Constable Abdullah Khalid, 29, a member of 43 Division, has served one year with the Toronto force.

He is scheduled to appear in court at Old City Hall, on Tuesday, August 31, in room 111, at 11 a.m.

A diagram showcasing the signs of clutter creep in someone's home

Imagine walking into a home so cluttered with stuff that you have to dig through piles of junk to find the floor.

Stacks of magazines and papers covered inches thick with dust litter the home and practically scream fire hazard.

Food that has been long past its expiry date still lingers in the kitchen and undoubtedly there are critters preying on the mouldy leftovers.

Trying to find a spot to sit or sleep in the home is a daunting task, but despite the fact that the homeowner may barely be able to move, they cannot bare to part with their possessions.

Now imagine that this home belongs to a loved one.

“Everybody has clutter and I’m guilty of that as well,” said Janise Smith, Director of operations of Home Instead Senior Care.

“(But) when you are not able to find a path to walk from the kitchen to the bathroom or bedroom to the bathroom without bumping into paper or bumping into things that shouldn’t be there, that’s clutter to a degree that is hazardous,” she said.

Home Instead is a facility that offers in home care to senior citizens.

After seeing numerous cases of clients that have succumbed to hoarding practices in the Scarborough area, the administrative team with Home Instead began to research the problem and issued a press release on the issue.

“The reason we put out the release is that we notice a lot of seniors in the communities in the area we serve that are living in environments that are quite hazardous,” Smith said.

She described the case of one client who, over 30 years of living in the same home, had accumulated so much that her home was deemed as unlivable.

“You could barely even walk sideways,” Smith said. “We would pick up a book that was so old and was there for so long that if you blew on it the dust would overwhelm you.”

The woman eventually had to move from her home and lost her independence because of the clutter in her environment.

Smith said that while they are able to help a lot of their clients deal with the task of cleaning their homes, they cannot help everyone.

She also explained how important it is for family members to check on loved ones and help them get their compulsive hoarding under control before it causes adverse health and safety risks.

She said that a crowded home can cause tripping, create fire hazards and the mould and mildew accumulated from the cluttered environment can cause illness.

Smith advises children and family members of elderly citizens to be on the lookout for what Home Instead calls “clutter creep.”

“It creeps up on you. For example, you may place some clothing in the storage room and eventually the amount of objects in the home creeps up on you and it slowly gets to the point of hazard,” Smith said. “It’s better to be proactive than reactive.”

Some hoarders may have a sentimental attachment to their possessions and some may have a mental illness known as compulsive hoarding.

“One of the reasons people hoard is sentimental value and the need to conserve,” Smith said.

“There are also cases of people who may have suffered from a stroke or some other condition where they may be confined to a wheelchair and can’t do household chores or may have a compulsive love for shopping, accumulating and conserving possessions.”

To help these individuals Smith advises family members to help their loved one go through their things

“You could say, ‘I really want to encourage you to de-clutter, lets go through what you need, what you can donate and what you can throw away,’” Smith said.

There are some cases however, that may require the professional help of organizers and therapists to get the job done.

“It’s a hard thing if someone is loyal to their clutter,” Smith said. “Having some outside help makes the difference because they can look at it more objectively and can let the person know that their job is only to help.”

Smith believes that helping loved ones organize their living environments will help keep them happy and independent for as long as possible.

“To stay in your home and stay independent, de-cluttering is something you really have to consider,” Smith said.

Russell Benjamin Kirkpatrick, 44, is also facing a charge of aggravated sexual assault. Police said the man was previously known to police.

Kirkpatrick appeared briefly in a Scarborough court Thursday morning with visible injuries and blood on his jumpsuit. Police would not comment on how those injuries were sustained.

Toronto Police said Kirkpatrick was arrested Wednesday evening. He was apprehended just 1 km east of the cemetery near the intersection of Kennedy Road and St. Clair Avenue East, police said at a press conference Thursday afternoon.

The attack occurred Monday afternoon when the woman was dragged from the main cemetery path and brutally attacked while visiting her mother’s grave site.

The victim remains in hospital in stable condition, police said.

Det.-Sgt. Corrine Bellon of the Sex Crimes Unit said that the case was “very shocking.”

She credits tips from the public and collaboration between police services for Kirkpatrick’s speedy arrest.

“It was a combination of our inquiries within the police service, as well as tips from the community, that we came to the conclusion that Mr. Kirkpatrick was at first a  person of interest,  and with further inquiries and investigation, it eventually lead to his arrest,” Bello said at the press conference.

Police are asking anyone who may have come into contact with Kirkpatrick this week to contact investigators.

He is scheduled to appear in court again on Monday morning via video link.

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The woman was walking along the path of the ine Pine Hills Cemetery, in the Kennedy Road and St. Clair Avenue East area, around 5 p.m. when she was attacked, police said.

The male suspect approached her while she was visiting a grave site and dragged her off the main path.

