HomeMy WebLinkAboutNA2010_08_051900 Dixie Rd.(at Finch) in Pickering
T:905 839 2506T: 905 839 2506
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at Pickering Campus
415 Toynevale Road, Pickering
Tuesday, August 17th
@ 7:00 p.m.
905-686-9607
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239 Station St., Ajax
Pressrun 51,400 • 20 pages
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PICKERING
NNews ews AAddveverr titisseerrTHE
RYAN PFEIFFER / METROLAND
PICKERING -- Roger Ondoua has created a variety of ‘hortisculptures’ in his backyard. Mr. Ondoua sees potential for his creations at parks,
golf courses and corporations. Gardener’s colourful idea takes root
PICKERING RESIDENT CREATES UNIQUE ART WITH FLOWERS
KRISTEN CALIS
kcalis@durhamregion.com
PICKERING -- The floral concoctions in Roger
Ondoua’s backyard are a little different from
the usual blooms in local gardening competi-
tions or landscaping magazines.
The Pickering resident, who studied arts
and sciences at McGill University, and later
got his PhD in horticulture, has invented a
number of creations made out of flowers
and plants.
“I call it ‘hortisculpture.’ It’s a combination
of horticulture and sculpture,” he said.
He’s used impatiens, hypoestes and a
number of different plants and flowers to
create an array of floral images in his back-
yard, including a dolphin, a Canadian flag, a
horse -- his favourite -- and a golfer.
See PICKERING page 8
facebook.com/newsdurham
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REGION 2
Restaurant
inspections
Diners across
Durham cited
for infractions
CITY 3
Tug of war
City, conservation
authority reach
house agreement
SPORTS 13
On track
to Michigan
Pickering
sprinter signs
for scholarship
Th ursday, August 5, 2010
durhamregion.comNews Advertiser • August 5, 20102
AP
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Convictions include
using dirty cloth
to clean utensils
DURHAM -- Food wasn’t being kept at
the proper temperature, garbage wasn’t
removed, kitchen workers weren’t wear-
ing head gear and a dirty cloth was used
to clean utensils.
Those are some of the convictions fol-
lowing the latest round of restaurant
inspections conducted by the Durham
Region health department. It’s for the
period from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2010.
Restaurants in all eight municipalities
in Durham were cited for an infraction,
and fines ranged from $45 to $370.
The health department conducts
inspections of all food premises in Dur-
ham.
Other violations included using a dirty
cloth to clean tables, an operator not
ensuring employees washed their hands
before resuming work, not protecting
food from contamination, and the floor
in the food handling room wasn’t kept
clean.
The health department also enforc-
es the Smoke-Fee Ontario Act. Twelve
businesses in Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax and
Pickering were cited for violations. Half
the violations were for selling tobac-
co to someone under 19 years of age.
Five of the other violations were busi-
nesses ensuring there were no ashtrays.
The other violation was a taxi driver in
Oshawa having a lit cigarette in a pro-
hibited workplace.
Fines under the Smoke-Free act ranged
from $250 up to $900.
Two pet owners, one in Oshawa and
one in Whitby, were cited for failing to
have their animals immunized against
rabies. These charges were under the
rabies immunization regulation 567,
which is part of the Health Protection
and Promotion Act.
Also, a property owner in Oshawa was
fined $1,000 for failing to comply with
an order from a public health officer,
related to West Nile virus prevention.
To see a complete list of businesses
charged, visit www.durham.ca.
Also, the list of inspection results
under the DineSafe Durham program is
available at the same web address.
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CORRECTION NOTICE
Please note the following
corrections to the Surefi t Flyer
Jacket in paper August 5, 2010.
Back Page:
The price of the Pure Silk King
Duvet should be $189.99.
Inside Left Page:
Should read: 400 T.C. Sheet Set
Egyptian Cotton
We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
REGION
Durham restaurants
cited for multiple
health violations
METROLAND FILE PHOTO
DURHAM -- The Region completed inspections
on all Durham restaurants recently.
We Welcome All Major Fleet Cards
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AJAX PICKERING NEWS ADVERTISER
durhamregion.comNews Advertiser • August 5, 20103
P
Conservation authority
and City reach temporary
agreement
KRISTEN CALIS
kcalis@durhamregion.com
PICKERING -- Hopes to save a home
for community purposes on Beachpoint
Promenade are staying alive after Picker-
ing’s environmental partner has agreed to
give it a second look.
