HOCKEY FINALS SATEC Porter Eagles complete the upset See page 8
DANCING ACROSS CANADA Scarborough skaters place 14th in Vancouver See page 8
THE EAST TORONTO
• Friday • March 5 • 2010 •
OBSERVER
• PUBLISHED BY UTSC/CENTENNIAL COLLEGE JOURNALISM STUDENTS AND SERVING MALVERN, HIGHLAND CREEK AND WEST HILL •
•TORONTOOBSERVER.CA•
Without a voice Scarborough residents look to the city to improve housing
josh ungar/The Observer
Willie Pendelbury, a 15-year resident of the building at 4301 Kingston Rd., wants sub-standard housing to improve in Scarborough. He says the conditions are deplorable in the building and around the area. Pendelbury is not alone, many Scarborough families are struggling to find adequate housing. Special Report: pages 4-5.
Tamil newspaper Teen’s death evokes criticism of police policies prevails over vandals PaTrycja klucznik
amanda kwan The Observer
The windows were smashed, leaving small glass shards hanging from the corners of the frame. But the contents within the office of Toronto’s Tamil newspaper, Uthayan, were untouched. “I am very lucky,” Uthayan editor Logan Logendralingam said. “In India and Sri Lanka, many newspapers are attacked. They go to the production department and damage the computers because they don’t want the papers to be published again.” He is thankful the culprits did not damage the computers and believes they didn’t go inside, Logendralingam said. The windows of the office at Progress Avenue near Markham Road, have been covered with plywood. It will cost $12,000 to replace the them— a difficult expense to cover since Uthayan is a free newspaper collecting revenue
only from advertising, Logendralingam said. The act may be revenge for a recent meeting between Tamil-Canadian leaders and the president of Sri Lanka, he said. On Sunday at 7:30 a.m., Logendralingam received an anonymous call on his cellphone. “They said, ‘Your friends went to Sri Lanka and met the president. We don’t like it and we condemn that. So we did something to your office. You will see there is [a message].’ ” Logendralingam thought the person left a written message on his door. When he arrived at the office, a gaping hole laid where a two-pane window used to be. “There were broken pieces on the outside and inside, spread all over the place, 15 feet from the door,” he said. “It was terrible and I got frustrated.” See TAMIL, Page 2
The Observer
The province should look into prohibiting police shooting at motor vehicles, unless a serious threat exists by means other than the vehicle, a coroner’s inquest into the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Duane Christian has recommended. Christian was shot in the arm and chest in 2006 while driving a stolen minivan into the parking lot at 3700 Lawrence Ave. E. He was not carrying a weapon. The Special Investigations Unit investigated and cleared Const. Steve Darnley of misconduct in the shooting. Darnley testified at the coroner’s inquest last month that Christian was on the verge of running over his partner, Const. Rowena Edey. In 2008, Toronto Police changed its policy to prohibit officers from shooting at a vehicle unless serious danger exists for an officer, other than from the vehicle itself.
duane christian If that policy had been followed in 2006, Christian would not have been shot, says Peter Rosenthal, the lawyer representing Christian’s family at the coroner’s inquest. “Here’s a policy that would have saved Duane Christian’s life,” Rosenthal said. “But the officer that killed Duane Christian said that he would [shoot] again tomorrow.” The coroner’s inquest into Christian’s death concluded on Feb. 25 with six recommendations, including studying the possibility of enacting the amended police policy province-wide.
Christian’s family filed an unprecedented $2-million lawsuit against the SIU charging the investigation was negligent. The investigation by the SIU was “not a serious investigation of any kind,” Rosenthal said. “The SIU says that they owe a duty to the public, not the mother of the victim,” Rosenthal said. The SIU went to court to have the lawsuit stricken, but lost. Edey testified at the inquest on Feb. 11 she felt she was in a life-threatening situation and had made attempts to move from the path of the van. Rosenthal said discrepancies in the case include testimony by a witness who heard arguing that did not show up in the officers’ accounts of events. The SIU, however, is facing heat not just from Christian’s family. In late 2008, André Marin, ombudsman of Ontario, released an extensive report highlighting holes in the
SIU investigation, such as the SIU not being notified of the incident until nearly 75 minutes after Christian’s death and his mother being left unaware of her son’s death for hours. The ombudsman noted there were 226 incidents investigated by the SIU in 2006, in which only two charges were laid. Crime victim advocate Kemi Omololu-Olunloyo defended the investigation and the officer’s actions. “Police have families too, just like us,” Omololu-Olunloyo said. “Parents should open their eyes. My sympathy goes to Duane Christian’s family, but suing the SIU will not bring him back or erase the memories. “These days, when there is a police witness and all these dashboard cameras that capture images, seeing his partner almost run down is something that may have endangered the officer’s life too. The officer defended the life of his partner.”
