SOUNDBITES
e-Bulletin

May 13, 2011

With an anticipated 2012 budget gap of almost $800 million, Toronto is headed toward deep cuts to vital services, drastically changing the face of our city.  There is no time to waste – we need everyone to speak out to protect our city.

The City of Toronto is embarking on three major ‘reviews.’  The Core Services Review (to identify what services are “core” and what can be cut), the User Fee Review (to identify how to make users pay the full cost of services they use) and the “Service Efficiency Studies (to identify which city functions could be privatized, delivered differently).  The results of these will determine what services are delivered by the city, how they ard delivered, and who pays for them.  These three reviews are taking place over the next few months, with limited opportunities for public consultation.  The Consultation process has just been released. You can also sign up for city-led discussions here.
 
‘One Toronto’ is developing a “Citizens Guide” to these initiatives and the consultation processes related to them, and will be conducting a number of information sessions on them over the next three weeks.  The first four sessions are scheduled for:

• Thursday May 19, 2:00-4:00 PM, Steelworkers Hall (25 Cecil Street)
• Thursday May 19, 7:00-9:00 PM, Steelworkers Hall (25 Cecil Street)
• Tuesday, May 24, 3:00-5:00  PM, Labour Council (15 Gervais Drive, 4th Floor)
• Tuesday, May 24, 7:00-9:00 PM, Birchwood Bluffs Neighbourhood Centre  (93 Birchmount Road, Scarborough)

These sessions will be of interest to anyone interested in participating in the consultation process as an individual, as part of an organization, or in promoting engagement and dialogue in your community.  They will focus on the fiscal and political context for the consultations, the consultations themselves, and the ways in which individuals and communities can be effectively engaged in the process.
 
You can register for the One Toronto sessions online at http://2012budgetalert.eventbrite.com/, or by calling Mary Micallef at 416-351-0095 x 251.

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2) Human Dignity for All:  Working for a Poverty-Free Ontario (PFO)
On April 13th,  35 community residents and agency staff gathered at 1652 Keele Street for a presentation on Social Planning Network of Ontario’s ‘Poverty-Free Ontario’ initiative. Presented by Peter Clutterbuck, PFO begins with a picture of the status of poverty in Ontario, namely:

1. Structural levels of poverty have not fallen  in nearly thirty years, ranging between 9.1% and a high point of 18%
2. Social assistance incomes remain unacceptably low,  keeping people on OW and ODSP in deep poverty
3. Low pay and poor jobs keep too many people trapped in poverty
4. We continue to blame the poor for their disadvantage and hardship

After providing an overview of the reality of entrenched poverty in Ontario, Peter explained the PFO’s  goals of ending deep poverty: (a) making a commitment to adequacy  in  social assistance rates and (b) ending working poverty by ensuring  a basic living wage for  all workers in Ontario. Overall the message was that working for a Poverty Free Ontario is a collective responsibility because poverty is political and communities make a difference.
 
Equally inspiring was the discussion following the presentation.  Many community members expressed their appreciation for the presentation, while others bravely shared their own stories of living in poverty. Testimonies included experiences of unrecognized foreign credentials, wait lists for subsidized housing that are decades long, unaffordable childcare, social isolation, hunger, etc. Concern was also expressed in the ways poverty is  racialized and gendered (namely, people of colour and women disproportionately experience poverty), and strategies need to be developed that  address this aspect of growing and deep poverty (e.g. the dire need for employment equity and pay equity laws).
 
Ultimately, the resounding theme of the community meeting was that poverty in our province is very real and tangible, and until we address it from a structural/ policy level, thousands will continue to struggle day after day, despite their very best efforts (merit is simply not enough).
 
For more information about the Poverty Free Ontario campaign, please visit www.povertyfreeontario.ca  (effective May 5) or contact Peter Clutterbuck:  pclutterbuck@spno.ca
 

On April 26, the City’s Public Works Committee voted 4-2 recommending that household garbage collection west of Yonge Street to the Etobicoke border be contracted out to a private company, as well as, garbage collection in parks and mechanical litter vacuum operations.  Despite hearing full consensus that solid waste collection should continue to be delivered by the public service from about 70 deputants, including Social Planning Toronto, the committee including Councillors Grimes, Minnan-Wong (chair), Parker and Shiner voted in favour of the recommendation, with Councillors Layton and Perks opposed.
 
The recommendation goes to City Council for a final vote at its meeting on May 17.  SPT supports the public service delivery of garbage collection for several reasons:  offers good service (fewer complaints in District 2 – area to be privatized than in Etobicoke where garbage collection is privatized) at a competitive rate  (3^rd lowest cost per tonne in Ontario, better than private delivery in the 905), if workers from a private waste management company strike, the City won’t be at the table to shape the outcome of negotiations, and preserving the public service means more good jobs in the city (Etobicoke private sector garbage workers make less, have no pension, no sick time off and no bereavement leave).
 
The Public Works Committee also voted (4-2) against its own procurement practices – recommending that decision-making over contracting of garbage collection be handed over to the Bid Committee (a staff committee with no elected representatives), eliminating City Council entirely from these decisions.  Garbage contracts would total a quarter of a billion. 
 
In opposition to this recommendation, one Councillor pointed out that arguments were made to disband the Toronto Community Housing board because it didn’t follow its own procurement policies, but the Public Works Committee was recommending that the City’s procurement policies not be followed.  Others referred to the risks from lack of Council oversight, referring to the MFP computer leasing scandal of the 1990s that resulted from a lack of oversight over procurement.
 
Read more about the issue:

Contact your Councillor today!  http://app.toronto.ca/im/council/councillors.jsp or call 311 for contact information

Come to City Hall, Council Chambers on May 17 starting at 9:30 a.m. to show your support for strong public services.

