By Howard MoscoeFor nearly 20 years, Mario Sergio has represented York West in Queen's Park.The Liberal MPP was elected by a landslide in three straight provincial elections between 1995 and 2003, when he won by more than 12,000 votes.Since then, the Liberal vote in York West has begun to erode.In the 2007 election, the Liberal vote fell by 14 per cent and in 2011 it dropped a further 5 per cent in 2011 while in the same elections, the NDP Vote increased by 10 per cent and 7 per cent respectively.While electoral popularity across the province mostly depends upon how the electorate views the provincial campaigns and the provincial parties, in York West, a lot of the vote depends on the local candidates and the strength of their local campaigns.So what seems to account for the NDP upsurge in York West? A lot of this is because of the work local Candidate Tom Rakocevic has done in the riding.Rakocevic, executive assistant to Toronto city councillor Anthony Perruzza has helped hundreds of people in York West solve their individual problems. He’s always out and about in the community.While many people may not be able to pronounce or remember his last name, almost everyone knows Tom.I‘m particularly impressed by the energy and youthful enthusiasm of his campaign and the tireless work that he and they have put out in the community. Most residents know him by sight and they should also remember his name when they go out to vote.Karlene Nation of the Progressive Conservatives, is an excellent candidate and as an on camera news reporter for CTV she has a high public profile. She is the diversity producer for CTV news, and has won awards for herself and the network. It’s too bad that the Tories can’t give her a better PC riding in which to run. The PC party is virtually dead in this neighbourhood. It has never, in recent memory, polled higher that 11 per cent, and likely never will. Most people here are working people. They just don’t trust the Progressive Conservative Party.I checked out the shoe department in the Bay yesterday and I couldn’t find a single pair of shoes made in North America. When the conservatives talk about jobs, they mean dumping decent paying government and teaching jobs and exchanging them for minimum wage private sector jobs. This is not something that will benefit the voters in this riding.In my opinion, the Tories should find Nation a riding where she has half a chance to win, because she doesn't stand a chance in York West.Mario Sergio, the current MPP is past his best before date. He was first elected to municipal politics in 1978. That’s 36 years ago. I served on North York city council with him from 1978 to 1995 until he got promoted by the voters to warm a bench at Queen’s Park.Try as I may, I cannot remember a single speech he ever made. I wanted to say something about his accomplishments but when I checked him out on Wikipedia I couldn’t find any of note.I do however know that he is still my MPP because I get a calendar from him once a year.If he doesn’t make it won’t be the Ornge Ambulance scandal, the E-Health fiasco or the Gas Plant debacle that does him in. It’s just that his time has come.
Program helps Spanish-speaking youth get back to school
By Matias de DovitiisTeach 2 Learn is a fabulous program that was born in the classrooms of Downsview. It helps Spanish-speaking students find a better path to success.The program started five years ago as an attempt to reduce the very high dropout rate of Spanish-speaking students. Parents got together to work on ways to help their own children, but the problem was very big and it required a great deal of work.Since then, countless meetings, workshops, tutoring classes, field trips and forums have helped hundreds of students and parents find guidance and support to navigate the school system.It has also helped students who have dropped out to get back to school.To see the plays the students have put together, the classrooms full of students receiving math help or the parents in workshops learning the ropes of the educational system is to understand both the potential out there and the problems that need fixing.“When we started we thought maybe we could just point students to other programs. Then we realized that the program was much bigger,” said Pilar Gonzalez, one of the program's founders and coordinators. “Tutoring was not enough. The parents needed help. The students needed help. We started this voyage with an objective, but like a work of art, you never know what your final destination is.”The name was coined by one of the program's first volunteers, a retired teacher named Ana Schillac. She was training a new set of tutors when she told them, “In order to teach you must learn.”The principle behind it is that anybody can learn and we can all be teachers. Students in the program not only receive help, but they also learn by teaching others.Once children and youth learned to become engaged students the rest is much easier. Teach 2 Learn uses a number of different tools to engage students, from tutoring to artistic development. Most importantly, the programs are free to all participants.Teach 2 Learn is by all means a success story and it has been my pleasure for the last five years to work along a great dedicated team of volunteers and parents.The program currently helps 33 students with tutoring twice a week and 10 to 20 parents participate in weekly workshops and the youth program has more than 20 participants each week.Downsview is a community created by waves of immigrants that have arrived here over time and have often struggled to adapt to the system. This is just one of the many stories that have weaved our community together.The pathway to success is always different for each and every one of us, but there is nothing like wasted opportunity. In Teach 2 Learn at least, dozens of students have a new pathway.For more information go to www.teach2learn.ca
Mentoring youth through basketball
