Bloor West Village Residents Association

The West Bend Community Association writes:

Dear fellow residents’ associations,

Budget pressure for the City of Toronto threatened the closure of as many as 14 city swimming pools. Currently, eight have been given a reprieve but six others are still going to be closed. The swimming pool at Keele Public School and Community Centre is one of them. At the West Bend Community Association meeting on April 18, Cheri DiNovo, our MPP, said that she would pursue this matter with the provincial government. Even though the closure is a city budget decision, the province’s decision not to pay its share of provincially mandated services is a deciding factor in these cuts. The City started debating the municipal budget today. Please pass on the following information to your members. We will keep you posted on upcoming events.

Thank you.

We’ll pass on any further information that emerges.

An update from 11 Division:

Pick-Pockets in Bloor West Village

On Monday the 2nd of April 2007 11 Division received a report of a pair of pick-pocket thieves working in Bloor West Village.

This community alert is being issued as a timely reminder to subscribers to be ever vigilant when out in public. Whether you are out shopping, dining or just out for a walk always be aware of the location of your purse or wallet. Please also be aware of your surroundings and of strangers who enter your personal space.

When these thefts occur the victim is frequently either bumped or distracted in some other way. Their purse is then stolen or their wallet is removed “pickpocket” style from their purse or shopping bag. The victim is often not immediately aware of the theft.

Another method used by criminals in this type of theft is for the would be thief to follow a shopper in a grocery stores. The thief waits until the intended victim is distracted while shopping and then removes their unattended purse from the shopping cart.

Please remember never to leave your purse, wallet or other valuables unattended. Do not place your purse over the back of your chair. Do not carry large sums of money with you. Do not carry credit cards with you that you do not intend to use at that time. Do not carry important pieces of identification with you if you do not need to. Do not keep your personal identification number (PIN) in the same purse or wallet with your debit card.

Please be aware of your surroundings and those people around you at all times. Immediately report any suspicious events to the police, store staff or security. If your wallet or purse is stolen immediately cancel all credit and debit cards and report the theft to the police. If your house keys are also in the stolen purse the locks at your home should be changed.

Please share the contents of this alert with family members, friends and patrons of your businesses to help them reduce their chances of becoming victims of crime.

If you have any other her personal security questions please contact the 11 Division Crime Prevention Office at 416-808-1108. Read more »