City needs to license rooming houses

Sarah Evans

In this era of scarce housing in Toronto, we can't afford to ignore any options. The Toronto Housing Charter says, "All residents should be able to live in the neighborhood of choice without discrimination". Given the situation, it just doesn't make sense that many of the rooming houses in Toronto are illegal.

Rooming houses are intended to provide accommodation for three or more people (some are much larger). According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the average market rent in the GTA as of October 2009 was $922 for a one bedroom apartment and $1,082 for a two bedroom apartment. In contrast, the average monthly rent for a rooming house is $400 - $450.

Rooming houses are the only affordable option for many Toronto residents, including: students, seniors, immigrants, refugees and people with disabilities (including psychiatric consumers/survivors. Many people who live in rooming houses work; they may have low income jobs, they may be between jobs or they may simply be unable to find other affordable housing.

Currently, they are the cheapest form of accommodation in Toronto. A study for the City of Toronto's Homelessness Action Task Force estimated that there are more than 1,000 rooming houses in Toronto, housing more than 10,000 people.

However, the city requires rooming houses to be licensed, and as it currently stands, they are generally only allowed in the former City of Toronto (pre-amalgamation). They are illegal in Scarborough, North York and East York, and in Etobicoke and York, they are only allowed in very restricted areas.

While the city may think its strict licensing process will protect tenants from poor maintenance, overcrowding and exploitation, many rooming houses operate outside the law, making them especially vulnerable to these threats, as well as legal consequences. If the city licensed rooming houses, it could protect tenants by setting standards and sanctioning landlords who fail to meet them.

We could also avoid tragedy. In 1989, 10 people died in a rooming house fire at the Rupert Hotel on Parliament Street.

It is no coincidence that rooming houses are declining at the same time as homelessness is increasing. The Ontario Human Rights Commission has asked the city to end its discriminatory treatment of rooming houses. The fact is that many people can't keep up with the rising cost of living on their meager wages and government assistance. This makes rooming houses the only alternative to the streets, hostels and shelters, In Toronto, 30,000 homeless people use the emergency shelter system each year.

Regulating rooming houses isn't costly, and it would save the city millions of dollars in the upkeep of shelters and hostels.In January, however, the planning and growth committee voted to defer further consultation on the issue until next year. I agree with the Rupert Coalition...it is urgent for city council to act quickly to license rooming houses across the city, including the adoption of a harmonized zoning bylaw that would bring them into the mainstream.

About Sarah Evans

Death and taxes: A vision For Toronto's seniors

Is what they say about death and taxes true? Until recently, I accepted both as the predetermined irrevocable course of life and never thought to question it. That is until I thought about my grandmother.

Nothing beats my grandma’s cooking. You name it, she can cook it. In fact, every time I’m at her house being fed, yet another helping of chicken, macaroni pie or rice and peas I ask her how she does it. Her response is always the same, “I’ve been doing it all my life”. The truth is my grandma cooks like her life depends on it because there was a time when it did. Today it’s the kind of reality show that would have made networks millions; think Survivor meets Iron Chef, but instead of losing your chance at millions, you get deported or lose your work permit.

As a young mother in her 20s, my grandma left Jamaica to build a better life for her children. She left her tiny island and her tiny tots in the care of her siblings and prepared for a new life in Canada. Her first job was as a domestic in Nova Scotia where her cooking talents eventually led to a stable job in Toronto. During that time she would send money back home, working towards the day when her kids (my dad and aunt)would be by her side. Then in 1976, with her stable employment and understanding of the Canadian way of life, my dad and aunt arrived to Canada.

My grandma worked hard to make sure her kids did well. And what repayment will she get for her years of service? Death and taxes. In the spirit of non-discrimination, this seems to be the “gift” every senior receives, even the ones who don’t have the adequate means to live a dignified life. It’s too bad you can’t regift bad government decisions. Or maybe you can.

Could Toronto introduce a revised taxation system that uses property taxes to make life better for low income seniors? Wait, we do that through the Ontario Fair Assessment System, but let’s take that step further. Almost 10 per cent of Toronto’s population lives in social housing. And that number will double in the next few years. Municipalities like ours need to take a leadership role and design a plan that ensures that seniors who weren’t able to afford a house in our expensive city can still have a chance at a life of dignity.

