By:Jennifer Ouch, Emma van Wijngaarden, Lisa Im, Katie Koob, Carson DeRuiter, Charvine Mercado, Yar Matin, Mykhaylo Kosykh, & Katie MacPhersonAccording to Statistics Canada, the country welcomed over 300,000 immigrants in 2016. Over the course of many months, we have been working with immigrant populations within some of Toronto’s most ethnically diverse neighbourhoods.Whether it be at a Community Centre, a nursing home, or a school, it is clear that one of Toronto’s greatest strengths is its multiculturalism and ethnic diversity. Despite this strength, our interactions with immigrant people have opened our eyes to the challenges of moving to a new country.Numerous immigrants reported that moving to Canada is an extremely isolating and confusing experience. Take a moment and ask yourself; What is your quality of life when you can’t speak English and don’t know where to get food or health care? A Torontonian shared “I felt “so alone and I got lost a lot. It was hard to find friends because I couldn’t speak English and there was so much stigma about my situation”.Immigrant families and children also reported a disconnect between accessing government resources or lack thereof. One community member said “I know there are resources out there. I just have no idea where to find them and I have a hard time reading the forms because English isn’t my first language”.Finding employment is another barrier that immigrants face when moving to Canada. A long-term care resident disclosed that the Canadian Embassy told her she could find work in Canada, but when she arrived, her credentials were not validated; “I felt misguided and deceived. I thought I could find a job but instead had to go back to school.”Culture shock and adjusting to Canadian climate is another common struggle for immigrants in Toronto; “It’s a challenge coming to a new country looking for a better life when the culture and weather is so different from what you’ve always been used to” said a community member.Immigration is crucial to Canada’s economy, helping support the sustainability of this great nation. However, it is evident to us that immigrants face a multitude of struggles when moving to Canada but no one takes the time to listen to their stories or lend a helping hand. The negative attitudes of the greater population towards immigrant people needs to stop. This involves the general public debunking false cultural perceptions and not tolerating degrading comments directed towards immigrants.Immigrants are experiencing unfair stigmatization, victim blaming for their hardships, and everyday stereotyping. We are advocating for social reform to correct these misconceptions and the preservation of dignity for the immigrant population. Services need to be changed and policies reformed. Canada as a whole needs to embrace immigrants, seek to understand their lived experiences, and provide the necessary supports they need. Please spread #StopTheBlame to raise awareness.Immigrants seeking further assistance can access: http://www.costi.org/index.php
Value Bin Gaming: Life Is Strange - A Multisensory Storytelling Experience
Video games can be expensive, with the latest games on the latest systems coming out at $100 or more. For most people, that’s a huge investment, especially if the game proves to be a disappointment. To help with this challenge, the Downsview Advocate introduces a periodic column, Value Bin Gaming, where we highlight the gems in the rough of the video game world.We want to help you play amazing games without setting your wallet on fire! Whether you like to play your video games on Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft consoles, or prefer the control and finesse of a keyboard and mouse for PC gaming, our goal is to bring you the most the gaming art form has to offer at the best bang for your buck.In this issue we review Life Is Strange, a multisensory interactive storytelling experience originally released over a 10 month period in 2015 as 5 episodes via digital download on Sony (Playstation 3 & 4), Microsoft (Xbox 360 & One), and Steam (PC, Mac, & Linux) online stores. The complete game is now available on a single disc for PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One. The game is rated M, recommended for those aged 17 and older. Since its release it has sold over a million copies and has been nominated for and won numerous video game industry awards including Games for Change’s, Game of the Year and Most Significant Impact awards for 2016.Life Is Strange sets itself apart with its focus on immersive storytelling. Developers at Dontnod Entertainment invested heavily in the writing and voice acting from day one. The result is a life-like, relatable, female protagonist whose decisions, guided by the player, determine how the story unfolds.Whereas most games relegate women to the stereotypical role of damsel in distress to be rescued by the brash young warrior (or plumber in the case of Super Mario Bros.), heroine Maxine Caulfield, voiced by actress and folk singer Hannal Telle, is at once strong and vulnerable, capable and uncertain—unusually and delightfully human. As she comes of age in a big and harsh world, she discovers that she has power over the flow of time and unfolding of events.As the player guides Max through puzzles in the changing environment, an indie folk music soundtrack scored by Jonathan Morali sets the mood, deepening immersion and magnifying the emotions of the characters. As with many of the games published by Square-Enix, including the Final Fantasy series, the soundtrack is so good it could be enjoyed on its own, sending the listener’s imagination soaring.The life-like graphics of the game, built with Unreal Engine 3, showcase the power of latest generation gaming consoles yet it still looks excellent on older computers with mid-range video cards. The artwork lends itself well to the sometimes dream-like aspect of the game’s story and its focus on photography as a plot element.Best of all, the first episode of Life Is Strange is available for free on all platforms via their respective digital stores! You don’t have to take my word for it that this game is worth your time—Try it out for free and see! If you find yourself hooked after the first episode, the complete game can be purchased for less than $10 on most digital platforms. The disc version can be purchased at most video game stores for less than $20 on Xbox One and PS4. Don’t mistake the low price for poor quality. Rumours online suggest that a television series based on the game is in development, which may explain the publisher’s choice to keep the low price of this excellent game to further build its popularity and increase viewership when the series is released. We can’t wait!
