The East York Mirror. December 31 2015

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INSIDE Check out Joe Cooper’s Watchdog column / 11

Welcome East York on Sunday

Events calendar / 5

TARA HATHERLY thatherly@insidetoronto.com Transit stories that made headlines in Toronto in 2015 / 9

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TORONTO MAYOR JOHN TORY

POLICE CHIEF MARK SAUNDERS

YOUR MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT

Traffic, transit and housing: The mayor’s priorities for 2016. What else is he thinking?

‘Does it concern me that people are using firearms as a decision maker?

You bet it does.’

MPs Julie Dabrusin and Nathaniel Erskine-Smith look forward to a busy year.

★

★

See our interview on page 7

See our interview on page 8

★

See our story on page 3

East Yorkers can celebrate 2016 with local councillors and some of Toronto’s top officials at the annual New Year’s Levee.

This year’s event, called Welcome East York, is from 1 to 3 p.m. this Sunday at the East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Ave. Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders will be there to chat with residents, along with Toronto Fire Chief Jim Sales, city manager Peter Wallace, TTC CEO Andy Byford, and city librarian Vickery Bowles.

Councillors Janet Davis, Jon Burnside and Mary Fragedakis, who are hosting the event, will be there to meet people as well.

“It’s a time to welcome in the new year and to welcome East York to meet our city leaders,” said Davis. “It’s a celebration of the things we do. It’s a celebration of our great community, and an opportunity for people to come and tell us what else we can do to make it even better.”

Light refreshments will be served at the informal meet and greet.

“We’d love the people of East York to come and meet the leaders that make our city great,” said Davis.

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This year saw some significant changes and improvements in East York, and more are on the horizon for 2016.

Toronto East General Hospital is now Michael Garron Hospital, thanks to a landmark $50-million donation from Berna and Myron Garron in honour of their son, Michael.

The donation, the largest ever received by a Canadian community hospital, will advance health care in East York to unprecedented levels.

More equipment will be added to the hospital, and more research studies will be done, with an emphasis on improving patient care.

The hospital will also create its first teaching and research chair positions.

Many improvements were made to East York’s public spaces this year, including the addition of a new parkette at Donlands and Cosburn avenues. New friends of parks groups were started as well.

“East York is a fabulous community, and this year we continued to see community groups and residents actively participating in a range of activities that make this community even better,” said Beaches-East York Councillor Janet Davis. “We made significant improvements as well in all of our facilities and in our parks.”

More improvements to parks and trails are in the works for 2016, including a new pedestrian/cycling bridge at Pottery Road that will connect to a path on the east side of Bayview Avenue, providing better access to the Brick Works area.

Also coming in 2016 are improvements for the East York Civic Centre. Work to install a gas-powered backup generator there is expected to be finished early in the new year, said Toronto-Danforth Councillor Mary Fragedakis, giving East Yorkers an emergency shelter that can operate during power outages.

Landscape and pathway improvements are underway at the civic centre as well.

“We’re also going to be

A $50-million donation made to Toronto East General Hospital by Myron and Berna Garron in memory of their son, Michael Garron, was made in December. The donation means major improvements for the hospital along with a name change to Michael Garron Hospital.

opening up the square so that it’s more animated and able to be programmed year-round,” added Fragedakis. “It’s going to be really exciting, I think, for a lot of people to see this centre of civic life from the days of pre-amalgamation really come alive in 2016.”

Not to be left out, the East York Community Centre will also get an upgrade in 2016, in the form of a new gym floor.

The Danforth was spruced up this year, with rebuilt sidewalks and almost 150 new trees protected by decorative fencing. Community members came together to care for the new trees through the Adopt-A-Street-Tree project.

Taylor Creek Park will continue to be enhanced in 2016.

“We have finished the installation of another set of stairs, and are working to develop a master plan and a management plan for Taylor Creek Park,” said Davis.

“We’ll be looking at how to improve both the natural environment, the transportation network of trails and paths, as well as the recreational facilities in the park.

The bridges have already been restored, but we need to have a long-term plan to deal with the ongoing erosion problems and the storm water management issues for our area.”

Residents will be able to

provide input during the development of the master plan in 2016. There will soon be help to deal with the erosion as well.

“Part of addressing our erosion problems in the TaylorMassey Creek and Don River have to do with our storm management activities, and slated in the next two years are the huge infrastructure projects for the wet weather flow, which is a storm water containment system for the Taylor Creek,” noted Davis.

“The other thing that we’re doing, in the north part of the ward, for 2016, is a major basement flooding/sewer project. There’s $17.5 million of sewer improvements that are being designed in 2016 for 2017 construction, and that will address historic flooding problems in the north part of the ward.”

In 2016, residents will also have the chance to provide input on the redevelopment of the Dawes Road Library, which will see a community hub added to the space when it’s rebuilt in 2017.

Speed limits started dropping from 40 to 30 km/h on residential streets in East York this year, and more speed humps, traffic control signals, roadway markings and stop signs were added to slow traffic and make the community safer for children and pedestrians.

Public transit was improved, with added and expanded bus routes, and work to upgrade accessibility at Woodbine and Coxwell subway stations continued.

Residents will have opportunities to be more engaged in Toronto’s municipal government in 2016. Budget consultations will be held in the community this year, at 3 and 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14 at the East York Civic Centre.

At this year’s New Year’s Levee, called Welcome East York, on Sunday, Jan. 3, residents can connect with senior city officials as well as local elected representatives.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will help East Yorkers ring in the new year when the team holds its outdoor practice at Dieppe Park Monday, Jan. 11.

