PHOTO: Phil Lameira / Beach Metro News

A small group of neighbours on Neville Park Boulevard have joined together in their efforts to help deal with a group of feral cats living on their street.

With donations from neighbours, discounted rates from a gracious veterinarian, advice from Toronto Cat Rescue and trapping assistance from a local veterinarian technician, eight of the nine cats living on the south section of the street have been trapped, neutered and released ('TNRed' in Toronto Cat Rescue terminology). The cats were also vaccinated and given flea treatments, and housed in a 'recovery home' for a week after their operations.

Neville Park residents Valerie March, Irith McConnachie and Belle Smith and their neighbours have been feeding and taking care of the cats for about a year, since a neighbour passed away leaving behind dozens of cats. Most were captured and destroyed, but the survivors have been making themselves comfortable in the surrounding yards, including McConnachie’s.

McConnachie had been letting the cats live in shelters on her property, most built by concerned neighbours, but was unsure how to do much more than that. She did know that she wanted to protect the cats as best as she could.

“They're a wonderful family. There's no fighting, they're very protective of each other,” she said.

The cats must be doing something right, having so far escaped the wrath of their neighbour to the north, Neville the coyote.

March and Smith helped McConnachie feed the cats, but at one point it was decided further action needed to be taken to prevent the cycle from repeating.

“I would walk past to feed them and thought, 'we have to find a way to get these cats neutered,'” said March.

She talked to local veterinary offices, and was put in contact with the anonymous trapper who helped with the project. Neighbours donated over $1,000 to the cause, and the crew went to work. Only one stubborn cat remains to be fixed. All had their ears clipped, to mark them as having been neutered; two of the cats in the group were already fixed, although the previous owners couldn't be found, as they had no identification tags or microchips.

Although not all of the residents on Neville Park are happy about having a small group of cats living 'wild' on their street, they can at least take comfort in the care the cats are getting.

“They're relieved that we're not going to have more litters of kittens,” said March.

The cats are all named now, and several are likely tame enough to be adoptable. Romeo, Tom, Oliver and Grampa are all fixed, vaccinated and would likely be ecstatic (as much as any cat is ever ecstatic) to have a new home.

The three Neville Park cat lovers are hoping the furry family members can now enjoy feline life without producing unwanted litters.

“If they can’t be adopted, at least they can live out a good life and not reproduce,” said March.

The cat caretakers of Neville Park would be happy to accept donations of cat food, as the volunteers are paying to feed at least nine furry felines at the moment.

Anyone looking for information on how to help stray or feral cats should call Toronto Cat Rescue at 416-538-8592, or visit www.torontocatrescue.ca.

PHOTO: Phil Lameira / Beach Metro News

Malvern's Callan Rolfe-Hughes and Candice Leung go up for a block during a regional semifinal match against Lawrence Park on Feb. 8, right.  Malvern was victorious with scores of 25-17, 25-19, 25-9. The Malvern senior girls volleyball team qualified for the AAA city finals after defeating Martingrove in the citywide semifinals on Feb. 14.

Para-kayak paddler and national gold medallist Phil Mailey prepares to hit the water last summer at the Balmy Beach Canoe Club. PHOTO: Chris Blanchenot

The club's PaddleALL program is aimed at offering canoe, kayak and dragonboat to people with mobility issues, as well as those with special needs. The grant of just over $7,000 will go towards a few areas, including financial assistance for athlete travel and accommodation during national competition; operating costs; helping coaches and volunteers access training courses; and purchasing an outrigger canoe.

“Some of our clients who have difficulty with double-bladed boats will be able to take advantage of this,” said PaddleALL coordinator Colleen Didur.

The training for coaches and volunteers will also be a great help, she said.

“PaddleALL is more labour-intensive and coaching-intensive than our regular programs,” said Didur.

In 2011, nine athletes took part in the para-athlete programming, including several national team members and medallists. There were 54 participants in special athlete programming, but Didur said the club is actively recruiting new para-athletes, including beginners.

“2016 will see the debut of para-canoe and -kayak at the paralympics,” she said. The long-term goal for the Balmy Beach Canoe Club is to send at least one athlete to the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio De Janeiro.

For more information on the club, email paddleall@yahoo.ca, or visit www.balmybeachcanoe.com.

