New Hospital Will Reinvent Patient Care

Humber River Hospital needs public's help to achieve $225 Million fundraising goal

By David Ros

In less than a year, North America's first fully digital hospital will open its doors, serving patients from Downsview and beyond.The first patients at the new Humber River Hospital at Keele St., and Wilson Ave., are set to be treated this October 18, 2015.Heather Hurst, the President and CEO of the Humber River Hospital Foundation said the new hospital will offer an unparalleled patient experience and help to “reinvent patient care in Canada.” “The digital perspective is not to have digital for digital's sake, it's really designed around the patient,” Hurst said. “The focus is on patient centred care and what the digital aspect is going to provide is opportunities for care providers to spend time with patients and their families.”Hurst said that the technology will not only increase the efficiency of patient care, but it will also cut down on the amount of paperwork which is in line with the hospital's three guiding principles of being “lean, green and digital.”“Everything that doctors nurses and allied health professionals do will automatically go right up into the patients' healthcare records,” Hurst said. “When a patient is in what we call a smart room they have their own bed side terminal and in this bed side terminal, they will have access to their healthcare records in their own language.”She added that the terminals will also provide patients with access to “educational portals,” where they will learn about the type of care that they will receive and can also set goals and objectives with their healthcare providers.“One of the great things about that is that the doctors and the nurses will be able to engage in conversation with the family about what they actually read and see on their healthcare record,” Hurst said.Hurst said the 1.8 million sq. ft., facility will contain 656 beds, 80 per cent of which, will be located in single patient rooms and it also boasts the second largest green roof in Canada.Increased efficiency was also a major focus of the hospital's design, with a concerted effort being made to make a really large hospital seem small. The hospital will have 9 entranceways and patients will not have to walk any more than 30 feet in order to get to their clinics.Hurst said another aspect of the hospital's patient centred approach is that families can stay with their loved ones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and that the hospital will provide an area for families to stay over night. If families are unable to visit, patients will also be able to Skype with them from their bed side terminals.Hurst said that the digital technology will also help families of patients who have a language barrier or who are unable to verbally communicate to better understand the care their loved ones will receive.“You'll be able to see who has been in the room each day and what department they're from so you can actually engage in a discussion as to why those people saw your loved one,” Hurst said.While the government has provided a significant amount of money for construction costs, the hospital is reliant on personal and corporate donations to raise the $225 Million required to furnish and equip the hospital. Hurst said that the hospital needs to purchase 550,000 pieces of equipment and has currently raised a total of $65 Million.“Even though the hospital is opening, we still have a lot of money that we need to raise and we really want the community to know that we really need them to help us raise the money for the pieces of equipment,” Hurst said.If you wish to donate to the Humber River Hospital, or find out more information about fundraising events, you can contact the Humber River Hospital Foundation at 416-658-2001, or visit their website at www.hrfoundation.ca.

York University Strike: the Fault Lines of the Conflict

By Michael MacDonald

York University recently went through a highly publicized strike. The tensions ran high as students worried about how it would affect their semester, and thousands of teacher’s assistants (TAs) and graduate assistants (GAs) walked along picket lines on the outskirts of campus.Meanwhile, undergraduate students - including myself – experienced an academic limbo, where some classes had resumed while many others had been suspended.Although the strike is now over, this conflict has illuminated the new model of Canadian post-secondary education.Our universities, created with a mandate to serve the public good, are starting to operate more like private businesses. I believe the strike was triggered by this new model of education moving to replace the old.York’s striking TAs and GAs are also graduate students, and their core demand is affordable education. They are asking for “tuition indexation”, best described as a guarantee that every increase in graduate school tuition will come with an equal increase in pay or funding.This is a small measure of protection for TAs and GAs, who occupy the uncomfortable role of customer and employee to York University. It is an assurance that tuition hikes will not eat away at their income. However, York University was refusing to fully guarantee tuition indexation, and as a result the strike dragged on.During the strike thousands of undergraduate students refused to attend class as many courses could not function without TAs and GAs. The courses that continued contributed to unsafe conditions along the picket lines, where long traffic delays provoked anger and violence directed towards picketers.These conditions hurt York’s reputation. In fact, the university cancelled all open house events intended for prospective students. York’s reluctance to offer tuition indexation despite the escalating costs of the strike reveal just how firmly the university will cling to the power to raise tuition.This stubborn position makes sense when we consider the changing composition of the Canadian university budget.According to a study undertaken by the Canadian Federation of Students, between 1989 and 2009 the publicly funded portion of the Canadian university budget fell from 81% to 58%.In other words, the government is investing far less in our universities. In order to adapt to these new circumstances, public universities are scrambling to find new ways to raise money, and tuition is increasing to fill the void created by declining public funds.Tuition indexation influences York’s ability to maximize “profits” through tuition, a revenue stream which the school is now dependent upon. And so, York’s reliance upon tuition is connected to our government’s diminishing commitment to post-secondary education.The origins of the York strike can be traced far beyond the chaos of the picket lines, to Queens Park and Parliament Hill.The York strike is asking us to question what a public university should look like.By fighting for tuition indexation, York TAs and GAs are resisting the new model of education which sees them as customers.On the other hand, York University is trying to push us further along the path towards the market-oriented university, which replaces public funding with rising tuition fees.Both sides of the strike want different outcomes, so which path should we choose?

