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.
York University Farmers’ Market Offers Student’s a Yummy Alternative
Every Thursday from September - April, York University Food Services and Regenesis York holds a weekly farmers' market called the York University Market (YUM!). The goal of YUM! is not only to provide a healthy food option on campus, but also to reflect the cultural diversity of the students who attend York University.In the midst of fast food and cafeteria food options, the market provides a change of scenery and an alternative option. It is a space that expresses community, passion and dedication to sustainability, and place for great conversation on food matters.The vendors offer fresh produce, baked goods, and hot foods that come from local and sustainable sources. There are also vendors selling arts & crafts, some of them being York students from the Arts, Media, Performance and Design program.A farmers’ market at York University works with the university’s ongoing mission to becoming a more sustainable campus. It provides students the opportunity to engage and participate in local food matters, and understand their options when it comes to ethical purchases.This market was created by Regenesis York in 2013. Regenesis York is a grassroots environmental and social justice organization. Its mission is to empower students as initiators of change in addressing today’s social and environmental concerns. Regencies York creates and manages initiatives such as YUM! to provide services to the university community as well as providing quality leadership experience for students.YUM! is held every Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. excluding holidays and reading week/co-curricular days. It is located in the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Building on the south side of campus.For more information, or to be a potential vendor at the market, contact them at yumarket@regenes.isYork Food Services: http://foodservices.info.yorku.ca/Twitter and Instagram: @yorkufoodRegenesis York: www.regenes.isTwitter: @RegenesisYorkFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/yorkumarket/?fref=ts
No Plans for Parking Lot at New Downsview Park GO Station
This new station is an important development for our neighbourhood. It will improve access to jobs located downtown, improve quality of life for commuters, and enhance the value of our neighbourhood.The ride on the GO train from the new Downsview Park station to Union station will only take 15 minutes, significantly less than the time it currently takes to commute the same distance on the subway (40-50 minutes, based on my daily experience over the past three years).This (Barrie) train line has been identified for track upgrades (in progress) and electrification (over 10 years) that will eventually provide 15-minute all-day service.Unfortunately, the station has no plans for a parking lot. I sent several emails to Metrolinx to request a parking lot, and the responses were:1. The land adjacent to the station is not available.2. The land around the station is owned by Downsview Park, which is managed by the Federal Government.3. "We are not considering the addition of parking spaces at this station, as Downsview GO will be an urban station with excellent connections to the subway," and4. "We will not be considering adding parking to this station once construction is complete as there will be a number of bus routes available to connect commuters to the TTC’s subway system."While these are valid points, why not include a small parking lot to give people in the neighbourhood another way to get to the train?Our community needs to convince Downsview Park to allow a small portion of the land around the station to be used for GO Train parking. Today, there are unpaved parking lots beside the new station used by contractors working on the station. These existing lots could simply be paved over to be used by commuters once the station opens. GO and the TTC could charge parking fees to recover the cost of the parking lot over time.Further, I spoke with the TTC, who told me the only bus routes to the new station will be the 101 Downsview Park, the 107 Keele, and the 84 Sheppard. Those routes do not cover all of the areas in the surrounding community.Adding a parking lot to Downsview Park Station is a simple proposal that will maximize the impact of the Province's investments on the Barrie GO line and in Downsview Park. It will get people where they need to go sooner, and will allow commuters to spend less time on transit and more time with their families. If you agree that you would like at least a small parking lot at the new Downsview Station, contact the following people:Bruce McCuaig, President & CEO, MetrolinxCEO@metrolinx.com416-202-5908Toronto-York Spadina Subway ExtensionTYSSE@ttc.caMonte Kwinter, MPPmkwinter.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org416-630-0080Maria Augimeri, City Councillorcouncillor_augimeri@toronto.ca(416) 392-4021
Cutting grass or shoveling snow: What would you prefer?