The victim was admitted to hospital and is being treated for serious injuries, police said.

The suspect is described as white, 30 to 40 years old, 5-foot-6 with a skinny build, and is clean shaven with long hair that was worn in a ponytail.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416−808−7474, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477), online at 222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

Toronto Police said Emad Rozik, 49, of Toronto, was the victim of the brazen daylight attack.

Police say the suspect entered and exited the car wash several times the day of the murder. The man’s actions aroused suspicion and the victim called 911 prior to the shooting.

The suspect is described as a black male in his early 20s, 6-foot-4, with an average build and  short dark hair.  He was wearing a black baseball cap, a baggy white T-shirt,  long denim shorts were worn around the knees, and black high−top Nike running shoes with white soles.

Rozik was self-employed and the owner of the car wash where he was murdered. His business was engaged in a co-op program with Bendale Business & Technical Institute located across from the car wash.

He leaves behind his wife and two teenaged childen.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416−808−7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477), online at 222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637).

The man was in a car wash on Midland and Lawrence Aves. around 1 p.m. when he was shot.

The victim, who died in hospital roughly two hours after the attack, has yet to be identified.

Police have not named a suspect yet, but are reviewing surveillance video from the area.

At around 3 p.m. on June 7 in the Finch Avenue East and Sandhurst Circle area, the man boarded a bus and refused to pay his full fare, police say. When the driver denied the man’s request for a transfer, the man spat on the driver and fled.

Police describe the man as black, 18 or 19 years old, between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-9, with black hair in cornrows. He was wearing a black shirt with a white Rocawear logo on the upper left chest, black pants and black shoes.

Police are asking anyone with information to call 416−808−4200 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416−222−TIPS (8477).

According to a press release issued by the zoo, the 32-year-old Sumatran orangutan suffered complete renal failure and had to be put down.

Over the past several weeks, Molek showed signs of lethargy, loss of appetite and other symptoms. It was determined he was suffering from progressive kidney disease.

Zoo officials decided to euthanize the animal after his condition deteriorated and he refused medication.

“I would like to commend the orangutan keepers for their dedication and professionalism in caring for him during this difficult time,” zoo senior veterinarian Dr. Graham Crawshaw said in the release.

Molek was born at Zoo Atlanta in 1978 and came to Toronto in 1996 as part of the zoo’s species survival plan for Sumatran orangutan.

He is the oldest male of seven other members at the zoo and is among only 60,000 other orangutans estimated to still be left in the wild.

About 150 residents from the Guildwood area gathered Thursday evening to map out a strategy against the province’s plan to install wind turbines about two kilometres south of the bluffs, in Lake Ontario.

Under the banner of Toronto Wind Action, the group held a forum called ‘Finally the Truth About Turbines’ at Sir Wilfred Laurier Collegiate.

Lawrence Solomon, executive director at the Energy Probe Research Foundation, told the forum that contrary to the position of the United Nations, there is no threat of global warming from fossil fuels and therefore no need for wind energy.

“There is now no shortage of energy … There is limitless natural gas … and there will be no shortage of oil in our lifetime – most of the world is unexplored,” Solomon said.  “Carbon dioxide is a natural part of our biosphere.”

Dr. Robert McMurtry, a professor or surgery at the University of Western Ontario, warned that new rules for locating wind projects should be drawn up and that large windmills should be kept a minimum of two kilometres from residential areas.

He pointed to anecdotal evidence of wind projects disrupting peoples’  health and sleeping patterns.

David Grey Eagle Sanford, a member of the Mohawk tribe who speaks for TWA, said that while evidence of wind power’s effects on human health was unclear, its effect on the health of animals was well known.

“I am a carrier of sacred eagle feathers,” Sanford said. “Hundreds of eagles are killed or disturbed by windmills.”

Sanford conceded that the eagle population has increased over the past 20 years in Ontario due to its protection as an endangered species, but to him every eagle is sacred.

“As one of my elders told me, ‘the eagle is the wind’,” Sanford said.

He then spoke of a dream told to him many years ago by his grandmother: “In the future, they are going to sell you the wind.”

Judy Lipp, the executive director of the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative (TREC), which developed a 299 foot windmill in Toronto by Exhibition Place, spoke to the Toronto Observer before the TWA event.

TREC supports  wind energy in Toronto. She said that concern over global climate change justified the need for sustainable energy sources such as wind power; there are no easy choices, she said.

“The impact of a large power plant is much bigger in terms of its footprint on the landscape and we can’t quickly return the land to its original state,” Lipp added.

She added that the large windmill in downtown Toronto,  has not led to any complaints from local residents since it was built eight years ago.

“If you stand under it, you cannot hear anything except the Gardiner Expressway … In an urban environment, ambient noise far overshadows the noise that wind turbines make,” Lipp said.

The incident happened March 19 after police responded to an early morning call,  Const. Tony Vella said.

The victim was driven to a home near Meadowvale and Ellesmere Roads, where she was then assaulted by four unknown suspects.

