Poverty Awareness in York Region

In a previous blog I'd touched on a few things, and I'd like to expand on something here today.

Before

At some point, I'd referred to "Slum Lords" when speaking of the notion of so-called "second suites", mentioned often erroneously as one "alternative solution" to alleviate the affordable housing issue, to which I'd replied nonsense as people living on low income still couldn't handle the costs...and then I'd mentioned "slumlords".
I got to see a "slumlord" in action. A slumlord, per say, does not have to be in any particular "type" of neighbourhood as they could own a home in a "respectable one" and still rent to whoever they wish, all the while allowing for disarray through non conformity of bylaws, landlord and tenant laws and by performing the most minimal amount of repairs and maintenance. Or duck paying contractors and such to the point that that the unit only attracts certain tenants. That's a slumlord. Someone who would order mold painted over instead of removed if they could.

Luckily we at least likely saved some new tenants from that. I'll explain.

I came across the owner of a house looking for someone to act as agent or property manager while doing some minor repairs, as well as meeting with and signing up prospective tenants, as they were an absent out-of-province-landlord. It seemed like a good opportunity - not lucrative but you would collect a percentage monthly thereafter once set with residents. First there was also a matter to coordinate minor maintenance such as removal of garbage, a boat, and supervise a fridge being replaced. I told  my new "partner" I'd help her with anything need be, and away we went! At first glance it reminded me of when I grew up, as the house was built in the same era with a typical style as our neighbourhood. Likely even the same builders. Sigh. The memory lane trip was short lived.

After

The first red flag was the previous property manager showing up claiming he'd never been paid, then rumours that the contractors had been stiffed surfaced, and the neighbour next door shared some doozies like the house had previously had everything from prostitution running from it, to dug dealers to...... You get the drift, our little paradise extra money job was turning into a nightmare. Still, we're of the mold that when doing a job it should be done right, and since we'd started decided to play it out a bit more. Besides, there was an opportunity to place someone here that may not otherwise be qualified to and we could make it pretty nice. My companion warned at that point we likely wouldn't see any money, but we'd decided to play it out anyway for awhile hoping beyond hope that decency would prevail.

Before

We worked like dogs every spare moment we had - she often between teaching classes - like in a courtroom, she  gave no less than the best effort and expected the same from those around her. We knew sprucing the place up was needed as well to get good tenants in addition to making the lawn sign asked of and borrowed the neighbour's mower to groom the lawn. Nice guy too, an electrical engineer, who gave me the low-down whilst showing me his granite stone chip lawn. Yawn.

A big obstacle was the ever-present stench of smoke that seemed always present in the upstairs portion of the two apartment house from previous tenants along with the disgusting bathrooms and the 1970's built cheapest style, brown fake wood cupboards which hindered the renting of it to respectable tenants. Then came the visit from the Newmarket Bylaws Officer alongside the Fire Inspector, both of which had to sign off before anyone could even live there! Oops someone forgot to tell us that part! More pressure.

As the F.I. checked electrical work that had been ordered done and tested the smoke and Co2 detectors,  the Bylaw Officer inspected and passed the interior window frames that had prior been ordered redone and for mold removal - showing me the before pics - and then also showed pics of how tobacco stained the walls were underneath the new paint. It struck me then that had the painters been allowed / told to use a special primer paint that soaks up tobacco odours, the place'd move quicker certainly. But still, the kitchen floors and bathroom were filthy also and someone still had to clean them.... gulp...and then there was the downstairs unit to ready and rent out with people coming to look already, Lisa already having feverishly and personally cleaned the floors down there to ensure success! The Inspector had pictures as well of the boat outside and of the garbage we'd already removed by then - but this was the first we'd known it had been ordered removed!  Also ordered done and still on her list were brick work that was sinking at the

After

entrance of the house, doorway trim was to be painted, and as well the yards cut and groomed.

Meantime this absent landlord who lives in Calgary who still hadn't paid us a penny was instructing from afar and trying to get my friend paralegal to arrange with contractors etc but she's too smart for that.