Pianist Alejandro Vela

The first concert will be held March 4 at 1:30 p.m., and is called Conjurer of the Piano. It will feature  the talents of Alejandro Vela, a dynamic young pianist originally from Mexico who now performs worldwide. He is praised for “his power to carry an audience away with his ability to create an atmosphere of mystery, sensuous beauty and majesty” (www.alejandrovela.com). Vela will be accompanied by Toronto Symphony Orchestra cellist Emmanuelle Beaulieu Bergeron.
Future concerts in the series include Scott Good and Friends, and the Lenny Solomon Trio. Beach Metro News will have more information closer to the dates.
Tickets are $20 each (or $50 for the series of three) with family prices available, and can be purchased by calling 416-699-6091. All proceeds will go towards the Kingston Road United Church boiler fund. Kingston Road United Church is located at 975 Kingston Rd.
•
Relish Bar & Grill, 2152 Danforth Ave.  presents singer-songwriters Mary Stewart, Feb. 25; Jenny Macdonald, March 3; and Jerry Leger, March 10. All performances are from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Don't forget Skaraoke every Thursday from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Stir It Up Sundays, an open-mic night from 10:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. For more information call 416-425-4664, or visit www.relishbarandgrill.com.
•
Oliver Schroer was a fantastic musician who lived in the Beach area up until his untimely death from leukemia in 2008. Schroer also graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Philosophy, and kept a journal of his musings.
Julie Maloney, a fan from Ottawa, has collected some of Schroer's thoughts and rendered them into beautiful calligraphy for a book she has titled Oli-isms: the wit and wisdom of Oliver Schroer & friends.
Included in this inspirational collection are his recollections and writings from his trek along the famed Camino de Santiago, and his battles with chemotherapy, along with photographs by his friend Peter Coffman.
Oli-isms is only $14.95, and is available through http://s22.ca/manufactory/books/index.html.

It all started with a kiss. Thomas Edison's The Kiss shocked audiences in 1896 when Whitby, Ontario's May Irwin locked lips in the very first kiss in cinematic history. Romance movies have been popular ever since, usually with the formula of attraction/obstacle/love. We know where the road is headed, so it better be a fun ride. Love can't conquer a weak story in The Vow. The magic is missing, so you won't need a box of tissues.

The Vow is set in Chicago, but only spent a few days wrapping up filming in the Windy City to capture some iconic images. Toronto often plays stand-in for our kind of town Chicago. The mayor of our sister city was not amused when the Oscar-winning musical Chicago (2002) was filmed here at locations such as the Distillery District and Danforth Music Hall.

In The Vow, the sap has a maple flavour. Watch for a meet-cute scene at Toronto City Hall and a 'life is a box of chocolates' moment at The Roastery Coffee House in Liberty Village (as Café Mnemonic, ha ha). The couple go for a cold dip at a Toronto beach pretending to be Lake Michigan. There's a wedding-on-the-run in the Art Gallery of Ontario that ends up at 'the Bean' in Chicago. I'll bet the A.G.O. wishes it really owned the Georges Seurat masterpiece A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884) which hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago and was a highlight of Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).

Toronto is blessed with one treasure. Rachel McAdams has been happy to call Toronto home since 1997 when she arrived from St. Thomas to study theatre arts at York University. No diva, McAdams has never 'gone Hollywood' and tries to avoid the celebrity circus of L.A. She lives with her brother in the Annex house she bought after the success of Mean Girls (2004) (which filmed on Balsam Rd. and at Malvern C.I.).

McAdams is an environmentalist who enjoys gardening, cycling and the TIFF Lightbox. “I feel very much at home in Toronto,” she recently explained. “I ride my bike everywhere.”

She feels “being in Toronto keeps me centred...I try to keep my feet on the ground.”

When Tatum made fun of her bicycle helmet, McAdams got the last laugh. A competitive figure skater until she was 18, McAdams took the Southerner ice skating for his very first time, “break dancing on ice,” as he described it.

McAdams was always being left behind as The Time Traveler's Wife in 2009, with Toronto locations (Lightman's on the Danforth) again masquerading as Chicago. Other made-in-Toronto romances include Moonstruck (1987), Stanley and Iris (1989) (featuring Kew Gardens), That Old Feeling (1997), Love Letters (1999) (St. John's Norway Cemetery), Three to Tango (1999), Serendipity (2001), My Big, Fat Greek Wedding (2002) (on the Danforth), How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)(Allen's on the Danforth) and Fever Pitch (2005) (Withrow Park). The Garden Gate Restaurant wasn't the only ‘Goof’ in Angel Eyes (2001). Who knew there was a CN Tower in Chicago?