3

Rookie MPs eager to get to work in 2016 JOANNA LAVOIE jlavoie@insidetoronto.com The year to come will be a busy one for Nathaniel Erskine-Smith and Julie Dabrusin, the newly elected members of parliament for Toronto-Danforth and Beaches-East York.

Both first-time politicians, Erskine-Smith and Dabrusin have been busy learning the ropes of their new job as well as navigating their way around Parliament Hill since being elected Oct. 19.

They’ve also been working to follow through on the promises they made to better both the lives of those who live in their ridings as well as all Canadians.

N

athaniel ErskineSmith, who grew up near Woodbine Avenue and Gerrard Street East but now lives in near Queen Street and Woodbine, said his work in 2016 will revolve around the three themes he campaigned on: smart government, fair government, and honest government.

When it comes to smart government, Erskine-Smith – a commercial litigation lawyer by trade – said his government’s commitment to building a strong environment that would “intelligently” tackle climate change will be one of his main priorities.

“It’s one thing to agree to targets,” he said, pointing to the recent agreement on climate change reached in at the United Nations conference on climate change in Paris, France.

Erskine-Smith said establishing carbon pricing across Canada is one way to walk the walk, as is investing in new technologies and green infrastructure like home retrofits and improved wastewater systems.

During a recent interview, he pointed to the importance of investing in infrastructure, especially with interest rates being at all-time lows.

Erskine-Smith, who attended local schools and plays baseball on local fields, said federal investments in public transit and roadways would benefit all Torontonians, including those who call Beaches-East York

Staff photo/DAN PEARCE

Beaches-East York MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith.

home.

He said smart government also includes improving housing for everyone and he vowed to improve co-operative housing agreements as well as social housing.

“I certainly plan to be an advocate on that front as well,” Erskine-Smith said. “I feel in Toronto, public transit and housing are at the top of the list.”

He also pointed to datadriven versus politically driven decision making.

“It’s all about making sure that in everything we do we make decisions based on the best evidence available,” he said, pointing to the Liberal government’s plan to reinstate the long-form census in 2016.

Erskine-Smith also said a smart government is one that has a “willingness to change its mind based on evidence.”

When it comes to fair government, he said the newly elected Liberal government would be implementing tax cuts and changes to the Canada child benefit based on families’ needs.

“It properly targets the goal of ending child poverty,” he

meet and greet Beaches-East York MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith has recently opened up his local constituency office at 1902 Danforth Ave., just west of Woodbine Avenue.

Julie Dabrusin, MP for Toronto-Danforth, doesn’t have a local office set up yet but has held a few pop-up constituency days to meet with the community.

‘I feel in Toronto, public transit and housing are at the top of the list.

– Nathaniel Erskine-Smith

said.

Erskine-Smith pointed to reforming the senate to appoint new members based on merit and not patronage, and strong community advocacy for local issues at the federal level as examples of honest government.

“It’s all about being a strong voice for local issues in Ottawa,” he said, adding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has committed to giving his caucus members strong voices.

“He’s not going to tell us what to say. He’s going to listen to us.”

Erskine-Smith, who on Dec. 8 had the opportunity to give a 10-minute speech in the House of Commons that outlined his Top 5 priorities for the government, said transparency is key in all things he does as an MP as well as the decisions his government makes.

This spring, he’ll have the opportunity to present a private member’s bill. And while Erskine-Smith has a few ideas in mind like preventative health care and the need for better nutrition labelling as well as the need to bring animal welfare standards into the 21st century, the BeachesEast York MP is reaching out to the community for input.

“I encourage others to bring their ideas forward,” he said.

Going into 2016, ErskineSmith said he’d like to lend his legal skills to the federal

Liberals, notably on the justice file as he studied constitutional law.

He also said he’s looking forward to tackling some important issues such as death with dignity, the legalization/regulation of marijuana, the federal budget, the federal sponsorship of 25,000plus Syrian refugees by the end of 2016, and the previous government’s so-called tough-on-crime agenda.

As the new local MP, Erskine-Smith said he’d continue to knock on doors over the next four years and said he’d also continue to attend and host town hall meetings.

“I will continue to be as involved as I can be,” he vowed.

“I want people to know that if they call or email me I’ll get back to them as soon as possible.”

J

ulie Dabr usin, who was born and raised in Montreal but has lived in the Toronto-Danforth riding since 1998, said going into 2016 she’ll focus her energy on a number of key issues, notably growing income inequality.

“It’s something that has many different ways to tackle but very little is being done,” she said, adding she’d work to invest more in housing infrastructure and the renewal of co-operative housing agreements.

A bilingual litigation lawyer who is taking a break from her career to raise her family as well as devote time to local issues she’s passionate about, Dabrusin also spoke about the need for the federal government to support affordable housing for seniors as well as more affordable rental housing options.

“It’s something that can have a direct impact in Toronto-Danforth and across the country,” said Dabrusin, who spent as year as a commission counsel to the Toronto External Contracts Inquiry, which investigated government procurement of services and goods.

Like Erskine-Smith, Dabrusin spoke about the benefits of gearing the Canada child benefit to families who need it most. She said this move would help lift 315,000

Canadians out of poverty.

She also said a proposed increase in the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors is another way to address income inequality.

Locally, Dabrusin said she’d work to ensure there’s federal support for flood protecting as well as naturalizing the mouth of the Don River.

“It’s the key to opening up

‘My job is to advocate for our community.

Lots of urban issues are linked to rural ones. I’m able to address the big picture, how it affects everyone’s lives.