"I'm not putting my name on anything as part of hiring anyone for this place" she said incredulously, " Does she think I was born yesterday?" adding, " She could then just say I hired people without her authorization if unpaid workers ever sued for payment. No, I can't do that to people in good conscience. I'll fulfill the obligation I feel I have now to the couple looking to move in downstairs, but beyond that we'll see."

Removed

Meantime I cut the lawn front and back, and decided the brick work was minor enough that I could do it myself, and Lisa and I purchased more supplies and some special flooring cleaner to try and salvage the floor tiling in the upstairs kitchen and bathroom after some great advice from a bathrooms place guy who'd come in for a quote, which we hadn't a hope in hell of getting we were realizing by then from the absent landlord.

As I was working fixing the brickwork late into the evening one night, a loud and fairly unhappy individual dropped by to get her mail. Apparently, as I'm sure the entire neighbourhood including the just moving in downstairs neighbours heard, she wasn't happy, and loudly wished the place good riddance, often and loudly! She fired question after question at me which I deflected, as I began to suspect she may have some alcohol issues going on.

" What was she saying?!" a panicked mother of one of the two moving in downstairs asked me excitedly as I downplayed it by offering I didn't deal with drunks, but deep down at that point I felt this absentee landlord - despite how belligerent this woman who dropped by was - was also not on the level. And now we were caught between a rock and a hard place.

Tiles had to be soaked and scrubbed

We continued to try and extract even a token payment from the Calgary living landlord, as more and more confirming information such as a track record of not paying and code violations etc began to surface, including actions taken against her. Gulp. Almost time to cut our losses. Meantime we had continued due diligence to fulfill any conceived contractual obligations ( my firend had amended the original and returned it signed to the property owner) to show and rent the property despite discovering the extra work still needing done before it could even be occupied - part of her amendments to procedure removing her as 'care-taker" of this obligation, and directing that parties were to deal with the owner directly regarding hiring (for cleaning and construction or bathroom work) - as well as removing no pets clauses which are not allowed in Ontario.

Dream home job a Nightmare

Meantime my partner on this met with prospective tenants, workmen, and inspectors whenever she could, while I filled in when she couldn't be there and made minor repairs upon request for the new downstairs tenants who were otherwise happy. I scrubbed the upstairs bathtub, finished the brickwork, cleaned out the overflowing eaves troughs, trimmed the bushes and cut the lawn front and back, removed all garbage - including a dresser and a fridge by hand alone.

At one point the now happy mom from the downstairs couple noticed the brickwork done and asked incredulously,  

" Did you just do all that work?", " Shouldn't they be hiring someone to do that? ", " Is that her in there cleaning floors?"

It was too as my partner in this mess had soaked the floors with a special cleaning de-greaser suggested by bathrooms guy and was commencing to scrub it before removing it with rags.

All I could say was "when we do something we do it right and regardless of this woman we wanted to make it as nice as we could...and who knows...maybe she'll miraculously pay us something..." my voice trailed off as I had no conviction in that. But still, I had enjoyed the experience to a degree and it was nice fixing up a place. Just a freakin' shame...

Bathroom floors atrocious

That was about where we left it. After a number of more attempts to extract any type of payment from the lady in question, in addition to the continuing assertion that she had never paid any of her previous ( apparently growing list) of property managers, we reluctantly bid the place adieu.

Too bad really, with just a small amount of work - like proper tobacco stain removal products, new windows, a bathroom wall stall covering and kitchen cabinets, the place could be rented out to good responsible tenants proud to call it home, and very easy to manage at that point and with a little higher rent too than it could have commanded as was...and thus still "affordable" but in a nice neighbourhood.

It's just too bad some people are too stupid too realize this.

Meantime, this woman continues to victimize vulnerable people and businesses from afar without a worry. By operating her scam from outside the province it appears for now she can...but stay tuned...

stained floor and 70's cheap wood cabinets

Who knows? Maybe a greater purpose is at work as from all this has come an idea, through discussions about the need for drafting legislation to protect vulnerable seniors and others from eviction - now hopefully with the help of an M.PP..