The statistics are alarming. More than 20 per cent of Toronto’s seniors live in poverty and the number continues to grow in this city. Many impoverished seniors live alone, without many social networks. Family and supports are sporadic at best, and with the unstable funding of many non-profit organizations, community programs are only in “just visiting” status; long enough to say hello, but just as quick to say goodbye (Aside: is this what they mean by “socially liberal and fiscally conservative?”).

Currently Toronto’s poverty rate for seniors is 50 per cent higher than the national average. If the predictions are right and this population increases by 50 per cent by time 2031 rolls around, what does that mean for us?

If we do nothing, then it means nothing. Life will remain as is. Seniors will continue to suffer in silence, living in social and economic exile, confirming their existence through up-to-date tax records. Meanwhile, the cost of living (especially food, shelter, transportation) will continue skyrocket to stratospheric levels at the same time that quality of life plummets to embarrassingly, no, shamefully substandard levels.

By revising our taxation system for low income seniors, Toronto would be making a bold statement: that seniors deserve a life of dignity.

Currently the income supports for impoverished seniors are a guarantee that they will die poor and forgotten; Poor because of their struggle to pay for taxes on a very limited income and forgotten because living in poverty often is a life of isolation for seniors. When you’re a poor senior, there’s no afternoon brunch and social clubs to frequent. That’s a luxury afforded to the affluent.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting that social clubs open their doors to destitute seniors. What I’m suggesting is that our government take a leadership role in recognizing that as Toronto becomes home to more and more seniors and the poverty becomes an inevitable reality, we should look at the taxing impact of the taxation system on impoverished seniors.

This also raises a bigger questions: Do we have an equitable vision for aging in Toronto? Yes, the old adage about death and taxes is true. They are inevitable, but they should not be related.

About Tonika Morgan

Is Toronto a second-rate city?

I ask this because there seems to be this disconnect between people moving into the city and those that once ruled the city years ago.

If you talk to someone of a certain age who lived in the city years ago, Toronto was a much desired city to live in as well. Now, to them, not so much. People respected each other and neighbours knew each other.

Toronto was a cleaner and nicer place to live in. I think the city has gone off track but is still generally a good place to live, play, and work in.

People took pride in the city, how could you argue against being full of pride, Toronto was once seen as “New York run by the Swiss” in that we had the big city feel with the rational, efficient, governance needed to run a metropolis. While people took pride in their surroundings, they were also accountable for their actions.

Fast forward years later and Toronto is no longer “New York run by the Swiss” but rather “New York overrun by the unions”. No one is accountable for their actions anymore. How many times have you heard “It’s not my job” or “Someone was supposed to…”?

This new me-first attitude is, unfortunately, generally reserved for Generation Y but has been commonplace in City Hall and of those who left the city long ago.

Speaking of City Hall, there was once a time where politicians at all levels would act without necessarily thinking of a legacy. Politicians did more for the city in less time and with less money than those who currently work at City Hall.

The current crop of politicians have become “career politicians”. To these men and women, the wards they represent, and perhaps cared about at one point, have morphed over time into their own personal fiefdoms where they wield a lot of control and power.

Larger issues that affect the city are trumped by smaller, more local, issues that may affect how the city operates. Bike lanes are a great example. People want a city-wide bike network, just not on their street or on any major routes. City Hall fights a misguided “war on the car” but it’s still much easier to go across the city by car than by transit.

Which brings me to us, the citizens of Toronto, and the GTA, where we need to realize we are all in this together. This 416 vs. 905 divide is fictitious and petty. As a region we need to realize we need each other and that there are more serious issues we need to tackle than preconceived notions and feelings based on area codes.

If you feel Toronto is second-rate it is because we accept second-rate service. We accept all-day rush-hour traffic and dirty streets, buses, and subways. We accept mediocre politicians and officials and their attempts to divide the GTA along urban and suburban lines.

We accept this because we feel there’s no alternative, but there is an alternative. We need to start leading by example and demanding the best from our city, its leaders and residents.

