MP and city councillors support proposition

By Andrew Schopp

A new home is needed to showcase Toronto’s history, and Casa Loma may be just the ticket.

“The reason why it is a very good venue is because Casa Loma is recognized as one of the top three tourists attractions in the city of Toronto,” said city councillor Joe Mihevc (Ward 21 St. Paul’s).

Mihevc said artifacts from Toronto’s aboriginal, colonial, and post confederation periods should be on display in a Toronto museum, rather than collecting dust in an Etobicoke warehouse.

Montreal and Vancouver both have museums celebrating their municipal history, but Canada’s largest city lacks such a venue.

Mihevc and MP Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul’s) agreed that Casa Loma serves as the perfect site for a Toronto museum.

“It is accessible by public transit, it is associated with Toronto and we have facilities there that would require some renovation, but could be used for his purpose,” he said.

Casa Loma sits just north of the border separating Bennett’s St. Paul’s riding and Trinity-Spadina and is just a few blocks from Dupont subway station.

“When you go to the archives and you see what’s there, I always think it’s very exciting but it is not a place that people go,” said Bennett adding, “to move some of those collections over to Casa Loma where people can see them, not only Torontonians but everybody who comes to our city, I think it would just be a huge success,” she said.

City councillor Joe Mihevc and MP Carolyn Bennett (St. Pauls) both agree, Casa Loma serves the perfect site for a Toronto museum.
PHOTO BY ANDREW SCHOPP

On Oct. 3,  “Future options for Casa Loma” was on council’s agenda. City councillor Josh Matlow (Ward 22 St. Paul’s) presented a motion stating that all respondents to the REOI (Requests For Expressions of Interest), “consider the feasibility of including the Museum of Toronto in their submission.”

The motion passed with only nine opposing votes, one of which was Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

While the city is seeking a future operator for the historic site, Bennett said a Toronto museum in Casa Loma could generate enough revenue to prevent the sale of the castle, and protect the historic site from becoming a gaudy hotel or casino.

“I think that from school groups to tourism that in destination travel obviously people want to come and learn something and I think that it is not only the building but what’s inside and we have a tremendous opportunity,” she said.

After hearing responses to the REOI, council will move forward.

“Right now we are going to send out a request for expressions of interest saying yes this could be done, seeing what ideas have come out there. At the same time we are doing a request for proposals, which is a much more detailed document for people who want to use the main building for tourism and event promotion,” said Mihevc.

Genre festival makes it way back to the Annex

By Katie O’Connor

The Toronto After Dark Film Festival (TADFF) is back, and this year it’s bigger than ever.

The critically acclaimed genre film festival turns seven this year, and has expanded to nine nights of programming.

The festival showcases feature length science fiction, cult, horror, and action movies as well as short films from around the world, and is known for promoting independent filmmaking.

In that independent spirit, TADFF has added one more item to their roster for 2012 – videogames.

The ‘Toronto After Darkcade’ is a video game showcase featuring 18 independently created and produced games that fall into the horror, sci-fi and action genres.

Festival Director Adam Lopez said response to the Darkcade has been great.

“Well we had a lot of interest over the years from Toronto’s vibrant indie game community to get involved with our thrilling film festival so we decided why not? Let’s add it in.”

Festival goers will have a chance each night after the film screenings to check out the games.

TADFF will also offer pub social nights at Paupers Pub (539 Bloor Street West), giving festival goers and filmmakers the chance to mingle and discuss the films they have just watched.

Filmmaker Chris Nash has screened his films at past festivals and said getting to talk about the films with the audience is the best part.

“I have walked out after a few After Dark screenings not really understanding what I’ve watched only to be given an incredibly insightful deconstruction and evaluation of the film by other audience members which have shed a new light and appreciation onto the work,” he said.
Top picks for 2012:

American Mary – Thursday October 18 @ 9:45 PM

An opening night film by the Canadian Soska sisters (also known as the Twisted Twins) about a medical student who becomes desperate as her mountain of debt begins to pile high. To make some money on the side, she is drawn into an underground world of surgical modifications, which she likes a little more than she thought she would…The film stars fan favourite Katherine Isabelle from Ginger Snaps.

