The leaves are changing colours, the air is getting colder, and people are beginning to bundle up, but that didn’t stop them from heading down to the annual Pumpkin Fest at Downsview Park on thanksgiving weekend.The atmosphere was lively, with a large pumpkin patch, fun rides, an exotic animal petting zoo, and more bouncy castles and food trucks than you could dream of. There were families visiting for the first time as well as some who could not resist coming back for another round.Rajeev Nigom’s family was having an excellent time, especially during pumpkin bowling. Nigom believes that events such as Pumpkin Fest are great for family moments and a healthy way to get kids outside and having fun.The Fawad family was also having a wonderful time at the festival, with son Hammad claiming that it was “awesome, there were so many activities to do!” Daughter Linta said “going climbing and boxing” was so much fun.Guests were also able to meet and pet an exotic kangaroo named Jasmine. Natalie Cheng from Hands On Exotics spoke about Jasmine and the other pets that they carry, such as lemurs and snakes. The organization hopes to teach children about conservation, so festivals like Pumpkin Fest are a great way for children and families to overcome their fears of certain species, or to just have fun meeting new ones.Combined with all of the exciting things to do, Pumpkin Fest’s success can be measured by the many smiling faces around every corner.By: Rhiannon Moller-Trotter and Giovanna Loureiro
Can you identify the man in the photo?
On behalf of Madeleine Lefebvre, Chief Librarian, at the Ryerson University Library in Toronto. Ms. Lefebvre and other members of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries recently toured the Netherlands and were asked to help identify the soldier in the picture.The Canadian soldier (Corporal) seen in the photo below is one of the liberators of the Netherlands in WWII.In a period between September 1944 and early April 1945, he was housed with a family in Eindhoven, a city in the south of the Netherlands. The family name is Andersson and their address was Franciscus Sonniusstraat 18 in Eindhoven.The name of the mother was Alida Catharina Andersson (born 1908) and the father was Henricus Johannes Andersson (born 1907). They had three sons: Anton (born 1936), Pieter (born 1940) and Hans (born 1946)The picture was sent by the soldier to the family in Eindhoven after the war. In the picture are also his wife and son in Canada. We do not have his name or city the picture was sent from.Is there a possibility to post a message on your website or for instance in a magazine? In the hope that someone will recognize him.
Memorial Fund Raises Money for Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre
I do not want to spend too much time on the sickening details I heard in a downtown courtroom.Melonie Biddersingh was 17 years old when she died. Prior to her death, Melonie endured starvation and horrific abuse at the hands of her father Everton Biddersingh and stepmother Elaine Biddersingh. In September 1994, Melonie’s body was found in a burning suitcase; her autopsy revealed that she had suffered several fractures and weighed only 50 pounds.Two years earlier, Melonie’s 13 year old brother Dwayne, fell to his death from the balcony of the Biddersingh’s apartment. His tragic death continues to be surrounded by suspicion; many wonder why a generally happy boy from Jamaica would jump to his death.Earlier this year both Everton and Elaine Biddersingh were found guilty of murder in Melonie’s death; Everton of first-degree and Elaine second-degree.I am not related to this family but this tragedy affected me. I attended the criminal proceedings against Everton and Elaine and sought out Opal Austin, mother of Melonie and Dwayne, at the trial. I learned that in an effort to give her precious children a better life she entrusted them to their father and stepmother with the hopes that they could fulfill her wish. I saw a light in Opal’s eye when she shared how Melonie loved children and wanted to be a nurse and how Dwayne loved singing and wanted to be a rapper. The light in Opal’s eye has been snuffed out along with the hopes and dreams of Melonie and Dwayne.As I got to know Opal, I suggested honouring Melonie and Dwayne’s life in the hopes that the innocence and purity of these children would prevail over evil. Opal and her daughter Raquel agreed and chose Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre (CYAC) as the beneficiary of these efforts – The Dwayne and Melonie Memorial Fund will support Boost CYAC’s Child Victim Witness Support Program (CVWSP). This program provides court preparation for children and youth who are called to testify. Children learn what their role is as a witness and what they can expect while on the stand. The program helps children and families understand verdicts and helps to explain what specific judgments mean.My prayer is that through this fund, Melonie and Dwayne will be able to support other victims of abuse to fulfill their hopes and dreams. The goal is $5000.00. Any donation is appreciated.To make a donation to The Dwayne & Melonie Memorial Fund: www.gifttool.com/athon/MyFundraisingPage?ID=2240&AID=3011&PID=575273To learn more about Boost CYAC:www.boostforkids.orgMEDIA CONTACT:Lindsay Jolie | Director of Communications & Community Relationsjolie@boostforkids.rorg | (416) 560-7568
Silent steps: a true scary story
It was October, 2005 and the sky had been overcast for most of the day. My step-brother and step-sister, our parents and I all decided to head out for the day. My dad set the alarm as he always does and then locked the door. We went out to the movies and when we got back, what happened made the hair rise on my arms. The door was slightly ajar, just enough that we could not see inside. Cautiously, we pushed the door open and saw that the alarm had been turned off. Immediately we thought that someone had broken in, but there was no sign of damage or anything being missing. As we walked in, what we saw completely shocked us. Beginning at the bottom of the stairs and leading toward the kitchen were wet, tiny, child sized footprints. We were petrified. The footsteps started out of nowhere and then ended abruptly in the kitchen. It wasn’t raining outside and as far as we could tell, no water had recently been running in the home. Scared and huddled together, we searched the house far and wide, and there was no one to be seen and nothing had been taken. To this day we still don’t have any idea what happened in our home, and how those child’s footprints got there.
