Perfect, Well Almost Downsview’s Best Kept Secret

by Howard Moscoe

This can of Heinz beans was made in Canada and tastes just the same as the beans that your mother spoon fed you when you were a child. So what’s wrong with them? Well nothing other than the fact that instead of French the backside of the can is printed in Hebrew. I bought them for 79 cents at my all-time favourite store, ALMOST PERFECT. The same beans without the Hebrew label were priced for $1.59 at the nearby No Frills.ALMOST PERFECT is a gem of a discount store tucked away in a plaza on the north side of Sheppard Avenue, about half way between Keele Street and Dufferin Street. (1150 Sheppard Ave. W). It is a food clearance outlet that is the best kept secret in Downsview.This is where you can pick up an endless variety of products that you either won’t, or can’t find in other retail outlets. There you’ll pick up brands that you recognize like Kellogg’s, Betty Crocker, McCain, Hershey, and Lay’s; as well as, brands that you may never have heard of like, Super Slim, Chris Formly, Great Canadian Meat Co., Fairmarket, and Tangy Zangy. How do products end up at ALMOST PERFECT? Often times manufacturers overestimate sales, or launch products that just don’t catch on. For example, have you have heard of Heinz Red Thai Sauce? Fortunately, for ALMOST PERFECT shoppers, the goods end up on their shelves at a discounted price.The best part of the fun of shopping here is that you never know what surprise you can expect to find. What my daughter who lives in New York loves best about the store is she can get a range of organic and vegetarian products at bargain prices. (Yves vegetarian patties, $1.77) In fact, some of the products come up from the US because American manufacturers don’t want their products to appear at discount prices in local markets. Long before TARGET came to Canada ALMOST PERFECT was selling ‘Archer Farms’, TARGET’S private brand products, not only because TARGET didn’t want their discounted products to be sold in the US, but also because they were made in Canada. ALMOST PERFECT also has a huge variety of frozen food products. 50% of the store is filled with freezer cases. Wondering what the story behind Almost Perfect is? The company was founded in Whitby in 1998 by two Sisters, Carolyne Boiani and Pamela McGibney. In 1999 they took over a Sara Lee factory outlet at the Downsview location. From two outlet stores the company has since expanded into the largest ‘food only’ surplus retailer in Canada with ten stores, and an eleventh scheduled to be opened in Cobourg in the Spring of 2015. So why haven’t you heard about ALMOST PERFECT? As Carolyne explained; “We don’t advertise because our manufacturers expect us to be discrete. We don’t want to undercut their retail sales.” That’s probably why ALMOST PERFECT has largely stayed out of the Toronto Market, so we are lucky to have their only Toronto store right here in our community. I learned how to be an almost perfect shopper, and want to share a few tips with you. When you see a new product buy one, take it home and try it. If you like it return to the store and stock up because it might not ever be there again. Also, try visiting the store on a regular basis to get the best selection, and make sure you keep an eye on the product dates. The beans I bought had a January 2015 “best before” date, but I still bought two cases because how often does a can of beans go bad?You’ll love it as much as I do!

