By: Giovanna Loureiro and Rhiannon Moller-TrotterBlack Creek Community Farms is a local staple in Downsview. The farm is dedicated to helping the area flourish through organic initiatives and outdoor education.The land used to be occupied by Toronto Urban Farms, which was fully funded by the City of Toronto. Black Creek then took over when funding for Toronto Urban Farms halted, and it is now in its fourth operating season. Black Creek Community Farms is an urban agricultural center that teaches members of the community how to utilize their lands to grow vegetables, and wants to encourage those in the area to use the facilities.Leticia Boahen, who runs the farm, has been a Downsview resident since she was 12 years old. She is constantly promoting agricultural education through farm schools and camps for elementary and high school students, outdoor environmental education and experiences, and many other events and activities.The farm offers a youth internship program that helps the young people gain experience in urban agriculture and teaches them how to start their own farms and engage community members to do the same. The farms offers many festivals, fundraisers, volunteer opportunities, and camps that run from January all the way through to November.Be sure to check out their website and the farm itself for more information on how to benefit from healthy initiatives taking place right in Downsview. The farm is an ideal spot for trail walks and picnics, and there is no charge for these opportunities.For more information visit or call:www.blackcreekfarm.ca / (416) 393-6381
Liberals Abandon Electoral Reform
Early in February, the newly-appointed Minister of Democratic Institutions, Karina Gould, announced that she was informed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that “Changing the electoral system will not be in your mandate”. This move surprised many, as one of the key campaign promises by the PM was that 2015 “will be the last federal election conducted under the First-Past-The-Post voting system”. By one count, Justin Trudeau personally voiced this promise over 1800 times during the campaign. Many were angry at the announcement, with hundreds showing up to a protest in Toronto alone and NDP democratic reform critic Nathan Cullen calling it, “One of the most cynical displays of self-serving politics.”Perhaps the move should not have been a surprise. In January, Mr. Trudeau suggested that Canadians were less interested in electoral reform because they were now under a Liberal government that they liked. How the Prime Minister was able to determine Canadians’ interest in electoral reformm was not mentioned. The Special Committee on Electoral Reform (ERRE) –a diverse body of elected officials commissioned by the government to study the issue – finished six months of consultations with experts and the public in a series of town halls across the country, and came back to the government with a recommendation: a referendum on whether or not to move to some form of proportional representation. The government rejected this recommendation, claiming that there was no clear consensus on what Canadians wanted, that a referendum would be too divisive, and that extremist parties would proliferate under a proportional representation system. The fact that 88% of testimony to the ERRE was in favour of proportional representation and that Canadians could have made their wishes clear in a referendum, was apparently not taken into account by the Prime Minister. (Along with the fact that fringe parties could be kept out by a minimum vote threshold).Cynics have suggested that the reason for the rejection was that the committee did not recommend the Liberal Party’s preferred system of ranked ballots. This system would have led to the centrist Liberals being the second-choice for many on the right and left and guaranteed the formation of successive Liberal governments. Whether or not this was the case cannot be determined from outside the party’s inner circle.One direct product of this broken promise will be an increase in general voter dissatisfaction. When combined with other broken Liberal promises: the approval of the Trans-Mountain pipeline, no free, prior, and informed consent from communities affected by pipeline construction, and a refusal to ratify the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – distrust of the government and in politics increases. This may have led to the results from a recent poll where only 43% of Canadians said that their government could be trusted.Most people are familiar with self-interested leaders strengthening their position at the expense of their organization. By acting in their own self-interest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals may well have damaged democracy in Canada.
