Why Aren’t People in Downsview Voting?

DA-site-IMGS-dividerBy Morag Humphrey After witnessing two general elections in the year 2014, one thing is clear: Downsview residents are not voting. Some may blame this on things such as ineligibility, apathy, or disengagement, but the reality is most people in the Downsview area are not voting for one reason: accessibility.With a population of just over 100,000 spread out along 30 kilometers, York West represents one of the biggest provincial ridings in Toronto. The number of polling stations per capita is small in comparison to other, more affluent ridings such as that of Toronto Centre, where polling stations are in abundance for the just over 130,000 residents spread across 13 kilometers.The number and location of polling stations in a particular riding or ward makes a big difference for a number of reasons. If a polling station is not in a voter’s immediate surrounding area, the likelihood of voting decreases by great margins.Despite having polling stations in their lobbies for the municipal election, buildings such as those on Tobermory Dr and Finch Ave., or Weston Rd. and Finch Ave., did not have such a luxury in the provincial election.The voting percentages between these two elections are astounding. In the provincial election, where Tobermory residents had to make the 10 minute walk to Driftwood Public School to cast their ballot, only 21% did, while in the municipal election a few months later 44% made the trip to their lobby to cast their ballot.This trend continues when comparing the results of voters living in the Weston Rd. and Finch Ave apartment buildings. In the municipal election, close to 50% of eligible voters cast their ballots when they could do so comfortably in the lobby of their building, while only four months earlier only 21% of voters made the trip to Emery Collegiate to participate in the election.Voting accessibility is important for other reasons as well. Politicians go to where they can predict that residents will vote.If living in an apartment building without a lobby polling station makes residents less likely to vote, politicians will strategically avoid said locations. Other than leading to voter apathy and disengagement, this phenomenon means that these tenants’ voices are not heard.To have our voices heard in Downsview, we need to fix this accessibility problem. We need polling stations in tenant-dense buildings as 10 San Romanoway, 15 Tobermory and 3390 Weston Rd.Voting percentages from last year’s provincial and municipal elections teach us that eligible voters want to participate in the democratic process; but we need to make voting more accessible to help them do so.  

Pearson passengers pay the price for mismanagement

DA-site-IMGS-dividerBy Matias de DovitiisAIRPORT-1-DEC14It’s the holidays and I was trying to help a friend book a flight out of Toronto going through ticket prices when I remembered: we have one of the most expensive airports in the world.It is very expensive to fly out of Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. It is more expensive than big European cities like London or Paris. It is more expensive than New York or Beijing. It is more expensive than Dubai, which is currently building the biggest airport in the world. In fact, it is more expensive than anywhere in the world except for a few cities in Japan and it is still the most expensive airport in the Americas. This has been true ever since they built the new airport terminal at Pearson. At the time, it was a very big project, but there are much bigger and newer airports in other places, and they are not as expensive.The airport fees out of Pearson (the ones you see and the ones the airlines pass on to you as a passenger) are so steep that hundreds of thousands of people drive to Buffalo and other nearby cities to fly from there every year.Big fees might be a good thing if passengers were getting a good return on their investment. After all, the airport is publicly owned and the fees go to maintain and operate it. The problem is that the airport is operated privately through an agency called the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA) that operates like a private monopoly. While the agency does not make a profit for investors (it is not a for profit entity), it is filled with management types that make big salaries, but are doing a poor job of flying us in and out quickly.The airport famously failed last January during a cold winter spell. The airport was shut down, because the deicing operations were backed up and the computer systems failed. Hundreds of flights were delayed for days. The airport was in chaos, yet, the top management made big bucks and nobody got fired.CEO, Howard Eng was on vacation during the crisis and had to apologize publicly a number of times. According to the sunshine list, Howard Eng made $712,138 a year in 2012.CFO, Brian Gabel was responsible for the contracting out of the IT services that crashed during the January storm. He has since left the GTAA and probably received a big severance package on his way out. 2012 SALARIES OF GTAA OFFICIALS:Howard Eng, CEO$712,138*Brian Gabel, CFO$513,300Douglas Love, VP$906,240**Pamela Griffith-Jones, VP$407,950Patrick Neville, VP$392,945*Including incentives**Including a severance package of $514,000 

Local activists make their voices heard in NYC

by Yasmin ParodiDA-site-IMGS-dividerActivist protest NYC 2In a desperate attempt to slow the rise in global temperature, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called world leaders to the 2014 Climate Summit on Sept. 23rd. He urged leaders to bring forward bold announcements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.More than 400,000 people joined the People’s Climate March in New York City, the largest ever recorded on this issue. The streets near Central Park began to fill early Sunday morning, with individuals from all walks of life, from indigenous leaders to interfaith groups, scientists, students, families, agriculture workers and celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo - to show world leaders that the public is united in it's call for solutions.2,646 events occurred simultaneously in 162 countries around the world. 300 people from Toronto rode overnight busses organized by Toronto350.org, a local climate action group.Connor Allaby, a local resident of the Jane and Finch community said: “the political response has been negligible”.“I think the message of system change not climate change is important to convey, because it speaks to social as well as environmental concerns, in how the system exploits people and the environment for profit,” Allaby said.Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, did not attend the summit although he attended other meeting in New York that week. "I think so many Canadians are here because we're so fed up with the way things are going in Canada. We are the source of the tar sands, which has just been such a destructive project for the climate and for local environment and indigenous people," said Aaron Saad, a graduate student and part of the group from Toronto who attended the march.