It should no longer be acceptable to trash the City of Toronto with negligent and ignorant comments, nor should it be acceptable to jump to conclusions about the 905 and how people live their lives there. Petty and snarky remarks are part of the past.

Mutual respect and constructive dialogue should be in. We cannot allow Toronto and the GTA to be disrespected anymore. It’s time we demanded change.

I want a city that is vibrant and globally attractive. Toronto can be this kind of city. I want to be part of a city and a region that leads and doesn’t follow.

Our best days are ahead of us Toronto and not behind us. We just need to be shown what Toronto can be and how we fit into this vision.

About Robert Kirsig

A sweeping vision is in the details

I’m really having a hard time getting excited about any of the candidates or issues being discussed in the municipal races to date. I know it’s only April and October is a long time away but this should be the time when big ideas are being generated, promoted or at the very least tested.

Instead, I just keep hearing the same old issues and complaints without a real sense of what should be done about them or in which direction Toronto should be headed.

We all know the TTC is lacking in customer service and needs to be transformed to become more customer focused. But how? It’s clear that the Province’s cutting of transit funding will delay (if not kill) Transit City. Beyond complaining, how should we respond?

More bike lanes are a great idea for some and seen as social engineering against the car by others. That’s nothing new and therefore the controversy around them is not surprising.

But these are simply debates about issues that were framed by the last Council. It’s important to debate the merits of current initiatives but where are the new ideas? Who is articulating a new Vision of where Toronto should be headed. Wouldn’t it be great if we started to hear some great new proposals?

What about promoting urban agriculture in a big way and setting a target that 10 per cent of food consumed in Toronto be grown within its borders. Vancouver has made great strides in expanding backyard food production to include eggs from poultry and Toronto could go much further.

Why are we hearing so little about the environment? Car companies are desperate to expand the market for hybrids and electric vehicles and need cities to put in place infrastructure like plug-ins at parking stalls and gas stations. Why is Toronto (or anyone else in the GTA) not looking to put such infrastructure in place and revamping its parking policies to match. Aren’t we an automobile manufacturing centre?

These are only two simple ideas. Many others are imaginable. Increasing the diversity in our municipal Council and municipal staff to better reflect the city. Installing dual water pipes in buildings so that we don’t need to shower with drinking water or flush it away. Finally recognizing that waste from energy is a laudable and environmentally responsible strategy. Signing a long-term agreement with the school boards so that instead of spending $20 million per community centre we could actually use the publicly-paid-for gyms and swimming pools and meetings spaces that too often sit empty.

I almost no longer care what the idea is, as long as it is a positive look forward and not simply a negative attack on the present. I’m desperately waiting for someone to articulate a Vision and get me excited about this election.

About Pino Di Mascio

Sex for Life and other lessons in leadership...

TV, billboards, posters around the city… Everything is saturated in sex. What's a 9 year old to do?

Last week, looped into helping with my daughter’s Grade 3 field trip, I spent a solid hour on the TTC with twenty 8 and 9 year olds … Eye-opening to say the least.

Somewhere on the Yonge line, one boy loudly blurts out: “SEX FOR LIFE”, and much giggling ensues. Following his gaze leads me to that all-too-familiar subway ad. Aha. The boy then proceeds to read out the entire ad.

Erectile dysfunction, anyone?

Much more giggling, whispers of "what does that mean" and then more whispers, leave me wondering how one 9-year old explains erectile dysfunction to another 9-year old?

I’m agog that the Premier has backed-off updating sexual education programs in schools. Aside from the unending ridicule he will face over his flip-flopping, lily-livered lack of leadership, it’s a move in the wrong direction.

Speak to anyone working in sexual health or public health and they will tell you that many children are simply not being taught these things at home. They are learning it from similarly misinformed friends, TV, movies and the Internet. And what they are learning is not always positive or healthy.

Meanwhile, Toronto Public Health assigns sexual health educators to work with schools, but I gather they are assigned to 10-20 schools each, in addition to their other responsibilities.

So, with such a lack of leadership on the provincial front, if we are going to rely on parents to actually feel comfortable enough to speak with their children about sexuality, I guess we also have to work on that parent comfort-zone. Our City is as good a place to start as any.

