LIVING IN A TIME WARP IN MY OWN COMMUNITY

The region has its routines, cultures and environment, overall as each person and family within it have their own experiences. Those that benefit from the region's attributes the most are those that enjoyed a relatively clear middle class upbringing, usually with both parents intact and enough resources in one's family to send each child to a strong start. These are the people that grew up here or in a similar sized community with a pool in the backyard of a house their families owned, and a driver's license at sixteen with even the possibility of help from parents to obtain their first car. This gives people the lack of capacity to understand hardship from some angles, unless something serious and tragic happens within their family subsequently. Often their parents worked as GM workers, teachers, regional employees, nurses, among other stable professions. The last decade in which this stability was even possible for people was perhaps the early nineties, although less and less families have the kind of resources that would produce this element of stability.

People who have had this type of supportive background, parents like this and so forth, cannot picture what life is like without access to an automobile, or access to a good job. Many times parents give their word to employers to assist their children in gaining a foot in the door, or the parents are involved in a business, where they would hire their children to take it over as they decide to retire at a later date. These people who had these advantages have no idea how people without these advantages are screened out of jobs routinely, as employers like everybody else, prefers to take on somebody they know or who are related to somebody they know before they "take a chance on somebody new". A friend of mine in Niagara calls this the Family Compact. There are jobs still available, but not any of the good ones that are supposedly in the "private sector" - just the bad ones that the anointed favourites will not take.

On the contrary, I have met people who have not had the type of background described above, who are now struggling. For these people, economic recovery is meaningless, as the economy does not improve the prospects for these people - ever. These people started well behind the starting line and have experienced significantly more barriers than other people. They may not have both parents raising them, or in many cases, they have lived on their own from the time they were sixteen or seventeen. They did not have parents eager to teach them how to drive, and to allow them to practice with them for their ultimate road test. As a result, many of these people learn to drive late, or in some cases, not at all. It is not that driving is a rite of passage for everybody, but in the Niagara Region, where values of one's progress match those in the 1950's when compared to other communities, if one did not go through that rite of passage at that age, they are looked upon as somehow "damaged goods". Others that might have learned to drive, but have lost their license due to medical conditions are viewed as equally "damaged".

I related this to a Toronto audience, mostly consisting of people who lived in Toronto or other large cities most of their lives, and they found this to be unbelievable. Even those whose youth was demarcated in the same way as described above, their worth or value as a person is not affected because they never learned to drive, or cannot drive due to medical conditions, or whatever. In fact, in a cosmopolitan way, many people choose not to drive in a large city and as such, this choice can be accommodated. An employer does not view any of these people who either cannot or will not drive as any less qualified for most jobs in a true cosmopolitan community, and would consider what that person can bring to the company, as opposed to how he or she brings themselves to the workplace. Unfortunately, in smaller regions, Niagara of which is at least one, employers have created major barriers to persons with disabilities, persons who just did not have the advantage of parental support to get them on the road, or persons without any funds to own and maintain their own vehicles.

Long term reliance on social assistance for these people is not uncommon for many of these people, including those who might have an advanced education. I know engineers, teachers, social workers, construction workers, researchers, and others who have spent several years on Ontario Works due to an inability to afford a vehicle, or due to medical or other restrictions on their driving privilege. In fact, one's access to a vehicle and their ability to drive it on a regular basis has become yet one more tool in the arsenal of employers that may not want to hire "damaged goods". At the same time, employers see no reason not to continue to demand driver's licenses and personal ownership of a vehicle to be a key qualification for a job.

I notice the region has and continues to perform poor planning decisions in this area as well, as the region's decision makers and planners are working under the assumption that everybody from every part of this region has a driver's license and personal access to a vehicle. The city for example is planning to tear down the West Park Pool that is currently located in the west end's only high school, which by the way, is also on the chopping block with the District School Board of Niagara. Those using the pool are from a disproportionate number of public housing projects, senior citizens, as well as students from the entire south end of the community. While some people did drive in to use the West Park Pool, its location was accessible to the people who live in the Western Hill neighbourhood which was identified as a "priority" neighbourhood by the region. Living in a "priority" neighbourhood does not necessarily mean you are poor, but the chances are greater that you are, as there is a large section of this neighbourhood devoted to low cost housing, rent-geared-to-income housing, as well as houses that could be bought for less than the city's average market value. This is a neighbourhood where people downsize in their retirement years, or move into lower cost housing with one's children, particularly single parents.