Election results a mix of old and new

by David RosDA-site-IMGS-dividerelections- Anthony Perruzza, Maria augimeri, Patrizia Bittoni, Tiffany FordThe recent Toronto municipal elections have brought about some changes to the political landscape in this city as well as in Downsview.While the city has a new mayor in John Tory, voters have, for the most part, elected to maintain the status quo on city council. Of the 44 seats on council, only 8 will be filled by councillors who were not city councillors during the last term. However, one of those 8 seats belongs to outgoing mayor Rob Ford, who was elected councillor in Ward 2 where he previously served from 1999-2010, and the majority of the new councillors were elected after the previous incumbents had decided not to seek re-election.Downsview voters also chose to maintain the status quo with incumbents, Anthony Perruzza and Maria Augimeri re-elected to city council by comfortable margins in wards 8 and 9.Perruzza, who defeated Arthur Smitherman by more than 7,000 votes was first elected to city council in 2006 and had previously served as a trustee on the Metro Toronto Separate School Board, as a member of North York City Council and as an MPP for York West, will now enter his third term as the representative for Ward 8.Augimeri, who defeated Gus Cusimano by more than 2,000 votes, served as chair of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has been involved in municipal politics since 1982, when she was first elected as a school board trustee, and has been both a North York and Toronto city councillor since 1985 will once again represent Ward 9.While Downsview voters elected to maintain the status quo on city council, the same can not be said for the public school board trustee race.Tiffany Ford was elected as Toronto District School Board (TDSB) trustee in Ward 4 after long-time trustee Stephnie Payne, announced her retirement. Ford, who defeated Matias de Dovitiis to earn her seat on the board, is a marketing and communications professional who grew up in the Jane-Finch neighbourhood and has previously sat on the board of directors of Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), Promoting Education and Community Health (PEACH), as well as many other local community organizations.Patrizia Bottoni was re-elected for a second term as Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) trustee, defeating Marina Laccona. Bottoni was first elected as part of a wave of new trustees in 2010 after the board was put under provincial receivership in 2008 following a spending scandal.CITY WARD COUNCIL 8Anthony Perruzza 8,705

Arthur Smitherman 1,326

Suzanne Narain 852

Princess Boucher 524

Antonio Vescio 431

Thomas Barclay 406

City Council Ward 9:

Maria Augimeri 6,373

Gus Cusimano 4,230

Anthony Fernando 3,367

Danny Quattrociocchi 562

Ances Hercules 248

Wilson Basantes 130

The Ford Factor

by Amoy WynterDA-site-IMGS-dividerThe Fords: michael, Rob and DougIf you voted “Ford” in the last election you are a part of the majority in the Downsview area.Even though Doug Ford lost the election with a respectable 34 per cent support, he was favourite in Ward 7 (66 per cent support), Ward 8 (61 per cent support) and Ward 9 (62 per cent support) showing the great divide in opinions across our city. The Ford brand was apparently so strong this election that a number of candidates with the Ford name had successful campaigns including Rob Ford winning his old Council seat, Michael Ford (the outgoing Mayor’s nephew who had changed his last name from Stirpe to Ford) beating a seasoned incumbent Trustee, Tiffany Ford winning an open Trustee seat here in Downview, and Russ Ford who came very close to beating a long-time Councillor in Etobicoke.As a young adult who is deeply interested in politics, I spent a great deal of time discussing the election with my peers (mainly other young adults in the Jane-Finch area). There was a great deal of disenfranchisement for many, stating “politicians are all the same” or “my vote doesn’t matter” and showing no interest in voting. For those who expressed interest in the election, the conversation was all about the mayor. For them, the election was a referendum on his track record even though it was his brother running for the big job.I was amazed at how people would simply summarize the entire election and the candidates themselves into catch phrases like “he/she is for the little guy”, “he/she will tax us to death” or “he/she hates this/that”. For the majority of people I spoke to, they were unable to list anyone’s platform even though they claimed they were very familiar with who they were voting for.

