OINKING AROUND PAN AM GAMES Families celebrate New logo World Animal Day at zoo unveiled for event See page 7 See page 2 THE EAST TORONTO OBSERVEROBSERVER • Friday • OctOber 15 • 2010 • • PUBLISHED BY UTSC/CENTENNIAL COLLEGE JOURNALISM STUDENTS AND SERVING MALVERN, HIGHLAND CREEK AND WEST HILL • •TORONTOOBSERVER.CA• Scarborough homes third priciest in Ont. JOSEF JACOBSON said John Evanoff, owner of The Observer Evanoff Real Estate. “I really don’t know what information Home prices in they’ve been using.” Scarborough are among Because housing prices the highest in the province, can vary depending on which according to a recent report by homes are sold when, price Coldwell Banker Real Estate. trends should be looked at in The Home Listing Report, the longer term, he said. which tracked prices from Calculating price averages March to September, found can also be misleading. For the average cost of a four- example, houses south of room, two-bathroom home Kingston Road along the in Scarborough is $484,000. Scarborough Bluffs can sell Costs are higher only in the for more than $1 million, rest of Toronto, Newmarket but homes in Malvern may and Oakville. be less desirable and sell for The report is good news for less, Evanoff said. Scarborough homeowners, The report also highlights said Ward 44 councillor Ron issues of affordability. Moeser. Greater housing costs hurt “We’re catching up to low-income residents and Toronto,” he said. “This is a fixing these problems requires wonderful community to live teamwork, Moeser said. in. I think people are starting “Part of it is how much to realize that and I think that money we spend on these prices are now starting to issues,” he said. MEGAN HARRIS/The Observer reflect that.” “What we need is the However, some Scarborough federal and provincial Autumn leap real estate agents are skeptical governments to step up of the report’s findings. as well to make sure that From Left to Right: Highland Creek residents Lucy Wang, Jennifer Struth Ryan Howes and Karen Young- “I don’t think there is a important [housing] issues husband enjoy the unusually warm fall weather on Oct. 7. sudden rise in home value,” are addressed.” Better transit alternatives overlooked: Friends of Rouge Watershed BILLY COURTICE rail line which can be was once used for passenger Assessment for making the The rail line would be an After being turned down The Observer converted to GO Transit,” trains. conversion between 2013 and alternative to the Donald by the Ministry of the said Jim Robb, Friends of One train trip would take 2015. But Toronto probably Cousens Parkway project, Environment, Markham While business and traffic the Rouge Watershed. “It’s about 2,000 people off the won’t accommodate it for which Torontonians highly was given another chance to have grown in northeast disappointing that the city road every 15 minutes, thus another 10 to 20 years, Robb opposed since Markham propose an effective route. Scarborough, better transit hasn’t put emphasis on this decreasing traffic pollution said. conceived it in 2003. It The original Environmental alternatives have been transit alternative.” and making transportation “It’s a concern that this proposes to direct 50,000 cars Assessment for the Donald largely ignored, says a local The railway, which more efficient, Robb said. possibility has been mostly daily southbound through Cousens Parkway would have environmental activist. runs from Scarborough to Last summer, Metrolinx ignored,” he said. “It clearly Scarborough to Highway 401 destroyed two areas of the “They’ve got this beautiful Peterborough and Havelock, proposed an Environmental warrants more attention.” from Markham. Rouge Valley. Election Preview Issue Councillor faces heat over extension Pg. 2 Local candidates’ platforms Pg. 4–5 Ex-neighbours feud in Ward 35 Pg. 8 Struggle to involve New Canadians Pg. 9 Cho must go: Opinion Pg.10 Scarborough-wide issues Pg. 11 PAGE 2 - The East Toronto Observer, October 15, 2010 NEWS Rouge Valley invests in green tech Cho hits New sun/wind hybrid will generate cashflow for conservation park JOSH UNGAR on selling the electricity to Toronto Hydro to help support The Observer the conservation area. roadblock “We’re going to put the power back into the grid and After having a low-sitting solar panel stolen off the help support the local area,” said Serena Lawrie, a Councillor takes heat over grounds in 2007, the Rouge Valley Conservation Centre Rouge Valley Foundation board member. “So basically has really stepped it up this year. we’re selling it back to [Toronto] Hydro and all the money opposition to road extension A new ePole, a hybrid solar and wind turbine generating is being put into the conservation centre.” station, was centre stage at this year’s Fall for the Rouge The Rouge Valley Conservation Centre already has a BILLY COURTICE environment because fewer Affair