A young protestor at the rally to restore funding for refugee health care. Photo by Desmond Cole/Torontoist.

Approximately 300 protestors gathered near the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration office at St. Clair and Yonge Monday afternoon, to demand an end to recent refugee health care cuts—part of a national day of action that saw nearly 20 rallies take place across the country. Scores of doctors, nurses, and health care practitioners attended in medical scrubs and lab coats. Refugee advocacy groups and other concerned residents joined them to decry the anniversary of government cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program, a vital resource for resettled refugees and refugee claimants living in Canada.

The IFH program provided basic, temporary health care services for refugees, including maternal care and coverage for medication. In explaining the rationale for the program, the Ontario Medical Association has warned that “if a patient has a complex condition and doesn’t receive care because they don’t have health coverage or can’t afford it, treatment will cost the province more in the long run.”

The OMA also says that denying refugees timely access to care puts a strain on emergency medical services as those without health care become more seriously ill. In an apparent response to this fear, the federal government has maintained coverage only for medications which are seen to pose a risk to public health.

Dr. Hasan Sheikh, a family physician in Toronto, condemned the federal Conservative government for forcing doctors to violate their professional oaths. “In medical school, I was taught to treat disease, regardless of where a patient is from,” Sheihk told the crowd. He and several other speakers spoke of the impact of the cuts, not only on refugee health but on Canada’s longstanding reputation as a safe haven.

“We are dismayed, ashamed, and angry at the cuts to healthcare for refugees,” said physician (and Giller Prize-winning novelist) Dr. Vincent Lam, whose family fled from Vietnam shortly after that country’s war. “We must make concrete demonstrations of our commitment to the vulnerable and the weak, and that includes the refugees amongst us,” Lam said.

Citizenship and Immgration minister Jason Kenney at various times denied his government cut the IFH program, or has alternately suggested the cuts were necessary to save money and revoke “gold-plated benefits” from fraudulent refugee claimants. (His office did not respond to our request for comment on the IFH program or the public protests.)

Medical professionals told stories of vulnerable refugee claimants, particularly pregnant women, children, and elderly people, who have been unable to access timely health care because of the IFH cuts. Refugees themselves, however, did not speak at the demonstration. Dr. Sandy Buchman of the College of Family Physicians of Canada explained that “refugee claimants to this country, due to their realistic fear and their vulnerability, cannot speak for themselves, so we must speak up for them.”

Roseanne Hickey, a health practitioner and LAMP Community Health Centre in Mississauga, came with her colleagues to be part of the protest. “This is a country that signed on in to provide basic health care to people who arrive as refugee claimants,” Hickey said in reference to Canada’s ratification of the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention. “It’s ridiculous to create different classes of eligibility based on a person’s country of origin, without fair process, and without a hearing,” Hickey added.

“I understand there is some abuse in the system,” said another participant, Matt Kennedy, a medical student at the University of Toronto. “But I would prefer to err on the side of giving people the benefit of the doubt, rather than cutting the program for everyone,” Kennedy added.

The demonstration ended with a fiery speech by Angela Roberston, the executive director of the Central Toronto Community Health Centres. Robertson condemned Kenney and the government not only for the refugee health care cuts, but for changes to refugee protections under Bill C-31 which she attributed to a sharp decline in refugee claims. Roberston then invited participants to face the federal building and join in singing the national anthem. “The principles that are held in this anthem belong to us, and we will not have you abuse it to deny care to refugees.”

On Thursday, May 16, first Gawker and the Toronto Star published reports describing a video that allegedly depicts Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine and making racist and homophobic slurs—allegations the mayor has still not addressed in detail.

There have now been a great many twists and turns in this ongoing story. To help keep track, here is a chronology of events. We first posted this on Friday, May 24, one week after the story broke. We’ll keep updating it as events unfold.

May 16, 8:28 p.m.: John Cook, editor of Gawker, publishes a post in which he claims to have seen a video of Mayor Rob Ford smoking from what appears to be a crack pipe. Cook says the owners of the video want to sell it for a six-figure sum, which Gawker cannot afford, and also that the mayor’s office has been tipped off to the video’s existence. Out of fears the video will be purchased by the mayor or his allies, Cook explains that he is taking his story public to try to raise the necessary funds to buy it instead.

May 16, 11:45 p.m.: The Toronto Star publishes an article revealing that two of its reporters viewed what they believe to be the same video earlier in May, and that it was shown to them by men claiming to have sold crack cocaine to the mayor. The Star‘s article includes more detail about the video, including a report that the mayor apparently makes homophobic and racist remarks in it. The paper declined to pay the $100,000 it would have cost to purchase the video, but says it continues to be in touch with the men who recorded it.

