Online voting alternative, not replacement, for traditional voting

Our online lives are growing. We can shop, bank and comment on almost anything online. So it was really only a matter of time before Toronto joined ranks with other municipalities in talking about the possibility of online voting.

Rocco Rossi pledged to invest in online and telephone voting by 2015 as part of his three R's of election reform: Respect, Results and Recall. Other promises Rossi has included in this part of his platform are term limits and the ability to recall the mayor and councillors.  Mayoral candidate Joe Pantalone has also promised to introduce online and telephone voting.

Municipalities already have the power to introduce alternative voting methods, and online voting has been used in municipal elections since the 1990's.

In  2003, Markham introduced online voting in its advanced polls. The total voter turnout was 37.6 percent, up from the 28 per cent turnout typical for a municipal election.

Rossi's goals in introducing online and telephone voting to Toronto are to increase voter turnout, as well as to make the voting process more accessible and to encourage new voters.

I definitely think online voting has its place. It is quicker in this day of busy schedules, and it cuts out the confusion of which polling station you have to go to and when. It would also be more cost-effective in some circumstances, such as Canadians voting from abroad. 

Moreover, it may be more accessible for some people, including individuals with disabilities.  However, it can't become an excuse for not continuing to provide full accessibility at polling stations. 

Should alternative voting be introduced in Toronto, every individual, regardless of their situation, must have the right to choose which method they use to cast their ballot.

While online voting may make sense for young people in today's internet-driven age, in my opinion, there is something special about going to the polling stations to vote. To me, it is something we do as a community and an experience we have that reminds us of what it is to be an active and involved citizen in a democracy.

About Sarah Evans

Salary should not be a priority for Toronto's top job

A few weeks ago in class, we were discussing how and when to bring up the issue of salary in the job hunting process. Most people kind are of squeamish about this. Toronto city council, however, has been quite open about this in recent weeks and to much controversy.

A recent report by the consultants of the Hay group recommends the mayor of Toronto receive a pay raise of $16,000, an increase of 9.4 per cent. Currently, Toronto's mayor earns just under $168,000. With the increase, the mayor would earn just under $184,000.

In  2006, Toronto city council recommended that the salaries of councillors and the mayor be studied before each term in office.

One argument for Toronto's mayor to get a raise is that Toronto is Canada's largest city and the mayor's current salary is less than his counterparts in other large cities.  The mayors of York and Mississauga earn over $180,000, and the mayor of Montreal earns over $190,000. Toronto's mayor also earns less than the CEO/Director of the Art Gallery of Ontario, the President of George Brown College and Toronto's Chief of Police.

As well, there is the issue of the job itself. It's been suggested that the democratic process comes at a price and that we have to offer good money to attract good candidates. While salary is important to any job, and being the mayor of Toronto is definitely an important job, I believe there is much more to it.  As an optimist, I think and hope that the candidates want to be mayor because they believe they can change the city for the better.

The issue of salaries, including councillors' salaries which the report recommends stay the same at about $100,000, was deferred at an August 16 meeting of the executive committee until after the election.

George Smitherman, a leading candidate, said he would freeze salaries for four years and suggested councillors pay back the money that the report cost. Other candidates have made similar statements.

Although optimistic, the cynical part of totally disagrees with the fact that the mayor and councillors have the power to give themselves raises. No matter how much we like or what we think of the candidates, there has to be more accountability than voting every four years. Maybe the provincial government should take over that responsibility?

There is only so much money for the city, and we are always hearing our councillors saying they wish they had more money to work with. Some councillors have given back their cost of living increases, which is commendable to say the least.  But money talks, and only time will tell what the new city council will have to say.

About Sarah Evans

Open doors for persons with disabilities

I've noticed a lot about disability lately. I notice disability on a daily basis  - of course, since I have one  - but I think about it differently when it's in the public arena and people are open to new ideas.

At the end of June, a number of organizations jointly sponsored a mayoral debate about disability issues. One issue discussed was jobs, which is a huge issue for youth (and all people) with disabilities like myself. Some ideas proposed at the debate were to provide financial incentives to companies to hire people with disabilities and use new technologies to create telecommuting-type jobs for them.

Telecommuting may very well have a time and place, but it can be isolating and you don't always get the full working experience.  Whatever the solutions, they must be flexible and put individual needs first, as opposed to making people with disabilities fit into one homogeneous mold.

The things I needed most when I was job hunting were encouragement and opportunities.  My experience of trying to find a job really challenged my confidence. First of all, I didn't know what I could do physically.  I don't have fine motor control in my hands, and my speech is unclear. Would I be able, for example, to work a cash register or stock shelves? It would have been helpful for me to be able to work at different places (for example, stores) for a couple of days on a trial basis to get a sense of my abilities. 

As well, I was getting mixed messages from people supporting me regarding whether I could work with the public because of my speech. (Eventually, I got a great job as a fundraiser, talking to people all day).

I went to a couple of agencies that assist people with disabilities to find jobs, and some of them required me to take their job skills course.  I had done co-op in high school, as well as other courses, and so I found these courses to be repetitive and elementary.

I agree that we do need money to help people with disabilities to find work, but there has to be more. In this competitive job market, it has to be about encouraging all people that they can be contributing members of society.

About Sarah Evans

Protests must be calm and creative to make lasting impact

Toronto is beginning to panic. Even before a group set fire to an Ottawa bank and promised to be among the protesters at the G8 and G20 summits, we were hearing of plans to shut down the CN tower and the University of Toronto during the event.

More recently, officials are removing our newspaper boxes and garbage cans, fearing they could be used as weapons. Are we overreacting? I don't know.

