Metrolinx backs out of community hub for Jane Finch community

July 24, 2020 Downsview Advocate

Rendering of plans for the Jane Finch community hub. Credit: Ato Seitu

News broke recently on The Toronto Star that the future Community Hub that was planned for the Jane and Finch community as part of the Finch West LRT project was withdrawn. This came as a result of a change of position by Metrolinx and the provincial Ford government. While in the past, they had stated that they would in fact donate the land at a nominal cost for the project, earlier in the week they changed their position and stated that they are obligated to sell the property at the market rate.

Heroes Without Capes

July 10, 2020 Matias de Doviitis

FreshCo at Jane and Finch Mall, the site of multiple staff COVID infections. (Photo credit: Matias De Dovitiis)

“Not all heroes wear capes" is a phrase that we have all heard since COVID-19 started. Front line workers who kept us fed, healthy, and safe during the worst first days of the pandemic, and we can all agree that they did this while putting themselves at risk. While the chaos of those first months led to shortages in crucial supplies at the grocery stores and created havoc in the economy, many people working in essential industries got up every morning, put on their shoes, and went to work. These workers stocked the shelves in supermarkets, showed up at construction sites, and put on PPE at hospitals to keep the rest of us safe.

Turning a negative into a positive during COVID 19

July 8, 2020 Zulith Manzanarez-Rios

When this new year began, I don’t think anyone thought we would be living like this. There are things in life we can control and others we have absolutely no control over. COVID-19 has impacted our lives in a way the world will never forget. The people we have lost, the fear we have developed, the new “normal” we are living in now has affected so many people in a variety of ways. In my opinion, as a mother this has become a very scary situation.

The York U-TD Community Engagement Centre announces it’s Community Engagement Catalyst Grants

June 24, 2020 Talisha Ramsaroop

2018 Catalyst Grantee’s celebrated during reception. (Photo Credit: Talisha Ramsaroop)

The York U-TD Community Engagement Centre is happy to announce that we will be offering Community Engagement Catalyst Grants to support creative and innovative collaborations between community partners and York University. Catalyst Grants are intended to provide start-up funding for innovative collaborations between York University and the community.

Food Security for Furry Friends: How One Organization is Working to Help Companion Animals During COVID-19

June 24, 2020 Ayesha Khan

The Toronto team making a round of deliveries in the Jane Finch community. (Photo credit: Ayesha Khan)

Humans are not the only ones impacted by COVID-19. Not only have some animals been infected with the virus themselves, but the worldwide shutdown has impacted some families’ abilities to care for their furry companions. One organization is working to change that.

From Slurs to Erasure: Experiencing Anti-Indigenous Racism at York University

June 21, 2020 Ayesha Khan

Delilah stands before an Inukshuk in the GTA. (Photo credit: Delilah)

Despite the lack of representation in the faculty at York University, there is a significant population of Indigenous students and a breadth of Indigenous experience at the university. Delilah* is an Indigenous student at York University. She is a part of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation and is an Inuk. She shared that she still experiences both overt and covert racism on an individual and systemic basis.

The deep roots of racism right here in Canada

June 15, 2020 Janelle Brady

Not Another Black Life protest after the death of Regist Korchinski-Paquet (Photo credit: flickr/Jason Hargrove)

People across Canada, the US and around the world are protesting anti-Black racism and police brutality. The on-going and widespread protests are sparked by the callous killing of 46-year-old unarmed Black man, George Floyd, by police in Minneapolis.

Despite the fact it seems like everyone is speaking about racism, police brutality and anti-Black racism are not new.

Seniors should never be an after thought

June 9, 2020 Jessica Pointon

Hawthorne Place Care Centre is a senior care home in our community that is experiencing a near 100% contamination rate. Credit: Toronto Star

Choices were made that put seniors at risk, and this reality stems from our provincial and federal governments allowing privately run residences to operate without consistent accountability or transparency. The bottom line is clear; privately owned facilities have put profits before people, including our most vulnerable, and especially our seniors.

Car Rates are Still Up in Downsview

June 1, 2020 Matias de Doviitis

Downsview has some of the highest rates of auto insurance in the country.

It is no secret that drivers in the Downsview area have been routinely broadsided by high car insurance rates. Ontario has some of the highest rates in Canada and Downsview is known for having some of the most expensive postal codes for car insurance rates in all of Ontario.

Downsview mourns the loss of a frontline hero: Race and COVID-19

May 27, 2020 Janelle Brady

Sharon Roberts, 59, PSW with the Downsview Long Term Care Centre, died from COVID-19.

The impacts of COVID-19 on racialized and disenfranchised communities have been well-documented. The results thus far paint a stark picture regarding the effects on Black and Latino communities, particularly from the United States in states that track race. There has been a hesitance to measure race in Canada by many health officials despite a push in the opposite direction of countries and jurisdictions.