Sampaguita Village Restaurant- a slice of taste from the Philippines
It was around -15 °C outside when my boyfriend and I left home; and we both felt that the acute coldness was absorbing into our bone marrows. We were both craving for some warm and hearty food, where we somehow trekked through the bustling bus crowd to arrive at the most famous Downsview Filipino restaurant called, the Sampaguita Village.We arrived at 2:10 p.m., hoping that the lunch rush would have calmed down. Surprisingly, the restaurant was jam packed with elders, parents, couples, teenagers and little kids. We both thought the wait for a table would be long, but after about ten minutes or so, the cashier promptly took us to a table.We ordered Yang Chow Fried Rice, Pancit Sampaguita (stir fried noodles), Lechon Kawali (crispy pork belly), Pinakbet (stirfried mixed vegetables), and Sinigang (shrimp soup). While we were waiting for our food, we enjoyed ourselves with perfectly chilled Molson Canadians with surrounding sounds of laughter, and a faint melody in the background.Food arrived promptly, and while I was busy taking photos of all the mouth watering food, my boyfriend would snatch pieces out of the Lechon Kawali dish with an adorable grin on his face. After dozens of captures, I was silently enjoying the different flavor profiles of each dishes. The Lechon Kawali pork skin was crispy in texture and dark gold in color, yet tender and juicy from the inside; and it was served along with a special house sauce. The Sinigang soup on the other hand, was an impeccable duet with the Lechon Kawali because it gave us a nice break from the fried pork, rice and noodles. The citrus lemon and sweet tamarind flavor from the soup allowed me to reminisce back in time to a happy childhood memory, where I plucked and ate from fresh tamarind trees back in Sri Lanka.The mixed vegetable dish (Pinakbet) was accentuated in stir fried, dark green bitter flavors which contained long beans, bitter melon, okra, and other vegetables. While the flavors of this dish may not be acceptable to some; it is comparable to acquired flavors in western dishes such as caviar and beer.Lastly, we tried ‘Halo Halo’: one of the most famous desserts among Filipinos. Even though it was blistering cold outside, I was determined to try one. The meaning of Halo Halo simply means ‘mixture of ingredients’ which can include evaporated milk, boiled sweet beans, cherries, jellies, shredded coconuts, and other sweet ingredients. Halo Halo, is then nicely topped off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This eye catching dessert was beautifully presented in a tall cup, and as the name suggested, all the ingredients should be thoroughly mixed prior to consumption in order to enjoy different texture and flavors from each spoonful.Conclusively, Sampaguita Village showcased their delicious and interesting flavours, and textures of their traditional cuisine, which makes me want to come back and eat more with my friends and families.
A message from Millennials: We are The Love Generation
By: Donya Yarahmadi and Jodie VanderslotWe are criticized for our lack of political involvement and a dependence on the ever-expanding world of technology that is to blame for the mass extinction of our parent’s way of life. We are ridiculed for getting participation trophies, for being inaccurately labeled as “special” and are glorified by our “helicopter” parents who created this false sense of entitlement. Contrary to this crude, incorrect and downright offensive depiction of millennials, these “lazy, trophy loving, narcissists” are not the type you want to mess with!The US election shed light on a wide range of issues. Most importantly, we saw the many liberal certainties Americans were accustomed to shift to uncertainties. The result? A sense of instability towards the future of the United States of America. An America that is, at best, described as divided, is relying on millennia’s to take control of the future. The rise of resistance fighters, activists and socially aware citizens means taking the wheel and steering towards progress, equality and acceptance –no matter what country you live in.Those core concepts define the generations’ values and we are unwilling to settle for anything less. For millennials, the weapon of choice is clear and highly effective: social media. As a first choice for the declaration of thought and opinion, it was only natural for it to become the battleground for resistance.Following Trump’s inauguration and on his first day in office, an uprising of the millennial generation (including countless groups victimized by the President’s rhetoric) had a noticeable presence throughout the world. The Women's March at Queens Park, in Toronto, boasted an estimated 60, 000 people. Globally the message was clear, summarized by the Clinton slogan: Love TRUMPS hate.So what motivated the “laziest” and “most self-absorbed cohort” to date to gather in these enormous masses across the globe and protest the election of a foreign leader?The answer is simple; we are the LOVE generation. Collectively, the millennial generation is more educated, sensitive, diverse and compassionate. This movement proves that we are the generation intolerant of inequality. All we know is diversity and this is all we will accept. A threat to our values and way of life will be unapologetically confronted with vocal, unrelenting and global protests. Social media provides us with unparalleled opportunities to leverage and amplify our voices to the full extent, crossing borders and gathering together to form a united front.Through a loud resistance, the millennials armed with their cellphones, mastery of social platforms and forceful resistance are bringing political engagement to new heights, resulting in a virtual and physical movement. Reclassifying and owning what some may deem as weaknesses, we are turning vice into virtue. These protests online or in the streets resuscitated societies much needed attention and engagement with politics, government and hidden societal issues.We are a generation not defined by laziness but immense social, political and environmental challenges. We will not be silenced or disheartened by the negative depictions of our generation and will continue to be a force of positivity to be reckoned with. Move over baby boomers - the Love Generation is the new it generation!