The majority of protests are expected to be peaceful, but it's always a small few who give the rest a bad name and cause all this fear and hysteria.

We all know there's a strong anti-capitalist cause; being responsible and creative in getting the message out is the only way to bring credit to the cause.

A few weeks ago, the Southern Ontario Anarchist Resistance (SOAR) said on their website that their protest activities at the summit will be militant and confrontational. They are planning to take part in the People First march before continuing on to the security fence to "confront the police state".

Before that, the Ontario Federation of Labour cancelled a demonstration at Trinity Bellwoods Park because of opposition from neighbourhood residents. Part of that opposition stemmed from fear of violent protesters. And so this rally will begin and end at Queen's Park, where, yet again, we are concerned about the security of the legislature. 

Some people say it will be different from the Summit of the Americas in Seattle (1999) and in Quebec City (2001), where demonstrations erupted in violence.

Novelty is what the protesters need to get our attention. Instead of us shaking our heads in shame when we see violent protests, let's see something that looks new and interesting. It's up to these people to show the rest of us  what the real issues are and how we can find solutions. 

There are countless creative ventures that get our attention. Oxfam created papier mache heads of the G8 leaders. Unrelated to the summit, Doctors Without Boarders recently created a simulation of a refugee camp at Christie Pits Park.

Everyone needs to calm down a bit so we can understand what's happening around us and use this time for an intelligent debate and discussion.

About Sarah Evans

Getting Over Our Fear of Religion will Enrich City's Diversity

City Hall came close to the divine a couple of times last week. Last Monday, the Toronto Area Interfaith Council hosted a mayoral debate, where the candidates proposed ways to increase faith in the life of our city.

A few days later, we were debating whether to allow shopping on statuary holidays. Someone suggested we keep Christian holidays sacred, and controversy seemed to break out immediately.  We have to stop panicking every time we talk about faith, especially Christianity, and start embracing it as part of our diversity.

We can start with George Smitherman's suggestion of calling a Christmas tree a Christmas tree. We are supposed to now call it a holiday tree so we don't offend anybody or make them feel left out, but it has the opposite effect on me!  As a Christian who enjoys celebrating Christmas, I don't feel welcome to publicly acknowledge and celebrate my beliefs in this culture of political correctness. I  (and I'm sure many others) would enjoy seeing other symbols like menorahs in public spaces as well. 

There was also a suggestion of having an interfaith day or week. Rob Ford and Joe Pantalone said they wouldn't know how to be fair in acknowledging all belief systems, but I think this misses the spirit of the idea. Our faith is an important part of who we are as individuals, and we should use it as an opportunity to learn about and celebrate with each other. 

This sounds so elementary, and yet we won't do this because we're too afraid to offend someone.  We talk about tolerance, but that has a connotation of reluctance.  We really need to start talking (and thinking) in terms of acceptance  - maybe even enjoyment!

At the mayoral debate, Smitherman proposed bringing together faith groups to help the city's less fortunate, such as the homeless and those struggling with addiction.  I think this is an excellent idea that brings out the best of what many beliefs have to offer.  Many faith groups (and their smaller study groups)  volunteer to help others. 

A great example of what can be done when people work together is the Out of the Cold program. For this program, different venues, including places of worship, take turns offering homeless people safe shelter and a warm meal.

If the city were to develop and co-ordinate more of these initiatives, our help could be spread around and it would cut down on administrative issues for organizations.  We would also be creating services for the countless individuals who currently fall between the cracks.

Many people acknowledge a spiritual side of themselves, and the sooner we stop being afraid to talk about it, the sooner we will be able to see the best in each other and enrich our diversity.

About Sarah Evans

TTC must make accessibility a priority

Lately, there's been a lot of talk about what you would and wouldn't have seen on the TTC 10 to 15 years ago.  Here's something you probably wouldn't have seen: passengers using wheelchairs - myself included.

My first memories of riding the subway with my mom when I still used a stroller include a lot of stairs. So when I started going out by myself, I relied on Wheel-Trans, which is infamous for being unreliable and running behind schedule. One of my first rides on accessible transit was to Scarborough Town Centre with a friend. I fell so in love with the freedom that the rest is history!

As it is now, I find it fairly easy to get around the city. Sometimes the elevators are at stations close enough to each other that if one isn't working, I can use the elevator at the next station without too much inconvenience. 

But it is very frustrating that the elevators seem to be out of service so often.  Once, I had an important appointment and got off at Broadview station. I called the Lift Line  - an automated telephone line that tells passengers which elevators are out of order - and it didn't say anything about Broadview. But, of course,  one of the elevators was out of service when I got to the station. I felt stuck and may not have made it to my appointment had it not been for the kind strangers who lifted my wheelchair up the stairs.  (My wheelchair is electric and weighs a couple of hundred pounds!)

All current subway stations were supposed to have been retrofitted with elevators and other accessibility features by 2020, but due to budget constraints, that deadline has been pushed back to 2024.

As well, I find that buses are pretty easy to use because many of them have low floors that fold out. The TTC says all bus routes will be designated accessible in 2011. Streetcars, however, are a different matter. The new fleet of accessible vehicles will be phased in starting in 2012, but unfortunately isn't expected to be completed until 2018!

It's not only people with disabilities who benefit from accessibility. People with strollers, people carrying heavy loads and people who are just tired would all benefit from a more accessible TTC.

While it is on the right track,  it is time for the TTC to do even better by making more funding available so that the city can fully accessible and inclusive as soon as possible.

About Sarah Evans

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