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Newsstand: February 5, 2014
Stop watching that clip of Benedict Cumberbatch on Sesame Street already! Here’s some news: council doesn’t know what to do about the Gardiner Expressway, Ontario’s Ombudsman is investigating Hydro One, Toronto’s Somali community is divided about the recommendations of a task force set up by the TDSB, and a young boy with cerebral palsy inspires a new book.
The eastern section of the Gardiner Expressway is in bad shape. This much we know. Today, the results of the long-running environmental assessment conducted by the City and Waterfront Toronto will be revealed. While it will stop short of making an official recommendation on any course of action, the analysis will weigh in on four possible options for the Gardiner: maintaining it, replacing it, improving it, or taking it down. Mayor Rob Ford vehemently rejects the idea of tearing down the 2-kilometre stretch of the Gardiner located just past Jarvis Street. He is putting up his dukes already in anticipation of council’s largely pushing for removal, but there actually seems to be some division among councillors as to what the best possible scenario would be for the city. City Manager Joe Pennachetti is pushing for council to come to some resolution on the issue before the end of this term, though, saying it is critical a decision be made. Those hoping to weigh in on the issue can do so at a public meeting that will be held at the Toronto Reference Library on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin says that an alarming rise in customer complaints about the billing practices of Hydro One has prompted the provincial watchdog to investigate the government-owned utility giant. Lack of transparency in the billing process and chronically incorrect bills are the largest areas of complaints from customers, Marin says. He also indicated that his own office has experienced difficulties communicating with Hydro One over billing problems, prompting the investigation to look also into how the utility deals with customer service issues. This might be common sense, but ignoring the ombudsman might not be the best idea if you want to avoid trouble…
A task force report that will go before the Toronto District School Board today has raised some concerns for members of the Somali community. The report focuses on potential ways to support Somali students, who currently experience higher than average high-school drop-out rates. Among the recommendations are an increase in postsecondary scholarships, a Somali heritage month, and more Somali-focused curriculum. While reps for the TDSB say their mission is about inclusion and helping all students achieve optimal performance at school, many parents within the Somali community feel that the recommendations marginalize students. This is not the first time that the TDSB has come under fire for its analysis of race-based student performance data. It previously drew criticism for a similar task force assembled to address high drop-out rates among Portuguese students.
Hercules Stergiou is a Grade 1 student at Bowmore Road Junior and Senior School. He also has cerebral palsy—a congenital disorder that affects his muscle control. Despite his parents’ fears about sending their son to school for the first time last year, he was embraced by students in his kindergarden class. This prompted his school’s principal Thelma Sambrook to pen a children’s story about his experiences called All About Me—Hercules. Sambrook says the story aims to teach that school is a positive and accepting place for all children. A portion of the proceeds generated from sales of the book will go to Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. There you go—some warm fuzzies to get you through this miserable snowy morning.