One of the most frequent comments I received as a councillor was: “I cut my lawn and maintain my property…why should I have to cut the grass on the boulevard in front of my house? It belongs to the city.”That boulevard is there to make life easier for you. In the early years on North York Council, whenever it snowed heavily I had a strong urge to hide under the bed and not go to work. That’s because I knew I would get at least 30 telephone calls that went something like this:“I spent two hours shovelling my *@#% driveway yesterday and last night your &%#@+ snow plough came along and filled it up again. It froze and I can’t get to work this morning.”The pile of snow that obstructs your driveway is known as a “windrow.” Until I was elected to office I didn’t know the meaning of the word “windrow” let alone that I had to find a way to deal with them.In the 1980s North York invented the “snow rid.” It was a gate at the end of the plough, a sort of a short blade or scoop that the operator lowered when he came to one side of a driveway and raised it after he had pushed the windrow to the other side.Streets downtown don’t have a grassy boulevard -the sidewalks are built to the curb. The city doesn’t even plough the streets downtown. Suburban areas, on the other hand, have boulevards as a place to store ploughed snow. In North York, not only are the streets ploughed but so are the sidewalks.For downtown residents, there is a bylaw that requires every homeowner to shovel their sidewalk clear within 12 hours after a snowfall or face a fine of $125. There is no bylaw that requires North York residents to cut the grass on the boulevard. Most people, because they care about the appearance of their neighbourhoods, do it by unwritten convention. More importantly, if we didn’t have the boulevards the City couldn’t provide the great snow clearing services that they do.When amalgamation arrived in 1998, those of us from North York knew that we would have the fight of our lives to keep both sidewalk ploughing and driveway opening. Downtown councillors were chomping at the bit to save money by cutting these services. Why not? Their residents didn’t get them. Same went for Scarborough and Etobicoke councillors who were only too happy to make the budget cuts. Neither of these municipalities had them. We knew that the only way to keep them was to spread these, what some called “cadillac” services, to Scarborough and Etobicoke. Once established, we knew that their councillors would never vote to take them away.When my neighbour moved to Downsview from downtown he spent his first winter shovelling the sidewalk in front of his house until he learned that he didn’t have to. So next time, when you are out there cutting the grass on the city boulevard, think about how lucky you are. You could be shovelling snow instead.
Provincial Liberals Selling Off Hydro One Despite Public Opposition
Despite 80% of Ontarians being against the sale of Hydro One, the provincial Liberal government is moving ahead with its selloff to private investors.The independent Provincial Financial Accountability Office has even warned about the loss of provincial revenue that would result from the sale. The provincial ombudsman and other watchdogs have also warned against the secretive manner of the sale.Shortly after the provincial election, the Liberal government surprised the public by selling off 60% of Hydro One. To date, 30% has been sold meaning the public still currently owns the majority of shares.The sale has been a hotly debated topic at Queen's Park. This October, Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath moved a motion to end any further sale of this important public asset. “We need to make crucial changes to stop the rising cost of hydro and stop the privatization that’s driving those cost increases,” said Horwath.“The priority of our hydro system shouldn’t be generating big profits for investors. It should be to provide affordable electricity that keeps people’s bills as low as possible.”The motion did not pass due to the opposition of Liberal and Conservative MPPs.Downsview residents continue to see rising hydro bills, a cost many simply cannot afford. The rising costs particularly affect properties with electrical heating for the colder months.Bibi Ali, a local Condominium Board President, represents one such property where some residents face $1000 bills during the winters. She was surprised to hear about the hydro sell-off when it started and fears that privatization will only make the situation worse."It's not fair that our hydro bills are so high," said Bibi. "The government should have asked people instead of just going ahead and selling things off."A number of organizations opposed to the selloff of Hydro One, have put together a website (www.keephydropublic.ca) with a lot of great information and opportunities to take a stand against the sale.If the government continues in its sell-off plan, the public will lose the majority say on the future of hydro. The provincial Liberal government should listen to the will of the public and stop any further sale before they make a bad situation only worse.
