Iranians in Richmond Hill: global business “enclave” says expert

by Amanda Kwan

September 24, 2009

Hamid Hosseini is at the back of his store.  A row of intricately woven Persian carpets is hanging neatly on horizontal poles running the length of one wall, while stacks of smaller rugs are piled in the middle, forming a fabric maze leading to his desk. He leans back in his ergonomic office chair and glances at the front door.

A variety of street noises can be heard through the open door: the whizzing of a passing bus, the muffled chatter of patrons eating lunch on the outdoor patio at the French bistro next door, the light patter of feet as pedestrians walk along Yonge Street.

Some may assume that Hosseini’s business – Royalty Persian Rugs – is located on one of Toronto’s busy downtown streets. But his store is actually located in Richmond Hill, just north of Major Mackenzie Drive East.

According to the 2006 Census, the Greater Toronto Area is home to 57,000 Iranians – one of the largest expatriate-Iranian communities in the world.  An increasing number have chosen to make their home in Richmond Hill.  The town’s Iranian population has grown from 5,275 in 2001 to 11,830 in 2006, and data from the Richmond Hill website lists Farsi as the town’s third most spoken language behind English and Chinese.

Hosseini has operated his shop in Richmond Hill for 10 years. After the Iraq-Kuwait war broke out, and fearing for his family’s safety, he decided to relocate permanently to Canada.

“We never go back to our country [Iran] to live in. ….Because of this, I chose Canada,” he said.

Students caught in inflation spiral: Financial experts

by Agostino Di Maria

Sept. 24^th 2009

As Faisel Jaffer swipes his debit card for the third time to kick off a new school year at the University of Toronto Book Store, he admits he thinks about money on a daily basis.

“Every minute of everyday,” he says.  “Costs have been increasing each year; it’s tough to save any amount of money in the summer due to the rising costs of everyday items.”

Jaffer, who is enrolled in the neuroscience program at the University of Toronto, is one of many post-secondary students who have become frustrated with the financial burden for obtaining an education.

“The government should definitely offer more support,” he states. “OSAP is not enough, which is why we are seeing so many students drop out. They just cannot afford the continuing costs over a full school year.”

Recent data from Statistics Canada illustrates that Jaffer is one of the millions who are currently being affected by high inflation rates across Canada.

Keeping rabies out of Ontario: Ministry drops new bait along U.S. border

by Kimberlee Nancekivell

September 24^th, 2009

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has begun dropping a new bait to curb rabies.

ONRAB, developed in Ontario in 2006, was dropped for the first time along the 1000 Islands corridor and Niagara Falls last week.

“We’re [dropping bait] proactively in case raccoon rabies tries to get across the St. Lawrence River,” said Rick Rosatte, a senior research scientist for the ministry.

Though raccoon rabies is no longer a problem in Ontario – it was eliminated in the province as of 2005 – the disease remains in New York State and Quebec.

The bait, which the ministry hopes to license through Artemis laboratory in Guelph, will also be dropped along ravines and in other wildlife locales in an effort to eliminate fox and skunk rabies, which are still present on a small scale in Ontario.

Some natural health advice for beating H1N1 from Canadian experts

by Viet-Lien (Alice) Hoang

24/09/09

“Encyclopaedia of Natural Medicine is like my Bible,” said Jennifer Cormier, as she purchased her usual apple cider vinegar; she takes a teaspoon of it every day to cleanse her body.

Cormier described herself as a big believer in healthy living; hemp seed oil is among her favourite items at Healthy Planet, an organic store located in Markham, as she “can’t go without her daily fix of hemp butter on flax seed bread.”

While medical doctors advise us to cough into our sleeves and use hand sanitizer as preventive measures for the H1N1 flu virus, many people like Jennifer Cormier are listening instead to traditional healers who encourage maintaining a balanced lifestyle, an important factor in achieving good health.

“Dying” to send Clooney a message at TIFF: oppose tar sands

by Emily Hunter

09/25/09

The show must not go on.  That is what eco-activists are saying about the Toronto International Film Festival. The Toronto festival ended on Saturday, but they want the curtains closed for good, claiming it is stained with dirty oil from the tar sands of Alberta.

Taking their message to the celebrities, protesters from EcoSanity and the Rainforest Action Network (RAN) staged a “die-in” at one of TIFF’s red carpet events. Outside the Roy Thompson Hall during the  gala to premier the film starring George Clooney, activists theatrically ‘died’ after sipping (fake) dirty oil from champagne glasses, performing their scene a stone’s throw away from celebrities like Clooney who was there signing autographs.

