Vol. 40 No. 6
June 2003
Tuesday,
June 10th Annual
General Meeting of
the Markland Homes Association to
be held in the Main Board Room, Etobicoke
Civic Centre Mark
your calendars! Annual
Markland Wood Champagne Social Friday,
September 26th Markland Wood Golf Club Tickets
go on sale Monday, September 15th at 7:00 p.m. at 15 Fieldstone Rd. Watch
for more details in a special summer flyer. Have
a good summer! Remember:
No Marklander in July or August. Deadline
for the September issue: Monday August 18th. Airport
Noise Complaints: (416) 247-7682 President's Update This past year I have periodically written in this column about aspects of insurance, fire and safety. The last segment to cover here is about insuring the house structure itself. Your insurance company evaluated your home when they initially insured it. This value would be the stated cost to replace the house. Should this value be less than what it actually costs to replace the house after a catastrophic event, you would theoretically be short that amount. You should check for either of two things: That your house value figure, as stated in your policy, is accurate or that you have “extended house coverage”, which insures that the value of your home is covered in the event of any shortfall. Depending on the insurance company, the term they use for this type of coverage may differ. Speak with your agent or broker and have your house reassessed every couple of years for value, especially in this current climate of increasing prices. Again, be sure to ask the proper questions to get answers to what should ultimately be your #1 concern with respect to house insurance – is my house adequately insured to replace what I had, in the case of a catastrophic event. The Holly Jones tragedy of this past month was a terrible reminder to
all of us of an element of our society, which is very real and ever present. I
am confident many of us felt the same sense of anger about this savage crime
and the corresponding fear that we are forced to live in. It is a sad
statement, when innocent children cannot go about their daily lives close to
home without an element of fear, and parents cannot ignore the constant
pressure to know where your children are at all times. I also remember being
angry that horrible night when the authorities at a news conference gave a
warning to parents to “know where your children are at all times”. Perhaps
the reason for my anger is that I believe most parents are already vigilant.
Perhaps in this age of technology and surveillance, it’s time instead that
the authorities know where the criminals are at all times.
Perhaps its time for convicted offenders, and certainly repeat
offenders, to experience some of the pressure, fear, and intrusion that law
abiding citizens are being forced to experience in their everyday lives, as a
result of these criminal acts. I encourage you to visit a new website, hollyslaw.ca,
which has been brought to my attention, for your information and further
action if you wish. Speaking of the authorities, we Marklanders, as well as our fellow
citizens, will have the opportunity to vote in three different elections
(municipal, provincial and federal) in the coming months. I would encourage
you to take your responsibility seriously, understand the many important
issues that are before us currently and evaluate the candidates. Better yet,
become involved in supporting one or more issues, to educate the various
candidates as to their importance to us.
Finally, with respect to involvement, the Markland Homes Association
(MHA) needs your’s, no matter how limited, this coming year. It is a great
way to give something back to the community, within which we all have a vested
stake. I have been truly fortunate this past year to have a Board, whose
members have worked together so well for the benefit of Markland Wood.
Some have demanding careers and growing families. Others are retired
and without whose help we could not succeed as an organization. Each has one
or more particular specialty(s) that they look after on behalf of you and I.
Some of our Directors may be leaving the MHA, this year or next. We need to
have you take their place and insure the MHA continues to be the most active
and vibrant ratepayers’ group in Etobicoke.
On Tuesday, June 10th we will be holding our Annual General
Meeting, during which we will review the year, discuss plans for next year and
be pleased to receive any of your input.
Feel free to call any one of the directors, or myself, to get an
understanding of what we do and where you could help in some way with your
talent and a minimum of your valuable time.
We look forward to meeting and speaking with you at the Annual General
Meeting. Have a wonderful and
safe summer. Patrick J. Clifford President, Markland Homes Association 2002-2003
Board of Directors EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT: Patrick Clifford, 8 The Green Pines 621-7695 VICE-PRESIDENT:
Tom Napier, 1 Markland Dr. 622-9630 SECRETARY:
Don Matheson, 30 Markwood Cr. 621-4291 TREASURER: Gerard Betsch, 14 Winsdale Road 620-4896 DIRECTORS Stephen Blimkie, 197 Markland Drive 695-7734 Richard Boehnke, 67 Markland Dr. 621-5089 Brian Brennand, 2 Markland Dr.
