When Joseph’s car broke down a week before his paycheque he needed fast money to pay the $1000 repair bill. Without savings, available credit or a network of family and friends who could help him financially, he decided to go to a payday advance loan agency (think Money Mart, Cash Money, etc.).Like using a credit card, Joseph figured there would be little to no interest if he paid back the loan on time. When he went to pay back the $1000 loan two weeks later, he was charged $300 (30%) in interest.Based on his experience Joseph expressed concern for others, “It’s a vicious cycle. A person could easily end up needing a payday loan to pay back a payday loan. I would never go back.”Enter Rohan. Living with a disability and in his fifties, Rohan felt reborn when he fell in love and was happily planning a wedding. Without available funds to pay for even a small celebration, a friend suggested he get a payday advance loan.Rohan ended up borrowing from three different lenders to pay the minimum payment for his growing debt. After borrowing from friends and scraping by for two years, Rohan was able to pay back what he owed.Such experiences are common for many residents in our community where the number of payday advance lenders roughly equal the number of Tim Horton’s. In desperation, individuals and families often turn to them for help, only to make their financial situation far worse.Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) has taken a lead role in the fight against ‘predatory lenders’.ACORN’s spokesperson on this campaign, Donna Borden, has personally experienced the bottomless pit of high interest debt when she took out a $10,000 installment loan. Five years later, Donna had paid back $15,000 and still had to pay $8,000 to clear the debt.“The loan never gets paid off because there are additional charges and then at the end you are still paying the cost of the initial loan.” said Donna. ”The terms were changed several times without my consent.”The provincial government is currently reviewing legislation around payday advance and other forms of high interest lending, but organizations like ACORN want to ensure that any changes will prioritize the needs of the public rather than the lenders.ACORN (www.acorncanada.org) demands include reducing the criminal rate of interest, instituting a minimal distance between such lenders, an enforceable complaint process for consumers, public banking (through Canada Post) as an alternative (visit www.cupw.ca), and the creation of an independent loan database to prevent different payday lenders to loan to the same borrower (called concurrent loans).Quickcheck Canada, a company that provides software to payday lenders agrees with ACORN on the need for an independent loan database.“If we do not adequately address the issue (of concurrent payday loans) we will have a lot of desperate people taking out multiple payday loans on the strength of a single paycheque.” says Roy Toker, Executive Vice President of Quickcheck Canada.Presently, concurrent payday loans are illegal however, lenders ask desperate borrowers to simply sign a waiver stating they have no other payday loans. Roy says that this loophole could be closed by requiring payday lenders to register each payday loan with the proposed database. Lenders would then see if a borrower had an outstanding payday loan and therefore have no excuse to lend.In March 2016, City of Toronto Council voted to ask the province for better regulation of predatory lenders. Local Councillors Maria Augimeri and Anthony Perruzza were in favour of better legislation.Both Donna and Joseph hope the government will act quickly in strengthening laws to protect individuals from predatory lending while Rohan’s focus is elsewhere. “As long as struggling families have to pay more than half of their salary on rent and other basic needs, people will always be in a desperate situation.” he concluded.
The Repair Cafe is coming to Downsview
What is a Repair Cafe? A Repair Cafe is an event where people with experience in repairing things, or ‘fixers’, help people repair their broken items, for free. They gain this experience either as a hobby or from their work (e.g. as a bike mechanic).Repair Cafe fixers work on anything that needs repairs, such as books whose bindings have fallen apart, socks with holes, non-working toasters, laptops that won’t start, cracked vases, and other formerly working items.Started in Amsterdam in 2009, the Repair Cafe movement quickly spread all over the Netherlands and to more than 20 countries. The Repair Cafe Toronto was founded by a small group of volunteer fixers and have helped thousands of people with their broken items. Their goal is not to fix things for people but to teach them how to fix things for themselves.In our existing culture, we are encouraged to throw away our broken things, even things which require only minor repairs. In fact, many things are designed to break down easily and are even designed to be difficult for regular people to repair. Apple, for example, has designed their brand of popular phones such that they can only be opened with specially made tools which no one who isn’t an Apple technician would have. Many people with a damaged Apple phone are often told that the repairs would cost almost as much as a new phone so why don’t they just get a newer model? Or perhaps a $10 skirt from H&M develops a small hole – easily repaired by someone with the knowledge and tools, but since it’s so cheap anyway the owner decides to throw it away and just buy a new one.Corporations have encouraged the growth of this throwaway culture because it leads to greater profits for them. Many people have either forgotten that they can repair things themselves or they have forgotten how. Many older people still have the knowledge to fix things, knowledge that younger generations have lost. The Repair Cafe movement is trying to change that. Fixers take peoples’ broken items and try to fix them. However, the point is not just to fix things for people but to teach them how to fix it themselves. Fixers will take people through the repairs that they are doing so that the owners can learn how to do it. Not every item can be fixed but many can still be diverted from the landfill.The Repair Cafe Toronto is in a different neighbourhood each month; on June 18th, it will be at the Driftwood Community Centre (4401 Jane St) from 12 to 4 pm. People are encouraged to come early as it can become busy. There will be free, donated refreshments available so attendees can wait, chat with their neighbours and fixers, and find out how fun it is to repair things.