– Julie Dabrusin

Staff photo/Dan Pearce

Toronto-Danforth MP Julie Dabrusin at The Schmooz Cafe.

the port lands for redevelopment,” she said. “It’s an important local issue but it also affects the quality of life for all Torontonians. It opens up a huge area of our waterfront.”

On another local note, Dabrusin said she’s eager to work with all levels of government on the sponsorship of Syrian refugees to Canada. About 60 people recently attended a meeting she hosted in the riding for sponsors.

Going into 2016, she said she’s hoping to serve on committees that would foster her community building skills as well as her strong beliefs in building diversity and eradicating income inequality.

Dabrusin said her main role will be to serve as TorontoDanforth’s representative in Ottawa.

“My job is to advocate for our community,” said Dabrusin. “Lots of urban issues are linked to rural ones.

I’m able to address the big picture, how it affects everyone’s lives.”

And while Dabrusin is far down the list of the 338 MPs drawn to present a private member’s bill, she said she’ll find other ways to push forward legislation on food policy, access to healthy food,

and affordable housing.

“I’ll definitely be looking at food issues,” said Dabrusin, who founded the Friends of Withrow Park stewardship group as well as established and chaired the Frankland Community Advisory Committee to improve the use of the City of Toronto’s recreational resources.

She was also instrumental in helping save seven local pools from closure in 2012. In 2013, Dabrusin was awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for Community Service.

Some of her work on food policy issues involved setting up a fresh food collection system from the Withrow Park Farmers’ Market for Eastview Neighbourhood Community Centre as well as creating a Second Harvest Hunger Squad, which picked up food from Danforth Avenue restaurants and delivered it to Newcomer Women’s Services near Pape and Danforth avenues.

Dabrusin, who also serves on the board of directors of Park People (a Toronto alliance for better parks), has also worked with the Ontario Local Food Association to come up with a tax credit for farmers who donate to food banks.

| EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015

2016: a look ahead

EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015 |

4

opinion Ian Proudfoot John Willems Alan Shackleton Warren Elder

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Great things to be done in the coming year

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I

t’s the eve of 2016. We’re all a year older and hopefully a little wiser.

From the moment we’re born we begin to age.

We’re cradled, we crawl, we stand, we walk, we run; always driven by our curiosity to know more, do more and be more.

But how much is too much? Are we experiencing real value in our lives living in this fast-paced culture of technology and responsibility?

We resolve to make changes, but most times these changes don’t stick.

New year’s resolutions seem to be destined to fail.

Maybe it’s because vowing to lose weight isn’t the real goal. But rather to be healthy have more energy to take our view and care of your family.

Instead of saying you’re going Aim for a to go on a financial diet, how reframing the thought. life of value about Resolve to spend money only on and balance the things that bring you the most joy. You’ll soon realize you’ll save more money and accumulate fewer things.

No one is asking you to come up with a grandiose plan for your future. But, of course, you could if you like.

But how about simply resolving to slow down your busy life a bit and reflect on what’s important to you.

Live a life of value and balance. Unplug. Increase face time with your favourite people. Find time to exercise.

Take in what you’ve learned in the last 12 months and build on the good and be grateful for the bad, because the adversarial experiences no doubt taught you the most.

We’re wired, tired and on the go non-stop. At least that’s how it must have seemed for many in 2015.

Let’s not say the same next New Year’s Eve. If there’s something you want to do in 2016, don’t think, just do. Push through toward your goals, one foot in front of the other, because baby steps count too.

There’s lots of great things that can be done in the coming year, including becoming more involved in your community or volunteering to help others.

The best way to make change is to be the change and that’s the best new year’s resolution you could ever make.

column

Tory must address SmartTrack concerns If 2015 was simply about righting the ship of state in Toronto and restoring civility to civic life – and for many it was, as I argued in this space last week – the coming year is going to be a challenge for our new and agreeable city council.

Indeed, looking at the new calendar, everything contained in the promise (and promises) of Mayor John Tory and his new council is going to be put to the test.

There was a certain luxury to be had in the first year of this mandate, being able to set up not just the tone for a debate, but the factual basis for it.

So two of Tory’s signature issues – the SmartTrack heavy rail transit system linking Markham to Scarborough and the downtown, and then Liberty Village and Etobicoke and eventually Markham, and the continued construction of the Scarborough Subway – could move slowly and

david nickle the city inconclusively through committee and council, blessed by open questions for another day.

The day to answer those questions will come in 2016, probably sooner than later. Media reports have indicated there are problems with the implementation of SmartTrack, particularly in the west end where considerable tunnelling might be necessary. The question, until now avoided, of whether it makes sense to have SmartTrack run so near the Scarborough Subway extension, will need to be addressed, definitively.

Thanks to the new budget process, in which city finance staff don’t do the work of budget balancing but leave that to politicians, councillors will have to find ways to pay for $67 million worth of

programs that they cheerfully approved in 2015. The continuation of enhanced transit service, investment in poverty reduction strategies… something as simple as setting up safe ice-skating on Grenadier Pond… will all depend on the ability of councillors to make hard choices and take responsibility for their decisions.

The city is going to need more money in any case, and councillors are going to have to have another look at that list of possible revenue tools they so neatly rejected during the Rob Ford mayoralty.

In year-end interviews, Tory has made much of his indifference to ideology in his approach to governing the city and corralling council. It has served him well so far, and could serve him well this coming year.

But it might be a terrifying time. Ideology, for good and for ill, can work as a kind of road map for a politician faced with making a

firm decision to deal with a complex problem.

Without a notion of where one wants to be, it can be easy to confuse pragmatism with populism, to make a call that panders to a base rather than provides a solution.