622-8011 Bev Evans, 8 Winsdale Rd. 621-2153 Graham Maguire, 2
Broadfield Dr. 620-4398 Diane Mcleod, 15 Aymarn Crt. 622-2183 Associate Directors Helen Boehnke, Bo Lawrentiw, Ian Sillars, Irene Sillars and Patti
Thorne, From Tom’s Desk Living in Markland Wood for me, is very special. I enjoy the activities
of people walking, running, rollerblading and cycling that seems to bring our
community to life. This past year I have been very active and have
participated in many events within Markland. The annual Christmas Caravan
celebrated 35 years this past December. The Social Extravaganza was an
excellent night’s entertainment. I think that the most interesting and
satisfying project was the selection of the Annual Scholarship Awards. I
always have fun reading the essays, and then narrowing them down and finally
choosing two young Marklanders, who are moving on to a college or university. One of the problems with writing once per month and meeting our
publisher’s deadline is that events sometimes happen after the submission. I
would like to express my condolences for those who lost their lives and
businesses because of the gas explosion at the plaza on Bloor in late April.
One of our Marklander advertisers, Milano’s Pizza, was directly affected by
this catastrophe. I was a frequent patron of Milano’s and hope to continue
to be one in the near future, if and when they start operations again. “Signs, signs, everywhere are signs, blocking out the scenery,
breaking my mind….” On one Saturday in May, I woke up to see the corner of
Markland and Bloor littered with at least six or seven advertising signs.
After driving the neighbourhood, I saw at least 20 signs, from two companies
placed at major intersections in Markland Wood. I contacted the city and
discovered that these signs are illegal (Chapter 215 of the City of Etobicoke
Municipal Code). The problem is that this is considered a minor offence
compared to other infractions, such as standing water and issues related to
community standards. I contacted both of these companies and asked them to
remove their signs. One company quickly came to remove their signs. The
company that advertised rubbish removal accused me of being their competition
and hung up on me. I called them a few times more (it’s an 800 line, so the
charges are billed to them), but they still refused to speak with me. As you
can now see, the signs are down. It is not illegal to take these signs down.
However, please exercise caution if you decide to remove the signs. Please,
don’t confront anyone placing these signs. If you have the chance, please attend The People’s Forum. It is set up
and ready to receive your registration. You can register at http://www.peoplesforum.ca or contact me for an application form. I will be attending this event,
as I think it is very important for the Toronto Homes Associations and their
members to voice their concerns about the way Toronto is being run. The fee is
$25 and includes lunch. There will be a Mayoralty debate from 4:00 to 6:00
p.m. I was a little disappointed with the response I received from Hon. Allan
Rock’s office, regarding the SARS issue. Toronto politicians have been
working very hard to get business moving again in this city. The “Toronto,
You Belong Here” campaign, to encourage economic recovery after the W.H.O.
travel advisory was lifted, is in progress. Hon. Allan Rock is Canada’s
Minister of Industry and chief sales person for this country. Somehow, I
expected more from our federal ministers from Toronto. Granted, the $10
million extra that was given from the feds to help in the advertising is
welcome. However, I just thought it would be nice to see some of these MPs at
some functions within Toronto, to help promote our city. To date, I have not
received an itinerary from Min. Rock’s office, as per my request, regarding
this issue. One last note; Please have a safe and happy summer. I hope to see all of
you in the autumn at the Markland Wood Social and during my collection rounds. Thanks, Tom Napier VP-MHA One Markland Drive 416-622-9630 Important Contact Information: Councillor Doug Holyday, Ward 2, 392-4002, Email: councillor_holyday@city.toronto.on.ca Hon. Chris Stockwell, MPP Etobicoke Centre, 695-1220, Email: chris_stockwellco@ontla.ola.org Hon Allen Rock, MP Etobicoke Centre, 231 2301, Email: Rock.A@parl.gc.ca Street Lighting - 395-4448 Roads & Sidewalks - 394-8615 Traffic - 416-394-8453 Emergency Medical Services - 392-9833 Police - 808-2200 911 – For Real Emergencies! Toronto Department Web Site: http://www.toronto.ca/departments/ My Year at Queens University My transition to post-secondary studies at Queens University
was far from easy. Having never spent more than one week away from home, I
found myself completely immersed in a very different environment. Although I
was impressed with the grandeur of the buildings, I missed my old high school.