Paccman Out

Recently, there has been a spate of articles written in the YRMG on the subject of poverty, homelessness and housing by various writers. It never ceases to amaze me how they spin things at times and write stories - at least locally - that don't include much critical input and often pander to the "help" organizations and not the actual affected people - like many PACC members.

This street is owned on one side, rented on the other, tell which?

The article I was quoted in, however, was fairly accurate and surprisingly enough, mentioned some controversial subjects I didn't think they would frankly. Sometimes I just throw things out there to see what sticks and I guess this did - that being the fact that a neighbourhood park with nearby kids banned from using it because they are not technically from that neighborhood - yet some live on the same street!

The side by side neighbours have a unique set up with one side of the street owned houses and the other side rentals with mixed income and some low income units thereby creating a real diverse mix of residents - except only one side of that street can use the good kids park. I guess the association doesn't embrace diversity. Does this policy encourage friendship and camaraderie between the two side by side hoods that one has to look hard to distinguish between, despite what one person quoted as a "leader" in local poverty work ( I read the quote but couldn't find it so his name shall remain out for now) said about renters not having "ownership pride" in keeping their properties (in one of the recent columns)? Biased attitudes like this that feed the stereotype of low income or renting residents are likely part of the reason we have so little rentals in York Region - 12% of all our housing stock according to the article (actually 11.7%) which is the lowest ratio in CANADA - not highlighted in the article while availability sits around 1%.

Kids from Mulock Village live on this street but cannot play here

In one column the writer quotes a Y.R. Habitat for Humanity Director as a local expert on housing needs - having been in the job a few months - and they of course used the opportunity to promote themselves as a viable builder of affordable housing, yet the American based franchise boasts on their website of having more assets than

This empty space once housed a park for M.V. kids on same street

Starbucks and has built 0 houses in Newmarket in a number of years despite paying out millions in operational costs" last year for the Y.R. Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. To even be lucky enough to be chosen for one of their homes, you seemingly must often first be a visible minority or have come here from another country, as well you also must agree to become a face for them to the public to tell the world how wonderful they are. These are degrading and esteem killing conditions and you cannot sell your home either should you ever wish to move.

They also label the residents they place in homes as 'hardworking", as if anyone else caught in the trap of poverty may not be, which helps perpetuate the myth of some poor being more deserving than others. It also divides not unites people. A person with an illness for example that does not enable them to do labor does not mean they should be labelled as "not hard working" or lazy, nor someone unemployed. These private owned corporate charities should not be quoted within serious discussions of providing affordable housing as they only confuse the issue and do very little actual building anyway.
                     kids must play on the streets when no playground allowed as in above video

2nd suites being shopped as a "solution" also are not "affordable housing" either as they average over $1200 per month in York Region, whereas a single person on low income cannot afford this. The problem is the region 's official definition of' "affordable housing" does not comply with the reality for those on low income as they cannot afford this 'affordable" solution - not to mention they are unsafe - especially if operated by a "slumlord".

The Star actually reported that more private developers in Toronto are adding condos to the affordable housing mix via proposals, which P.A.C.C. has tried to do here as well for years having brought a group in on Oct 17, Int Day for the Eradication of Poverty to speak on the very subject. One politician, Newmarket Regional Councillor John Taylor showed up. Newmarket's Mayor Tony Van Bynen was no where to be found nor any other regional or town councilors or mayors who all seem to take their directional cues from the Region which in turn is getting its direction from the provincial and federal governments and not its residents. But this is what we get when buying into the Russia originated, relatively new to N.A.'s, regional government model - decisions about what we do made centrally, such as building up (people density), water, access to green areas(through "protectionism") and adding transit lines we don't need or didn't ask for while be assured we need it..

More and more decisions affecting our towns are made by  governing bodies not even living in the areas affected.

Mildred, 93, lost her housing and lives in limbo ever since

Speaking of the Toronto Star, the media outlet reported that seniors had been evicted at an alarming rate and that Toronto Community Housing Corp had not been using it as a last means as mandated, but rather as a way to open up some spots.

