Latest news with #EastYork
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Ontario police warn of increase in driveway paving and roofing scams
Huge pile of asphalt left by workers at the end of Paulet Blenman's driveway in Ajax. (CTV News) The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has issued a warning following an increase in driveway paving and roofing scams they say are happening across the province. According to the OPP, some contractors are going door-to-door using fake names, promising great deals and demanding cash, but doing poor quality work and leaving messes behind. 'All the information is not correct, they don't answer the phone, there is no way you can leave a message. You can't send an email, you can't contact them,' Paulet Blenman of Ajax, Ont. told CTV News Toronto last week. Blenman had her driveway paved a month ago and said the contractors who offered the services came knocking on the door, and once they completed the work, she said they left her driveway lumpy and uneven with ants already burrowing in it. She ended up paying $6,000 to have it repaved. In Luigi Raffaele's case, he told CTV News someone also knocked on his door in East York. That contractor said he would do a sealing job as well as some additional work, but once Raffaele paid $3,900 upfront, he said the contractor never came back. 'I feel cheated and that's not nice.' On Tuesday, OPP issued a warning stating contractors are going door-to-door pressuring homeowners into paving driveways, repairing roofs and other home renovations. 'They may seem professional, with flyers and websites, but often they are using fake names and false IDs,' said Sgt. Joe Brisebois, coordinator of media services with the OPP. 'They will ask for cash upfront and in the end, they will leave behind a poor quality job and you will never hear from them again,' Brisebois added. To avoid falling victim to these scams, the OPP is urging the public to beware of unsolicited door-to-door sales, not to feel pressured into having work done, researching companies carefully, getting multiple quotes and to not pay in advance. Police also said if you're not careful, you could be the one picking up the pieces of a botched paving job. But, if you do agree to have your driveway paved or your roof repaired and the contractor does a poor job, it doesn't mean the police will get involved and lay charges. Once someone is hired, it becomes a civil matter and you would have to take them to court.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Toronto City Council votes to permit sixplexes in nine wards
Toronto City Council has approved a motion that will allow low-rise sixplexes in a nine wards. Staff initially recommended that councillors permit sixplexes in detached residential buildings in low-rise residential neighbourhoods city-wide. 'Expanding multiplex permissions will increase new low-rise housing options for Torontonians. New residents in low-rise neighbourhoods can help stabilize declining populations, optimize the use of existing infrastructure, and support local retail establishments and services,' staff said in its report last month. However, during Wednesday's city council meeting, not all councillors supported the recommendation. Coun. Gord Perks, who is the chair of the housing committee, then put forward a motion that would permit sixplexes in the downtown Toronto and East York wards and in Scarborough North. The remaining wards have the option to join later. 'I'm moving this very reluctantly,' Perks said while presenting his motion. 'I've spent a considerable amount of time and effort working with my colleagues on council trying to find a majority support for doing what this council already committed to in 2023, which is citywide sixplexes, but I've been unable to find that.' Permitting sixplexes is included in one of the eight initiatives the city must deliver over three years under the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) agreement with the federal government in exchange for $471 million. In a letter in March, the federal government gave Mayor Olivia Chow a June 30 deadline to report to council with opportunities and bylaws to allow more low-rise, multi-unit housing development across Toronto, which includes sixplexes. The letter also provided extended timelines for several other housing initiatives. 'As we work to ensure compliance with over 200 HAF agreements across Canada, we are establishing consequences for non-compliance. In this case, if Toronto does not fully implement the above initiatives and milestones by the newly extended timeline, the federal government will cut funding equivalent to 25 per cent of the annual payment,' the letter read. So far, the city has received $235.56 million of the $471 million. Perks said his motion would create some risk with its relationship with the federal government. 'There is a potential that funds that have already been dispersed in the City of Toronto could be clawed back, meaning that affordable housing projects that we already have plans for in the City of Toronto could fall by the wayside,' Perks said. He shared that some councillors spoke to their Liberal MPs, who told them that the city didn't need sixplexes. 'So, I say to the federal government, if you want, if you want to achieve this citywide, tell the members of your Toronto caucus to stop giving Toronto city councillors mixed messages,' Perks said. His motion passed. 'I am confident that, as more people see the benefits of missing middle housing, where average rent is $830 cheaper than condos and 65% of units are family-sized, more councillors will also opt in,' Mayor Chow said in a statement following the vote.