PAGE 2 - The East Toronto Observer, March 5, 2010
NEWS Poo to power the zoo EMILY HUNTER The Observer
Let’s face it, the Toronto Zoo is full of poop. Now the sweet smell of progress fills the zoo as it looks to turn the poop into power. It is now accepting bids for a new biogas plant. “We looked at what is a liability and thought about using it to create green electricity,” said Ward 38 councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker, a zoo board member. The Toronto Zoo is expecting to have a privately built power planet up by summer 2011. The plant is expected to make the zoo carbon neutral in two years, plus produce enough electricity for 2,500 homes in Toronto. It will use the feces of 5,000 animals and organic waste from grocery stores and restaurants to produce the energy. “All the old banana peels and apples that don’t sell and right now go to landfill sites will go to the plant,” De Baeremaeker said. The zoo is looking to private investors to pay the DE BAEREMAEKER $20-million bill for the project. De Baeremaeker says many companies are eager for the development. He expects the plant’s electricity will be sold to the grid and make profit for its investors within five years. “The zoo wins, the private sector company wins, the taxpayer wins and the environment wins.” But not everyone agrees. “It’s a great project, but big deal,” said Rob Laidlaw, director of Zoocheck Canada, an animal rights group in Toronto. “The zoo is in the animal business and they are supposed to be engaged in wildlife conservation. I don’t see any evidence of that happening,” Laidlaw criticizes the zoo for its recent animal deaths: a matriarch elephant and a rare Siberian tiger. He says the zoo cares about popularity more than animal welfare and conservation. “We’re trying to change the mandate of zoos to be more compatible with species survival and to become places of education and advocacy,” De Baeremaeker said.
KIRSTEN PARUCHA/The Observer
More than 11,000 hectares could be added to Rouge Park, making it stretch from Toronto to Pickering, Markham and Whitchurch-Stouffville.
Rouge Park may go national
Proposal 20 years in the making to go before provincial and federal governments KIRSTEN PARUCHA The Observer
The National Park Now Committee is hoping to have Rouge Park officially named Rouge National Park by the end of this year. The committee asked the federal government to turn Rouge Park into Canada’s 42nd national park. Committee members included councillors from Toronto, Markham and Pickering, a former environment minister and several leaders of Scarborough environmental organizations. “The local government and the provincial government have made their contributions, so now it’s time the federal government stepped up to the plate to
add additional lands within Rouge Park,” Ward 38 councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker said. “Rouge Park is a national wildlife treasure. That’s what we were saying 20 years ago — that’s what we are saying today.” In the committee’s proposal, the national park would add 11,000 hectares to its already 4,800-hectare park. The park would begin in Toronto and stretch across to Pickering, Markham and Whitchurch-Stouffville. The national park would help preserve the ecosystems and habitats of animals currently living there, according to De Baeremaeker. “Rouge Park is like a Noah’s Ark on the edge of Toronto,” De Baeremaeker said.
the municipal government “There’s a large enough land got tired of waiting. mass that everything like It’s not clear why an action trout, salmon, white tail deer, plan has taken more than two hawks and bald eagles could decades, but De Baeremaeksurvive in this very large wiler said the re-proposal will derness area. Everything else be successful in Toronto has willbeen destroyed. Rouge Park is because ingness to preThis last little like a Noah’s serve the enpiece of Toronto vironment is just got spared the Ark on the at an all-time bulldozer.” edge of high. The origiToronto “The ennal proposal was vironment is pitched more - Coun. Glenn held in higher than 20 years ago, De Baeremaeker regard than it when the municiwas 20 years pal government ago,” De Baerfirst requested the emaeker said. motion for a na“People today are more tional park. It was only last aware of the environment besummer that the National cause of concerns of global Park Now Committee was warming which weren’t realformed and revived the plan ly around 20 years ago.” for national park status after
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Jim Robb, fellow committee member and general manager of Friends of the Rouge, agrees. “I don’t think people understood how important it would be if the park served as a national park,” Robb said. “I think back then the government saw it as a challenge rather than an opportunity. Since then, the urban areas have grown and they’ve diversified and now the federal government must realize it’s their turn to reach out.” The proposal is under review by the provincial and federal government but it looks promising, De Baeremaeker said. If all goes well, construction of the national park could begin in the fall.
Tamil newspaper was warned before attacks
AMANDA KWAN/The Observer
Logan Logendralingam, editor of Uthayan, wants the community to speak out against vandalism.
From Page 1 The vandalism followed a week of angry phone calls to the Uthayan office from members of the Tamil community, angry at the CanadaSri Lanka Business Council for sending a delegation to Sri Lanka to speak to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Logendralingam said Uthayan consciously did not report on the trip. “I could have got photographs from other websites, but I didn’t because I knew this would create more problems. This will create anger
against our newspaper.” Despite this decision, his office became the target of an attack because of its importance in the Tamil community, Logendralingam said. “It is considered the No. 1 Tamil newspaper [in Toronto] because of its coverage of community events,” he said. The weekend vandalism was not the first attack on the Uthayan office. Three years ago, the windows at its old location on Ellesmere Road were also smashed – a reaction to an editorial Logendralingam wrote on youth
violence in the Tamil community. The culprits were never found. Logendralingam said the Tamil community in Canada is not violent but vandalism is a way to express anger because the culprits are rarely caught. “I don’t blame the police. But I hope they do something,” he said. “I want the people who did it to be educated. They must be taught it is an offence.” Logendralingam addressed the vandalism in an editorial in his Feb. 26 issue.
