It has long been suspected that there was widespread corruption at Toronto’s City Hall and now those suspicions have proven to be true. A report has revealed that over $500,000 in fraud has been perpetrated by city employees and a police investigation is now underway. The report from Toronto’s Fraud and Waste Hotline has revealed that $260,538 has been lost due to staff wrongdoings and another $297,115 in potential fraud still under investigation. So far only $15,903 has been recovered.

There are nine city staffers involved. They have been accused of having parking tickets cancelled for friends and family, claiming unwarranted overtime, making false claims to the employee benefits plan, using office computers to download porn, stealing city property and cash, using counterfeit passes to take advantage of recreational programming, and altering medical notes for sick leave benefits. The irregularities regarding the employee benefits plan were picked up by Manulife Financial, the city’s insurance administrator.

The nine staff members under investigation have not been identified. They are at home on paid leave awaiting the conclusion of the police investigation. What I find absolutely shocking is that the auditor’s report revealed that an undisclosed number of employees were disciplined last year for false overtime claims, fixing parking tickets, and other fraud. I would like to know what disciplined means exactly. If they were not fired and charged with their crimes, then the city of Toronto should be held responsible. In the meantime if you suspect corruption in City Hall call the Fraud and Waste Hotline at 416-392-STOP (7867).

March 6th is the official anniversary of the City of Toronto, celebrating 175 years since its incorporation in 1834. When the Town of York was incorporated as Toronto in 1834, the booming metropolis had a population of 9,250. William Lyon Mackenzie, a politician and journalist was Toronto’s first mayor. Today the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) boasts a population of 5.5 million people. It is Canada’s largest urban centre and its financial heart. The fourth largest economic centre in North America, only New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are larger economic centres. One of the world’s greatest multicultural cities, over 140 languages and dialects are spoken here. Toronto is the centre of everything - financial, commercial, industrial, high tech, cultural, and entertainment. We have our own “Silicon Valley”, we are known as “Hollywood North”, and our theatre district is second in size only to New York City.

Let’s all celebrate our wonderful city. City Hall will be opening its doors to the public from March 6 - March 8 and hosting many events in honour of Toronto’s 175 anniversary. City Hall will be featuring special programming about Toronto’s history in addition to art installations, spoken word, dance and music. Museums and historical centres are celebrating Toronto’s 175 anniversary by offering free admission from March 6 - March 8.

Here is a complete schedule of events.

This is a time for all Torontonians to unite and celebrate what we have in common, and that is this great city that we live in. Come out to Nathan Phillips Square and enjoy some of the great live entertainment and fantastic exhibits, visit City Hall, and take in a museum. Celebrate Toronto’s 175th anniversary.

Cerebral palsy and other neuromuscular conditions can literally trap someone in their body with a perfectly functioning mind and no way to communicate. If afflicted with one of these conditions you would not be able to respond to the simplest request such as would you prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Hopefully this will change in the future and free children from the purgatory that their bodies create for them.

Scientists at Bloorview Kids Rehab in Toronto have developed a prototype of a device that will be able to read minds. It uses near-infrared light to decipher the brain’s response when a person is offered a choice of two objects. In the most simplistic terms the device reads the intensity of the light that has been absorbed by the brain tissue and a computer is used to recognize the unique pattern of brain activity associated with preference.
Nine healthy adults participated in a study to test the accuracy of the device. They were shown two drinks on a computer screen. The device accurately identified their preference 80% of the time. The results of this ground breaking research have been published in the Journal of Neural Engineering.

The next step is to test adults over multiple days to ensure that brain patterns associated with preference are reliable over time. After that, sometime in the fall, testing will begin on teenagers with disabilities. Researchers will continue to refine the device in the hopes of allowing children who can’t speak or move the ability to communicate and eventually use wireless technology to make it portable. At long last there is hope for those facing a lifetime of imprisonment in a useless body.

Toronto’s new budget seems to hit the ones that can least afford the additional burden - families. Although the residential property taxes are going up by 4%, well known critics of Mayor Miller like Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong say that the tax increase is actually 10% because of the hidden taxes.  In addition, the new budget does not mention that water bills will be going up by 9% this year, and that the new vehicle registration and garbage collection fees will also be in force.