Two other men remain at large.

One is described as black with a dark complexion, 6′2″ tall with black, graying hair. He was also wearing glasses.

The other is described as black with a dark complexion, 5’5” tall, and 270 pounds.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Det. Const. Boyd Li at 416-808-8386, or Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS (8477)

Residents of Scarborough’s Polish community were mourning the tragic death of Poland’s president, Lech Kaczynski, his wife and dozens of Poland’s top government officials.

As solemn worshippers filed out of Our Lady Queen of Poland Roman Catholic Church at the end of the hour and a half mass into the bright sunshine, many were reluctant to comment on the death of the president and how they felt about it.

One parishioner simply said that many things are still left unknown for the people of Poland surrounding the horrific crash, as the magnitude of the loss was huge.

The community had gathered for mass at the Malvern church on the day the couple was put to rest in Poland.  Speakers encouraged  parishioners to stay strong and continue to pray for Poland, and for Polish people residing in Scarborough.

Every seat in the pews was filled — yet at times, the church was still enough to hear a pin drop.
Throughout the sermon there were many mentions of the Katyn massacre, that saw thousands of Polish prisoners of war executed in 1940.  It was the 70th anniversary of this event that Katczynski and 95 others were planning to attend when their plane crashed in western Russia as it approached Smolensk airport for landing. There were no survivors.

Outside, two Polish flags fluttered at half mast from the large cross in front of the church. The foot of the cross was adorned with candles as an ongoing vigil for the fallen president and the many officials killed on April 10.

The City launched the Multi-residential Apartment Building (MRAB) Audit and Enforcement Program in Dec. 2008 to survey and rate apartment buildings in Toronto.

According to Jim Hart, the executive director of Municipal Licensing and Standards for the City of Toronto, they did a little over 200 building audits since the program’s inception.

The audits done so far are based on information and complaints from councillors, community members, tenant groups, and the knowledge of MRAB officers.

Hart says the planned surveys will be given priority based on the information gathered by those involved with the program. Eventually they hope to inspect all buildings, regardless of whether there were complaints made against them or not.

The City will send out 100 inspectors to do a walk-through of the buildings to help the Municipal Licensing and Standards team focus on the buildings in need of repairs. Their ratings and reports will determine whether a building needs a more thorough inspection.

Hart said they took existing resources from their division, because they felt it was something that was necessary and not done before.

“When we go out to a building typically orders are issued to repair or replace something within the building. We give a certain number of days for that to happen…we continually monitor any buildings that we’ve been into because there are issues that need to be addressed, and we go back to make sure that they are addressed,” Hart said.

Geordie Dent, of the Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations, said he couldn’t comment on the recent city announcement, but tenants have not viewed the inspections positively so far.

“The issue that tenants are seeing; … inspectors will often come in and … issue a number of warnings against landlords. You initially see a lot of repairs done. However there are a couple of things we noticed tenants are telling us. One is that not all the repairs are being done, and sometimes inspectors don’t come back,” Dent said.

Dent also said that tenants tell him the inspections are not beneficial. They don’t get any reductions on rent, or a hold on their rent increases.

“Basically landlords should have been following the law, and they’re not. All this really does is try to make them to follow the law … tenants want to see these landlords punished,” said Dent.

He said normally these repairs are not upgrades or special things done out of the ordinary; that tenants should be getting what they already pay for.

This year’s show runs for two weeks and is on now.

All photographs will be on sale to help raise much-needed funds for the club.

To take the pictures, students in the club used a digital single-lens reflex camera, owned by educational assistant Cristina Da Silva. The class broke into small groups, so while one group was using the camera, the other groups looked for things they would like to photograph.

The camera however, has since died, due to high usage at the hands of dozens of students.

Da Silva started the club three years ago as a way to provide an outlet for the non-athletes and non-musicians to express themselves through a different avenue.

“The main point of the photography club is to be able to teach them how to look through the lens with a different set of eyes,” Da Silva said. “It’s about changing their perspective on things and being able to tell a story.”

The program has since grown, based on high student interest. However, the club is grossly underfunded.

Da Silva runs the club with two other educational assistants, Christine Lombardi who supervises and Kevin Graham who oversees the technical work.

In its first year, students were asked to bring their own cameras.

“This is the third neediest area of Toronto,” said Graham. “The kids are coming in with these cameras that are 20 years old that you can’t buy film for anymore, or they are digital cameras that won’t even help them.”

Graham has introduced the students to photo editing this year by use of his personal laptop and a free downloadable program. The editing software cannot work on the school’s computers, which are too old.

To further engage the students while some are using the camera, the instructors use slideshows and props to get the students thinking about how they would like to photograph a subject and project meaning onto it.

In the club’s second year, they were able to purchase one DSLR with some of the profits from selling photographs and calendars, all of which normally goes back to the school.

The instructors hope that the club will get more funding soon so it can grow, and they can purchase more equipment. Lombardi is waiting to hear back from the government about an application for club funding.