Be a Tourist in Your Own City, for free!

By Howard Moscoe

The cost of admission for a family of four to the Toronto Zoo is $92.00. Likewise, entry to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) will set you back $58.00, and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) $61.00, but you can visit all these facilities for free thanks to an innovative program called MAP (Museum and Arts Pass), operated by the Toronto Public Library System, and financially sponsored by Sun Life Financial.The MAP program was instituted in 2007, inspired by a similar program in Chicago. It was designed to open up Toronto’s wealth of cultural attractions to families of modest means. It allows two adults and up to five children to explore the best of Toronto’s arts and culture attractions, the ones that tourist seek out but locals seldom do; all for free.As library doors open on Saturday morning across the city of Toronto, a line forms at the checkout desk where patrons can sign out passes from a list of Toronto attractions.You are entitled to get a pass for one attraction that will admit your family for free. The pass is signed out on your library card, and can be used for three months. All you require when you show up at say the Ontario Science Centre is the pass, your library card, and a photo ID.The list of attractions include: AGO - Art Gallery of Ontario, Bata Shoe Museum, Colborne Lodge in High Park, Fort York National Historic Site, Gibson House Museum, Mackenzie House, Montgomery’s Inn, Scarborough Museum, Spadina Museum: Historic House and Gardens, Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, Gardiner Ceramics Museum, Museum of Inuit Art, Ontario Science Centre, ROM - Royal Ontario Museum, and the Textile Musem of Canada. The most recent addition to the pass list is the fabulous Aga Khan museum which recently opened near Don Mills and Eglington. It is important to note that not all attractions are available at all libraries.At some library branches the passes are so popular that they are distributed by lottery, and at other libraries they are offered on a first come first serve basis.The trick is to find a branch in a neighbourhood where few people know about them. In some parts of town that’s hard to do, but we are lucky here in Downsview. I visited the Downsview Branch at Keele and Wilson on a Wednesday night, and was informed that the library had received 25 passes on Saturday, yet on Wednesday night there were still 14 available.               I found similar results at most of the Downsview Area Branches. The trick is to get there early because the most popular passes go quickly.Now families who have very little in their entertainment budgets can enjoy Toronto attractions for only the cost of TTC fare.The MAP pass program has been so successful that the library is currently negotiating its expansion to include a range of performance venues.Here is the list of passes available at our local libraries, Enjoy!

