Winter is here with its blustery cold winds that keep the furnace running at all hours, consuming energy. As prices for electricity and natural gas continue to rise, home owners and tenants are always on the lookout for opportunities to reduce their monthly bill. In collaboration with the Ontario government, local electricity and gas companies have partnered with non-profit company GreenSaver to help reduce energy consumption, in some cases by up to 30%! Best of all, the programs are free for qualifying households.There are two main programs: Home Winter Proofing, in collaboration with Enbridge, which focuses on improving the heat-retention of dwellings; and, Home Assistance, in collaboration with Toronto Hydro, which focuses on reducing electricity and water consumption. Both programs aim to assist low-income households, who qualify, based on the number of people living in the household and a corresponding income threshold. For example, a family of 4 people qualifies for the Home Assistance program if it has an annual income less than $43,500 and qualifies for the Home Winter Proofing program if it has annual income less than $61,000. Households that receive one or more allowances or benefits from the Ontario government, including disability, allowance for seniors, guaranteed income supplement, and several other support programs also qualify for both programs.Qualifying households will receive a scheduled visit from a home energy expert who will identify opportunities to upgrade the residence to reduce energy consumption. Upgrades may include insulation in walls, ceilings, and roofs; weather stripping and draft-proofing for doors and windows; programmable thermostats; new high-efficiency refrigerators, freezers, or dehumidifiers; low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators; and energy-saving light bulbs.There’s no catch! The upgrades identified by the assessment are all provided for free and warrantied against defects. The best part is that each upgrade contributes to reducing electricity or natural gas consumption, especially during the winter months when warm air escapes through small leaks and through walls and ceilings with poor insulation.To see if your household qualifies, visit www.greensaver.org/consumer/ or call 1-888-855-3106 to speak with a home energy saving expert and to apply for the programs. If you don’t qualify for the free programs, don’t worry, GreenSaver also offers cost-efficient energy conservation upgrades for your home on a non-profit basis. Visit www.greensavercontracting.ca to request a quote.Chances are that you’ll save money in the long run by investing in improving the efficiency of your home today. By working together to save energy, not only are we reducing our monthly utility bills but we’re also reducing our impact on the environment, a worthy goal that our whole community shares.
Tolls are Not the Way to Build a City
The City’s Mayor recently proposed to put up tolls on the Gardiner and the DVP in order to raise money for transit and roads. Many people support this idea as the environmentally responsible thing to do and just as many more think that out of town drivers need to pay their fair share too.This line of thinking, however, has many problems. For starters, this new levy is going to hurt working people that have no travel options the most. If you work downtown, but have no other mode of transportation and cannot afford to live downtown, this will be very unfair to you. Most people cannot afford to live in the core of the City any more. If that is where you work or study you are not driving there by choice. Nobody drives downtown without a reason during rush hour nowadays, the commute is awful. Let us not forget that the drive in the 401 is awful, because Hwy 407 costs money to use. If we force cars and the people that drive them off our highways for environmental reasons, but Lakeshore Blvd and Avenue Road become rush hour parking lots, will that reduce the carbon foot print of the City? Where is the study that shows that the effects seen in other places will work here? What options are being built for commuters and when will these be available for them?Many of us do not have an easy transit route downtown and a car isn’t an option for many, but is instead the only means of getting to the place where you make a living. Tolls may, in theory, provide some resolution for the transportation needs of suburban commuters, but do not solve their real life transportation problems for the next 10 plus years. The poorer you are as a regular commuter, the worse tolls will make your situation, because tolls are after all a flat tax that hits the working people relatively harder.Tolls are not used normally to pay for major infrastructure projects as it is being proposed in Toronto, but instead for operational maintenance. Tolls are normally used to repave roads and other operational costs and City’s alone do not build major infrastructure project in North America. The City is short of money, because the Province has structured it that way and it lacks the power to make a better choice, but it is still a poor choice. We must remember that the Gardiner and the DVP are Provincial highways, but the government is making the City maintain them. There is no natural disaster we are dealing with, but rather, we are dealing with the downloading that has been happening for decades now.Furthermore, to think that tolls would allow Toronto to build new subways lines, more LRT’s or more highways is not thinking outside the box. It’s defying reality. You would never be able to raise enough money from this type of taxation tool. Tolls will be bad for the health of the City in the long run because they accentuate poverty.Most of us do not like user fees instinctively. Not too long ago in the Advocate, Howard Moscoe wrote an article about hospital parking fees and we had a good response from our readers about that article (http://www.downsviewadvocate.ca/2016/01/enough-with-hospital-parking-fees/). There is no difference between parking fees in a hospital, the fee you pay nowadays for your passport renewal, fees to use libraries or public parks or any number of other fees that are new and that keep on adding to the cost of living for working people.The truth is, neither property taxes nor tolls will build a City. In order to build a City we need the Province and Canada to come to the table with plans and the funds to build and maintain our infrastructure. Hundreds of millions of dollars that were available to the City of Toronto and other cities yearly throughout Ontario in the past are no longer there. They came from Provincial coffers through income tax, a much more progressive taxation method. We must change the existing conditions of Toronto and other cities to truly fix our transit problems. The services we all share and use collectively, like roads, libraries and hospitals need to be funded properly, but tolls will not solve our current problems.
At-risk youth in Jane and Finch face an unhappy Christmas
What started in the 90s as an organization that tackled alcohol and drug abuse expanded to tackle other problems using a community-based approach. However, it soon became obvious that poverty was a major contributing factor to a major problem in the community.Officially, PEACH (Promoting Education and Community Health) developed an anti-poverty mandate and worked to promote community economic development. This was still not enough, as there were existing systemic barriers that promoted poverty in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood. Lack of access to mental and physical health resources were thus identified as symptoms and causes of poverty. In addition, youths who were suspended from school or dropped out were at high risk of engaging in crime, drug and alcohol abuse, and had very little opportunity for economic advancement.A more holistic approach to addressing poverty was needed and PEACH adapted in order to better serve its community. Community problems require a strong community to address them and PEACH implemented programs like Rhyme N Reason, a music studio to help youths and residents express themselves through music; the Digital Innovation Hub, the only place in the Jane and Finch area that offers free programs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math to youth; and the Moms Group, a group for mothers to network, share experiences, and attend programs for health and self-sustainability.To help at-risk youth, the School Away From School (SAS) program was created to help youth who either dropped out or were suspended a chance to earn the credits they needed to graduate. Youth are referred through the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board and receive help from PEACH’s teachers and child and youth workers to give them the life skills to aid them into transitioning back into the regular education system. They attend classes at PEACH and receive a healthy nutritious meal cooked at the on-site kitchen by the school’s chef. The classes are not just meant to earn them credits but also to educate them on things like how to manage a monthly budget or how to prepare healthy meals.The SAS program has been funded by sponsors such as the Rogers Youth Fund, the Youth Challenge Fund, and an assortment of family foundations through the Toronto Foundation. However, PEACH received word that funders like Rogers were withdrawing their money, leaving the organization with a significant funding shortfall.PEACH has $70 000 of monthly operating costs and if they are not able to meet it they will be forced to close SAS by December 23rd and other programs in the new year. PEACH staff have been furiously applying for funding and have even started a GoFundMe campaign to raise this money. If they are unsuccessful, at-risk youth in Jane and Finch face a very unhappy Christmas.For more information visit: http://peachyouth.org/
Victory for Tenants of Toronto
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