Families were Falling for the Festivities at Pumpkin Fest
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
Local Trustee in “Hot Water” over Alleged Breach in Code of Conduct
Toronto District School Board Trustee, Tiffany Ford, is in “hot water” according to a Toronto Star article.The article published on October 1st disclosed two separate incidents: one, where she allegedly used her title as a school board trustee to sell water from a company she owned called “Smarty Pants Water” and a second one related to a local student award she organized in her role as Trustee.The Star published a copy of the press release in question where the following title is read as a headline “Toronto School Board Trustee Launches Innovative Product to Increase Children’s Water Consumption: Smarty Pants Water.” The article goes on to describe that the use of her title to promote her personal business was allegedly in violation of the code of conduct that guides Trustees on the Board. They also quote a TDSB spokesperson stating that Ford had breached the code of conduct.Tiffany Ford denies that a breach in the code of conduct has occurred and has since demanded and received an apology from TDSB staff. In a statement published on social media on October 3rd, she says that according to the code of conduct “the board of trustees are required to conduct an inquiry and with that make a determination. This process has not occurred and has not been initiated by any Trustee of the board”. She also states that “I hold myself to high ethical standards and principles. With that, I have never used my Trustee office, resources, or taxpayers dollars to promote my personal business ventures.” She goes on further to demand a retraction from The Star and an apology from the TDSB spokesperson.The Advocate reached out to Ford to get a statement for the local community. She referred our inquiries to the same published statement, for which we have included links at the bottom of the article.The Toronto Star published a follow up article titled: “TDSB apologizes to trustee Tiffany Ford after saying she violated the code of conduct.” The article published in late October details that the TDSB spokesperson now states that only its integrity commissioner, not board staff, can determine when its code of conduct has been violated. John Malloy, TDSB director of education, wrote, in a letter to Ford, dated Friday, October 21st “I incorrectly instructed staff to confirm that your actions were in violation of the TDSB Member Code of Conduct.”Trustee Tiffany Ford has accepted John Malloy’s apology and has asked the integrity commissioner to confirm what “she can, and cannot, put her title on.”In their own voices:The Toronto Star article:https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/10/01/toronto-school-trustee-used-her-title-to-promote-her-own-business.htmlTiffany Ford statement: https://www.scribd.com/document/326235763/Statement-by-TDSB-Trustee-Tiffany-FordThe Toronto Star follow up article: https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2016/10/24/tdsb-apologizes-to-trustee-tiffany-ford-after-saying-she-violated-code-of-conduct.html
Humber River Regional Hospital: New Site, Same Problems
Part 1“The union filed a complaint,” the nurse said to her colleague. “They don’t want us porting patients. But I don’t know how to use the new computerized porter booking system, so I just do it myself.” By her own account, she has more than 20 years’ experience in nursing, including at the old Humber River Regional Hospital.During my previous chemotherapy session, she was the “senior” nurse who had angrily and confrontationally increased the drip rate of the drug I was receiving, overruling a younger, more recently educated nurse, whose patient I was. The “senior” felt that I was “wasting their time” by insisting they follow the chemotherapy protocol laid out in my file by my oncologist.When I had an entirely preventable rigors reaction (intense sweating and uncontrollable shaking) to the drug minutes later, the “experienced” nurse shrugged it off, casually saying, “well, that has never happened before.”Except similar events have happened before. Frequently.The “old” Humber River Regional Hospital (at its site on Finch Avenue West) had frequent problems with patient care. The first problem I heard was from my 19-year-old neighbour who went to emergency with unexplained continuous bleeding from his nose. He bled for 36 hours at the hospital while doctors found “nothing wrong with him”. “It felt like the doctors and nurses didn’t take me seriously because there was no obvious bullet wound causing the bleeding,” he told me. He believes that he would have died if his terrified parents hadn’t taken him out of the Humber River and checked him in to Sunnybrook hospital. “The University Health Network (UHN) was completely different”, he recounted. “They actually cared about me and took my condition seriously. They put me on a new drug and it saved my life.”His story and many similar ones were used to justify the massive cost of the new Humber River site, with claims of the latest technology improving patient care. And plenty new technology is being used, like the pneumatic tubes that deliver blood samples to the lab at such high speed that they shatter the blood cells, leading to faulty test results. “They promised us when they installed the system that it wouldn’t harm the blood samples,” another nurse told me. But that didn’t prevent my being admitted to emergency due to a bad test result. “You are standing and talking to me, so this result can’t be correct. You would be dead,” the ER doctor told me looking at my blood test result after I waited 60 minutes to be admitted (imagine if it had been a correct result!). A couple of days later it was, “the system would have beeped to warn me, don’t worry!” said casually by a nurse who almost gave me the wrong type of blood transfusion (which could have killed me).Technology is neither the problem nor the solution in these cases. The underlying cause is a lack of critical thought, patience, and listening to patients by burned out, jaded health care professionals. And the patient experiences that I have heard about at the “new” Humber River while researching this story are exactly like the old ones: Medication screw ups, sending elderly patients to non-OHIP-covered offsite clinics they can’t afford, uncompassionate and confrontational medical professionals, and long wait times, including in emergency cases.Stay tuned for Part 2 of this article in the next edition.
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