on Oct. 9. It had residents wondering why 20-year contract ensuring the new ePole generates money The Observer cars will use residential governments aren’t looking into building more of along with electricity. The pole, which cost about streets, he said. these revolutionary power generators. $100,000 to build, was paid for by government Councillor Raymond Cho “There are so many “Why don’t they put more of these around here grants and public donations. is taking heat from his Ward cars speeding through instead of these big, stupid propellers they keep “The centre is looking at a 10–12 per cent 42 opponents for his stance Morningside Heights,” trying to put in our lake,” lamented Mary Collins, return on every dollar they spent on the ePole, against the Donald Cousens Poonawala said. “It will a resident of the Rouge. “These are a much better most investments bring you closer to 3 or 4 [per Parkway extension through diverge traffic toward the solution.” cent],” Bird said. “This is a sound investment and it Scarborough. highways instead.” Proponents of the ePole say it takes the best promotes green energy.” It is too late to stop the The project is intended aspects of wind and solar energy production, EfstonScience designed the poles with wildlife controversial construction to direct high volumes refines some of their flaws and combines them in mind. The wind turbine is a solid turning plan and Cho is against it of traffic in a north-south into a single, self-sufficient energy source while piece of metal that birds and bats can see and just to curry votes, candidate direction from Hwy. 407 in producing no negative emissions. avoid, unlike the rotating blades of regular Namu Ponnambalam said in Markham, through northeast “These towers are completely silent, they generate 50 wind turbines. With 12 solar panels mounted on an interview. Scarborough to Hwy. 401. per cent more energy than turbines of the same size the poles, they don’t waste any space either. “He is playing politics with It was halted in 2008 and they can operate in wind as low as 6 km/h,” “The next step is to have solar panels installed on it,” Ponnambalam said. “He following mediation between said Tim Bird, sales manager for EfstonScience, the roof here at the conservation centre,” Bird had many years to engage his the two cities and Markham’s the designer of the ePole. said. “We’re hoping people start doing things community and he failed to newest environmental The Rouge Valley Conservation Centre’s ePole like this at home.” do that.” assessment will be released was built last month and is on track to be hooked A few similar poles have gone up around the Cho was unavailable for before the end of this year. up to the Toronto Hydro power grid on Oct. 18. city, including one at the EfstonScience shop at comment. At a Scarborough Rather than using the energy directly, the centre plans 3350 Dufferin St. Cho has taken a stand meeting in May, Markham against the expressway representatives met strong cutting through Scarborough opposition from residents of since its conception in 2003, Morningside Heights who citing traffic congestion, were concerned over the Non-citizens cast out of city ballot logistical issues and amount of traffic that would to vote,” said Leonardo According to a 2006 census, Brian Ashton. According environmental concerns. potentially travel through the FIONA PERSAUD Zuniga, the camapign the majority of Malverners to Ashton, the right to vote highly residential area if the The Observer But his concern for coordinator for I Vote were of a visible minority should be granted solely in the environment on the main roads could not handle Toronto, a community and only 36 per cent of citizenship. As the end of the campaign issue doesn’t match his the estimated 27,000 cars per organization dedicated to eligible voters cast a ballot. Canada has a three-year nears, not all residents willingness to build an LRT day. expanding voting eligibility “While the coalition residency requirement to will have the vehicle storage facility on Markham had proposed to permanent residents. represents many different achieve citizenship. opportunity to cast a continuous throughway Zuniga said that with interests, they are united “I am a real-life example of the boundaries of Rouge their vote in the a low voter turnout in their understanding that [how] permanent residents Park, candidate Shamoon option, which would have election. in elections, this Toronto’s electoral process are active in the civic life Poonawala said. had Morningside Avenue Currently, a strategy would engage must better reflect the make- of Toronto’s politics,” “The same guy who wants connected directly with the permanent resident residents now before up of its residents,” the said Zuniga who has been Donald Cousens Parkway at living in Canada to build storage facilities on they become citizens.