Cockneys and Zombies – Saturday October 20 @ 9:45 PM

In an effort to save their grandfather Ray’s retirement home from being replaced by condos, brothers Andy and Terry rob a bank. Just as they are about to make their getaway with the money, they find their way blocked, not by police… but by hordes of the undead. Meanwhile, their grandfather Ray and the retirees are forced to fight off another zombie horde, hip replacements and all. It’s zombies, East End London style.

Universial Soldier – Day of Reckoning – Sunday October 21 @ 6:45 PM

In the latest chapter of the Univerial Soldier series, Scott Atkins (Expendables 2) plays a revenge seeking soldier on the hunt for Universial Soldier Luc Devereux (playing by Jean-Claude Van Damme) who has gone AWOL. Meanwhile, Van Damme teams up with a group of renegade soldiers (including Dolph Lundgren) who are bent on revolution.

By Susan Oppenheim

I am a freezer girl and a packrat gourmand. I love the “hunt and gather “ and I live with a 24 hours Sobeys up the lane at Shaw and Dupont, a Loblaws three  blocks away at Christie and Dupont and a Fiesta Farms about 20 doors from my house.This week alone I have taken advantage of their in store specials buying ½ price butter, 2 for 1 berry boxes and $4 off litres of maple syrup.

I use those saved yogurt and margarine containers to neatly stack my berries, fruits, herbs and veggies in my freezer for the long winter ahead. Here are some shopping tips I use to buy up great stuff at really good prices.

I can now easily spot those supermarket discounted pink or yellow stickers -pink is 50 per cent off and yellow is 30 per cent .This can apply  to poultry, fish , meats, packaged and prepared foods,  and baked goods. If it is meat, check the dates (give it at least two days before expiry date marked) and  the colour and condition of the meat-it should be pinkish. Get some good sealing baggies and portion your freezer items to suit your family. And never be shy  to open anything and have a good look or a sniff before paying!

Berries such as blueberries, raspberries and blackberries get put “as is” directly into my containers – except for strawberries that I halve and coat with a syrup of a few pureed strawberries as they have a natural pectin. Cherries I pit, halve and coat with a bit of lemon juice and sugar. Peaches, apricots, nectarines etc are dropped into boiling water for about 10 seconds removed quickly then peeled and  cut into wedges. These are tossed also with a bit of lemon juice, sugar and their natural juices and frozen.

Herbs – fresh basil, dill, and parsley are rolled up by hand into “golf balls” then wrapped in tin foil, and frozen. As you use them you slice or shave a bit off and use freely just as you would fresh. Veggies like corn (shaved from the cobs), green beans, broccoli, cauliflowers etc are portioned, placed into boiling water, and quickly drained and frozen. Blanched is the term used. The only two things I find do not freeze well at all are cooked potatoes and mushrooms.

Fiesta has a clearance produce rack and discounted ground beef every night at around 9 p.m. I once got exotic mushrooms and strung them up and dried them for future use in sauces and soups. There are usually ripe bananas for smoothies or baking and sweet peppers and tomatoes that I only have to pop into bags and store. This becomes the foundation of my spaghetti sauces through the winter.

Loblaws nightly clears out all baked goods: muffins, breads, croissants, buns and bagels 2 for 1 at 9 p.m. Many of their whole fancy cakes at the back often have a 50 per cent off pink sticker on them and easily freeze.The best real finds are on holiday long weekends.This is when a lot of the prepared foods also get cleared out. Try Sunday around 9 before the mandatory Monday closing. The meat person puts on the 50 per cent off stickers around 9 at night.The policy at both Sobeys and Loblaws is that if an item advertised on sale in the flyer is not available they must give you a printed rain check and if the cash register rings it up at a different price it is yours for free!