“Celebrities have power, and with power comes responsibility,” said Glenn MacIntosh, 42,  EcoSanity founder. “They need to know who they are ‘getting in bed with,’ when they attend festivals like TIFF. Right now, they are being irresponsible by being here.”

Stopping scalpers near Rogers Centre not an easy job: Toronto Police

Ryan Jhagroo
Wednesday, September 23, 2009

A scalper outside of the Rogers Centre shouts, “Get your Blue Jays Tickets!”

Another scalper not too far away shouts the same slogan. They about to break the law, but the two uniformed police officers 10 feet away stand idle. Ticket peddlers, like the ones routinely seen and heard outside of the Rogers Centre, rarely have to worry about getting caught.

In Ontario, it is against the law to resell tickets at prices higher than what they were initially acquired for.  But police say the problem lies with catching them in the act.

When a scalper is attracting customers, they’ll say, “Get your Blue Jays tickets” or something similar, but according to Toronto police Detective Peter Harmsen of 52 Division they’re not incriminating themselves.

It’s complicated when no transaction involving tickets has been made yet, even though they are 10 feet away, because no crime has been committed yet, Detective Harmsen explains.

To get the evidence and charges laid, a plain-clothes undercover cop like Harmsen becomes involved.

Ontario’s DriveTest strike leaves thousands anxious, with expired licenses

by Katrina Roberto

Sept 24, 2009

With little information on how to proceed some of an estimated 4,000 aspiring and current Ontario drivers are anxious as the DriveTest strike surpasses the one-month mark. They are upset about the lack of information provided during the labour disruption.

Katie Batrie, 21, a driver hoping to complete her final road test and now carrying an expired license, says the strike has really worried her.

“They [DriveTest] were completely vague about the way to move forward, which is particularly stressful when your license is about to expire!” Batrie said.  If she had not heard someone else talk about the strike, she probably would not have known about it until the day DriveTest cancelled her test.

Operating under Serco DES Inc., workers at 56 DriveTest facilities across the province have been on strike since August 21, resulting in the cancellation of all driver examination services. This includes all written, road and vision tests. Workers are striking in order to, “fight for fair jobs and job security year round,” according to the union’s website.

‘Cat’-ch me if you can: four legged visitor a fixture at the University of Toronto Scarborough

by Megan Harris

Sept. 24, 2009

There is a rather unusual creature walking around the UTSC residence village. It is black and white, and can be found sleeping in someone’s front yard or meowing at a door of a house. This creature is a cat called Pooky – and he’s been at UTSC longer than many students.

Contrary to popular belief, Pooky is not a stray cat. In fact, he has owners; a father and daughter living in the surrounding neighbourhood, a place to sleep at night, and daily meals. Even so, residence students often offer the cat food and invite Pooky into their homes to sleep.

Danforth East gets artsy as neighbourhood gentrifies: DECA

by Alina Smirnova

Sept. 24, 2009

Headbands adorned with bright feathers, shoulder bags made out of reused burlap coffee sacks and bags made out of bicycle tires.  This was the scene at East Lynn Park on the last weekend of September where the Danforth East Community Association (DECA) held its first annual arts fair. Over 35 artisans and exhibitors pitched tents in the park and sold their crafts, pictures, jewellery and clothes.

“We’re really trying to make our community a more vibrant and interesting place and we’re bringing some culture and excitement to our neighbourhood,” said Mary Cowan, who organized the fair and is also on the executive board of the association.

David Gardner, who is also on the executive board of DECA, explained that the community has been around for a long time, and recently has been undergoing changes.

“For years now we’ve been gentrifying – turning over,” he said. “A lot of young families are starting in the area.”

Gardner also said that older businesses are transforming and the community as a whole is becoming younger and “flashier.”

Hockey Canada’s appeal for minorities helped by Kadri, other ethnic NHL players

Stacey Kwan

September 24, 2009

A few weeks before the minor hockey season officially kicked off, Hockey Canada has sent out a plea to ice arenas and equipment suppliers to reduce costs in an attempt to make hockey more accessible to a wider range of participants, particularly ethnic minorities.

And while Hockey Canada does not keep statistics on the number of minority youngsters enrolled in amateur leagues, the move comes at a time when the NHL is spotlighting some up and coming young hockey players who are visible minorities.

Some experts say that may be key to making ethnic minorities fully accepted at the entry level.

“I looked up to the first Asian player in the NHL, (Korean born goalie) Jim Park when I was growing up,” said Dennis Lim, a Toronto amateur hockey player who began playing in the 1980s.  “It is easier to identify with [him].”

There is a stigma that hockey is a ‘rich white kids’ sport, but a spotlight on NHL players who are minorities may help remove that, Lim said.