first.”

Magno and Ainis certainly heard a lot from the neighbours on April 30, when they met for a two-hour question and answer session hosted by Ward 32 councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon at the Danforth/Coxwell Library. More than 60 people came, including a city planner and two city buildings officials invited by McMahon.

One resident, who lives on Moberly Avenue and who declined to give her name for this story, said her garage and a stone wall near her house were both cracked by digging and shoring work for the Carmelina foundation.

“Nobody came to tell me,” she said.

Magno apologized for not telling the woman about the cracks right away, adding that the garage would be repaired.

“Going forward now, that's something we've got to make right,” he said. “And we will make it right.”

Regarding residents' complaints that crane loads were illegally swung above their backyards, Ainis he is not aware that any loads were swung over anyone's property.

“We'll speak to our foreman to make sure not one load is swung over anyone's property,” he said, adding that the company in charge of the crane, MTN Forming, has recently hired a new person to operate it.

Two residents described trouble they have had with their backyard fences – one was bent by Carmelina shoring work, another was supposed to be removed for just three weeks but was still down three months later. Other residents described parking hassles, drips of concrete on their houses and cars, and the difficulty of getting in touch with someone from Carmelina who could help.

“We are very busy, too, with the obligations to the site and our business,” said Ainis. “We can't always come when a neighbour calls right away.”

“Your time is money – so is mine, so is theirs,” said Enzo Spatone, who owns a rental property next to the Carmelina site.

“What are you guys doing for these people that they have to leave work to come to the property?”

Despite the sometimes heated exchanges at the meeting, Ainis said afterwards that he is confident the issues will be resolved.

For one thing, he said construction will go more smoothly by the end of summer, when the condo's foundation is built to grade level.

For another, he said the liaison committee spearheaded by councillor McMahon will ensure better communication between residents and his crew.

“Come back to us in three months and see how we're doing,” he said. “How's that?”

Before construction started, the site of the Carmelina project site was vacant after a 2001 arson fire that razed the previous building, Woodbine Building Supply.

Lit just after midnight on Christmas Day, the fire killed Tony Jarcevic, one of the arsonists, and severely wounded his accomplice, Jonathan Paskalis. The six-alarm fire required the evacuation of 50 homes and took 171 firefighters two days to extinguish.

John Magno, co-owner of Woodbine Building Supply, was convicted of manslaughter and arson for his role in the conspiracy to destroy the old building and collect a $3.5 million insurance claim.

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The Beach Hill Neighbourhood Association will hold its Spring Fling on Saturday, May 25. A neighbourhood-wide street sale will kick things off at 9 a.m., ending about noon. From 1 to 4 p.m., the Naval Club at 1910 Gerrard St. E. will be the location for a naming ceremony for the Gerrard Adopt-a-Tree Program, a fundraising flower sale and a social featuring music by local band The Lost Boys. Food and drink tickets will be available for lemonade, finger sandwiches and other goodies. Helpers are welcomed. Email bhnacontact@gmail.com.

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Street to Trail Association will hold its sixth annual Hike-a-thon for the Homeless on Saturday, June 1, at Taylor Creek Park. Money raised helps fund hikes and canoe trips for those living on the street. The 5 km hike begins at the Dawes Road entrance. Afterward there will be  demonstrations of outdoor skills, such as pitching a tent and portaging a canoe. Refreshments will be available. Pledge information is available at www.street-to-trail.org.

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The GTA Rollergirls present Free Wheelin’ at Ted Reeve Arena on Saturday, May 18. This fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and Community Centre 55 offers an action-packed day of roller derby, with the GTAR GsTARs taking on the Queen City Roller Girls of Buffalo, NY. There will be CPR training and a barbecue as well. Admission is by donation of either a non-perishable food item or a cash donation to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.