That’s not to say Tory should return to his Conservative roots or sign a New Democratic Party membership card – pick shirts or skins in an oldfashioned Toronto council mud fight. But he and the rest of council should remember that over the next year and the ones that follow, there are going to be debates and decisions that together will shape both the city and the legacy.

Doing it right is going to require flexibility, and thoughtfulness – and in the end, a crystalline clarity of vision.

i

David Nickle is Metroland Media Toronto’s city hall reporter. His column runs every Thursday. Reach him on Twitter: @DavidNickle

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5

EAST YORK happening in

it’s happening w Saturday, Jan. 2

Emma Movie Marathon WHEN: 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. WHERE: St. Barnabas Anglican Church, 361 Danforth Ave. CONTACT: Karen Millyard, 416-578-1031, www.

JaneAustenDancing.ca COST: Free An all-day Jane Austen marathon.

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of ‘Emma’, one of Jane Austen’s most popular novels. We’ll celebrate this bicentennial by watching, dancing, eating, socializing, drinking tea, discussion/comparison, playing historical games, and general Regency fun.

Regency clothing encouraged, but not required.Watching the films is free of charge; if you’d like to join in the dancing, games, food and tea, tickets are available for $25 or 20 and must be booked in advance.

w Sunday, Jan. 10

Beaches-East York New Year’s Levee WHEN: 2 to 3 p.m. WHERE: Naval Club, 1910 Gerrard St. E. COST: Free East York residents are invited to welcome in the new year with their elected representatives: Ward 32 Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon, Beaches-East York MPP Arthur Potts, and Beaches-East York MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith.

featured

w Sunday, Jan. 3

Welcome East York WHEN: 1 to 3 p.m. WHERE: East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Ave. CONTACT: Councillor Janet Davis, 416-3924035, councillor_davis@toronto.ca COST: Free Councillors Janet Davis, Mary Fragedakis and Jon Burnside invite you to Welcome East York. This is your chance to meet, greet and connect with TTC CEO Andy Byford, Police Chief Mark Saunders, Fire Chief Jim Sales, city librarian Vickery Bowles, and city manager Peter Wallace.

Check out our complete online community calendar by visiting www.east yorkmirror.com. Read weeks of listings from your East York neighbourhoods as well as events from across Toronto.

Join us the second Thursday of the month for a discussion on selected non-fiction books. Today’s book is ‘Istanbul: Memories and the City’ by Orhan Pamuk.

w Friday, Jan. 15

Family Literacy Celebration with Storyteller Mariella Bertelli WHEN: 10:15 to 11:15 a.m.

WHERE: Riverdale Library, 370 Broadview Ave. CONTACT: 416393-7720, COST: Free Come hear acclaimed storyteller Mariella Bertelli sing, rhyme and tell stories from her collection. Drop in.

w Tuesday, Jan. 19

w Monday, Jan. 11

After School Maker’s Club WHEN: 4 to 5 p.m. WHERE: Riverdale Library, 370 Broadview Ave. CONTACT: 416-393-7720 COST: Free Come be creative at the library. For children ages 9 to 12. Call to register.

w Wednesday, Jan. 13

PAIL Network Leaside Peer Support WHEN: 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. WHERE: Don Mills and Overlea area CONTACT: Lynn Davis, 1-888-301-7276, www.pailnetwork.ca, support@ pailnetwork.ca COST: Free Volunteers support families who have suffered pregnancy and infant loss.

Inquire about the organization’s one- Foot Care at CNIB Centre WHEN: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. WHERE: to-one telephone support.

Mosaic Home Care Services & w Thursday, Jan. 14 Community Resource Centre, CNIB, Preschool Art Play 1929 Bayview Ave., Suite 215H WHEN: 10 to 11 a.m. WHERE: RivCONTACT: 905-597-7000, info@ erdale Library, 370 Broadview Ave. mosaichomecare.com COST: ComCONTACT: 416-393-7720 COST: munity Clinic $40 and in-home Free Treatment $55 Explore craft materials and make Clinics run every third Tuesday of some simple art. For children ages the month. Call to book an appoint2 to 6 and their caregivers. Come ment. Details at www.mosaichomedressed to get messy. Drop in. care.com Non Fiction Book Club WHEN: 7 to 8 p.m. WHERE: S. Walter Stewart Library, 170 Memorial Park Ave. CONTACT: 416-396-3975 COST: Free

w Thursday, Jan. 21

Canadian Federation of University Women WHEN: 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Northlea United Church, 125 Brentcliffe Rd.

CONTACT: Pat Price, 416-385-1055 COST: Free

ongoing Euchre WHEN: Sundays, 12:30 to 3 p.m.

WHERE: Royal Canadian Legion Branch 22, 1240 Woodbine Ave. CONTACT: Jim Farrell, 416-4251714 COST: $6 Karaoke WHEN: Sundays, 5 to 9 p.m.

WHERE: Royal Canadian Legion Branch 22, 1240 Woodbine Ave. CONTACT: Jim Farrell, 416-4251714 COST: Free Bring your singing voice or come out to listen. All are welcome.

Cribbage WHEN: Mondays, 7:15 p.m. WHERE: Royal Canadian Legion Branch 22, 1240 Woodbine Ave. CONTACT: Jim Farrell, 416-425-1714, jimb.farrell@ yahoo.ca COST: $6

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| EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015

community calendar

EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015 |

6

2015: a look back

Uber, Gardiner among top city hall stories of 2015 The Gardiner Expressway:

DAVID NICKLE dnickle@insidetoronto.com

One of the biggest debates was on what to do about the Gardiner Expressway.

