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.
Innovative Fish-run Organic Farming Project on Hold at Downsview Park
An organic and zero waste farming project, driven by 500 lbs of Tilapia fish, is currently on hold at the corner of Keele St. and Sheppard Ave.
Waiting on a long-term lease from Downsview Park, Fresh City Farms seeks to resume the largest scale cultivation of local food in the GTA - using fish excrement.
In a partnership with WaterFarmers Aquaponics, the Aquaponics system, at Fresh City is a closed water system that recirculates water between a fish tank and a floating vegetable bed. Nutrients from fish waste are feed to the plants and the plants in turn filter the water for the fish.
Issues with current agricultural practises like scarcity of freshwater, decline in soil fertility, and extreme weather aren’t an issue with this innovation and it is also beneficial for community building, job creation and food education.
Who wouldn’t be interested to learn about a clean, no waste way to grow food near or at home. Not to mention using fish that you can eat if you wish. Quite the conversation starter.
Saving up to 90% of water compared to traditional agriculture, aquaponics only needs a 10% volume top up to the total water volume each week according to Arvind Venkat, the Chief Scientist, Founder and CEO of WaterFarmers. Not only that, but it is close to one of the “purest food production technologies in the world”, as stated on their website.
“Vegetables grow up to 50% faster than soil farming” says Arvind.
Using the digestive system of cold blooded animal to its advantage, the excrement produces a broad spectrum of nutrients compared to cow or horse manure. Unlike commercial farming which causes erosion and soil depletion, no additives, pesticides or fertilizers are needed within this closed loop system which uses 100% of what goes into it.
The WaterFarmers have projects in over 10 different countries including Hong Kong, Turkey, Costa Rica and Indonesia. Aquaponics is said to be particularly useful for islands surrounded by salt water or areas with harsh climates experiencing extreme weather or drought.
Changes in soil temperature that would normally affect growing conditions are controlled in greenhouses.
That also means basil and cherry tomatoes are available in December - a surprise to those used to just having the choice of local Ontario root vegetables in the winter months.
The WaterFarmers seek to empower sustainable communities ranging from commercial and academic partnerships, down to helping you in your own home.
Visit www.waterfarmers.ca to learn more!
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
April 2016 Edition of The Downsview Advocate
Read the full versions of the April 2016 Edition below:
Bathurst Manor Edition:
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!
The problem with a free ride
I am not a fan of Uber. In fact, the more I come to understand the concept of what Uber is, the more I dislike Uber, but let me explain why.
I was at the corner of Bathurst and Sheppard not too long ago. I went there to meet a friend for a coffee. And as I pulled into the coffee shop, there was this tent set up with this little table. And the roof of the tent said Uber. The tent had some four or five young people, and there was this young woman, very bubbly. She was recruiting people for Uber.
But I sat there for a few minutes, and imagine this: they were offering you a job and free gas! So I thought to myself “wow, how does it get better than that? Here they are on street corners offering you a job! And free gas as well!”
Well, it then dawned on me that Uber is no more than an app based recruitment agency! That is really their function. That is at the core of who they are.
You know what the lifespan of an Uber? Three months. And the wage? $11.00 per hour (Source: http://citypaper.net/uberdriver/) . That’s not a job. As a worker, you are better off delivering pizzas or working at Wal-Mart. More job security and better pay.
You know who the real winner in all of this is? It’s not even the consumer. Uber only cares about the bottom line. Cases like a man who got charged over $1000 for a 40 minute ride are not the exception (Source: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/uber-customers-taking-legal-action-for-expensive-new-year-s-eve-rides-1.2729078). The winner is Uber. It’s the recruitment agency. They want to monopolize the industry so that they can charge whatever they want. When they can they try to gauge employees and consumers. If the competition was gone, your Uber ride would go through the roof.
For the workers, the drivers, they already had a tough time. There’s shift drivers, there’s agents, there’s brokers, there’s license-plate owners and people who own cars, it was never a playing field. The drivers were overworked and not well paid in general. Uber is no better and no different than any temp agency, but they are not even at the bad boss level. A bad boss may want to fire you without reason. Uber claims they have no employees driving cars. That they are just an app. What drivers get from this deal is little money, no future, and a little free gas. They end up paying for the vehicle, the insurance and yes, they pay for the gas too.
The truth behind Line 9 in Downsview
Line 9 is part of the controversial Energy East Pipeline and runs from Sarnia to Montreal.
Entering Downsview from a point near Eglinton and Hwy 427, Line 9 runs north-east to north of Hwy 400 and Finch Ave. Then it runs east through metro.
Line 9 is a quarter inch thick steel pipe over 40 years old, originally built for natural gas. It carries a toxic carcinogenic, corrosive and explosive mix of crude oil, imported diluents and benzene. The newly revised "Line Rules and Regulations Tariff" passed and will also allow transportation of a substance known as "dilbit." Unprocessed, bitumen is a solid and cannot flow in pipelines, bitumen will be mixed with another fossil fuel product called "diluent" -which is imported into Canada. This mix is what makes dilbit and is toxic to the human central nervous system.
In 2015, while government representatives at the critical Paris Climate Conference were all declaring their support for ending fossil fuel usage to save our planet, Canada through Energy East's Line 9 began adding 32 million tons of CO2 per year to the atmosphere.
Enbridge cite studies tells us Line 9 is safe from corrosive elements. Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, found that between 2007 and 2010 pipelines carrying dilbit had a spill-rate three times higher than pipelines carrying conventional crude.
Oil sand products have a higher sulfur and a higher acidic content than conventional crude oil and those properties could explain its increased corrosive nature. According to CTV's W5, there have been at least 35 spills associated with the pipeline. Some of these haven’t even been reported to the communities they affect and parts of Line 9 have been exempted from the hydrostatic testing required in other sections.
