Growing up in our community, the rest of the city felt so far away. As a child of the suburbs in the 80's, most of my life existed within a few square kilometres. Often, I would find the right spot to gaze at the CN Tower; it seemed as far away as the moon. My mother would take me to Ontario Place in the summers. We would get on the subway at Wilson and stand at the front of the train looking down the dark tunnel beginning at Eglinton, waiting for the light of the next station. Getting out downtown was like entering another world. A place full of sounds and smells and lots of people, with towering buildings all around.When our community was built in the 1960's, Line 1 of our subway system came only as far north as the current Eglinton Station on Yonge Street. From there, it headed south to Union Station on Front Street before looping north to St. George Station on Bloor. In the 1970's, downtown inched closer to us through the openings of Finch station under Yonge Street (1974) and Wilson station at Allen Road (1978). It was another 18 years before the futuristic looking Downsview Station (now called Sheppard West Station) opened its doors in 1996.Throughout the years, new bus routes were created through our community and more buses were added to the system. Today, when I groan at a 15-minute wait for a local bus, I often forget what it was like during my teenage years when an hour wait was not uncommon.The plan to bring the subway through our community became a reality after I began working with Councillor Anthony Perruzza at City Hall in late 2006. The news was like a dream come true. Contracts were awarded in 2008, associated infrastructure work (moving sewers, etc.) began that same year, and drilling was commenced in 2011 and completed in 2013. Throughout the construction, my work afforded me the great privilege to be a part of this incredible project. There were years of setting up consultations about everything from station designs to traffic patterns, meetings with engineers, tours of tunnels and stations at various stages of construction, and much more. On December 16, we held a special open house at Finch West Station where members of our community explored the station. The feeling of anticipation was palpable.Sunday, December 17, 2017 will forever be a special day in history, for it was the day that the subway through the heart of our community entered operation. On that day, we truly became one with the rest of our city and beyond, and thousands upon thousands rode for free and shared in the feeling of wonder and excitement.I think for all of us though, the most important day was the Monday after the official opening. On that day, and for the first time ever, I walked a brisk 20 minutes to a subway station to get to work. It was a day that my daily life got a little better, and my smile lasted all the way to Queen Street.
Downsview's future is at a crossroads
For the bulk of my political life, I have been fighting for the future of Downsview. Chief among my efforts has been the battle against the sale and development of the Federal lands at Downsview Park. A few years ago, with the help of the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), the first portion of this land was sold to the highest bidder by the Federal Government. Developers then turned this beautiful green space into a disastrous "neighbourhood" fraught with horrible, systemic building flaws, and unbearable quality-of-life issues for some of its residents. The City still refuses to recognize these homes as up-to-code.This neighbourhood stands as a physical indictment of the Feds' vision for the rest of the Downsview lands. There are three other neighbourhoods planned like this, and it seems like the same future awaits them.To the north of this area, at Keele and Sheppard, is a beautiful swathe of federal parkland known as William Baker. It has bike trails, massive mature trees and, on a good day, you can witness some unique wildlife. According to plans by the Federal Government, this area is to be bulldozed and in its place, 3,500 apartment units are to go there, with the Feds pocketing the cash.It's unconscionable. Especially considering that as part of a necessary defense strategy in 1947, these lands were taken from 270 Downsview residents to build a military base. But today, with the based closed, they are trying to cash in on the lands they took away from us 70 years ago. The right thing to do is to give the lands back to the City.That is why I am planning to bring a motion to an upcoming City Council demanding that the Federal Government give us back our lands. In the City's hands, park land is illegal to sell. If this land is restored to its rightful municipal status, it will be protected for generations. It could thrive with amazing programming and activities that any design or control from Ottawa could never accomplish. This land is Downsview, not a cash cow for the Feds.We have a choice. We could choose a nightmare future of shoddy homes with limited green space plagued with traffic and flooding, or we can choose a bright future with these lands in the hands of the people of Downsview who will love and care for them in perpetuity. As it stands, you have a hand in this choice. Make sure you always choose leaders who will fight for the best of these two futures. You will have the opportunity to make those choices over the next two years.But I am not waiting. The time to give this land back to Downsview is long overdue.Maria Augimeri is the Councillor for Ward 9 (York Centre) and has represented Downsview residents for over 30 years. She is also the leader of the SetDownsviewFree movement which demands the Feds to stop selling parkland and hand the Downsview lands back to Toronto.