In May, the City learned the Toronto and
Region Conservation was applying for a
demolition permit for a home jointly owned
by the City and the TRCA since the tenant
was to move out on July 12 and the conserva-
tion authority wanted to protect the land.
After a storm of e-mails, letters and pub-
lic comments by Pickering councillors, the
TRCA has since agreed to let the City explore
using the home for community purposes,
such as a meeting centre for local groups.
The Norman Scudellari Property was pur-
chased by the TRCA in 1999. The TRCA had
been purchasing nearby homes since 1969 to
protect the environmentally significant heri-
tage lands on the western spit on the south-
ern edge of Frenchman’s Bay, according to a
letter from Ron Dewell, TRCA’s senior man-
ager of conservation lands and property ser-
vices.
Pickering’s operations director Everett
Buntsma explained at the same time, the City
paid more than $240,000 as part of a purchas-
ing agreement with the TRCA for its share of
the home and the lands.
The TRCA and the City also created the
Rotary Frenchman’s Bay West Park Master
Plan to focus on preserving and enhancing
the natural attributes of the lands and creat-
ing trails, parking and recreation opportuni-
ties. So a letter from the TRCA stating it want-
ed to apply for a demolition permit for the
house had councillors fuming. Although the
TRCA did receive vacant possession of the
home, the City has always had the intention
of looking at alternate options, said Ward 2
City Councillor Doug Dickerson. “This is fun-
damentally wrong,” he said in an e-mail.
He also said the demolition should not
occur without consulting the communi-
ty groups originally interested in using the
home, or the City’s waterfront committee.
Ward 1 City Councillor Jennifer O’Connell,
chairwoman of the waterfront committee,
agreed. “At the end of the day we were on the
same page, and now we’re not,” she said at a
meeting.
The City quickly contacted the TRCA and
shared its concerns. According to Mr. Bunts-
ma, the City is “looking at possible commu-
nity uses for the building.”
The TRCA has boarded up the home, and
City staff will visit the house and consider the
options within the next few weeks, Mr. Bunts-
ma said.
TRCA’s Mike Fenning, manager of acquisi-
tions and sales, said in an interview the mas-
ter plan indicates the need to reduce traffic in
the area, and demolishing the home would
accomplish that.
But he said the TRCA is open to Pickering’s
plans. “We’ve worked with Pickering for many
years and we’ve been good partners,” he said.
“Things change, nothing ever stays static.”
Ward 1 Regional Councillor Bonnie Littley
said there is a need for community space, but
the dedicated environmentally significant
area should be protected.
“Politicians come and go, and they can
change plans at the drop of a hat,” she said in
an interview. “But lands that need to go into
conservation need to go into the conserva-
tion authority to be protected into perpetu-
ity.”
CITY HALL
Tug of war played out over Pickering home
JASON LIEBREGTS / METROLAND
PICKERING -- 1083 Beachpoint Promenade is the last residence remaining on the
west spit. The TRCA purchased the property in 1999 along with other property around
Frenchman’s Bay barrier in order to protect the environmentally significant land. The
current resident moved out in July and the TRCA wants to demolish it.
durhamregion.comNews Advertiser • August 5, 20104
AP
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DURHAM -- Several community groups in
Durham Region have received grants from
the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
More than $2.1 million is being given to
groups from various initiatives.
Among the groups are:
• AIDS Committee of Durham Region which
is receiving $174.900 to hire a full-time vol-
unteer co-ordinator for three years.
• Canadian Mental Health Association,
Durham (CMHA Durham) which is receiv-
ing $5,500 to print and distribute a guide-
book of services for people with mental
health issues and their families in Durham
Region.
• Community Development Council Dur-
ham (as lead organization on this collabor-
ative) is receiving $108,200 over three years
for a co-ordinator to expand the Durham
Child Nutrition Program.
• Durham Region Senior Games is receiv-
ing $25,000 over two years to raise aware-
ness of the Durham Region Senior Games
Association.
• Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontar-
io is receiving $46,000 to improve acces-
sibility to an historic building and related
cultural programs at the manse in Leask-
dale where Lucy Maud Montgomery lived
and wrote.
• Oshawa Italian Recreation Club 1970 is
receiving $131,300 for kitchen renovations
and upgrading of the furnace.
• Room 217 Foundation is receiving $55,000
over two years to hire a part-time develop-
ment coordinator and support volunteer
recruitment for this Port Perry organiza-
tion.
• The Distress Centre of Durham Region
Inc. (as lead organization on this collab-
orative) is receiving $192,400 over three
years to provide a culturally sensitive crisis
prevention and response service for peo-
ple who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans-
gendered or queer (LGBTQ) in Durham
Region.