Do romantic films put too much pressure on guys? Should men make grand gestures of love like Ryan Gosling's character in The Notebook (2004) which costarred McAdams (who was born in the same London, Ontario hospital as Gosling)? Guys, forget The Vow and talk about your feelings over While You Were Sleeping or When Harry Met Sally or Casablanca...

“You must remember this, a kiss is still a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh...”

Construction is underway on the addition to the existing building at the Boardwalk Café at Woodbine Beach Park.

There seems to be no end to the drama that surrounds the Boardwalk Restaurant – or is it Pub, or Café?

Regardless of what the name is, it seems to be a political mess planted right here in the Beach for the long haul.

The most recent chapter in this ongoing power struggle had George Foulidis, owner of Tuggs Inc., which runs the restaurant, ask the City to refund all or part of the development fees he paid in September of 2011 when he acquired a permit for the renovations and expansion of the restaurant.

Foulidis’ lawyers argued that since their client doesn’t actually own the land, or the premises, he should be exempt from paying the development charge of $52,312.61, and the education development charge of $3,548.49.

Such exemption is outlined in the City’s Development Charge By-law which applies to land that is “owned by and used for the purposes” of the City.

A staff report from the City of Toronto admits that “the City could arguably be considered a beneficial owner under the Developments Charges By-Law.”

Where the real argument arises is whether or not the restaurant is used for the purpose of the City, as in servicing the users of the park.

Foulidis is quick to point to a clause in the Lease Agreement which states that Tuggs is to complete its Capital Improvements in a timely manner “in order that the Tenant can provide service to the general public.” This, in Foulidis’ opinion, implies that his establishment is indeed being used for the purpose of the City.

City staff, on the other hand, have concluded that it does not. The report states that “the mere fact that patrons of the restaurant may also be users of the surrounding parkland does not change the fact that this is a commercial relationship in which the tenant operates a private business enterprise, for profit, and for the benefit of the tenant and not the City.”

The complaint was brought forth to the City’s Executive Committee on Feb. 12 and was quickly dismissed by all members. Mayor Rob Ford did not vote claiming an interest in the matter due to an ongoing litigation with Foulidis.

Ward 32 Coucillor Mary-Margaret McMahon spoke at the meeting and expressed how disappointed she was that Foulidis was fighting the charges.

“I am in disbelief,” said McMahon of the complaint. “I’ve inherited this and I’m trying to make the best of a bad situation. We have extended the olive branch to Mr. Foulidis in the past year, now the twigs are being snapped off.”

Foulidis, in an exclusive interview with Beach Metro News, said he doesn’t understand why the local councillor got involved.

“It’s not a political issue, it’s a business issue between me and the City. It has nothing to do with Mary-Margaret,” he said.

As part of the process, his lawyers asked the City where they found the provisions to charge him the fees. “I’m simply protecting my rights. What is it that I should do? Write another cheque every time they ask me to pay?”

McMahon sees it differently and says that Foulidis is being “adversarial.” She expressed disappointment, particularly since she helped organize an open-house event at the Boardwalk Restaurant late last year to inform the public of the renovation plans.

“I'm really not happy with what he's doing,” she insisted.

Foulidis stressed that he is in business to recover money invested and to make a profit, and the development charges are being taken away from his bottom line.

“This is not like there’s a line up of people here all the time. I have to make my money back,” he said.

“Mary-Margaret keeps talking about the community. Well, the community doesn’t come here. Where’s the community? They’re gone.”

Frustrated with all the political “non-sense,” Foulidis said he wants the deal to work and claims he’s trying to make the establishment more attractive with the ongoing renovations. He has moved the garbage bins from the parking lot entrance to a more hidden location to the west of the restaurant.

McMahon has recently discussed some of her ideas for the park with Foulidis, including a skating path.

“If Mary-Margaret wants to come down here and instigate a skating park, which is good for everyone, it’ll be good for the community and it’ll be good for my business, and I will contribute to it directly or indirectly with money or sponsorship,” he said.

A meeting between the councillor and Foulidis that was scheduled for Feb. 23 to discuss ‘community beneficial initiatives’ within the park was cancelled by McMahon due to Foulidis’ complaint about the development charges to the Executive Committee.

“I don’t know what we needed to meet about. We had no agenda,” said McMahon when asked about the cancellation.

Construction crews continue to work on the addition to the restaurant.