May 17, 8:30 a.m.: Rob Ford shows up for work, briefly dismisses the allegations as “ridiculous,” and takes no further questions from media.

May 17, 12:30 p.m.: Ford attends a PFLAG ceremony to celebrate gender and sexual diversity. The mayor reads a proclamation, stands apart from his colleagues for the remainder of the ceremony, and then marches silently inside City Hall amid a throng of reporters. Soon after, he leaves the building without addressing the allegations further.

May 17, 1:15 p.m.: Gawker launches its “Crackstarter” campaign, a crowd-funding attempt to raise $200,000 to buy the video. Among the incentives to participate: a promise to deliver the phone on which the video was shot to the first person to make a single $10,000 donation to their effort.

May 18: The mayor and his brother, councillor Doug Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North), cancel their weekly Newstalk 1010 radio program, The City, but promise to return the following week.

May 20: Ford-friendly councillors like James Pasternak begin publicly asking the mayor to respond to the allegations.

May 21, 9:30 a.m.: Ford attends a special city council meeting on the proposal to permit a new casino in Toronto. He makes no reference to the allegations against him, and avoids the dozens of reporters eager to ask him questions. After a year of advocating for expanded gambling, Ford sees his casino hopes go down in defeat; council votes 40-4 against allowing a new site downtown.

May 22, 11:30 a.m.: The Toronto Catholic District School Board announces that Rob Ford will no longer be allowed to coach the Don Bosco Eagles football team, or any other team in the board. TCDSB spokesman John Yan does not tie the decision to the crack allegations, but says Ford’s comments about his players on a Sun News program “painted a negative picture of the entire Don Bosco community.” Sources close to the mayor say he is devastated.

May 22 1:30 p.m.: Doug Ford gives a bizarre press conference in which he reads from prepared remarks for nine minutes. He says the mayor has told him the allegations are ridiculous and “I believe him,” excoriates the media outlets that published the reports, and then spends the bulk of his time listing the administration’s economic accomplishments. (Nine million hotel rooms in Toronto were booked last year, we learn.) He takes no questions from the media.

May 22, 8 p.m.: Mayor Ford’s strongest media supporter, the Toronto Sun, publishes an editorial demanding he break his silence. “Ford needs to directly address these allegations, or get help and step aside,” the editorial concludes.

May 23, 1:45 p.m.: Ford fires one of his closest allies, chief of staff Mark Towhey. Towhey won’t say why he is leaving, but tells reporters, “I’ve given the mayor my advice. He can choose to take it or not take it.” Later that night sources inside the mayor’s office tell several media outlets that Towhey was fired for repeatedly telling Ford to go to rehab.

May 23, 6:10 p.m.: Gawker editor John Cook says his outlet has lost contact with the owners of the alleged video. He warns potential contributors to the fundraising campaign to “proceed with caution.”

May 24, 10:05 a.m.: Deputy mayor Doug Holyday (Ward 3, Etobicoke Centre) holds a press conference to address the ongoing situation. He confirms that some members of council’s executive committee, which includes the mayor’s closest allies, are drafting an open letter urging Ford to address the allegations in full. Holyday also tries to reassure residents that work continues at City Hall, maintaining that “the business of the city will continue as usual.” It is seven days and 14 hours since Gawker first published its article.

May 24, 3:30 p.m.: Mayor Rob Ford finally addresses the allegations during a press conference in his City Hall office. He denies all the allegations and attributes them to the Toronto Star‘s vendetta against him, and refuses to take any questions. Immediately after, many councillors say that one short prepared statement cannot bring this to a close, and call on the mayor to address the allegations in greater detail.

Rob Ford addressing allegations he was caught on video smoking crack on Friday, May 24.

May 25: The Globe and Mail publishes a long-awaited article detailing their investigation into the mayor’s brother, Doug Ford, who they allege was a mid-level hashish dealer in Etobicoke in the 1980s. His partner in that trade, they go on, was David Price, who was recently hired for a senior position in the mayor’s office, though nobody is clear on what his duties are. Though the events described in the article are 30 years old, the paper notes that they paint “a portrait of a family once deeply immersed in the illegal drug scene.”

May 26, 1 p.m.: Rob and Doug Ford host their weekly radio show on Newstalk 1010. The mayor lashes out at the media, calling them a “bunch of maggots” and says “there’s no video” of him smoking crack cocaine. Doug strongly denies the Globe‘s allegations that he used to deal hashish. A caller to the show—who lied about being a Ford supporter in order to get on the air—asks why mayor Ford appeared in a photo with Anthony Smith, who was recently shot and killed outside a night club. The photo was given to the Toronto Star by the same man who showed them the alleged crack video. Mayor Ford dismisses the caller as a “racist.”