What would a spill near Lake Ontario mean for the water supply of millions of people? What are the risks for York University students and Downsview residents living right on top of the pipe?
"Social licence is more important than ever. Government may be able to issue permits. But only communities can grant permission,” said Justin Trudeau on pipelines and energy projects. That's strange…I do not recall anyone asking us for pipeline permission.
As part of Toronto's 2014 submission to the National Energy Board, an excerpt from the Supreme Court of Canada stated that "municipalities are trustees of the environment", and that as the level of government "being closest to the people, should be empowered to exceed, not lower, the national norms". This was part of a precedent-setting 2001 decision in favour of municipalities’ taking control of their cities.
Torontonians are being forced to risk their safety in order to support out of province jobs in a fading planet killing fossil fuel era. As Stanford's professor Mark Z. Jacobson tells us: renewable energy can completely replace fossil fuels and their CO2. Only the politics of entrenched interests is in the way.Canada could commit to becoming a leader in clean energy and be a part of a Green Marshall Plan currently being advocated for the planet.
There is no amount of regulation, legislation or consultation that will 100% guarantee a pipeline disaster just won't happen.
Call your Mayor, your city council member and your MP. Stop Line 9!
Nutritional alternatives for low-income households
Low-income families in the Downsview community have been overwhelmed with the rising costs of fresh fruits and vegetables, and the prices are only expected to get increase.
According to the University of Guelph’s Food Institute, the average Canadian family spent an additional $325, per month, on food in 2015. The prices of food are expected to rise another four per cent, which means families will likely spend an extra $345 on their groceries in 2016.
Since the majority of fresh fruits and vegetables in Canada are imported, the prices are vulnerable to Canada’s devaluing dollar. But there is a solution for low-income households insists Dr. Carol Greenwood, Senior Scientist at Baycrest Health Sciences and Professor of Natural Sciences at the University of Toronto.“People need to feel more comfortable consuming frozen and canned fruits and vegetables because they are actually healthy. They may not have the same taste or texture, but we should move over to these alternatives in the midst of the rising food prices.”
Dr. Greenwood explains that fresh and frozen produce are very close in the amount of nutrients they contain as they both experience loss through processing. Our frozen fruits and vegetables are picked when they are peaked and optimal then frozen and processed right away. Our fresh fruits and vegetables are picked under ripe to be transported and distributed amongst Canadian grocery stores. Both methods experience a loss of nutrients.
When picking out canned food, Dr. Greenwood states, “Do not buy canned fruits with added sugar or canned vegetables with added salt. Make sure you read the labels and go for sugar and sodium free.”She also suggests that we “go back to our roots” when Canadians did not have as many food options in the winter months they consumed storage crops like cabbage, carrots, brussel sprouts and potatoes –which are all reasonably priced year-round.
“We [seniors] need to go back to our youth and use the recipes our moms used to feed us,” she said.Low-income earners, specifically seniors, should not skimp away from consuming all the necessary proteins and nutrients that they need to continue living a healthy life. Dr. Greenwood advocates moving away from expensive meats and poultries and instead getting protein from eggs, beans and lentils –all high-quality items that are inexpensive.“Since this year is the [United Nations] Year of the Pulses [a movement to consume legumes as a primary source of protein] we should really consider incorporating more beans and lentils in our meals instead of meat,” suggested Greenwood.
To keep a budget and still have nutritional meals, Dr. Greenwood emphasizes that families shop the sales, eat foods that are in season, eat locally grown food and reduce our food waste [Canadians throw out more than $1,000 worth of food that goes bad or stale, per year.]
Although the cost of food and living has risen substantially there are many budget-friendly alternatives, like frozen and canned foods, that will keep families and seniors healthy and thriving.
Big Telecoms raising your internet price
Your internet bill is going up soon -if your service is with Bell or Rogers. The two companies announced earlier this month that the price of their services are going up across the board. I got my letter just last week.As consumers, we do not have much of a choice as far as internet services are concerned. In Canada and particularly in Ontario, the variety of services are not great. Bell and Rogers own most of the network infrastructure. Almost all the other service providers “rent” their wires to provide the service into your home. They can offer some savings but depend on the big companies for servicing and repairs. The experience of calling Acanac or another one of the little internet providers with a technical service request when your internet is down is, as one could imagine, not always pleasant. You can almost imagine some Rogers’ tech guy dragging his feet in order to avoid having to fix the issue of the start-up competitors.Bell has now started a legal process to stop even this small measure of competition from happening. The CRTC, the government body that regulates the Big Telecoms, ruled earlier that Bell, Rogers and Telus have to provide their networks at wholesale prices to smaller companies. They are legally required to do so. Bell is arguing that this is causing them to stop investing in their network and that that in turn would lead to job losses.You have not heard much about this on the news yet and maybe you will, because this will hit all of us in the pocket books. But it is hard not to be cynical about the small amount of coverage on the news on this type of issue when Bell and Rogers in particular have so much influence over the media that is available to the public (Bell for example owns CP24, CTV, The Globe and Mail and others). It is even harder to believe that the Big Telecoms are arguing that the subpar network that they are making available to us in Toronto under near monopoly conditions needs to be protected from competition in order for us to see improvements.City Councillor Mike Layton is moving a motion at the City of Toronto to get the City to take the side of consumers on this. You can see his motion here:http://mikelayton.to/competitive-and-affordable-internet-prices-for-torontoThe City of Calgary already did so earlier last month. They had a 30 page report challenging Bell on the grounds that more competition is needed to improve the service.The Big Telecoms have not invested in the network in our area. Canada has a very unreliable system, by world standards, and high internet speed is not found in all neighbourhood, least of all Downsview. We need competition to keep the big companies honest.