Freezer find fruit cobbler – 375 degree oven for 1 hour

Pam or grease a deep baking dish. I like using pyrex myself but anything will work. Place your fruit into the dish – I used up a bag of three cups of frozen blueberries and added two raw apples – macintosh or spy – (peeled seeded and cut into chunks).You can just use all fresh or all frozen. Have fun with your combinations.

In a cuisinart or using a pastry knife cut or process one cup butter, one cup any flour and one cup brown sugar. Keep it crummy not smooth.You can add a tsp of cinnamon or ginger or allspice if you want. Toss together with one cup of granola or raw oats. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit and bake in the center of the oven for an hour. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

Terri Chu

Halloween is just around the corner and the day after the candy is safely stowed in kids’ underwear drawers, stores will turn their displays to Christmas. If you’re like me, I cringe on the first garbage day after Christmas to see all the waste the festive season generates. However, with a little bit of effort, we can reduce what hits the Greenlane landfill and save a few trucks from making the 200 kilometre journey with our trash.

I learned an interesting thing this summer when a dear friend invited me over for dinner. Pressed for time, I couldn’t make the usual dessert I would normally bring over so on our way out the door we grabbed the plastic container from last night’s blueberries. We filled it to the brim with raspberries from our yard and brought that along with the obligatory bottle of red shiraz. At the dinner, another invitee also brought a bottle of wine, but his was home made! Yes, he grew the grapes, squished them, fermented them, and did whatever it is that magically produces a bottle of delicious red wine.

While our raspberries and this bottle of home made wine were gushed over, the bottle of store bought shiraz sat neglected and forgotten on the kitchen counter. The host graciously commented how much she appreciated the gift, but the reality is that personal effort was appreciated far more than token gifts from the store. There’s something about making something yourself that is so rare in this day and age that when it happens, it’s appreciated far more than any store bought trinket.

Around the same time my neighbour gave me a piece of homemade olive oil soap with an amazing fresh scent. It was so nice to be on the receiving end of a homemade gift. I treasured it, and used it sparingly until it was all gone.

Homemade gifts are not only eco-friendly, they’re precious (but not expensive). If you had a garden in the summer, preserves from the fall harvest would be appreciated by almost everyone. You could easily make your own preserves and gift them in reusable (preferable reused) jars. Lots of stores in the Annex sell tools for baking, preserving, or candle and soap making.

Rather than wrapping your gifts in single use gift wrap that inevitably ends up in the landfill, consider reusing a decorative gift bag. These bags are available in abundance at our new dollar store or Honest Ed’s if you have to buy them. This way the receiver can reuse these bags too! Remember, most recycling ends up in the landfill. Nothing beats stemming waste at the source.

In our fast paced society, I think it’s nice to take a bit of time to get in touch with our creative sides. Rather than the obligatory over packaged Rudolph mug this year for those gift exchanges, see how much better your homemade efforts are received. Go Green without envy.

Debate visits City Hall

By Josh Zeliger

Whether a casino is in the cards for downtown Toronto will be up in the air until next year, but that hasn’t deterred developers from posturing for public approval and pandering to City Councilors.

In the first concrete plan for a casino complex downtown, Oxford Properties Group recently unveiled a $3.1 billion proposal, covering 11 acres of land around the CN Tower.

The complex includes a large urban park, luxury hotel, three-floor shopping mall, 4,000 parking spaces, two sizable office towers, and a new convention centre all designed by renowned architectural firm, Foster + Partners.

Beyond the glitz and glam, Oxford is also promising the complex will be a boon to provincial government and City coffers. They say the property tax revenue from the casino and office towers will net $50 million annually. And Oxford, which is owned by OMERS, a massive pooled pension fund of civil servants in Ontario, isn’t done there; they are also promising to build a new convention centre, funded entirely with private money.

However, the deal hinges on whether City Council will rezone the area to allow for gambling. And many in City Hall are skeptical Torontonians want a casino. In 1997, when the city held a referendum on the issue, 72 per cent of citizens opposed opening a gambling establishment.