Police Investigations Put Wynne’s Government on the Hot Seat

By Matias de Dovitiis

Kathleen Wynne was elected with a majority government last summer with the promise that she would step away from the Dalton McGuinty type scandals that led to his early retirement. Her previous accomplishments as a Trustee who advocated for public education made Ontarians feel like she could serve as an honest, hard working leader that would not fall in the same trappings of power politics that sunk her predecessor. That optic is now being transformed, and we are all the worse for it. It is unfortunate that it took such a short time for this other side of Wynne to appear. The old Wynne was all about participatory democracy, and having transparent, clean processes in place.Premier Wynne, apparently is not below having her power brokers push people aside with promises, something which the chief electoral officer in Ontario stated recently appeared to be a breach of the Elections Act, and which the Ontario Provincial Police anti-racket wing is currently investigating. At issue is what transpired in the lead up to a recent by-election in Sudbury, where an NDP MPP quit after only a few months on the job for family reasons. The open seat presented an opportunity for the Liberals to expand their seat margin. In order to convince the much more high profile candidate (a seating MP for the NDP) to change parties, the Liberals decided to bypass the nomination process, and asked the previous candidate in the area not to run. This is where things become controversial and where the question of legalities comes into play. The previous candidate in the Sudbury seat for the Liberals was Andrew Olivier, who was interested in running for the open seat, but two senior Liberal party organizers met with him, and tried to convince him not to run. We know this because he recorded the conversation; Olivier is a quadriplegic and often records conversations as a means of keeping notes. Since that encounter he has made the recording public. The recording has led to an OPP investigation into Wynne’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Pat Sorbara and Gerry Lougheed, another party operative. Wynne is defending her staff stating that there were “no specific offers” or favours granted during the conversation with Olivier. Unfortunately, for the people of Ontario Wynne has two political agendas, one for the Government and one for her political party. Wynne is standing by her staff saying they will not be asked to step aside, unless the investigation proves that there was some wrongdoing. It is important to consider that the issue is not only about whether something illegal took place. At this level of government our expectations and demands are higher of our elected officials and the people that do their bidding. It is therefore insufficient to say that there was nothing illegal that took place, when in fact the actions that were taken are unethical. Whatever the legal positioning Wynne’s staff is taking, they should take a leave of absence, and should only be allowed back to work if an investigation clears them. 

Access to Justice at an Affordable Price

By Joy Lewis, Licensed Paralegal

 Imagine this scenario, you finally saved up enough money to get that kitchen renovated. You met with the contractor; he seemed like a reputable guy, so you gave him a deposit to start the work.The big day finally arrives, you're dreaming about how lovely the new kitchen will look after the dust settles, but then reality strikes! That seemingly trustworthy contractor does not show up. In fact, you call his number and it's out of service. What do you do? Consider hiring a lawyer? Good idea! But too expensive. Hiring a paralegal may be the best option for your requirements. If you are faced with a potential legal issue, you should consider hiring a Paralegal. In setting up my own practice, Lewis Legal Services, I was amazed at the number of people that told me they had heard of the term "Paralegal" but actually had no idea what services a Paralegal provides.A Paralegal licensed to provide legal services in Ontario has graduated from an accredited legal services program, has passed a Paralegal licensing exam, and has been found to be of good character. They are registered with The Law Society of Upper Canada, and carry professional liability insurance. Paralegals offer various legal services to the public at fees that are usually lower than lawyers, who practice law in the same areas. A Paralegal's range of practice is primarily focused within the following areas: Small Claims Court which handles cases where the total amount of money or value of goods involved is $25,000.00 Canadian or less; Ontario Tribunals, which include, the Landlord and Tenant Board, the Immigration and Refugee Board, and the Human Rights Tribunal; Traffic and other offences heard in Provincial Offences Court; Less serious car accidents, and Statutory Accident Benefits (SABS) claims; Summary conviction charges under the Criminal Code, including theft under $5,000.00, harassment, and causing a disturbance; and As a Commissioner of Oaths, a Paralegal can confirm a person's identity for the purpose of swearing an Affidavit. As Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin points out, “Our courtrooms today are filled with litigants who are not represented by counsel, trying to navigate the sometimes complex demands of law and procedure.” The number of self-represented people in Ontario has been steadily rising. This could be a result of the rising cost of legal representation, which is out of reach for middle and lower class Ontarians. If affordable, it is certainly far better to hire a legal representative who has been formally trained, and can protect your best interests. Without proper representation, a party is often likely to be at a disadvantage, and not be successful with their case.An affordable option to lawyers are Paralegals who can bring access to justice in reach. 