“By spring or early summer this building will start looking like a building,” said Foulidis.

Some have recently asked Foulidis why he doesn’t just walk away from the whole ordeal.

“Walk away from what? Look at all the money I'm spending,” said Foulidis, adding that if the City wrote him a cheque “with enough zeroes” he'd consider it.

In the past year McMahon has tried to facilitate any issues between Foulidis and the City, but he said that she is not the best person for him to be calling all the time.

“I'm gonna be accused that I have her in my pocket if I were to ask her for help with every issue I have regarding my lease or any breach of the agreement,” he said.

“I contributed $750 to [Bussin] because I thought she was a good lady. I told my friends they should do the same. What's wrong with that? Every business contributes to a campaign,” he said.

Foulidis is still hopeful that McMahon will eventually work with him on park projects including his own establishment. They have spoken about changing the menu to attract more clientele.

“There's no other project in this community that can make her shine or look good. This is a city park, this is a good project,” he said.

As part of the agreement with the city, Foulidis holds the exclusive license for selling food and beverages in Woodbine Beach Park. That has aggravated some merchants and some members of the community who want to host events at the beach or at the park, but he insists that he is fair, and exempts many events from paying him commission on food sales, such as charitable organizations.

“I help those causes that are worthy and good, but when someone comes here to do business, then that's what it is – business,” he said.

Foulidis has also been open with the fact that he’s talking to big name franchises to sublease his establishment, in particular Tim Horton’s.

“I believe the brand can help me do better business and it's good for the community,” he said of the discussions. “Everyone has killed my brand and I have to rely on other brands.”

He pointed out that for 15 years he ran a Pizza Pizza franchise in the park and that was no issue. He claims that most of the people who come to the park during the summer months come from all over the city, and they are more attracted to popular franchise brands.

“I've been getting screwed here for a long time, and I'm getting tired,” said Foulidis. “I'm hoping, and my family is hoping, that we have peace.”

“Regardless of all of the above and specifically the Councillor's ‘position’, we shall continue to do our best and work with the local community to improve and promote the use and enjoyment of the parklands in all respects,” he said.

Culver will be creating the official Centre 55 entry, which will compete with courage foods' Karen O'Brian, Vera Cozy Café and Bakery's Jennifer Murray, and Dana Kerbel from the Gull & Firkin. The contestants cover the Beach from Queen up to the Danforth.

The Centre used to host a French onion soup day for 200 in the dead of winter, said Culver, and “this is just a fun way to revive a soup day in February.”

For $5, soup lovers can sample all four and vote for a favourite. There will be at least one vegetarian option available.

At 6:30, the Silver Ladle trophy, as well as bragging rights for the year, will be awarded to the soup maker with the most votes.

“The competition is going to be stiff. They're cranking out some of their mothers' recipes,” said Culver.

Stop by the Centre, 97 Main St., from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on March 1 and cast a vote for the best soup. Proceeds will go towards programming at Centre 55.

Greenwood  is located almost in the middle between Leslie Street and Coxwell Avenue. Greenwood is unique in that it probably had more brickyards than any other street in the city of Toronto and surrounding area.

We look now at the old Don Valley Brickworks that was at one time the largest brickyard in the area, and now is a historic site. The Greenwood Avenue brickyards gave the Don Valley Brickworks quite a run for its money in the production of bricks from the 1860s to the 1920s.

Both areas, because of the type of soil that was in the ground, were ideal for making bricks, and these two areas provided bricks for quite a number of houses. Thousands of homes were built from bricks in these two areas. That is not to say that there wasn't any other place that made bricks. There were other brickyards in different localities.

In the late 19th century brickyards were one of the main sources of employment, along with market gardens, in the East End of the city. Greenwood Avenue was originally called Greenwood’s Lane, and was named after a local resident – Mr. Greenwood – who lived on the northwest corner of the then Kingston Road and Greenwood’s Lane, which later became Queen Street East and Greenwood Avenue when Kingston Road was renamed Queen Street in the 1880s.

Mr. Greenwood was the proprietor of the Greenwood Hotel, which was the centre for the population of the area. Dances, wedding receptions, etc. were held at this popular hotel. Mr. Greenwood was also a painter and a wagon-maker who had his wagon making business in the barn in the back of the hotel.

In those days, whiskey and drinking were a way of life for the hard-working pioneers. Hotel hours were not too stringent but there were certain rules that had to be observed. Mr. Greenwood was popular but he did have enemies and some of these tried to ‘do him in’.