“The bottom line is, if we don’t any equipment, we don’t have a program,” said Da Silva.

Now in its third year, the club is still rotating one camera between 30 students. Even so, the students have been able to produce exceptional work, by photographing simple objects such as crayons and mouse traps.

“I learned a lot because my teachers were really good with us. I want to be a photographer when I grow up,” said student Samantha B, who photographed a single domino standing in front of a set of falling dominoes, and titled it Stand Firm.

“It means don’t follow other people because you might end up falling behind. Just be yourself,” Samantha said.

At the show, three top prizes and notable mentions will be given for the best photographs, as judged by a panel of students and teachers.

First-place recipient Priscilla Y. will receive a point and shoot camera for her photo titled Defy the Odds which she felt was reminiscent of Haiti and presents the idea there’s always hope in the most dire of situations.

The instructors said the program enhances the students’ sociability, providing friendships to students who normally do not belong to a circle of friends, .

“They’re really proud of [their work]. They really want to showcase it,” Da Silva said.

“They get to go to the art gallery. They get to dress up and they get to show their work. That’s great for their self-esteem,” added Lombardi. “It’s beautiful.”

After city hall rejected the motion to place a moratorium on new wind turbines, Toronto will now do the opposite – promote wind power in the city with fervor.

Monday’s executive committee meeting ended in a unanimous vote against the moratorium proposed by Ward 43 Coun. Paul Ainslie .

Instead, the committee passed an alternative motion on how the city will “promote, support and nurture” green energy projects, including offshore wind turbines.

“This is a grand slam home run for people who support wind power,” said Ward 38 Coun. Glenn De Baeremaeker, who put the alternative motion forward.

But not everyone agrees. The Guildwood community, who will be facing the proposed 60 wind turbines off the Scarborough Bluff’s shoreline, are in an uproar over the decision.

“The Scarborough Bluffs is like a tourist area and when they put these wind turbines up, they’ll be spoiled,” said John Stehmann, a Guildwood community member.

With Stehmann’s backyard overlooking the shoreline, he says he’s concerned not only about the view but about noise pollution.

“If I can hear a party across the Bluffer’s Park, then imagine what the wind turbines will be like to live near every day,” he said.

The major concern from community members is that the noise from wind turbines will affect their health. The mayor says there is no such health affects.

“It’s quite clear from all of the studies around the world that there are no negative impacts from wind turbines,” said Mayor David Miller.

The city and Toronto Hydro do support further studies into some of the other issues raised, such as the health of fish habitats during construction.

But the mayor was not in favor of the wind moratorium on Monday, he says because his hands are tied, as it’s a province-wide initiative.

John Laforet, president of Wind Concerns Ontario, disagrees.

“City hall does need to take responsibly,” said Laforet, who is running in the elections for Ainslie’s ward. “They own Toronto Hydro. They own this project. And they’ll own any damage they do as well.”

His concern is the proposed turbines are too close to the shore. A safe limit is 10 kilometers offshore while the Bluff’s turbines are planned for two to four km offshore, and this could adversely affect the community, he says.

“Nowhere in the world would you get away with building this, so why are we doing this here.”

But De Baeremaeker says the fears associated with turbines are simply unfounded.

“We have a wind turbine right in the heart of the city and we haven’t had any reports of noise or vibrations making people sick – not a single one,” he said.

“People seem to forget that the real threat is burning fossil fuels (like coal and oil) that is harming our very existence on this planet. Wind is not the enemy.”

Province-wide, Ontario plans to close its five remaining coal plants by 2014 and re-power more than half Ontario’s home with renewable energy projects like the Bluff’s turbines. Currently, there are nearly 50 new wind turbine projects planned across Ontario.

McGuinty promises the new energy from wind, solar and hydro will provide 20,000 new jobs and $9 billion in private investment.

However, some communities are banning together in protest of wind power projects.

Wind Concerns Ontario will be staging a demonstration with 50 municipalities in front of Queen’s Park on April 28.

But they did for Shane Peacock, Canadian author of the beloved Boy Sherlock series, when he visited the Highland Creek Public Library.

The students of Morrish Public School and Cardinal Leger Catholic School met Peacock with laughter and enthusiasm.

“Do you like being told what to do?” Peacock asked his audience of 90 children. “That’s what happens when you watch TV or a movie.”

During his hour-long talk, Peacock explained the importance of reading, and how to make it more interesting.

“When you read the thing you’re into, you really get into it,” Peacock said.

He told the children about his journalism career. He covered sports for a paper but was bored by the routine and mundane stories that made it into the paper. He told the students that he began to read about something bizarre and interesting: sumo wrestling.

But just reading was not simply enough, Peacock said. He went to sumo wrestling events and met with the athletes. He learned about the traditions and the religious elements associated with the sport.

Watching the presentation, the students were engaged, intrigued and occasionally vocal. They laughed and at times expressed their opposition.