However, my city does not seem to understand why removing the West Park Pool from this neighbourhood is going to undermine this population's use of their brand spanking new facilities they are almost finished building in the north central end of town. First, there is no bus service to this new facility in the evenings and on weekends, something whoever planned this location has blithely ignored, likely because he or she believes that almost everybody drives or can "get a ride from a friend". At the same time, the parking for this facility has been carefully planned and accessibility for "handicapped" persons has been considered, yet they did not consider core accessibility for those that cannot drive in the first place, possibly due to a disability. The city will not spend any more money to keep the West Park Pool open because they say they have no money, which is unbelievable, given the multiple projects they recently approved to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. For the fifty million arena the city just approved, they are also seeking a multi-million dollar walkway for participants to use St. Paul Street to go to the arena from the downtown parking lots, presumably. If they have money for this farce, they have money to repair the West Park Pool to standard and to continue its operation, alongside the new one they built.

When I spoke at City Council when the issue of the West Park Pool was discussed, virtually all the councillors around the table dropped their jaws when I advised them of the lack of evening and weekend bus service to their facilities. I asked one of them afterwards what were the qualifications of the person who would be planning and making these decisions. My bet is that the person must have a driver's license and access to a personal vehicle. Failure to consider transit riders in the design and location of a project to me is the type of thing that such an employee should be fired over, yet in a region like this it is highly unlikely. When somebody writing for the Toronto Sun wrote about the lack of bus access to a children's recreational program, their city hall immediately revised a transit route to have a bus stop in front of the said building. I somehow doubt the routes will be amended in this case to accommodate non drivers, as non drivers are not seen to exist in this region. At the same time, I am supposed to fork out increasing taxes year over year for hundreds of millions of dollars in road work, traffic lights, parking lot structures, and other privileges for people that drive. My guess is that drivers would not have to pay to park at the new Kiwanis facility. Why is it the taxpayers' responsibility to ensure a driver can park their car at a place like this, while it doesn't seem to be important to ensure bus access to the same location?

Besides this, the District School Board of Niagara is bent on closing the newest and only high school in the Western Hill neighbourhood. They will instead bus high school kids outside of their neighbourhood to other schools, which means if the child cannot be at the bus stop for whatever reason when it leaves, he or she may not be able to go to school that day. They will also not be able to participate in extra curricular activities, as the buses will likely leave before these activities begin. Henceforth, according to our friend Don Drummond, who had recently completed his review of government services, parents may be charged fees to help cover the cost of this busing. So, once again, we are going to have to pay for decisions made by other people. What is the effect of something like this in my neighbourhood?

First, I live in a food desert. This means there is no easy access to a grocery store near enough to my home to walk there. We can walk, but it takes about forty five minutes to get there, but it is the closest, yet most expensive food store in the area. There are no community centres or service hubs in my neighbourhood, unlike there being access to the same in other "richer" neighbourhoods. With this comes the dearth of after school activities for kids. There are no decent restaurants in my neighbourhood, or bank branches for people to do their banking. All we have is a couple of bars, a Chinese restaurant, a few convenience stores, a closed down body shop for cars, a beauty salon, a laundromat and a chiropodist's office which never seems to have anybody there. In the past few months, we have witnessed three foreclosures on homes that were owned, as well as a high turnover of tenant households. Other than that, we do have some senior citizens who are retired or semi retired, or housing that seems to be increasingly being built for Brock students. There are families here, but I somehow doubt they will remain in this neighbourhood once these other amenities are removed. Who wants to buy into a neighbourhood where there is no high school, community centre or any recreational facilities? Will I be able to sell my house? I somehow doubt it, unless the purchaser can somehow convert it readily to a student residence.

For people like myself, this neighbourhood has literally lost all of its appeal. I no longer want to live here. This neighbourhood has the lousiest bus service of anywhere in this city, especially on evenings and weekends. If the pool and the high school close, there will be no point in us continuing to stay here. I will have to find another place to live that is closer to one of the high schools that will remain open, so that my daughter will have some place to go when she becomes of age. She is not like my son, who is very enthusiastic about school and interested in learning. I do not want circumstances to be in place to encourage her to drop out. I have already heard from some students that were going to Thorold Secondary School, another school on the alleged chopping block, state to the committee that they may not be able to continue to attend school. For many people, a long bus ride each day is too much for them.

