We are pleased to announce that Leaside Memorial Community Gardens is now part of the National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials.

The National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials website is a repository of memorials and monuments located in communities across the country. Currently, more than 7,500 memorials are posted on the website.

This recreation facility was named in honour of the World War II veterans. The plaque mounted outside the facility reads: “In memory of the men of the Town of Leaside who gave their lives for their country in the second World War – 1939-1945”.

17 Servicemen from Leaside were killed in World War II. All of the Servicemen resided in South Leaside at some point. Some were raised in Leaside while others moved to Leaside as young adults.

May 31st marked the first community education session under the auspices of the Leaside Gardens Safety Committee. The free CPR, AED and Choking response clinic was attended by a full house of 80 participants. Made possible through a donation from the Dr. Tom Pashby Sport Safety Fund, the session saw Panno Medical’s front line paramedics put the enthusiastic group through the paces of these critical life-saving techniques.

The gathering also gave the Gardens board the opportunity to publicly thank The Mikey Network (dedicated to placing defibrillators in locations across the province), Executive Director Morty Henkle, and the Daiter family for their donation of four defibrillators to the facility.

The Mikey Network is also committed to teaching people how to use defibrillators, so cardiac arrest victims may have a second chance at life. This gives Leaside Gardens an unprecedented six defibrillators strategically located around the facility and all marked with highly visible red signs and the Mikey logo.

The safety committee will be following up this successful clinic with another no-cost seminar on September 27th focusing on concussions. Our guest speaker that evening will be noted concussion expert Dr. Michael Hutchison, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Hutchison holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Science and is a registered kinesiologist who specializes in sport-related concussion research in various populations, including adolescent students, university level students, and professional athletes. He has published widely and presented internationally in the area of sport concussion. Pre-registration is required; details will be available soon.

New electronic sign

The new electronic sign became operational in May. We are particularly excited about the community notice portion of this sign that faces north up Laird Drive and is visible to traffic coming south to the Gardens. We are making this screen available at no charge to not-for-profit community groups in Leaside, Thorncliffe and surrounding neighbourhoods. Schools, libraries, youth organizations, religious organizations, and local sports groups are encouraged to use this modern means of communicating their news and events to the community. Leaside Gardens user groups and the Leaside Gardens Arena board will also use the sign for community outreach. Commercial entities and political messaging are not allowed. The sign will not be illuminated from dusk to dawn. Again, the sign’s use is free of charge to groups who qualify. Call the office for information on how to get your message out to our community: 416-421-4944.

FREE CPR, Choking and Defibrillator clinic
May 31, 2018 | 7:00-9:00pm

On May 31st Leaside Gardens will offer a FREE CPR, Choking and Defibrillator clinic in the William Lea room. Working with Panno Medical we will have Toronto and area Paramedics providing critical life saving information.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED:

• CPR and AED for adults
• How to help a choking adult
• CPR and AED for children
• How to help a choking child

“Rink A” at Leaside Gardens will be renamed the “Dr. Tom Pashby Play Safely Rink,” arena board chair Ray White has announced, “and the Safety Partnership will be funded by a generous gift from the Dr. Tom Pashby Sports Safety Fund”. An agreement between the arena board, the East York Foundation and the Dr. Tom Pashby Sports Safety Fund was signed on December 21 st.

“We are grateful to the Pashby Fund Board of Directors for making this extraordinary gift possible,” said White; “it will be a lasting legacy to Doc Pashby, his community spirit and important work in sports safety.”

Bill Pashby, Pashby Fund Chair and son of Doc Pashby said: “Doc was passionate about head and neck injuries in hockey and he hated seeing young athletes cut down in their prime and confined to wheelchairs. He wanted to prevent these paralyzing injuries that had crept into the sport he loved
so much.”

The $500,000 gift and naming of “Rink A” as the “Dr. Tom Pashby Play Safely Rink” will set the stage for the Leaside Gardens to be a leader in the promotion of safe play and best practices for the prevention of catastrophic injuries in sports and recreation. A safety committee will be established with representatives from the Pashby Fund, the Arena Board and user groups to ensure that the Arena is a showcase for best safety practices, equipment and programs, and a constant reminder to Have Fun – Be Safe.

Dr. Pashby (1915 – 2005) was a lifelong Leaside resident and an advocate for mandatory helmets and face guards for minor hockey players; and for penalties for cross-checking. For his pioneering efforts he was awarded the Order of Canada, inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, and was an inaugural inductee into the Leaside Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.