Linda Flavell, head librarian at the Highland Creek Public Library, organized the event.

She’d been surprised to get funding to host a guest author, she said. “I couldn’t believe it. I read the memo three times.”

Toronto Public Libraries often host guest authors, but smaller branches like Highland Creek rarely receive such opportunities.

Morrish and Cardinal Leger schools are both within walking distance of the library and were more than happy to participate in the event.

The students eagerly found any piece of paper available to mark the occasion with a signature and quick note from the author.

Provide better equipment for young hockey players….

Raise the temperature in the rinks to accommodate older fans….

Find new ways to sell the sport to new Canadians….

Scarborough residents had lots of suggestions for improving the state of hockey in Scarborough, the task force researching the problem heard at a meeting at the McGregor Park Recreation Centre on April 17.

The problem is that many of these suggestions may not feasible due to a lack of funding, say local officials.

“Some of them are pie-in-the-sky, but other pie-in-the-sky things in our lifetime have been realized,” said Margo Cowie, a hockey mom and member of the hockey task force created by Scarborough Community Council to investigate on the state of minor hockey in Scarborough.

Cowie believes addressing minor hockey is an urgent matter.

“If we don’t change the conversation soon I think what you’re going to see is the programs will fold, and once they fold it is so hard to start them back,” she said. “I think to rebuild them is a lot easier when they’re still there.”

Scarborough Hockey Association president John Kelloway also outlined his vision of hockey in Scarborough at the meeting:

“One house league with a strong select program, with a middle ground of what we call ‘minor development’ and one ‘A’ club representing Scarborough and if we do our job well enough, one ‘AA’ club,” he said.

“It would be dreamy to have a ‘AAA’ club but there are enough kids playing in the [Greater Toronto Hockey League] that could build that ‘AAA’ club in Scarborough.”

The SHA is feeling the effects of low enrolment and high costs for minor hockey in Scarborough, as the association spiraled into turmoil and eventually merged with the GTHL.

The meeting was co-chaired by Ward 37 councillor Michael Thompson and GTHL executive director Scott Oakman.

“What we are trying to do is research, fact-find and then sit down as a committee to assess the information that we’ve gathered from the public,” Thompson said. “Then to come up with some recommendations and refine those in such a way that we can attempt to meet our mandate.”

Thompson first brought this issue to the attention of Scarborough Community Council after finding it difficult to enroll his son in minor hockey.

The GTHL’s Oakman, who played his minor hockey in the SHA system, said that minor hockey in Scarborough has not changed with the times to accommodate shifting demographics. Oakman said that the SHA’s amalgamation into the GTHL has seen positive results so far.

“The sentimental side of me is sad to see the former structure change, but then the other side of it is that if we don’t change we’re going to get left behind,” said Oakman.

Thompson recognizes he has taken on a challenging cause.

“This is a very difficult job, actually,” he said. “It’s not easy because everyone has their own ideas and formulas to make hockey work. People are very passionate about their hockey so it’s exciting we are going to take on this challenge.”

The McGregor Park Recreation Centre will host another minor hockey summit on April 24.

Since the increase in donations for Haiti relief efforts, fraud has been on the rise.  When contributing to a charity consider the following:

• Ask for written information about the organization like its name, address and telephone number
• Find out how your donation will be used
• Ask for proof of your donation to use for tax deduction purposes
• Ask for the registered charitable tax number of the charity
• Confirm the charity is registered by calling Canada Revenue Agency at 1-800-267-2384
• Ask the solicitor for identification, if he or she cannot provide one do not continue talking with them.  Immediately report the incident to law enforcement officials
• Double check the name of the charity as some fraudulent charities use names very similar to reputable organizations
• Be suspicious of those who thank you for a pledge you do not recall making

To report any incidences contact your local police force.  You may also file a complaint by calling the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at 1-888-495-8501.

The cut could bring better representation to Scarborough schools, which currently have less than one-quarter of the vote even though they represent more than one-third of the board.

Forty students from the school were chosen to participate. The students, along with 11 other Canadian teams, spent six weeks constructing robots to perform various tasks.

Draper, a four-time Stanley Cup winner, has scored more than 100 goals for the Red Wings. He is the longest-serving NHL player from Scarborough.

Training will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for athletes in Grades 2 to 8.

The Flying Angels is a non-profit organization dedicated to academic achievement and travel opportunities for young athletes. For more information contact the club at 416-848-7426  or email info@flyingangels.ca.

They will play Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute.  For more information on game times and locations check the TDSB website at tdsb.on.ca.

More than $20,000 was raised for breast cancer research at the event. Money was raised through tournament entry fees, pledges and other donations. The Markham Wildcats won the tournament beating Leaside 5-0.

The controversial question was raised at an election reform held at the Scarborough Civic Centre on Tuesday.

The event organized by Better Ballots, an organization dedicated to raising awareness about ways to improve municipal elections, drew around 30 participants to discuss ways to make the election process better in Toronto.