Introducing the Toronto Tool Library to Downsview
Have you ever wanted to build a cabinet from scratch? How about doing some minor repairs around the house? Some of us have had thoughts like this but quickly dismissed them as idle fantasy when we realized how much the tools would cost. Or worse, we actually bought the tools, used them once, and then put them in the garage with all the other things we’ve only ever used once or twice.Perhaps if we’re lucky a neighbour will ask to borrow our tools when they have a project themselves. However, the tool is still sitting unused in our garage for the majority of its existence. This is an extremely wasteful way to live but the Toronto Tool Library (TTL) can change all that.A tool library is a library that lends out tools instead of books. Since opening in Parkdale in 2013, the Toronto Tool Library has lent out over 25 000 tools to it’s over 2 300 members. It soon opened a second location in the Danforth, which includes a wood shop, 3D printer, laser cutter, and a weekly community night, where non-members can use any of the on-site tools for free (including the 3D printer and laser cutter). Last April, the Tool Library opened its first location in a branch of the Toronto Public Library, at the Downsview Library (2793 Keele St). For the first time ever, a Torontonian could now borrow books and tools under the same roof (and also pick up some free seeds courtesy of the Toronto Seed Library).“Tool Libraries not only save money from the high cost of buying or renting tools, they also reduce clutter in the home and reduce environmental impact by using fewer resources” said Ryan Dyment, Executive Director of the TTLFor $50 a year, one can purchase a basic membership and borrow any of the over 1200 tools, in the Downsview Library branch, for one week. These include hand tools like screwdrivers and hammers, power tools such as band saws and angle grinders, and gardening tools like branch cutters and lawn mowers, with additional borrowing fees for some power tools (the $100/year membership removes these fees and also allows access to the other locations).There are no limits on the number of tools a member is allowed to borrow at any given time but members are asked to take no more tools than they actually need, with reasonable late fees of $1/day for hand tools and $2/day for power tools. The Tool Library is open three days a week: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 8 pm, and on Saturdays from 10 am to 3 pm. However, as membership numbers increase they hope to be open for an additional day, ensuring that the local community has access to the library for the majority of the week.Perhaps now you can get started on that home project you’ve always had an interest in, and now you don’t have to worry about exorbitant purchasing fees or being stuck with a tool you’ll never need again. As the Toronto Tool Library says, “Nobody actually needs a power drill – what they need is a hole in the wall”.
