December 9, 2016Editor:Regarding your article of November 23, 2016 entitled ‘Humber River Regional (sic) Hospital: new site, same problems’… I thought I would share a few facts about the hospital with you.First, like all hospitals, not every single one of the more than 2,800 patients we treat on an average day leaves feeling completely satisfied with their experience. And while we work very hard to prevent that, no hospital has a 100% patient satisfaction score – no hospital.That’s why, among other available resources, we have a Patient Representative – someone dedicated to helping patients and family members voice their concerns to hospital leaders when they have them, ensuring they get information in a timely manner, and a forthright, timely response. Her work is reported through a Board Committee directly to the Board of Directors of the hospital – in effect, the community’s representatives. We take complaints about care and service very seriously.But there’s a reason why Humber received Accreditation Canada’s highest quality award, Accreditation with Exemplary Standing, in its last survey. In fact the hospital scored a 98.1% compliance rate with more than 2,000 Accreditation Standards; and a 100% compliance rating with all Accreditation Canada Required Organizational Practices.There’s a reason why visitors are coming to Humber from countries around the world – Brazil, China, the U.K; Australia; the U.S.A. and others. They are coming to learn, going home to emulate some of the amazing work going on at Humber.There’s a reason why in our October 2016 staff and physician survey, over 86% of the Humber team strongly agreed with this statement: “I would recommend this organization to friends and family who require care.” This was a completely confidential survey, by the way.There’s a reason why the independent National Research Corporation’s latest survey of Humber’s inpatients shows Humber scoring over 10% better than the average for GTA hospitals (81% vs. 73%). Again, this was a completely confidential survey.There’s a reason why our Emergency Department wait times until the first assessment by an ED physician is among the best in the province.There’s a reason why no Humber clinical area has had an infectious disease outbreak for over two years (and counting).There’s a reason why, on November 12th, a Humber physician was honoured at the Ontario Association of Gastroenterology (OAG) Gala Dinner with the OAG’s Distinguished Service Award.There’s a reason why, on November 18th, a Humber ICU nurse received the CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nurses (IEN) Joan Lesmond IEN of the Year Award. The award is named to honour the late Dr. Joan Lesmond, a champion of diverse and inclusive nursing.There’s a reason why Humber River is the GTA hospital of choice for Queens University Medical School.There’s a reason why Humber is home to the first bariatric surgery program outside the USA to be certified by the American College of Surgeons.There’s a reason why Humber is home to the first robotic surgery program in any Canadian community hospital.And, yes, there’s a reason why Humber is home to North America’s first fully digital hospital.That reason is a simple one: the great men and women who work at our hospital are dedicated to the patients and families they care for, and are committed to the highest standards of care delivery. Every day.And every day we hear from patients and families grateful for the compassionate, professional, respectful care they receive at Humber River Hospital.Sincerely,(via email)Barbara CollinsPresident & CEOHumber River Hospital
Restaurant Review: The Mandarin -1027 Finch Ave. West
Welcome to Mandarin! This restaurant chain is always very busy due to its delectable and vast panoply of foods it offers. I have patronized Mandarin well over seventy times during the past thirty years. It never disappoints. This particular location I have been to maybe twenty five times.Be forewarned: before going to any Mandarin, you must make a reservation. The effervescent hostess who answers the phone usually gives you an alpha-numeric reservation code. Not sure why it has to be alpha-numeric but I guess it’s a system that works for them.As soon as you walk into Mandarin they have a large waiting area resplendent with TV monitors and a fish pond. Some of the gold fish appeared to have been overfed because they are impressively huge!When you are led to your seats you bypass the cornucopia of foods on display for your buffet dinner. That being said, you can order a la carte but most patrons usually opt for the buffet. If you choose the latter, you certainly won’t go wrong.The magic of Mandarin is the food. It will keep you coming back again and again. I believe it’s probably the most successful restaurant chain in the GTA.The servers are always attentive. Be sure to not drink too much water, ergo, you will have more room for all that delicious food. If you love crab legs, please note: it is only served during the dinner hours, not at lunch. That might give you a more strategic approach to your reservation.Now for all that fabulous food: they have two stations of hot food; one cold salad bar augmented with their sweet and sour and won ton soups; one roast beef station; one station for sushi; and finally a long station for scrumptious desserts. The desserts are fit for a king!Here are some of the cuisine you might expect to dine on: shanghai noodles; sweet and sour chicken; chicken balls; beef with beans; vegetarian fried rice; assorted vegetables; onion rings; kung pao chicken (very spicy!); steamed broccoli; French fries; crispy fried chicken; and servings of pork plus more offerings. They are all mouth-wateringly good!Each meal is preceded with hot towels. As you can see Mandarin adheres to cleanliness. To top off every meal you’re always presented with sagacious and delicious fortune cookies. Always a great treat.So go with a date, a group of friends, or your entire extended family. Mandarin is always a winner in any epicurean’s book. You won’t regret it!For more information visit: www.mandarinrestaurant.com or call 416-736-6000 (Dufferin and Finch location)