The East Toronto Observer, March 5, 2010 - PAGE 3
NEWS
Scarborough to lose two school board trustees? SARAH MOORE The Observer
A proposal to cut human resources and staff in the Toronto District School Board may prove beneficial, says trustee Scott Harrison. Harrison is proposing decreasing the number of trustees from 22 to 20 due to declining student enrolment and the unequal distribution of trustees across the district. “If you look at the inequality of the system, there are parts of the city that don’t have as much representation as others,” Harrison says. “If you look at the declining enrolment in the board, we should be re-evaluating the staff and our boundaries.” Harrison says the board faces a $17-million deficit and cutting staff is necessary. “If it’s possible to save money and resources, and if it (creates) a more equitable distribution for a community, then you do it,” Harrison says. Realigning the boundaries will give each ward more equitable representation, Harrison which is good for Scarborough students who currently have less than one-quarter of the vote even though they represent more than one-third of the board. “Things won’t change 100 per cent,” said Harrison. “But communities will have more of a say with their representatives.” Harrison proposed the idea four years ago when boundaries were realigned, suggesting trustee wards should be changed as well. Harrison says the timing wasn’t right and overhauling the system would have been difficult to achieve by the March election. Currently, the board can have a maximum of 22 trustees and a minimum of five. Harrison issued a report proposing a decrease in the number of trustees as the best way to represent the newly defined wards. The changes may meet with some opposition, Harrison adds. “Change is always a hard thing to do,” Harrison says. “We need to lead by example and the onus is on the board of trustees to create a fair system for the voting public.” The report will be up for approval this March. If passed, the changes would be put in place for the 2014 election.
Community group fights for subway instead of LRT alice hoang The Observer
Construction has begun on Sheppard Light Rail Transit line, but a local group is trying to halt the project by bringing attention to “Transit City deceptions.” The controversial project will connect Sheppard Avenue East to the Don Mills subway station. The members of Save Our Sheppard (SOS) oppose the line, as they’re advocating for viable transit in Toronto, said Patricia Sinclair, organizer of the group and 30year area resident. The city’s anticipating economic growth in the neighbourhood, but critics claim it’s a wasteful expense. Although the group wants a subway instead, city councillors say it’s not affordable. The 14-km Sheppard East line will cost the same as the 6.2-km Sheppard subway, according to toronto.ca. “When we only have so much money, why not use that for a continuation of the underground subway from alice hoang/The Observer Don Mills to Kennedy?” SOS Reg Rego said. SOS member Reg Rego is concerned about the negative social-economic impact of the LRT. The city’s building “a spiinclude lower costs and dieleaves us economically at a Another concern is the der web” of a mess, as LRT sel fume emissions while it distinct disadvantage when lack of access for vehicles operate providing a clean, comfortyou compare us to other citvehicles from one in a dedicated Even Asia able and fast way to travel. ies, not only in North Amerside of the street right-of-way, he and India Although Ward 39 counica, but in Europe,” Sinclair to the other, cresaid. cillor Mike Del Grande said said. “Even Asia and India ating a “dividing A subway are doing construction started in late are doing better than we in Sheppard wall,” would be more better than he said. 2009 in the underpass of the building new transit lines.” reasonable, even we in buildAgincourt GO Station and Ward 38 councillor Glenn If an incident in terms of “imis to be completed by 2013, De Baeremaeker said aldisables a streetmediate capital ing new said there hasn’t though the $1-billion projcar, emergency costs,” as the transit line services would be ect will cause unavoidable Sinclair been much progress. underground tun- Patricia Public consultations for disruption, the city is workdelayed, resulting nel for a streetcar the LRT project are set for ing with local residents and in “a total cripwould have to Sinclair March 8 at Jean Vanier Cathbusiness owners to minimize pling of transit,” be at least 45 cm olic Secondary School and inconvenience during conRego said. higher than for a subway to March 11 at the Chinese Culstruction. “This city has fallen beaccommodate electric power tural Centre. He said benefits of the LRT hind in a major way, which lines, Rego said.
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Community Briefs Malvern gives relief to Haiti Local black youth group Liberated Minds raised money for Haiti earthquake relief last month, seeking donations from the East Scarborough community. Contributions were collected at the TAIBU Community Health Centre.
Bite into March Break Fans of the popular vampire series Twilight will be in for a treat this March Break as the Malvern Library is set to host a free viewing of the first film, Twilight, on March 19 from 2-4:30pm.
Man busted for drug crimes A Hamilton man is facing four drug-related charges following a search of his Scarborough home. The search on Feb. 20 yielded 587 marijuana plants in the Brimley Road and Eglinton Avenue house. Hong Nguyen, 33, has been charged with production, possession and intent to sell marijuana, and theft of hydro.
Gala fundraiser for heart health More than $10,000 was raised for the cardiac care program by the Rouge Valley Health System Foundation. Guests at the five galas, held in Scarborough and Ajax, each donated at least $50. The next gala is set for Mar. 16.
Budget delays cut Rouge hospital jobs Josef jacobson The Observer
The provincial government is to blame for the recent layoffs at Rouge Valley Centenary Hospital, says the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. Fourteen positions have been terminated, including lab technicians and mental health workers. The government will not give hospitals an idea of what their funding will be next year until September, shortening the time hospitals have to make important budgeting decisions,
secretary for Health MinisOPSEU spokesperson Rick ter Deb Matthews. “But it’s Janson said. a complicated “Some [hospiprocess between tals] are trying to Some the Ministry of avoid risks by car[hospitals] Health and the rying out layoffs now,” Janson said. are trying to Ministry of Fi“There haven’t avoid risks nance to maintain quality and been any other by carrying operating costs.” indications at this “At this point in terms of out layoffs point, we don’t what that funding now have budget level could be.” - Rick Janson numbers yet,” Hospitals have Langrish said. been told there “But we have made huge inwill be some additional funds vestments since we took ofnext year. fice.” “There will be an inLangrish said in these crease in hospital funding,” “challenging economic said Ivan Langrish, press
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times,” the ministry must consult with hospitals when designing the budget, but OPSEU is left out of the conversation. The Rouge Valley Medical System originally planned the layoffs in 2008. There haven’t been any more layoffs and there are no plans for more layoffs in the future, said David Brazeau, RVMS director of public affairs. Brazeau said the layoffs haven’t affected services, as they’ve had more patients since the plan began. The union responded to the terminations by appealing for
political support across the province. “We had a meeting with the health minister last week to address some of these issues,” Janson said. “[The minster] suggested that some of these layoffs could actually be rescinded, although it doesn’t look likely when we look at the nature of a lot of layoffs.” The union has also been contacting local MPPs. “We’re hoping the government will see it doesn’t make much sense to lay off people while they’re trying to stimulate the economy and create jobs,” Janson said.