Apartment Fire in Downsview: a local family’s story
Nadia and her two young children were victims of a fire that erupted on her balcony caused by a cigarette cast from a tenant above.The fire did not enter the apartment but all contents within the unit were coated with a carcinogenic black soot. What made matters worse was that she had never purchased tenant insurance.Toronto Fire later invited the family to a local Fire Hall and provided them a cheque of one thousand dollars and various household items, clothing and toys to help them in the rebuilding process.Damien Walsh, Vice-President of the Toronto Firefighters Association was on hand and spoke of this program which helps families in need, “When we think there’s going to be a need or there’s kids involved, it’s especially tough for our guys. The fire’s out and they’re rolling up the hoses and getting ready to drive away and there’s a family standing there looking at their home and they can’t get back in. That’s why many years ago we started helping out families where we can. It’s just part of what fire fighters have always done, we’re part of the community and our help in community doesn’t stop when the fire’s out.”Nadia contrasted the compassion of Toronto Fire and other first responders, with the way her landlord handled the situation. Without a place to stay, the only accommodation her landlord offered was a different unit at a higher rent, but when she said she could not afford it, her family was immediately served a letter terminating the lease.By signing the letter, her family would receive their last month's rent deposit (paid when they first moved in), and it would also free them of their obligation to pay the March rent. The letter would also relieve both landlord and tenant of further liability to one another.The family hesitated to sign the document, but as the days quickly passed and they required a deposit to secure a new rental unit, they eventually signed.Later insight from a lawyer at a local legal aid clinic revealed that the landlord did no favour to their tenant in this case.As part of the lease, a landlord is required to provide their tenant a habitable unit. The landlord should have offered alternate accommodation (such as a hotel) while the family was still under lease. In Nadia's case, Red Cross helped pay the costs for their temporary lodging.Since the tenants were not responsible for the fire, they were within their rights to seek compensation for their lost belongings at the Landlord and Tenant Board. This door was closed when they signed the letter.Despite the fire, Nadia remained positive, "It's good to know that there were people and organizations out there to help when we were in need." She also urged tenants in the community to consider insuring their belongings as she never imagined she’d be a victim of an accident like this.If you need information on your rights as a tenant and the responsibilities of your landlord call the Tenant Hotline at: 416-921-9494.For free legal aid (available to those in financial need) visit Jane Finch Community Legal Services located at 1315 Finch Avenue West or call 416-398-0677.
Reality Bites when it comes to food waste
Food waste is a big topic and the price check on its severity goes against the moral grain.Annual losses of food produced for human consumption are valued at $1 trillion worldwide, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). In Canada, the bill is worth an estimated $31 billion of edible food each year that finds its way to landfill or composting.Food is wasted along various points of the food supply chain. The largest contributor to food waste is the consumer. More than 50 percent or $28 worth of food waste each week can be traced back at the household level. The main hot spots for food waste occurs with vegetables and fruit (fresh and processed), followed by meat and seafood. Reducing food waste at all stages of the food supply chain makes for more efficient, cost-effective companies and consumers paying less for food.Food loss and waste has many negative environmental consequences. These include greenhouse gas emissions and the unnecessary use of scarce natural resources that go into producing that food — water, land, seeds, fertilizer, energy.Both the public and private sectors have been working to decrease food waste. The City of Toronto is developing a Long Term Waste Management Strategy for food waste reduction and diversion. On March 1, 2016, a draft of the Strategy was adopted by the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee.Local charities, such as Second Harvest, are also feeding a need with its Food Rescue and Delivery Program. Lori Nikkel, Director of Programs and Partnerships, states that in this fiscal year, “ten million pounds of fresh, surplus food will be rescued from 200 regular food donors.” That food is then delivered to 220 community agencies that serve the city’s most vulnerable populations. Lori shared what sets the organization apart, “we deal primarily with perishable food – vegetables, fruit, dairy products, bread and meat and divert it from needless waste.” Perishables account for 89 percent of food that is rescued, of which 37 percent is produce. Innovations are underway, however, Second Harvest in unable to scale up their food rescue and redistribution efforts due to infrastructure and logistical constraints.You can support Second Harvest today. Every $1 donated provides food for 2 meals.There are a number of ways consumers can cut their food waste:
- Inventory control. Plan meals and make grocery lists to reduce impulse buying.
- Store better. Keep vegetables and fruit in separate bins. They spoil one another.
- The mother of invention. Use random produce and re-purpose leftovers to make stir-fries, soups, stews, fried rice and pasta.
- The dating game. ‘Best before’ labels can be confusing. Milk and yogurt can last a week to 10 days longer than their expiry date. Although if it smells sour, toss it.
Food waste affects everyone and we can all help to reduce waste before it happens by being conscious of our actions.
Excess Packaging: what a waste!
