Downsview marches for global climate strike

On September 27, people from within and beyond Toronto's borders gathered at Queens Park for the Global Climate Strike. Local residents attended to represent the Downsview community and marched to raise awareness for climate change. 

The event brought people of all ages and different political stripes together. Countless students were excused from school to picket with their classmates. Participants carried signs displaying their personal messages to political leaders, demanding a call to action.

Local resident and community activist, Ayesha Khan, said that "You could feel the frustration, fear, anger and hope in the children. I kept seeing butterflies and dragonflies hovering over the crowd as if nature was saying "Thank you for coming. We heard you. We love you too."

The series of climate strikes are especially relevant in the midst of the federal election. Voters are comparing the various environmental policies that are included in the platforms of the top contesting parties. The Liberals have been criticized for their conflicting stances, including their support of building more pipelines while unveiling a countrywide tree planting initiative that seems to fall short of necessity. While the Conservatives based their climate change plan around abolishing the carbon tax, many are concerned that they will streamline their powers to hold corporations accountable for their carbon emissions.

The NDP's strategy includes "A New Deal for Climate Action and Good Jobs," alluding to the importance of building a greener economy as part of a broader framework for legislating greater corporate responsibility. The NDP's plan is built off of the notion that social justice encompasses environmental justice, and they have committed to working with Indigenous communities to prioritize removing the toxins and pollutants that have been left behind to contaminate their homes for generations. While the Green Party has presented some parallels to the NDP, the public is left to debate whether or not the other pillars of their platform are just as progressive in nature.

Teach2Learn, a youth mentorship program that organizes academic workshops for Spanish-speaking students at Keele and Finch, had several of its young leaders on site. Juan Poveda said that, 

"Participating in the climate strike was a demonstration of coherence. It is extremely important that young people continue to voice their thoughts and take concrete action. These actions should not only include participating in a strike, but should include every-day habits that show people, corporations and governments that we care enough about our future to take care of our home."

More than 15,000 attended the Climate Strike in Toronto, and many continue to express their solidarity online. Given the political climate, this could lead to consistent waves of collective action as much of humanity struggles to realign the modern political agendas to preserving the planet's resources. The common thread that held the crowd together was the outcry for change at all levels of government in order to pave a way to a sustainable vision of prosperity that includes everyone.

Meet your candidates for York Centre

Election Day is on Monday, October 21. Don't forget to vote for the candidate of your choice! Please check out the positions from the four parties below. Learn more about where to vote and what you need to be eligible at www.elections.ca!

Universal Dental Care: Why it’s so important

Growing up I was never one of the kids who left school early or came in late because I had a dentist appointment. From a young age I knew that dentist visits were very expensive and not a financial priority in my household. In short, we just couldn’t afford it.

When low-income families have rent, groceries, commuting, and other expenses it is very hard to prioritize or justify spending hundreds of dollars on dental care for themselves or their children. Yet dental care is important and has a very strong connection with our overall health.

According to research done by Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research “An unhealthy mouth, especially if you have gum disease, may increase your risk of serious health problems such as heart attack, stroke, poorly controlled diabetes and preterm labor.” This means that without regular visits to the dentist it can be almost impossible to determine whether you suffer from gum disease or any other oral health problems like Gingivitis, Periodontitis, or Trench mouth which if left unchecked can lead to more serious health problems. 

Research shows that dental care is an important part of our health, yet it is privatized and not accessible for many people in our city. Seeing as we have universal health care it almost doesn’t make sense that dental care is not included under the OHIP umbrella. Here are some average costs, in Canadian dollars, for common dental procedures:

Large Tooth Filling: $325 Small Tooth Filling: $80 (Silver Filling), or $200 (White Filling) Root Canal: $800 Dental Crown: $1425 (Gold), or $1625 (Porcelain) Dental Bonding: $450 Invisalign Braces: $7, 249 Veneer: $1, 750 Adult Dental Exam: $133 Child Dental Exam: $67 Tooth Extraction: $136 (starting at)

Good dental health can be achieved with good oral hygiene, yet this does not prevent an overbite, teeth-grinding, wisdom teeth eruptions, the need for braces, or an injury.

My parents always taught my brother and I to practice good dental hygiene and luckily neither one of needed braces or suffered from any mouth injuries. However, this luck ran out when I was in University and my wisdom teeth started giving me issues. I could feel the teeth growing at the back of my mouth and it caused me a lot of pain and headaches. Through my University I had dental insurance, a mere $500 for a procedure that would cost in the thousands - the average wisdom teeth procedure for the extraction of all four teeth costs about $2300. This seems impossible when you are a student who is in school full time and trying to make ends meet.

