Photo/BRENT LEWIN

Jessica Gillsepie, left, her mom, Joanna, and brother Cameron get some fresh strawberries at the Strawberries and Asparagus Festival at Cedarvale Park on June 14.

Photo/BRENT LEWIN

Gabriel Ghiglione builds a scarecrow at the Strawberries and Asparagus Festival at Cedarvale Park June 14. The festival is a community celebration of all things green and promotes local and organic food and local sustainable business.

Guardian photo/ADRIEN VECZAN

Roshawn Cozry, 7, tries to stay aboard a horizontal ladder during George Syme Community School Fun Fair activities Thursday evening.

Photo/ZAKIYA TAFARI

Smoke and flames erupt from a townhouse on fire on Sidney Belsey Crescent May 26.

Guardian photo/ANDREW PALAMARCHU

F. H. Miller Junior Public School student Tai Fletcher, left, and Toronto police 13 Division Sgt. Bernie MacDonald give a lecture to a motorist stopped for speeding on Caledonia Road, north of Rogers Road, Tuesday morning. The kids and cops traffic...

Mirror photo/MIKE POCHWAT

Canadian race car driver Kelly Williams offers some car care tips during a clinic held Wednesday, May 14 at the George S. Syme Seniors Centre.

Guardian photo/ALESSANDRO GAROFA

John Styropoulos, 4, indulges in the chocolate fountain as Mount Dennis residents enjoy the Mount Dennis Summit and Chocolate Festival Saturday, May 10.

Guardian photo/BRENT LEWIN

Rosi Hadzitepros, 11, wanders the grounds of St. John's Cemetery on the Humber during the Mount Dennis Jane's Walk Sunday, May 11.

Photo/BRENT LEWIN

Simon Chaimberlin describes the historical background of St. John's Cemetery on the Humber during the Mount Dennis Jane's Walk Sunday, May 11.

Photo/BRENT LEWIN

Ben Mirabelli (Class of 83) shows his daughters Bella, 6, left, and Victoria, 8, his old stomping grounds during the Oakwood Collegiate 100th anniversary celebration at the school May 3.

BRIEFS

TCDSB high school teachers accept contract

Toronto's Catholic Secondary School teachers voted recently to accept a tentative four-year agreement that would see a three per cent increase in their salary each year of the term.

Union President Kathleen Gardiner said the members voted 95 per cent in support of the agreement, which has "considerable improvements in benefits, long sought after."

Teachers and senior management have also agreed to improved consultation processes on local issues, she added.

"Provincial discussions between the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association and the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association, earlier this year, were of considerable assistance in this round of bargaining," Gardiner said.

The agreement is subject to approval by the Ministry of Education's appointed supervisor of the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

School crossing guards wanted

The Toronto Police Service is accepting applications for one of its most important positions: school crossing guards.

Crossing guards are responsible for helping school-aged children up to Grade 6 safely cross the road. They may also assist older children, adults, the elderly, the disabled or any other person to safely cross.

Applicants are required to pass a vision test and must provide a Certificate of Fitness from their family doctor confirming that they are physically fit to carry out the job's important duties.

They must not have been convicted of a criminal offence for which a pardon has not been granted. A proof of pardon must be provided, if that is the case. Applicants must also provide proof that the RCMP has sealed their records, if a conditional or absolute discharge was obtained.

A security check will be conducted.

The pay rate for crossing guards is $10.36/hour with a 12 per cent travelling allowance and 4 per cent vacation pay.

Contact the police division closest to your home address for additional information.

Notice of TCDSB public meetings

The Toronto Catholic District School Board invites the community to participate in public meetings regarding Education Development Charges this summer.

The first meeting, focusing on policy review, will take place on July 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the boardroom at the Catholic Education Centre, 80 Sheppard Ave. E. That meeting will be immediately followed at 7 p.m. by a meeting regarding the Successor Bylaw (the continued imposition of Education Development Charges as set out in Section 257.63 of the Education Act). A third meeting will be held on Aug. 14 beginning at 7 p.m. to consider the adoption of the EDC bylaw in the City of Toronto.

Public presentations can be made at any of these meetings, and written submissions will also be accepted one week prior to each of the meetings.

The Policy Review document, setting out the board's policies for the current education development charge by-law, and the Education Development Charge Background Study, setting out the board's education development charge proposal, will be available on or after July 9 at the board's administrative offices, 80 Sheppard Ave. E. in the Planning Department on the third floor, during regular office hours.

To make a verbal presentation to the Board or submit a presentation in writing, please contact recording secretary Lalita Fernandes via fax at 416-229-5353 or by phone at 416-222-8282 ext. 2293.

For more information, please contact Peter Kole at 416-222-8282 ext. 2273, Joseph Ruscitti at 416-222-8282 ext. 2281 or John Volek at 416-222-8282 ext. 2084.

Dial A Story adds new language to its program

The Toronto library has added a new language to its popular Dial a Story program.

Children can now listen to a bedtime story in Gujarati as well as English, French, Italian, Mandarin, Polish, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Tamil and Cantonese. Stories in Urdu are planned for later this year.

The Dial A Story program (416-395-5400) sees almost 900 children 12 and under listen to stories each day. Last year, more than 316,000 calls were answered.

Stories rotate daily and the program often features special guests as readers including Mayor David Miller, Blue Jays players and dancers from the National Ballet of Canada.

Victim beat with baseball bat

A 23-year-old man was threatened at gunpoint and beaten with a baseball bat in a home invasion in the 14 Division area on the evening of Sunday, June 15. The victim reported to police that he answered a knock on his apartment door at around 7:30 p.m. and three male suspects forced their way into the premises. Two of the men produced handguns, located the bat, and struck the victim about the head and body. The suspects removed a quantity of DVDs and boxes containing running shoes, then fled the scene in an unknown direction. The victim was transported by Toronto EMS, where he was treated and admitted. His condition is unknown at this time. The first suspect is described as black, six-foot, 155 pounds, with a thin build, and black hair pulled back into a bun. The second suspect is described as black, five-foot-eight, 135 pounds, with a medium build. The third suspect is described as black, five-foot-eleven, 225 pounds, with a heavy build and short, black hair.
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