PAGE 4 - The East Toronto Observer, March 5, 2010
Scarborough’s Hidden Homeless Life in the suburbs isn’t perfect for everyone alina smirnova amanda kwan The Observer
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billboard promising new townhouses stretches across an empty field at Kingston and Galloway Roads. Along the Kingston motel strip, a non-descript grey building is surrounded by used car dealerships. A school bus pulls up in front of the building. An excited boy runs outside. This is Family Residence, a city-run shelter housing more than 50 families. Behind the fence is Idlewood Inn, rented by the city when the shelter is full. Paying a weekly rate of less than $300,
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some lodgers stay for months, says motel less in the suburbs, says Pastor Bruce Ervin, president of the Scarborough Interfaith Afmanager Lisa Fritz. Fritz often becomes attached to those who fordable Housing Association. Ervin is also head stay, she says. Some pastor at Knox United even call her “mom.” They need a place to Church where the Out She also acts as counstay and we of the Cold program sellor and mediates provides homeless disputes between resihave the people with shelter, a dents. facilities meal and a bus token. She would like to see Running the promore families stay at gram for more than six Idlewood. “They need - Pastor Bruce Ervin years, Ervin has seen a place to stay and we people in desperate have the facilities.” Scarborough residents are more aware of situations. “I remember an individual who had rented the need for social services to help the home-
Illustrations by kaitlynn ford
a storage locker,” he says. “He was using it for sleeping at night.” Despite a growing awareness of homelessness in the suburbs, action seems to be lacking, Ervin says. “People are beginning to wake up to the reality but somehow the social services haven’t fully caught up to that reality,” he says. Although shelters are crowded, the first draft of the 2010 city budget reduced funding for affordable housing and homelessness programs by 7.6%, the Wellesley Institute reported. This drives the operating budget down to $854 million from $925 million last year, the institute noted.
SOCIAL SERVICES LACKING
erty is a major cause of homelessness, and once you become homeless, you become even poorer and you find yourself spiraling further and further down into a hole.” A United Way study found that between 1981 and 2001, family poverty shifted from the downtown core to the inner suburbs. In Scarborough, there was a 136.6 % increase in the number of poor families during this 20year period, and the number of higher poverty neighbourhoods rose to 22 from four in 1981. United Way hasn’t released an updated study since the recession. But Ervin has seen more people using the Out of the Cold program at his church, which can shelter up to 25 people. “Our very first night, we had one person who stayed overnight,” he says. “Last winter, on the coldest nights, we had to go slightly over capacity.”
“It’s nothing short of a catastrophe,” says Laura Sky, director and producer of Home Safe, a documentary on homelessness in Toronto. “The policy makers don’t go and visit HOUSING AS A HUMAN RIGHT family shelters, and go and visit homes where people are doubling and tripling up.” “Housing is an internationally recogHome Safe explored the lives of those nized right,” Sky says. “Access to adequate without housing security or living in sub-par and healthy food is a human right. People conditions. shouldn’t be deprived of either because they The city’s 2006 Street can’t find an ecoNeeds Assessment estinomic space for mated there are 64 visthemselves in our ibly homeless people in communities.” Scarborough, representing Despite this, lowWhen you don’t do 8% of the total number of income families something about a homeless in the city, alhave trouble finding problem, that in itself is rental accommodathough it acknowledged there may be more hidden a policy...It’s a policy of tions, says Dorothy homeless people. Cook, manager at neglect Sky questions the surGabriel Dumont vey’s method. Non-Profit Homes, “We find that most of which offers rent- Laura Sky the homeless people we geared-to-income know are invisible, and it housing for First gives a false number,” she Nation families. says. “Not everybody, even under the Human In Scarborough, homelessness is “both hid- Rights amendments, wants to rent to large den and evident at the same time,” Sky says. families or people on social assistance,” she While there are shelters, like Family Resi- says. dence, there are more homeless families than There are often long wait-lists for affordthose staying there. able housing, sometimes taking years. How“You have people living in basements and ever, social service information is not easily doubling-up with family, and kids at school accessible. who nobody realizes are homeless,” she says. “If you’re homeless, you don’t always have the money to go on a bus and get to a library,” Cook says. “We find that it is pretty much POVERTY CONNECTION word of mouth when we have families lookWhen bills come due at the end of the ing for housing and rental accommodation.” The government needs to take a more acmonth for house and apartment renters, the population rises at her motel where the week- tive role in solving homelessness, Sky says. “People often say there is a lack of political ly fates are cheap, Fritz notes. Low-income families spend as much as 50 will,” she says. “But I actually think it isn’t a lack of political will. When you don’t do % of their income on housing, Ervin says. “If there’s a slight rent increase, you’re sud- something about a problem, that in itself is denly not able to afford housing anymore,” a policy. It’s not that there is no policy. It’s a Ervin says. “It’s a cyclical kind of thing. Pov- policy of neglect.”