The debate was a carry-over from 2014, when city staff and Waterfront Toronto presented engineering reports that it made the most sense economically and in terms of city building to tear down the eastern portion of the expressway and widen Lake Shore Boulevard there.

In the middle of the year councillor voted to simply shift the elevated highway to allow for more development.

By the standards of the years before it, 2015 was not much of a year at Toronto City Hall.

Mayor John Tory’s first year in office certainly had none of the high-stakes drama of his predecessor Rob Ford.

That doesn’t mean that there weren’t stories to tell in 2015; far from it. Here are three major stories that came out of Toronto City Hall in the year that was 2015.

Budget Crisis:

In January, Tory’s first budget nearly fell off the rails, when the provincial government announced it would be phasing out a “pooling” subsidy for social housing that suddenly left an $86-million hole in the previouslybalanced budget.

The announcement set city staff and politicians scrambling looking for a solution. They considered bor-

Staff file photo/IAN KELSO

The fate of the Gardiner Expressway was at the forefront of Toronto council debate in 2015.

rowing from a financial institution to cover the costs, after talks with the provincial government to help the city over the transition effectively broke down.

Finally, city staff came up with a plan to effectively borrow the money from itself, pulling money from future capital funding that would have gone into road repairs.

Uber vs. the Taxis

A convoluted story of disruptive technology and taxi drivers both, Uber-X’s incursion into Toronto’s livery marketplace sent shockwaves from one end of the year to the other.

Most of the drama played out at the city’s Licencing and Standards

Committee, where ScarboroughAgincourt Councillor Jim Karygiannis campaigned hard on behalf of taxi plate owners.

First up was a move to undo taxi licencing reforms that had been enacted by the previous council, that would have created a single owneroperated plate that could not be bought and sold.

Council wrestled with that following boisterous marathon committee meetings where cabbies and councillors clashed.

Eventually the issue collided with Uber X, the ride-sharing app that city lawyers had tried and failed to shut down through the courts.

By the fall, council had approved a process for establishing a bylaw to contain the freewheeling Uber app within city bylaws.

But drivers accused the city of moving too slowly.

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Mayor’s 2016 priority: making Toronto run better DAVID NICKLE dnickle@insidetoronto.com

I

t’s the day after the launch of the 2016 budget process – really, the first full budget of Mayor John Tory’s term – and it’s fair to say the mayor is feeling the sting of his critics.

The budget is not quite balanced – councillors will have to find $23 million in savings to just hold the line at inflation for property taxes, and find another $67 million if they want to keep the promises of service enhancements that council and the mayor have made through 2015.

As Tory sits down for his endof-year interview with Metroland Media Toronto, the bristling is barely noticeable.

“It is the beginning – I have been working on it for months and this is the beginning of the process that is continuing,” Tory says. “We have eight weeks of hard work ahead.”

Indeed, as 2016 unfolds, fixing the city’s budget and dealing with the city’s finances will be the first of a series of big jobs that Tory hopes to complete, to eventually make more sense of the mayoralty that Tory began just over a year ago on

the heels of the tumultuous Rob Ford mayoralty.

In many ways, Tory’s year in 2015 was about restoring calm to an office that had seen a bit too much tumult.

Polling data may have told Tory that transportation and public transit are the biggest issue, but he says that in conversation, Torontonians are most grateful for the simple stability of a mayor that if anything tacks to the dull side.

“The number one thing they raise with me every day is how happy they are that I’m conducting the job in a responsible and balanced way,” Tory says.

“It’s not just about not engaging in bad behaviour – but they also see that my comments on television are balanced. They see that I’m prepared to take into account the other side.”

Tory would like to be understood in this way: as a balanced, evidencebased politician who steps outside of the world of partisan politics that he himself once inhabited.

He offers up evidence to that, in talking about one of the major debates at Toronto council in 2015, over what to do with the eastern por-

Staff photo/DAVID NICKLE

Mayor John Tory’s priorities for 2016 are transit, traffic, housing and jobs.

tion of the Gardiner Expressway.

Tory advocated strongly against tearing that section of the highway down and instead building a ‘hybrid’ elevated highway – and in the end, he prevailed.

“Once the vote was over I could have said I won that vote, that’s that, let’s get on with building it,” he says.

“The first thing I did was to ask my

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himself for dealing with more reality.

Early in the new year, he and council will be shown reports on the efficacy of two inter-related transit projects: the extension of the Bloor-Danforth subway into Scarborough, and Tory’s own SmartTrack.

Tory has been steadfast in his support of both projects, despite questions being raised about both the expenditure and the engineering possibilities.

On SmartTrack, he acknowledges that there will be engineering problems, particularly in the western portion of the city-spanning project, where there are no existing rail lines.“The studies will come early in the winter, and why would I have bothered to go through the time and money, especially the time, of having those studies done if I didn’t want to pay attention to what was said?” he says.

“We’ll see what the study says and make adjustments if necessary. But there will be a smart track that will run from the Mississauga Corporate Centre through downtown and out to Markham.”

Overall, says Tory, his priorities for 2016 are “traffic and transit and housing,” and also creating jobs.

staff to sit down with all the people that most vehemently opposed the position I took and ask them how we could make the so-called hybrid much better.”

The result? Tory says the modified hybrid is an improvement on the original plan, and what had begun as a relatively narrow victory at council – he only won by 24-21 votes – has turned into a much broader consensus.

He admits that consensus was not always the result of what he termed an honest approach to issues. Taxi and limo drivers took Tory’s name in vain in early December when they blocked thoroughfares to protest the city’s slow action in curbing Uber-X drivers who collect fares via the unregulated Uber app.