I know a fair bit about how they operated, through knowing a former TCHC contracted paralegal whose job was to evict delinquent and difficult tenants and set-up arrears collections and who was contracted there during the time in question examined by the Toronto Ombudsman. Although the person did not come out and say it to me, I got the feeling she was pressured to back off evicting gang members (mostly minorities), by encouraging the entry of incomplete paperwork knowing it could then result in the case being tossed and concentrate on others, for which the paralegal felt conflicted. This conflict lead to them eventually leaving. So in essence T.C.H.C. was asking them to illegally file - knowing the info was not complete.

Perhaps by OUTSOURCING paralegal work the city could make substantial inroads, save $ thousands in wasted court costs. and save lives.

A Newmarket Paralegal who has represented some of Canada's largest landlords including T.C.H.C., was quoted in the York Region Media Group article as saying, "Gang members must be housed somewhere", referring to the dilemma Housing Authorities have when dealing with them as residents, yet time and again innocent residents are corrupted by such practices and denied their right to live in peace. There are no easy solutions, but one thing is for sure, more youth and education opportunities need be entered into the mix because these kids - and I mean under 10 - exposed to guns and violent ways will come to think it's the "norm" which it is not. This all being said, York Region Housing's stock is not full of gangs or modeled like Toronto's although many, if not most of its residents, somehow come from Toronto or elsewhere and not from York Region - and again this is a regional system dilemma.

The Paralegal also suggested to me that there needs to be legislation put in place to protect seniors and others from housing authority evictions, because Housing Tribunals supersede Landlord and Tenant Board decisions and allow for the delivery of C-4 notices (eviction) to be served based on allegations only - whereas the L&T Board requires more tangible proof before evicting.
For example someone accused of having another person not on their lease living at their residence can currently be evicted based on just that - an allegation - which is exactly what happened to this senior.

When a senior wedged in our system tells me she wished she'd just hurry up and die, I'm pretty sure we're doing something wrong. She can't watch t.v. since her hearing device went missing shortly after being moved into the Newmarket long term care located centre, and her eyes are bad so reading is tough, and the food is lousy she says. She's dying of boredom perhaps although they suspect cancer now too.

" It's worse than being in the joint Tom" the once feisty 93 year old told me.

Until Next time.

Tom out

Well my last blog sure woke some people up and got people thinking and that was the reason for writing it - to encourage people question everything - no matter how good intentions sometimes seem.

I just read an article in the National Post about Vancouver's sharing programs which are beginning to have urban dwellers sharing cars( more than 1000 in the city are shared), tools, gardens, clothing, kitchen supplies, offices, etc in groups set up to conduit this. Sounds wonderful all this sharing, but it's all because people are slowly being made unable to afford cars..and tools..and property.
Community Property

Sharing community property whether through food in community gardens, food distribution depots / banks or community dinners are also all Marxist ideas in origin, and a free society need allow one the dignity to access food in a way of their choosing and eat in privacy or with their family - not one thrust upon them so that if they don't use it communally they'll go hungry. That may not be where we are at quite yet but eventually it'll get weaved in as part of the solution. There is enough income produced in this country, it's just not trickling down to those in need. Sharing 101 we fail at miserably as a society so why buy into a communist-like model?

Once they can say - "Well they can join our garden program if they want to eat fresh food" or  "Well if they are hungry we have community dinners "- or the clothes depot will do for them" then the government can shirk its responsibility to take care of these people in need - not chosen one charities and corporate feel-good campaigns like Campbell's Soup type photo-op solutions that make people sicker long run both physically and mentally taxing the 'system' even more.

The solution is simple - give people enough to work with from the beginning - to feed themselves in dignity. People don't need "Do-gooders" dishing it out for them. Eliminate those excess "jobs".

So no fancy community grow programs that most can't get to regularly anyway - but their own back yards or balconies are fine if they choose to. No forced transit use or "apply for" transit passes programs - but provide enough money to purchase them if they need one or pay a car bill. No special charity run "training" programs that don't pay them a full wage since they are working for these "charities" doing catering, construction, food distribution, bagging, fundraising and more. No more unneeded shelters - women's or otherwise - just build what we actually need - more affordable housing. No more feel good corporate charities that pay out millions of dollars in administrative fees and claim to build things like affordable housing but hand pick certain people only, who must meet a certain "criteria", and who will agree to being public faces for them for the very few units they do build.