Tips for a safe Halloween!
Halloween can be exiting and entertaining for parents and kids. Here are some useful tips to enjoy the day in a safe and fun way!Parents:
- Check the weather forecast.
- Scope out the neighbourhood that you will be walking through.
- Check the expiration date on candy before the kids eat it.
- Advice your kids to not accept drinks or snacks during trick-or-treating.
Kids:
- Make sure you have your costume one week before Halloween.
- Carry a sturdy (and big enough) bag and walk with a flash light.
- Always travel in groups.
- Set a meeting point in case of emergency.
- Travel with someone who has a phone.
Homeowners:
- Turn lights on to welcome trick or treaters
- Clean the front yard for safety
- Make sure you give out nut-free treats
- Decorations are inviting and fun too!
Most of all, have fun and enjoy the day.Happy Halloween!
Special Halloween Spooky Story: Route 36
Anya shivered and hugged her jacket collar tight around her neck. The cold October air was sending waves of goose bumps all over her body. Having just finished a twelve-hour shift at the hospital, she wanted to get off her feet as soon as possible.Where was the bus anyway? She looked as far West as she could on Finch, hoping to spot the blue TTC headlights in the distance, but her vision was blocked by a thick wall of fog.She started to think maybe she should start the long walk home, when she heard someone speaking to her, “are you getting on Miss?”Startled out of her thoughts, she looked up to see a bus had pulled up in front of her with its doors wide open. Funny, she had not heard the bus approaching, yet there it stood a few feet away. Anya would have given it some more thought had it been any other night, but tonight she was cold and craved warmth more than anything else.The bus driver was a tall woman dressed in an impeccably tailored tuxedo, with the scariest zombie costume Anya had ever seen. Sores stood out against her grey dead skin accompanied by dry blood stains across her forehead, hands and cheeks. She was practically bald except for a few errant wisps of brown hair around her ears. Her gums were black and gooey which Anya guessed was probably molasses smeared on for effect.As she paid her fare and made her way to her seat, she noticed there was no one else on board the musty smelling bus; which was strange because it was only 8:45 pm. She chose a seat close to the front of the bus so that she could let the driver know when to let her off.“I love your costume! If I didn’t know any better I would say your costume is real,” Anya complimented the bus driver. “I’m Anya.”The bus driver gave her a tight controlled smile and said, “I’m Zola. Thanks for the compliment.” Zola had committed to her costume all the way; she even spoke in a creepy warbled voice.“Are you going to a work party tonight?” Anya inquired. “I wish that could be me right now, but I’m exhausted.”“Something like that” Zola responded while staring straight ahead. Clearly she did not want to be bothered.Anya sat back in her seat and tried looking out the windows to see if her stop was coming up soon…weird…she couldn’t see anything because of the fog. How could Zola navigate in this weather?“Excuse me, Zola. Do you know where we are?” Anya asked. “I have to get off at Jane and Finch, and I’m pretty sure we might have passed it by now.”“We passed it a long time ago” Zola drawled in her hoarse dead voice. “Only one more stop on this bus” she continued, still staring straight ahead without looking at Anya.Something was wrong. Anya was not sure what exactly, but she needed to get off this bus pronto!“You can let me off here. Thanks.” Anya tried to sound authoritative, but she could hear the tremble in her voice as she spoke.Suddenly, Zola stood up and started walking slowly and crookedly towards her. Anya recoiled to the back of the bus and tried desperately to open the windows, but they would not budge. Just as she was about to try breaking the closest window, she felt a cold dead hand on her shoulder.This time Zola was staring directly at her, with the black goo from her gums dripping down her mouth as she said, “What’s the matter Anya? I thought you wanted to party tonight.”Anya felt her knees buckle and saw the dancing spots of black in front of her eyes. She remembered feeling unusually cold as she slipped into oblivion.