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Yard Sale for the Cure

The Yard Sale for the Cure will be held Saturday, May 25. In the East End, it shouldn’t be difficult to find a participating yard sale on your street or in your neighbourhood. Funds raised from these sales go to finding a cure for breast cancer. For more information, and to see a map of all yard sales, visit yardsaleforthecure.com/find-a-sale

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The annual Victoria Day Fireworks are set for Monday, May 20, at Ashbridges Bay, beginning around 10 p.m. The City is promising a dazzling display of over 2,000 fireworks and a spectacular finale. Driving is not recommended and TTC will increase area service for that evening.

Actually, there are many such people in the Beach; but only one of them will be named the 2013 Beach Citizen of the Year. And without a nomination, they can’t be recognized the way they truly deserve.

The award is a joint initiative of Community Centre 55, the Beaches Lions Club and Beach Metro News.

Nominations are now officially open for the 2013 Beach Citizen of the Year. Past Citizens are Gene Domagala, Glenn Cochrane, Ted Randall, Marie Perotta, Arie Nerman, David Breech, Mary Christie, Joan Brent, Jean Cochrane, Pat Silver, Anne Butler and Thomas Neal.  If you know someone of similar dedication and strength of character as that distinguished list, nomination forms can be found online at centre55.com or at Community Centre 55, 97 Main St.

The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 9. Include as much information as possible about nominees. The winner will be announced in these pages, and honoured in September with a ceremony and permanent stone at the Millennium Garden, at the corner of Coxwell and Eastern.

“It's one of those necessary things,” said Spence, president of the business community association for Kingston Road Village.

“The upside of it is we're going to get a whole new streetscape by the city.”

Starting on June 23, traffic on Kingston Road will be restricted to one eastbound lane between Queen Street East to Victoria Park Avenue as crews install new streetcar tracks, new sections of roadway and new sidewalks. The work is scheduled to finish by Dec. 22.

Spence said the work means business owners with storefronts on Kingston Road are bracing for a third hit to their bottom line.

Last year, parts of Kingston Road were torn up to install new water pipes. The year before it was gas lines.

“Three years in a row – it's like, 'Enough already!'” said Spence.

Katya Nosko owns the Great Escape Bookstore at Kingston and Scarborough Road, and is a representative of the association's construction liaison committee. Along with Christmas, Nosko said summer is a peak season for booksellers like her as Canadians are looking for their beach or cottage reads.

“My guess is that it will be considerably less busy this year,” she said, noting that traffic delays and parking restrictions could make the area a tougher sell for shoppers, especially those travelling from other parts of the city.

But Nosko was quick to say the city seems to recognize that Kingston Road Village business owners need support.

Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon has been working to see how the city can ease parking issues, she said, and the city's construction managers have been very responsive during past projects.

Nosko also echoed Spence in saying the city's new streetscape plans should give the area a boost.

All but two of the tree planters in the Village area will be replaced by trees at sidewalk level, freeing up more space for people in wheelchairs or strollers.

New benches and a new sign marking the Kingston Road Village will also go up at the Scarborough Road intersection, Nosko said, adding to the area's neighbourhood feel.

“We're really supported by locals – that's why we're here,” she said. “We're very lucky to have such a strong community.”

A Beach resident says he was pecked by an owl there last Tuesday after he sat down on a park bench just north of the Gardener's Cottage.

“I noticed the owl fly up into the branch just to the left of us,” he said, asking to not be named.

“The next thing I knew, I got whacked in the back of the head, and I saw it fly away.”

At first, the man wondered if the owl had hit him by some “pilot error.” It wasn't large, he said, and it hadn't hit him very hard.

But then came strike two.

“I felt like it scratched me,” he said. Heeding the message, the man started walking home.

It was only when he reached back to pull up the hood on his sweatshirt that he realized the owl had drawn a surprising amount of blood.

“I showed my wife and she said it was just a tiny little wound – a puncture wound,” he said. “As far as I can tell, it was done with its beak.”

Nathalie Karvonen is executive director of the Toronto Wildlife Centre, which runs a wildlife hotline for reporting any sick or injured animals, or animal conflicts.

Karvonen says she hasn't heard of an owl attacking people in Toronto before, but other birds, especially Canada geese, redwing blackbirds and crows, have been known to swoop down on people who get too close to their nests.

