Tag: funding

Categories
Uncategorized

High Park Zoo: Keep the Memories Alive

We didn’t go anywhere when I was a kid.

Actually, we went everywhere. We just didn’t go in very many places. I had a rich and varied childhood, filled with the experiences of so many front lobbies, entryways and exteriors. From the wax museums of Niagara Falls to the Royal Ontario Museum and the Hockey Hall of Fame, we visited some of the greatest thresholds in the region. Once, we even stepped over a low railing and walked around the grounds of Fort York. That was a thrill. My brother still talks about the time my parents actually bought tickets to take us to the top of the Empire State Building. It was mind blowing.

One place we did go, however, was the High Park zoo. Growing up in the west end of Toronto, the zoo was a mainstay of my childhood. It was always open, year round, and it was always free. In fact, I’m not sure we ever went there when it wasn’t freezing cold. My dad would park up near the Grenadier Cafe and we’d scurry down the steep hill toward the entry. We were always trying to hustle in just before sunset, it seems, when the old wooden gate would be pulled closed for the night.

Once inside, it was always the same animals, the same ones that are there now. The fallow deer are quickly followed by Mouflon sheep and the peacock pen. Moving on, you can check out wallabys and Barbary sheep and (my favourite) the bison. The stinky yaks are across the road next to the Highland cattle. Bounce back to visit an emu or two and then finish up with the capybara and the llamas. And that’s it.

There’s an intimacy to that zoo and its rough-hewn road and walkways. It’s just big enough to be truly thrilling for a small child and small enough to get through without a meltdown. It’s a living, breathing part of my own personal history, my family history and the history of our city. And bringing my own children there is one of the great joys of my life.

The High Park zoo has lost its funding. The zoo is not included in the city of Toronto’s operating budget for this year and won’t be able to stay open beyond June — this June! — without alternative funding.  City Councillor Sarah Doucette believes $100, 000 (and there’s only $75,000 to go!) in donations will be able to keep the zoo running until the end of the year and buy enough to time to explore corporate sponsorship or other funding options. (The entire park was bequeathed to the city on the grounds that it remain always free of charge and open to the public, so user fees are not an option.) My husband, Edward Keenan, also wrote about the plight of the zoo if you want to learn more. Fellow mom blogger and High Park local Emma Willer wrote about what the zoo means to her family. She wants to see you there for Earth Hour!

Here’s what you can do:

  1. Donate right now, right here. Ten dollars will score you a tax receipt. Double that and earn my undying gratitude. Pick up the entire $100, 000 tab and I’ll have your baby. Kidding. Kind of.
  2. Spread the word. Anybody who has ever been to High Park has fond memories and a story to tell. We want to hear yours. Blog about it, tweet about it (#SaveHPZoo), Facebook about it, talk about it at the water cooler. Remind people that places like the High Park zoo make this city worth living in and then get them to donate. (See step one.) Heck, here’s a bit.ly link to the donation page: http://bit.ly/HnnWSM
    Put it out there! (After you donate.)
Categories
Uncategorized

Public Fun Funds Fiasco

I’ve expressed my dismay over the costs of recreating at Toronto’s community centres before. I was especially irked, then, when a little bird (thanks Ange) tipped me off about Parks and Rec’s proposed fees increase. Link here for the details, but the gist is that the cost of all Parks and Rec programs will increase by 20% over the next year, and 66% after seven years. It has been dubbed the “Everyone gets to play” policy because part of those fee increases will be used to provide free programming for those who can demonstrate a financial need. Still, I don’t like it.

People like me, for one, will neither qualify for the free programs, nor be able to easily afford the increased fees. I worry, too, that many people who would make use of universally free programs will not bother applying for a free spot. And even the people who are readily able to afford the extra expense will have to wonder whether their money might be better spent at a private gym or on classes held elsewhere.

There’s a bigger point here, too. As my husband writes on behalf of the Eye Weekly editorial board, the value of Community Centres and other Parks and Rec programs is that they are universal and publicly funded. As a society, we are demonstrating that athletics and recreation are important for people of all ages and all walks of life. Like public libraries, and public schools and public parks, community centre programs should be as close to free as possible. Public services that are run on user fees should be geared toward the sort of thing that we want to discourage, like excessive water use or non-recyclable trash. (This is not always the case, unfortunately.) Even when the public purse is near bankrupt, and even in the face of school closures, you will never hear talk of instituting a tuition for public school children. This is the principle our community centres should run on. Pare down programs, sacrifice operating hours, if you must, but do not under any circumstances keep raising fees. Do not price the public out of a publicly run service.

For more info, check out an interview with city councilor Joe Mihevc on the Spacing Wire.

There will be two public meetings where residents can raise questions and concerns:

Wednesday, January 16, 2008 from 7 to 9 p.m.
Elmbank Community Centre (10 Rampart Rd.)
Wellesley Community Centre (495 Sherbourne St.)

Thursday, January 17, 2008 from 7 to 9 p.m.
North York Civic Centre Council Chambers (5100 Yonge St.)
Scarborough Civic Centre Committee Rooms 1 and 2 (150 Borough Dr.)

(Image courtesy of turbosquid.com.)

Categories
Uncategorized

Bye Bye Baby

Colum turned 18 months yesterday and, it’s official, I no longer have a baby. Looking at him today, I can clearly see that any residual baby-ness is just that — residue. His ultra-fine wispy hair will need a cut soon enough. His chubby cheeks are going the way of those chunky knee folds and elbow dimples. The occasional AM breastfeed is on it’s way out, and diapers have given way to training pants.

There’s not much chance for reminiscing when you’re chasing a toddler all over the place, though. And the present is so brimming with delight, I’m happy to have come this far. When you have a baby time slows way, way down. But those endless days (and nights) filled with feeding and burping and rocking and feeding… eventually speed up. By the time we hit the one year mark, we were pretty much in sync with the rest of the world. I’m glad, then, to spend so much of this fleeting time with Colum. He takes living in the moment to whole new levels. We spent all of breakfast this morning talking about Kindertots at the local community centre. We remembered they have cars there and a boy and kids and slides. We were excited to be going there as we got on our shoes and coat. Fast forward 5 minutes: I’m pushing Colum down the street in a stroller and ask, “Where are we going?” “A walk!” he answers. And I smile. That’s right. We’re going for a walk — he never lets me miss out on the journey and I love him for it.

But speaking of Kindertots, our community centres need funding! I paid $50 for 9 weeks of a program that consists of letting kids romp around a gym with lots of great toys and an optional craft table. The Parks and Rec guide said there’d be a snack, but there’s not. The session lasts for 1 1/2 hours including the really sad circle time at the end that we can never sit through. I waffle between being bitter for having paid way too much for a lot of nothing and being glad that we’re there because Colum really does have fun. The thing is that programs like this are truly valuable. I like the huge chunk of unstructured playtime. I like the well-meaning Parks and Rec lady (who I swear has been working at every community centre I’ve ever been to and doesn’t ever age). I like that it’s not really a big deal, but it should be priced accordingly. Community centres should be good, affordable resources and a point of pride for any civilized society. The City of Toronto just passed a new Land Transfer Tax that should help keep the current level of service stay afloat, but we need to infuse more money and more life into these Parks and Rec programs. Because if I can’t afford the programs at the community centre something is seriously wrong.