“Torontonians overwhelmingly voted against a casino and all recent polls have backed that up. So why would we go against the will of the people of Toronto?” said Mike Layton, City Councillor for ward 19, in a phone interview.

During an evening Toronto and East York Community Council committee meeting on Oct. 10 to discuss rezoning parts of the downtown to allow for a gambling establishment, citizens largely opposed the casino – with the only supporters being lobbyists and unions primed to benefit from a development.

“This can be an iconic, game changing development creating 6,000 construction jobs, thousands of stable jobs and millions of tourist dollars,” said William Rutsey, the CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association — a member organization including the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) —  during the committee.“Casino gaming will only be about 10 per cent of the product,” he said.

Layton said he worries local businesses and families will lose out if City Council votes to rezone.

“A casino isn’t an economic development strategy for a community. Local businesses on Queen, College, Dundas and Bloor Streets will be hurt by it when people spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere,” he said.

Layton said he also fears the social impact for citizens who have gambling problems.

He said the big winners will be The House and the Provincial Government.

“The Province sees this as a silver bullet for their financial hardships,” said Layton.
Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan projects that by opening a new casino and shutting down other facilities (presumably the slots at Woodbine Racetrack); the province could recoup $1.3 billion.

The debate over whether a casino will be coming to town began in March, when the OLG announced it would open a new casino in the GTA. OLG President Paul Godfrey promised to create thousands of jobs and $3 billion of private investment – as Oxford has shown.

Godfrey also said a casino would not open in a municipality that does not want one, giving City Council the deciding vote.

Exhibition in the Annex shows what it means to be homeless

Visitors to the Beit Zatoun House view Your Life, Our Life, a new exhibition exploring what it means to be homeless. Photo by Kristin Eliason

By Kristin Eliason

In the heart of the Annex lives a place with a lot of the same.

The Beit Zatoun House (612 Markham Street), is a space where the social justice and human rights community gather for performance and art. It holds multiple events per month, ranging from workshops to concerts, talks and book launches.

Robert Massoud, its founder, describes the space as, “…the intersection of art, culture, politics and society, in a very grassroots kind of way.”

This philosophy made Beit Zatoun House an easy choice for co-creators Alexandra Gater and Hala Sayed when deciding on a location for their new show Your Life, Our Life.

Showing until Oct 7, Your Life, Our Life features photographs from youth at Touchstone Youth Centre (1076 Pape Avenue). Their photos centre around different aspects of what it means to be a homeless youth.

[pullquote]“I wanted people to see that everybody is different and our lives are just like theirs. You’re going to find people of every sort everywhere you go and we’re just the same.” – Samantha Crozier, photographer[/pullquote]

Working as summer outreach workers for the organization HEYY (Hearing Every Youth through Youth), both Gater and Sayed said they were inspired by conversations they had while giving a workshop at Touchstone.

They said the youth felt judged, misunderstood, and excluded from the community.

“My goal,” Gater explained, “was to give the youth a voice in a community that they didn’t feel a part of.”

Empowerment through art and freedom of expression is the path they chose towards their goal.

Youth were given disposable cameras and the theme of the show was left up to them. Their decision to take pictures that represented themselves and their lives led them to the title of their show.

The end result is an exhibition of photos ranging from youth working or at the centre, to others capturing images of homeless life and personal experience.

One photographer, Samantha Crozier, displayed a lone dandelion with the caption, ‘this is how I feel… how a lot of youth feel; alone and not helped.’

Many of her photos sold right away.

“I’m happy that people love my photos,” said Crozier, “I wanted people to see that everybody is different and our lives are just like theirs. You’re going to find people of every sort everywhere you go and we’re just the same.”

Sayed agrees. “I hope that [with this show] some of those stigmas will be reconsidered,” she said.