Building Better Communities: Continued Economic Growth through Shared Prosperity
There was a time when it seemed as if we were all progressing towards truly harnessing human potential to its fullest. Yet, outside of North America and Western Europe, only the fortunate few make meaningful progress. When we look closer to home and in our own local communities, we see many caught in cyclical patterns where successive generations are barely making ends meet. Will the children get the opportunity to truly achieve their potential? If not, what are we losing when that potential is not realized?The Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN) is doing as much as possible to see that everyone in Toronto reaches their full potential. TCBN helps equity seeking groups, diverse individuals and organizations gain access to opportunities to grow and thrive in their communities. TCBN has already been successful in achieving Community Benefits with the Eglinton Crosstown project. This massive project will realize the dream of improved public transit for tens of thousands of Toronto residents across Eglinton Ave and beyond. Thanks to TCBN, we are now starting to see residual benefits with real jobs for residents living along the Eglinton Crosstown LRT building site.Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) are successful because everyone wants to work - human dignity is found in work. TCBN is currently considering several projects across Metropolitan Toronto to support and put communities front and centre in CBAs. When TCBN member organizations tap into previously hidden local talent in a community, everyone wins. Improved infrastructure and local jobs mean communities benefit through shared prosperity.TCBN envisions Toronto as an inclusive, thriving city in which all residents have equitable opportunities to contribute to healthy communities and a prospering economy. Through formal and informal arrangements, TCBN is engaged in setting the conditions for economic growth and intensification of urban areas around a network of mobility hubs and other infrastructure projects. TCBN believes that all Torontonians should have access to the opportunities stemming from infrastructure investments. TCBN is a coalition of organizations and individuals working in direct partnership with other grassroots, community, labour and anti-poverty organizations to build a strong community benefits movement in Toronto.
Your Neighbour's Secret Past
Just west of the Black Creek, where Grandravine meets Arleta is a community housing complex where a remarkable man and his family once lived.His name was Mahfuzul Bari and he came to Canada as a refugee in 1982. He settled into a tiny apartment in the Parkdale neighbourhood, had few friends and worked long hours in precarious jobs, much of it outdoors during the long unforgiving Canadian winters. For years, his contact with his wife and children in Bangladesh were limited to short telephone conversations lasting no more than sixty to eighty seconds on a monthly basis due to long distance costs.Finally, after four years, Mr. Bari welcomed his family to Canada and shortly thereafter, moved to a townhouse complex in our community. Mr. Bari's three sons, all of them C.W. Jefferys graduates with honours, fondly remember the joy of moving into our neighbourhood. Eban, the youngest, recalls that "moving our large family out of a tiny one-bedroom apartment and into a large townhome was a dream come true for us."Eban and his siblings spent their late childhood and teenage years in our community. One by one, Mr. Bari's children left their home, starting their own careers and families. By 1999, Mr. Bari turned in his keys to Toronto Community Housing, and moved into a home of his own.The tough life and poverty Mr. Bari faced upon his arrival here, the lonely wait to be reunited with his family, and the eventual success his family achieved through years of perseverance and hard-work is worthy of praise. This story though is not uncommon for many who live here.What separates Mr. Bari from others, was the man he was back in Bangladesh.Mr. Bari was born in 1941 in East Bengal, a province within what was then the undivided Indian subcontinent. Following the end of British rule in 1947, the Indian subcontinent was divided into India and Pakistan (comprised of East and West Pakistan). Mr. Bari was a studious and hard-working youth from a large family. By his thirties, he was a military pilot and an engineer who was a leader within a growing movement to separate Bangladesh (then known as East Pakistan) from West Pakistan. He was ultimately charged and jailed for sedition and treason in 1968 with 35 others during the highly publicized Agartala Conspiracy Case. This political imprisonment led to a massive public uprising, and the prisoners were released a year later to become the leaders of a war of independence in 1971.After having gained independence, new challenges awaited the young nation. Recognized as a founding father of the new nation, Mr. Bari was appointed as the Vice Chairman of the Bangladesh Volunteer Corps, leading a network of trained volunteers tasked with rebuilding the war