• Uxbridge-Scott Agricultural Society (as
lead organization on this collaborative) is
receiving $150,000 for renovations to make
the building accessible.
PROVINCE
Durham community groups receive Trillium grants
No
Can polystyrene be
recycled in the blue box?
www.durhamregionwaste.ca
but...
polystyrene packing material is being collected
at the Oshawa Waste Management Facility
(1640 Ritson Rd., N.) for recycling by a local
company from June to November 2010.
Disposal fees will apply.
Durham Region Works Department
905-579-5264
1-800-667-5671
waste@durham.ca
Yes
June 3, 2010
B Sharp Technologies Inc
Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Canadian Tech Air Systems Inc (2)
Cooksville Interiors
Hewitt Associates
Motion Specialties
Richard Price – MGI Financial
MRP Builder-Engineers Inc
Runnymede Development Corporation
Archibald Estate Winery & Cider House Golf Course, Sherry Baker – Homes Loan Canada, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, Brandes
Investment Partners, Cedarhurst Golf Club, Del Dykstra – Delton Financial Services, Dell Canada Inc, Delta Grandview Resort,
Noreen Denman, Desjardins Financial Security, Eco Lab, Framer’s Gallery, Fidelity Investments, Franklin Templeton
Investments, Golf Town, Campbell G. Grierson CFP, Health Pro, Insight, King’s Court Catering, Lakeridge Links Golf Club,
Luke’s Country Store, Maple Leaf Sports + Entertainment, Millrun Golf & Country Club, Dr. N. Mirzakhani, Northcutt Elliott
Funeral Home, Oakridge Golf Club, Preston Transport, Richard Price, Quarry Lakes Golf & Recreation Centre, Royal Ashburn
Golf Club, St Mary’s Cement, Salt Depot, SCOREGolf Magazine, Shoppers Drug Mart, Stonehenge Golf Club, Sun Life, Swish
Maintenance, Sysco Central Ontario Inc, The Wine Cove, TransportAction Lease Systems, Whispering Ridge Golf Club
Friend of Drive Fore Care
Pineridge Automotive Supply Limited
Donors
Master Sponsor
Eagle Sponsors Media Sponsor
Birdie Sponsors
Hole Sponsors
Thanks to our Sponsors, Donors and Golfers, $40,000 was raised for
Community Care Durham and Ontario Shores Foundation for Mental Health
This support will help our unique partnership fund services and programs for both organizations. Services
include home support such as Meals on Wheels, transportation, respite (care relief) and mental health
programs, education and research
Drive Fore Care
Charity Golf Tournament
durhamregion.comNews Advertiser • August 5, 20105
P
Finch Ave
Kingston Rd.
401 Whites
Rd
.Al
tona Rd
.
Pickering Campus
1884 Altona Rd. (Between Sheppard & Finch)
905-509-4773
www.scholarmontessori.ca
Open HouseScholar
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Give Your Child a Solid Educational Foundation!
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2, 3, 5 day Programs Available
Childcare Subsidy Available
Music, Yoga & Sports
Programs Available
Montessori Toddler Program 16 Months - 2.5 Years
Montessori Casa Program 2.5 Years - 6 Years
Infant Program 0 -18 Months
Friday, August 13th
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Saturday, August 21st
11:00 am - 1:00 pm
News Advertiser • August 5, 20106
P
&
A Metroland Media Group Ltd. Publication
Tim Whittaker - Publisher
Joanne Burghardt - Editor-in-Chief
Mike Johnston - Managing Editor
Duncan Fletcher - Director of Advertising
Eddie Kolodziejcak - Classifi ed Advertising Manager
Abe Fakhourie - Distribution Manager Lillian Hook - Offi ce Manager
Janice O’Neil, Cheryl Haines - C)omposing Managers
News/Sales 905-683-5110 Fax 905-683-7363
Classifi eds 905-683-0707 Distribution 905-683-5117
130 Commercial Ave., Ajax ON L1S 2H5. Publications Mail Sales Agreement Number 40052657
Member: Ontario Press Council, OCNA, CCNA, SNA. All content copyright
Editorial
Opinions
durhamregion.comWE THINK... email responses to newsroom@durhamregion.com
Mind the hogweed in Pickering neighbourhoods
It’s difficult sometimes to believe that a
thing of picture-perfect beauty can hide
a nasty surprise, but the pretty hogweed
plant fits the bill.