Unpacking Harmful Chemicals in Fast Food Wrappers
Many fast food wrappers and containers have a grease-repellent chemical coating, which according to a report in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, may contain chemicals that can leach into your food. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains, these fluorinated substances, a class of chemicals called PFASs (polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl), have been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers, decreased fertility, hypertension in pregnancy, low birth weight, thyroid disease, obesity, high cholesterol and immune suppression in human and animal studies.PFASs are used in products that give it stain-resistant, water-repellant and non-stick properties. Since they are made with bonded compounds of carbon and fluorine, they resist breaking down, which suggests they can accumulate in water, soil, sediment – and the human body.Researchers from the Silent Spring Institute; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Notre Dame; and other institutions measured the amount of fluorine in more than 400 fast food packaging samples across the United States. The study found one-third of them contained some form of the chemical fluorine. The good news is that most fast-food packaging did not contain any fluorine, said Laurel Shaider, lead study author with the Silent Spring Institute. This indicates that some manufacturers might be using fluorine compound-free chemicals to get the water- and grease-resistant effects they want without using compounds that carry a health risk, she says.Cutting down on fast food and eating more fresh foods can drastically lower your exposure. Michael Hansen, Consumer Reports’ senior scientist, advises consumers limit the amount of contact time food is left in its packaging. If you can, once you arrive home or at work, take the food out of wrappers and use your own plates and bowls instead.You may also want to consider the type of packaging your food is delivered in. Overall, researchers found that 46 per cent of paper wrappers tested positive for PFASs. This included 56 per cent of dessert and bread wrappers, 38 per cent of sandwich and burger wrappers, and 20 per cent of paperboard (like the cardboard boxes that French fries and pizza tend to come in). Paper cups were the only packages to test negative for fluorinated chemicals.As for leftovers: “You shouldn’t be storing food or reheating it in those packaging materials,” Hansen says.
Community Cats: Our Furry Neighbours
There are as many as 100,000 feral cats in the Greater Toronto Area. Unlike lost pets or stray cats, ferals shy away from humans, don’t meow, and have a life expectancy of only 2 to 3 years. They live a hard outdoor life scavenging for food and shelter wherever they can find it, driven by a strong instinct to reproduce as often as possible.Feral cats can get pregnant as young as 4 months old and have litters of up to 6 kittens as often as every 12 weeks, which quickly leads to a population explosion, usually in the early spring. Sadly, many of the kittens fall ill, suffer from malnutrition, and don’t survive harsh weather and predators. Feral cats will mate even if they are ill or starving, taking a huge toll on the health of females. Male ferals will spray and fight to establish and protect a territorial area, leading to those night time “cat fights” that can sometimes be heard in the distance.To address this problem, cat-loving volunteers from animal welfare organizations including the Toronto Humane Society, Toronto Street Cats, Annex Cat Rescue, and the city’s Toronto Animal Services created Community Cats Toronto with the mission of making a difference in the lives of community cats through education, advocacy, and collaboration.Volunteers take a formal workshop to learn about the best practices for helping feral cats. The primary focus is on Trap, Neuter, and Return, or TNR, which has been shown in numerous studies in large metropolitan areas across North American to be effective in reducing the population of feral cats and improving the lives of the cats already living in our communities. Once spayed or neutered, feral cats roam less, fight less, spray less, and the population normalizes through natural deaths instead of disease, exposure, and malnutrition.Volunteers are trained on humanely trapping feral cats, minimizing their distress and discomfort. The cats are then taken to a clinic where a veterinarian performs a spay or neuter surgery, depending on the sex of the cat. Every cat is vaccinated for rabies and other common diseases. A small tip is removed from the left ear of each cat to mark it as a feral from a monitored