Tory has taken an agnostic approach to the issue – along with council directing staff to find a way to bring Uber-X under the city’s regulatory regime and acknowledging that apps like Uber will likely remain.

“The truth is that when I said they’re here to stay it wasn’t a statement in favour of Uber – it was simply a statement of reality,” Tory says.

“They may not like the truth.”

Going forward, Tory is bracing

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| EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015

2016: a look ahead

EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015 |

8

2016: a look ahead

Chief weighs in on challenges facing police in 2016 ANDREW PALAMARCHUK apalamarchuk@insidetoronto.com

D

espite a rise in global terrorism, Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders says there’s no credible threat against the city.

But the chief stresses that doesn’t mean all is well.

“It’s a different world right now,” he said in a year-end interview earlier this month.

“We need to be more alert. We need to be more vigilant in our dayto-day processes if we want to keep the city safe.”

According to the 2015 Global Terrorism Index, there has been a dramatic rise in terrorism over the last 15 years with nine times more people being killed in terrorist attacks today than in 2000. The report, released last month by the Institute for Economics and Peace, found that terrorism spread significantly in the past year, with attacks and fatalities in more countries than ever.

“We work on a provincial, national and international level. We’re in constant communication with law enforcement agencies around the world and we are kept up to speed

Staff photo/ANDREW PALAMARCHUK

Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders reflects on 2015, and looks ahead to challenges facing the Toronto Police Service in the coming year.

with information in real time,” Saunders said.

“We’ve got a very good machine when it comes to national security. ... I feel comfortable in knowing that if we do have to turn it on that we do have a good plan in place that will be effective.”

According to a CNN report earlier this month, ISIS has conducted or inspired at least 50 terrorist attacks

in 18 countries that have killed 1,100 people and injured more than 1,700 others since June 2014.

“It’s always on the back of my mind,” Saunders said of a terrorist threat. “It’s not like we sit and wait for something to happen. There are things that are in the works on a dayto-day basis, 24 hours a day when it comes to national security.”

Saunders, a married father of four, was appointed chief in April, making history as the city’s first black top cop.

“If it serves as a role model for any member of the community, then it’s a good thing,” he said.

“I threw my hat in the ring because I was hoping to move the Toronto Police Service to the next level, the next generation of policing, and I have a particular vision in which I would like us to move in, so that’s the first and foremost reason why I was interested, and the history piece, I kind of stuck that more or less behind me, but I’m grateful that that’s how it has been considered.”

At his swearing-in ceremony, Saunders called the cost of policing an “urgent” issue and vowed to “examine everything we do” in an effort to find efficiencies.

A recently formed task force, chaired by Saunders and Toronto Police Services Board chair Andy Pringle, will study ways to modernize the force, which has an annual budget of $1 billion.

“This task force is going to look at what we can do to transform the existing model, what we can do to modernize the model of policing to make sure that we can be even more effective and efficient,” Saunders said.

“Whether it’s looking at technology and using it to help us keep the city safe or it’s looking at the shift model in policing, how we can modify that to get the most out of the assets that we have, I think are some critical components.”

A 2011 efficiency report found that $35 million could be saved with a schedule change. There are currently as many officers on duty in the early morning hours as there are during the busy evening hours.

“It’s going to take a tremendous amount of research. It’s not a matter of making change for the sake of making change,” Saunders said of the task force. “We really have to be careful in the approach that we take to make sure that what we do is the

right thing to keep Toronto safe.”

In May, Toronto police unveiled a body-worn camera pilot project involving nearly 100 officers.

Saunders said the project, which ends in March, is “going well” but wouldn’t reveal whether he thinks it should be expanded.

“I don’t want to promote too much of what my feelings are,” he said. “I’m going to look at the research and see what the research tells me.”

As of Dec. 21, there were 243 shootings involving 381 victims in the city in 2015, compared to 174 shootings and 231 victims at this time last year.

“We have to be careful because the connotation is that this is now a pattern and it’s on the rise. It’s only compared to one year, which is last year. Last year is a bit of an anomaly year,” Saunders said.

“Does it concern me that people are using firearms as a decision maker? You bet it does. It concerns me tremendously. And then the question is: What do we need to do to deploy our officers in the right areas at the right times so we can reduce that from happening? And that’s the process that we’re moving towards right now.”

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Transit makes headlines in 2015 n The rise of Uber

Uber isn’t exactly new; it’s been operating here since 2012. But 2015 was the year local scrutiny of the tech rideshare company’s revolutionary business model reached a fever pitch. In September, there was a city briefing outlining proposed bylaw changes to regulate Uber’s operations.

Earlier in the year, the city had failed to convince the courts to ban Uber’s UberX service, which operated a taxi service but with unregulated drivers using their personal vehicles.

From hunger strikes to a full-out day of protest, city cabbies made their opposition to Uber and other would-be rideshares loud and clear.

Read the story here: http:// bit.ly/1U0BtFd

n Queens Quay reopens

remodelled strip.

Queens Quay was a concrete eyesore for years. Now, it’s a tree-lined promenade with a cycling connection and better access to transit.

Read the story here: http:// bit.ly/1QUX2HO More here: http://bit. ly/1IkZN3W

n Spadina subway extension again delayed

In 2015 the TTC finally had to publicly admit what transit observers had suspected for several months: the completion of the Toronto York Spadina Subway Extension was in serious jeopardy of yet another delay. The six-stop extension into Vaughan was supposed to open a year later than anticipated in 2016. But in mid-March CEO Andy Byford announced the extension wouldn’t open until late 2017 at the earliest. What’s more, the delay would require an extra $150 million, bringing the project’s price tag to more than $2.6 billion.