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The systemic causes of homelessness need to be addressed, such as a lack of access to affordable housing and food and wages that keep people below the poverty line, Sky says. “We need politicians who are going to make all these things a priority,” she says. The Scarborough Interfaith Affordable Housing Association plans to buy a house to rent to homeless people to tackle the local problem. “When we began [the Out of the Cold program], we were clear this was simply a BandAid solution,” Ervin says. “What we really wanted to do over the long haul was to provide permanent housing for homeless folks.” Although the group is looking for a house
in Scarborough, it is still in its preliminary stages. And while the house will provide a roof for a select few, others will have to continue searching for a place to stay. While homelessness in Scarborough may be invisible to most, it’s not for Fritz, who has seen many people come through her motel. “At first, it was quite devastating,” Fritz says. “But you can’t help everyone. You do what you can.”
To see a map comparing poverty in different parts of Scarborough visit torontoobserver.ca
PAGE 6 - The East Toronto Observer, March 5, 2010
COMMENT
The East Toronto
OBSERVER
Looking at cause before the effect
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early four years ago, as a stolen van sped towards Const. Rowena Edey, her partner Const. Steve Darnley made a split-second policing decision to save her life. Shots rang out in the parking lot and the van came to a violent halt against a tree. Fifteen-year-old Duane Christian was dead in the driver’s seat. Four years later, we must realize the tragedy did not start there. It is possible in the wave of outrage that seems unavoidably linked to a boy being killed by police we have missed the most important issue at hand here. Why was Duane Christian out in a stolen van at 5 a.m. on a Sunday morning with a stash of cocaine and marijuana in the seat next to him? Christian could have benefitted from the proper supervision of institutions in this community. He was killed only two blocks from East Toronto Storefront, an organization that connects local teens with services and opportunities here in Scarborough. Or perhaps the barrier between Scarborough teens and the police was at the root of Christian’s death. A bond between police and teens like Christian is in the making with job opportunities at police stations for teens in priority neighbourhoods. Teenagers and police working to establish trust would remove the fight or flight mentality from the minds of Scarborough youth. With due guidance, Christian would have never found himself in the fatal situation. His criminal action would have been avoided and Const. Darnley’s bullets would have remained in his gun. His family and friends wouldn’t have to cope with the tragedy they’ve dealt with for four years since. But the young man’s family are not the only living victims of Christian’s death. Const. Darnley and his family would have never heard the word “killer” attached to his name. We must look beyond the badge to see the human being — he is a victim in this too. He has to move on knowing that Christian’s actions forced him to end the boy’s life. It is unfortunate that Christian was not mature enough to realize the impact of his actions, but he could have been taught. He could have been steered by his family and community away from the path that ultimately cost him his life. The most effective preventive measure in deaths like Christian’s is not a change in policing policy, and it is not a painful audit of the thought process of officers at the scene. Prevention, in this case, begins with the environment in which Christian was raised. - Billy Courtice
Costs freeze ice time
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till riding on the high of double-gold wins for both men’s and women’s Olympic hockey teams, the nation is now returning to the NHL action. But dreams of Olympic gold and Stanley Cup stardom take root right here in Scarborough on home ice. Boys and girls take part in our beloved sport through house leagues and representative teams, but the game’s popularity comes with a hefty price tag. One that sees many families struggling to keep their children enrolled in the sport. The yearly escalation of registration fees to cover facility expansions, ice time, and maintenance has become to hockey arenas what the Maple Leafs are to lost games. Simply registering your children can bring a price tag of up to $420 per child at leagues like the Scarborough Youth Hockey League. That’s before you add the costs of equipment, travel, accommodation, and tournaments. Families, of course, have the choice to register their child in hockey or not, but with yearly costs for just one child amounting to thousands of dollars per season, it’s difficult for low-income families to enrol their children in extracurricular sports teams. Enrolment in local leagues has been declining for a while. The Scarborough Hockey Association considered the sad possibility of closing its doors earlier this year because of low enrolment. In fact, due to the low number of children enrolled the league was forced to partly merge with the Greater Toronto Hockey League. Not only is it distressing to see such a lack of local interest in youth league hockey, but the situation costs parents more: In the SHA the average season cost is $1,200 and in the GTHL the seasonal cost has blossomed to $2,500. It’s time the issue was addressed by the minor hockey associations and the city to curb the escalating costs of this beloved game. If nothing is done to counter this notion that high fees are just another part of the game, then many young players will be forced to bow out of their leagues, leaving the game accessible to only those who can afford the steep prices. -Sarah DeMille
KAITLYnn FORD/The Observer
A million little connections