It is easier to prioritise the cost of food, books, or commuting over oral surgery.  Thankfully, I had a very nice and accommodating dentist who suggested I only take out one of my wisdom teeth (the one that was growing sideways and was causing the most discomfort) and he also suggested doing the procedure without being put to sleep. I was a bit afraid since most of the people I knew who had the procedure were put to sleep first and complained a lot about the recovery. The procedure was very comfortable even though I was awake and since I only pulled one tooth the recovery was quick. The tooth had already erupted so the procedure was quite simple

 I did this over my undergrad two more times as my insurance would renew every September. It took some patience and a lot of Advil to combat the headaches and overall discomfort I would experience from time to time. It wasn’t until last year that I finally took out my last wisdom tooth when I found a job with a good insurance plan and did not have to pay out of pocket for the final procedure.

Recently, I also began grinding my teeth in my sleep which would lead to painful migraines as soon as I would wake up. If I wasn’t lucky enough to have my work insurance, it would be back to Advil and pain management.  A mouthguard can cost anywhere between $300-$1000 dollars plus consultation fees. This is not a realistic expense for low-income families, let alone those with small children.

Universal dental care should be implemented in Canada especially for families and children who should not have to prioritize living costs over their health. Good oral hygiene only goes so far and we must consider all other issues that can not be prevented. 

Another senseless and tragic death at the Fiera Foods factory

On Wednesday September 25^th Enrico Miranda died tragically on the job at Fiera Foods. He was crushed to dead by a machine while cleaning it. This is the fifth death at Fiera Foods since 1999.  The first victim was , a 17-year old temp named Ivan Golyashov who was killed when a dough mixer was activated while he was inside cleaning it. Then in 2011 it was Aydin Kazimov who was crushed to death by one of Fiera’s trucks. Two years later, Amina Diaby a 23-year-old woman was killed at Fiera Foods when her Hijab was caught in a machine and strangled her to death. In 2016, a man in his 40s was pinned to death at Fiera Foods while getting stuck between a loading dock and tractor trailer. After five horrific deaths Fiera Foods is still operating in North York at 50 Marmora St. 

After Amina’s tragic death a writer for the Toronto Star, Sara Mojtehedzadeh, went undercover as a temporary worker at Fiera Foods to investigate. Mojtehedzadeh found that about 70% of Fiera Food’s workforce was hired through work agencies as temporary workers. This is alarming. In Canada only 14% of workers are temporary. The workers at Fiera Food’s are also not hired for seasonal work which is usually why some companies go through agencies during high-demand seasons. The investigation also showed that temporary workers receive very little training, just a 5-minute briefing, do not get paid for sick days, are discouraged from complaining, are deemed easily replaceable, work long shifts with no paid breaks, and are paid under the table in cash through payday lenders. Workers do not receive pay stubs nor a record of their employment. 

This tragedy hits close to home as both my parents have worked as temporary workers for factories before, as I am sure many people in our community have. Fiera Foods benefits from desperate workers who are just trying to survive in our country and Fiera Foods is one of many companies that prey on immigrants and workers of colour who might be too afraid to speak up because they know it might cost them their jobs. 

No one should go to work and lose their life. The Star found that “Fiera has been slapped with 191 orders for health and safety violations over the past two decades, for everything from lack of proper guarding on machines to unsafely stored gas cylinders.” Yet they still operate. When the Star arrived on the 25^th of September, they found that production had not stopped, and workers had not been sent home amidst the tragedy that caused Mr. Miranda’s life. 

On Tuesday October 1^st, organizers gathered outside the Fiera Food factory and handed workers pamphlets about unionizing. Security guards asked worked to throw away their flyers at the door. The following day more organizers and over 100 members of the community protested with banners asking for accountability. Workers were asked to not come to the day shift and were not paid for the day. No further details have been given by Fiera Foods regarding the death of Mr. Miranda. They have only stated that “As a company, we are heartbroken and have been focused foremost on supporting the family and our employees through these first few difficult days. At the same time, we are fully co-operating with Ministry of Labour inspectors as they review the accident.”

A GoFundMe Campaign has been started to help cover the costs of the funeral of Mr. Miranda. You can donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/funeral-help-for-tay?fbclid=IwAR0RKDPR2tuP2ZKQsY3DJNo9EqpzoyAHFn__TV8suPb47_GIddDn6FY1JNs

Our buses are overcrowded and bus tickets are expensive

Waiting for the 36 Finch bus can make one ponder the meaning of life. It is never quick or an efficient use of time. Bus service is so unreliable, that if car insurance premiums were not so expensive in our area, most people would choose to drive instead of taking public transit. 