Pierspective Entraide Humanitaire holds its 6th Annual Gala
Pierspective Entraide Humanitaire (PEH) celebrated its 6th annual gala aiming to collect donations in favour of St. Paul School in Corail Cesselesse, Haiti. The event took place Saturday, November 19, at 6:30 p.m., at the Don Valley Hotel and Suites in Toronto.Pierspective Entraide Humanitaire organized an unforgettable event with great food, an amazing dance presented by Rugcutterz Danz Artz and an opera presented by the amazing young man, Jeffrey Smith along with pianist Maria Merkolova.Dr. Eric Pierre, founder of this organization and Honorary Consul, does not hesitate to affirm: "this event is one of the most important to raise funds for the school. It is by working together that we make it possible to finish the construction of the second floor level of St. Paul School.”Since 2008, Pierspective organizes the gala with the help of volunteers and, each time, the revenues help with the construction of St. Paul School. The intention is to provide education to more students at the primary, secondary and professional level in one location.During the Gala, a few people received an award for the humanitarian and social work services they have accomplished. Among them, Annik Chalifour, journalist at the Express Toronto, Akwatu Khenti from CAMH, Maria Masucci and Mohini Basran as well as Father Michael Corcione and Claudio Moser, from the Roman Catholic Church of St. Peter.According to Antoine Derose, president of Pierspective, "the Ministry of Education in Haiti lacks resources to rebuild schools and train teachers since the earthquake in 2010. Therefore, charitable contributions, including Pierspective, are extremely important."Pierspective Entraide Humanitaire is a charitable organization created in June 2002 that built St. Paul School in Corail Cesselesse, Haiti. Today, the school welcomes more than 400 students. The organization is currently in the midst of building the second floor of this school so every donation makes a huge difference.To learn more about: visit www.haitiaide.ca or check out their Facebook page: Pierspective Entraide Humanitaire.
The Economics of Flushing your Toilet
Water is free. It falls from the sky. So why is the water bill so high? When you think about it, we have a pretty amazing system. You flush your toilet, it flows down to Lake Ontario where it is cleaned at a disposal plant before it is dumped into the lake. They then suck it up from the lake, purify it, pump it up to your home where you open your tap and drink it. The price of the water is determined by how much it costs to clean it, deliver it and take the waste away.The Toronto water system, through most of its history, operated at a loss. Downtown homes didn’t even have water meters. You paid a flat rate for water based on the number of taps in your home. In 2005 the city made a conscious policy decision to restructure the water payment system so that the cost of water would rise until it reached the point where it actually covered the costs of cleaning, delivering it and removing all waste. Right now in the Keele St. and Finch Ave. neighbourhoods the sewer system is being rebuilt. It’s the water rate that is paying for this upgrade.The 2005 decision included a policy of annual increases in the water rates. Between 2005 and 2016 the price of water rose from $1.35 per cubic meter to $3.45 per cubic meter, an increase of 255%. The expectation was that as the price rose and water became more expensive people would start to take measures to conserve it. Apart from wanting to cover the real cost of supplying water, the city’s secondary objective was to get you to use less water. Toronto council has increased the price of water by an average of 9% a year each year since 2005. If they had done that with your property taxes or TTC fares there would be a revolution to rival the Boston Tea Party.The standard toilet most people have in their homes uses seven gallons (US liquid gallons) or (26.5 litres) of water to flush. In 2005 it cost you three and a half cents to flush that toilet. Today that cost has grown to nine cents a flush. If the average household size is three people and each flushes the toilet three times a day, the actual cost of water to flush the toilet in your house is $296 a year; up from $115.00 in 2005.Modern low flow toilets use a fraction of the water. The new standard six litre toilets use four times less water than the toilet most people sit on. The water bill for flushing this toilet is $ 69. That’s a savings of $227 a year. If you buy one of the new three litre ultra-low flow models your savings increases to $261 a year.The cost of a new low flow toilet ranges from $112 to $568 with the average around $270. If you can install it yourself, all the better. If not, allow around $200 for installation charges.That means that your new toilet will pay for itself in about two years.Get off the pot, go to your local hardware store, pick out a low flow toilet and stop flushing your money down the drain!