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very day, we make tiny connections with many people we may see for only a brief moment. Maybe they were not seen at all. It is startling to think that Col. Russell Williams was just another face in the crowd. It is scarier to think that his face was lost in the very same crowd as Paul Bernardo. The reaction to discovering he went to University of Toronto Scarborough Campus usually is “when did he graduate?” The chance the accused killer may have been a person passed in the school halls is both terrifying and exciting. I wonder if someone I have met, or made one of the many daily connections to, could be the next person to have a double life exposed: One half normal and the other half heinously criminal. I know people who attended UTSC during the era of the Scarborough Rapist. Their personal accounts of his influence on the community were of terror. To an extent, the general public has become desensitized to these dangers. The dark backstreets and ill-lit corners are not the only places these attacks occur. Victims of similar crimes are just as likely to go missing during the daylight hours. Younger residents shrug off warnings from parents or loved ones. My grandfather will not allow me to take the bus home late at night without a friend. Are these warnings what is needed for there to be real change? Williams rose to
Caitlin STOJANOVSKI prominence with the Canadian Forces and secured one of the top positions. The people who encountered him have described him as an “easy-going, nice guy.” If Williams is found guilty, it reinforces this concept of a double life. No one suspected Williams when the murders and sexual assaults were initially reported. Neighbours never had a reason to doubt Williams’s friendly and trustworthy persona. We are not taught to doubt what seems like genuine gestures without indications of underlying malice. What this incident with Williams, and this reminder about Bernardo, has taught me is that parental warnings are justified. There is no way to tell the difference between friend and foe. These people and the connections that we create with them, influence the rest of the chain. When a double life is revealed, the chain suddenly branches to these darker recesses of human emotion. These dark chains are usually those that remain in our conscience in the longest. Scarborough remembers what
happened then and personal stories from that era carry a similar theme: “We were right to be paranoid. Look what else happened so easily, and could happen again.” Rewards were offered for information, and stories were released to describe possible attacks that could be connected to this assailant. There was panic and paranoia. Bernardo’s trial for the murders of Kristen French and Leslie Mahaffy did not take place until 1995. His first sexual assault was cited as being in 1987. Williams is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, as well as two sexual assaults. The parallels here are unavoidable. Though police cannot confirm a direct connection between the two men, there is speculation of one. One convicted, and one charged in murders and sexual assaults. Both attended the same school, with overlapping subjects, at the same time. There are still cold cases that linger and haunt the community. The two could have conspired, convinced or influenced each other. Naturally, we want to assume they both were connected in some way. It makes the thought easier to bear. What we can learn from this tragedy is this: No matter who we meet, encounter or befriend we must be wary of the million little connections we make each day. They affect and change our lives, each encounter at a time.
THE EAST TORONTO
OBSERVER
Managing Editor: Billy Courtice Online Editor: Kimberlee Nancekivell Assignment Editor: Fiona Persaud Copy Editors: Sarina Adamo, Rishma Lucknauth, Nadia Persaud Photo Editor: Megan Harris Production Editor: Josh Ungar Faculty Editors: Eric McMillan and Andrew Mair
The East Toronto Observer Serving Malvern, West Hill and Highland Creek is published by University of Toronto/Centennial College journalism students under faculty supervision. We are located at the Centennial HP Science and Technology Centre. Please address correspondence to The East Toronto Observer, c/o Centennial College, 755 Morningside Ave., Toronto, ON M1C 5J9, 416-289-5000, ext. 8306, fax 416-289-5168. Email: HPObserver@centennialcollege.ca The opinions expressed in The Observer do not necessarily reflect the views of the college. The Toronto Observer, a companion website, is at torontoobserver.ca
The East Toronto Observer, March 5, 2010 - PAGE 7
ARTS & LIFE
Fare hike is a GO
TTC could lose right to strike
Transit prices set to rise this month
Sarah demille The Observer
The state of the TTC is under scrutiny yet again, this time due to a private member’s bill, submitted Jan. 22 by Liberal MPP David Caplan. The bill would make the TTC an essential service and make future strikes illegal. City council debated the issue two years ago. In October 2008, councillors decided by a vote of 23–22 not to ask the province to change the TTC’s status. Critics of the new proposal say the city already has essential services that are unable to strike, such as police and fire services. This process results in more salary hikes than if the contracts had been negotiated freely between the two parties, said Bas Balkissoon, MPP for ScarboroughRouge River.
An inconvienient truth “It’s not convenient. We must make mass transit a priority for Scarborough to discourage people from getting in their cars,” Balkissoon said. Wayne Arthurs, MPP for Pickering-Scarborough East, is against the TTC becoming an essential service. “Public transit is certainly a matter of convenience and it has an economic impact, but it doesn’t involve people’s safety,” Arthurs said. Arthurs said we need to consider the long-term costs. “Some people are promising everything for free,” said Ward 38 councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker, a former TTC commissioner. “I don’t support it and I think it’s very ironic that some people say ‘I want to save you money’ with one breath, and then say ‘I want to make the TTC an essential service which will cost you more money’ with the second breath,” De Baeremaeker said. “The third breath is ‘I’m going to raise your taxes more.’” The proposal will benefit people who use the TTC to get around quickly, efficiently, and cost effectively, De Baeremaeker said. “People who live in condos out by the Rogers Centre can walk to work if they have to during a strike,” De Baeremaeker said. “But if you live up in Malvern, Jane and Finch, or North Etobicoke, for example, you can’t walk to work. It would take you two days.”
Saeda raghe The Observer Sarah Moore/The Observer
The volunteer students of Blessed Mother Teresa, one of five Catholic high schools in Toronto that hosted the seventh annual Northern Spirit Games last week.