The majority of bus routes in Downsview are unreliable and overcrowded during the morning and afternoon rush. This reality leads to more cars on the road and more congestion. In case you have not heard about this update in local news, Toronto has the longest commute of any City in North America. [1]  

If taking public transit was more affordable, that would at least make the experience of longer than normal wait times more reasonable. However, Toronto is also known for having one of the most expensive bus fares in North America. An individual bus ticket in Toronto is one of the top five most expensive fares in general and our monthly transit pass is the most expensive option in the continent. [2]

Even though more commuters are added to our roads each year, it is not surprising that the growth of TTC riders has slowed down recently. Commuters will always choose another option if it's offered to them for a fair price. People downtown, for example, have taken to cycling in very large numbers. A bicycle is the fastest mode of transportation for short trips in the city's core. That being said, up here in Downsview cycling is not a realistic way to get to school or work year-round if you have far to go.

The way to get more cars off the road is not complicated, even if a series of successive governments have made it seem so. Building more reliable transit networks and making it affordable has worked everywhere an appropriate investment has been made.

That being said, here in Ontario successive Conservative and Liberal governments have reduced their share of transit funding, downloading the cost to rate payers and municipalities. Toronto gets the smallest share of higher level government funding out of every major city in Canada. That is the real reason why we take so long to build any new transit lines, nobody is paying for them. 

It took over 20 years to build the York University subway extension. By the time it's finished, it will take a similar amount of time to build the Finch LRT. The improvements are coming too slowly and without the adequate funding required to make them work properly. 

Municipalities do not pay the bill for public transit expansion on their own. In other cities, higher levels of government step in to pay for the big projects and subsidize the trips for commuters. That type of investment makes transit more accessible, creating an incentive for people to leave their cars at home. The less cars we have on the road, the better. Helping people get to work more efficiently improves their quality of life because they can reallocate those wait times towards other priorities, like spending time with family.

Accessible and affordable public transportation options eases gridlock and boosts the local economy. In Toronto, we have not had a higher level of government involvement for decades, and you can see the lack of investment every time you are out there waiting for the bus. 

[1] https://www.cp24.com/news/toronto-has-worst-commute-in-north-america-sixth-worst-in-world-study-1.3983200 

[2] https://www.blogto.com/city/2019/01/how-ttc-fare-compare-toronto-north-america/ 

Joy of sleepless nights

I love my child.  But honestly, what I would love more than anything right now is something even close to a good night’s sleep.

Far too often, my nightly state of bliss, those precious and magical few hours where I can close my eyes and maybe, if I’m lucky, fall asleep, abruptly come to an end when I hear something loud and whiny.

To no one’s surprise, it was my son, crying. Oh Joy! It was 2:30 a.m., and I think: “I have to deal with this now. Goodbye sleep, hello crying child.”

I rushed over to his room, and a mixture of exhaustion and panic set in. “Maybe something is wrong, maybe he is hurt,” I thought. I picked him up and started asking him what was wrong. Obviously, my one year-old son couldn’t answer me yet, but I tried anyways. 

When situations like this occur, my go-to solution is food - always food. I mean, if he is eating he can’t cry, right?! I was still completely exhausted, but I decided to take him into the kitchen and get him some food. 

In the meantime, my son’s cries have now woken up my husband and I worried that because we live in an apartment, he may have woken up the neighbours as well - so I move even faster to take him to the kitchen. 

My husband held him while I struggled to find something, anything, to feed him. Of course, my son wanted ME to hold him and as his crying got louder, I got more nervous. 

I frantically rummaged through my refrigerator and I found two simple items, a yogurt and a mini muffin and I quickly presented them to him as a gift from me to him. He looked at them, then me, then again at the food and finally decided on the mini muffin. 

“Thank goodness,” I said to my husband, and we both breathed a sigh of relief. 

As my son rested on my shoulder finishing his muffin, his satisfied expression let us know that he was in the comfortable in the presence of his mommy and daddy. Even in the midst of exhaustion and worrying that I didn’t have enough strength to carry him, my toddler wrapped his arms as tight around me as he could, tucked his head under my chin and peacefully rested it on my chest. 

Through these actions, he showed us that he knows we are always there to provide him comfort.

After that, we lay on the couch together, my son was on my chest, my husband was in the bedroom, already fast asleep, and soon enough, so were we. 

We did it! Or should I say, I did it! Another “I love you mommy and daddy” moment. 

These are the kinds of moments I think all parents need, just knowing that your kiddo loves and appreciates you makes it worth all of the (mostly) sleepless nights.  

I must say that, despite all of this, I truly feel blessed to have a little one and to hear the words “momma… and dada…” come out of his mouth.