May 27, 2 p.m.: Press secretary George Christopoulos and communication assistant Isaac Ransom resign from the mayor’s office “on principle.” Ford holds a press conference in which he both apologizes for calling the media “maggots” and thanks the men for their work, suggesting they simply found better employment opportunities elsewhere.

May 28: The Star reports that David Price— the recently-hired Ford senior staffer who the Globe reported was Doug Ford’s partner in the ’80s hash dealing—had told then-chief-of-staff Mark Towhey that he might have information on the location of the alleged video. Towhey reported this to the Toronto police, who sent detectives to question him further. Price refuses to comment publicly on the story.

May 29: According to the Toronto Star someone (it isn’t quite clear who) was told to delete email and phone records exchanged by the now-departed senior staffers from the mayor’s office—correspondence in which they reportedly discussed the alleged video. Soon after, a City spokesperson issues a carefully worded statement saying that “the Mayor’s Office did not ask the City to destroy records.”

May 30, 6 a.m.: The Star reports that on May 17, the day after the Gawker story broke, Mayor Ford gave his aides an exact address where he believed the alleged video was located. The report says Mark Towhey was not present for the conversation, but was approached shortly thereafter by David Price, who asked him what staff should do if they knew of the video’s location—that is, that the mayor was Price’s source regarding the video’s location.

May 30, 8:20 a.m.: The Toronto Police Service confirms via a press release that on that same day, May 17, a Canada-wide warrant had been issued for a second man in connection with the murder of Anthony Smith—one of the two men in the photo with Rob Ford. One week later Hanad Mohamed was arrested in Fort McMurray, Alberta; he will appear in court in Toronto on Friday, May 31.

May 30, 1 p.m.: News breaks that two more staffers from the mayor’s office—executive assistant Kia Nejatian and policy advisor Brian Johnston—have resigned, making for a total of five departures in a week. Several hours later Ford holds a press conference in which he maintains that “everything is going fine” and expresses his eagerness to run for a second term as mayor in the 2014 election.

From left: Alison Loat (Samara), Matt Galloway (CBC radio), John Tory, Mitzie Hunter (CivicAction), and Alan Broadbent (Maytree) at a launch event for DiverseCity’s report. Photo by Mike Hagarty, courtesy of The Canadian Club of Toronto.

A new study commissioned by DiverseCity, a group devoted to diversifying leadership in the Greater Toronto Area, shows that the region’s residents value ethnic and cultural diversity in business, education, and politics.

According to a survey [PDF] conducted on DiverseCity’s behalf by Nanos Research, 43 per cent of 1,000 respondents said more ethnically and culturally diverse leadership is important. When respondents learned that only 14 per cent of leadership roles in the GTA are held by visible minority groups and underrepresented immigrant groups (even though these groups make up about half of the GTA’s population) they were more likely to say the status quo isn’t good enough.

Respondents were particularly concerned with the lack of diverse representation among the GTA’s political leadership—only one in 10 said elected officials adequately reflect the population. When asked where they saw the most diverse leadership, residents were most likely to mention the media and the civil service.

Nanos Research president and CEO Nik Nanos told us by email that he was intrigued by the way survey respondents seemed to associate diversity in leadership with the GTA’s ability to attract foreign investment. “People believe that a greater diversity in leadership can lead to a stronger economy and will help to advance Toronto as a world-class place to not only live, but to invest and work,” he wrote.

Nanos also addressed findings that some residents fear a trade-off between quality, competent leadership on one hand, and diverse, representative leadership on the other. “This is the potential trap in the dialogue on diversity of leadership—that it is code for quotas or a non-merit system of advancement,” Nanos wrote. “The reality is that most people see diversity in leadership as something that can elevate the GTA as a place to do business and a place to live.”

The DiverseCity initiative is a partnership between two non-profit organizations that promote social inclusion, the Maytree Foundation and CivicAction. Maytree project leader Cathy Winter told us by email that while the survey is encouraging, it also shows that more work is needed to promote the importance of diverse leadership. “Many survey respondents did not know about the diversity gap in leadership, but they thought it was a problem when they found out,” Winter wrote. “We need to continue to raise awareness of the issue.”

Over the past five years, DiverseCity has been attempting to do just that, through programs like DiverseCity onBoard, which facilitates the placement of diverse leaders on public and non-profit boards in the GTA, and the School4Civics, which tries to equip people from underrepresented groups to participate in the political process as candidates and campaign organizers.

School4Civics leader Alejandra Bravo has been keeping statistics on the impact of campaign training on participants, and believes the initiative is working. “Ninety per cent said the DiverseCity project helped in their political journey,” Bravo told us by email. “Sixty per cent have already opened the door or supported someone else in his or her political aspirations; another 30 per cent have plans to do so.”