Silhouettes
***Special Winter Story***I’m repeating it in my head. Saying it over, and over again, and loudly, so that maybe I’ll start to believe it, to live it. The lights around me are twinkling, glittering, hopelessly trying to make this grim day shine. The songs are playing on a loop, both in my head and on the radio.“Tis the season to be jolly,”Teeth chattering and wheezy, I stomp my frozen feet trying to bring back some feeling, any feeling.In the distance there are children hurrying home, away from the flint-grey skies, with ears on fire and icy-blue because they refused to wear a hat. My boots crunch over the dead leaves as I saunter home, wind howling and nipping at my frosted skin. The first signs of winter grew boldly. My eyes gaze over my surroundings; the cold winds have peeled away every last leaf that clung desperately onto the branches of the giant tree just a few hours ago. Appearing barren and succumbing to its mighty will, fall surrendered, cowering in the past.My clothes feel damp and my eyes heavy.“Fa la la la la, la la la la,”High above me the dark clouds hang, commanding winter to come forward. There is no horizon, just grey. Defeated, I reach my home grievously trying to leave this day behind me just as the icy layers begin to lower down. I dare not look back upon a world so stark and bereft of colour.When it settled, the empty skies fell silent and a gentle hush from the wind cloaked the land, still strong enough to steal your breath. I stare into the fire I have made, watching the fleeting flames as they crackle and pop back at me before hissing to life again. I emerge from my den, intrigued as to what my frigid world, so grey and dark, has become.Opening the door, the cool air hit me. While the snow flakes dance and shimmer around me, I stare across the snowcapped trees and catch a glimpse of what’s to come. I step forward, leaving behind the empty shell of who I once was. Before me the path glistens, taking on a multitude of colours the way crystals often do, yet ice and snow on broken concrete is all it is. All this beauty over everything dead, but colours appear brighter against the pure white blanket.Finally looking up, I see the snow delicately falling, feather-like, gently kissing my cheeks before melting. Flushed with relief, cheeks burning from the cold, I feel lighter. Fresh sheets of snow cover everything; untouched, untainted, unharmed. Snow has a grace and elegance so pure, soothing to the hard edges of the cold world.The milky moon hung in the sky as only an ornament could. The frosty air swirls around me making my bare hands tingle, while silhouettes of winter branches cascade over the ground. I realize I’m just standing there, letting the world move around me. Everything can seem so desolate at times, but winter is a wonderland.
Winter proofing your home: You could cut your energy bills by 30% for free!