ravaged nation, and also the Head of the Department of Homeless Services, which provided assistance to the millions of displaced citizens. However, in 1975, when the Prime Minister was assassinated, Mr. Bari ultimately fled Bangladesh and ended up in Canada in 1982 as a refugee.Mr. Bari died while visiting Bangladesh earlier this year. His passing drew condolences from the current Prime Minister (daughter of the aforementioned Prime Minister) and other major public officials and a moment of silence was observed during the sitting of Parliament. He was given the ultimate recognition by the Bangladesh Government when his body Lay In State at a National Monument and given a guard of honour. When Mr. Bari's eldest son returned to Bangladesh to retrieve his body for burial in Canada, he was pleasantly surprised to meet many members of the extended family who praised his father for years of financial contributions he had made towards their basic needs and for the educational needs of their children. Imagine, Mr. Bari here in the early 80's; a celebrated war hero and founding father of a country several times more populated than ours, shoveling snow and cleaning people's cars for a few dollars. The next time you meet a new immigrant, working at minimum wage and struggling with the English language, consider that their past might just be an incredible one.
Hospital bed shortage continues to be major concern
The Ontario Government is considering reopening the Finch site of the Humber River Hospital to try to address the large shortage of beds, overcrowding, and hallway medicine in the area and in the province. The Finch site would be used to hold 150 seniors waiting for long-term care. Two years ago, the Wynne Liberals closed the Hospital which has contributed to the severe shortage. Over the last few years, community members have pushed to create expansions to the Finch site of the Humber River Hospital; efforts have included getting thousands of signatures for petitions which have been presented at Queen’s Park. The location was promised to be kept open for ambulatory care, but instead became an acute care facility and was subsequently closed. Now the Wynne Liberals are scrambling to solve the problem that they have created and ignored for many years. Tom Rakocevic, Ontario NDP Candidate for Humber River-Black Creek said: “Our community played a big role in the creation of the Humber River Hospital on Finch, and we were disappointed to see it closed despite assurances of the contrary. The government talk on the potential re-opening of this site in some form highlights the government's mistake to close it down in the first place. Our community deserves answers on the future of this important hospital site.”Throughout Ontario, there have been thousands of cuts and layoffs to hospitals while we have been facing a shortage of beds. There is a 30,000 person wait-list for seniors’ care, and hospitals all over the province are at over 100 per cent capacity. This disconnection has reduced the quality of the health system in Ontario and has put the lives of many people in jeopardy.
Earl Bales Park Welcomes Community Centre Expansion
The Earl Bales Community Centre is in the process of a 4.5-million-dollar expansion. The City of Toronto is redeveloping the property in order to upgrade how the building functions and benefits the community. Construction began this past June, and is expected to wrap-up by summer 2018.Earl Bales is the fourth largest park in Toronto, known for being a fully accessible alternative to other parks in the core of the city. Supporting over 50 local groups and clubs of all age groups, Earl Bales Community Centre is a hub for leisure, education and growth.The new gymnasium has been the subject of immense anticipation. With a full basketball court, two half-courts, and three badminton courts, the 50x80-foot space will provide sufficient recreational opportunities for countless residents. In addition to the exercise zones, the expansion will include two universal washrooms, a family change room and a lounge area.The design of the gymnasium allows natural light to illuminate the room by incorporating enormous windows, featuring views of the park and playground. Visitors to the new site will enjoy an upbeat and comfortable atmosphere. Councillor James Pasternak has expressed his excitement, saying that this project is a major part of “ongoing attempts to make Earl Bales one of the premier parks in the city.”In addition to the gymnasium, the building will receive upgrades to the kitchen, barrier-free doors, and a movable partition in the multi-purpose room to accommodate simultaneous events. The flooring will be upgraded, providing a seamless transition from the main hall to the multi-purpose room. Environmentally friendly features like a sustainable “cool roof” as well as energy efficient lighting will be added to the building as a part of the City’s ongoing green adjustment initiatives.The 127 acre park has always been known for its picnic pads, trails, and ski centre. This new expansion offers numerous upgrades that will make the park an outdoor hotspot for years to come within and beyond Ward 10.