At a luncheon at the Canadian Club of Toronto, where the DiverseCity report was released, CivicAction chair John Tory emphasized the importance of building personal relationships with people from underrepresented groups. “It’s the matter of a comfort zone that people have to get themselves into,” Tory said. “Once you get the first people on corporate boards that are more representative of the population, people will see for themselves that it just adds to the robustness and richness of those boards, and they’ll want to do it more.”

Earlier today Rob Ford broke eight days of silence regarding allegations that he’d been captured on video smoking what appears to be crack cocaine, convening a press conference to address the matter. He read from a prepared statement and took no questions, and as soon as he was done councillors from across the political spectrum began commenting. Their consensus: this isn’t over.

A round-up of some initial reactions from councillors and political observers:

“I think the mayor at this point should simply resign.”

“I don’t know what to believe.”

“I don’t think this is over.”

“Obviously this is not done. This is not going to go away today with this statement.”

“It was very open, it was very transparent… [But] is this over? Of course it isn’t.”

“Once I’ve completed writing this I will honestly be able to say that I am not writing this.”

“I believe him… [But] I think there’s still more to come on this.”

“Since we know that Rob Ford used to smoke crack cocaine, and in fact most certainly did smoke crack cocaine at some point within the last six months, we can only interpret his statement claiming not to currently smoke crack cocaine as an announcement that he has decided to kick the habit.”

“You know what helps keep people from diagramming your sentences? Taking questions and answering them.”

“Another q for Mayor Rob Ford: What is the story behind the photo of you with a man alleged to be Anthony Smith, later shot outside a club?

“Mayor Ford: I Did Not Have Smoking Relations with That Crack Pipe”

Members of the Canadian Somali Congress have condemned the Toronto Star for repeated references to “Somali drug dealers” in its initial story about mayor Rob Ford’s alleged drug use. The Star‘s first article on the subject originally used the description “Somali” 10 separate times to refer to the men who apparently were involved with Ford in this case [PDF]. There seems to have been second thoughts among Star editors about this: even before CSC president Ahmed Hussen contacted the publication they edited the article, which now contains five uses of the word [PDF].

Hussen says the repeated use of an ethnic identifier is both unnecessary and damaging to the Somali community.

“This description is not relevant to anything,” Hussen told us by telephone on Monday. He points to the Canadian Association of Journalists’ ethics guidelines, which states that members “avoid stereotypes of race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, or social status,” particularly regarding crime stories. “I think the Star made a huge mistake, and now our communities have to suffer the stigma,” Hussen said. “Ethnicity has nothing to do with individual acts.”

Hussen says that after the article appeared he mobilized his membership to file complaints with the Star, and eventually spoke with editor Michael Cooke. “We got a good response from Cooke,” Hussen said, and added that the editor assured him the term “Somali” would not be employed in similar fashion in future stories on the issue. We called Cooke to confirm this, but he did not respond to our request for comment.

Star reporter Robyn Doolittle, who co-authored the article with investigative journalist Kevin Donovan, stands by her descriptions. “I think it’s material to the story,” Doolittle told us during an interview at City Hall. “If you accuse the mayor of smoking crack, you have to provide as much detail as possible.” Doolittle declined to directly address the relevance or frequency of the “Somali” identifier, and referred us to the Star‘s public editor Kathy English. (We had received no reply from English at press time.)

Susan Eng, a former Toronto Police Services Board chair and longtime activist regarding media equity, says the references to ethnicity are irrelevant, because even the Star is protecting the identity of the men in question—in contrast to something like a police search, the goal isn’t to provide a physical description so the public can help locate the individuals. Star reporters “are not suggesting that anyone should go and find these people, and unless that’s your motivation as a reporter, you have no reason to use this language,” Eng told us by phone. She added that journalists often become defensive when they are told their descriptions might stereotype specific communities. “You don’t have to be a racist to make this kind of mistake,” she points out.

U.S. website Gawker, which broke the story about the allegations, made no references in its story to the ethnicity of the individuals who claim they dealt crack cocaine to Ford. Outlets like the New York Times and the Guardian have similarly reported on the issue without describing the ethnicity of the presumed dealers.

CSC communications director Ebyan Farah, who we also spoke with on Monday, emphasizes that Somalis in Toronto are Canadians first, and must not be held responsible for the drug dealers’ alleged conduct. “It’s the responsibility of the police to find them,” Farah said. “The job of the community is to educated our boys not to go down the wrong path—but a criminal is a criminal.”

UPDATE, 3:14 PM: A few hours after publication we received an e-mail from Kathy English, public editor of the Toronto Star. She wrote that in her view some reference to the men’s background was appropriate: “I think it was relevant to provide as much information as possible about who these people are.” However, English continued, she also understands the concerns that have been raised about how often the description was repeated. “I think the Star did overdo this in writing the deadline story (some of this was a result of team writing and editing).” She also added that reporters and editors have scaled back in this regard in subsequent stories on the subject.