Speaking of sharing, I've been following Newmarket's many proposals of late from developers for developing Glenway, Slessor Square, Main St. etc and none include building more affordable housing - even though the official plan dictates a certain percentage of all new built housing need include some. I noticed the presenter conveniently avoided allowing me a question at the Lion's Hall town event recently...he claimed Main St.'s proposal displaces only 2 residents from housing but left out that they'd already stopped renting / rooming people out of there some time ago leaving only 2 now so when time comes they can say it affected no one. But where are those who've they slowly displaced up until now? Who knows...they'll be forgotten in the mix since they apparently don't exist - except 2. Okay so are they building 2 affordable units for them in their model then? Somehow I doubt it.

Just be wary my friends, be wary...Dig deeper into these wonderful charitable "solutions" that slowly erode at your freedom, privacy, and dignity.

I'll bet not many of you, or few, are aware of the United Nations Millennium Development goals.  You should, since York Region as well as Canada and 191 other countries have signed on to support it. I bet even the local councillors and individuals who vote or support things they think they thought of, are not even aware where the stuff they vote on is coming from. I'd bet most don't even know it exists - yet they are buying in without questions. Or how about Agenda 21 or sometimes known locally as ICLEI which are linked to it too? Did you know the town of Aurora signed on to the latter? Do they even know what it is? Did they take the time to look in depth to understand all their objectives and goals? I Doubt it.

For example in Markham, York Region, they recently declared a 'Food Charter" which talks about communal gardens and community kitchens  and school meal programs as a means to feed people. This is what they do in communist countries and we all know how that turns out! The ultimate goal - which most of council are unlikely aware since they don't know this global development plan exists or that our country signed on to it - is to control people's food access and force the common people eventually to acquire their food this way. Quotes like from YRMG newspapers on this "charter" such as,

“We believe a collaborative and integrated approach is essential to create a healthy and just food system for all,” are repeatedly used terminology taken right out of the Millennium Development goals.

If this Y.R. "collaborative" group thought of the idea through 2 years of discussions as claimed in news reports then why is it similar models in multiples of other communities across the world are looking at or doing similar actions towards food distribution? Why? Because there was no real discussion on it as the direction was predetermined, just as is spelled out in the M.D. goals. One of it's booster's The Y.R. Food Network (charity) recently was awarded nearly $250,000 to get in the food distribution game. At least thats what the papers said recently. I would hazard a guess the farmer(s)speaking at the charter launch are also benefitting, or going to be. Only a guess.

Just like the rapid transit plans which somehow hundreds of  communities are suddenly adopting. Eventually they plan to make everyone use transit except of course the elite. Remember Animal Farm? They crossed out all animals are equal and replaced it with but some are more equal than others - same deal here. Is that book even part of our schools curriculum anymore or was that phased out? My daughter says they have.

No one called for "rapid" transit in Newmarket so why build it when there is no demand? Because they plan to force people through pricing regular Joes and Jills out of affording cars and fuel that's why.


"Four legs Go-o-o-od...Two legs ba-a-a-ad!"


Don't take my word for it it's all spelled out in the Millenium's goals and not hidden. The data is being disbursed by The World Bank - does that not tell you something? Like they care about the world's poor.

Greenbelts.  Sounds wonderful right? Sounded wonderful to me too, but also part of the millennium plan /Agenda 21's sustainable development goals to have people live only in densely populated areas with little access to anything else in the "green" belts except for recreation and all in the name of "protection". Elites will own property and land while average persons will slowly lose access and be kept in a small densely populated areas to live, work, and play like they are trying to do to Newmarket right now and have already done to Markham by building up, thus forming concentrated areas.

So called prioritizing to take care of women and children, same deal - more  control - and tears at the family unit with a father model. The state more or less becomes the head of the household though make no mistake, not the mother, in their 'model".

