O@ O@ One Year and Going Strong?
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The Scarborough QUIRKY STUFF n The Observer goes on a hunt for the weird and wacky at Scarborough shops. OBSERVER Pages 4-5 Vol. 6, No. 4 Fri. Nov. 4, 2011 torontoobserver.ca Serving the Scarborough community since 2006 Occupy protest not for all of us Popular rally not drawing support from Scarborough By MARYAM SHAH The Observer Distance doesn’t make the heart grow any fonder. In the case of Occupy To- ronto, it might be making it pretty indifferent. Scarborough has six priority neighbourhoods, slashed transit, decreased Jessica Lee /// Observer housing and perhaps the largest immigrant popula- Surf’s up! tion in Toronto. Despite all this, the sub- A surfer catches a wave on Lake Ontario at the Scarborough Bluffs. In the fall, more surfers make it out onto the lake due to urb barely has more than bigger waves caused by stronger winds. See story on page 7. three representatives at the Occupy Toronto protests downtown. Why is this suburban community out of the loop? The answer lies in both the physical and mental dis- One year and going strong? tance between the two ar- eas. College graduate Shane Despite criticism across Toronto, Ford still supported in Scarborough Behari heard about the pro- tests downtown but doesn’t know much about them. By YEAMROT TADDESE of Toronto has a revenue Does he feel the need to The Observer problem.” join them? Provincial and federal “No, I Regressive. Out of governments have left don’t,” he touch. Anti-Toronto. Toronto to foot extra bills replied. These are only a few of but haven’t increased the He feels the words Rob Ford’s budget for the city, he @ that there critics use to describe the added. are other Toronto mayor. “Ford wants fewer po- Ol For more on this ways to Scarborough residents lice, fewer firefighters, story, head to protest and seem to disagree. fewer garbage collectors, News at toronto said he A recent popularity poll fewer health inspectors observer.ca would try put Ford in the bottom ,and I think that’s bad.” those first three among Canadian He added the city before tak- city mayors. needs each and every ing the step But the same poll found Josh Ungar/// Toronto Observer file photo one of these workers. to Occupy Toronto. Scarborough is one of two Ford’s press secretary “Currently, I guess, there areas in Toronto where Rob Ford celebrates after the announcement of his win in the race for Adrienne Batra said the are other methods of cre- residents still have a soft mayor of Toronto last year. mayor’s promise to build ating a voice,” he said. spot for him. the Sheppard Subway and “Firstly, if I had an issue Forty-two per cent of Scarborough and North Scarborough sees Ford as Coun. Glenn De Baer- the Eglinton Crosstown with the education sys- York residents feel Ford a “champion of change.” emaeker thinks the deficit light rail transit under- tem, I would write to the is good for their city, Even though accom- issue didn’t stem from ex- ground is what makes him l For more on politicians, I would create this story, see compared to a 37 per plishing his goals meant cess spending. popular in Scarborough. a Facebook page, I would Features at cent average for all of cutting services, Del “Ford thinks … we But De Baeremaeker toronto find other means to protest. observer.ca Toronto. Grande said residents spend like drunken sail- disagreed, calling Ford’s There are various opinions @ Ward 39 councillor “understand that you have ors,” he said. “The actual plan “a disaster for Scar- about whether it’s effective O Mike Del Grande said to pay as you go.” problem is that the City borough.” or not,” he said. The Scarborough Observer /// Friday, Nov. 4, 2011 NEWS 2 Residents face evacuation fears Lowry Square tenants upset by city’s plan to sell public housing By JANICE YEUNG tal repairs. We will start with on TCH’s list to be sold were The Observer 70 vacant houses, then proceed clustered in Wexford, Orton Toronto Community Hous- to sell houses where tenants Park and Malvern. In Malvern, ing tenant Tina Chaisson are overhoused, where repairs about 45 houses were on the might have to move out of her are most expensive and where list, with 13 of them on Lowry house on very short notice. the value of the property is Square. She did not know her unit greatest.” Social housing veteran Joy was on a “to-be-sold” list in Chaisson was not the only Connelly, who started the blog a recent TCH report until her tenant upset Opening the neighbours told her InsideTo- with TCH’s de- Window, said ronto.com published a