Residents of University Heights and Bathurst Manor are intimately familiar with the 36 Finch West bus and have taken notice of the recent changes made to the route. On weekdays between 6am and 10pm, the 36A carries eastbound passengers to Finch West station where they must transfer to another 36 bus to continue towards Finch Station. Likewise, those travelling west from Finch Station on the 36 must transfer to the 36A at Finch West Station.The odd quirk has drawn frustration from residents who view the transfer as an awkward and unnecessary part of their daily commute. Residents, like Britney, who travel eastward towards Finch Station for work in University Heights do not understand why the change was made.Britney explained, “Finch West is a busy area with lots of offices and industry. I think the change doesn’t reflect how people actually use the [Finch West] bus” pointing out that many of her co-workers travel to work from areas served by the 36A which no longer continues towards Finch Station. Her coworkers must transfer at Finch West Station adding additional time and stress to their commutes.After contacting the TTC’s customer service line, the split of the Finch West route was attributed to its high passenger traffic. In 2017, the 36 Finch West was the TTC’s third busiest bus route and its fifth busiest surface route overall averaging 43 100 weekday trips. As explained, the split is the TTC’s effort to optimize traffic flow by increasing the service frequency of buses along certain parts of the route.However, this has still left residents wondering why it has only been the 36 and not the TTC’s busier surface routes that has undergone such a change. The two bus routes that have greater usage, the 32 Eglinton West and 52 Lawrence West, offer commuters routes without a midway transfer during the same weekday hours while travelling equivalent or greater distances. Resident Troy Budhu speculated, “you can’t help but think this wouldn’t happen outside of Finch West and the Jane-Finch community
York Woods Library gets a modern makeover!
York Woods Library is located on Finch between Jane and Sentinel, and it backs onto a beautiful ravine. The library first opened in 1970 and has served as a community hub for decades. But York Woods is due for an upgrade! The inaccessible second floor, the inconvenient layout, and the lack of dedicated spaces has left the library behind the times. In mid-January, York Woods held a public consultation where they unveiled the most up-to-date plans for the new library. Once complete, York Woods will be a bigger and more accessible community hub. It will have multifunctional as well as dedicated spaces so the library can be a place of learning, collaboration, and innovation. Children and teenagers who come to library will have access to different spaces - there will be a kids-stop to give a space to play, learn, and develop fine motor skills, a youth hub that will have after school activities and access to nutritious snacks, homework help, tech and programming lessons, and space to provide teenagers from the community a space to hang out.There will also be a digital innovation lab - a place where those who are interested can have access to the latest technology like green-screens, video equipment, 3-D printing, cutting-edge software, and more! The building is outdated. Its architecture is from the 1970s and layout no longer effectively services the neighbourhood’s growing needs and the modernization of world.The project developers and architects of the York Woods Library aim to build the space to be responsive to; What’s best for the community? What’s coming up next for tech? What kind of spaces does (and will) the Jane-Finch Community and the rest of Downsview need, especially as our spaces are getting smaller?These are exciting times for the community - the consultation was attended by many enthusiastic community members. York Woods Library will be closed once construction starts and many residents were upset to hear that they would be losing their space - but do not fret! A pop-up space will be opening to fill in the gap in the interim.
Editorial: TEDxDownsviewWomen
On November 29th, our neighbourhood will host its own TEDx entitled, TEDxDownsviewWomen Conference “Showing Up.” It will showcase women who are change makers, creators, performers, and inspirational women from different walks of life right here in Toronto. 2018 has been informally deemed as the “Year of the Woman.” It is a year where the #MeToo movement has exposed the sexual violence and harassment in industries like Hollywood but also here in Canadian politics. It is a year where the dangerous and toxic “incel” culture (a culture that is deeply misogynistic) has been cited as an inspiration for the attacker in the Toronto Van Attack in North York that killed ten people including eight women. 2018 is also the year where a record number of women, nearly 40%, were elected into Queen’s Park as MPPs. Women have been spearheading change and on November 29th they will have the opportunity to present and explore the ways in which they have influenced change in their personal circles, fields, and local communities. Speakers and performers include women from diverse backgrounds like planetary science, gender and equity disciplines, medicine, entertainment, and business. This is the first TEDxDownsviewWomen event and the diversity of the participants reflects not only the different women who are enacting change but also reflects the strides that women right here in country and city are making.To learn more, check out the event at https://tedxdownsviewwomen.com.