The plant, which can grow to six metres,
is considered a severe toxic plant by
the Toronto and Region Conservation
Authority, which is monitoring sightings
of the plant here in Pickering following
the recent discovery of some growing in
local areas.
The plant’s clear sap contains a chemi-
cal that can lead to burning skin blisters,
severe irritation or dermatitis.
If it gets into the eyes, it can lead to tem-
porary or even permanent blindness. In
that context, it is imperative that City and
Regional officials take quick action to
identify plant locations and manage their
growth.
In the simplest terms, don’t touch the
plant if you think you’ve discovered one
in your neighbourhood.
Contact City officials to report the sight-
ing, provide location and descriptive
details and ensure that pets or children
are kept away.
For their part, City officials must provide
area residents with necessary information
to protect them from exposure and ensure
that sighting reports are duly followed up,
recorded and managed appropriately.
Even one injury from hogweed sap is
one too many. Pickering residents must
be aware of their surroundings when out
and about in any of the various outdoor
areas in Pickering, exercise caution and
take note of their discovery.
In the meantime, City and Regional offi-
cials must remove the hogweed that has
been identified, either through herbicide
use or complete removal of the offending
plants.
And because the plants are biannual -
- they grow one year and bloom the next
-- it provides some breathing room for
an eradication program, should officials
choose that option.
The bottom line is that hogweed can’t
coexist with Pickering residents without
the potential for serious injury. It blooms
beautifully but packs a nasty, blister-
inducing surprise.
Be careful when you’re out and about.
Stay away if you think you’ve discovered
a hogweed plant in your neighbourhood.
Use common sense and care and final-
ly, inform the proper officials. It doesn’t
take much to share the information, but
it could prevent unnecessary pain, injury
and suffering.
-- Metroland Durham
Region Media Group
CONFLICT
City was right in
abandoning Big Pipe
legal action
To the editor:
I am a proud opponent of the Big Pipe.
I’ve attended Stop the Stink meetings,
carried a sign in minus-30 temperatures
and my letter to the provincial Minister
of Environment is posted on the group’s
website.
The protest over Pickering Council’s
decision to cease legal action against York
Region, though, seems misguided.
The lawyers hired by the City, who pre-
sumably stood to earn hundreds of thou-
sands of taxpayer dollars by continuing
the suit, told Council it had no chance of
success.
Continuing the lawsuit in those circum-
stances would have been utterly irrespon-
sible.
As a lawyer, I understand why the meet-
ing had to be closed; council was receiv-
ing confidential and privileged advice and
if the meeting was open, that privilege
would be lost.
Until the entire dispute with York is
resolved, the legal advice must remain
confidential.
Mr. Brenner, in spite of his dramatic
indignation, participated in many closed
meetings when he was a member of coun-
cil.
There is an election coming.
Thankfully, most members of council
aren’t playing cheap politics but doing
what’s best for all Pickering residents.
Don Harvey
Pickering
POLITICS
Barbecues won’t change
the past for Liberals
To the editor:
I find it ironic that the Liberals would
hold a barbecue to honour soldiers and
police officers when their party has tra-
ditionally treated these two groups so
badly.
Under the Chretien and Martin govern-
ments, the Airborne Regiment was dis-
banded, the government cancelled a con-
tract to buy new search-and-rescue heli-
copters, our heavy-lift helicopters were
sold and our army was sent to Afghani-
stan wearing green uniforms and riding in
vehicles which had no protection against
mines and improvised explosive devices.
The Conservatives have had to rectify
these deficiencies by buying new helicop-
ters and tanks to keep our troops alive.
On the law enforcement side, the Lib-
erals gave us the Young Offenders Act,
which gives young criminals more pro-
tection than it does their victims and the
long-gun registry that wasted millions of
dollars which could have been spent on
hiring more police.
It will take more than barbecues, smoke
and mirrors to make the Liberals into the
party which truly supports the armed
forces and law enforcement.
Richard Munderich
Pickering
SECURITY
Most activity at G20
summit was peaceful
To the editor:
As a young adult who is proud to be
Canadian, it is painful to read the let-
ters approving of police activity during
the G20. The large majority of activity at
the G20 did not involve violence or van-
dalism. The peaceful protesters as well as
innocent bystanders who were mistreated
and arrested by police that weekend had
every right to be there -- whether protest-
ing or simply enjoying their city.
These are our civil liberties -- people
fought and died for this right. To those
who think otherwise, you obviously do
not cherish this right -- but I suspect you
cherish your right to something else.
