The Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN), DUKE Heights BIA and Osgoode Hall Law School organized the March 23 and 24 Creating Opportunities Summit to take a good hard look at what truly makes great communities. In our efforts to find the perfect solutions, we often ignore big problems and make matters worse by doubling down on things that aren’t working. Whether it’s capacity building in marginalized communities, local policy making in neighbourhood improvement areas (NIAs) or just plain racism, no one answer fits all. If the summit had one great takeaway for me, it’s that finding shared prosperity will come through working with community and not for community. The summit was an amazing chance for communities to come together with agencies, government workers, thought leaders and entrepreneurs, to really drill down and explore community benefits together. The two-day event kicked off with a bus tour that took delegates along the future Finch West LRT route. The route holds much promise for investment where there has been so little for nearly 40 years. There was a short detour to the future Woodbine Racetrack redevelopment, another possible place for community benefits. An incredible “poster exhibit” on community benefits was moved to Day-2 because of the strike at York University and even the strike didn’t put a damper on the success of the event. The bus tour was followed by a celebration dinner at York University’s Underground restaurant. The dinner included a speech from Senator Ratna Omidvar who will sponsor the Community Benefits Bill when it reaches the Senate from the House of Commons. The conference which took place the next day at Jackman Law Building at the University of Toronto was full of timely information on what community benefits can mean and how they can be achieved. The opening panel discussion included a passionate address from Hamilton City Councillor Matthew Green who has been at the forefront of the community benefits movement in Hamilton. Other incredible speakers included lawyer Anthony Morgan who spoke on racial justice issues in Canadian law and policy. Climate change and its impacts on communities were also covered. There were case studies on community benefits in action and there were new friendships hatched and plans for future cooperation laid out. I’ve only scratched the surface here of all the amazingness that happened over the 2 days - I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next year.
Our Community Deserves Fair Auto Insurance
It's 2018 and the Downsview community still pays some of the highest auto insurance rates in the country.I raised the issue of auto insurance company discrimination towards our community as far back as 2012 when I co-hosted a crowded town hall meeting with Ontario NDP leader, Andrea Horwath. Local residents were angry about sky-high premiums and a lack of government action on this important issue.At the time, the Ontario NDP conducted research on the matter and showed that the same person would pay a premium of $1,153 if they lived at Lawrence Park, but $2,517 if they lived at Jane-Finch. I dug deeper and found that we faced this cost discrimination despite the fact that our neighbourhood had neither the highest rates of vehicle crime nor accidents.With pressure from the NDP, the government promised a reduction of 15% on auto insurance rates. In 2016, when the government was criticized for not delivering on the reduction, Premier Wynne referred to her promise as more of a "stretch goal".In early 2017, with pressure for action mounting, the government released the Marshall Report. Local disability and personal injury lawyer Juan Carranza is skeptical of this report, saying "The government's report does little to address the power imbalance between insurers and accident victims and assumes the insurance industry will act out of the goodness of their hearts." Mr. Carranza further cited a lack of transparency around auto insurers' profits and the amount of money they spend fighting to deny the claims of accident victims.A year after the report's release, local residents have yet to see an improvement in the auto insurance system. Once again, this past March, I co-hosted a local auto insurance town hall meeting with Ontario NDP leader, Andrea Horwath, to give our community the opportunity to voice their concerns on this important issue. Residents packed the room and watched online, expressing frustration with the government and stating that their insurance rates continue to rise.Andrea Horwath spoke strongly for better government oversight, stating "An NDP government will deliver the 15% savings the Liberals refused to deliver and we won't allow your postal code to determine how much you pay."Auto insurance relief is long overdue, especially in our community where families struggling to pay the bills also pay the country's highest auto insurance premiums. In fact, many local residents who can afford a car cannot afford the insurance, so they face needless hours of daily commute times to distant jobs. The auto insurance industry is government regulated and the people deserve better government oversight and accountability rather than broken promises and "stretch goals".