colony. A microchip is inserted below the skin of the neck, which, along with the ear tip, ensures that the cat swill not accidentally be picked up by the city pound and can be returned to their local colonies if lost. After a recovery period, the cats are released where they were originally trapped. Insulated winter shelters are built and distributed to colony locations to provide the cats with comfort during the coldest months. Feeders provide food and fresh water to the cats on a daily basis, sometimes donated by companies such as Purina or Whiskas. They also monitor the cats for signs of injury or distress and arrange for veterinary care as necessary.In the past, many cat lovers in our community took care of feral cats in secret out of fear that neighbours would blame them for the cats’ presence in the area. In fact, studies have shown that feeding cats does not increase their population. Rather, feeding the cats is the first step in identifying and handling a feral colony through a local TNR program. The City of Toronto established by-laws that authorize feeding and management of feral colonies, recognizing their importance in reduce the overall cat population in the city over time.It’s thanks to tireless volunteers who care about feline welfare that there aren’t hundreds of thousands of more cats on the streets of the GTA! Community cats are our furry neighbors who do their part for pest control and help keep other animal species such as raccoons and squirrels in balance in the urban ecosystem. With care and love and education these cats can be safe, welcome local companions as they have been in cities worldwide for millennia, such as in Istanbul, Turkey, as recounted in the documentary film “Kedi” that is playing at cinemas around the world (www.kedifilm.com).If you would like more information about feral cats or need help managing a feral colony in your area, please contact Community Cats Toronto (www.communitycats.ca).
Time to Work Your Green Thumb Again
Forget the Wiarton Willie. Gardeners like to see and hear the birds chirping because they want to start exercising their love of flowers and digging into pots.For most of the summer – when the days are favourable and the rain stays away ushering the warmth of spring and the sweltering days of summer – you can find Ms. Goodfield in her garden.Before gardening season starts she carefully goes through fliers and also calls around to garden centres to see which have the best products and offerings. She’s somewhat of a bargain hunter too and likes to see which garden centres provide excellent prices.The ones at convenience stores sometimes have good flowers and special balcony garden mix soil. But, in the last few years she’s found the garden centre at Super Store on Dufferin St. to have the most optimal offerings. Plus the staff are nice, congenial, knowledgeable, and friendly.She usually takes the Dufferin bus up to The Super Store and cabs it back to her condo. She spends a good 30 minutes at the garden centre perusing the inventory before meticulously selecting what she will choose for her garden. She has an affinity for colour and certain types of flowers to accent her balcony.Ms. Goodfield has been gardening for years and last summer populated her garden with many varieties. “Last year I was a bit more eclectic I mainly planted impatiens, begonias, hastas, roses, variegated grape ivy, petunias, morning glories and sweet peas.” Quite a collection. “Being surrounded with flowers makes me feel connected to nature and free but still right in the city.”Here are some tips she provided for anyone wanting to start a garden on their balcony. “First, you want plant to whichever way you’re facing the sun. The more sun, the better is a myth because it depends on the flowers or plants. Basically, you must give ample water depending on the heat and feed them regularly,” she says. Her choice of plant food is Miracle Grow which she gives her plants every two weeks.Ms. Goodfield further discloses, “Nature’s rain is the best water for your plants to flourish.” She continues, “If you’re the type who does not water plants on a regular basis, gardening might not be for you, because they are going to get dried up and die. And don’t forget to ‘dead head’ which is cleaning off the dried up leaves and dead flowers.”Gardening, for her, is a form of meditation, a great way to absorb Vitamin D from the sun, plus she loves to become immersed in her garden while relaxing in a chair. That is her true oasis. Her cat Ashleigh also loves to meander amongst her plants. She advices, “Be sure to check which plants and flowers are poisonous to dogs and cats if you happen to have one. For example, begonias are extremely toxic.”