Please take a moment to consider how
you might feel if something that does mat-
ter to you was taken away arbitrarily and
then consider that this is how the people
of Toronto who were mistreated at the
G20 feel.
Ashley Bridgeman
Ajax
durhamregion.comNews Advertiser • August 5, 20107
AP
In your paper next week.
Continuing Education
Fall 2010 Course Calendar
www.durhamcollege.ca/coned | 905.721.2000 ext.2500
• Je suis au chômage
ou j’ai été licencié
• J’ai besoin d’un emploi
• Je veux entreprendre
une 2e carrière
• Je veux exercer un
métier spécialisé
• Je viens d’arriver en Ontario
• Je dois faire des études ou suivre
une formation
• Je veux embaucher
Centre d’Emploi et de
Ressources
Francophones de Durham
À la recherche d’emploi?
Nouveaux services
disponibles:
Recevez la formation,
les compétences et l’expérience
nécessaires pour atteindre vos objectifs.
Votre emploi vous attend. Nous vous alderons á le trouver.
Ce projet, programme ou service Emploi Ontario
est nancé par le gouvernement de l’Ontario.
Centre d’Emploi et de Ressources Francophones de Durham
57 rue Simcoe Sud, Suite 2H, Oshawa ON L1H 4G4
Lundi au vendredi 9h00 à 17h00 • En soirée sur rendez-vous
Télé.: 905-436-6989 • Faxe: 905-436-6231 • Courriel: centredemploi@cofrd.org
Alors, le Centre d’emploi
est à ton service,
aviens nous rendre visite.
Lanes will be
restricted during
construction
DURHAM -- A portion of Bayly
Street is undergoing reconstruc-
tion and that means possible
headaches for motorists.
Durham Region’s works
department is in charge of the
construction, which will last
until the week of Sept. 6. There
will be lane restrictions during
construction.
The restrictions are from 80
metres east of Brock Road to 180
metres west of Church Street.
Inclement weather could affect
the work schedule.
SABRINA BYRNES / METROLAND
Reminiscing
PICKERING -- Gordon Evans and Evelyn Parker enjoyed the music of the Maple Creek Band on Aug. 1 at Esplanade Park.
PICKERING
Region
doing
work
on Bayly
Street
durhamregion.comNews Advertiser • August 5, 20108
P
Mr. Ondoua executes the three-dimen-
sional artwork by carving the ground
into a given shape, then planting suitable
plants or flowers into the space.
He even considers the colours that he’ll
need to create shadows and, as the flowers
grow, he trims them at different lengths to
give them a three-dimensional effect.
Mr. Ondoua got the idea when he was
throwing different thoughts back and forth
with friends a few months ago.
“The idea came spontaneously and I
decided to try it,” he said.
Admittedly having no talent for draw-
ing, Mr. Ondoua does have a passion for
arts and sciences (his peers at McGill
nicknamed him ‘Leonardo da Vinci’) and
decided to use math to help him plot out
where exactly the flowers would have to
be planted to bloom into his desired cre-
ations. “I am not a good drawer but using
math I can draw pretty well,” he said.
His work starts with an actual picture,
from which he derives a silhouette. He
then breaks the silhouette down into dif-
ferent mathematical functions for an
accurate graphical representation on the
ground.
Mr. Ondoua has opened a landscaping
business, Universum Landscape Design
Inc., and hopes to market his flair for flow-
ers. “It’s possible using flowers, using
plants, to draw people’s silhouettes, por-
traits, pets or people’s favourite animals,”
he said.
The swinging golfer done on a wider
scale could be a landmark for golf cours-
es, he said, or he could create something
to identify an airport, such as a hortisculp-
ture of a native animal.
He said he could even cater to the com-
mercial sector, such as planting a compa-
ny’s logo.
“I see many applications,” he said.
Mr. Ondoua has also created a collection
of cooking videos called Culinary Art of
People and Races, which can be found on
YouTube.
Photos and more details of Mr. Ondoua’s
work can be found on his website:
CALL 905-492-2141
VISIT www.universumlandscaping.com
‘HORTISCULPTURE’
Pickering resident turns gardens into works of art
PICKERING from page 1
RYAN PFEIFFER / METROLAND
PICKERING -- Roger Ondoua with several of his ‘hortisculpture’ creations in his back-
yard.
I call it ‘hortisculpture.’ It’s
a combination of horticulture
and sculpture. Roger Ondoua,
Pickering horticulturist
!5'534 \ &/2%6%2 9/5.'