Winifred’s Story: A Twenty-Year Old Family Secret

By Tom Rakocevic

In this month’s My Story column I speak to Winifred Flesar about her family’s struggle with poverty in Guyana, and her mothers endless resilience.Even into adulthood, Winifred used to love watching her mother go about her daily tasks, “When I hugged my mom close, she always smelled so sweet. The trick was the bars of soap she would place in her drawers.”Today, her mother Janny lives on only in the memories of those who remember her.Winifred remembers a particular warm afternoon in Little Diamond, Guyana during the late seventies.At the time, Winifred was in her early twenties and recently married. Her mother lived with the young couple. That afternoon, Janny was going through her drawers and packing a suitcase for a trip to see her brother. Winifred sat smiling on the bed in Janny’s room, watching her mother just as she would in her youth.Suddenly, Janny stiffened.From the bed, Winifred could see that her mom was staring at something she had picked out of the drawer. Janny’s back was to her daughter.“Mom? What’s wrong?”No answer.Winifred got up and moved closer. Her mother was frozen looking at an old, crinkled newspaper clipping. The faces looked familiar to Winifred.“Mom, who are they?” Startled out of her daydream, Janny crushed the paper into her fist and began tearing it apart. Tears began to stream down her face.Winifred was shocked, “What’s wrong, mom!? What was on that paper?”It was a while before her mother responded, “History, Baby. Bad History.”“You might still call me ‘Baby’, but I am big now. I want to know. Please mom, it’s ok. Tell me.”And so, with great difficulty Janny spoke about Winifred’s childhood. The challenges their family faced; the poverty.The clipping was a picture taken in the summer of 1954.Winifred was only a couple of months old and lived with her mother, aunt, and brother in a tiny rented basement apartment with mud floors. The landlord lived in the large house and shop above.Elsie, Winifred’s aunt, worked 7 days a week from morning until night in the shop as well as in the landlord’s house as a cleaner and cook.  She was paid $9 a month and rent was $7.50.Janny worked at the marketplace from morning to night and brought home the food for them to eat.  Both Janny and Elsie’s husbands had left them, and so the two sisters moved together to share expenses and raise their children. Janny and Elsie’s parents were deceased.At the time, Elsie was pregnant with her second child. She continued working as hard as she could, but one day fell very ill and was unable to work the full day.  A few days later, she took a long break during the morning to visit the doctor regarding her pregnancy.After returning, she quickly prepared lunch for the children before resuming work. The landlord came into the apartment. His arms were crossed, and his voice was stern, “I’ve thought about it Elsie, and this can’t go on.  First you were sick and missed work, and now you miss work to go to the doctor.  What’s going to happen when you have the baby?”And so, he threw them all out onto the street.The story came to the attention of a local newspaper and a picture was taken of the family. Thanks to the article, a relative learned of their plight and picked them up since they had nobody else.Winifred listened respectfully and when her mother finished, she hugged her close, “There is nothing to be ashamed of, mom. Lift your face up.”Until that day, Winifred and her mother never really discussed their hardships. Her mother had never expressed the shame she felt about their poverty. Winifred knew that her mother had tried her best for the family, but in the system they lived in, it was hard to climb up from the bottom. There is far more to her story, enough to easily fill a book.She has many reflections of her past. “Life was tough but I still found happiness. My family struggled but we were content with what we had. All good things were a blessing.”Winifred believes life today is needlessly complicated, and many don’t appreciate what they have. She has plenty of advice for today’s youth, “My poverty growing up limited me in many ways, especially my [lack of] education. That was a wall I faced my entire life. I see many youth who take school for granted, and spend too much time on fancy things that lead to nothing.”Today, Winifred speaks glowingly about the opportunity she was given here in Canada. She worked as a seamstress and is now retired, and a proud owner of a condominium apartment in our community. She is truly a proud Canadian.But with all the opportunity Canada has, Winifred fears we are headed in the wrong direction, “My mother and aunt spent almost all of their money on rent. After food, clothes and the rest we were left with nothing.  We were trapped. Today, the average apartment rent is over a thousand dollars. At a minimum wage salary, how can you live?”Winifred was eventually able to track down another copy of that newspaper article. Her mother held onto it for twenty years only to rip it apart in shame in her daughter’s presence. To Winifred, it is a profound reminder of her own history.To us, it may serve as a sobering warning of the future.