According to Better Ballots, a possible benefit of allowing permanent residents to vote in municipal elections would be the promotion of immigrant integration and the increased accountability in a neighbourhood with a large population of immigrants.

A negative outcome might be devaluing citizenship.

Desmond Cole, project co-ordinator for the I Vote organization, said allowing people to vote for their school board trustee, councillor, and mayor won’t be a deterrent to becoming a citizen and shouldn’t be used to argue against giving municipal voting rights to permanent residents.

“We don’t break up neighbourhoods by citizens and non-citizens.

“Whether or not you are a citizen you have the exact same rights to access and to pay for services as anyone else in this city,” Cole said.

Another controversial option raised was allowing 16 year olds to vote. A possible benefit might be increasing youth interest and involvement in politics. A possible concern might be whether 16 year olds are mature or informed enough to vote.

Dave Meslin, project coordinator for Better Ballots, said they are collecting data on the feelings and thoughts of town hall participants on these topics.

This information will be given to organizations that are already campaigning for the 14 proposed options.

Meslin says he doesn’t think these changes will be implemented for the 2010 Mayoral Race but can be achieved for 2014.

“This is the first phase of a very long three or four year project.

“The first step is to talk to people and see what people want. We can’t advocate for anything until we get an idea of what people want,” Meslin said.

Meslin says the next step is an advocacy campaign.

“If we are trying to address issues around voter turn out, diversity, turn over, and fairness it will be really hard for politician to ignore our campaign,” he said.

Desmond Cole discusses permanent residents

The treatment, discovered by Dr. Paolo Zamboni of Italy, attempts to cure chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), which is a disfiguration of veins in the brain and neck that disables them to efficiently return blood back to the heart. A balloon is inserted and expanded in the twisted veins to bring them back to normal. Zamboni believes this treatment can reverse the effects of multiple sclerosis.

Betty McKendrick, director of client services for the MS Society Scarborough Chapter, said Zamboni’s treatment is an important discovery.

“It’s a possibility that [CCSVI] may not be the cause of MS, it could be only its symptoms,” McKendrick said. “It’s hard to say right now because it’s so new, but in the 15 years that I’ve been involved with the MS Society, there has been nothing.”

McKendrick, 56, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 15 years ago. Although she believes the CCSVI treatment is important, she has not considered it for herself.
Barbara Dickson said the treatment is “the liberation treatment for MS.”

Dickson, 48, who was diagnosed with MS 18 years ago, has applied for the waiting list to be screened for CCSVI at the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center in Buffalo, N.Y.  If Dickson does make the list, it will likely be years before she is screened.

Buffalo is the nearest location to Toronto to perform the screens; the treatment is not yet available in Canada.Dr. Zamboni was in Toronto from April 14 to 20 for a neurology convention. His being in the city during the annual MS walk was a coincidence and provided a symbol of hope, Dickson said.

“We need hope. We need something to cling to and to hope for because the treatments that are available right now are too basic,” Dickson said. “MS is a devastating disease. It’s progressive, it only gets worse. It’s debilitating — you can’t function. We need a cure fast.”

More than 300 walkers and volunteers, including McKendrick and Dickson, attended the fundraising walk in Scarborough. It began at Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute at Markham Road and Lawrence Avenue. Walkers had the option of taking on a 2-kilometre, 5-km or 10-km trek around Scarborough.

The event, organized by the MS Society, was to raise money and awareness for MS research.

McKendrick said the annual event is important for the MS community, in order to promote finding a cure and to ensure her family won’t have to suffer the same fate she has.
“I don’t want to see my daughter raise her children with MS,” said McKendrick. “I don’t want to see my granddaughter diagnosed with MS at the age of 30.”

Regardless of whatever else can be said about Windies Restaurant and Sports Bar, the price is right.

Windies is a decent sized West Indian and Caribbean restaurant located just west of Markham Road and Lawrence Avenue.  A small, average looking sign and a highly non-descript building can make Windies a little difficult to spot at its location at 3330 Lawrence Ave. East.

Being one of the few sit down and dine-in Caribbean restaurants in the area, Windies is fairly unique in its attempt to bring a dining and bar experience to Caribbean food.  With its modest décor and standard looking bar and pool tables, it does only a decent job.

With daily lunch specials and a fairly cheap menu, Windies does deliver on a value basis.  Nearly every item on the menu is under 10 dollars and contains a generous portion.  The menu is fairly extensive and contains a wide variety of Caribbean and West Indian dishes, including your staples like jerk or curry chicken with rice.

The food is good, but nothing too special or interesting.  For the price, it makes a filling meal and gives a spicy taste of the foods of the Caribbean.

The service was both fast and friendly, and the restaurant was clean and everything appeared to be in good order.

Overall, Windies is nothing special, but it provides a good, cheap meal for people looking to sit down in a casual environment and enjoy some food from the islands.