The City of Toronto has to deal with mountains of garbage that is generated each day. On a whole they handle this task primarily through our recycling system but recycling is very costly. The real answer, of course, is not to generate the waste in the first place.I bought a cordless telephone set and when I opened the package I discovered that the set itself occupied about half of the box. The rest of the package was bolstered by folded cardboard. The big glossy package was a marketing tool designed to give the illusion that you were getting something more for your money.The Province of Ontario tried to deal with the disposal of electronic waste, and they failed miserably. Electronic waste is piling up more rapidly as technology evolves. The question is, who should pay to dispose of obsolete electronics? The obvious answer is the manufacturers who generate the waste in the first place. But that’s not the reality.The government let manufacturers seize control of the process by setting up Waste Diversion Ontario -an industry funded and controlled body. The result was that in July of 2010 we were hit with the ECO fee (disposal fee) that was to be used to cover the cost of recycling obsolete electronics. The ECO fee was a hidden charge that ranged from seven cents for a cell phone to $40 for a large TV. It didn’t appear on the price tag but you got walloped with it at the cash register after you paid the HST. The manufactures had successfully transferred the costs from themselves to you, the consumer.Public anger was so intense that the Ontario government pulled back the ECO fee. They immediately solved their problem by downloading the costs of disposing of electronic waste onto the backs of municipalities. You still pay the fee but now it’s hidden. Now you pay through your property taxes.Setting packaging standards is the responsibility of the federal government. Given the influence that manufacturers wield, efforts to regulate packaging at the federal level are doomed to fail.Toronto is the largest consumer market in the country. I proposed that the city enact a bylaw that required every retail outlet over 3,000 square feet to establish a well signed, well equipped packaging removal area where customers can remove and leave the packaging. If most customers were encouraged to remove and leave the excess packaging at the store, the retailers would turn to the manufacturers and say: Unless you reduce your packaging we are not going to carry your product.Would it work? When the city had a 5 cent charge on plastic shopping bags their use was reduced by a whopping 88%.You can do your bit too. Don’t take your groceries home in the store’s cardboard boxes and when you make a purchase remove the packaging and leave it at the store. They might begin to understand that society doesn’t have to generate a mountain of waste.
Hydro One: it’s not too late
Public meetings about Kathleen Wynne’s plan to sell-off Hydro One have been happening for almost a year now, yet they continue to fill up to capacity. These packed rooms are evidence of the overwhelming opposition to the Liberals’ plan to privatize this public asset.The room overflowed at a Jane Street Hub meeting in early March. Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath and MPP Jagmeet Singh listened and took note of the community’s concerns.One resident voiced her frustration with the already high cost of hydro, and her worry that it would go up even more if the Liberal plan moves forward. She explained that she only cooks on Sunday to take advantage of off-peak pricing, but her hydro bill is still too high.The truth about the many downfalls of selling Hydro One has been talked about for months now.Privatizing Hydro One will increase rates. Research on public vs. privately owned utilities has shown that customers of public firms pay lower prices for services (source: keephydropublic.ca). The less public ownership we have, the less control we’ll have and the less we’ll be able to turn to the Ontario Energy Board to stop rate increases.The loss of ownership also means the loss of revenue. Averaging $913 million in revenue per year since 2000, Hydro One is a reliable revenue source that we can’t afford to lose.Over 80 per cent of Ontario voters oppose the sale of Hydro One and as of December 2015, 194 of Ontario’s municipalities took an official stance against the sale. It’s clear that the movement to stop the sale continues to grow.Many people believe that it’s too late; that the deal has already been made. But this isn’t true. When asked what to say to those who think it’s too late, Horwath replied “It’s never too late, never give up.”“People want to do something about it. We’re giving people a voice,” Horwath said.The Liberals haven’t provided a timeline for their plan to sell. There’s still time to contact your MPP and have your voice heard.For more information and to sign a petition against the sale of Hydro One, visit:www.youpaytheprice.cawww.keephydropublic.ca
Tax Filling Help Awaits at Mathan Tax Services
The deadline to submit your 2015 taxes is approaching. Before you know it it will be April 30th and that means it’s time to track down all of those old bus passes, T4’s, T5’s and to scour through receipts to figure out what’s deductible and how much.
Are you planning on filing online? Have you bought the latest software? Or should you go old school and fill out the paper forms? If you’re anything like me, it all sounds more than just a little overwhelming. This year we have the solution to alleviate some of your tax season stress, by sending you over to Mathan Tax Services.