Today, as they do every May 17, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) held ceremonies internationally to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. The Toronto ceremony takes place at the flagpole on the rooftop podium at City Hall—today a more frantic place than usual. As the event unfolded PFLAG president Irene Miller spoke about love and acceptance; as she ended a moving address on acceptance of sexual and gender diversity, Miller urged those in attendance, “hug one another, do not leave without a hug today!”

Then she went directly over to Mayor Rob Ford and embraced him.

The mayor’s appearance at the flag raising ceremony was his first public event since news broke that Ford was allegedly filmed smoking crack cocaine and making homophobic and racist remarks. Ford has yet to respond to the story, except to characterize the reports as “absolutely ridiculous.”

After reading a proclamation to open the event, an extremely red-faced Ford stood off to the side, literally cornered near the flagpole on the east side of City Hall. Following his brief embrace with Miller, Ford marched back to a second floor entrance to the building, ignoring questions from the phalanx of reporters asking questions about his alleged drug use and discriminatory comments.

Miller had a message for people who face discrimination based on sexual identity: “You have people who love and support you. You have people who need to advocate for you…you never need feel alone again.” She also reminded the audience that the damage from homophobic and transphobic comments goes beyond their targets. “There’s a mum, a dad, a brother a sister, a friend somewhere in the vicinity who is also hurt by your ignorance and your homophobia and your bigotry,” Miller said to cheers.

Toronto Pride organizer TK, who is trans, also addressed the crowd, saying that the acceptance displayed at the event would have been unimaginable years ago. “Growing up, I couldn’t have imagined a day like today. I couldn’t have imagined so much love and support in a public square, at City Hall no less.” TK hoped that the million-plus number of attendees at annual Pride festivities would grow next year, as Toronto hosts World Pride 2014.

Many attendees had tears in their eyes during and after Miller’s remarks. Ford himself seemed agitated during the ceremony; he shuffled in place during speeches and whispered to his press secretary George Christopolous. As the ceremony ended and the media swarmed him, the sense of goodwill the event had generated quickly evaporated, and Ford was once again fleeing from cameras and questions.

In a conversation with us after the event, Councillor Kristyn Wong Tam (Ward 27, Toronto Centre-Rosedale) applauded the inclusion of two trans speakers, TK and well-known trans activist Enza Anderson. “It’s not often that trans people are able to share the stage publicly and express their pride,” Wong-Tam said. “They are really brave.”

Wong-Tam also expressed strong feelings about the mayor’s attendance at the ceremony. “I was fairly conflicted when I saw him,” said Wong-Tam. She said that while the queer community is constantly trying to reach out to Ford, he rarely responds. “It’s not good enough for someone to show up once a year and then just expect us to applaud him,” she said. “There’s more to being an ally than reading a proclamation prepared for you by staff.”

Toronto city council wants to improve health care for medically uninsured residents, especially those who avoid treatment because they lack immigration status in Canada. They can’t do it all directly, but on Thursday night, councillors voted 21-7 to ask the provincial government to strengthen access to basic health care programs for residents ineligible for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).

Many refugees, undocumented residents, people who have lost their identification, and even permanent residents of Canada do not qualify for OHIP benefits. Dr. David McKeown, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health, says that expanding health care access is both humanitarian and practical. “Early intervention is almost always less costly than dealing with a more advanced illness later in its course,” he told council.

According to a Board of Health report on the medically uninsured [PDF], the most vulnerable of them are undocumented residents, many of whom avoid hospitals for fear of deportation. When these individuals do access emergency medical services, they are routinely billed several times more for services than insured residents. That too needs attention, say some. “The billing system needs an overhaul so that anyone can access health care at a fair price,” maintained Denise Gastaldo, associate professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, after council’s vote. “Today’s decision is a step in the right direction.”

Toronto to Consider Becoming ‘Sanctuary City’ for Undocumented Residents

Also among those who can’t access services: permanent residents, who are eligible for OHIP benefits, but only after a three month waiting period. Council has asked the province to eliminate this gap in service, citing the fact that permanent residents spend years going through the application process before being accepted, and that by the time they arrive here they have already met immigration requirements.

McKeown also attempted to dispel myths about so-called “medical tourists,” who migrate to Ontario simply to receive medical care. “That’s not in fact what happens most of the time,” he said.