Here is a list of new fees in the budget:

-    Residential property tax - increased by 4%
-    On-street parking permit with no access to driveway - increased from $127 to 132 for your first car (12.5%) and for each additional car the fees will increase from $318 to $330 (12.5%)
-    Adult one-year pool pass - increased from $161 to $167 (3.7%)
-    Children’s Learn-to-Swim program - increased from $143 to $148 (3.7%)
-    Seniors’ Aquafit classes - increased from $94 to $98 (3.7%)
-    Adult arts-and-craft classes - increased from $61 to $64 (3.7%)
-    Youth tap-dance lessons - increased from $168 to $175 (3.7%)
-    Children’s Learn-to-Skate lessons - increased from $50 to $52 (3.7%)
-    Adult full-season ski membership - increased from $303 to $314 (3.7%)
-    Children’s house league hockey ice rentals in nicer arenas - increased from $104 to $108 (3.7%)
-    More competitive junior leagues’ ice rentals in city’s nicer arenas - increased from $187 to $193 (3.7%)

It seems like Mayor Miller is bound and determined to shift the tax burden from business to residential. While residents will have their property tax hiked by 4%, businesses will only pay one-third of that. The budget is currently under consideration with a final vote by city council to take place on March 31 and April 1. Contact your local councillors and let them know how you feel.

Although the students are going back to school after government legislation, the fallout from the strike is just beginning to come to the surface. Students feel that their degrees may be compromised, and that is the sad reality. How can they compress an entire school year into the time left when a full three months has been lost? With the school year extended into May and early June, what will happen to students who live all year on the income from summer jobs? This will also seriously impact York University. Student applications are significantly down, while University of Toronto and Ryerson applications are proportionately up. York won’t shake this off any time soon and will probably continue to feel the financial ramifications for years to come.

Students and their families feel that they are entitled to a partial or full refund as a result of the three month strike. However the government of Ontario does not allow partial refunds and only allows students to apply for a full tuition refund if they can’t finish the semester because of the strike. As a result, York University has been served with a class-action lawsuit. Henry Juroviesky of the law firm Juroviesky and Ricci LLP filed the $250 million class-action lawsuit seeking damages for breach of contract, for any extra costs incurred from staying in school longer, and for the watered-down quality of education it says students are getting this year. The lawsuit includes compensation for the indirect costs of a longer school year, such as extra rent and lost summer revenue. Anyone wishing to join can register online at http://yorktookmymoney.com/

York’s 3,340 teaching assistants, contract faculty and graduate assistants are the highest paid in Canada. But they say that it’s not about the money, it’s about job security. The reality is that job security belonged to a time when “Leave it to Beaver” was the top rated program on television. Why should York University teaching assistants, contract faculty and graduate assistants have any more job security than the rest of the population who lives in the real world?

How many people do you know who would turn down an offer of a 9.25% wage increase over three years with improved benefits and job security? Most people in the real world are hoping not to get laid off, let alone dreaming of wage increases. York University strikers did turn down the offer in the latest vote which was requested by the university and conducted by the Ontario Ministry of Labour. Quite frankly I was surprised to read that only 69% of the union members turned out to vote. The offer was rejected by 61% of teaching assistants, 59.3% of contract faculty, and 70% of graduate assistants.

The strike has had a serious impact on the number of students applying to York. In fact there is a 15% decrease in applications from high school students making the school their first pick since the last year and a 10% decrease in applications over all. Ryerson and University of Toronto have been the biggest winners in the applications war. Perhaps now that York will have fewer students it will require fewer teaching assistants, contract faculty and graduate assistants and instead of increases and better benefits and job security, they will have to accept lay-offs that they brought on themselves. Poetic justice, don’t you think? But, what of the students?

Toronto Hydro customers are clearly at risk from a company without a solid infrastructure. It is not exactly confidence inspiring when a valve opened for no reason at all and couldn’t be shut off which then triggered a sprinkler system meant for fires or overheated electrical equipment which then resulted in over 250,000 left without power and heat. To make a bad situation even worse, all of this happened on one of the coldest days of the year.

This disaster in the Dufferin Street Transformer Station affected a widespread area - from Jane Street to Spadina Avenue and from St. Clair Avenue to Queen Street - for up to 24 hours. The reason that it took so long to restore power is that the water had to be pumped out of the station and then the equipment had to be dried before power could be restored. As of yet, no one at Toronto Hydro has a clue what triggered the opening of the valve and the ensuing calamity.