The Home Buyer's Plan
*ADVERTORIAL*The Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) is a program that allows you to withdraw up to $25,000 in a calendar year from your Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) to buy or build a qualifying home for yourself or for a related person with a disability.Eligibility requirements to withdraw funds from you RRSPs to participate in HBP include:
- Being a first time home buyer with a written agreement that you will be buying or building a qualified home.
- Assisting a relative with a disability in buying or building a qualified home. (The person with the disabilities’ name must be on the agreement for this one)
- You must occupy the qualified home and use it as your primary place of residence within one year after buying or building it.
Unless you are a person with a disability or helping a relative with a disability purchase or build their first home then you must be a first time home buyer to participate in the Home Buyers’ Plan. A first time home buyer is calculated within a four year period in which you (your spouse or common law) did not occupy a home as a first time home owner.Using money from your RRSPs is a great source of funding for your mortgage down payment. The Canadian government’s HBP allows first time home buyers the opportunity to borrow up to $25, 000 from their RRSPs for a down payment, tax free! And if you are purchasing with someone who is also a first time homebuyer, you can both participate which will combine and become $50, 000.One important factor to consider is that the HBP is considered a loan and must be repaid within 15 years.For more expert advice contact:Anat Papp, Sales RepresentativeGreenfield Real Estate Inc, BrokerageIndependently Owned and Operatedmobile: 416-712-6807phone: 416-226-1020fax: 416-398-1021http://AnatPapp.com
Restaurant Review: Moxie’s Grill & Bar
Yorkdale is probably one of the best malls in Canada. In the GTA, it just might take the crown. It has a fairly new food court which is spacious and illuminated well. The many retailers in the mall add to its eclecticism, and proves it has a very vast expanse when it comes to its offerings. What it also has is a great Moxie’s!Located just south of the Indigo Books and Gifts store, it’s a wonderful, mouth-watering restaurant. I had patronized one of its locations in Brampton for family birthdays, then had the awesome idea of trying out the one at Yorkdale. It did not disappoint.I’ve lunched there a few times, later followed by a couple of dinners. The wait staff are mostly millennials. I have to say one thing, they have personality – both the males and females. The ones which I have dealt with have social skills which are par excellence! They know how to engage patrons, and try not to be superficial in their way of serving. Not sure if they are trained like this or if it’s their million dollar personality which gets them the job.The uniforms of the wait staff are classic black. In this case noir is the new black. Moxie’s is more family-oriented and the uniforms give the wait staff a very elegant touch.If you’re dining with your family there are some booths – which are made of leather or leatherette, not sure which – that can feasibly fit a family of four or five. If your family is more plus size it might be a tighter squeeze. There are some stand-alone tables which would be able to accommodate you.The food is delicious. During several trips to Moxie’s I’ve never been disappointed. The portions are very generous. If you are dining with your spouse, or significant other, and don’t have large appetites, I would suggest you get two appetizers and one entrée. It would leave you both satisfied.The last trip my wife and I had their spectacular bruschetta and chicken wings. Heavenly. Every bite was better than the last. It’s that good! My wife elected to opt for a Coke when it came to her beverage, I tried their Virgin Caesar. They really know how to make a Virgin Caesar! Be careful if you order one – it comes with a jalapeno pepper.The main course we dined on was fries and fish tacos. Moxie’s has one of the best fish tacos on this side of the universe! From the first time I tried it, I could not resist it on subsequent trips. One other dining companion opted for their burger. He was mightily impressed.Their restrooms are also a sight to behold with their flat screens and haute sinks. A very nice touch.Moxie’s is ideal for feasting any day of the week.Address: Yorkdale Shopping Centre, 3401 Dufferin St.Phone: (416) 787-7600Website: www.yorkdale.com/stores/moxies-classic-grill
Modernizing Transit Need Not Create Social Class Divides