M & D Medical Clinic and Pharmacy
872 Sheppard Ave. West; Phone: Clinic 416-633-1600 and Pharmacy 416-633-6800On a stretch of Sheppard Ave. West, almost in the epicentre between Wilmington Ave. and Wilson Heights, on the north side, you will find one of the best kept secrets of Downsview. It is an absolute blessing to the neighbourhood. To what am I referring? It’s the M & D Medical Clinic and Pharmacy.The medical clinic is always filled with patients and is open six days a week (closed on Sundays). Dr. Gobrial, who is the physician at the clinic, has a great bedside manner. He has a very attentive ear, is very meticulous at what he does, and really does listen to the concerns and the symptoms of the maladies which afflict his patients.He takes his time, methodically deducing what treatment can help his patients. I speak from experience as I have used the clinic on a number of occasions. I was immensely impressed with the way he actually “listened” and did not try to rush through my appointment.One of the great things about the clinic is that it is attached to a pharmacy. So as soon as you are diagnosed – and if you need medication – the pharmacy attached to the clinic will dispense it for you expeditiously.The pharmacist, Mr. Hany William, also, like Dr. Gobrial, has a very attentive ear. He is very patient and takes his time when he explains how medications work, their side effects, and how they should be administered.When Mr. William was asked why he became a pharmacist, he had a very lucid answer: “My main objective for becoming a pharmacist was to help people. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.” Very well put.While awaiting your prescriptions it might behoove you to also peruse the pharmacy’s product lines. It offers a myriad of good products to purchase, from shampoo and conditioner to facial tissue, deodorant, shaving creams, lips balms and toothbrushes, cough syrups to vitamins or female hygiene products, beverages or chocolate bars and more. Also for those special occasions there are many great greeting cards for just a dollar, what a bargain!If you are visiting the clinic, there is ample parking in the back of the building. You can park in the spots which are labeled “commercial.”Next time you’re in need of a medical clinic or pharmacy, there’s one right in the neighbourhood. You don’t have to go very far, visit M & D Clinic and Pharmacy!The clinic and pharmacy operates during the following days and times: on Mondays at 9:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., on Tuesdays 9:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., Wednesdays and Thursdays 9:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., Fridays 9:30 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. and at 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays, closed on Sundays.
Woodhouse Stout: Traditional style with local flavour
In 2014, former Labatt employee Graham Woodhouse carried on a family tradition for entrepreneurship by founding Toronto’s own Woodhouse Brewing Company. His recipe for a refreshing amber lager quickly drew acclaim and the brew became a staple on summer patios at pubs across the city.To complement its refreshing and sweet summer lager, Woodhouse recently released its second brew, Stout, better suited to the colder fall and winter months. Leveraging partner The Cool Beer Brewing Company’s medium-scale production facilities, carefully selected ingredients were combined under the supervision of brew master Adrian Popowycz in the traditional Irish style. Its pleasant simplicity quickly landed it on the LCBO’s shelves.With plentiful carbonation, it pours with a rich, appetizing froth. Its dry body has caramel notes and a chocolate bitter finish. At 4.7% alcohol, it’s a bit lighter on the malt than some of the mainstream stouts. It pairs well with stone oven baked pizza and pasta with sausage and sun-dried tomatoes.The expansion of Woodhouse Brewing’s offerings showcases some of the emerging talent that the growing local craft brewing scene has to offer. Here’s to hoping the trend continues. Cheers!
