Q: What one election issue do you feel is most relevant to your ward in this election? A: Promoting quality communities. Ward 44 is a great place to live and we have lots of parkland, lots of green space, a new waterfront trail and community centers. To keep it that way I will: Promote open communication so that no planning application will go ahead without the community ’ s involvement. Support the Highland Creek Community Center. The first step towards achieving this has already been taken. It was included in the April 2006 Capital Budget. Make Property Standards Enforcement a Priority. We all enjoy our well-maintained neighbourhoods. To achieve this I will support hiring more enforcement officers for our community Q: Why do you want to represent this particular ward on council? A: I have lived in the community for 23 years and have worked at City Hall for the past 3 years so I know this community, the people and the issues. I know this job. I ’ ve listened and heard residents ’ concerns. I am now ready to act on their behalf because I know the priorities will be to address infill development, property standards and traffic. I will support finding solutions to garbage, transit and crime. We need to invest in our City ’ s future. My other previous community commitments include: Centennial Community and Recreation Association (CCRA) Executive Heart and Stroke, Fundraising Chair West Hill Softball League, Volunteer Parent Council and Teacher ’ s Assistant Scouts Canada, Vice Chair and Key Leader West Hill Community Advisory Panel Q: If you were elected as a "rookie" councillor, What would you bring to the table beyond the incumbent? A: I ’ m currently the assistant to the outgoing City Councillor and sometimes there is the assumption that I would be a carbon copy. I ’ m not. I have my own views on the issues and my own way of getting the job done. Too often politicians get into office and we never hear from them except at election time. I always have been accessible and will continue to do so. Q: What does Toronto mean to you? A: For me, Toronto means unique communities working together to make a great City. I love living in east Scarborough with the Rouge Park and the waterfront trail on my doorstep. While I think my own community is a pretty remarkable place, I can ’ t imagine Toronto with the Taste of the Danforth, the jazz festivals, the energy of downtown, all its restaurants, or the tranquility of High Park. Each community has something to offer and together they combine to make our City a vibrant place to live. Q: How are you currently involved in the community? A: I am currently involved in the community by putting my modest writing talents to work writing articles, under the pen name: “Canada Kev” for New Canadians for a newspaper called: Likha, which targets people originally from the Philippines. Hopefully these articles, written from a Canadian perspective, will help New Canadians learn about our cultural lifestyles, traditions and our inclusive Canadian culture. Additionally, for a number of years I have been upbraiding the mainstream Toronto media over their unfair and often times biased characterization of Scarborough in relation to their crime reporting methods. For reasons unknown to most residents of Scarborough, the Toronto media seems to take a perverse delight in attacking Scarborough at every opportunity but when crime rears its' ugly head in North York or Etobicoke (these are all former boroughs of Toronto before amalgamation) the Toronto media continues to obscure the fact that crime is occurring at horrific rates there. What the media does to obscure the reality of criminality in North York and Etobicoke is to use code words, such as “ Jane and Finch ” or “Rexdale” , rather than to use North York or Etobicoke when violent crime occurs there. Additionally, in many instances Scarborough is blamed for North York crime and I have forced the media on many occasions to retract inaccurate stories that wrongly identified Scarborough as crime scenes when in fact the crime occurred in North York and not Scarborough. Q: What does Toronto mean to you? A: When I think about Toronto I think about home. I think about my ancestors who came to this great city via Ireland and the British Army in the 1850s and who had the intelligence to settle here. Toronto is where I was born and it is where I will live, fate willing, for the rest of my life. Toronto literally means “Meeting Place” deriving its meaning from the First Nations People who traded here. Toronto is still the “Meeting Place” for people from all walks of life and ethnic and religious backgrounds and is rich in history and natural beauty.
Q: What one election issue do you feel is most relevant to your ward in this election? A: Promoting quality communities. Ward 44 is a great place to live and we have lots of parkland, lots of green space, a new waterfront trail and community centers. To keep it that way I will: Promote open communication so that no planning application will go ahead without the community ' s involvement. Support the Highland Creek Community Center. The first step towards achieving this has already been taken. It was included in the April 2006 Capital Budget. Make Property Standards Enforcement a Priority. We all enjoy our well-maintained neighbourhoods. To achieve this I will support hiring more enforcement officers for our community Q: Why do you want to represent this particular ward on council? A: I have lived in the community for 23 years and have worked at City Hall for the past 3 years so I know this community, the people and the issues. I know this job. I ' ve listened and heard residents ' concerns. I am now ready to act on their behalf because I know the priorities will be to address infill development, property standards and traffic. I will support finding solutions to garbage, transit and crime. We need to invest in our City ' s future. My other previous community commitments include: Centennial Community and Recreation Association (CCRA) Executive Heart and Stroke, Fundraising Chair West Hill Softball League, Volunteer Parent Council and Teacher ' s Assistant Scouts Canada, Vice Chair and Key Leader West Hill Community Advisory Panel Q: If you were elected as a "rookie" councillor, What would you bring to the table beyond the incumbent? A: I ' m currently the assistant to the outgoing City Councillor and sometimes there is the assumption that I would be a carbon copy. I ' m not. I have my own views on the issues and my own way of getting the job done. Too often politicians get into office and we never hear from them except at election time. I always have been accessible and will continue to do so. Q: What does Toronto mean to you? A: For me, Toronto means unique communities working together to make a great City. I love living in east Scarborough with the Rouge Park and the waterfront trail on my doorstep. While I think my own community is a pretty remarkable place, I can ' t imagine Toronto with the Taste of the Danforth, the jazz festivals, the energy of downtown, all its restaurants, or the tranquility of High Park. Each community has something to offer and together they combine to make our City a vibrant place to live. Q: How are you currently involved in the community? A: I am currently involved in the community by putting my modest writing talents to work writing articles, under the pen name: "Canada Kev" for New Canadians for a newspaper called: Likha, which targets people originally from the Philippines. Hopefully these articles, written from a Canadian perspective, will help New Canadians learn about our cultural lifestyles, traditions and our inclusive Canadian culture. Additionally, for a number of years I have been upbraiding the mainstream Toronto media over their unfair and oftentimes biased characterization of Scarborough in relation to their crime reporting methods. For reasons unknown to most residents of Scarborough, the Toronto media seems to take a perverse delight in attacking Scarborough at every opportunity but when crime rears its' ugly head in North York or Etobicoke (these are all former boroughs of Toronto before amalgamation) the Toronto media continues to obscure the fact that crime is occurring at horrific rates there. What the media does to obscure the reality of criminality in North York and Etobicoke is to use code words, such as " Jane and Finch " or "Rexdale" , rather than to use North York or Etobicoke when violent crime occurs there. Additionally, in many instances Scarborough is blamed for North York crime and I have forced the media on many occasions to retract inaccurate stories that wrongly identified Scarborough as crime scenes when in fact the crime occurred in North York and not Scarborough. Q: What does Toronto mean to you? A: When I think about Toronto I think about home. I think about my ancestors who came to this great city via Ireland and the British Army in the 1850s and who had the intelligence to settle here. Toronto is where I was born and it is where I will live, fate willing, for the rest of my life. Toronto literally means "Meeting Place" deriving its meaning from the First Nations People who traded here. Toronto is still the "Meeting Place" for people from all walks of life and ethnic and religious backgrounds and is rich in history and natural beauty.
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“Canada Kev”
"Canada Kev"
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often times
oftentimes
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” or “Rexdale”
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“Meeting Place”
"Meeting Place"
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“Meeting Place”
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