Laura Barrett page 7 Kalimba queen
R. Crumb’s all-knowing eye
page 7
the newspaper
university of Toronto’s Independent Weekly
February 4, 2010
vol. XXXII N0. 1
Eva shelter fills age gap
GORD BROWN
TEJAS PARASHER
The recent spate of deaths on Toronto streets has people thinking about the ways that our car-centric culture interacts with pedestrians and cyclists. In January, there were 14 pedestrian deaths on Toronto streets. In fact, on Wednesday, February 3 a woman was hit by an unmarked police car just outside of Toronto East General Hospital, a teaching hospital affiliated with the U of T. One of the heaviest areas for pedestrian traffic in the city is the St George campus and surrounding environs. Fortunately for U of T students, however, there is safety in numbers. Narrow streets and the higher number of pedestrians crossing through the university and streaming across is roads make fatal collisions around the University of Toronto statistically less likely. Most of the recent deaths have been on higher speed arterial roads, especially in suburban areas. Having said this, the U of T Graduate Students Union (GSU) is on record as express-
The statistics are appalling, however one looks at them. Toronto has Canada’s largest homeless population, and over 10,000 of them are under the age of 24. Faced with chronic unemployment, physical abuse, and a suicide rate almost 100 times the national average, they are one of Canada’s most at-risk—and least cared-for— demographics. But just a short subway ride from the St. George campus, a grassroots organization has been quietly trying to help these youth find some stability in their lives. Eva’s Initiatives, which started as a basic street-shelter in 1994, is currently one of the most innovative NGOs in Canada. U of T’s Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) invited Eva’s Initiatives to give a presentation at its January 28th meeting. At the presentation, the innovative elements of the program were highlighted. Anyone between 16 and 24 who enters Eva’s offices is allowed to stay for up to one year. Employment and housing are guaranteed upon leaving. Staff-members at Eva’s give immediate counseling to all attendants—and their definition of “counseling” includes everything from harmreduction to how to manage relationships. “Nearly 40 per cent of these kids have mental illnesses,” says Marie MacCormack, Director of Development with Eva’s Initiatives. “And there’s nothing for them—no supportive housing, no counseling … . They start to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs.” For the NGO’s coordinators, Eva’s is just trying to compensate for a glaring oversight in provincial policies. They point out that Ontario does not have a single substantive program for at-risk youth. At 16, one is required to sign out of foster-care.
Robert French mans the donation booth outside of Howard Fergeson cafeteria at uc, raising funds for Haiti.
UTSU asked: where’s the money? Report alleges budgetary misallocation AMY STUPAVSKY A new student budget report has its coauthors and UTSU embroiled in a finger-pointing battle, as it contains allegations that $200,000 in levies from the Health and Dental Plan budget were misallocated. What students Jack Phelan and Mike Maher call “creative budgeting” and a “culture of secrecy,” UTSU boils down to misinformation and conjecture. The report outlines UTSU’s operating budget and the $360,000 revenue value associated with the Health and Dental Plan administration. The contentious levy is the Health and Dental Plan Administrative Fee, at approximately $6 per semester, which is collected to cover plan expenses. The authors believe that operating costs of $360,000 cannot be reliably identified, and therefore the remaining portion must fund other programs. They wrote that this reallocation of funds is in violation of the “Policy for Non-Academic Incidental Fees.” They extrapolated a $160,000 actual operating budget, leaving $200,000 unaccounted for. Without access to actual figures or detailed reports, however, the numbers are based on conservative estimates. Maher and Phelan are Innis College Student Society executives who have filed previous grievances with
ALEX NuRSALL
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ALEX NuRSALL
U of T looks both ways for pedestrians
UTSU. The two began investigating UTSU’s budget allocations after the Annual General Meeting, when they learned that the auditor’s report did not look into specifics of UTSU’s policy spending. With a $1.8 million operating budget, they wanted to ensure that UTSU was adhering to its financial plan. “We can say with certainty that those monies aren’t being spent on administering the plan,” said Phelan. “It might be an honest mistake, it might be legitimate expenses. We just don’t know.” “It’s tantamount to going to a restaurant and being overcharged,” said Maher. They sent the report to UTSU via FedEx on Jan. 19, clearly indicating that they wanted a response within
ten days. Fifteen days later at press time, they have yet to receive a reply. When they did not hear from UTSU, they contacted the provost’s office and the media. “It doesn’t take ten days to answer a very simple budgetary allocation question,” said Maher. “That is most of the frustration. We were shown a total lack of respect.” UTSU rejects the claims, citing false assumptions that have led to false conclusions. Executives said that the budget is clearly laid out and approved by the Board of Directors. “There are no irregularities in our budget,” said Sandy Hudson, UTSU President. “It’s very clear from the report that they don’t understand the internal processes of the UTSU.”
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