Although I was enjoying a newfound sense of freedom and independence, I missed
my parents. Although I was constantly surrounded with scores of people my own
age, I felt lonely all the time. I missed the comfort and the familiarity of
my life at home and I wanted to return to the environment I had grown up with,
the only place I had ever really known. School News Millwood Junior School The days continue to look more and more like summer, but the students at
Millwood are still at it! The children in Room 10 have been participating in a study, in
accordance with the Canadian Space Agency. The class was sent three sample
sets of Roma tomato seeds, some of which had been exposed to a simulated
Martian environment. They are to monitor the growth of the three sets of seeds
and make observations and predictions about which seeds have been germinated
under Earth-like or Mars-like conditions. The results will be reported to the
Tomatosphere Project. The Grade 4 and 5 classes worked diligently preparing for Blast to the
Past. On May 23, the gym was transformed into a marketplace, representing the
Medieval, Egyptian and Mayan periods. The students, who were dressed in full
period attire, ran stalls, filled with wares. The only link tying the past to
the present will be the commercials being aired – Apple Canada was gracious
enough to come in with their video and computer technology and spend a day
with the children, assisting them in creating their very own TV commercials.
The results were awesome and the event a popular and huge success! One of our students, Jennifer M., has had her poem, entitled “
People”, selected for publication in this year’s Urban Voices. Way to go,
Jennifer! The Concours d’ART Oratoire at the Civic Centre took place in April
and congratulations are in order to Shevaun, who represented Millwood Junior
School. Merci beaucoup Shevaun! The Grade 5 classes enjoyed their camping trip to Mono Cliffs Provincial
Park very much, despite the snow still on the ground. Students learned about
mineral and rock formation on the dolomite cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment.
Students took on the role of an animal in the Instincts for Survival Game.
They had to find enough “food” and “water” to survive, while
avoiding their “natural predators”. Hikes, orienteering lessons, outdoor
survival skills and cooking bannock over an open fire were just some of the
highlights of the trip! After such a great trip, the Grade 5s may not want to move on to middle
school, but graduate they will. The Grade 5 Graduation and Farewell Party is
shaping up to be very special. We wish all the students, graduating this year
from Millwood, a very bright and successful future! And so the school year has gone by. Children wistfully daydream of
summer holidays – the longest days in the world, carefree, sunny and lasting
forever. Well, at least until September.
Millwood Junior School has an excellent group of educators, dedicated to
their jobs, beyond what is written on some piece of paper in a file. We thank
them for their dedication, perseverance and plain old hard work that sometimes
come along with the job. Most of
all, we thank them for their enthusiasm – we see it in the number of
extracurricular activities that take place at the school, enriching our
children’s educational experience beyond words. We wish all of the staff at Millwood Junior School a well-deserved rest
and our students a safe and happy summer. Larissa Bayrachny Silverthorn Collegiate Institute The month of May started off with a Junior Dance for grades 9 to 11, and
the night was a huge success. Unity, the club that promotes multi-culturalism,
organized an amazing fashion show. Admission was only a dollar and almost
forty models displayed beautiful formal wear from various cultures. Numerous
countries were represented, including Japan, France, China, India and Chile.