To that end, let’s look again at what our own city is doing right. Toronto Public Health has a program underway called “Raising Sexually Healthy Children Peer Parent Leadership Training.”

To date, 106 parents from seven cultural communities have graduated from the program and themselves have become Parent Mentors in their community. Some of these Parent Mentors are now running their own workshops within their communities, answering questions that are often considered taboo, and helping to develop language and culturally specific sexual health resources for use in those communities.

So, how do we get parents to embrace and support sexual education in schools, and demand as much from government? Well, I suppose we need to educate the parents. Teaching sexual education in schools does not remove parental responsibility for sexual education.

We need to help clear up the confusing messages are kids are getting (those whispers on the subway) and use that as an opportunity to share our own family and cultural values with them. And while we bulk up on the courage-front and learn about leadership, we can show Dalton McGuinty how it’s done.

About Marit Stiles

Should fit be free in Toronto?

Should health and fitness be something only available to those that can afford to pay?

Contemplating the future of Toronto and the call for ideas, a friend recently pointed me in the direction of the Guardian’s Public Services Awards 2009. The overall winner of last year’s award was the City Council of Birmingham for their Gym for Free project.

It’s so big, so bold… It’s probably not the kind of idea anyone in our now "have not" province or city wants to allow themselves to dream about. But if Birmingham can do it, why not us?

You see, on Valentine’s Day 2008, Birmingham City Council and the public health trust (part of the National Health Service, I gather) partnered up to send an invitation to the residents of the Ladywood District, offering every household free use of civic recreation facilities in return for attending four times a month.

Within seven months, the number of Ladywood residents using public gyms on a regular basis had skyrocketed from just 90 to more than 6,500. The project was so successful, so quickly, that Birmingham has now extended the project to the entire city of 1.1 million residents.

Why does this matter?

Ladywood is one of the most depressed districts in Britain, where most people are too worried about feeding their families to spend precious dollars on gym memberships.

There’s not room here to go into everything to be learned from Gym for Free, but suffice to say that along with the myriad health benefits, the project aims to build social cohesion. It gets people talking, sharing experience. Furthermore, the economic benefits -- particularly in the longer term as they see reduced health costs -- will be significant.

Look, I don’t think that a parks and rec fee increase is the number one issue of this election. But that’s because I live downtown, with lots of access to gyms and recreation centres, and have some disposable income to spend on those things. And when I compare the cost of using city facilities with the cost of private gyms and private lessons, those fee increases still don’t look so bad.

But at the end of the day, shouldn’t all families have access to good facilities and supports? Some families may need an extra hand or incentive to take advantage.

Like Ladywood and Birmingham, there are real health inequalities in our city. In 2008 Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health released a frightening report, “The Unequal City." The report illustrates the impact of Toronto’s health inequalities by showing what would happen if everyone was as healthy as those with the highest income:like, 1,300 fewer low birth weight babies, and nearly 1,600 more children ready to learn at school entry.

It’s pretty clear the City of Toronto needs to think big. We need to reduce poverty, and close the gap on health inequalities.

So along with the Do the Math Campaign, ask the provincial government to immediately introduce a $100/month health food supplement for all adults on social assistance, and set up a process to set rates based on what it actually costs to live a healthy, frugal, dignified life in Ontario -- let’s look at offering more and better services that will help keep residents healthy.

If Birmingham can think big and bold, why can’t we?

About Marit Stiles

Increasing intercultural relations

Two years ago, city councillor Rob Ford made disparaging and stereotypical remarks about people of Asian descent, saying “Oriental people work like dogs” and that “they're slowly taking over.”

Ford initially defended his remarks as complimentary, and only apologized after city councillors voted to force his apology

So, why is this relevant now?

Ford recently announced his candidacy for the mayor's seat in one of the most diverse cities in the world. As a public figure, the mayor represents Toronto both in Canada and abroad.

Our mayor is a reflection of our city and our people. He or she should be a leader we can be proud to call our own.

As a Torontonian of Chinese descent, the sting of Ford's comments lingers even now. And I know many of my fellow Asian-Canadians feel the same way.