Voice Your Opinion on our City’s Budget

Townhall Meeting at Yorkwoods Library (1785 Finch Avenue West)By Anthony Perruzza If you have an opinion on what Toronto’s priorities should be, now is your time to voice it.City Council will be meeting on March 10th and 11th to debate Toronto’s 2015 Capital and Operating Budget. The City Budget is the financial blueprint that funds City activities including community centre programming, paving roads, fixing sewers, and much more.I am inviting residents to take an active role in shaping Toronto’s budget by attending a town-hallmeeting I will be hosting on Tuesday, February 24 at 7 pm, at York Woods Library Theatre, 1785 Finch Avenue West.Toronto Financial Planning staff will be present to describe the Mayor’s budget, listen to your views, and help answer your questions. We will also have plenty of City information on different and exciting local projects, including the subway extension through our community.Your opinion matters and you can make a difference.  In 2011, programs and facilities in our very own community were at risk of closure based on the direction of the budget.  At the town-hallI hosted in 2011, a packed audience joined the fight to help me stop this from happening.You can find a link to a summary of Toronto’s 2015 Budget on my website www.anthonyperruzza.com It is important that I hear from you directly so if you cannot make it on February 24, make sure to send me an e-mail at: councillor_perruzza@toronto.ca or call me at: 416-338-5335, and let me know what you think the City’s priorities should be.

A 'One-stop shop' for all your medical needs

by Camila  Acosta

Set up at a new location closer to the heart of our community, Polyclinic Medical Centre has opened its doors - promising a leading-edge medical experience.

Seeking medical help can often be a stressful and time-consuming task, but it doesn’t have to be. At a short walk from Finch and Dufferin, the Medical Centre is ready to work, and thoroughly equipped to deal with our community’s needs.

“It is a bigger, newer facility,” said Dr. Lew Pliamm, head of the practice, adding that our community now houses “the largest medical mall in Canada”

The new facility offers advanced and comprehensive care. A single location provides two dental and sleep clinics, equipped with CPAP therapy. Just down the building’s hall, two medical labs offer multiple tests, such as ultrasounds and ECG. A fully-equipped rehabilitation institute has also opened its doors, and will soon be followed by a North York Endoscopy Centre. Close to the building’s entrance, there is a foot care clinic, next to a fully-stocked pharmacy.

Eleven family doctors are available by appointment and walk-in, and are accepting new patients. They are seeing patients six days a week, and at extended hours.

Polyclinic Medical Centre also values accessibility. Located at 2 Champagne Drive, the nearest bus stop is steps away from its main doors. For those arriving by car, the clinic offers five hundred parking spots, free of charge.

The new and improved Polyclinic provides us advanced care at the heart of our community. Its new specialists and environment promise to centralize our health care needs in one location - as Dr. Pliamm calls it, a “one-stop shop.”

Local activists make their voices heard in NYC

by Yasmin ParodiIn a desperate attempt to slow the rise in global temperature, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called world leaders to the 2014 Climate Summit on Sept. 23rd. He urged leaders to bring forward bold announcements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.More than 400,000 people joined the People’s Climate March in New York City, the largest ever recorded on this issue. The streets near Central Park began to fill early Sunday morning, with individuals from all walks of life, from indigenous leaders to interfaith groups, scientists, students, families, agriculture workers and celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo - to show world leaders that the public is united in it's call for solutions.2,646 events occurred simultaneously in 162 countries around the world. 300 people from Toronto rode overnight busses organized by Toronto350.org, a local climate action group.Connor Allaby, a local resident of the Jane and Finch community said: “the political response has been negligible”.“I think the message of system change not climate change is important to convey, because it speaks to social as well as environmental concerns, in how the system exploits people and the environment for profit,” Allaby said.Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, did not attend the summit although he attended other meeting in New York that week. "I think so many Canadians are here because we're so fed up with the way things are going in Canada. We are the source of the tar sands, which has just been such a destructive project for the climate and for local environment and indigenous people," said Aaron Saad, a graduate student and part of the group from Toronto who attended the march.

