Photo/JONATHAN MARC TAILLEFER

Luis Washington, waits outside the Tony Stacey Centre in Highland Creek July 19, to watch motorcycle riders roll in for the annual Ride to Remember in support of the centre for veteran's care.

Photo/NICK PERRY

Nathan Black, 3, gets his face painted by Pepper the Clown at Cedarbrae Day Nursery's bake sale in Scarborough Friday, July 18. The event raised funds for The Hospital for Sick Children.

Photo/DAN PEARCE

Members of the Toronto police marine unit rescue a man and woman from the Scarborough Bluffs July 17, near the foot of Midland Road. Their eight-year-old daughter managed to climb up to the top and call for help.

Photo/ANDREW PALAMARCHUK

A Toronto police officer examines the scene of a departmental accident July 15 on Victoria Park Avenue, near Curlew Drive. The Dog Services van was headed to a shooting scene.

Photo/JONATHAN MARC TAILLEFER

Parents of Birunthan Muralidaram, Sathiyasri Muralidaram, left, and Muralidaram Nadarajah stand by a new sign at the new Birunthan Park July 12. The 11-year-old boy died after trying to save friend who fell through the ice of an area pond.

Mirror photo/DAN PEARCE

Dr. Paul Tam talks with dialysis patient Adam Dinh after the Ortho Biotech grant of more than $1 million was given to The Scarborough Hospital Foundation in support of The Scarborough Hospital Dialysis Centre of Excellence at the General site on...

Photo/ANDREW PALAMARCHUK

A Toronto police officer stands guard over the scene of a murder at 1979 Victoria Park Ave. July 9.

Photo/JONATHAN MARC TAILLEFER

Gilkes Rodney takes a swing during the Barbados-Toronto police cricket game at Percy Cummins Criket Grounds on July 5.

Photo/DAN PEARCE

Children enjoy the rides at the Taste of Lawrence July 6.

Photo/JONATHAN MARC TAILLEFER

Host, Hank Rogers, left, talks with visitor Peter Foulds, during the Guildwood garden tour on July 6.

BRIEFS

Annual chariot festival set for temple

The annual chariot festival honouring Lord Ganesha reaches its apex Saturday, July 26, morning at a Hindu temple on Scarborough's Kennedy Road.

The hand-made chariot representing Ganesha, the diety known as the remover of obstacles, will emerge at 9 a.m. from Sri Varasiththi Vinaayagar Temple at 3025 Kennedy Rd., between Finch and McNicoll Avenues.

The road will not be blocked because the chariot parade will be held in the parking area. Prayers at the temple begin at 8:45 a.m.

For more information, call the temple at 416-291-8500.

Open houses to showcase Scarborough transit plans

The City of Toronto and the TTC will host a pair of open houses to keep local residents informed of a potential light rail plan stretching from Kennedy subway station to north Scarborough.

The proposed transit corridor would run east along Eglinton Avenue, northeast along Kingston Road and north on Morningside Avenue, where it would eventually meet up with the proposed Sheppard Avenue East LRT line.

The light rail route would service both the University of Toronto's Scarborough Campus and Centennial College's Ellesmere Campus, as well as Malvern Town Centre.

The public is invited to learn more about the benefits of the proposed route as well as alternative design concepts that the TTC is considering. The public can also make their voices heard on the potential rail plan.

The first open house will take place at the Scarborough Village Recreation Centre, 3600 Kingston Road, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 23.

Another open house will follow at the U of T Scarborough Campus' Science Wing Meeting Place, 1265 Military Trail, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 24.

Anyone unable to attend the meetings can get involved in the process by calling the project team at 416-392-6900.

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.

Man charged in connection with break-ins

A man wanted for break-ins in several Toronto communities was arrested July 5 in Scarborough.

Police arrested the man after stopping a vehicle in the Neilson and Ellesmere roads area around 9:30 a.m.

The driver, Douglas Persaud, 48, of Toronto, was charged with 12 counts of break and enter and four counts of possession of property obtained by crime.

Police say the majority of the break-ins occurred in apartment buildings in Scarborough, East York, North York and midtown.

The passenger, David Paquette, 33, of Toronto, was charged with break and enter relating to a July 2 incident and two counts of possession of property obtained by crime.

Volunteers wanted for Buskerfest

Welcome to Buskerfest!

The ninth annual celebration in the St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood is looking for volunteers who will welcome people to the festival and ask for a donation for Epilepsy Toronto.

Volunteer shifts are available from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the course of the festival, which runs from Aug. 21 to 24.

Buskerfest is expected to raise about $200,000 for Epilepsy Toronto.

For details, visit www.torontobuskerfest.com/content/volunteer.htm, e-mail volunteers@torontobuskerfest.com or call Adam Bailey at 416-964-9095.

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