For more information on Beit Zatoun House, HEYY or Touchstone Youth Centre, please visit their websites at beitzatoun.org, heyy.net and touchstoneyc.org

By Samori Bryan

On the morning of Oct. 8, employees of the second-hand goods store Cash Converters (570 Bloor St. W.) found the glass door of their shop broken into and a quantity of electronic items stolen.

Fourteen division responded to an automated alarm around midnight at the store where officers discovered that a break and entry had occurred.

“Somebody broke into thee cash converters [during the night], and stole a quantity of electronic items,” said Const. J. Smith, the investigating officer.

Smith said the suspect climbed through the bottom window and did not steal any money but proceeded to shoplift a series of electronic equipment.

Smith said there are video surveillance cameras at the front of the store and inside. He also said the public is in no danger and that nothing substantial was stolen.

If you have any information regarding these break ins, please contact 14 Division at 416-808-1400.

Supporters gathered at the Toronto Book Awards to celebrate the city

By Jacqueline Schifano

Bibliophiles united at the Toronto Reference Library for the 38th annual Toronto Book Awards.

On Oct. 11, Andrew J. Borkowski’s collection of short stories, Copernicus Avenue, took the top prize at the awards honouring literary works that are evocative of Toronto.

“We don’t celebrate the city as we should,” said the evening’s host, CBC radio’s Matt Galloway. “Tonight we celebrate the city that we’re in and the individuals who celebrate this city in print.”

A collection of short stories set within the Polish community of Copernicus Avenue, based on the Roncesvalles area, Borkowski said his book “represents a whole community.”

“It’s really filled a need in the Polish community,” he said. “It’s an area that has been overlooked in the past…and with this award, this book, it’s kind of making up for lost time.”

Borkowski said that winning this award “really put the seal” on what has been a very positive reaction to his debut book.

“Frankly, I’m surprised because I never win anything,” he said. “I guess you can say I’m a novice at it.”

These glimpses into different parts of the city are the focus of the award, and the Award’s committee chair, Kristine Thornley, said that serving as a judge had really made her read more about Toronto.

“[Being a judge] is a lot of work. It is a lot of books to read,” said Thornley, who served in her third and final year as a member of the judging panel.

Borkowski’s book was chosen by the panel of judges who narrowed down the five finalists from nearly 100 submissions.
Submissions for the awards are works of fiction or non-fiction and can be for both adults and children.

The variety of the material and wide selection of novels is one of the most important aspects of the awards, said Thornley.

“It’s a diverse selection of books for a diverse group of people,” she said.

The selection of finalists included Paramita, Little Black, a collection of poems by Suzanne Robertson, Writing Gordon Lightfoot: The Man, the Music and the World in 1972 by Dave Bidini, the novel Six Metres of Pavement by Farzana Doctor, Borkowski’s winning short stories, Copernicus Avenue, and the collection of Michele Landsberg’s columns documenting the evolution of the feminist movement, Writing the Revolution.

The awards, which are presented in partnership with the Toronto Public Library, present each finalist with a $1,000 cheque with an addition $10,000 going to the winner.

Following the success of his book, Andrew J. Borkowski is looking forward to writing both a prequel and a sequel to Copernicus Avenue.

“If anyone had told me coming out of university at 22 that it would take me 35 years to write my first book, I probably would have tried to quit right there, but I wouldn’t have been able to,” he said. “Writing has to be what you want to do, what you have to do, and somehow you’ll find a way to do it.”

Folk musicians gather to share tales of the history of Toronto

By Jacqueline Schifano

Folk music is heading back to Trinity St Paul’s Church as the Grass Roots Folk Songs of Toronto concert makes its one-night stand.

On Oct. 27, the sactuary of St Paul’s (427 Bloor Street W.) will be ringing with the sound of music about Toronto as a number of renowned singer/songwriters take to the stage to show a different side to the city.

CIUT radio’s Heather Fielding, and local historian Douglas Campbell who along with Tony Quarrington, the event’s artistic director, are the co-chairs for the concert and will host the evening.