Smells like teen Spirit Games
Northern Games focus on understanding aboriginal culture Sarah Moore The Observer
British Columbia is not the only province celebrating the spirit of winter games this year. Blessed Mother Teresa was one of five Catholic high schools in Toronto that hosted the seventh annual Northern Spirit Games last week. Students from nearly 50 elementary schools took part in the games, which focused on understanding traditional aboriginal culture through teamwork and sport. The Spirit Games allowed elementary school students from across the city to take part in traditional native activities as an extension of their native studies classes. “(Participating in the games) makes learning come
Kathryn Edgecombe are alive and makes it jump from both of Metis descent and the book,” John Somosi, a performed traditional native presenter at the games, said. songs for the “It gives them a children during physical experiIt’s been a the opening cerence that they’ll huge honour emonies. remember.” They taught Brian Armto be a part the students strong, games of this and it’s how to use hand co-ordinator a real drums and enand a former elcouraged them ementary school beautiful to sing and teacher, agrees thing dance. the games are - John Somosi “It just lets a great way to them have fun learn through because everyhaving fun and one likes to sing, or at least being physically active. perform,” Somosi said. “Yes, there is a time for The students also took the theory part,” he said. part in 10 different games, “But if you actually physicalincluding kickball, a snowly take part in something and shoe race and a spear throwif you are active in something ing contest. For safety’s sake, then the retention level really however, the children played increases.” with foam spears. Somosi and partner
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Another important component to the games was that older students were given the opportunity to perform leadership roles. Younger children met the students and teachers from high schools they may attend. While there were many components of the games, the main goal for everyone involved was having fun. Somosi said although he wants to break down barriers of racism and teach the children about aboriginal culture, seeing the children enjoy themselves is a reward in itself. “It’s been a huge honour to be a part of this and it’s a real beautiful thing,” he said. “You’ll see the kids throughout the day have these huge smiles on their faces and it’s just fun to be part of it.”
Scarborough Bluffs show off rock-star ANGELA ROTUNDO The Observer
For University of Toronto geology professor Nick Eyles, there is nothing more exciting than the stories rocks can tell. He passed on some of that excitement to a Scarborough audience of 60 at Bendale Public Library last month. On Feb. 23, the Scarborough Historical Society hostNick Eyles ed Toronto Rocks, a geological look at significant parts of the city like the Scarborough Bluffs. “The Scarborough Bluffs are world-class cliffs that tell a lot about ancient climate,” Eyles said. “People who live in Scarborough are some-
times surprised they have something that famous in their own backyard.” Since 1981, Eyles has taught in Toronto and written more than 150 publications. His passion for geology has taken him on fieldwork from the Arctic to the Antarctic, and points in between most recently to Brazil and Australia. Eyles is still excited about rocks. One thing he found surprising was the crowd’s reaction: Like a rock, each person is unique, intriguing with something to say. “The crowd was very attentive and I found it amazing, the level of interest.,” Eyles said. “It’s tremendous fun when people are genuinely interested in their own backyard. “I’ve given three talks in the last month to public groups and the question sessions could go on all evening.
Scarborough residents, already hit by the TTC’s 25¢ fare hike this year, will also have to deal with a GO Transit increase on March 20. The 25¢ GO increase was approved at the Feb. 19 meeting of Metrolinx’s board of directors, along with more equal discounting for multiple-rider tickets and passes in all fare zones.
Rider reactions Some riders are upset to hear the news, previously unaware the hike was even proposed. Shukri Mohamed, a fourth-year University of Toronto Scarborough student who takes the GO train from Ajax to get to the Scarborough campus, said she was unaware of the fare increase until the Observer asked for her reaction. “I think it sucks and I’m pretty mad about it. But I’m only going to have to take it until July so I’m dealing with it. They make it seem like its just 25¢ but my monthly pass went up $14,” Mohamed said. GO used many outlets, including their website, news releases, and public meetings, to get the message out to riders, said GO media relations specialist Vanessa Thomas.
GO’s reasoning?
angela rotundo/The Observer
Dave Stanley, a resident of 30 years, watches his step as he walks along the rocks of the Scarborough Bluffs. I like talking to people about rocks and their history and I wouldn’t do it if it weren’t interesting.” Having studied the history behind rocks for so many years, Eyles said the stories rocks can tell is a bit like science fiction. “If I could have someone take away just one thing from
my presentation, it would be change,” Eyles said. “Over the last billion years, there have been tremendous changes.” Humans are just the latest tenants on Earth, he said. “One day our occupancy will expire but rocks will be the landlords to tell our story.”
The fare increase is in response to the projected operating costs for the 2010-11 fiscal year, Thomas said. “Our fare increase is in line with increases by other transit agencies,” Thomas said. GO had to make “tough decisions in a tough economy,” she said. GO projects customer fares will make up 81% of the 2010-11 fiscal year budget and provincial subsidies will make up the rest. In light of the fare hike, service improvements are ongoing and depend on weather conditions, according to Thomas. Last year, 5,000 new parking spaces were added to GO train stations, including Rouge Hill.
