Remembrance day ceremony

I’ve been to many Remembrance Day ceremonies, but, I’m sorry to say, none in Weston. I went today for the first time, and it was very moving.

About forty people  observed the 100th anniversary of the armistice in near silence. It was quite beautiful; there were no speakers and no organizers, but a community came together to mark an important occasion. A few people quietly streamed the CBC broadcast, and, at some point when it was right, everyone with a poppy walked forward to place it on the cenotaph.

A few minutes later, we all walked off in near silence.

40 years of Santa in Weston: a guest article by Marion O’Sullivan

The little girl who always wanted to go to the Macy’s Christmas parade, as yet, has not gotten her wish, but she got something even better. This is my 10th anniversary as the coordinator of the Weston Parade, and it’s been a joy.

On a larger scale, on Sunday, Nov 25th at 2.00 p.m., when the parade rolls down Weston Rd from Church Street to Dennison Ave, this great community tradition will be celebrating its 40th anniversary! And this is truly a testament to the indomitable spirit that is Weston as well the parade’s ability to adapt.

At least half of the high school kids who now wear costumes and carry banners in the parade come from homes where Christmas is not celebrated, but they and their parents still love them to be part of the event and they do it because they also love Weston.

Another way in which the parade has adapted is by keeping up with current trends. This year in addition to the marching bands and 40 community floats, the 501 Star Wars Troopers will be part of the event, as will characters from Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig, both very popular kid’s shows. To add theatrical flair to the parade, the Sunny Tang Lion Dancers will be displaying their amazing artistry.

Weston may be small, but our Weston Parade is MIGHTY. For more information on the parade, please visit our website at: www.westonvillagebia.com or email us at: admin@westonvillagebia.com. We still need volunteers!

Open house at the Masonic Temple, brunch, and Santa, too

The Masonic Temple in Weston is having an open house on Sunday, November 25, the day of the Santa Claus Parade.

The temple was firebombed last year, and the Masons are celebrating the repair, restoration and improvements to the building.

The ever-excellent Frontlines will also be hosting an event that day; they will be having a Holiday Brunch Fundraiser. Tickets are $10 for kids, and $25 for an adult and child.

Remembrance day this Sunday

This Sunday will mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.

The City of Toronto hosts several civic ceremonies; the nearest to us will be in the York Memorial Collegiate Auditorium. It will start at 10:45.

At sundown, bells across Toronto will be rung 100 times to mark the 100 years since the signing of the armistice. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like any churches or community groups in Weston have yet registered with the city to announce their participation; perhaps, dear reader, if you are a member of a church, you could ask?

And, in continuing good news

Here’s an interesting idea born in Weston—Mount Dennis: pop-up infrastructure. It’s clever: stop-gap community spaces built using pre-fab materials on unused land.

The idea came from St Albans Boys and Girls Club, a Weston-Mount Dennis group. With some community partners, they put a portable on a underused parking lot at York Humber High School to create space for their programming.

Pop-up infrastructure makes a lot of sense for the inner suburbs: we tend to be short on nearby community spaces but long on brownfield areas. There are problems, though. St. Albans found the process frustrating: it took “nearly 5 years before they received the approval to access the site and it was not until 2014 that the first portable was finally installed. From negotiations to regulatory approvals they seemed to be hitting roadblock after roadblock at every step.”

Out of their struggles grew a report and a website with some great ideas. The plans start at $1000, for a bike and trailer, and get considerably more expensive. All of the infrastructure, though, is portable and comparatively cheap.

 

 

Padovani is back

Chiara Padovani is keeping her first post-election promise: she’s continuing to fight to improve York South-Weston.

This weekend, she organized a door-knocking campaign at 33 King to advocate against rent increases.

Padovani is also hosting a meeting tomorrow, November 5, to fight for $15 and fairness, and against repealing Bill 148, a pro-workers bill. Tomorrow’s meeting will be at 6:30 at the Weston Seniors’ Centre.