Campbell said the church is over 125 years old and is “the perfect place for an event like this.”

“It’s a centre for faith and for justice and social justice express through art,” he said.

This year will mark the second year that St Paul’s will host this event.

“Last year the church held this as a pay-what-you-can event which got enough support that they brought us back,” said Tony Quarrington.

Quarrington himself is expected to play some of his own works that explore his own connection with the city and incidents from the War of 1812.

The line-up includes local musicians like Order of Canada winners artist Grit Laskin and soprano Mary Lou Fallis, MP Andrew Cash (NDP Davenport), Muddy York, John Brooks and Sue and Dwight Peters.

Laskin, who was awarded the Order of Canada for his role in promoting Canadian folk music said he was excited to be taking the stage with such a collection of performers in one of the best acoustic venues in the city.

“It’s a superb venue,” he said. “It may be one of the best in the city, that’s why there’s been so many live albums recorded there.”

Quarrington described the event as a roots concert.

“It’s a way to reconnect with the community,” he said.

The artists will each be performing songs that reflect the spirit, legend, and history of the city.

Tickets for the event are $15 and are available at the Church office.

Students at the Waldorf Academy put their “wishes” on display before locking them away for another generation of students to discover them. Photo by Samori Bryan

By Samori Brown

On Friday Oct. 12 faculty and students at the Waldorf Academy (250 Madison Avenue) celebrated the school’s 25th anniversary. Far from the single kindergarten class of its inception in 1987, the once small home school has since grown to include three more kindergarten classes and classes from grades one to eight – many of whom were present for the celebrations.

Events at the celebration included a barbeque as well as two very large (and delicious) chocolate and vanilla cakes. Staying in the mood of things, the academy would sing happy birthday with a Waldorf twist – along with verses unique to the school. As the celebration continued, the facilitator, Dean Husseini, had an opportunity to address the student body, after which he would introduce the highlight of the anniversary, the time capsule.

Each grade were given the opportunity to contribute, however instead of putting gifts or trinkets into the time capsule, the students of Waldorf Academy put in “wishes”. One by one, representatives from each grade would come up to leave their wishes in the safekeeping of the time capsule, many of which were unique in design and focus. Some of the wishes were for a library, an indoor swimming pool, and a larger gym.

Toronto councillor Josh Matlow was also in attendance and had his own wish for the school: “…for the Waldorf Academy to grow with the community”. Matlow would go on to commend the students and the school for achieving great success while staying true to their unique methods, principles and values.

Based on the nearly century old teachings of Rudolf Steiner, the faculty of the Waldorf Academy pride themselves in being a part of one of the largest educational movements in the world with over 900 schools in 83 countries and over 2500 Kindergartens.

All proceeds to support children’s arts programs

Left to right: Kevin Cooke, Roger Dorey and Glenn Tooth bring the house down at the A Night of Jazz at 918 event. Photo by Alex Zakrzewski

By Alex Zakrzewski

Move over Ron Burgundy, Glenn Tooth is this town’s newest jazz flute virtuoso.

Jazz flute virtuoso Glenn Tooth charmed the ears and the keys in support of a local children’s charity.

On Oct. 13, Tooth headlined A Night of Jazz at 918, an event he and his daughter Stanzie organized to raise money for the St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club, a charity that organizes after school programs for children.

Over 80 people of all ages filled the 918 Bathurst Centre’s Great Hall where they were also treated to performances by bluesman Roger Dorey and singer and bassist Kevin Cooke.

Stanzie Tooth explained that she originally planned on organizing a concert as a Christmas present for her father.

“I presented him with the idea and then he came back to me with the suggestion that if we’re doing an event and we’re putting all this effort into it, it might as well go to a good cause,” she said.

Stanzie, who works as a curator and manager at the Lonsdale Art Gallery, said they chose to support St. Alban’s because of all the arts programming the club provides to children in the community.

“Encouraging creativity in children is part of their mandate, so if we can give some money back so some kids can be exposed to art, then all the better,” she said.