photo cision. she thinks there of her unit on its website. “I wouldn’t are alternatives The photo was part of an ar- really like to @ to selling the ticle about Toronto Communi- be evacuated houses. ty Housing selling 706 homes somewhere l ReadO more on this “I’m sympa- story in the News section across the city, including hers. else,” said Al- at torontoobserver.ca thetic to TCH’s The plan has been up for heim Morris, dilemma,” she consideration since Oct. 14 at a sales representative living said. “TCH does need to raise TCH’s Yonge Street headquar- at another single-home com- money to repair their build- ters. munity housing unit at Lowry ings, and the scattered houses Kyle Rooks, media relations Square. have been difficult and expen- manager at TCH explained in “I am already used to this sive for them to manage.” an email interview: “Once we neighbourhood,” he said. “The But, Connelly said, there have approvals, we will sell whole point of this is irrelevant. are other options, including af- the houses on the open market, There is a slim possibility that fordable home ownership, that Janice Yeung/// Observer to the highest bidder, using a where they’re moving us to is would help low-income fami- fair, open, transparent process, better than this place.” lies, preserve mixed-income Tina Chaisson’s unit is on the list of houses to be sold in Toronto Community so we can raise as much mon- Scattered throughout Scar- communities and still give Housing’s recent sales plan. She says she is worried about moving farther ey as possible to pay for capi- borough, houses that were TCH money for repairs. away from her workplace and leaving her friends in the community. $29-million YMCA centre gets Bike path route thumbs up from community poses dilemma By ANDRE Nann, Toronto’s Manager of own internal approval process.” “The fact that the multi- Kathy Rideau is torn commute easier.” THURAIRATNAM Community Development. Services are to be provided service community hub will be between the natural and This is the dilemma The Observer “We are still in the ear- by community agencies, some situated in the former Timothy the man-made. that Coun. Gary Crawford Residents couldn’t be hap- ly stages of the develop- of which receive United Way Eaton BTI lands means that it As an avid cyclist also faces. pier with city council’s approval ment and [are] very happy to funding, as well as YMCA ser- is already in a natural access who uses the bike lanes “From the perspective of a new $29-million commu- have reached this milestone vices and health services from point for the community given along Kingston Road, of the city, I am all for nity centre at Warden and Finch with council’s decision,” the Scarborough Hospital. the proximity to the Bridlewood Rideau would love to trying to find alternative in northwest Scarborough. Nann said. “Now, the non-city The central location is also Mall and Bridlewood Library,” see the expan- routes for major bike The addition of a community partners are going about their beneficial for the community. Nann said. sion of a bike paths,” Crawford centre is something of a neces- path. But she said. “But I under- sity, says Jordie Scott who has says she does @ stand that residents lived in the Steeles-L’amoreaux not want to want to maintain neighbourhood his entire life. interfere with O [Chine Meadows] as l Visit “There’s nothing around nature to do it. torontoob- a naturalized area.” here. Period,” Scott said. Toronto’s server.ca to While the proposal “Sometimes you have to park depart- see a map is still up for discus- of Chine travel miles before you reach ment has Meadows sion, Crawford says anything fun. It’s always a con- proposed that and the he wanted to slow stant ‘Where should we go?’ a one-kilometre proposed down the process to cuts just to try and find something stretch of natu- hear the residents’ to do. It shouldn’t be like that. ral path, known point of view. After re- [The community] puts on a few as Chine Meadows to ceiving many complaints, things every now and then, but nearby residents, be Crawford said it was time nothing consistent. This would paved to provide an to hear them out. be a consistent place to go and alternative route to “I heard from residents have all your recreational needs cyclists on Kingston Rd. that it was happening too fulfilled.” “Chine Meadows is quickly, so I did a walk of The 100,000-square-foot fa- such a beautiful part Chine Meadows with the cility will be built on the grounds of this neighbourhood, community members,” of the former Timothy Eaton I wouldn’t want to see Crawford said.