These magnificent national costumes cost up to four thousand dollars each and
were generously loaned to Unity by the students and staff of SCI. Our track and field team placed fourth overall in a meet held at
Centennial Park, with excellent results in hurdles and other disciplines. The
baseball, soccer and co-ed volleyball teams continue to compete with
impressive efforts. May 23rd was SCI’s first-ever Carnival Day, which lasted
from 10:30am to 1:30pm. Students
could choose from numerous activities, including face painting, karaoke,
jousting, soccer shoot-outs, Ultimate Frisbee, and more. The main feature was
the dunk tank, and each shot at the bulls-eye was only a dollar each. When
teachers volunteered to be in the dunk tank, students really brought out their
wallets! More than ten brave
teachers good-naturedly teased the students and were eventually dunked. Cotton
candy, hamburgers and ice cream bars all sold out, and the stage band
performed numerous songs. It’s been a privilege and an honour to write an article for the
Marklander each month, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Next year
I’m off to university and you’ll hear about SCI’s happenings from a new
reporter. SCI would like to wish everyone a very happy summer!
Heather Foulkes Church News Bloordale United Church 4258 Bloor St. West. Etobicoke, Ontario, M9C 1Z7 621-1710 OUR SUMMER SCHEDULE Please note that our
Summer Service time has begun, 10:00 a.m. from May 18 to August 31 and we have air-conditioning...everyone is welcome. June 1. Communion and
Special Music. Everyone welcome. Our Choir Director &
Soprano Soloist Extraordinaire, Margie Dulude, has invited a flautist &
pianist to join us. June 8. Outdoor Service
(weather permitting), Sunday School and Whole Church Picnic. June 15. Theme "We
have Come to a Cross Road". June 22. Guest
Preacher: Nancy Monteith, Candidate for the Ministry. June 29, July 6 and July
13 at Richview United Church, 149 Wellesworth Drive, Etobicoke. The
Ministers of St. James United Church will be in charge. July 20, 27 and August 3
at St. James United Church, Burnhamthorpe Road, Etobicoke, with Rev. Jesse
Doyon of Bloordale United Church in charge. August 10, 17, 24 and 31
at Bloordale United Church with Rev. Ron Coughlin of Richview United Church in
charge. And remember, "we
have air-conditioning". St. James United Church 400 Burnhamthorpe Road, Etobicoke (Just west of 427 on the south side of Burnhamthorpe Road.) Phone 622-4113 Celebration Service 9:00 a.m. (includes Sunday School) Traditional Service 10:30 a.m. (includes Sunday School, baby sitting) Fellowship with tea or coffee after service The Church of Christ the
King 475 Rathburn Road,
Etobicoke Just West of the 427 621-3630 PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND
Also CHECK US OUT ON OUR
WEB SITE http://netcomsolutions-ont.com/Christ_King Rehoboth
Fellowship Christian Reformed Church 800 Burnhamthorpe Road (just east of Mill Rd.) Etobicoke
622-9647 Reverend John Tenyenhuis You are invited to join us in worship on
Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. Coffee fellowship follows the service. This year our annual Vacation Bible School (VBS)
will be held the week of July 7-11, every morning from 9:15 a.m. to noon. This free program is for children, aged 5-12. Bible stories, songs and crafts will be part
of the fun, as we learn about this year’s theme, “Growing the Fruit of the
Spirit”. If you have questions about VBS or any of our
programs, please call the church for more information.
People and Places Aleksandra and Dave Rossi of Golf Valley Lane are happy to announce the engagement of their son, Michael Rossi, to Casey Maracle. Summer of Fun 2003 The Markland Munchkins are about to kick off another summer of fun. If you are a parent of young children and are looking for fun local activities, consider joining us. The Markland Munchkins is a group of parents that take turns organizing fun events in and around the Markland Wood area, during July and August. Please note that this is not a drop-off program. It is a fun way to spend the summer and meet other families. There will be an open house/sign up night on Tuesday, June 17th from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm, at 257 Mill Road (my house). For more details or to RSVP, call Christine Giorno at 626-8978. To Markland Wood Motorcycle Enthusiasts Are there any motorcycle enthusiasts in the Markland Wood neighborhood,
who are interested in getting together for some riding, tall tales, bike
posing and working on your bikes? This would not be a club, but an ad-hoc
group, who could get together periodically. We could use e-mail or a telephone
list of motorcycle riders in the area to organize meets. This could be for all
types of bikes, cruisers, sport bikes, etc. I will start it off; you can reach
Tony at tsokic@amtca.com or
416-993-8586. I look forward to hearing from you. Looking for Volunteers Donna Cansfield, Provincial Liberal Candidate for Etobicoke Centre, is
recruiting volunteers to assist in the upcoming election campaign. Flexible
working hours Mon-Sat 9am-9pm, Sun 12pm-9pm.