Caribbean Wave Restaurant, tucked into the corner of a plaza right off Highway 401, at 875 Milner Ave., is a pleasant little secret.

“The Wave” is a neat establishment with booths along the walls, chairs in the centre and a bar at the back. The relaxed decor suits the family restaurant.

The prices are moderate but justified by large portions. I ordered the jerk chicken with fried rice for $8 and I was not able to finish the huge dish, despite having built a strong appetite during the evening.

The jerk chicken was well seasoned and extremely succulent. The skin felt slimy at times but the smoky flavour overruled the texture. Unfortunately, the way jerk chicken is sliced requires a careful excavation of bones and cartilage, but that is expected. The chicken rested upon a tasty bed of fried rice.

I have no complaints with the meal itself — however the service was another matter. The waitress, friendly as she was, took her time to deliver my dish.  Once I was eating she rarely came by to ask if anything was needed. I would have also liked it if she left a jug of water on the table, as the meal was quite salty. At the time the restaurant was not very busy, so there was no excuse for the shoddy service.

Overall, I enjoyed my Caribbean Wave experience.

The food was so alluring that I probably wouldn’t have noticed if the waitress came by anyway.

“I had a dream about this about two or three weeks before it happened,” said Sharon, who said she didn’t want to live there anymore since the house was cursed.

To make matters even scarier, what Sharon hadn’t dreamt was that a second fire would break out in the home the same day.

Firefighters told the Thuraisingham family the house was safe after the initial fire in the kitchen was put out but were called back hours later to find the roof ablaze.

David Thuraisingham, husband and father of two, said the first fire broke out right in front of his wife’s eyes around 9:30 a.m.  “She was cutting some vegetables and she turned around and saw a fire coming from the pan.”

Emergency crews were called and the fire appeared to have been doused by the time crews showed up, Thuraisingham said. Firefighters congratulated the family for their efforts, instructing them to call their insurance company and not to use the kitchen, and they left.

The family went to a relative’s for lunch, except for son Roshan, 22, who took a nap in the house.
David Thuraisingham went back to working for a friend when he got a call from his son around 3 p.m., who was crying and telling him to come home.

“I couldn’t get into our street.  It was full of people, full of firefighters and police,” David said.  “When I came [home] I saw the roof burning.”

He  blamed the second fire on bad insulation in the 1970s-built house that his family moved to in 2001, saying the initial cause of the roof blaze was the kitchen fire.

“It spread and smoldered from the first fire. It wasn’t detected but it spread to the attic.”

Neighbours had seen the smoke coming from the roof. After repeatedly ringing the doorbell, they heard the family dog barking, so they used a crowbar to pry the door open.  A neighbour ran downstairs to rescue Roshan who was still asleep despite the commotion.

No one was hurt in either blaze .

David is more fearful of repair costs, thinking they will exceed the estimated $300,000, since the house is worth more than that amount.  He and his wife only work part-time jobs, while looking for a temporary home, trying not to impose on their relatives, whom they are currently staying with during the eight to 10 month restoration.

“All my friends are being so nice, saying if you need any help, if you need money…” David said with a smile. “I am blessed for that.”

Toronto residents at a town hall meeting, hosted by the Amalgamated Transit Union on Sunday, were more than happy to share their thoughts on the recent behaviour shown by the TTC. And I was excited to take in the spectacle.

It’s no secret the TTC is a hard-working system — with its napping ticket collectors and bus drivers who take breaks at the most inconvenient times.

Unfortunately, the town hall meeting failed to comment on those specific grievances that have the public so enthralled. With the recent chain of unusual events, the TTC has tried to get back in good graces with the public. That was the goal, after all, of Sunday’s meeting that saw city figures like Adam Giambrone and Rob Ford make special appearances.

A panel of bus drivers and TTC operators assembled on stage to discuss the difficult decisions they face on a daily basis.

Fare evasion was a “difficult decision” topic that kept popping up as a sore subject for TTC operators. Paul Campbell, one member of the on-stage TTC panel, explained that the decision to let someone ride without a proper fare is a “tough call.”

And to think I thought you couldn’t ride a bus in Toronto without the proper fare.

It’s a rare day when riding the TTC is a better-than-average experience. It is highly unusual a rider will leave a bus or subway commute smiling.

Frankly, riding the TTC has become a part-time job Torontonians have been forced to take.

Granted, working for the TTC nowadays requires a brave effort. It takes a certain calibre of person to work in a profession with a vast majority of the public on a daily basis. For the amount of money it’s costing Torontonians to :ride the rocket,” I think that the TTC needs to work a lot more on customer service.

If Sunday’s town hall meeting was any indication, riders will continue to despise the TTC unless serious changes are made to the system as a whole.

It’s been said public transit is the lifeblood of our city. I think it’s about time riders stop suffering with a transit system that doesn’t live up to mediocre expectations.