Winter is here with its blustery cold winds that keep the furnace running at all hours, consuming energy. As prices for electricity and natural gas continue to rise, home owners and tenants are always on the lookout for opportunities to reduce their monthly bill. In collaboration with the Ontario government, local electricity and gas companies have partnered with non-profit company GreenSaver to help reduce energy consumption, in some cases by up to 30%! Best of all, the programs are free for qualifying households.There are two main programs: Home Winter Proofing, in collaboration with Enbridge, which focuses on improving the heat-retention of dwellings; and, Home Assistance, in collaboration with Toronto Hydro, which focuses on reducing electricity and water consumption. Both programs aim to assist low-income households, who qualify, based on the number of people living in the household and a corresponding income threshold. For example, a family of 4 people qualifies for the Home Assistance program if it has an annual income less than $43,500 and qualifies for the Home Winter Proofing program if it has annual income less than $61,000. Households that receive one or more allowances or benefits from the Ontario government, including disability, allowance for seniors, guaranteed income supplement, and several other support programs also qualify for both programs.Qualifying households will receive a scheduled visit from a home energy expert who will identify opportunities to upgrade the residence to reduce energy consumption. Upgrades may include insulation in walls, ceilings, and roofs; weather stripping and draft-proofing for doors and windows; programmable thermostats; new high-efficiency refrigerators, freezers, or dehumidifiers; low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators; and energy-saving light bulbs.There’s no catch! The upgrades identified by the assessment are all provided for free and warrantied against defects. The best part is that each upgrade contributes to reducing electricity or natural gas consumption, especially during the winter months when warm air escapes through small leaks and through walls and ceilings with poor insulation.To see if your household qualifies, visit www.greensaver.org/consumer/ or call 1-888-855-3106 to speak with a home energy saving expert and to apply for the programs. If you don’t qualify for the free programs, don’t worry, GreenSaver also offers cost-efficient energy conservation upgrades for your home on a non-profit basis. Visit www.greensavercontracting.ca to request a quote.Chances are that you’ll save money in the long run by investing in improving the efficiency of your home today. By working together to save energy, not only are we reducing our monthly utility bills but we’re also reducing our impact on the environment, a worthy goal that our whole community shares.
Tolls are Not the Way to Build a City
The City’s Mayor recently proposed to put up tolls on the Gardiner and the DVP in order to raise money for transit and roads. Many people support this idea as the environmentally responsible thing to do and just as many more think that out of town drivers need to pay their fair share too.This line of thinking, however, has many problems. For starters, this new levy is going to hurt working people that have no travel options the most. If you work downtown, but have no other mode of transportation and cannot afford to live downtown, this will be very unfair to you. Most people cannot afford to live in the core of the City any more. If that is where you work or study you are not driving there by choice. Nobody drives downtown without a reason during rush hour nowadays, the commute is awful. Let us not forget that the drive in the 401 is awful, because Hwy 407 costs money to use. If we force cars and the people that drive them off our highways for environmental reasons, but Lakeshore Blvd and Avenue Road become rush hour parking lots, will that reduce the carbon foot print of the City? Where is the study that shows that the effects seen in other places will work here? What options are being built for commuters and when will these be available for them?Many of us do not have an easy transit route downtown and a car isn’t an option for many, but is instead the only means of getting to the place where you make a living. Tolls may, in theory, provide some resolution for the transportation needs of suburban commuters, but do not solve their real life transportation problems for the next 10 plus years. The poorer you are as a regular commuter, the worse tolls will make your situation, because tolls are after all a flat tax that hits the working people relatively harder.Tolls are not used normally to pay for major infrastructure projects as it is being proposed in Toronto, but instead for operational maintenance. Tolls are normally used to repave roads and other operational costs and City’s alone do not build major infrastructure project in North America. The City is short of money, because the Province has structured it that way and it lacks the power to make a better choice, but it is still a poor choice. We must remember that the Gardiner and the DVP are Provincial highways, but the government is making the City maintain them. There is no natural disaster we are dealing with, but rather, we are dealing with the downloading that has been happening for decades now.Furthermore, to think that tolls would allow Toronto to build new subways lines, more LRT’s or more highways is not thinking outside the box. It’s defying reality. You would never be able to raise enough money from this type of taxation tool. Tolls will be bad for the health of the City in the long run because they accentuate poverty.Most of us do not like user fees instinctively. Not too long ago in the Advocate, Howard Moscoe wrote an article about hospital parking fees and we had a good response from our readers about that article (http://www.downsviewadvocate.ca/2016/01/enough-with-hospital-parking-fees/). There is no difference between parking fees in a hospital, the fee you pay nowadays for your passport renewal, fees to use libraries or public parks or any number of other fees that are new and that keep on adding to the cost of living for working people.The truth is, neither property taxes nor tolls will build a City. In order to build a City we need the Province and Canada to come to the table with plans and the funds to build and maintain our infrastructure. Hundreds of millions of dollars that were available to the City of Toronto and other cities yearly throughout Ontario in the past are no longer there. They came from Provincial coffers through income tax, a much more progressive taxation method. We must change the existing conditions of Toronto and other cities to truly fix our transit problems. The services we all share and use collectively, like roads, libraries and hospitals need to be funded properly, but tolls will not solve our current problems.