To gain the trust of voters, particularly ethnic minorities such as myself, city councillors need to do more than just throw around words like “diversity” and “multiculturalism.” They need to demonstrate cultural sensitivity, and a real understanding of the racial dynamics in Toronto.

This city may be diverse, but there is a lack of integration among Toronto's ethnic communities. As local leaders, city councillors shouldn't reinforce these divisions – they should break them down.

I recall attending anti-racism and anti-oppression sessions during my time as a member of the Toronto Youth Cabinet several years ago. The city should offer similar programs to the general public. It should also host more intercultural events that will bring various ethnic groups together. Far too often, I see events such as the Toronto Chinatown Festival marketed and publicized specifically to Chinese communities. Meanwhile, other minority communities are left in the dark about these kinds of festivities, and as a consequence, lose out on an opportunity to explore and understand another culture.

Only when city councillors show this kind of racial awareness and act upon it, can they possibly earn my vote, and the vote of thousands of other Torontonians like me.

About Anita Li

Mr. Fresh: From selling drugs to cleaning the air

Photo by: M. Ann Phillips, Ph.D.

Mr. Fresh is a local entrepreneur who says that the Jane/Finch Community and Family Centre’s Green Change Project helped to validate the importance of his green business venture. Mr. Fresh participated actively in the Green Change Project in 2009, completing the 45 hour Green Change Agent Training Program and conducting more than 50 green home audits with community residents, many of whom were already his customers.

The Green Change Project was a one year collaboration of the Toronto Region and Conservation Authority and the Toronto Community Housing with the Jane/Finch Community and Family Centre as the lead. The project provided basic training to Green Change Agents in different environmental themes and engaged residents in various community greening activities. Thanks to the commitment and passion of these Green Change Agents, the project received tremendous success and media attention on the front page of the Toronto Star, was identified as one of Toronto’s four environmental game changers in the NOW Magazine and is a finalist for the Green Toronto Awards. A seed was planted.

Now, thanks to the financial support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation over the next three years, an expanded collaboration with the Jane Finch Green Jobs Coalition and the partnership with other community organizations such as the Black Creek Community Health Centre, the Green Change Project is ready to take root. The collaborative partners are also actively seeking financial support to establish a Centre for Green Change. The goal of this Centre will be to identify and attract green business entrepreneurs like Mr. Fresh and other environmentally conscious residents and youth and provide training and support to them to further their career in the green economy while greening their community, protecting its natural heritage and retrofitting community assets.

This concept works from a community asset building approach and is exactly what is needed in Jane and Finch. As he explained in a recent interview with M. Ann Phillips, long before he earned the title of ‘Mr.’ Fresh, back in the days when he was just Fresh, he was already an entrepreneur, though his path was not always as socially conscious as it is now.  Mr. Fresh started doing business when he was in Grade 4.  His career began by selling chocolates and he gained a lot of hands on experience and developed his entrepreneurial spirit from his early experiences.

Like many youth growing up in poor marginalized communities with limited opportunities, his life took a detour when he was seduced by the opportunities that the business of the street can offer.  It was getting involved with his eco-friendly business that saved his life according to Mr. Fresh.  It took him away from selling drugs and being involved with guns and all the other aspects of life on the street.  “My name is Mr. Fresh. I’d like to be known as Mr. Fresh.  It tells you who I am and where I am coming from.  The community loves that.  They gave me that name.  I didn’t become Mr. Fresh just like that.  I was given that name.  When I was working and hustling I used to be Fresh, and I became Mr. Fresh over the years of doing the air freshening business.”

Mr. Fresh developed his environmentally friendly business, a line of 4 different air fresheners with 3 natural scents and an unscented one, when he realized that it was time to change his life and do something different.  Fresh attributes his success to the support of the community. He says “the whole community has bought my air fresheners.  The whole community has supported me. ”

“Our community would like to have more clean air and more places where we can buy organic food and fruit.  We don’t have those things now.  If we can have more trees and more green areas, if we keep doing this it will be good!”

The main message Mr. Fresh learned from the Green Change program is “This is our only planet and we have to take care of it!”

Written by: M. Ann Phillips, Ph.D. and Rosemarie Powell

About Rosemarie Powell

Should energy efficient renos be a part of tax bill?