Ontario's Workers Demand Justice
“Why hasn’t Canada signed, ratified, and implemented the UN’s Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers and Their Families?” asks a plum. “I demand dignified treatment, respect, and guarantees of my rights as a worker”, says a pear. An apple notes that, “It is legal for farmers and employers to exploit migrant farm workers in Canada.” Meanwhile, grapes from the Niagara region join in with “Ice Wine: Pride and Luxury with a Canadian label, one of the most expensive but produced with the exploitation of migrant labour with the worst salary and without protection.” These fruits are not actually talking but are simply packaged in small paper bags with a card, with a question, or statement. Migrant workers in Ontario were asked, “If the fruit you were growing could speak, what do you wish they would say?” This traveling exhibit, Speaking Fruit, collected their answers and has been on its way to Ottawa to raise support and demand a response from our government.Many Ontarians are unaware that most of the produce grown in Ontario comes from a small town near Windsor called Leamington. Leamington has a vast series of greenhouses growing food for sale to big and small grocery stores in this province. Calling itself the Tomato Capital of Canada, Leamington has the largest concentration of greenhouses on this continent. The farmer-owners of these greenhouses employ migrant worker to do most of the gruelling labour. Most of these workers are from Mexico and the Caribbean and they are brought in with promises of rich-country wages. However, they arrive to learn that they have to pay their employer for their housing (at several times the market rate) and they would be living with as many as 20 people in one house and would have to sleep in shifts. These workers are not given safety training or equipment and they are adversely affected when working with pesticides and chemical fertilizers. If migrant workers complain, they lose their jobs. Since their work visas are tied to their employment, they are also then immediately sent back to their home countries. In many cases, even their final pay-cheques are withheld by their employers or they are not paid the full amount. If one of them dies or is injured on the job – an all too common occurrence – they (or their corpse) are swiftly sent home to their family with no recompense or even apologies. Ontarians should be ashamed that this happens in our province.What can be done to help? Currently, Bill 148 (Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act) is under consideration by the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the mandate of which is to raise the minimum wage and improve workplace conditions. However, there are no provisions to improve conditions for migrant workers - or temp agency workers, for that matter. There cannot be two classes of workers: one treated fairly under the law and one for exploitation. Call or visit your MPP and let them know that Ontarians demand fair treatment for all workers.
Keele Street to get a makeover
On 21 September, 2017, the residents, business owners and property managers of Downsview, University Heights, and Black Creek communities were invited to discuss the beautification plan and business improvement strategies being implemented by Councillor Anthony Perruzza and Matias de Dovitiis, the Executive Director of DUKE Heights BIA, for Keele Street, Toro Road, and Tangiers Road. The proposed plan included but was not limited to: new public seating areas, signs, bike racks, garbage and recycling bins, and the addition of green spaces. This plan will essentially change the face of Keele Street. The objective of these improvements is to create communal spaces to encourage outdoor activities, enhance neighborhood aesthetics, make the BIA more attractive for business investment, encourage people to visit DUKE Heights for leisure and, ultimately, to make it more enjoyable for residents to spend time in the neighborhood. Through these enhancements, Keele Street will look bolder, more beautiful, and more attractive for businesses and residents.