Read the story here: http:// bit.ly/1PgVzdd

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n UP Express

In 2015 a transit line opened just before the start of the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, becoming the city’s first direct rapid transit connection to the airport. The Union-Pearson Express was hailed for its speed (barely 20 minutes between Union Station and Toronto Pearson airport), luxury and business-class service.

But for Junction residents, the only effect of UP was incessant ringing train bells caused by the new service.

Read the story here: http:// bit.ly/1MFLfcu

n Davenport overpass opposition

In Marc h, Metro linx announced plans to eliminate the Davenport Diamond rail crossing by building a train bridge. If approved, the project would allow GO Trains on the Barrie corridor to no longer have to share track with Canadian Pacific Ltd. heavy rail freight trains.

Read the story here: http:// bit.ly/1U0Cb56 – Rahul Gupta

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| EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015

2015: a look back

EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015 |

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11 | EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015

opinion

Keep a positive view in 2016 So what are we in for this year, given the roller-coaster ride that we just finished in 2015?

Certainly the economy is going to be the number one issue confronting everyone as we begin to see exactly how events in Europe and China play out.

The key question for each of us is how the economies will fair and how hard will it hit our personal pocket books.

This past Christmas certainly didn’t show any early warning signs of an economic down-turn as the size of the shopping crowds were still big.

While nobody wants to see people and business suffer due to a poor economy, I also heard some quiet sighs of relief about our new economic reality.

Many, I believe, are welcoming a chance to slow down a bit and get off the massive consumer treadmill that many found themselves upon.

It has all become a bit too crazy, with far too many

joe cooper watchdog choices and options being waved at us from all sides of the consumer spectrum.

The irony was that as we ended up with more and more possessions, there seemed to be even less time to do anything with them. So if there is one small blessing that may come out of the slowing down of the economy, it may be that we can personally slow down as well.

One of the reasons I call East York my home is that I wanted to live in a community that had a small-town atmosphere with the convenience of a city.

We definitely have the potential in our community to weather this economic rough patch with a lot more grace and civility than other places. Most of us are within walking distance of all the stores we need for our shopping wants, plus we have a wealth of public transportation criss-crossing the former

borough.There is a blessing of local parks and access to the Don Valley that provides us with as about a natural a setting as you will find hours north of the city.

It may be a bit of a cliché, but truthfully the biggest thing that we will have to face over the up-coming year is fear itself. Many people, be they journalists, or politicians, will be emphasising the negative, and frankly there will be a lot of bad things happening.

However, your task will be to keep it all in perspective, and the best way to do that is to keep yourself busy and active in positive, constructive things.

The times we are going through will pass, as have all the previous economic down-turns and crisis.

Make the counting of your blessings your first task on New Year’s Day, and remember to include living in East York near the top of the list.

Joe Cooper is a long-time East York resident and community activist. His column appears every Thursday. Contact him at eym@insidetoronto.com

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community The East York Mirror published a series of articles on my business.

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ENJOYING THE RIDE: Calum Tustnmayes enjoys one of the last warm days in 2015 by riding his skateboard at Stan Wadlow Park on Monday. Later that night the snow and freezing rain hit the city, making skateboarding conditions less than ideal.

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There’s lots to see and do in Toronto The holiday season is here, and in a city the size of Toronto there’s plenty to see and do. Here’s a rundown:

n ALLAN GARDENS & CENTENNIAL PARK Check out what’s blooming during Christmas Flower Shows taking place at two of the city’s conservatories.

The shows take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Sunday, Jan. 10. There’s no admission and it’s suggested to give a donation to the Daily Bread Food Bank. www.toronto.ca/conservatories

n RIVERDALE FARM Featuring ducks, goats, sheep and other barnyard creatures in the heart of Cabbagetown, the 7.5-acre farm is open year round from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Admission is free.

416-392-6794, www.toronto.ca/ parks/featured-parks

n FLEMINGDON PARK COMMUNITY CENTRE Playground Paradise, located within the centre,

at 150 Grenoble Dr., is running a drop-in holiday schedule for families with kids 12 years and under.

There are plenty of activities for the little ones, from swings to a spiral slide, and a ball pit with thousands of colourful balls. Drop in until Sunday, Jan. 3. It costs $2.50 per child for two hours. Closed New Year’s Day. n DOWNTOWN DISCOVERY WALKS Want to know more about the city and get some exercise? Discovery Walks highlight notable downtown parks, historic sites and popular gathering spots by plotting out a walking route on your smartphone.

n HISTORIC SITES Nine of the city’s historic destinations, including Fort York, Gibson House, Colborne Lodge, Mackenzie House and Market Gallery are offering special programs for the holidays. There’s a wide variety of activities from excursions with the family to more adult offerings.

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The locations will be closed Jan. 1.

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One day, n the he e four ffo ourr cco corne corner o orn or rrn ne s off Carl Car C Ca ar arrllis arl issl isle sle le w le was wa as destine a destined dest destined desti de destin estin es e est sstined stine tiined ttined tine ine ined ffo for orr great o gr grea gre eat ate at er he height heig hei heigh e gh ghtss. O ne d ay, whilst eating ice-cream old watching the occurred ice ice-cre ic ce-crea ce-cream e-crea -cream -crea -cr ccream ream w with ith tth hh he 3 yyear her ye yea e o ld da an and nd n d wa w attc tchin tch tching ching chin cch chi h hi hin hing iing ng tth ng he cars rss g go b by, y,, it o ccurred tto ccur o her that the cars going bistro. long numbers goi go oing o iing in ng n gb by ccould ould ou o uld ld db be stopping stoppin stoppi to toppin topping toppi opping op ping in ng n ga att her he h er er b bi bist isstro stro. tro tr ttro. ro. rro o. IIt wasn o. wasn’t wa w was asn’t a sn ssn’t n t llo on ng g before before n befor bef number num nu um m rs were negotiated, permits wass b permitts ts iissued sssued ssue sued su ue ued ed a an and Ca Casc Cas Cascata Casca ascata a scata sca cat cata ata tta aB Biist Bistro iistro stro tro ow wa born bor bo born. o orn. orn rrn rn. n.