By Yasmin ParodiThe Battle of Finch is an alumni basketball event at C.W.Jefferys Collegiate Institute that brings the community together to support each other.The basketball match pits the C.W. Jefferys senior men's basketball team against a team filled with alumni from local schools such as Westview Centennial Secondary School and Emery Collegiate Institute.The event, organized by Helping Neighbourhoods Implement Change (HNIC), isn't just about watching a good game of hoops, it also about mentorship. The alumni players, who have since graduated and moved on to careers of their own, give back to their community by helping to guide local youth toward their own future career paths.HNIC is a non-profit group dedicated to helping at-risk youth to lead successful and productive lives. To date, HNIC has helped more than 200 boys and girls from at-risk neighbourhoods between the ages of 13-18 to make successful transitions into higher education and the work force.Chris Blackwood, HNIC's founder said the organization has two different programs geared toward helping young men and women navigate what can be a sometimes challenging period in their life."Gentlemen H.A.T.S. (Having the Ability to Switch) provides our male youth with the ability to switch behaviours, attitudes, and characteristics in different social environments," he said. "Pretty in Pink provides our female youth with confidence and social tools to become a better student, employee, entrepreneur, women, and mother. Ultimately, be better than the negative stereotypes that society has given our young women living in at risk communities."Blackwood said he came up with the idea for the community basketball game as a way to showcase the fact that C.W. Jefferys is a safe place for students and is filled with a positive and caring community.The school had been carrying a negative stigma ever since 15 year-old Jordan Manners was shot and killed inside the school in 2007.Blackwood, who also attended C.W. Jefferys, said the tournament is an opportunity for students to expressive themselves and to show the school in a positive light.The Battle of Finch has been a great success from the beginning bringing students, alumni and community members together and quickly morphed into an annual event. The third annual tournament was held on May 24 in front of more than 200 people.Blackwood said local coaches Roy Rana, coach of the Ryerson Rams men's basketball team, Phil Edwards, a community developer, John Smith, coach of the George Brown men's basketball team and Bob Maydo, coach of the Emery senior boys basketball team played a huge role in not only coaching the teams, but in helping to mentor all of the participants in the event.Blackwood said he wanted to give a special thanks to Adam Ali, founder of iWontLose.com and Tom Rakocevic, a fellow C.W. Jefferys graduate and NDP candidate for York West. Blackwood said he also wanted to thank his HNIC team Rayon Brown, Harpreet Gill, Simone Spike, and Tanisha Evans for their massive contributions to the event.The first year, the tournament was held only at C.W. Jefferys, but it had proved so popular that by the second year, similar tournaments were also held at Westview, Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School, Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute and Jarvis Collegiate Institute.HNIC provides authentic and transformational mentoring to youth living in at risk communities throughout the GTA.
Black Creek Farm Rooting Itself into the Community
By Richard MartinsThe Black Creek Community Farm opened its gates to the community for a fun filled day for the whole family.The purpose of the family farm day, held May 24 was to educate the community on the value of growing healthy, sustainable food.Lead by Everdale a farm-based charity, the farm was open to all local Jane-Finch residents to learn about the farm.“The farm is here to offer organic produce as a healthier alternative to fast foods, and to educate locals on the farming process,” said Leticia Boahen, the farm's community coordinator.Education was an important theme as enthusiastic staff members Aabir Doy and Alex Redfield helped participants to interact with the land responsibly by tending to the crops.Children and adults were encouraged to plant seeds, plough the soil and to ask any questions they may have had about the gardening process.Teaching residents gardening skills was an important task to fulfil by staff, a mission which Sheri Alcordo, a teacher Driftwood public school said she agreed with.“The farm imparts children with knowledge on health, stewardship skills, forming relationships and being inclusive," Alcordo said.Afterwards, local participants were provided with a tour of the farm.The farm's mission is to grow healthy, affordable produce right in the neighbourhood. The Black Creek Community Farm grows everything from tomatoes, long beans, chick peas and lentils, to South Asian and Caribbean crops like okra, callaloo and bok choy. Local residents will also get a 30 per cent discount on all vegetables grown at the farm.Locals who visited the farm were exuberant to participate in the gardening process and found the farm to be a positive experience. Sharon Braganza, a local participant, found the farm to be a joyous event.She said, “Black Creek Farm will benefit the children primarily, due to education on eating healthy, teaching kids there is more than technology and how to be hands on with nature,” said Sharon Braganza, a Jane-Finch resident.Anan Lololi the executive director of Afri-Can FoodBasket, one of the events' sponsors said the Black Creek Community Farm provides a great service to the community.“Urban farms are a benefit to the community as a large quantity of produce are available in their local area, which the whole city can be proud of," Lololi said.Staff of the farm, located at 4929 Jane St., encourage community members to visit from Monday to Saturday and to attend the Harvest Festival on June 26.For more information visit the farm's website at www.everdale.org/blackcreek, or call 416-393-6381.