BIA Helps Create a Better Neighbourhood

By David Ros

While the Dufferin-Finch Business Improvement Area (BIA) is one of the newest in the city, it has already become a strong advocate for creating better infrastructure and a better environment for local businesses.Formally incorporated in May, 2014, the Dufferin-Finch BIA represents 2,500 businesses which collectively have more than 30,000 employees, making it the 2^nd largest neighbourhood business association in the country.“This is a district that often gets forgotten when the pie is being shared,” said Matias de Dovitiis, the Dufferin-Finch BIA's coordinator. “We don't have the same quality utilities, we don't have the same quality roads and we don't have the same quality infrastructure as other parts of the city.”The City of Toronto defines a BIA as an association of “local community property owners and tenants” working together “to enhance the safety, look and feel of the neighbourhoods, to attract more visitors to shop and dine as well as to draw new businesses to their area.Currently, there are 81 such BIAs in the city of Toronto, and de Dovitiis said that while most residents may know them from the events they organize such as Taste of the Danforth, put on by the Danforth BIA, or Taste of Little Italy, put on by the Little Italy BIA, they play an important role in helping to shape the neighbourhoods they operate in.“Change is coming to the neighbourhood whether there's a delay here or not, the point of having a BIA and the reason why all the different business owners got together is that we want to be able to shape that change to help to create a better neighbourhood,” he said.With the soon to be completed Yonge-University Spadina subway extension, and the new GO train station being built at Sheppard Ave. W., and Chesswood Ave., the neighbourhood will have access to a much improved transportation infrastructure, and de Dovitiis said the Dufferin-Finch BIA is working at the ground level to prepare for this change.“There's just so much potential in the neighbourhood precisely because the neighbourhood and the businesses over the years have been neglected for so long,” he said. “There's a massive opportunity.Two of the services the BIA offers to local business owners are free security services, and free employment services.

Community Profile: Mentoring Arts Tutoring Athletics

By Dani Kwan-Lafond

The notion of ‘youth helping youth’ is easier said than done. While many young people aspire to make their communities better places, few have the time, energy or organizational skills to make it happen. The Downsview community is home to several successful initiatives that are making real positive differences in people’s lives. The Downsview Advocate will feature one of these per month, beginning with M.A.T.A. (Mentoring Arts Tutoring Athletics), a youth organization that partners students at CW Jefferys with former students who are now attending nearby York University“I made it to university, but I could see that many of my peers were struggling, and I wanted to help. My first year in university was certainly difficult and I thought about how important it is for youth to not only get into post-secondary, but also to have resources and support once they achieve that goal. This is what encouraged me to start M.A.T.A. In order for an organization to be truly democratic and comprise of youth voice, I think it is important for people to be able to step away and let others step in. I am glad that Troy Budhu and Monica Patel, whom are C.W.J. and MATA graduates are now running the program in a remarkable way.” Janelle Brady, Founder, M.A.T.A.M.A.T.A.’s founder, Janelle Brady, is a busy Master’s student in Education at York University. On any given day, she can be found rushing around the neighbourhood to meet with community members, answering the phones at the local city Councillor’s office, doing community research, or attending classes at York University. She is articulate, friendly, and serious about making post-secondary schooling less intimidating and more accessible to youth. Full disclosure: she is also the brains behind the Downsview Advocate, another initiative she’s recently started to bring more voices to the table on community issues.M.A.T.A. was founded in 2010 and its core activities consist of after-school tutoring programs, and a mentorship program where high school students are paired with York University students, in order to get an insider’s view on what university is like.“The MATA program has been really wonderful in terms of mentoring me and helping me decide for post-secondary. What I love most about the program are the wonderful mentors who are always free to talk not just about school, but also about more personal things that relate to teen life. The mentors are definitely what make this program”. Nuradin, M.Mentors and students meet up monthly for social events that often double as community volunteering events: visiting a soup kitchen or home for the elderly to help out, or joining with other community groups to help at seasonal events. The group also gets together for recreational activities, so that mentors and students can get to know each other.Many of the students involved have limited financial means, and limited knowledge of what’s out there in the city to do.MATA connects them with exemplary mentors, and also builds a sense of belonging in the community when they take part in larger events together.All the participants, mentors and youth alike, become better connected to each other and to neighbourhood groups who have similar goals of improving community life.Next month, several youth, mentors and staff are joining a partner organization on a trip to one of Tim Horton’s camps, for a free weekend of bonding, outdoor education, and lots of fun!The organization has also set up an ongoing scholarship fund at York for new incoming students. For more information about M.A.T.A.’s activities or to get involved, go to http://matayouth.com/ 

