insidetoronto.com

There was “substantial” damage to Madonna Catholic Secondary School on Dubray Avenue, but engineers will be reporting back to the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) on Friday with more conclusive results on whether there has been any structural damages.

An information meeting has been tentatively scheduled for parents of Madonna Catholic Secondary School for Monday, Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at St. Norbert Church Hall.

A discussion on accommodation plans for students is to take place in the event that the school won’t be open by the start of the school year. Updates will be posted on the TCDSB website at www.tcdsb.org.

No structural damage or broken windows were reported at St. Norbert Catholic School on Maniza Road. Two rooms will require some repair with the ceiling grid sagging, but it’s anticipated the school will open next week. 

A second information meeting will be held at the St. Norbert Church Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. for the St. Norbert community. Senior staff, consultants, public health officials, board chair Catherine LeBlanc-Miller and local school trustee Mary Cicogna are scheduled to be in attendance at both meetings.

Air quality tests performed at both schools have been good with further testing to be done throughout the week as a precautionary measure.

JP Pampena, the owner of JP Pampena Public Relations Inc., is a community relations representative for disabled residents. He also lives near the blast site.

As a blind man with a severely disabled daughter, Pampena learned the hard way how vulnerable the disabled are in an emergency when Sunrise Propane on Murray Road exploded just before 4 a.m. on Aug. 10.

Last week, he helped organize a community meeting to discuss neighbours’ concerns following the blast.

Now, he is turning his attention to the specific needs of the disabled and elderly.

Issues such as establishing a community registry of vulnerable residents will be discussed at the meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Ancaster Community Centre, 41 Ancaster Rd. northwest of Dufferin Street and Wilson Avenue. All members of the community are welcome.

Meanwhile, Pampena is also working with the city to try to establish an emergency relief fund, but details are not yet available.

Scarborough Village residents get a rare chance this Saturday to learn from an expert about plants and trees in the area and some of the issues facing them.

Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF) arborist Todd Irvine is leading a tree tour from the Scarborough Village Recreation Centre, 3600 Kingston Rd. at Markham Road.

The village does not have as much tree cover as the city’s wealthier areas but “there are some real gems” and more can be done for trees the neighbourhood has, Irvine said this week.

The walk from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (details at www.treetours.to) includes the historic Campbell family farmhouse and the sugar maple woodlot around it.

A suggested donation for the tour is $5.

A free day of celebrations this Saturday in Scarborough pays tribute to Tamil culture in Canada.

It also heralds the approaching completion of years of work by young volunteers to build what devotees say will be the first North American temple to the Hindu deity Ayyappan.

Canada Sri Ayyappan Samajam of Ontario hosts the annual festivities, called Joythi, from 11 a.m. to midnight, at the temple site, 635 Middlefield Rd. north of Finch Avenue.

Traditional foods such as rotis, dosas and appams will be served as on-stage entertainment continues in the form of music, dance and educational drama.

Ayyappan (also called Ayyappa) is a combination of the Hindu deities Shiva and Vishnu whose worship is strongest in South India. But in 1994, starting from a home in Scarborough, Tamil devotees have built a base to support a future temple.

Work on that temple, costing about $7 million, is underway and may be completed in December after years of fundraising.

The fact that more than 100 youths have worked for months to prepare for the festival is itself an accomplishment, the organization said in a statement.

“The youths have taken an active role in reintroducing and reinforcing our cultural values into the Canadian Tamil Society,” it added last week.

Five people were transported to hospital Tuesday, Aug. 19 following a dramatic single car crash near Bloor and Parliament streets.

The accident happened at about 3 a.m. as police were pursuing a suspect they believe was operating a stolen vehicle.

The car reportedly slammed into a utility pole and sustained serious damage.

No one was seriously hurt in the incident.

Police suspect alcohol may have been a factor.

Anyone who may have witnessed this accident should call 416-808-5100 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at www.2222tips.com or 416-222-TIPS (8477).