“That would be my guess,” she said. “Most wild animals really are good parents. They will defend their nesting area quite vigorously.”

Karvonen said at this point in the spring, the owl in Kew Gardens may be protecting eggs or owlets that are still “branching” – walking out on branches to test their balance before they can actually fly.

“Hopefully the owl won't be vilified in this situation,” she said. “I think it's important for people to realize that these animals are just trying to get by, doing what they naturally do.”

Mallory is one of six students in special education teacher Deborah Livingston-Lowe’s class featured in a book she wrote called Beach Metro Deliver Me. The students, who each have a page like the one at right, are some of the hundreds of Beach Metro News volunteers who deliver the paper every two weeks. Three other classes at William J McCordic School also deliver papers in the neighbourhood northeast of Danforth and Main.
PHOTO: Shannon Dempster

Livingston-Lowe’s class of six girls deliver Beach Metro News every two weeks in the school’s neighbourhood, northeast of Danforth and Main. All of them are non-verbal, and use pictures to communicate.

Learning tools for the girls include books, such as Cow Moo Me, a rhyming children’s book, but Livingston-Lowe found that not many similar books existed, so she took the logical next step. She wrote her own book for – and featuring – her students.

“There's not a lot of books like this, so I started to make my own,” she said.

Beach Metro Deliver Me has a page for each of the girls in the class, with a small rhyme and a photo of the student delivering the paper.

“We’re working on increasing their communication and their awareness, that's why they're in the pictures,” said Livingston-Lowe.

She’s since created books about gym class and the library, and is working on one about swimming.

While the students may not be able to speak, they are mobile, and delivering the paper allows the girls to get out in the community. The class delivers papers on Balfour Avenue, while three other classes at McCordic cover nearby streets.

“We try to get them to be independent, to walk up to the house and deliver,” said Livingston-Lowe. “It's really good life experience.”

The Toronto Police Service works with various agencies to encourage Report Support. One current  initiative is collaborating with students in Seneca College’s Graphic Design program to develop public awareness campaigns.

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Ashley Andrews, 28, featured in our last issue, has been arrested and charged as an accessory after the fact to murder following the Aug. 24 death of George Fawell, 24, in Jimmie Simpson Park.

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Ryan Samaroo

This issue’s Wanted Wednesday is Ryan Samaroo, 28, making his second appearance in the spotlight. Samaroo has numerous tattoos including one on the right side of his neck. He is wanted for attempted break and enter, criminal harassment, mischief under $5,000 and failure to  comply with probation, after violating parole conditions of his previous convictions. For more information search for 55 Division on Twitter and Facebook. If you have information contact the police at 416-808-5500, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-0222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637)  or Leave A Tip on Facebook. Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry App World.

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Police at 55 Division are looking for Hossein Moeinifar, 45, who is currently before the courts for arson disregarding life. It is alleged that he threatened to kill a witness in a court case if they testified against him. He is charged with threatening death and attempting to obstruct justice. Anyone with information should use the contacts listed above.

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Levon Byers

55 Division’s Major Crime Unit is searching for an East End resident after a search turned up weapons and drugs. On Wednesday, May 8, 2013, the unit executed a search warrant at an apartment on Newbold Avenue, near Coxwell and Gerrard. Police allegedly discovered a loaded .45 calibre pistol, nine rounds of .40 calibre ammo, a knife, marijuana, ecstasy, crack and a scale. A warrant has been issued for Levon Byers, 18, of Toronto. He is considered armed and dangerous, and anyone encountering Byers is advised to call 911 and not approach him. Anyone with any other information should contact police through the above contacts.

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A commercial premises licensed under the medical marijuana access regulations in the Gerrard and Leslie area was raided on April 30 by the Toronto Drug Squad. It is alleged that production exceeded the authorized amount by 2,203 plants with a street value of $2,203,000.  The extra plants could be grown every two to three months and trafficked. Along with the plants, 20,250 grams of dry marijuana and high-intensity light bulbs were seized. Ping Jiang, 44, was arrested.