Our Schools in Disrepair and Disarray
Our schools are valuable public assets. They help set the prices for homes in our neighbourhoods. They set the standard by which our children are able to thrive. They are central parts of our communities and their health affects everyone, whether directly or indirectly. Letting them fall in disrepair to the tune of $15 billion across Ontario, like the provincial government has done, is letting our communities down and putting our kids at risk. Just recently at Derrydown Public School, multiple news sources reported an incident where three children were injured as workers were doing repairs to the school’s roof. Tar dripped down through the ceiling on children below during gym class. Two children were taken to hospital, but thankfully, they are expected to do fine. The larger issue is that this is not an isolated incident. A website called www.fixourschools.ca details some of the incidents: scaffolding injuring a child; another child suffering cuts due to lack of lunchroom supervision; a railing in a playground giving way and resulting in a child breaking her wrist; the list goes on. These are recent incidents that speak to the backlog of disrepair and to the larger issue of inadequate funding for our public schools. Moneys needed for emergency repairs have been taken away by more immediate operational budget needs in our schools for years. This ultimately affects the quality of education in our classrooms over time as the budget gets tighter with the growing backlog of repairs. Today we have less specialized assistants to deal with children that need one-on-one help, we have fewer lunchroom supervisors, and parents are increasingly asked to fundraise more and more to fill in gaps. In the 1990s, the Progressive Conservative government gave developers a tax break by structuring development fees in such a way that they would no longer have to contribute toward new schools in school boards like the TDSB. As a result of this, new construction projects in the City of Toronto have not led to more investments in public schools. This system has been maintained by the current Liberal government, despite their protestations about investments in our schools. Ultimately, developers saved hundreds of millions of dollars through this tax cut in Toronto. The tax cut reduced the funding school boards depended on for capital investments and, as a result, schools in Toronto have millions of dollars worth of disrepair despite the longest continuous real estate boom in Canadian history. The repair work that does take place is often done in case of emergencies, rather than to systematically maintain buildings in a financially responsible way.We can all change this. There are two million school children in Ontario. Our city is growing and we need to ensure that our schools are safe places of learning and that we invest in the public assets that we all own so that they can be used by future generations.
Lynessa: Hard at Work, Happy at Work
How can a young girl who likes playing with Lego find fulfilling work when she grows up? If you ask Lynessa White, she’ll tell you the best way is to follow your instincts. Lynessa, a racialized woman from Downsview, has strong instincts; she defied everyone who ever gave her career advice. Raised in a traditional family, she says despite her desire to fix things and a childhood dream to be a carpenter, her mother made sure she learned to cook. She still fixed things, she did it all the time.How do women resist such discouragement, whether it’s the guidance department steering you towards a career as a nurse, or your mother telling you to find an office job? Lynessa thought a career in the film industry would be a satisfying compromise so she attended film school in Toronto. The film set didn’t bring her the fulfillment she craved. It wasn’t until she arrived on a construction site that she discovered what was missing.When Lynessa talks about the construction project she is working on, her joy is palpable. When I first met Lynessa, she was part of the team building the Bentway Skate Trail under the Gardiner Expressway. Every project she works on involves a new approach, a new puzzle to put together, a new problem to solve. Lynessa finds that there isn't a set way of doing things on a construction site and that’s what drives her.Through Building Up, a Toronto Community Benefits Network (TCBN) social procurement partner, Lynessa found her path to becoming a licensed carpenter. In addition to Building Up, the process also included Carpenters Union Local 27, and Peter Kiewit Sons ULC, a private contractor. Lynessa is one of TCBN’s greatest success stories. TCBN envisions Toronto as an inclusive, thriving city in which all residents have equitable opportunities to contribute to healthy communities and a prosperous economy. TCBN is a coalition of organizations and individuals working in direct partnership with other grassroots, community, labour and anti-poverty organizations to build a strong community benefits movement in Toronto. We believe that all Torontonians should have access to the opportunities stemming from infrastructure investments, including women like Lynessa.