You may have noticed posters placed in some TTC stations advising riders that tokens will no longer be accepted at unmanned entrances. These ads represent a new, more aggressive push for adoption of the PRESTO card that has been in deployment for several years across the GTA. While there are useful qualities to tap cards, tokens have three important features that the Province of Ontario and City of Toronto overlooked when pressuring the TTC to phase out this alternative currency that has been used since the 1950s.The primary benefits of PRESTO cards stem from their ease of use in the digital era. You can “top-up” online with a credit card. That’s fine for many TTC riders. It’s not so easy for many others. Public transit is a fundamental social pillar used by some of the most vulnerable people in our society: the poor, elderly, sick, and young. For these riders, added complexity—even small levels of added complexity—are a barrier to access. Tokens are simple, well understood, easy to use, and ubiquitous. For those who cannot readily use the Internet, having to visit “select” TTC stations in person to “top-up” creates unnecessary hardship, not to mention that such money is not immediately available for use on their card. As a result, cash becomes the next simplest, viable alternative. And the cash fare is roughly 12% more, effectively the same as sales tax!Taxing the vulnerable is a practice we detest, but there are deeper issues such as identity. Not all TTC riders can easily establish and maintain a verifiable identity—something that is required to have a PRESTO card. Tokens are anonymous, untraceable, and that’s a good thing. Even assuming the best case of world-class technology and privacy law adherence, recent history repeatedly teaches us that it’s not enough. A support worker at a homeless shelter or food bank can hand a token to a visitor effortlessly—not so with a PRESTO card.It is true that transit users can currently still use the “main entrances” of TTC stations in order to pay with tokens. The overlooked result is a social-class divide, where vulnerable riders are no longer allowed to use the unmanned entrances they had used for decades with tokens & turnstiles. Instead, they must go wait in long lines with the other “people who refuse to modernize”, corralled into a place for that lower class of rider. Tokens do not draw lines across social class like PRESTO cards. Preventing the use of tokens to some entrances will not increase PRESTO card adoption. It simply separates people according to entrances in a manner that were decried in social movements of decades past, with no tangible benefit.I am not advocating against the PRESTO card. It has value. My concern rests with phasing out the token so aggressively. The TTC reassures us that it is a “transition period” and that a “network of vendors will eventually be established” to support single-ride anonymous card purchases. Yet, in the meantime, it is barrelling forward constraining token usage without viable alternatives in place. Why not simply delay token phase out until everything is ready? Modernizing transit need not create social class divides.
Temp Workers, Know Your Rights
Temporary staffing or temp agencies are companies that find and hire workers for other companies. Temporary workers, or ‘temps’, do not work directly for these companies. Instead, they still work for the agency; the client company pays the temp agency, which then takes a cut of the temp worker’s pay and passes on the remainder. Temp workers do not receive any benefits from the client company and do not receive the same pay as permanent employees who do the same work. This uneven power balance means that their position is very precarious and they can be easily fired by either the client or the temp agency.Originally intended to fill in for employees who needed a leave of absence (such as for a vacation or illness), temp work has now become semi-permanent, precarious positions that are under the constant threat of elimination due to fluctuations in a company’s staffing needs. Since the establishment of temp agencies, corporations quickly learned the benefits of having a workforce that was easily hired and fired; in addition, the fragmented and asynchronous nature of a temp worker’s employment means that he or she has very little chance to meet and develop relationships with other workers, temporary or permanent, thus limiting their ability to collectively demand better treatment from their workplace. Seeing the threat of replacement by temp workers, permanent employees have also learned not to demand better treatment at their workplace.A survey by Jane Finch Action Against Poverty (JFAAP), a local community group, found that over 200 temp agencies operated in the area. These companies are poorly regulated and employ tens of thousands in the Jane and Finch area alone, and many more across the city. These agencies are sometimes fined by the Ministry of Labour but the sum of the fines have often been so low that it barely affects the agency.On August 24th, York University’s legal clinic, Community Legal Aid Services Programme (CLASP), JFAAP, and the Jane Finch Community and Family Centre held a legal education workshop to inform temp workers of their rights. Although their position is precarious, temp agency workers are still protected by Ontario’s Employment Standards Act. Among other rights, they are due to no less than the minimum wage of $11.40/hr and this is after the agency has taken their cut. They also have the right to refuse unsafe work, and must have an eight hour rest period in between shifts. These and other important facts were outlined to the attendees during the workshop.Although attendance was small, there will be more workshops held by the partner groups. Food, tokens, and childcare will be provided. Those interested in learning more can contact Nicola from CLASP at 416-736-2100 ext. 30130.Future workshops will also be placed in the Downsview Advocate’s event calendar.