On one occasion, Mr. Greenwood sold some ‘spirits’ to an informer at a time when he wasn't supposed to. This informer went to the local judge, who decided that Mr. Greenwood was guilty of selling spirits at an illegal time. Mr. Greenwood was so incensed that he changed the name of his hotel to the ‘Puritan’, with a picture of the whiskey informant with a noose around his neck and a caricature of the judge.

This sign remained until the death of Mr. Greenwood. After his death his wife became the proprietor of the Puritan Hotel. The Greenwood family is buried in St. John Norway (Berkley Cemetery).
Greenwood in those days only went as far as the Danforth and didn't continue north until much later. On both sides of the street there were at least 10 brickyards that produced hundreds of thousands of bricks annually.

On the east side you had John Price Brick Maker at 99 Greenwood. Further north were Morley & Ashbridge Brick manufacturers, and Ashbridge Brick Co. at 193 Greenwood. Ashbridge was one of the oldest pioneers in the area; Morley also was one of the early settlers.

Up the street we had Taylor Brickyard, then Logan Brickyards. On the west side was John Price Brickyards. Joseph Russel Brick Yards was one of the largest. Mr. Russell ran for public office, and the Russell streetcar barns are named after him. We also had Wagstaff Brick Yards, Isaac Price Brickyards, and more. Greenwood Avenue was the brick capital and employed hundreds of workers.

There was a downside however - all of the new homes that were built put their laundry on clotheslines. The brickyards’ blasting created large clouds of earth that dirtied the laundry, although the ladies complained to no avail.

Where Greenwood Park is now, between Dundas and Gerrard, was also a brickyard. Just prior to the First World War an entrepreneur put in a motor-dome, a race track for car racers. At times there would be 3,000 people watching these car races.

Later it was sold and became a public park known as Greenwood. On the west side was a great sports palace built, called Ulster Stadium, where football, baseball and rugby were played. Thousands came to see the spectacle. This sports palace was active for many years, and is remembered by a street named Athletes Avenue.

One feature for history buffs is a butcher and meat shop called Stricklands Butcher Shop. This shop was located at different locations on the Danforth and other places for close to 80 years. The current shop on Greenwood Avenue is still run by two jovial Strickland brothers, who also happen to carry the Beach Metro News in their store.

Later on, Greenwood became the home of the large marshaling yards for the TTC to store subway cars when not in use. North of the Danforth, Danforth Technical School was opened. Several churches are now found on Greenwood. There was also a theatre on Greenwood at one time.

Greenwood Avenue is a most historic street due to the brickyards. It is  still steeped in history. More to come...

As a proud participant of the program, I would like to share my experience working alongside the Ward 32 City Councillor for Beaches East/York, Mary-Margaret McMahon.

Late last school year, I met with Mary-Margret and her staff – Ciara, Laurie and Jane – to discuss what would be expected of me. I realized that a co-op placement involved a serious commitment. They explained that I would be working in the office alongside Councillor McMahon and her staff members.

Depending on what is going on at my school, I may be at city hall two or three  times a week. However, I always start my shift by 9 a.m. and leave by 11:30. This gives me just enough time to get back to school for my afternoon classes. I will be continuing this throughout the rest of the school year to obtain my two credits.

There was a slight fear that ran through my mind as I stepped into City Hall on my first day. I was lost and stressed, but once I found my office I felt at peace. I was treated as an equal and within a couple of weeks I was answering emails and phone calls just like everyone else.

My work ethic is nothing compared to the professionals, but they are kind enough to help me when dealing with certain issues. Since there can be many things going on at once (meetings, phone calls, visitors), I have learned that it is important that we all work together as a team to benefit our community.

As often as not, Councillor McMahon will be rushing in and out of the office collecting information for the meetings she must attend. I find it astonishing that she is able to address so many issues in one day. Her work ethic is something that can't be taught in classes. At City Hall I am able to learn things that I wouldn't be taught in the curriculum in my school.

Recently, Councillor McMahon took me to a budget committee meeting that she was attending. Councillors were gathered in a large room and were discussing and listening to citizens' opinions.  This has been my favourite part of the co-op program so far, because I can learn about Councillor McMahon's opinions on different issues, along with those of other Councillors.

Co-op students do not get paid, but the experience I have gained so far at my placement is priceless.
For more information on the Toronto District School Board’s co-op program visit www.tdsb.on.ca.