The M.D. plan calls for bike paths and roads designed to keep people contained and out of these green areas and traveling on foot and bikes. Eventually people will be told they have no right to access them. So unfortunately groups fighting intensification of living area densities like The proposed oversized Glenway and the Slessor development projects don't realize it's not town council they are up against but actually the United Nations. And again, our local politicians are not even aware it's all part of this master plan which Canada signed onto in 2000 and which is now under the gun to have certain things in place by 2015. Again it's all there in black and white and not hidden but

no mainstream media ever mentions it. Why?




That's covered in the "plan" as well as it states that the media has to be part of the massive plan. Now before you yell conspiracy theorist I implore you to check it out for yourself! It's not hidden! In fact when those leaders met at the 2000 summit it was the largest gathering of world leaders in history yet where's the coverage? And why is it not pointed out
each time an idea is put forward connected to this agenda?

This excerpt from the UN General Assembly  from 2010..note the scare mongering element.

Downtown Newmarket Proposed

Hey, I was as naive as anyone else until I myself noticed in some action groups I participated in with PACC seemed to have pre-determined "solutions". We'd have great "discussions" which, on the surface took everyone's input, but which had predetermined ideas for action. I realized this as there were times I spoke up and others agreed with my position, yet it moved "forward" in these predetermined directions. Later I came to realize they were part of this "plan" so these discussions with these invited action groups, lead by one group, were designed to make you feel like you had input into direction however since they have a predetermined plan it was / is a farce.

Then someone intro'd me to the actual U.N.'s Millennium Development goals in depth and I was stunned.

The U.N. is supposed to be a body that helps the world end wars and uphold rights yet since they've formed we've still had war after war and poverty has not gotten any better except in China, which through everyone buying into their slave labour market, is the exception to reducing poverty. Does this mean we adopt what they do? Or keep rewarding them with business?.

This plan also speaks about International Water Day and all these other wonderful world saving devises that most people are not aware are part of it. Meantime private corporations sell bottled water and drain lakes dry in doing so whilst we drink reworked sewage water. They are preparing us for when they begin controlling water.

But they'll never sell or control our water you say..it's outlawed! Ha. Just like Canada beginning to give control of natural resources to a communist dictatorship that allows slave labour - China - for $15 billion, whereas prior foreign ownership was not allowed to anyone let alone a communist country. So governments can change things - and it matters not which party gets in as they are all in bed together here.

This of course was a tit for tat deal as my prediction is that Scotia Bank, which is trying to get a foothold in China, will be allowed to in a few short years as reward to Canada.

People wonder what's happened that capitalism seems to be failing? Look no further than governments' cozy relationships with charities and businesses of their choosing who become the "elite" - just like in communist countries! Government should not be in cahoots with the private sector and charities as it erodes the "free" system and creates what we have now - the chosen ones. They especially should not be pandering to communists. CIDA's former boss who also headed Petro-Canada and Ontario Hydro,  Maurice Strong, already lives in China and would be arrested if he came back (to the U.S.) for his actions that included making illegal profits on oil for food sales in Iraq. He, along with leaders / politicians like Brian Mulroney, Jean Chretien, Paul Martin, Bob Rae and brother John , Pierre Trudeau, Daniel Johnson, all worked for or came through (controlled / financed by) Power Corp headed by the Desmarais family who have been doing business with China since the 1950's.That for another day!



As our schools now teach our kids we're global citizens, not Canadians, and on, I implore you to read up in depth and you will begin to see that all these wonderful "programs" and charity solutions and communal style directions are part and parcel! 


Just...Food For Thought! Ha Tom Pearson

Wow! Talk about working a rough' hood! PACC had to work magic to convince youths to drop their weapons in lieu of hockey sticks for a day! Ha. Getting kids to participate in this day and age of computer games can prove tough as is but with a little assist you can do it! It was tough going to make an event this year but with a focus on fun participation and some faith it seems to be working out!

The "cache"

Hot dogs and hot chocolate..mmm..

 

Join TP Saturday Mar 16

Neighbourhood kids are seen here preparing for Sat March 16th's event being held off main St at the Newmarket Community Centre parking lot!  The Annual Friendly Neighbourhood youth tourney is open to all ages too! 

Skills challenge 10:30 AM Sat Mar 16

"Put the kids back on the streets" - an after school activity - through road hockey beyond this event and help end obesity!