A few councillors remained unconvinced, arguing that medical tourists are indeed taking advantage of health care services in Ontario. “You can land at Pearson, and come into Toronto and say ‘I’m here, give me services,’ ” said councillor David Shiner (Ward 24, Willowdale). Councillor Mike Del Grande (Ward 39, Scarborough-Agincourt) said that he’s heard criticism of the proposal from older, “bonafide” immigrants. “Now all of a sudden, there’s a different kind of attitude with new immigration that you meet them at the door and have to provide everything,” Del Grande said.

Councillor John Filion (Ward 23 Willowdale) questioned the sincerity of such arguments. “If [Del Grande] saw an injured child, he wouldn’t say, ‘show me your citizenship,’ ” Filion argued. “It’s very easy to push your no button when it’s a bunch of faceless people you don’t meet.” Filion and others also argued that uninsured people with communicable illnesses threaten public health if they refrain from seeking treatment.

The province already funds services for the medically uninsured, mainly through local community health centres. Yesterday’s recommendations include requests to increase funding for those services. Council has also asked the federal government to restore cuts to critical refugee health care funding, made last summer.

Axelle Janczur, executive director of community health care hub Access Alliance, said that while some health care solutions for the uninsured involve navigating complex immigration circumstances, many are easy to solve. “We need to know who exactly has access, and provide them with better information,” Janczur said. “That part is not really controversial.”

On Wednesday, protestors rallied in front of the Queen Street location of Joe Fresh to memorialize workers killed in the collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh, where the Canadian clothing retailer made some of its products.

The crowd, estimated by organizers to be about 1,200 strong, was there to demand that Joe Fresh advocate better working conditions from its clothing suppliers. The protesters also condemned Loblaws, which owns the Joe Fresh label, for its reliance on cheap production to maximize profits.

Bangladeshi activists and students led the throng of cheering, flag-waving marchers through the garment district as they chanted things like, “Stop the death in Bangladesh!” and, “Long live solidarity!” Drums and loudspeakers echoed, and hockey fans at nearby bars turned away from the Toronto Maple Leafs playoff debut and gathered at windows and along sidewalks to witness the scene.

Farah Kabir of the anti-poverty group ActionAid told the gathering that the human cost of the factory tragedy is incalculable. “We don’t want compensation for the dead. Can you bring them back?” Kabir demanded. “We want equal rights, safety and security, the right to trade unions, the right to organize, and a living wage.”

After the gathering had observed a moment of silence for the hundreds of dead and injured workers, representatives of the Bangladeshi community attempted to deliver a letter to Loblaws and Joe Fresh staff inside the Queen West location, but no store personnel came forward. Instead, one of several uniformed security personnel blocking the building lobby cracked the door open and accepted the letter from student activist Khan Osman.

Osman expressed frustration at the cold reception from Loblaws. “I don’t know why they have not come out. They don’t have the courage, or whatever. I don’t know,” he told reporters after his encounter with security. Khan said activists will monitor the retailer’s response to their demands, including requests to source labour from unionized suppliers, and to collaborate with the Bangladeshi government to prosecute the owners of the collapsed factory. “We will continue the fight,” Osman vowed. Joe Fresh has already vowed, independently of this particular protest, to compensate the families of victims of the factory collapse.

The lively demonstration was one of a series of actions organized by Toronto’s labour, immigrant rights, and social justice groups for May Day, an international workers’ holiday. Syed Hussan of the Solidarity City Network expressed pride at the diversity of causes represented in the march. “We’re connecting community power, environmental justice power, workers’ rights power, and queer rights power into this massive show of force and celebration,” he said.

Participants initially gathered in front of Toronto City Hall to demand equity for all Torontonians, regardless of their immigration status. The group then marched to Bay Street, where Idle No More representatives led a round dance for indigenous solidarity and environmental stewardship. At another stop, on University Avenue, organizers demanded increases to Ontario’s minimum wage and social assistance rates.

Photo by Nadim Fetaih.

Bikes in Nathan Phillips Square during 2008′s Bike to Work ride. Photo by rob.harris28, from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

City councillors have voted to revive a plan to build North America’s largest bike station in the underground parking lot at Nathan Phillips Square. The project, which would include 380 bike parking spaces and shower facilities, was delayed after Toronto Parking Authority staff said that removing 24 ordinary parking spaces in order to accommodate the new facility would cost $70,000 in lost revenue.

Monday, councillors on the City’s government management committee voted 3-2 in favour of reviving the plan, subject to approval from city council at its meeting in May.

Councillor Paul Ainslie (Ward 43, Scarborough East), who chairs the committee, said the underground lot doesn’t appear to be operating close to capacity, meaning the lost car parking wouldn’t make a difference. “When you get down to the lower [parking lot] floors, nine times out of 10 there’s a good chunk of it that’s vacant,” he said following the vote. He added that the planned showers and bike repair shop within the facility would encourage cyclists who currently avoid riding to work. “Who wants to be beside somebody that’s biked all the way from Scarborough or Etobicoke on an 80-degree day?” he wondered aloud.