At-risk youth in Jane and Finch face an unhappy Christmas
What started in the 90s as an organization that tackled alcohol and drug abuse expanded to tackle other problems using a community-based approach. However, it soon became obvious that poverty was a major contributing factor to a major problem in the community.Officially, PEACH (Promoting Education and Community Health) developed an anti-poverty mandate and worked to promote community economic development. This was still not enough, as there were existing systemic barriers that promoted poverty in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood. Lack of access to mental and physical health resources were thus identified as symptoms and causes of poverty. In addition, youths who were suspended from school or dropped out were at high risk of engaging in crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and had very little opportunity for economic advancement.A more holistic approach to addressing poverty was needed and PEACH adapted in order to better serve its community. Community problems require a strong community to address them and PEACH implemented programs like Rhyme N Reason, a music studio to help youths and residents express themselves through music; the Digital Innovation Hub, the only place in the Jane and Finch area that offers free programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math to youth; and the Moms Group, a group for mothers to network, share experiences, and attend programs for health and self-sustainability.To help at-risk youth, the School Away From School (SAS) program was created to help youth who either dropped out or were suspended a chance to earn the credits they needed to graduate. Youth are referred through the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board and receive help from PEACH’s teachers and child and youth workers to give them the life skills to aid them into transitioning back into the regular education system. They attend classes at PEACH and receive a healthy nutritious meal cooked at the on-site kitchen by the school’s chef. The classes are not just meant to earn them credits but also to educate them on things like how to manage a monthly budget or how to prepare healthy meals.The SAS program has been funded by sponsors such as the Rogers Youth Fund, the Youth Challenge Fund, and an assortment of family foundations through the Toronto Foundation. However, PEACH received word that funders like Rogers were withdrawing their money, leaving the organization with a significant funding shortfall.PEACH has $70 000 of monthly operating costs and if they are not able to meet it they will be forced to close SAS by December 23rd and other programs in the new year. PEACH staff have been furiously applying for funding and have even started a GoFundMe campaign to raise this money. If they are unsuccessful, at-risk youth in Jane and Finch face a very unhappy Christmas.For more information visit: http://peachyouth.org/
Victory for Tenants of Toronto
On December 14, 2016 the city of Toronto voted for Landlord Licensing after a long battle between tenants and landlords.For twelve years, the Association of Community Organization for Reform Now (ACORN) has been knocking on doors in low to moderate income neighbourhoods asking residents what issues they faced in their community.One problem quickly revealed itself to be an epidemic across the metropolitan: Toronto has a slumlord crisis. Tenants are paying high market rent to live in increasingly worsening conditions. In multi-residential buildings across the city, tenants face ongoing substandard housing issues, include: bursting old pipes (leading to repeated flooding), rising floors, caving ceilings and other water damage as well as mold which is a health hazard, among other things.Chronic infestations of cockroaches, vermin and bedbugs are another huge problem. Many buildings also have continuous elevator issues resulting in frustratingly unreasonable long wait times going up and down in the mornings and evenings. Uneven heating is also an issue during the cold winter months.ACORN, currently boasting 83,000 members, Canada-wide, has been calling for Landlord Licensing since 2008. Landlord Licensing is a cost recovery program that charges the landlord approximately $12 per unit to cover the expansion of a city run Multi Residential Apartment Building (MRAB) inspection program. MRAB was, until now, a reactive inspection program which responds to complaints made by a tenant to the city either by a direct call to the city councillor or by calling 311. Unfortunately, few renters are aware of this option and are left without enough adequate information. Some tenants even mention being afraid of repercussions from landlords if they complain.Landlord Licensing will expand to the MRAB program, in a last minute amendment from Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker, Ward 38. Six more inspectors were