At the same time as this, hydro rates are skyrocketing in May, and the last time I went grocery shopping, prices went up by at least five percent. If this were happening in Toronto, it would not be tolerated. People would band together and fight these changes, and many times, they win. Here, there is a half hearted attempt by a citizens group to form a non profit group to keep the pool open, but it seems there is not as much of a fight by the same people to keep the high school open. Don't these folks live in the neighbourhood too? Are they not concerned about what will happen when they try to sell their homes? I must say that I was happy to hear about the group trying to save the pool, but we need a lot of people like our Mayor, city council, and even regional councillors to fight to keep the schools. In my view, all the school board has to do is enforce its own boundaries and they would not have to close any schools, but instead they intend to make it the problem of families that do not drive, do not have access to recreational services and money to help co-pay for the bus services.

Don't they understand? This is a PRIORITY neighbourhood! Perhaps, my next step will be to submit a Freedom of Information Act request to the city to find out ward by ward how much money per capita is being spent on services, and I know for a fact that my ward will show the lowest expenditures, simply because there are a large number of "throw away" people in this neighbourhood, people that city councillors, who all drive and live in big houses, do not consider to be worthy of having accessible services in their own neighbourhoods. I filled out a survey awhile back that asked how well I fit in within my neighbourhood, my community and my region, and my answer to this was "I don't feel I fit in at all". This does not say anything about the people here, as they are okay, but it does say a whole lot about how I feel I am treated as a non driver, who is not able to attend 90 - 95% of even "free events" that are put on by the community or by groups in it, and at the same time, have to be subject to the exhaust smoke of other people's vehicles, have to walk on sidewalks that are broken and subject to trip hazards or cyclists that blithely ignore the by-laws around riding a bike on the sidewalks. Again, if they do this in Toronto, people will bring this to city council and rally around it. Here, it is like nobody cares.

They once asked questions of how the city can improve neighbourhoods and accessibility issues. If they really wanted to do this, they can read this post and implement changes that would stop me from feeling so disgusted that I have to leave, just wishing I had enough money to do so.

NIAGARA LACKS SKILLED WORKERS? WHY DON'T THEY LOOK AROUND AND ASK?

The Niagara Training and Adjustment Board (NTAB) under its new moniker Niagara Workforce Planning Board, has released a report on April 6, 2009, to tell the world that while we are not suffering a 'labour shortage' per se, we are suffering a shortage of skilled workers. When Trudy Parsons was asked about what was referred to as 'skilled workers', she implied health care, administration, professional services, technical services, management in the social services, as well as specialized manufacturing sectors.

The general manufacturing sector has taken a major dump here in Niagara and there isn't an economist alive that believes that Niagara will once again return to the boomtown it once was with the auto rich sector, spreading its wealth into sub-sectors and spin-offs, which was something we relied upon probably since the 1950's. The service sector and knowledge-based economy is growing by leaps and bounds, which means people in professional occupations of all types, health care, administration, as well as IT/multi-media skills will likely be the 'want' of the future.

This study which was done as one of seven pilot studies in Ontario and funded through the Ministry of Community & Social Services, appears to be comprehensive, except one thing: there are too many glaring ommissions in this study that even if fully implemented, a large number of skilled people will still be shoved to the sidelines. Not a word was mentioned about persons with disabilities ... oh, I forgot, none of these people have any skills. Sheltered workshops, anybody? How about Niagara's addiction to cars, where it is almost impossible to get any kind of decent job without a driver's license and personal access to a car? Oh, non-drivers are probably rejects anyways, and they certainly don't have any skills. When statistics show that 93% of those who are not working in Niagara rely exclusively on public transit (another joke ... as it exists sparsely and too far between), none of these people are considered 'skilled' either.

Perhaps the researchers asked the wrong questions like they usually do. They should attempt to get a picture of who the unemployed are ... both newly unemployed, as well as those who have had major barriers to working for years. One might be surprised that many members of this group are indeed highly educated, highly motivated and certainly not slackers, yet they are pushed on the welfare rolls for very long periods of time to rot until some rare employer might peek from behind the rocks they hide behind to discover that yes, non-drivers can offer significant skills to an employer, as well, so can many persons with disabilities ... and no, many are not interested in minimum wage jobs, as why would they have bothered to go to school beyond high school?