What sexual misconduct in Canadian politics says about our democracy
Allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against Patrick Brown, the former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader, took the news cycle by storm. In many ways, this was an event that ushered the #metoo movement into Canadian politics. The quick resignation of Brown’s top team members paired with the statement from PC MPP Lisa MacLeod, indicating that she had reported concerns of sexual misconduct against Brown to the PC Party which were dismissed, heavily suggested that Brown’s alleged inappropriate behaviour was an open secret.Shortly afterwards, accounts of sexual misconduct and harassment in Canadian politics surfaced. Allegations against men in all three major parties emerged, revealing the pervasiveness and impunity of a culture of abusive behaviour. Most of those who spoke out against this culture in Canadian politics were young women who experienced it firsthand when volunteering or working in local campaigns and as staffers on the Hill. In a CBC interview, Lauren Dobson-Hughes, a former young staffer on the Hill, described being grabbed, groped and kissed as a normal part of her every day. Unfortunately, this has meant that young women who are eager to get involved in politics are too often confronted with normalized sexually abusive behaviours. Too many young women leave their political careers before they reach positions of power because of gendered barriers. Arezoo Najibzadeh from the Young Women’s Leadership Network noted, “Women leave politics because the political structure is not made for women to succeed.”Often overlooked, however, are the effects that this systematic exclusion of women from politics have for our society and democracy as a whole. These barriers result in the underrepresentation of women among politicians and judges, which in turn lead to policies and laws that ignore women’s experiences, realities, and perspectives. No doubt this exclusion is responsible for the large number of cases that have been tossed out by judges and juries who dismiss women’s experience of sexual abuse. For instance, only 12% of sexual assaults reported to police have led to a criminal conviction and only 7% to a custody sentence. As it stands, 50% of our population is not being meaningfully represented because we have allowed a brutal culture of abuse to stop women from achieving high positions in politics. If we want a truly democratic society that represents all of its members, then we need to fight the culture of sexual assault in Canadian politics, not only because it’s unethical but also because it threatens the legitimacy of our democracy.
“We love donuts but not pay cuts!”
The Ontario minimum wage increase that was introduced in January continues to spark much debate. Tim Horton’s franchises in particular have been under heavy scrutiny for penalizing their employees for the wage increase. Ardent demonstrators from the Fight for $15 & Fairness campaign have gathered at many Tim Horton’s locations across the GTA to express solidarity with employees who have experienced unethical cuts to their breaks and benefits.Businesses of various sizes and models have responded differently to the minimum wage increase. Certain employers have welcomed the wage increase with great enthusiasm and some have augmented costs by a small margin in order to adapt. However, instead of accepting responsibility for the welfare of their employees, large corporations like Tim Horton’s have made themselves seem like the victims of this policy change rather than acting as role models in the broader business world.The insatiability of corporate willpower is the real obstacle to implementing fairer wages. Daniel Schwartz, CEO of Restaurant Brands International (the parent company of Tim Horton’s) claims to make $8,183,504 per year. The corporation is beyond capable of paying their employees a livable wage. Instead of hiding behind statistical myths, it is important to recognize the overwhelming truth: Tim Horton’s has the financial resources to strategically support all of their franchisees in making the necessary adjustments to adapt to the minimum wage increase. Most minimum wage jobs are part-time jobs in the service sector, and many minimum wage workers juggle multiple occupations in order to make ends meet. Realistically speaking, working 35 hours per week at the previous rate of $11.60 per hour was not enough for a person to afford their own one-bedroom apartment in Toronto, let alone food, bills, transportation and the potential dental emergency. Those now making $14.00 per hour will still face an uphill battle in terms of affording the rising cost of living, but they can now spend a little extra on the items and services that they need, putting the additional $2.40 per hour back into the economy. The minimum wage increase is not the sole solution to the problem of income inequality, but it is a definite step in the right direction if we want to alleviate poverty in the province, especially among part-time workers. Raising the minimum wage both stimulates the economy and ensures greater job satisfaction and brand loyalty amongst employees. The bottom-line is that a business must pay their workers a livable wage. Poverty wages do not build a better province and increasing wages is the first step in fighting precarious employment.
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.