The entire city of Toronto felt the affect of the loss of power. The Bloor-Danforth subway line was shut down between the Jane and St. George Stations stranding thousands of commuters. Shuttle buses are hardly adequate for the volume and the Arctic-like temperatures did not make walking any length of time a viable alternative. Toronto Taxi drivers however had a banner day. Many schools were closed and driving in the area had to be attempted as a last resort as there were no traffic lights.

The question is what will Toronto Hydro do to ensure that there are system redundancies in place that can divert power from other stations should a similar situation arise? Toronto Hydro must shore up its failing systems. The city of Toronto must be able to rely on its power distribution system.

Do you live in a home that was built prior to 1955? If the old lead pipes have not been replaced, you may be at risk drinking water that contains unsafe levels of lead. As an immediate precaution it is recommended that you run your taps for at least 5 minutes to flush out the lead before you drink any water.

The most recent tests were conducted on 100 homes in Toronto that were built prior to 1955 and more than half of the homes tested had unacceptable levels of lead in their drinking water. The homeowners and the public health officials were notified. The good news is that the problem was discovered. The bad news is that it is very expensive to replace the lead pipes. Although the city of Toronto is picking up the tab for a portion of the replacement cost, each home owner will be responsible for more that $2,000 in charges. Could this have come at a worse time? What do you do when money is tight? Do you allow your family to be at risk? What can you do if the money is just not there? The number of homes that may actually be affected is alarming. There may be as many as 65,000 homes with lead pipes that were installed prior to 1955 that could be affected.

Health Canada warns that exposure to high levels of lead even in the short term can produce symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, coma, or even death. Long term exposure can damage the brain and nervous system, particularly in pregnant women and children who are at the most risk.

To request free testing for lead in your drinking water call the Water Quality Lab at 416-392-2894 or send an email to waterqualityline@toronto.ca. For more information visit the City of Toronto website http://www.toronto.ca/water/supply/lead_test.htm.

T’is the season to be jolly, but Torontonians were way over the top, particularly when behind the wheel. Drunk driving charges were up by 33% in Toronto and by 47% in Peel region. Everyone is searching for an explanation to this dramatic increase in impaired driving. The scary part is that the statistic only reflects the few that were caught in the act which we all know is the tip of the iceberg. I’ve love to know how these numbers correlate to the general driving population at large.

Sgt. Tim Burrows of the Toronto Police Service offered a possible explanation for the increase. In years passed RIDE patrols were set up on main roads. This year they shifted the focus to secondary roads and side streets in the belief that drunk drivers would choose to stay off main roads in an attempt to avoid detection.

In spite of the growing concerns over impaired driving and the necessity to get drunk drivers off the road lawyers are challenging the new federal legislation that abolished the “two beer defense” to an impaired driving charge. In case you are unfamiliar with this popular defense, people who were accused of drunk driving after a breathalyzer test said that they only had 2 beers but because they just recently finished the second beer, they had more alcohol in their breath than in their blood. However after July 2, 2008 anyone who wants to challenge a breathalyzer result are now required to provide the court with technical evidence proving the equipment was malfunctioning or wasn’t operated properly.

We’ll have to wait and see if the new law will be overturned and the “two beer defense” comes back into play.

PYNK is an innovative new program launched by Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre for young women dealing with breast cancer. We don’t often think of breast cancer affecting young woman, but according to Dr. Ellen Warner, a medical oncologist at Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, women 40 and under account for about 5% of the roughly 22,000 cases diagnosed each year in Canada. Some of these women are hardly women at all. They are still in their teens and should be preoccupied with university entrance exams and prom dresses, not breast cancer.

The name PYNK was chosen because pink is the colour most closely associated with the efforts to find a cure for breast cancer. The letter i was changed to the letter y for young. PYNK is the first program of its kind in Canada. It is designed to provide young women with the knowledge and resources on how to navigate the medical system in addition to providing psychological and social support. Nurse coordinators in the PYNK centres set up and guide patients through their tests, consultations with specialists and treatment schedule, in addition to supplying referrals for peer support and other psychosocial services.

There is also a strong focus on research because cancer in young women is very different than that in older women. Breast cancer in young women is unfortunately much more deadly and alternative treatments to counteract this disturbing trend must be found. PYNK operates entirely on fundraising and private donations. Between 50 and 100 woman are expected to enroll in the PYNK program this year. Contact the Sunnybrook Foundation to make a donation.