Photo/MIKE POCHWAT

Toronto Revellers mas camp members Kyann Graham, 7, and her sister Sage, 3, walk the route of the 2008 Scotiabank Caribana Junior Carnival Parade July 19 along Jane Street to Yorkgate Mall.

Photo/MIKE POCHWAT

Toronto Revellers mas camp member Demeko Minott walks the route of the 2008 Scotiabank Caribana Junior Carnival Parade July 19 along Jane Street to Yorkgate Mall.

Photo/MIKE POCHWAT

Carnival Nationz mas camp's Vaughn Sheers joins the approximately 1,500 children participating in the 2008 Scotiabank Caribana Junior Carnival Parade July 19 at Yorkgate Mall.

Photo/MIKE POCHWAT

Visions mas camp's Kishi King joins the approximately 1,500 children participating in the 2008 Scotiabank Caribana Junior Carnival Parade July 19 at Yorkgate Mall.

Photo/JONATHAN MARC TAILLEFER

David Ralph, second from left, lends a hand to Janny Orsini, Saul Yablo, and Gabriele Orsini at the Oakdale community centre on July 19, where EMS workers and volunteers helped give residents CPR training.

Mirror Photo/JONATHAN MARC TAILL

David Ralph, left, lends a hand to Pratap Purohit at the Oakdale community centre on Saturday, where EMS workers and volunteers help give residents CPR training.

Photo/DAN PEARCE

A crew wearing hazard suits work on Flaxman Road July 15 after it was discovered small amounts of asbestos was in the asphalt.

Photo/JONATHAN MARC TAILLEFER

Parents and friends closely watch a soccer game between inter-city youths at a park of Yorkwoods Gate on July 15.

Photo/NICK PERRY

Shhhhh! It's movie night at Downsview Park.

Photo/JONATHAN MARC TAILLEFER

Female bodybuilder, Kourtney Wilson, flexes on stage as she is evaluated by the judges during a pro body builder championships at York University July 12.

BRIEFS

Brothers facing gun charges

Two brothers are facing eight gun-related charges after police recovered two loaded handguns in the Sheppard Avenue and Jane Street area on July 19.

The Integrated Gun and Gang Task Force and the Emergency Task Force executed a search warrant in an apartment building around 7 a.m.

An 18-year-old and a 14-year-old face eight charges each, including possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition and unauthorized possession of a firearm.

TRANSIT: TTC low-car streetcar bids fall short

The job of replacing Toronto's aging streetcar fleet with new low-floor versions just got harder, after the two companies bidding for the job were unable to meet the Toronto Transit Commission's exacting specifications.

Two companies - Bombardier Transportation and Tram Power Ltd. - submitted bids for the $1.25 billion project.

But both proposals fell short of the TTC's standards. TRAM Power failed early in the process, on commercial compliance. The Bombardier proposal - seen by many as the front-runner - did not produce a design that was able to negotiate the tight turns required by the TTC.

Now, the TTC will have to approach vendors individually to attempt to purchase the new streetcars.

In a news release, the TTC said that it would still be possible to stay on schedule, to both replace the existing fleet and purchase new streetcars for the TTC's TransitCity light rail expansion.

Newly implemented TAVIS strategy assists in arrest

Officers from the newly implemented Focused Neighbourhood TAVIS Deployment (FNTD) strategy in the Jane Street and Finch Avenue area assisted with an arrest July 13.

According to police, uniformed officers attempted to pull over an erratic driver around 6:30 p.m. at Jane Street and Eddystone Avenue but the driver refused to stop.

The driver then pulled into an apartment building and proceeded to drive into the underground parking garage. One officer tried to stop the driver from heading into the garage and was forced against the suspect's vehicle.

Officers assigned to the FNTD were patrolling the area and assisted the officers in the arrest.

The FNTD was launched June 30 to assist officers in high crime neighbourhoods through increased patrol.

Ricky Sundar, 22, of Toronto, is charged with failing to stop for police, assault with intent to resist arrest and operating a motor vehicle without insurance.

Alcohol, speed 'definite factors' in Muskoka crash: OPP

Alcohol and speed were "definite factors" in a crash that killed three Toronto men July 3 in Muskoka, the Ontario Provincial Police said July 11.

Kourosh Totonchian, 19, of North York and Cory Mintz and Tyler Mulcahy, both 20 and from Forest Hill, were killed when their car smashed through a guardrail and hit a tree before sliding down an embankment and landing on its side in the Joseph River.

Passenger Nastasia Elzinga, 19, survived the crash.

An autopsy confirmed the three young men drowned.

Police say it will take several weeks for toxicology results.

Black Creek Conservation Project up for national environmental award

The Black Creek Conservation Project (BCCP) has been recognized by a national environmental charity for its leadership in raising awareness and acting on local environmental issues.

Through the Hometown Heroes Award Program, Earth Day Canada included BCCP as one of the eight finalists from across Canada, noting the conservation project has engaged more than 36,000 volunteers and 44 community groups in environmental education in Toronto.

Some of the groups BCCP has worked with include the following.

• Students from Shoreham Public School, located near the Jane and Finch community, helped clean up the lands above the creek on a monthly basis.

• Several teachers from Archbishop Romero High School teachers added Black Creek activities to the curriculum including native tree care, seed collection, water quality testing, trail construction and herbaceous plant care.

• Doorsteps Neighbourhood Services and the Hispanic Development Council integrated Black Creek activities into their new Canadian activities programming such as wildflower garden site planning and public outreach.

The grassroots, volunteer-based organization was founded in 1982, celebrating its 25th anniversary last year working with the community in restoring the urbanized watershed.

TOP STORIES

Weather doesn't stop lemonade-selling twins

The damp weather didn’t stop North York twins Dara and Joe Birnboim from serving up lemonade to...

Man arrested on fraud, theft charges

A Toronto man wanted on fraud and theft charges was arrested by North York's 33 Division Community...

Free family festival at Earl Bales

Earl Bales Park will host a free family festival Thursday, July 24 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Highlights...

NDP candidate to be acclaimed

Actor David Sparrow will be acclaimed Thursday night as the NDP candidate in federal riding of Don...

NORTH YORK: Gunman fires at mother, sisters of Jordan Manners

The mother and sisters of slain teenager Jordan Manners escaped uninjured when seven bullets were...

  

more