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Ward 29 Community Rallies Over TTC
Community Bonds Mean Everything
by Chris Caldwell
This is not about the questionable behaviour of the TTC suddenly dropping off notes to Toronto Ward 29 residents, telling them of plans to expropriate their houses. That has been covered adequately in the media in the past few weeks. This is about community, strong bonds, and being democratic.
In an age of transition, a settled family is a rarity and a valuable anchor for a community. Taking this iconic structure away from Toronto communities is like ripping a plant out by the roots – it will die.
The taking of one’s house by force, even with compensation, would be an emotional and trying ordeal for anyone. The taking of one’s home is another story. The years of emotional and social investment, the raising of children, the experiences that have become stories over time and the eyes and ears that have seen a community evolve over 50 years, become monetized in the purview of bureaucracy and expropriated in the name of ‘the code’.
There has been a positive to the ordeal. The community has rallied and come together to spread a message, one that screams “We live here and this is our neighbourhood!”. Someone who is not familiar with the community could see NIMBYism – ‘we don’t want blight in our backyard!’ (and who does?). But, in Toronto communities if something is for the greater good, we all consider compromise.
The devil is not in the TTC plans but in the approach and ethic, or lack thereof, that seems to plague an ever-centralizing government. This abrupt and inconsiderate letter delivery is a denouement for this Council which will hopefully write its final chapter this fall.
We clearly have a community that has risen to gather its intellectual and social capacity to produce an outstanding rebuttal that makes more sense than anything the TTC has put together in recent times. They should be very proud, and continue to draw on the energy to create a permanent change in a planning process to everyone’s benefit. In the spirit of Jane Jacobs, this community has shown us that antiquated policies will tear down our communities, if we let them.
Than
k you Ward 29, and particularly Strathmore residents!
Chris Caldwell has his Masters in Environmental Studies, Sustainable and Strategic Urban Planning with a Graduate Diploma in Business and the Environment, from York University. He is Ward 29 candidate for Toronto City Council in the 2010 Municipal Elections, and he is passionate about community and sustainability. www.caldwellforcouncil.ca
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Toronto Farmers’ Markets
Farmers feed cities
by Chris Caldwell
Canada is as healthy as its food supply. If a city cannot produce enough food to feed itself, it has to rely on imports – it becomes a food security issue. Higher gas prices and processing costs force imported food to become more expensive. We could see less food on shelves, lower quality, or likely both.
Farmers markets have sprung up everywhere in North America. Here in Toronto we are among the most fortunate – there is a farmers market somewhere in Toronto and the GTA just about every day of the week during the warmer months – usually until October, anyway.
In North America, there is a revival of support for good food to the tune of $2 billion dollars a year. America is riddled with diabetes and obesity because of the fast food craze which has crept its way into Canada, but with the results of eating poorly becoming so apparent, the popularity of local farm fresh goods is on the rise. Even Ontario youth are getting involved.
The revival in good food has sparked interest in the revival of the rural way of life, which translates to a simpler and more environmentally-friendly method of living. It is encouraging to see our relationship with food, which has formerly been characterized by lack of known origin or clandestine handling techniques, getting back to a ‘from the field to your table’ culture. This is especially important for children who now grow up thinking food is plentiful and comes from a can or fancy packages. Check out the Junior Farmers web site at www.jfao.on.ca for more information.
Food miles also impact the planet. Studies have shown that to get food items to your table takes an average of 1,500 km of travel per item, which includes the packaging. Clearly this creates more pollution and increased requirements for food preservatives and complex packaging.
I trust good farmers with my life. I do not trust a food industry that treats our most valuable resource as a commodity, bar-codes it, sprays it, and packages it as if they are doing us a favour.
For more information on farmers markets in Ontario, visit www.farmersmarketsontario.com or support your nearest group for the best Ontario has to offer. To your health, and that of your children!
Chris Caldwell has his Masters in Environmental Studies, Sustainable and Strategic Urban Planning with a Graduate Diploma in Business and the Environment, from York University. He is Ward 29 candidate for Toronto City Council in the 2010 Municipal Elections, and he is passionate about community and sustainability. www.caldwellforcouncil.ca
by Editor
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...[Tags: farmers markets, feeding cities, food supply, local food, real food]