Four candidates seek election for TCDSB

 DA-site-IMGS-dividerBy David RosFour_Candidates_OCT_14After being elected in 2010 as the trustee for the Toronto Catholic District School Board for Ward 4 during a period of turmoil, Patrizia Bottoni is once again putting her name on the ballot.Bottoni cited the work she and her fellow trustees have done in pulling the board away from receivership as one of the reasons she believes she should be re-elected. In 2008, the TCDSB was placed under the control of a provincial government appointed supervisor after it was rocked by a series of scandals where trustees spent school board money on personal items such as online gambling, alcohol and lingerie, while at the same time, the board was unable to balance its budget.Following the 2010 municipal election results, the TCDSB was returned to the control of the trustees in Jan. 2011. “At the board, we have started a new stage with those days after supervision, we have done a lot of work to regain the trust of the community and of the stakeholders,” Bottoni said. “We are a good team, we are working together and we've put in place a multi-strategic plan.” Bottoni, who is currently the vice-chair of student achievements and wellbeing at the board said that she has been working hard to implement more programs in local schools such as French Emersion.Glenn Webster, who has been a member of the TCDSB for 38 years, said that if elected as trustee, his many years of experience will be an asset to the board. “I've attended over 100 school board meetings over the years,” Webster said. “I truly know more about the running of the school board, financials programs, collective agreements than the overwhelming majority of people who run for office.”Webster, who has been endorsed by Mike Colle, current Liberal MPP for Eglinton-Lawrence, Alan Tonks, a former Liberal MP for York South Weston and Paul Fernandes, the former chair of the TCDSB said that trustees need to understand the difference between management and government. “The budget is given by the ministry, schools can barely raise any more money than they are given, they have to work within the budget,” Webster said. “Intelligent choices must be made based on the reality. In other words, school boards have got to be well run in terms of costs.”Marina Laccona, who founded and has successfully run a free homework program called My Community Homework Club at Northwood Community Centre since 2002 said that her desire to give back to the community has motivated her to run for trustee. “Since implementing the program, I continue to work with various members of the community, including City of Toronto staff, local councillors, parents, teachers, youth and non-profit organizations,” Laccona said. “I am very passionate about my community, volunteerism and most important – our children.” Diego Lupallier is also on the ballot for TCDSB trustee.

My breakdown of ward 4 public school trustee race

 DA-site-IMGS-dividerBy Howard MoscoeBrekdown_Ward_4_OCT_14The retirement of Trustee Stephnie Payne has triggered a race for the Downsview Public School Board seat that has attracted candidates from across the city; like flies to honey.There are 9 hopefuls chasing the ward 4 public school trustee position. In my view, the school board trustee position is one of the most important elected offices. Trustees set the tone and direction for our children’s education; the foundation of a civil society. Giancarlo Mosca became active on his condo board at San Romanoway when he took over his mother’s house. Mosca has attended Catholic schools for most of his life and in fact only became a public school supporter in September when he switched his school support in order to run for this office. Until then he has demonstrated little, if any, interest in our public schools. One wonders why he didn’t run for the Catholic School Board. I hope he finds a political career somewhere but not as a public school trustee here in Downsview.Spiros Papathanasakis might have some credibility if he were running downtown. In 1997 he finished 6th in the Metro Council race when he ran against Jack Layton and Pam McConnell “out the Danforth.” He managed to nail a seat on the old Toronto School Board for a term, but did little to distinguish himself as a trustee. Papathansakis runs a youth center in Cabagetown. I don’t believe that in a city as cosmopolitan as Toronto you need to actually live in a ward to represent it, but there ought to be some connection to that ward. One wonders why he would parachute himself half way across the city to seek votes in our community when he has had little connection to it at all.Sabrina Gopaul is a community activist and journalist. A mother of two, Gopaul lives in and was raised in the Jane-Finch area and attended local schools. Her oldest son recently graduated from high school, and her youngest will soon be starting elementary school. Gopaul, who is the head news correspondant for Jane-Finch.com, and had previously hosted a news show on CHRY-FM, was active in the Save our schools campaign, to prevent the closure of local area schools. According to her platform, Gopaul wants to promote smaller classroom sizes and holistic teaching methods, she would also like to promote stronger relationships between schools and the community.Mirtha Coronel and Kasim Dogan have also added their names to the ballot. Out of the 9 candidates, there are three that I consider to be serious contenders; Tiffany Ford, Michelle Minott and Matias de Dovitiis. I encourage you to check out their web sites for more information on their platforms. They can be found at www.tiffanyford.ca, www.michelleminott.com and www.matiasdedovitiis.ca. All are in favour of increasing school safety. I haven't yet met any candidate that wasn't. All three of the leading candidates reject the use of metal detectors in schools to screen out weapons.Every one of the candidates talks about engaging the community, improving school funding and everyone wants better opportunities for youth. All three of these are candidates who are worthy of your support. Tiffany Ford is not related to Rob, Doug or Henry and her campaign reflects youth and enthusiasm, a recent graduate of York University, she attended local Jane-Finch schools and has started her own communications business. Tiffany's campaign radiates energy, enthusiasm and a passion for her community. “It is crucial to advocate for better schools and quality education in marginalized neighbourhoods populated by African families in Toronto,” Ford said in an interview for Manyatta, a professional network within Toronto's African community. Some day she will make an excellent politician.Michelle Minott owns her own real estate business and her two children attend French emersion classes at Hilltop Middle School in the neighbouring Etobicoke ward. Minott recently moved back into the Shoreham neighbourhood and was honoured for her work in the community when she was presented with a wall of fame award. She is a community activist who serves as an alternate on the TDSB Parent Advisory Council. Minott was sharply critical of the retiring trustee. Stephanie Payne. “I'm not happy with the present trustee who is not doing her job,” Minott said. “[Payne] has failed to engage the community.” Ironically it was Payne who had recommended Minott for the Parent Advisory Council Position. Perhaps Minott was unhappy with Payne’s leadership or perhaps she was unhappy that Payne was endorsing another candidate; Matias de Dovitiis.Matias de Dovitiis has been a hands on community activist in this ward for the past 15 years. As executive assistant to Councillor Anthony Perruzza, he has helped hundreds of Downsview residents resolve their day to day problems with local government. He reflects the immigrant experience many of us share. Since his family moved here from Uruguay when he was 11 year old, he has been active in our schools and in our neighbourhoods.I could comfortably cast a vote for either Tiffany Ford or Michelle Minott, but I’ll be voting for Matias de Dovitiis, not only because I know his work at city hall best, but also because I know that he is ready to hit the ground running in a direction that I want to see this community go. Mosca complained to me that de Dovitiis’s run in partnership with Perruzza represented a conflict of interest. I couldn’t disagree more. If a councillor and trustee work together, the good that flows from that relationship is a huge benefit to the community. In 2000, I ran in partnership with an unknown trustee candidate. I’m a New Democrat and she is a Liberal. She got elected, and for three years, we had the privilege of pooling our resources for the benefit of the community. Her name is Kathleen Wynne and she is now the Premier of Ontario.-Howard Moscoe held elected office in Toronto for 32 years when he retired from Toronto city council in 2011. Prior to that, he was a junior high and middle school teacher for 35 years. Howard has taught at Elia M.S., Emery C.I., and Driftwood M.S., in our community. He was president of the North York Elementary Teachers’ Federation and became Executive Assistant to the North York Director of Education.