New buses should leave less people stranded
By Jessica PointonLocal residents are all too familiar with the long line-ups of commuters anticipating the arrival of the next 36 Finch West bus.It can sometimes become a challenge to remain calm after lengthy wait-times.Buses often pass by designated stops because they are at their full carrying capacity long-before they reach the station, leaving many passengers stranded.Whether you're a parent with a stroller on route during the afternoon rush or a student lugging home a hefty backpack, all commuters deserve the assurance of having some basic breathing room without having to stumble over other passengers.To address this issue, the Finch West bus route is the next in line to receive the Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) new 60-foot, low-floor “bendy” buses. The buses should arrive along the 36 route some time in November or December.The buses, which run on clean diesel fuel, are a substantial upgrade from the previous 40-foot buses, with room for 48 seated passengers and 19 standing, these articulated buses hold up to 45 per cent more people.This increased threshold is good for both TTC riders and motorists, as there will be fewer buses to clog traffic along Finch Ave. W. There will also be fewer bus operators, meaning the TTC's resources can be better spent in other areas.The TTC has purchased 153 new buses so far at a cost of $143.7 million.The first few buses were released along the 7 Bathurst route in late December, and the next were released along the 29 Dufferin bus route in January. Finch West will receive the new buses some time this year.Local resident, Kyle Harrison, said he looks forward to the new buses along Finch West.“They are definitely a step in the right direction. We are a sprawling metropolis with a transit system reliant on considerably defunct technology.” Harrison said. “These buses are a welcome transfusion that will keep the lifeblood of our community running.”Though hybrid buses are more environmentally friendly in parts of the city plagued by gridlock, clean-diesel buses are consistently less likely to face battery-related issues and are substantially cheaper.These articulated buses have three sets of doors, which enable commuters to have an easy exit.Overall, this is yet another transit improvement for Downsview residents, along with the addition to the Yonge-University Spadina subway extension, which is set to open some time in 2016.
Provincial election necessary because of broken promises
So here we are again.On Jun. 12, the citizens of Ontario will head to the polls to decide who will form the next provincial government.Admittedly, the mood among some voters ranges from apathetic to downright hostile. Many are wondering why we are going into our second provincial election in three years? They are wondering why the parties could not sort out their differences at Queen's Park rather than getting the public involved?If only it were that easy.What this all boils down to is a series of broken promises Premier Kathleen Wynne's Liberal government has made to the people of Ontario.The Liberals promised to cut auto insurance rates, which vary greatly across the province, causing people in places like Downsview to pay significantly more money to insure their vehicles than people living in other parts of the city, let alone other parts of the province.While the Liberals did make some cuts to auto insurance rates, these cuts were simply not enough. This is something Downsview residents can attest to every time they have to pay their auto insurance bill.The Liberals have promised to improve the access to affordable childcare services, which currently cost Ontario parents between $40 and $70 a day to place their children in a licensed daycare. What's worse is that the parents of more than 16,000 children require subsidies that they have not received because they can't afford to put their children in daycare.Kathleen Wynne has repeatedly promised to fix our childcare system in order to make it more affordable, yet there has been no action. There are plenty of available spots in licensed daycare facilities that remain empty because their cost is simply too high for many Ontario parents.There is also the issue of the $1.1 Billion of Ontario taxpayers' money the Liberal government wasted to cancel an unpopular power plant in order to secure then Premier Dalton McGuinty's re-election in 2011. This also doesn't mention the files related to the scandal that were deleted from hard drives within the Premier's office. The matter is still currently under investigation.Put yourself in the position of Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath in considering whether or not to support the most recent Liberal budget. Sure there were a lot of promises made, but given the Liberal government's inability to keep the promises they've made in the past, it is understandable that Horwath determined they would be unable to keep these promises as well.Plunging the province into yet another election is never an easy thing, but Horwath made the right decision. A government that has not been able to keep the promises it made to the citizens who put it in power should be held accountable by those very citizens.Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals will once again make all sorts of promises in order to remain in power. It is now up to us, as citizens to determine whether or not to believe those promises.