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
2 people arrested, handgun seized in connection with shooting in East York
Police are on the scene of a shooting in East York on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. (Simon Sheehan/CP24) Two people have been arrested, and a semi-automatic handgun has been seized in connection with the investigation into a shooting in East York that injured a man on Tuesday. Officers attended the area of Cosburn and Greenwood avenues shortly before 2:30 p.m. for reports of the sound of gunshots. Toronto police said one man fired a gun, striking another man during an altercation. When officers arrived, they located the victim with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the hand. As a result of an investigation, members of the Gun and Gangs Task Force identified the suspect and later located him in Whitby. Police said 22-year-old Owen Bayi Makouangou was taken into custody and during his arrest, a semi-automatic handgun and a quantity of cocaine were seized. Handgun The semi-automatic handgun seized during the arrest of a suspect in the shooting at East York on June 24, 2025. (Toronto Police Service) He has been charged with two counts of possession of a firearm without holding a licence, two counts of possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm knowingly not holding a licence, two counts of possession of a loaded regulated firearm, two counts of occupying a motor vehicle with a firearm and one count each of discharging a firearm with intent and possession for the purpose of trafficking a Schedule I substance. Police said 26-year-old Guy-Christophe Bangoura was also arrested as a result of their investigation. They did not say what the reason behind his arrest was. He has been charged with possession of a firearm without holding a licence, possession of a restricted or prohibited firearm knowingly not holding a licence, occupying a motor vehicle with a firearm and possession for the purpose of trafficking a Schedule I substance.
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
One person shot in the hand in East York: police
Toronto police cruiser is seen in this undated photo. Toronto police say one person has been injured in a shooting in East York. Officers got a call just after 2:20 p.m. for reports of the sound of gunshots in the area of Cosburn and Greenwood avenues. When they arrived, police said a male victim suffering from a gunshot wound to the hand was located. There is no immediate word on the extent of his injuries. Police say the suspect or suspects fled in a dark-coloured vehicle, and no other information about them has been released.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Planned power outage at Toronto apartment building goes ahead despite heat wave
72 Gamble Avenue is seen in this undated image. (Google) Toronto Hydro says a planned power outage at an East York apartment building went ahead on Monday amid a heat wave that's scorching the city. The power utility said additional resources were deployed to 72 Gamble Avenue, near Broadview and Pape avenues, to expedite the work, which the company said was completed ahead of schedule shortly before 1 p.m. But the outage, which was scheduled to start at 8 a.m., left some residents in what they described as 'extreme' heat for hours. 'It's almost unbearable. I'm really worried it's going to get worse this afternoon as temperatures rise,' one resident, who asked not to be identified, told CTV News Toronto. 'I'm genuinely concerned about emergencies like heat stroke. There are elderly residents here. People with health conditions. Kids. This is more than just uncomfortable — it's unsafe,' they said. Another resident said their husband, who has asthma, was having breathing issues due to the stuffiness in their apartment, as they expressed worries about their two dogs. 'I was supposed to work from home in the afternoon, but I won't be now because I can't get to my unit, as I have mobility issues and can't go up the stairs in this heat without putting myself into a medical crisis,' they said. The power outage came on the second day of Toronto's heat wave and as temperatures in the city climbed above the 30 C mark by 10 a.m. Monday's forecast looks poised to break a heat record if the high reaches 36 C – a temperature unseen in the city since 2016. Toronto Hydro acknowledged the heat in a statement to CTV News Toronto, but said the work was 'critical' to maintain safe and reliable power to the building. 'We appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we worked to complete this important work as quickly and safely as possible,' a spokesperson said, adding that the power should be back on shortly. The two residents who spoke to CTV News Toronto said the building notified them of the power outage on Friday. The building management company did not respond to a request for comment. No injuries have been reported.