Toronto Housing Price Boom: Anat Papp Answers It All
By: Giovanna Loureiro and Rhiannon Moller-TrotterThe housing market in the GTA continue to get higher while listing availabilities only gets lower. For the past few years we have been seeing housing prices go up, with nearly half of Ontario’s population living in the Greater Toronto Area. 2016 was a hot year for the housing market in many Canadian cities, but the GTA will be the strongest market in 2017.Many people wonder why prices keep rising and the main explanation is that there is a greater demand than there is supply. The most hopeful economists expect the market to cool down a little bit, but no one can deny that it will remain strong overall. With factors such as the strong investments of Asian and Persian home buyers, rising numbers of millennials hunting for a home, buyers competing amid a scarcity of listings, and the continuous fall of business investment in Ontario, many wonder when Toronto’s housing market will crash. The average home price in the GTA has not fallen since 1996, but they have increased by almost 20% in 2016 compared to 2015, meaning the market conditions in 2017 are extremely tight.The biggest issue, however, is that first-time homebuyer will face more difficulty buying a home. With the mortgage rules changing, they will be expected to give a bigger down payment while qualifying for higher mortgage rates. The reason behind this math is that the government reduced the number of mortgages that could be insured and, therefore, lenders want to compensate for the added risk by charging consumers a bit more. Many argue that whoever plans to buy their first home in 2017 might have to forgo their dream house and buy a cheaper home or, in the worst-case scenario, will have to continue to rent.Luckily, Anat Papp, Broker, can find you a solution by helping you decide which neighbourhoods and towns to focus on. If you’re a seller and you’re wondering if you’re going to miss the biggest payday of your life by not selling, she will also be able to help you.What should you do in order to keep ahead of the price increase? If you saved up to 30% of your gross annual income towards a down payment for a house you would have to make $130 an hour just to keep up with the price increase. It sounds insane, doesn’t it? So, we suggest a two-step approach:
- Meet with Anat and voice your questions and concerns
- Set a plan and follow through with it
With Anat’s guidance, the market will seem a less daunting. You can do it with her help! Contact Anat Papp today to rid yourself of all your housing worries.Anat Papp, Broker of RecordGreenfield Real Estate Inc, Brokeragemobile: 416-712-6807phone: 416-226-1020fax: 416-398-1021http://AnatPapp.com
$15 and Fairness Town Hall at the Jane Street Hub
The room at the Jane Street Hub was crowded with people coming to hear about the Campaign for “$15 and Fairness”. $15? That’s the Ontario minimum wage the campaign is fighting for. Fairness? That’s all about the improved working conditions the Campaign wants to see brought in through changes to Ontario’s workplace legislation.It’s obvious that for millions of us the workplace has been changing for the worse. It’s become harder and harder to get jobs that pay a living wage, that provide dependable employment, benefits such as sick pay and decent schedules. This is a fundamental source of the struggle so many have to get by at the same time that we see those at the top of the scale becoming better and better off. The Campaign has been fighting to address these problems.Deena Ladd, Coordinator of the Worker’s Action Centre which played a central role in the Campaign, remarked on how awareness of and support for the Campaign’s demands had grown. Leaks in the press indicated that the government was likely to support a $15 minimum wage and some of the other demands of the Campaign. Deena emphasized the important role that strong organizing had played in helping to build the public pressure needed to bring this about.Patty Coates Secretary-Treasurer of the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) spoke about “Make it Fair” the parallel campaign of organized labour. That campaign has emphasized the importance of making it easier for workers to unionize.Malka Paracha is a food service supervisor at York University and a member of UNITE HERE Local 75. She described a long, difficult, but inspiring struggle at the University that ultimately succeeded in obtaining a breakthrough contract.Fatima Mussa is a Project Coordinator at Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services at Jane Street and Woolner . She described why Access Alliance became actively involved in the 15 and Fairness Campaign. It’s simple: low wages and stressful working conditions are a central cause of poor health.Laurie Simpson, is the chair of the Weston Chapter ACORN. She spoke of her organization’s strong support of the Campaign’s objectives and activities.The Ontario government is committed to making changes to workplace legislation. It established a Changing Workplaces Committee to make recommendations to it. The Committee had made its recommendations the day before the meeting.Deena Ladd summarized those recommendations. She pointed to some that were positive, some that were negative and some that were missing.Access Alliance and co-EMCEE and local activist Chiara Padovani had an appointment to see York South-Weston MPP Laura Albanese the next day. The attendees made suggestions about what they should tell her the government should do with the Committee’s recommendations.The attendees were treated to moving spoken word and musical performances by MC Mohammad Ali and local resident Zoey Amour. They also heard a closing deeply stirring performance of a piece composed by co-EMCEE Donna Michelle St. Bernard which you can find on Youtube.On May 30 the Ontario government announced Bill 148, a package of proposed reforms to workplace legislation. The Bill does not contain all of the changes the Campaign wanted. But if brought into law it means a huge step for workers in Downsview and right across Ontario. Here are some of the changes: a $15 minimum wage within 18 months, measures to make it easier to join a union, equal pay for part-time, casual, temporary and contract workers and fairer scheduling. Let’s work to make sure the Bill passed. The lesson? Organizing for change can succeed!