Councillor Pasternak joined by Mayor Tory at his Annual Ward 10 Town Hall
On January 25th, I hosted my annual Ward 10 Town Hall at Antibes Community Centre. For the 4th year in a row, I was joined by Mayor John Tory to listen to residents' suggestions and ideas and to respond to their concerns.For over two hours, Mayor Tory and I answered dozens of questions from attendees on a variety of important topics including community safety, traffic congestion, transit, local developments and affordable housing. We also heard many suggestions for improving our local neighbourhoods.We also heard from the members of the Ward 10 Emergency Roundtable group that was formed after the ice storm of 2013. This remarkable group meets regularly to develop local plans of action in the events of serious emergencies, extreme weather or industrial accidents in our neighbourhood.One of the reasons my office strives to host so many town halls and community consultations is that, since being elected to City Council in 2010 for the first time, I have been determined to ensure that City Hall and Toronto's municipal government do a better job of listening to residents.In addition to my Annual Town Hall, we recently hosted community consultations for upcoming park improvements in Irving Chapley Park, Garthdale Park and Champlain Parkette that will be built in 2018. These meetings allow residents to directly impact the type of investments the City of Toronto is making in their neighbourhood parks.My office has also hosted neighbourhood town halls on community safety, transit, affordable housing and the Toronto Seniors Strategy.Using the feedback and ideas we receive at these meetings, I will continue to push for more smart investments in Ward 10, to protect the value in our homes and to enhance our parks and playgrounds. Our neighbourhoods deserve nothing less.Keep up with our progress and check back for regular updates at www.JamesPasternak.ca.
Community Spotlight: Against All Odds (part 1)
Samuel Boakye was on a downward trajectory in his middle and early high school years. Today, he attends the University of Toronto and runs a non-profit program that exposes marginalized youth to experiences in the field of construction.Samuel moved into local community housing at age 10, his mother struggling to raise three children after her husband had left her some years ago."At my old school, I was a popular, energetic and playful kid." says Samuel, "When I moved, it was like I dropped rank and had to ascend again. There were many terms like 'teacher's pet' that would deter you from taking a positive role and become a target of bullying."Samuel reflected on his feelings of isolation and being bullied when he first arrived. His priority in school was his social status and he reached the top of that food chain as a tough kid with little interest in his studies.The transition to high school meant starting from the bottom once more. Samuel had few thoughts of the future and his focus was on fun and the respect of his peers. It was a time of frequent fights, trips to the principal's office and school suspensions.Samuel speaks of his mother's feelings about him during those years, "I think she had accepted I would never be the smart kid at school. At best, she hoped I would make it through school and find any job I could." By grade 10, Samuel's mother came to believe that her son's only chance of redemption might lie elsewhere; she made the hard decision to send her son to live with his father in Ghana.At the time, Samuel was extremely resentful of her plan to send him to his father. He plotted mischief he would unleash upon his arrival but when he faced his father once more in the flesh, all his plans melted away. "The moment I saw him again it was back to the drill sergeant and cadet." says Samuel with a grin.Samuel's father was a successful businessman back in Ghana, managing and owning over a dozen pharmacies. His father demanded discipline of his son but had no time to administer it so he sent Samuel to a boarding school where he would live on campus and under strict rules and supervision. At this new school, Samuel observed something that was incredibly surprising: some of the coolest and toughest kids also were the most academically involved. This was in stark contrast to the youth culture he was used to, which he described as idolizing mediocrity and apathy towards studies.Despite this realization, Samuel continued feeling resentment and disinterest in his studies. Half a year passed and Samuel's grades continued to be poor, so his exasperated father took him out of school and sent him to live with his two uncles. It was during this time with his uncles that two defining moments happened in Samuel's life, setting him on a path of reflection and ultimately redemption...to be continued next month