PAGE 8 - The East Toronto Observer, March 5, 2010
SPORTS
Eagles soar over Lions in hockey final
Fans cheered at Centennial Arena as both teams came to life in the battle for gold Kaitlynn Ford The Observer
The Eagles of SATEC at W.A. Porter C.I. are champions after beating the R.H. King Lions 4–1, thanks to an explosive third period on Feb. 24. With tempers flaring, hard hits, and scraps after the whistle in the third period, SATEC scored the goals that won the Senior Boys Tier Two B Division game at Centennial Arena. It was 1–0 Eagles going into the third. Lions’ Landon
goal, by Eagles assistant capMcGhee scored a power play tain Jake Stroscher. goal to tie the game. Then “It’s great — Eagles’ Strawe were the untos Gavriiloglou. It feels good derdogs,” Eagles scored two goals, to be cham- assistant coach including the game winner, and pions, the Carl Mah said. “The kids were Jullian Daeambra. boys are very disciplined. put the game out really They did exactof reach. ly what we told The first peripumped them to do. We od was scoreless, - Coach Joel capitalized on with both teams Gardner our chances.” getting robbed “Team play and by the goalies on disciplined play both ends of the were the reasons our boys ice. The second period ended were successful,” head coach the shutout, and saw only one
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Joel Gardner said. “Even though there were a couple of infractions, they didn’t get frustrated. They played their positions great, they skated hard. It’s kind of cliché, but that’s the way the games are won and lost.” The stands were packed to the rafters with busloads of fans brought in to watch the Eagles upset first-place Lions for a triumphant gold medal victory. “They were awesome; today’s game was the best game they’ve ever played. Everyone I sent out there did
their job,” Gardner said. “It feels good to be champions, the boys are really pumped.” SATEC had drawn Cedarbrae, who had beaten them 5–3 once in regular season play and had finished in second place, for the semifinal round on Feb. 17. Against the odds, they won the game 6–4. Eagles and Lions had played each other once in the regular season, with the Eagles giving the Lions the only tie of an otherwise perfect record. The Lions finished 5-01, and the Eagles finished 3-1-2.
Sports Briefs Local Olympian returns home Scarborough glittered with a little more gold when Cherie Piper returned home. Piper is a member of the Canadian women’s hockey team that recently secured their third straight gold at the Winter Olympics. Piper also helped prevail on the international stage at Turin, Italy in 2006, and Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002.
Boys’ team takes varsity title The Pope John Paul II boys varsity basketball team finished a good season strongly with a 65-51 win over Michael Power/St. Joseph High School in the Toronto Catholic school board semifinal. The team then went head-to-head with Blessed Mother Theresa in the final on Feb. 28 but lost 71-55 and took home silver.
Goliaths triumphant Kaitlynn Ford The Observer Kaitlynn Ford/The Observer
The SATEC Eagles show off their hardware after an exciting 4-1 victory of the RH King Lions. The Eagles were underdogs coming into the finals.
Scarborough ice dancers rank 14th in Vancouver
Gold medal for Canadian colleagues leaves homegrown duo out of the spotlight JOsef jacobsen The Observer
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir made Canadian sports history during the Olympics, winning Canada’s first gold medal for ice dancing. Meanwhile, another young Canadian duo finished the competition with little fanfare.
Hopes for the future Vanessa Crone, 19, and Paul Poirier, 18, competed at their first Olympic Games, representing the Scarboro Figure Skating Club. Their final score ranked them 14th overall. They performed better in the free dance portion of the competition, finishing in 12th place. “I don’t think they were disappointed with where they ended up,” said Martha Finerty, office manager at the Scarboro Figure Skating Club. “Their gold medal this year was getting to the
Olympics.” The Scarboro Figure Skating Club has seen a spike in membership following Crone and Poirier’s success. The club may even have to begin offering an adult program to accommodate interest. “Membership has gone up tremendously,” Finerty said. “It’s just clearly inspired everybody.” That inspiration has also touched other skaters at the Scarboro Club. “The dancers that skate with Paul and Vanessa every day, they’re even more motivated now to know what’s achievable,” club board member Jo-Anne Desveaux said. “Before it was all these people in other clubs and other places in the world that made it to the Olympics and now it’s their
teammates who have made it. It’s just inspired them to work even harder for their goals.”
Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier
The lo-
cal community has encouraged the young athletes
throughout their Olympic journey. “Before they left we had an Olympic send-off for Paul and Vanessa and I was shocked
at how many people in the Scarborough club and their friends and family that came out to support [them],” Desveaux said. “I think everyone here just feels more bonded.” Desveaux expects the pair to represent Canada at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. “They’re so young, they have another three Olympics left in them,” Desveaux said. Crone and Poirier will return to the international ice dancing circuit with renewed competitive hunger. “They’re going to the world championships in March in Turin, Italy,” Finerty said. “And they’re aggressively going after that top 10 finish.” For full standings, go to torontoobserver.ca
The East York Goliaths took the socer championship in a game versus the Victoria Park Panthers in a 5-1 victory. The Metro Sports Centre hosted the Toronto District School Board Varsity Boy’s Indoor Soccer East Region ‘s Group A and B on March 3. The first half ended with a score of 2-1 in favour of the Goliaths. East York took command of the game in the second half, shutting down their opponents and increasing their lead to a final score of 5-1. “It feels good; it’s always nice to win a championship,” Easy York Coach Mr. Tom Drivas said. “They deserve it, they’ve been together now since September, and they worked hard so I’m glad for them.” Both teams were undefeated going into the match. East York finished regulation play at the top of Group B with a perfect season of 8-00. Victoria Park placed first in Group A, with an undefeated record of 6-0-1. “We have a good bunch of guys, a good bunch of players on the team, and they play well together,” Victoria Park Coach Nick Vretanos said before the game. His team will have the opportunity to compete for the gold next year.