Location: 4192 Dundas St. W at Prince Edward Dr. 233-6100 or donna@donnacansfield.com Parent and Tot Coffee Time On alternate Tuesday
mornings at Bloordale United Church. Rm 13. Coffee is provided, but bring a
snack for your little one. Make a friend, bring a
friend, be a friend. For more information, call
Sylvia at 626-2424. Arts Etobicoke is a not for profit community arts council
representing 65 Toronto West-based Arts and Cultural Organizations in all
disciplines. Established in 1973, Arts Etobicoke's broad mandate is to enrich
community life through the arts. Arts Etobicoke provides our members and
residents of the community with a wide range of programmes and services.
Bake Sale/kitten/cat
adoptathon If you love to help
animals, or would like to adopt one (or two) of our kittens or cats, please
join us for our Bake Sale/kitten/cat adoptathon at the Pet
Valu in the Richview Plaza (on Eglinton between Kipling & Islington)
June 14, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., with a special guest, Claudia Hehr, an Animal
Communicator. For more information
please call Pet Valu at 247-8335 or Margaret or Christine at 243-8565. Donations and Volunteers
to help our cause are welcome! All proceeds go towards a
30-year-old cat charity group, called Action Volunteers for Animals. These
dedicated, caring and sharing people are all volunteers helping homeless cats
and kittens. Hope you can join us. There will also be a huge
sidewalk sale in that plaza!!!!
The Neilson Park Creative Centre 56 Neilson Drive, Etobicoke ON M9C 1V7 From
June 3 to August 29 “Wednesday’s
Work” An
exhibition of paintings and sculpture in a variety of media by twenty artists
from John Leonard’s painting and life drawing classes and from the Etobicoke
Art Group Sculptors. and Tim
McCormack and Len Aquanno An
exhibition of recent works using watercolours, pastels, oils and drawing
media. From
June 24 to July 13 “Canadensis” Acrylic
paintings by Huibert
Sabelis Works
depicting the Canada goose as a symbol of Canada Opening
reception: Tues, June 24 from 7-9 p.m. Sunnybrook
Art Competition Award Winners and Artsmartz
Instructors Exhibition See
the winners of the art competition and the art of the instructors of the
children’s summer classes. July
14 to August 10 ~~~WATER~~~~ Summer 2003 Annual Juried ART
EXHIBITION Paintings,
photography, ceramics, silk-screening, sculpture, fibre arts, calligraphy and
works in other media, all
on the theme of water.
Featured as part of the Ontario Society of Artists province-wide summer
project. OPEN
TO ALL ARTISTS $500
in prizes Entry
deadline, June 30. Mail
or deliver to above address. Opening
Reception and Awards Ceremony: July 14, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Information: 622-5294 Open:
Tues-Sat, 9-4 p.m. Tuesday, 7-9 p.m. Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Wheelchair accessible. Free admission and
parking. www.neilsonparkcreativecentre.com Email: npcc@idirect.com MARKLANDER
STAFF President:
Patrick Clifford Editor: Graham
Maguire Advertising:
Brian Brennand Distribution:
Richard Boehnke Setup Spalding
Creative Printing
Stu McNair Rose's Recipes Here in the ‘Outback of Oakville’ and in this new bungalow
development, it was wonderful to
meet ladies who enjoy baking and cooking, and are happy to share recipes. A
lovely individual, Hilda, had Ed and I over for tea and served two types of
cake, coffee and cheesecake. My favorite was the coffee cake. Coffee
Cake Filling ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup chopped walnuts 2 tsp. Cinnamon Cake ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 cup sour cream 2 cups flour 2 tsp. Baking powder 2 tsp. Baking soda ½ tsp. Salt 1 tsp. Vanilla 1 lemon, zest and juice 1. Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon and walnuts; put the filling
aside. 2. Grease a 9” Bundt pan, well. Hilda uses unsalted butter. |