Mailboxes disappearing in Downsview

by Howard MoscoeLast year Canada Post announced that it will be discontinuing door to door mail service, and it has been true to its word. Within the next two weeks, the conversion to community mail boxes will begin at 18 or 19 locations across the country with door to door service withdrawn from some 26,000 homes. In Ontario, Oakville will be the first city hit. The communities affected so far, have been targeted as easier hits because some of the population in these locations have already been serviced by community mail boxes. The date when we will lose our door to door service in Downsview has not yet been determined, but it will be gone by 2019. My letter carrier suggested that it will likely be out of service within about two years. The post office has whined about operating losses as the reason for cutting service and along with that, the need to cut 8,000 jobs. That now rings hollow because in the second quarter of 2014 Canada Post made a net profit of $67 million, up from a loss of $50 million the year before. Last month, I walked over to the letter box at the corner of Catford Rd., and Derrydown Rd., to post a letter. The box was gone. I then hoofed it over to the next closest letter box to my house, on Hucknall Rd., near Madron Cres., and that box was also missing. It would appear that not only is Canada Post cutting back on door to door delivery of mail, they are also cutting back on mail box locations. Those two boxes have been in place for some 50 years. So now that I’m a senior, I can not walk to post a letter, but must drive. What about those seniors who can’t drive?I contacted Canada Post to ask about other mail boxes that have been taken out of service in Downsview. John Hamilton, a spokesman for Canada Post said that the organization doesn't keep any data on specific communities.“Any mail induction point has to be visited and cleared five days a week,” Hamilton said. “While the number of street letter boxes has remained relatively constant we have moved or removed some that were being used infrequently.” He then went on about how Canada Post was losing money and the need for efficiencies to be created at the local level. Here is what I don’t understand. If each of the new community mail boxes has a slot that will accept outgoing mail, one wonders why they couldn’t simply wait until the community mailboxes were installed before they began to pull existing letter boxes out of service? If you have noticed a letter box missing in your area, email me the location. (hmoscoe@gmail.com). Hamilton said that anyone who thinks Canada Post has overlooked important information when making the decision to remove the mailboxes can call customer service at 1-866-607-6301 and they will look into it.If you decide to complain, be prepared to wait a long time on the telephone and push a lot of buttons to get to talk to a real person. Be persistent, and if you are successful in getting a box put back in our neighbourhood, let us know so we can celebrate your success. The Canada Post Corporation Act in 1981, which separated the postal service from the Canadian Government, was supposed to guarantee basic postal service to every Canadian wherever they might live. The problem is that it failed to clearly define what basic meant.

Engaging the community leads to better schools

 By Matias De DovitiisOur neighbourhood does not have the same quality of schools as other parts of the City. We need to do better. Getting our students and our parents to participate more in their school communities is an important step that we need to take in order to return our schools to where they need to be.The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has just released test scores and many of our schools did not do as well as schools in many other districts in both the Grade 9 Mathematics and Grade 10 Literacy Tests. There are many reasons for this, but our schools need to be more engaged in order to turn this around. In order for this to work, increased engagement can't just come from students, teachers and administrators, but parents and community members also need to be more involved in their children's school lives. This is critical.It is not just about fundraising, but parents and community members need to participate in the everyday life of the school. Parents need to play an active role in facilitating their children's academic success.Some of the ways this can be achieved is by attending parent teacher meetings, and asking questions of teachers and administrators or by volunteering in parent teacher advisory councils and school extracurricular activities. Sometimes it is difficult for parents who work long hours and have multiple jobs and are interested in getting involved to attend parent teacher interviews and school activities. For this, teachers and administrators need to work together with these parents in order to find a way to allow them to be involved in their children's education.There are also members of our community who have a wide range of skills, experience and knowledge who could provide a great benefit to our students by volunteering their time by helping to facilitate extracurricular and mentorship activities.The improvement to the quality of school activities raises the engagement of the students and students will learn more. Statistics have shown that the schools which score the highest on the Mathematics and Literacy tests are also the schools which have some of the highest levels of parental and community involvement.We need to emulate this in order to help our local students to achieve the same level of academic success. It is also important that our students become more active in their community.Over the past 8 years, I have taken thousands of grade 5's on community clean-ups and tree plantings in the Downsview area. I can speak first hand about the importance of students being taught about the need to care for their community.Students who are more engaged in their community do better academically.A school that is more engaged in the community will not only result in increased academic performance, but it will also be equipped with better resources to help kids stay in school and to help ensure that they don't slip through the cracks.