Infested ash trees have been seen in the Morningside Avenue and Sheppard Avenue area, as well as in the vicinity of Kingston Road and Galloway Road, according to Ward 43 councillor Paul Ainslie’s website.

Unfortunately there is no known way to prevent the current infestation from spreading further among the 26,000 ash trees in the Guildwood Village area, the site says.

It is believed that the borer arrived in Windsor, Ont., from Asia in 2002. Richard Ubbens, Toronto director of urban forestry services, has been tracking the bug’s movement in Ontario for over three years and fears the infestation may continue to worsen.

“That’s the problem with this insect: you don’t see infestation signs very easily,” Ubbens said. “Chances are, when you do see it, it’s already well established in the area.”

Residents with ash trees are advised to look for signs of infestation. The first signs are leaves dying from the top of the tree  and v-shaped holes in the bark. But, as the insect’s larvae infest the tree from within, noticing these signs often proves to be too little too late, Ubbens said.

The borer population of is growing exponentially but steps are being taken to eradicate the infestation., he said. The City of Toronto is doing what it can to prevent the infestation from spreading.

According to a statement about the infestation on Ainslie’s website, the city has registered an insecticidal substance, TreeAzin, to inject into ash trees. While it has shown some effectiveness, it comes with a hefty price tag of $250 per tree, which makes the infestation that much more problematic for local residents.

Ubbens says further research is needed in order to stop the infestation from spreading quickly.

In the meantime, residents may help the spread without realizing it, he said.

“The worst thing in the world right now is that we speed up the spread of this unknowingly through the spread of firewood. People are moving firewood all the time, and that’s not a wise thing to do at all.”

If residents with ash trees on their property notice an infestation, they are asked to call their local arborist or forestry official.

“Get bumped out of habits, in transportation or food,” said Naomi Duguid, a food writer. “We can travel in our own city and I would urge you to.”

Duguid was visiting the library on April 14 for “A Tasty Tour of China” to share her passion for food and travelling.

Duguid held a map of China as she spoke about the culture and history of different regions, while presenting a slideshow of photos she took in the East Asian country.

She says she’s “big on geography” and people can only have an emotional connection to a place they’ve visited.

Other places Duguid has travelled to include Asia, the Mediterranean, Europe, Africa and South America.

She’s the co-author of six cookbooks, including Flatbreads and Flavors: A Baker’s Atlas and Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia, which won the James Beard Awards for best cookbook of the year.

Rice terraces, mountains, quaint villages and wide landscapes with green vegetation illustrated the geographic environment of China.

A picture showed a woman sitting on the ground preparing food with earthenware.

“She has all her ingredients ready, and then you end up with a clay pot made to order,” Duguid said. “You know, I want pork with some onion and some whatever, and in four minutes you’re sitting over there eating your hot soup. It’s really delicious.”

She says food and other necessities are connected to geography.

Tibet doesn’t have birch bark like Canada, so animal skin is used to build boats instead, while Tibetans also don’t eat fish, as they don’t have many lakes and rivers, Duguid said.

“Even in a place where there’s very little, people have restrictions for various reasons,” Duguid said. “People think it’s silly that we don’t eat ants or grasshoppers. It’s very interesting to ask yourself ‘what do I find disgusting and what do I not?’ ”

Duguid says she appreciates China’s culture and traditions, and although she speaks Mandarin and “can be polite” in Tibetan, body language is another form of communication.

“The question of language I think is more a question of preparedness to connect than specifically to pronounce words and grammar,” Duguid said.

She says she doesn’t “steal pictures” of people, as she would first form a kind of relationship.

“It could be a short [connection],” Duguid said. “I can just catch someone’s eye and it’s sort of a nod. I’m not saying, ‘Oh, excuse me, can I take a picture of you?’ but there’s a transaction that takes place.”

She says it’s easy to explore other cultures, as many of the dishes in China can be found in Scarborough and made in your own kitchen.

People don’t go to Asian supermarkets because they’re afraid of the language barrier, but it’s good to “feel intimidated” sometimes, Duguid said.

“If you come as an immigrant to [Canada], your entire experience is of people not understanding you, but they know what that feels like,” Duguid said. “So what’s wrong with somebody who’s a native speaker of English finding themselves in a similar situation?

“Go in there, check it out, buy something, maybe you don’t like it, you didn’t break the bank – it was $1.85 for that bottle of sauce.”

Suzanne Taylor, who’s taking a course in culinary tourism at George Brown College, says she’s researching vegetables from Asia and has to discuss their different qualities only by trying them.

“I think it depends on your own travel experiences that will define your decisions to try new foods,” Taylor said. “However, Toronto is rich with so many different cultures that you don’t have to travel far at all to try different foods.”

Duguid says she doesn’t have a favourite place, as her travelling is about “curiosity, not comfort.”

“You need to tune into what’s going on where you are and then everywhere is interesting and has something to teach us.

“I’ve been going for a long time, but I could jump on a plane to Tibet at any time if you offered me a plane ticket.”