The lack of a national child care strategy in Canada affects the quality of care provided to children. Children aged six to twelve are particularly affected. In a recent letter to MPs, the Middle Child Matters Coalition (formed in 2003 in response to concern over the issue of child care for school-aged children) asked MPs whether they would be passing legislation that would ensure that adequate funds are available so that all children ages six to twelve can access quality out of school programs.

SPT and MCMC’s  2009 report, entitled Middle Childhood Matters: An Inventory of Full-Week After-School Programs for Children 6-12 in Toronto, documents the need for an immediate increase in the amount of child care spaces available to children aged six to twelve. Across Toronto, there are only enough spaces full-week, after-school programs for 9.5% of the population. The further one travels from the city centre the more difficult it becomes to find quality child care. In the seven neighbourhoods with the largest number of 6-12 year olds (where 15% of Toronto’s middle years children live), programs can only accommodate 5% of local children.  (Click here to read the report.)

The letter from the Middle Childhood Matters Coalition to MPs explains that the cost of after-school programming for children is now more than most families can pay. The Coalition recommends increased numbers of quality programs for children 6 to 12 years of age and the provision of adequate resources in order to hire, train and maintain qualified, experienced staff to create a comprehensive and integrated network of services that includes early learning and care, education, child welfare, health, recreation, and family supports; the creation of a national child care strategy for all children, including those from 6-12, to ensure comprehensive access to quality, affordable programming and services; and an increase in subsidies being offered to ensure all families are able to access the programming they need.

 In the wake of the federal election, it is important that the newly elected and returning MPs consider these recommendations and have a plan that will address the need for quality, affordable child care options in this country.

Click here to read the letter in its entirety.

The Middle Childhood Matters Coalition is also pleased to announce the hiring of our new coordinator, thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s generous support. Amanda Penrice will be actively promoting the work of the Coalition and the need for better supports and programming for the middle childhood years in Toronto, and across the country.
 

The TDSB has announced the dates for its public consultations and they’re coming up fast! The board is facing growing budgetary pressures as it struggles to operate within the provincial funding formula. Our schools are falling into disrepair and maintenance costs are increasing. Our schools are struggling as they attempt to meet the technology requirements of the 21^st century while the cost of utilities, program supports and supplies, salaries and benefits, and transportation continue to rise.   

Chronic underfunding must be addressed if our schools are to meet these challenges and provide quality education for Toronto’s students deserve, while serving the larger community. Click here to complete the TDSB Budget Committees’ three question survey and challenge the Provincial Government to appropriately fund education. Write your MPP to tell her/him that you think education is a priority higher on your list then corporate tax cuts and needs to be funded appropriately so that all Ontario students can succeed (MPPs contact information).

In May share your experiences and perspective on how the TDSB should be spending its budget for the 2011-12 school year:
Thursday, May 19, 7:00 pm                   
Islington Junior Middle School, 44 Cordova Ave., Etobicoke (library)
Tuesday, May 24, 7:00 pm                    
Education Centre, 5050 Yonge St. (cafeteria)
Wednesday, May 25, 7:00 pm              
Education Office, 140 Borough Drive,
Scarborough (Committee Rooms 3 and 4)
Thursday, May 26, 7:00 pm
Location to be announced

In June witness how it all comes together:
 
Thursday, June 16.  
5050 Yonge Street,
North York (Board Room)
Tentatively set for a special board meeting to approve the budget

Click here for more information and to monitor locations and times.

Published in the star, Thursday, May 12, 2011
Written by: Laurie Monsebraaten, Social Justice Reporter
 

About one in three low-wage workers in Ontario is a victim of “wage theft,” according to a report being released at Queen’s Park on Thursday.

The report, based on a survey of 520 casual, temporary and non-standard workers in the Greater Toronto Area and Windsor, is among the first attempts in Canada to document how often vulnerable workers go unpaid or suffer other violations of employment standards.

The findings point to the need for more government action, including better scrutiny of employers and stiffer penalties, says the report by the Workers’ Action Centre, titled Unpaid Wages, Unprotected Workers.

Continue reading...

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Get Involved in Social Planning Toronto

Your membership and support enables us to be a more effective resource and voice for the non-profit community sector in Toronto.

2011 is an important year for the community sector in Toronto. Your organizational or individual membership in Social Planning Toronto strengthens our voice.

As a member you are entitled to:

• Voting privileges at the SPT Annual General Meeting.
• Agency listing and linking on SPT's website.
• Participation in SPT Member Forums.

Your support helps us to:

• Strengthen the voice of local communities across the city.
• Increase our capacity to engage in social policy research, analysis and advocacy for communities and the organizations that serve them.
• Maintain our role as an independent voice for positive change in Toronto.

For more information on membership, please visit www.socialplanningtoronto.org/get-involved/
To enquire about membership, please call Mary at (416) 351-0095 ex 251 or email mmicallef@socialplanningtoronto.org

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About Social Planning Toronto

For more than fifty years, SPT and its predecessor organizations have served as a vital voice for the non-profit community sector in Toronto – conducting research and supporting community mobilization that has made a real difference for our organizations, our communities, and the most vulnerable residents in our city.

OUR MISSION

Social Planning Toronto is committed to building a civic society: one in which diversity, equity, social and economic justice, interdependence and active civic participation are central to all aspects of our lives - in our families, neighbourhoods, voluntary and recreational activities, at work and in politics.

OUR ROLE

• Convenor of social research, often in collaboration with other non-profit organizations and academic institutions.
• Mobilizer of community resources to improve equity, inclusivity, and the quality of life in the City of Toronto.
• Advocate with policy makers for improved social and economic conditions.
• Resource for action-oriented research, policy analysis, and community planning, in support of community priorities.

Social Planning Toronto funders include:

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