The Toronto District School Board’s Cuts and its Effect on our Neighbourhood

By Natasha Burford

 Natasha Burford is a grade 6 teacher, and a PhD student at UofT. She currently runs More than Marks, a learning and enrichment tutorial centre at Keele and Sheppard.In the last few weeks, there has been a lot of discussion around the announced cuts throughout the Toronto District School Board, along with a much-heated debate from parent groups and teacher unions.If you are a parent, with a child in a TDSB school, you may be asking yourself: how will these cuts affect my child?The TDSB is Canada's largest school board governing 451 elementary schools, 110 secondary schools, and 5 adult education schools educating over 289,577 students.The TDSB’s operating budget is approximately $3 billion per year, and is under the jurisdiction of the provincial government. However, due to a bigger provincial deficit and in an attempt to save costs over the next few years, in April 2014, the Province of Ontario announced its funding for the 2014-15 school year, and unfortunately, the TDSB experienced significant cuts to special education (by $7.3 million) and its school operations funding (by $10 million).Hence, in order to reduce TDSB’s $16.5 million projected deficit, suggested cuts include: 260 job cuts, including special education and English as a second language positions. Also included are elementary and secondary teachers, as well as secretaries and vice principals.Special education programs, affecting 40,000 students, partly due to low enrollment are said to be on the chopping block. Lastly, 130 schools across Toronto, of underutilized space will be reviewed or closed due to declining attendance.What does this all mean for parents? If cuts are approved, this could mean larger class sizes for students all across the city. This also means less individual instruction, and more disruptions in regular classes with teachers who are trying to serve the diverse needs of more students.Staff will present a three-year balanced budget plan and capital plan at the June 2014 Board meeting.The main pressure is coming from the provincial government to the TDSB board to cut costs and with several new elected trustees, parents need to ensure trustees keep their promises to stand up for the success of students and their families, by rejecting these cuts to public education.

Celebrate Earth Day with this Delicious Vegetarian Meal

by Vincent Polsinelli

 

Description 

With Earth Day coming up on April 22^nd, this vegetarian meal is an ideal way to celebrate. Not only is this dish nutritious, but also light, and a perfect way to welcome the warm spring weather with bright and vibrant colours.

Ingredients

 Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa3 bell peppers1 cup of quinoa2 cups of water½ cup of frozen peas1 small onion½ cup of tomato sauce2 cloves of garlic¼ of olive oilSalt and pepper to tasteSautéed Asparagus1 bunch of asparagus2 tablespoons of butterSalt and pepper to tasteBeet Salad6 medium beets¼ cup of walnuts¼ cup of goat cheese½ head of Nappa cabbage25 ml of honey50 ml of lemon juice25 ml of rice wine vinegar300 ml of olive oilSalt and pepper to taste

Directions

Beet Salad

1. Lightly wash the beets and place them in a deep tray covering the beets halfway with water seasoned with salt and pepper.
2. Cover the tray with aluminum foil and place it in a 425 C oven for 45-60 minutes, or until a knife can pass through the beets easily.
3. While the beets are cooking, combine honey, lemon juice and rice wine vinegar ina bowl, and slowly add olive oil while whisking to create an emulsification.
4. Season your dressing with salt and pepper, and set aside.
5. Remove the beets from the oven, and allow them to cool down in cold water.
6. Cut off the ends of the beets, and peel the skin off with a knife before cutting the beets into quarters. ***Wearing latex gloves is recommended as preparing beets can leave a temporary stain on your hands.***
7. Toss the beets in the dressing and allow them to marinate for 30-45 minutes.
8. Place the beets on top of a small bed of shredded cabbage, and top it off with crumbled walnuts and crumbled goat cheese before serving.

 Peppers Stuffed with Quinoa

1. Place 1 cup of uncooked quinoa in apot of boiling water (2 cups) with a lid for 15 minutes.
2. When all of the water is gone transfer the quinoa to a bowl and mix it with the tomato sauce, minced garlic, onion, frozen peas, salt and pepper.
3. Cutbell peppers in half horizontally and remove seeds from them.
4. Oil the outer skin of the bell peppers with olive oil, and place them on parchment paper on top of a sheet tray.
5. Stuff the peppers tightly and place them in the oven at 425 C for 15-20 minutes or when you notice that peppers are slightly charred.
6. Remove from oven and allow them to cool for 2-3 minutes before serving.

 Sautéed Asparagus

1. Snap off dry ends of asparagus and blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds.
2. Place asparagus in an ice water bath and dry them off when cool.
3. Melt butter in a pan on medium heat and toss the asparagus in the butter while adding salt and pepper to taste.
4. Continue to toss until preferred doneness is reached and serve.