Politics in the Park

Polictics has never been my strong point. I mean I always know who's in office, and I know what problems the general public has with the Party, but when it comes to elections, I'm not a religious follower like some people. Since we are doing this unit on Regent Park, and I'm trying to understand more about the situation the area is facing, I thought it would be worthwhile to find out what plans the different Parties in the Rosedale riding have for the area.

About a week ago, I was walking through Regent Park and I couldn't help but notice that many of the lawns there are decorated with signs declaring the resident's support for either George Smitherman of the Liberal Party, or Sandra Gonzalez of the New Democratic Party. This was not a surprise to me, considering that the NDP has traditionally appealed to working class voters, and during his time in power, Smitherman has contributed greatly to the revitalization and renewal of Regent Park.

In order to find out what exactly different Parties offered on the topic of Regent Park, I contacted the offices of local members of parliament. First, I contacted the office of Sandra Gonzalez. The secretary was unable to help me, but said that she would get Gonzalez to return my call personally...that never happened. Next, I tried Pamela Taylor of the Progressive Conservative Party. Once again, I was promised a phone call from the MP, and that never happened. When I made an attempt at contacting the Greem Party representative, I was connected directly to the voice mail of his personal phone - which was full. I met the most resistance with Smitherman's office. The woman who answered the phone seemed stressed out and irritable. When I made my request, she was quick to ask "Who is this?" and "What information do you want?" she transferred my call, and the person I spoke with then offered to e-mail me sections of Smitherman's platform that related to Regent Park. I talked to them last Friday and now it's Wednesday in the wee hours of the morning and I still haven't heard from anyone. Actually, I was contacted once by Smitherman's office, but that was only to see if the current MP could count on my vote in the election and to see I would put one of his campaign signs on my front lawn. After this, I decided I would have to go it alone.

The boundaries of Toronto's Rosedale riding are University Avenue, The Don River, Queen Street E. and the Danforth. Needless to say, this riding encompasses many different neighborhoods with many different needs. This riding includes some of the richest and poorest areas of the city, and also includes the Church-Wellesley village. Community housing is a hot topic this term, and it seems that each party running has a different persective on how it should be done.

For example, in his last term, George Smitherman helped develop "Pathways to Education", a program that prepares youth to get a job when they have finished with the school system. This system serves over 800 youth in the Regent park area. Also, Smitherman helped to develop the Regent Park Residents' Council.

The NDP seems to be following in the footsteps the Liberal party has set. on Gonzalez' website it states that she wants to give working class families a fair deal. Also, an article published in the Toronto Sun states that John Tory, the PC leader, has plans for more government subsidized housing, including houses to purchase at market value and more units for families to live in.

Public housing is a large part of this coming election. While all parties seem to have something to offer to Regent Park, the question remains, are the residents seeing Red, Blue, Orange or Green?