Winter cold snap reveals another dimension of Toronto’s housing crisis
When people think about Toronto’s housing crisis they often think about rising rent prices and the growing difficulty to buy a house. However, the increasing unaffordability of the city has pushed many individuals into homelessness. The recent extreme cold temperatures brought Toronto’s growing homeless population to the forefront, and the city’s inability to deal with the crisis entered mainstream conversation.The city’s homeless population, an estimated 5,253 in 2013 (a number that is expected to increase in the 2018 report), is one of the most vulnerable populations in Toronto. At the height of the cold snap, 98% of the city’s shelters were at full capacity, causing a public panic that led to thousands of Torontonians to sign a petition demanding the opening of Moss Park Armoury as an emergency shelter. The petition ultimately resulted in City Council successfully voting to open the Armoury on January 3 which only temporarily helped to relieve the estimated 1000 bed shortage until the end of January.On January 25, Councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 20, Trinity-Spadina) revealed the city’s purchase of an Annex building which he plans to turn into a shelter that is expected to provide 90 new beds in April 2018. At a news conference, the councillor stated, "I want to be clear on the issue of shelters, that communities do not have a right to say no to shelters. If they did, we would have no shelters. Communities have a responsibility to work with their neighbours and cities to welcome shelters and to make them work for everybody."Solutions to Toronto’s housing crisis need to address and include the homeless and lower income population. For too long housing has been spoken about in terms of private developments and homebuyers rather than addressing the needs of individuals who are most affected by unaffordable housing. The city needs to invest in more shelters and subsidized government housing to create lasting solutions that make the city inclusive and diverse. Conversations about the housing crisis need to start addressing those whose lives are most affected and at risk by Toronto’s unaffordable housing.
Going a Different Kind of Green
In Canada, there is something new to talk about other than traffic and the weather. The impending legalization of marijuana has been on everyone’s minds, and just like any other big political change, many of us are unsure where we stand on this topic. Surely, there are many things to consider as we can see with the actual legislation in parliament, so let us dive right in.Marijuana has long been readily available in Canada; this is no secret, but how will making it legally available actually help?Keeping the dangers of marijuana in mind, it is important to look at how we can reduce them. Research has shown marijuana to affect the cerebral development of teens and adolescents, so an age limit for purchasing it is a must. Even discussions around setting the minimum age at 21 is not far-fetched, allowing us to reduce the negative impact on teenagers and young adults. Although greater research is still required to increase our understanding of marijuana and its use in society, legalization could be the first step.After legalization, proper investigation and statistical analysis can help to allocate appropriate social resources to addiction and mental health services. By collecting data and information about the sales, usage and health concerns relating to cannabis, we can begin to get a better picture of how to manage this substance and soon-to-be product. Legalization would presumably allow the production of cannabis to become a regulated industry and can thus allow Canada to become one of the top exporters of cannabis products. Having said that, not many countries currently share the same outlook on marijuana, but that could soon change. The establishment of the cannabis industry can help to further regulate these products; by controlling the percentages of active chemicals in cannabis, it's possible to reduce its health risks even further.Upon the legalization of marijuana, many public institutions must prepare for its effects on society as a whole. Public institutions, including law enforcement, must create new provisions to ensure public safety; this should include new driving regulations and proper treatment of driving under the influence similar to alcohol. These provisions must also seek to alleviate the burden of small criminal charges laid against individuals using or possessing cannabis products. Many minority groups who are disproportionately affected by such laws are sure to feel the relief.It’s still unclear how such a big transition will affect us, but the details being hammered-out in Ottawa and at Queen’s Park should be met with careful considerations in the best interest of the public.
Liberals on Course to a Multibillion Dollar Deficit
Ontario Liberals are facing sharp criticism from the Financial Accountability Office. In contrast to the party’s claims to have balanced the budget in 2017, the FAO says that Ontario is on course to a $4 billion deficit in 2017-18.Though new legislation was announced with the aim of sustaining the province’s finances, Chief Economist David West is sceptical. West says that the government is borrowing money, an astounding $23 billion this year alone, which will “rise to $45 billion in the coming years.” Ontario is the world’s largest subnational borrower to date.Kathleen Wynne has made promises in preparation for the provincial election in June. While helpful for youth, the new Pharmacare plan will leave many aged 25 and older without adequate prescription coverage. The new makeshift hydro plan will add $3.2 billion to the deficit by 2021-22. One can presume that these temporary changes will eventually result in more hikes than savings.The province requires feasible systematic long-term investments in order to thrive. Ontarians are continuing to suffer with the rising cost of living. The current Liberal budget is just another series of short-sighted plans - a facade that will result in devastating debt in the near future. The FAO predicts that the deficit will grow to be $9.8 billion in 2021-22. Ontario needs a stronger foundation and leaders who won’t sell us out at Queen’s Park.