Doug Ford (Ward 2, Etobicoke North), who voted against the project, slammed its $1.2 million budget as “reckless spending” and objected to the loss of parking spaces. “What we should be doing is utilizing that [space] for cars,” Ford said following the decision. “I’m sure there’s other places that bikes can park around here. We don’t need to take out parking spaces out of prime locations to build showers.”

The bike station was initially proposed as part of the Nathan Phillips Square Revitalization, a project approved under former mayor David Miller. City staff told the committee that half of the $1.2 million budgeted for the station has already been spent on design and planning. Transportation staff quietly deferred the project in 2011 after parking authority officials objected to the potential loss of revenue. Councillor Joe Mihevc (Ward 21, St. Paul’s) found out about the delay, and filed an administrative inquiry, which led to the committee’s vote.

Jared Kolb of Cycle Toronto, the city’s largest cycling advocacy group, praised the committee’s decision. “It sends a strong message that cyclists are an important part of the transportation mix,” Kolb said. He argued for the efficiency of using 24 vehicle parking to accommodate up to 380 cyclists. “In terms of a return on investment, it’s a fantastic use of space,” he added.

A 2009 City study found that 91 per cent of commuter cyclists believe “more secure indoor parking would improve cycling in Toronto.” Bike stations at Victoria Park Station and Union Station are already up and running, and one is planned for the future Finch West Station on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line.

The overall cost of the Nathan Phillips Square revitalization has ballooned to approximately $60 million, up from about $40 million in 2007. Ainslie attributed this to council-approved additions to the project—such as enhanced landscaping—after the original approval. He assured reporters that the bike station wouldn’t contain unnecessary frills. “I don’t think you’re going to see any brass or marble in there,” he said.

The Metro Toronto Convention Centre; photo by gorbould from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

Following City staff’s final report on a proposed casino in Toronto—a report which neither endorsed nor rejected the suggestion that we permit one—Mayor Rob Ford is touting the facility’s potential to boost the city’s economy.

“Toronto has been presented a golden opportunity, folks,” Ford said a a press conference this afternoon, “an opportunity that creates jobs, stimulates our economy, and makes Toronto a preferred convention destination.”

In his remarks Ford repeatedly described his support for “a new convention and gaming” facility. His focus on convention space component of the proposed complex, rather than the casino itself—the jewel of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission’s expansion strategy—is a shift for his administration. Many concerned community groups, including a coalition of religious leaders, have condemned the proposed expansion of gambling facilities in Toronto.

City Staff Release Final Report on a Casino in Toronto

When asked why a new convention centre needs a casino to thrive, Ford replied, “you want to have something to do after your meeting or convention. You want to have a place like a casino to go with your spouse or business partners.”

Ford repeated his claim that a casino would earn the municipal government as much as $150 million in revenue—an estimate is based City staff’s hope that the province will give Toronto a much more generous revenue deal than other municipalities with casinos receive, and in defiance of Premier Kathleen Wynne, who earlier today reiterated that there would be no special deals for Toronto. Ford described the estimates in today’s staff report as accurate, but added it “might be off by a few million here or there.”

Ford conceded that he didn’t have any indication from the premier that Toronto might receive a special revenue sharing agreement. “She has to look out for all of Ontario,” Ford said of Wynne. “I have to look out for the people of the city…I’m going to fight for the citizens like I always have.”

A complete transcript of Rob Ford’s remarks—

Toronto has been presented a golden opportunity, folks, an opportunity that creates jobs, stimulates our economy, and makes Toronto a preferred convention destination.

Toronto currently ranks 33rd in North America as a convention destination, but we are the fourth largest city on the continent. We should be in the top 10 at least in conventions. We need a new, bigger, full service convention and exhibition facility to achieve that. A new convention and gaming complex in Toronto would create 10,000 good-paying union jobs for the hard-working people of this city—good quality jobs with an average salary of approximately $55,000. That’s important because Toronto’s unemployment rate has been higher than the rest of Canada for far too long. In addition this project will create between seven to eleven thousand constructions jobs—that’s on top of the 10,000 permanent jobs, folks. That’s great news for Toronto and Ontario. More people working means more people paying income tax to the province and buying goods and services from Toronto businesses.

A new convention and gaming complex will attract 130,000 new business visitors to Toronto each year, and generate $392 million in direct spending, and inject $1.2 billion into Toronto and Ontario’s GDP. That’s good news for Toronto and Ontario: more spending means more taxes collected by the province and a boost to our overall economy.