Originally from Winnipeg, Glenn Tooth lived in Toronto for many years before settling down in Kingston. He cites local jazz flute legends Moe Koffman and Bill McBirnie as his biggest musical influences and said it was important for him to support an organization that helps the community’s art scene.

Dorey, a mainstay on Toronto’s blues stages, started the event with a fiery set of hard-strummed blues covers and originals that had the audience clapping and singing along.

“My theory is never turn down a microphone,” he said. “To be able to entertain people and know that you are also contributing to a worthy cause is a thrill.”

Tooth was next on stage where he performed a few solo numbers before Cooke joined him for a series of jazz tunes that included works by Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and the Beatles.

At the end of the night, all three performers came together in an improvised jazz/blues send off that had the crowd on their feet.
Cooke, who currently resides in Ottawa, said he felt particularly compelled to lend his talents to the event because he grew up on Markham Street and still feels part of the community.

“I have a lot of friends who are social workers in the city and they really look to St. Alban’s to do what they do,” he said, “In this time of austerity with our various governments, anything the individual can do to help is important.”

Thanks to the generosity of the concertgoers, who were asked to give a suggested donation of five dollars each, a total of $600 dollars was raised for the St. Alban’s Boys and Girls Club.

Natasha Eck, the club’s creative arts coordinator was in attendance to thank the Tooth’s for their efforts and the audience for their support.

“With all the cuts within the arts at the moment we rely on volunteer instructors and donations for art supplies and equipment,” she said.

“Without this sort of support, we wouldn’t be able to continue providing art programs for the community.”

Eck said the money raised will be put towards a range of programs including guitar, fashion, photography and dance classes.

Trustees uneasy as further cuts made to schools

Provincial government recently froze funding approvals for more than a dozen TDSB building projects after the board went $11 million over budget on Regent Park’s Nelson Mandela Park Public School rebuild. Photo by Samina Esha.

By Samina Esha

The Toronto District School Board has been under constant scrutiny after an additional $46.4 million was cut from their their 2012/2013.

These cuts included the closing of 32 school cafeterias and increasing fees for people that use school facilities by 41 per cent – cuts one trustee warned could have major effects.

“Any time you take money out of the system as tight as ours, there are major impacts, and they are usually negative,” said Trustee Sheila Cary-Meagher, Ward 16, Beaches East York.

While TDSB chair, Chris Bolton, Ward 10, Trinity-Spadina shared similar concerns he said the impact of the cuts will depend on the size of the school and student enrolment.

“We have many small schools in the Annex and there is increasing pressure on the area and on the board to make larger schools as oppose to having smaller community schools,” said Bolton.

“With the help of the community we can try to save schools with 200 or 300 students, but for schools smaller than that it is harder.”

Earlier this spring, the TDSB approved $50.8 million in staff cuts. This included 134 school secretaries, 17 vice-principals, 200 high school teachers, 10 caretakers, and six hall safety monitors. Despite the foreboding numbers, Sharon Janes, Principal of Palmerston Avenue Junior Public School said she is optimistic.

“We are still the same status quo that we were before and so far we have not been affected…I believe the board is working very hard,” said Janes.

The cutting of 430 educational assistants was a major decision according to Trustee Jerry Chadwick, Ward 22, and Chair of TDSB’s budget committee.

“Due to province mandated full-day kindergarten, the classes are bigger and each teacher is now responsible for 25 to 30 students without an EA…while Annex [schools] had EA’s in classrooms, Scarborough never had that facility,” said Chadwick.

Chadwick said he hoped the educational board would not have to go through the same deficit situation every year.
“Any decision we make in terms of cuts are hard decisions and no one wanted to make them but based on our funding we had to,” he said.

Bolton said it will fall to the community to make sure public education maintains its standards through supportive community involvement. “If everyone joined hands and continued education we can make our basis stronger and make sure that the local schools are the heart of the community.”

With files from Richard Frankel