Access to Healthcare Services Is Everyone’s Problem
“Cancer patients have been complaining about the lack of parking all day”, the compassionate and understanding admin said to me as I arrived 30 minutes late for my appointment in the Cancer Clinic at the Humber River Regional Hospital. I had arrived at the campus in time for my appointment but then found myself driving around from parking lot to parking lot, along with dozens of other cars carrying sick people to the hospital, only to discover that every single lot was completely full. There was literally no patient parking anywhere on the multi-billion-dollar complex. Again. The same thing had happened on the day of my previous appointment. I had paid $120 for a parking pass that was completely useless. What was I going to do?As I exited the rear of the complex, I drove past three giant, passive-aggressive signs at the entrances of the three, large, half-full City of Toronto building parking lots that said, “PRIVATE PROPERTY!” and “NO HOSPITAL PARKING!” in bold red letters. Clearly the city was aware of the problem. Clearly the city felt it wasn’t its problem. Driving back around to the front of the complex, I noticed a tow truck on stand-by, waiting like a vulture for a patient to become sick enough or desperate enough to leave an unattended vehicle.I drove North of the hospital until the city’s unnecessary “no parking signs” in the adjacent residential area ceased to bloom. I passed dozens of cars, many of which had parking tickets for daring to park on a city street near a hospital for too long. The city was not only aware of the problem; it was also actively profiting from it through parking fines. When I eventually found a legal place to park my vehicle, the walk back to the hospital took 20 minutes. I’m able-bodied and in good health. Most hospital patients cannot walk for 20 minutes to go to and from their chemotherapy sessions. It’s unthinkable.The CEO of the Humber River Regional Hospital, Barb Collins, is very proud of the many awards it has received. It’s unfortunate that none of these awards are related to the very real, lived, patient experiences that have repeatedly been brought to her attention, like this one. Imagine the negative impact on the health of a cancer patient who has to deal with the frustration and expense of recovering a towed vehicle at the same time as chemotherapy, all because of “not my problem” finger pointing and poor planning for patient parking! Perhaps if a “fewest patients’ cars towed” award were created the Hospital would actually address the problem and add it to its list of “achievements”, since awards, not patient care, seem to be the executive priority.
As hydro bills continue to climb, families in North York are suffering
Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath met with numerous residents of 2901 Jane St. in North York to discuss the impact of skyrocketing hydro rates on their families. “Hydro rates are out of control in this province because of bad decisions made by the Liberal government to privatize more and more of our electricity system,” said Horwath. “Instead of looking after her friends on Bay Street, the Premier should take real steps to help families throughout the GTA by making hydro affordable.” Residents of 2901 Jane St. told the NDP Leader about the challenges they are facing as retired people living on a fixed income. Even after switching to equal billing and receiving small rebates through the Ontario Electricity Support Program residents are still struggling, some going so far as to not cook or use electricity at all between 7am to 7pm. The residents of 2901 Jane St. are not unique in their struggles. Hydro bills have been skyrocketing out of control for many Ontarians all across the province. “I hear stories like these regularly from people I visit,” said Horwath. “Hydro rates are too high, they have been for a long time and Kathleen Wynne isn’t doing much about it. In fact, she is making it worse by continuing to sell-off Hydro One which will drive rates even further up.” The NDP Leader urged the Liberal government to do the right thing and cancel her plan to sell-off Hydro One because it will only make electricity more expensive for families, businesses and community organizations in Ontario.