10am-6pm All-day Sunday Breakfast from 10am-6 - pm m Our Products & Services include: Authentic Scottish Pub Food Unique Beers Live Music Hank Thursday Night Open Jam night with H an nk and nk d the th he B Boys.

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Special events hosted include pairing dinners, specialty brunches Special Specia pe ecial cciia ial e vent vven vents ents e ent en nts h hos ho os oste ted ed iinclu inc incl ncclud nclu n de ew win wine wiin ine ne p ne airin airing a iri iring iirin ring gd di nners, nners nne nner nn n ners, ers, ers rs, s ssp pecialty eci ecialt ecia ecial cia cial cialty iialty alty l yb runche es and weekly live entertainment. For contests and more information, vis visit Cascata Bistro i iitt C Cascat ta B Bi Bistr istro on Facebook.

Fresh local in ingredients mixed traditional flavours ngred ngred re red edi dients ients t mix m i ed dw with wit i the the e tradit ttrad raditional onal nal al ffla fl vours ours urs of urs o authe authentic a uthe c Italian cuisine are a winning co combination.

Especially service ombinat binat binat attiion. on E on Esp ecially when paired with friendlyy ser sse ervice rvii in n an eclectic atmosphere. Wheth Whether are planning two lively h her you ar e plann plannin planni plan lanni g an lannin an inti in int iintimate t mate ate te e din d dinn dinner di err ffor fo orr tw o or a li vely group event, the wonderfully designed Cascata Bistro delight llyy d de esigned ssiiig igne gned gn g ne ed dC Ca assc scata sca ca ca atta ta Bis tro in Carlisle, is an artisanal del light just waiting to

www.toronto.ca/holidays

n SKATING AND SWIMMING City-operated rinks and swimming pools will be open during the holidays.

Ta Taxes are extra. One coupon per order. Valid until November 31, 2014.

See store for complete details.

www.toronto.ca/swim www.toronto.ca/skate

www.discoverywalks.ca

n HIGH PARK ZOO Llamas, peacocks, and yaks are part of the collection of animals located right within High Park. The zoo is open 365 days a year starting at 7 a.m. and you can visit for no cost.

n NEW YEAR’S EVE Join the festivities at Nathan Phillips Square on Dec. 31, featuring fireworks, music and performances, and the countdown to midnight. Everything gets underway at 8 p.m. www.toronto.ca/newyearseve

thisMonth this Month

Call us at: 1-877-646-6701 or email: myupdates@metroland.com

www.toronto.ca/parks/zoo

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13 | EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015

community

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Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm • 905-853-2527 Toll Free 1-800-743-3353 • Fax 905-853-1765 For delivery questions, please contact 416-493-2284

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he Handy C uple

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All claims against the estate of Samuel James Bell, late of the City of Toronto, in the Province of Ontario, who died on or about the 6th day of March, 2014, must be filed with the undersigned Estate Trustee on or before the 8th day of February 2016; thereafter, the undersigned will distribute the assets of the said estate having regard only to the claims then filed.

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EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015 |

14

www.WINTACO.com

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Want to get your business noticed?

Call 1-800-743-3353 to plan your advertising campaign today!

How to do it: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3 by 3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

last Week’s ansWeRs

diversions

15

sUdOkU (Challenging)

| EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015

YOUR WeeklY CROssWORd

w See answers to this week’s

puzzles in next Thursday’s edition

C A N A D A ’ S L A R G E S T R E G I O N A L M O N T H LY PA R E N T I N G P U B L I C AT I O N

IN THIS ISSUE

Bathtub

Safety TIPS

Make super baby food Helping children with IBD thrive in the classroom Get there this holiday season.

Get the best hand-picked holiday travel deals on vacations, flights, hotels, and more – just for Canadians!

Only at Visit www.travelalerts.ca/holiday

A below-the belt-guide for girls + MORE

FOR YOUR FREE COPY GO TO CITYPARENT.COM

EAST YORK MIRROR | Thursday, December 31, 2015 |

16

TeutaGuci.ca

416.364.2036 TeutaGuci@yahoo.ca

Sales Representative

Happy 2016! I wish you a new year filled with good health, prosperity and joy.

A special thank you goes out to all my clients. Working with you over the past years has been an amazing opportunity for me.

I appreciate your high standards which have been the foundation of our phenomenal success.

Benefits of Listing with Teuta.... √ Free Painting

√ Free Staging

Home staging is not your issue...We will paint and stage free of charge.

Without a great first impression you could be losing valuable home equity.

All just sold for over asking price

171 Langford

132 Floyd

235 Springdale

With all the perseverance from her and her team, Teuta has delivered outstanding service and amazing results....

Teuta is brilliant. We were very impressed with her commitment to excellence, personal dedication, and energy....

Amazing results! Teuta is exactly what you want in a realtor. She’s a true professional, alleviated any of the stress I had....

Anthony and Ayami Kim

416.824.5712 • TeutaGuci@yahoo.ca

Leslie Fradkin

Robert Samaroo

Not intended to solicit buyers or sellers currently under contract with brokerage