ACORN sticks up for local residents

By Gaelan Bickford-Gewarter ACORN-1On a rainy evening in August, a large crowd filled the hall of the University Presbyterian Church at Driftwood Ave., and Finch Ave., W. People from all across the community had come out and were chatting amongst themselves until the buzz in the room was suddenly broken by a single passionate voice. "We are here tonight because our homes are infested with bugs and the walls are crumbling around us. The heat doesn't work in the winter and our children are living in unhealthy conditions,” Called out Mercy Osagie. “The landlord is there to collect our rent on the first of the month but we're waiting forever for basic repairs. We're coming together tonight because enough is enough! We demand change now!" Osagie was on her feet as she finished her fiery call to arms and the audience responded with thunderous applause. Osagie was subsequently elected Chair of Jane and Finch ACORN, the local chapter of a nationwide organization of low and moderate income people coming together to fight for change. The chapter is made up of people who live in buildings just like Osagie's and recognize that the only way change happens is when people stand up and fight back with the power of numbers. The re-lauch of the Jane-Finch ACORN chapter started off with a bang as members living in 4500 Jane St., frustrated with the bad conditions and high rents, took to the streets and demonstrated right outside the property manager's office calling for immediate repairs and a rent freeze. One of these people, a woman named Maize Blanchard, has been an active community leader for decades and a long-time member of ACORN. Blanchard was critical to the success of the campaign as she worked tirelessly, knocking on her neighbours' doors, documenting violations, and bringing people together to make change. ACORN's commitment to action is really what sets the organization apart and makes real change possible. After three invited landlords failed to show up to the big meeting that re-launched the chapter, members decided to march on their property management offices to make sure they got the message. The march was a huge success because after the marchers delivered letters to these property managers all three agreed to meet with the chapter. Negotiations are ongoing, but marginalized families now have a seat at the table. ACORN members get involved and fight for change because they believe that healthy homes are a right regardless of whether you live in Rosedale or Jane and Finch. They know that raising a family is hard enough without having to worry about broken heaters in the dead of winter or making dinner on a broken stove surrounded by mould and cockroaches. They believe that good jobs should be available in their communities and that those jobs pay a decent, livable wage to break the cycle of working poverty. And they believe that basic products and services should be affordable for all, from internet to car insurance and childcare. If you are interested in getting involved in ACORN, please give us a call at 416-461-9233