added to the proposed addition to tackle the large task of annual proactive inspections of every building with a minimum of three stories and no less than ten units.The inspection program will be similar to the Dine Safe program, where buildings would have to maintain a set of standards and if caught in violation of these standards would have to pay a fine if the issue is not brought up to standard in the set time. Landlord Licensing will implement a grading system that will be displayed at the front of each building so prospective renters can see the buildings grade before signing the lease.This is a win/win for landlords and tenants as good landlords can boast a good grade, bringing more prospective renters and reducing vacancies. Until now, there was only a self-certification that buildings awarded themselves and is entirely meaningless, a mere advertising stunt. Certification must come from the city so that tenants can trust it has value.Many landlords have fought Landlord Licensing, claiming that there is no need and there are only a few bad apples. Extensive documented research done by ACORN and confirmed by MRAB reveal that the reality is an epidemic of substandard market housing that urgently needs to be rectified. Landlords have distributed flyers using fear tactics as a way to scare tenants to act against their own interests, leading tenants to believe Landlord Licensing would cost them money, calling it an apartment tax. Josh Matlow, City Councillor, Ward 22 has repeatedly stated that the claim is absolutely false. Matlow has been a leader in the fight to protect tenants.One of the first city councillors to join ACORN’s fight for tenants inside city hall, is Janet Davis, Ward 31, who has been a strong and diligent champion for almost one decade. Listening closely to the needs of the people, Davis has helped lay the foundation and together overcome the years of hurdles that have brought ACORN’s Landlord Licensing to this victory. “I want to applaud tenant organizations across the city who have spoken out and are demanding the city take action" said Davis, who wanted to extend her appreciation.
Digital Photo Lab: Offering Honest Service in Downsview
By: Giovanna Loureiro and Rhiannon Moller-TrotterShopping local is important for business owners and residents in the community. It grows our local economy and provides good, honest stores that are close to home and convenient to shop at.In 1993, a few blocks away from Jane and Finch, Arunan Vijay opened Mr. Digital Photo Lab. The business is located at 1997 Finch Avenue West and is expanding its physical structure. Vijay mentioned that at the beginning of December he “will offer even better service to customers.”Devotedly passionate about photography, Vijay understands that times have changed. People take pictures but they don’t print them as much. We forget how valuable printed photography is.With a smile and pride in what he has accomplished, Vijay shares a few stories which he will never forget. He remembers a high school teacher that first came in just to take a passport photo. The teacher came back, but this time he brought his family along so that they could take a family portrait. They were so satisfied with the wonderful service, that Mr. Digital Photo Lab was hired to take pictures at the first birthday party of their newborn child. This same family comes all the way from Brandford, Ontario every time they need any photo service.Observing Vijay’s incomparable customer service for even a few minutes assures you how he’s established such strong relationships between him and the loyal customers that come in. Vijay is so confident in his work that he says kids “never cry when they are at Digital Photo Lab.” He calls his customers by name and even prints 35 mm film stock –which is a hard service to find!He remembers every photo vividly. He presented a picture of a young girl and reveals that she is now all grown up. Since taking that photo, Vijay has photographed her wedding and did a photoshoot of her first child. He is so proud to capture important moments and memories for people of all generations.“You can’t find photo studio stores that easily anymore”, says Vijay. Due to this difficulty, he believes that this would explain why people want to get all of their photo services done at the same place. After 23 years of service, Vijay still aims to offer an even better service to his customers on a daily basis.With promotions coming after November, Vijay always gives his customers a gift: if you take four passport pictures at Digital Photo Lab don’t hesitate to ask for a 5x7 portrait, FREE!From printing on glass and metal, to portraits and one-hour passport photos, Vijay is always willing to put a smile on his customers’ faces.Say cheeee-ese!For more information contact Mr. Digital Photo Lab today!Website: http://digitalphotolab.ca/Facebook: Digital Photo LabAddress: 1997 Finch A W, North York, M3N2V3Phone: 416 746 0006