Severe overcrowding and poverty is heightening stress and ethnic tensions in Canada’s most populated immigrant neighbourhood, says a study of the Thorncliffe Park community released today.
The U of T study of changes in the Toronto neighbourhood between 2001 and 2006 found more than 30,000 residents — mostly newcomers — are crowded into 34 highrise and lowrise apartments in a 2.2-square-kilometre concrete jungle behind Don Mills Road and Don Valley Parkway. Front-line workers are worried the population is outpacing programs and services, hindering their ability to quickly integrate.
“Thorncliffe Park will continue to attract high volumes of newcomers, relative to most neighbourhoods across Greater Toronto. Settlement services, therefore, should remain a high priority,” says the report. “If population and household numbers continue to climb at the same rates, overcrowding and other issues will present increasingly greater challenges.”
The study found each household has an average 1.4 bedrooms compared to 2.7 across the city, but twice as many sleeping in a bedroom as in an average Toronto home. Half of residents live below Statistics Canada’s low-income cut-off, three times the rate for Toronto.
Labels: Thorncliffe
# posted at 1/10/2010 10:30:00 PM |
Letter from Hayley
I want to share some things that I think grampie would like to say if he were here. Five years ago he gave me a journal full of his memories and reflections on his life. Those writings seem more precious now than ever before. Here are some of his own words:
About life he writes:
“My philosophy in life is to do the best I can for as long as I can.”
“There have been many high points in my life and some low ones. I feel I have achieved a great many things in my lifetime and climbed a few mountains.”
About his wife he wrote:
“The best thing in my life that changed things for me was when I married my wife, Phyllis.”
“Our wedding vows were the usual ones…I was awful proud of my wife to be.”
“I liked my wife’s looks, her attitude, her friendly ways, and the loving attention she gave me.”
“My feelings of love go to my wife for being steadfast with me for over 60 years”
About his children he says:
“I am always proud of my children for their many accomplishments.”
“When my children were young I was busy providing a living and did not have the time to spend with them I’d have liked to.”
“The best part of being a parent was watching my children develop and grow into teenagers and responsible adults, and (later) parents.”
To his grandchildren he writes:
“My wish for my grandchildren is that they live good lives, be generous, make the best they can of themselves and always believe in God.”
“I’d like my grandchildren to respect their heritage, respect their parents, and be true to themselves. I’d like them to remember me for any kindness (I’ve done) and my love for them.”
“I would like to pass on traits of honesty, God fearing, and family closeness.”
“Believe in our Savior (Jesus) as a mediator between us and God.”
“Regarding my Epitaph:
"I would want to be remembered as a just man who did unto others as he would have them do to him.”
“I appreciate that I was able to live my life taking care of my responsibilities and family.
I am proud of my wife.
My happiness has outweighed any regrets.”
“My note for future generations:
Put your faith in God and in Jesus as your Savior
Be honest and trustworthy
Honor your commitments
Be a good a neighbour
Cheat no one,
Help those in need,
Thank the Lord for a true conscience and listen to it.”
Signed,
Daniel H. MacLeod
September 18, 1907- December 24, 2009
Compiled by Hayley on December 27, 2009
# posted at 1/07/2010 07:31:00 PM |
Labels: The sayings of Olivia
# posted at 1/03/2010 07:43:00 PM |
Daniel MacLeod_______________________________________________
Peacefully, at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Thursday, December 24, 2009, of Daniel Harris MacLeod of Charlottetown and formerly of Hopefield, age 102 years. Husband of 65 years of Phyllis Campbell MacLeod. Father of Verna (Bob) Delahunt, Leamon (Florence) MacLeod and Gerald ( Sharon) MacLeod. Grandfather of Danny, Kimberley, Roberta, Gary, Mark Brenda, Cathy, Matthew, Ryan and Hayley. Great-grandfather of 23 great-grandchildren and nine great-great-grandchildren...
Online condolences may be made at www.macleanfh.com
# posted at 12/28/2009 03:38:00 PM |
Labels: The sayings of Sylas
# posted at 12/24/2009 03:51:00 PM |
Labels: The sayings of Sylas
# posted at 12/07/2009 08:47:00 AM |
the Toronto public board is considering creating an all-kindergarten campus, according to a published report.
Thorncliffe Park Elementary...currently has more than 600 kindergarten students and is struggling to find solutions to deal with its ever-swelling student population.
The high numbers of new Canadians that are constantly moving into the area have caused the entire student population at the school to grow to nearly 2,000 – that’s about five times the city average. Thorncliffe Park Elementary, which has already outgrown a 2003 addition, only houses kids in junior kindergarten to Grade 5...