Soon, council will have to decide on whether or not to permit a new convention and gaming complex in Toronto. I believe we should say yes, absolutely yes, on terms that work for Toronto. This opportunity should be assessed on the facts—on the facts, folks—not on emotion or political rhetoric, like you heard this morning.

The fact is gaming is not new to Toronto. The fact is Toronto needs more good-paying, quality jobs, and this will create 10,000 good-paying union jobs, like I said before. The fact is this is a golden opportunity that may not come up again. A convention and gaming complex in Toronto could generate about $150 million for the city each and every year. This is money that could be used to fund rapid transit and infrastructure while keeping Toronto an affordable place to live, work, and play.

Toronto is not asking for a special deal; we are asking for a fair share. Any city that can attract a $2 billion-plus investment, that will produce well over a billion dollars in annual gaming revenue should get a fair share of that revenue. Any city that shares the risk with the province, as we will, any city that has skin in the game as we do, should receive a fair share.

The fact is OLG has been clear: there will be a new casino, guaranteed folks, in the GTA somewhere. If it’s not in Toronto it will be right on our border or right across the street. The fact is, if they build a casino on our doorstep, which they will, the province won’t benefit as much and Toronto won’t benefit as all.

Based on the facts, I believe council should support 10,000 good-paying union jobs. Council should support $150 million annually for rapid transit infrastructure instead of doing the easy thing, and that’s just to raise taxes. Council should support a $1.2 billion influx into our local economy, which creates more jobs, and council should support a new convention and gaming facility in this great city for businesses and tourists for years to come.

And his full reply to that question from a reporter, asking why the city doesn’t just pursue a convention centre project without attaching a casino to it—

People who go to a convention, you want to have the restaurants, you want to have something to do after your meeting or convention, you want to have a place like a casino to go with your spouse or with your business partners. You don’t just go to a convention and go back to your hotel room. You want to do something else.

We could do it, but that’s not the type of city we want. We want a vibrant city.

Photo by pkennethv, from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.

City councillors have overwhelmingly endorsed a plan to add more capacity to Toronto’s homeless shelter system.

With a 40-1 vote earlier today—Mayor Rob Ford was the only one opposed—council endorsed a motion by Joe Mihevc (Ward 21, St. Paul’s) to keep shelter occupancy at or below 90 per cent. (The rate has hovered at 96 per cent in recent months.) The plan also calls for an independent review of shelter intake practices, and a client survey on shelter access and conditions.

For several months, housing advocates across Toronto have warned of overcrowding and poor access at City shelters, citing an increase in the number of homeless deaths. Council seemed to agree that, despite reassurances from City staff that bed supply is meeting demand, the current occupancy levels are too tight.

Mihevc told reporters that staff at the City’s Shelter, Support, and Housing Administration can now open new facilities, if necessary, to make extra room for those who need it. This goes further than Mihevc’s original proposal, which asked only for existing “flex beds” to be opened up.

Yesterday the former budget chief, Mike Del Grande (Ward 39, Scarborough-Agincourt) expressed concerns about an occupancy rate of 90 per cent, saying that in his mind that was just an indication of an inefficient system. Why, he said, should the City pay for beds that aren’t used? Today Mihevc argued that that extra capacity is necessary to serve as a buffer, to accommodate the vagaries of a system with dozens of shelters, and people with various needs who need to access the system in all parts of the city. “There will be enough flex in the system to deal honourably with people who need a bed,” he told reporters after the vote.

Councillor Jaye Robinson (Ward 25, Don Valley West), who chairs the community development and recreation committee that oversees this file, thanked housing advocates for stepping forward with their concerns about bed shortages. “There is a gap, and we need to address it,” she said. Other politicians, including Mayor Ford, had suggested in recent weeks that advocates were exaggerating problems with shelter access.

OCAP Demonstrators Turn Metro Hall Into a Makeshift Homeless Shelter

Ontario Coalition Against Poverty organizer John Clarke described the vote as a big victory for those currently struggling to access emergency shelter. “It wasn’t a long time ago that we were being told the shelters are working just wonderfully,” said Clarke. “We have the basis now for at least taking the pressure off the system.”

OCAP organizer Liisa Schofield said the group’s direct advocacy, including sit-ins at City Hall and Metro Hall, was key in pressuring council to act. “Sustained action on the part of advocates across the city has worked,” said Schofield. She also said Ford’s public condemnation of OCAP was a smokescreen to avoid action. “It was obviously a distraction and an attempt to not have to answer for folks dying on the streets.”

The key element in today’s decision, Mihevc emphasized, is that it establishes an occupancy rate rather than a specific number of beds: the goal isn’t to be wedded to a fixed number of spots in the system, but to ensure that the system has the capacity to meet changing needs at any point in time.

A report on the state of the shelter system is expected later this year.