Join the campaign to save Canada Post

 By Tom Rakocevic Over the years, there have been moments that have made me reflect on the way the world is going. Many of these moments may seem small, but they give a sign of things to come. Like the tickling of your throat before you get hit by the flu.One such moment happened when I was a teenager, and I went to withdraw money from my bank account. That day, one of the branch tellers was positioned at the door and was encouraging me to use the machine rather than line up to deal with a person.I looked over at the machines for a moment and then turned back to him and said, “If I start using that machine, you’re eventually going to lose your job.” He paused and said, “But if I don’t encourage you to use it, I will lose my job today.”Of course, we all happily use those machines now. However, we are now being introduced to a new and shinier machine in certain stores called “The self checkout.”Workers everywhere will need to start looking over their shoulders, because that new machine their boss has just purchased may be soon be their replacement.While our transactions have become increasingly automated in order for businesses and institutions to save money, we have not necessarily seen an increase in service.Furthermore, we have not even seen a reduction in price, which means the savings have not trickled down to us.Canada Post is now on a similar path of cost-saving measures by both increasing costs to consumers and reducing service by phasing out home delivery of mail.When Canada Post eventually phases out home mail delivery in urban areas, it will be seniors and people with disabilities who will be affected most.Deepak Chopra, the CEO of Canada Post quipped that seniors would actually benefit from the removal of home delivery because they would get exercise going to and from the community mailboxes.Not only is this comment highly insensitive, It also fails to take into account the serious challenges the service cuts pose to people with mobility issues. This also doesn't take into account the hazardous journey that seniors and people with disabilities will undoubtedly face in getting their mail in the winter walking through snow and ice.While most bills can now be paid over the internet, many among us may not feel secure for our financial transactions to be conducted over the internet, while others may not have the expertise to do so and rely heavily on the postal service for these matters.While Canada Post is phasing out home delivery in urban areas, they are not passing these savings onto Canadians. Instead, they have increased the price of a single postage stamp to $1.00.If you are against the removal of door to door mail service, please join the campaign to Save Canada Post. You can contact the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) at 613-236-7238 or email them at feedback@cupw-sttp.org to order your sign to show your opposition to the service cuts at Canada Post.You can also check out www.savecanadapost.ca and www.publicpostoffice.ca for more information on the service cuts and how you can get involved in the campaign to reverse them. 

Keeping the faith for 50 years

 By David RosIn the mid 1960s, Downsview was a rapidly evolving community. It had been a major centre for heavy industry since the De Haviland aircraft factory first set up shop in the neighbourhood in 1928.After World War II, the area, which, up until then, had been dominated by industrial factories and the Downsview Air Force Base, had began a period of rapid residential growth. By the 1960s, the neighbourhood's changing demographics meant that there was a real need for more facilities to serve the needs of the growing community.Around the same time, the American Lutheran Church had also developed a plan to expand its ministries, and it was decided that Downsview's growth had made it an ideal place to carry it out. At the time, the community had been home to other places of worship, but it did not have a Lutheran Church. Thus, land on which to build Faith Lutheran Church was purchased at 96 Hucknall Rd., and on Aug. 19, 1964, the Reverend John Judt brought his family to Downsview from Vancouver in order to start the ministry.When he had arrived in the community, Judt had no parishioners. “When we started, we were just knocking on doors, there were a couple of pairs working who would invite people into the Church,” said Judt's son, also named John. After the door to door campaign, Faith Lutheran Church held its first service on Sep. 20, 1964 in front of 50 parishioners.This past september, the Church celebrated its 50th year of operation. “When [the church] was started, it was a wonderful community place,” said Lida Spiers, a parishioner for more than 30 years. “A lot of people lived within a few block radius.” Since then, Spiers said, many of the original parishioners had moved away from the community, many of whom, still attend or keep close ties with the Church, but over the years, the Church has gained new members in the community, including students from nearby York University.To celebrate its 50th Anniversary, Faith Lutheran Church held an open house and an outdoor dinner in a large tent, followed by a Sunday service delivered by the head of the Lutheran Church in Canada, with many guest ministers in attendance. Spiers said that many of the older parishioners attended the event and photos and stories were shared about the ways in which the neighbourhood and congregation had changed in the 50 years since the church had first opened its doors.Over the years, the Church has also undertaken many community service initiatives, by building a nursery school attached to the church, specifically geared to help children who had been suffering from emotional disturbance, headed by the late T.E.E. Powell-Brown, an educator and parishioner of the church. The Powell-Brown nursery school moved to a larger facility in 1983, and the space is currently occupied by a full time daycare facility for children between 18 months to five years-old. Faith Lutheran Church continues to hold services every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.