A "toddler area" will be set up  in Riverwalk Commons as well & you can get warm inside the community centre Lions hall!

As well as main stage entertainment and including ELVIS PRIESTLY! 

Hot Dogs! Hot Chocolate..all free for players! How can you beat that!?

 







Car! 

Big thanks to Newmarket Mitsubishi for their sponsorship!

Sponsor Newmarket Mitsubishi Motors has electric cars too!

Some of the kids

RoadHockey Mom

Dad has no chance!

Challenge Someone! 

Tourney and pick up games

10:30 AM All Ages Skills Contest  prizes by CanadaT.com

All Ages Games until 5PM

Bring a stick & join in! 

Or enter a youth team..


email us @ tpeproductions@gmail.com

It looks like we may have to either postpone or - egads - cancel the annual free Friendly Neighbourhood Youth Road hockey Challenge for 2013 or at least post-pone it.
 
Why?

Well we had a little last minute expense to take care of namely some fencing that I know isn't in our budget.
Yea..$225 a foot worth..to cross over playing areas of roughly 100 feet.

Oops they just informed me it was a small overlook - it's actually $2.25 a sq foot. Big Diff!!

Frankly I'm tired of trying to have this event carried without any support from the town to help promote or fund it. Geez they had no problem dishing out to an unknown out of town outfit for an ice hockey event supposedly for the homeless. Us? We get fencing, insurance, and location woes starting from the time they developed the new Riverwalk Commons area where our costs suddenly almost doubled in a year.

I guess activities for kids don't mean enough to enough people anymore. Boy oh boy where did all our priorities go so wrong?

I'll keep you posted. But things look to be a go for Mar 16!

Happy New Year! A message from me.

Since the provincial government announced restructuring(downloading) and cuts to anti-homelessness programs - such as the Community Start-Up Program - an influx of concern has been raised on the ground level. These funds also helped keep families on the brink in their homes and with winter now upon us, along with closer to home announcements that funds to the areas winter shelters have been cut as well, it seems we're going backward and not forward.

Although locally we did make some noise regarding wheeltrans times for transit users which allowed guys like PACCer Danny Philion to not only go out for New Year's Eve 2012-13 but work that evening to make much needed cash as well as now ongoing trans for those times beyond that night! PACCers efforts helped grease their wheels and move him into a paying job for the night - so he was coat-check and not Djing this time!- and possibly beyond since he can now simply actually get home!

Watch for Kiddy Korner at RHockey Challenge.

From that evening he connected with someone who's going to perhaps assist him raising funds for MD of which he's afflicted and was invited to join a car club - even though he doesn't drive in his condition. Dan's a car buff though, and his new found connection seems to have breathed new life into him. All because he could get there and back - and through noise part of which was made by P.A.C.C..

But the fact that I got a national honour, with the awarding  of a Queens Diamond Jubilee medal, and no mention in the local papers, speaks volumes to me. Not that I care about the accolades, but it should matter to you too that my / our work / voice is muffled locally.

Although I believe I have been affective through online work, campaigns, and blogging to truly reach the masses you need also some mainstream press / support and to that point, their boycott of our message can likely be attributed to my outspokenness.

Yes, I've been critical of local media in the past and a number of organizations - but critical in order that true accountability and facts can be represented - and not just spoon-fed organizational boosting stories that some turn out to be. If I've felt a program(s) or statement or shelter need was a farce I've communicated it, but only after feedback from users and some research. Still with no "letters to the Editor" getting in, they are winning. Others need take up the struggle.

Dan and PACC fought for right to transportation on Rogers TV

Perhaps a new voice need be at the forefront in order to make more in-roads.  I do not know. All I do know is after the upcoming youth road hockey event I will reassess my position with PACC, and likely ask to continue on but in a more supportive role not as chair.

Maybe I'll concentrate on creating a division that offers real programs/training/hope and include those from experience at all levels. Even youth programs using our community building experience to work. We've dabbled in that and I've had interest but PACCers can decide.

At any rate, with your support, I look forward to trying to pull off a successful 2013 Friendly Neighbourhood Youth Road Hockey Challenge this March !!