For the second time since 2006, the federal government has closed the doors on the program that helps homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their homes by providing incentives for things like insulation or installing a high-efficiency furnace. Ironically, the feds actually cited the popularity of the ecoEnergy program as part of the reason for its demise.

This is no time to be abandoning energy conservation. Homes are a major source of Toronto’s greenhouse gas emissions. Energy efficiency is our cheapest, fastest way to reduce these emissions. Using less energy helps us avoid the need for new electricity and gas generation facilities. Being more efficient improves our energy security and productivity, and stimulates green jobs. Yes, actions like improving insulation are cost-effective on their own -- especially with rising energy prices -- but there are still very real barriers that we need to help residents overcome.

Here is how I would revive the ecoEnergy program and give it the staying power of a double-brick century-old Toronto house.

First, provide no- or low-interest financing, particularly for larger-ticket items with relatively quick paybacks. This recognizes that a key reason people don’t tackle jobs like insulating the attic is the upfront cost.

Second, tie that financing to the house instead of the owner. This removes the “what if I sell and never realize the savings” barrier to home retrofits -- the new owner simply takes over the payments. This could be done via the property tax or utility bills that stay with the house from owner to owner. And if planned properly, utility-cost savings can cover the cost of servicing the loan.

Third, keep the incentives flowing for longer payback, high upfront cost items. For instance, solar water heating is a very effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is a technology that is in wide use around the world. In Canada, however, the industry has had supports yanked out from under it time and time again, de-stabilizing a fledgling green sector. If we really want to develop green businesses, we need to provide some consistent, long term support to develop both markets and industry capacity.

Fourth, one of the most useful parts of the ecoEnergy program was the home assessment that helped homeowners develop a clear plan to improve the energy performance – and reduce the climate impact – of their homes. This expert assistance should be expanded into a one-window service for help with conserving gas, electricity and water as well as to provide access to all incentive programs.

Ten years ago, the Toronto Atmospheric Fund supported pilot testing of an energy efficiency incentive program, which was so successful it went national and has helped hudreds of thousands of Canadians go green. We need more, not less, support for efficiency – it’s an investment that will make Toronto greener and richer.

About Julia Langer

Toronto needs a volunteer strategy

It’s National Volunteer Week in Canada, an opportune time to ask ourselves where volunteering fits into our lives, and into the life of our city.

According to a 2007 report prepared by Statistics Canada, 12.5 million Canadian volunteers give more than two million hours of their time per year.

Despite this impressive statistic, the rate of volunteering is declining in Ontario (from 50 per cent in 2004 to 47 per cent in 2007). There are fewer willing to give of their time, energy, ideas, influence and/or money to good causes. This is concerning, given that volunteers are the lifeblood of many charitable organizations and deliver many vital social services.

Although it is recognized by the City that volunteers play an instrumental role within various Toronto communities, there isn’t a city-wide volunteer strategy in place to promote volunteerism, connect potential volunteers to suitable opportunities, nor celebrate and recognize their contributions (Toronto’s last set of Community Service Volunteer Awards were handed out in 2006).

Vancouver has extensive online resources for its citizens to learn how and where to volunteer, and Montrealers are offered a comprehensive guide to volunteer opportunities, as well as volunteer bureaus to consult throughout that city.

Why volunteer? Apart from the feel-good aspect of contributing to the community, there are real skills to be learned and networks to be built.

And there is interest in engaging. For example, in a recent survey, Business for the Arts found that young professionals expressed interest in learning about, and spending time, volunteering in the arts and culture sector. What’s missing is a guide to what volunteer opportunities are available.

For someone early in their career, volunteer opportunities offer the opportunity for skill development and learning. Often skills learned while volunteering can be applied to professional endeavours (I’ve found that to be particularly true).

For newcomers to Toronto, volunteer opportunities potentially offer social connection and the ability to build networks, thereby supporting professional aspirations, or fulfilling other needs of the volunteer.

In short, volunteering can offer citizens invaluable building blocks for future success. And our city is built for the better in the process. Toronto needs a volunteer strategy to harness our diverse talent and put it to (pro bono) work.

About Gillian Hewitt Smith