Mathan Tax Services is a family run business that has been in the Downsview community for over a quarter of a century -26 years to be exact. This is the perfect place to go for any Canadian resident in the Downsview area who needs help, or a consultation, with filing their personal or business taxes.
We asked the owner, Mathan Thava, why he decided to open up a tax services business in Downsview. He responded, “my experience in accounting and in-depth understanding of Canadian Tax Law led me to further educate myself in the intricacies of the Canadian Tax system. I decided to use my knowledge to serve the neighbourhood that I was raised in.”
Thava and his family are active members and business owners in the community. Mathan Tax Services is a professional business full of people who truly care about helping you meet your tax needs and are dedicated to ensuring you get the best return possible this year. This dedication and unique understanding of the area, great rates and reliable services, have helped Mathan Tax Services to continue to grow, year after year, as more and more happy clients keep returning and referring their friends.
So you could go through the time, effort, confusion and expense of trying to do your taxes yourself. Or you could go to one of the big chains who seem like they just use the same computer program as the rest of us. But we suggest you go to the experts, the people who know what they’re doing, have a sound knowledge of the Canadian Tax system, and who understand your needs and lifestyle because they are your neighbours.
This year, save yourself the headache that so often accompanies tax season.
Check out Mathan Tax Services located at 1290 Finch Avenue West, Unit #23, get more information at www.mathantaxservices.com or contact them directly at 416-665-4756.
Happy filing!
Everything is Free at the North York Really Really Free Market
If you happened to be hanging around the Driftwood Community Center on January 31st, you likely would have stumbled across what appeared to be an indoor Garage Sale.
What was actually going on, was the second North York Really Really Free Market. Downsview residents joined together at the community center with things that they didn’t need any more and left with a few things that they did.In hosting or attending a Really Really Free Market, or RRFM for short, the Downsview community was became a part of what is now a global movement. The RRFM movement began with markets being hosted in both Miami, Florida and North Carolina in 2003. Since then different markets have been hosted in places like Washington, Minneapolis, Russia, England, New Zealand and Toronto just to name a few.
The whole idea of the Really Really Free Market is based on the idea of a gift economy, in other words, you don’t need to give to get anything. You show up with items that are no longer needed in the hopes that someone else does. Or you can show up, look around and see if there is anything you need. It is also common that people show up to offer services or skills provided for free. These can be things like sewing skills, bands show up to play music, people giving out free massages or jokes.
The point of the markets is to encourage an anti-capitalist market system. Of course this sentiment is not surprising given that part of the original organizers of the movement were anarchist groups. You don’t have to be an anarchist, though, to be a fan of getting a bunch of free stuff and decluttering your own space!
The last North York RRFM happened in November and hopefully there will be another springing up in a month or so as the weather heats up. This is something to watch out for because the more people who show up to participate in an event like this, the more there is to offer and enjoy. As a sort of anti-establishment movement, it really does rely on the participation of others to make it as great as possible. So be sure to keep an eye out for the next one, it will be posted on our events page as soon as we hear any news of it at: www.downsviewadvocate.ca/events
Want to save some money and help the environment too?
You can do it by trading in your garbage container.
The entire system is designed to encourage you to pay less. After the great garbage debate of the 1980s, when our landfill site in Vaughn was filled up, Toronto Council searched long and hard for a place to put this city’s garbage. At one point we were shipping it to Michigan. When the city finally acquired its present site near London, Ontario, Toronto council realized that unless we could reduce the trash going to landfills we would very soon be looking for another dump and that was becoming increasingly harder and more expensive to do.That’s when we switched the present user pay system.
Now the less garbage you generate the less money you pay on your utility bill. To make it easier the city has been slowly adding more and more materials to the re-cycling stream. The recycling (blue bin) is free; wet waste (green bin) is free; you only pay for trash (grey bin). The difference between an extra-large grey bin and the smallest bin is $332.97. Just trading down from a large bin to a medium one will save you $158.66.
How do you do it? Easy. Call 311; give them your name and address and within two weeks the city will deliver the new bin to your home, remove the old one and reduce your utility bill. Just one warning; trading to a smaller bin is free but if you try to trade back up to a larger bin not only do you pay the higher utility bill but you pay a trade up fee of $21.22.
Happy Recycling!