The TDSB is seriously considering the idea of using a new building next to the existing school as a kindergarten-only facility. A new $16 million building is slated to go up in 2011, but how that building will be used and by which students, is still up in the air.
Labels: Thorncliffe
# posted at 11/25/2009 09:10:00 AM |
Labels: The sayings of Sylas
# posted at 11/14/2009 06:16:00 PM |
Labels: Thorncliffe
# posted at 10/29/2009 04:02:00 PM |
Canadian is what each wants to be. These citizenship candidates are here for a six-week class, one of many run daily by community groups in Toronto and across the country. More than 500 prospective citizens attend Thorncliffe's citizenship classes annually.
Labels: Thorncliffe
# posted at 10/19/2009 08:25:00 AM |
Hayley got this picture of Sylas the other day. Can anyone think of a good title??Labels: Need a title
# posted at 9/17/2009 05:15:00 PM |
Labels: The sayings of Sylas
# posted at 9/13/2009 09:43:00 PM |
Labels: The sayings of Sylas
# posted at 9/02/2009 11:03:00 AM |
"After learning that U.S. arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin had been awarded the contract to perform the survey, he immediately decided his religious and anti-war beliefs wouldn't allow him to participate.So what do you think about this? Is this guy over the top? Has he gone too far? Or is he right on in his opposition of all forms of war/militarism? Should Christians oppose wars like Afghanistan and Iraq? Should Christians oppose all forms of militarism and war, including arms manufacturers? Thoughts?
Supporting Lockheed Martin Ltd. Canada, a subsidiary of the U.S. weapons giant Lockheed Martin Corporation, which Stelmach says manufactures cluster bombs, would have represented that level of compromise.
I feel as a Christian we need to pursue peace and resist and oppose militarism and all forms of war," Stelmach says simply of his decision."
Labels: Question of the day
# posted at 8/30/2009 12:11:00 AM |
Labels: Thorncliffe
# posted at 7/23/2009 09:37:00 AM |
I've been thinking about how the Gospels may have been used in the early church and realise that i have heard or read little about it. it is comparatively easy to imagine the letters being read out at some church meeting and also being studied by some church "elders" (I use the word in general terms as I do not want to provoke an argument, but simply to distinguish those with an ability and interest to study them). Even the letters are sometimes long and are quite complex.Thoughts? Comments? Ideas? Post them on the forum or in the comments below
I grew up with a lot of verses being used in isolation, and with a loss of context. A lot oi sermons were constructed that way. I doubt very much that the early church used the gospels and letters that way.
I understand that the written gospels were collations of spoken stories that were assembled to give a message to their particular audiences. These would have been the stories that the early christians told to one another and to their non-christian audience. Given the level of literacy, many would needed to have the gospels read to them.
What would have been the circumstances in which the Gospels were read to an audience?
How was a Gospel delivered in its entirety to an audience?
Does anyone know of any scholarship on this matter?
Labels: Monday's hot topics
# posted at 7/22/2009 10:41:00 AM |
* Comfort foods: Campbell's Soup, Stagg Chili, candy-makers, McDonald's and Burger King -- companies that provide low-cost, feel-good foods tend to perform strongly during times of economic recession, and that is expected to be the case this time around.
* Drug stores: With Shoppers Drug Mart set to open a fancy, new high-end new store in a wealthy Toronto neighbourhood, it seems the company isn't too worried about losing its market share during a recession. Indeed, pharmacies are considered a safe-bet for investors during economic slowdowns because they sell products you can't really do without. Well, maybe you don't need the $90 face cream, but you do need toothpaste.
* Education: No matter how bad the economy gets, the school system isn't going anywhere. Teachers are embedded in one of the safest careers going, along with school administrators and support staff. Those who supply the education sector -- pumping text books and other learning materials into classrooms, are also safer than most.
* Security: Airports, train stations, ports, borders -- travel and transport hubs of all sorts rely on security workers to maintain safety and ensure proper protocols are observed. Those jobs also tend to be safe during periods of recession - because there's simply not much fat to cut.
* Wireless service providers: Cellphones have must-have status across Canada and the world. We need them for work, for fun and for just about everything, everyday. So business in the wireless sector isn't likely to take a tumble. In fact it might actually increase as companies try to cut costs and streamline business, turning to technology like video conferencing to reduce travel expenses.
# posted at 7/15/2009 09:20:00 PM |
Labels: Video of the week
# posted at 7/14/2009 02:58:00 PM |
Labels: The sayings of Lukas
# posted at 7/06/2009 11:20:00 AM |
Labels: Thorncliffe
# posted at 6/22/2009 11:27:00 PM |
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