Keele Finch Plus - Public workshop on the future of the area
On Thursday September 28, City of Toronto City Planning Staff will be presenting three options for how the area may evolve which are based on work conducted to date and public input at past events. Participate in the meeting to tell us what you like about the options and help us make the options better!Is there an option you prefer? Tell us! Is there a connection that we missed? Show us where that is. Did we interpret your previous comments properly? Help make sure we got it right!We'll start the workshop with a refresher on results and work completed to date, including public input from our last meeting and other public engagement events. With the help of a facilitator, you'll be working along side your neighbours to help us evaluate the draft options.Here are the details:Thursday September 28, 2017. Open House 5:00 to 8:30 p.m.Workshop from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., starting with a presentation.James Cardinal McGuigan Catholic Secondary School1440 Finch Avenue West. Cafeteria. Free Parking. Transit nearby.Please help us spread the word by passing this information on to anyone you know who might be interestedThis is an exciting meeting and we are looking forward to it. We hope you are too.See you then!Know someone who might be interested in this Study? Help us spread awareness and knowledge by forwarding this message and by encouraging others to sign up for the email list. You can sign up on the website at http://www.toronto.ca/keelefinchplus.On Twitter? Just use the hashtag #keelefinchplus. From time to time, we'll post information from the Official City Planning account @CityPlanTo.
Community Cats: Our Furry Neighbours
There are as many as 100,000 feral cats in the Greater Toronto Area. Unlike lost pets or stray cats, ferals shy away from humans, don’t meow, and have a life expectancy of only 2 to 3 years. They live a hard outdoor life scavenging for food and shelter wherever they can find it, driven by a strong instinct to reproduce as often as possible.Feral cats can get pregnant as young as 4 months old and have litters of up to 6 kittens as often as every 12 weeks, which quickly leads to a population explosion, usually in the early spring. Sadly, many of the kittens fall ill, suffer from malnutrition, and don’t survive harsh weather and predators. Feral cats will mate even if they are ill or starving, taking a huge toll on the health of females. Male ferals will spray and fight to establish and protect a territorial area, leading to those night time “cat fights” that can sometimes be heard in the distance.To address this problem, cat-loving volunteers from animal welfare organizations including the Toronto Humane Society, Toronto Street Cats, Annex Cat Rescue, and the city’s Toronto Animal Services created Community Cats Toronto with the mission of making a difference in the lives of community cats through education, advocacy, and collaboration.Volunteers take a formal workshop to learn about the best practices for helping feral cats. The primary focus is on Trap, Neuter, and Return, or TNR, which has been shown in numerous studies in large metropolitan areas across North American to be effective in reducing the population of feral cats and improving the lives of the cats already living in our communities. Once spayed or neutered, feral cats roam less, fight less, spray less, and the population normalizes through natural deaths instead of disease, exposure, and malnutrition.Volunteers are trained on humanely trapping feral cats, minimizing their distress and discomfort. The cats are then taken to a clinic where a veterinarian performs a spay or neuter surgery, depending on the sex of the cat. Every cat is vaccinated for rabies and other common diseases. A small tip is removed from the left ear of each cat to mark it as a feral from a monitored colony. A microchip is inserted below the skin of the neck, which, along with the ear tip, ensures that the cat swill not accidentally be picked up by the city pound and can be returned to their local colonies if lost. After a recovery period, the cats are released where they were originally trapped. Insulated winter shelters are built and distributed to colony locations to provide the cats with comfort during the coldest months. Feeders provide food and fresh water to the cats on a daily basis, sometimes donated by companies such as Purina or Whiskas. They also monitor the cats for signs of injury or distress and arrange for veterinary care as necessary.In the past, many cat lovers in our community took care of feral cats in secret out of fear that neighbours would blame them for the cats’ presence in the area. In fact, studies have shown that feeding cats does not increase their population. Rather, feeding the cats is the first step in identifying and handling a feral colony through a local TNR program. The City of Toronto established by-laws that authorize feeding and management of feral colonies, recognizing their importance in reduce the overall cat population in the city over time.It’s thanks to tireless volunteers who care about feline welfare that there aren’t hundreds of thousands of more cats on the streets of the GTA! Community cats are our furry neighbors who do their part for pest control and help keep other animal species such as raccoons and squirrels in balance in the urban ecosystem. With care and love and education these cats can be safe, welcome local companions as they have been in cities worldwide for millennia, such as in Istanbul, Turkey, as recounted in the documentary film “Kedi” that is playing at cinemas around the world (www.kedifilm.com).If you would like more information about feral cats or need help managing a feral colony in your area, please contact Community Cats Toronto (www.communitycats.ca).