Right now, it is the skilled trades that are being dumped ... not because they are not needed, but there needs to be a shift so their futures may indeed still use these skills, but in a different way. But when I speak to people with disabilities who may be well-educated, many of them spend long spells of time being unemployed or underemployed, while employers are allegedly looking for "skilled workers". Either the employers are lying about what they are looking for, or they are not looking hard enough. In my view, employers attach way too many criteria to the jobs they have that most people with disabilities, even those with the skills they are asking for, are scared away because they are not welcomed. Over 55% of persons with disabilities are non-drivers for various reasons; many others simply cannot afford to drive although they do have a license. Computer workstations, programs and telephone systems are set up for the able-bodied, not those who see things, hear things and communicate differently.

I hate to be a sour grapes type, but there is a website that just started for Niagara called NiagaraShares.Com, which is supposed to link people with disabilities to various services. The vast majority of people who are receiving ODSP receive benefits for 'invisible' disabilities, such as mental health issues (36%), developmental disabilities (27%) and learning disabilities (15%) - yet the kinds of disabilities discussed on this forum are strictly physical. That is fine, but people with physical disabilities are not the only ones that have severe limitations on their lives and in fact, many of them are not forced into poverty for various reasons. I perused this site out of curiosity a few weeks ago to see if anybody had a "story" to tell that showed that poverty disables people way more than the disability itself. Even the services suggested for persons with disabilities all cost money, way more than a person on ODSP can afford ...

... so what is a person living with a disability and poverty supposed to do? At this time, they are living at the bottom of the barrel. They are forced to go to food banks and charities for help. I stated in a previous post that those that turn up at the door of registered charities are not dealt with as "equals" and those serving them tend to believe that the folks at their doors cannot do the same work that they are paid to do. This is why many folks like this --- educated, ambitious, and at least partially empowered -- do not go to charities or use agencies, unless the agency is set up to meet their needs.

I will not go to subsidized housing because this will not get me out of poverty. Those going to this type of housing lose most of the money on the shelter portion of their benefit and as a result, their incomes fall even further away from the poverty line. If they work, their income is clawed back by more than 80%, making it not worthwhile to make the trek to independence. I will not go to food banks because they will not get me out of poverty. They will provide their second and third hand goods for which you are expected to be grateful, as you are further scrutinized for your income and what other services you are using ... you can't use too many services, lest they find you to be "abusing" the system.

To me, there should be no difference in the services given to rich or poor. Legal Aid is not what it is cracked up to be, as well - many very poor are forced to turn to shysters who are not licensed, insured or educated to deal with their legal matters. Licensees need to be accessible to everybody; payment based on a sliding scale while the licensee can still make a reasonable living. Food is purchased in grocery stores by those with money; food is taken from food banks and churches by the poor ... is that right? The quality control is in place in the grocery stores, but is not available in the food bank ... are the poor not entitled to quality control and equal access to quality goods?

Transportation is another one. The poor cannot afford newer vehicles in good repair that are fuel efficient. Wealthy people can. If the poor cannot afford to drive at all, they are relegated to the end of the line when jobs are concerned ... it doesn't matter their education, skills and workplace history. When using taxis, wealthy people can pay regular licensed taxis that are properly insured. Lower income use the "scab cabs" that do not necessarily get driven by licenced and insured drivers, which can result in trouble if there should be an accident. There are stories as well of people who were sexually assaulted in such cabs. It is okay for the poor to be put at unnecessary risk, but not people with money.

Jobs should be given to people who have the skills to do them - period. Employers whining about not finding skilled workers need to look beyond their noses and pretend requirements and ensure that non-drivers, as well as other people who read, communicate and move around differently are given an equal shot at the position ... and in my view, if an employer chooses not to, perhaps those folks on disability seeking employment should receive a large top-up to their benefits, all paid for by employers that choose not to hire them ... so at least they can comfortably live until an enlightened employer does come along.

What about training? More opportunities for access to higher education need to be made for persons with disabilities of all ages. I am sorry, but places like BUILT Network and a cashier/ janitorial course is not good enough, if somebody is not satisfied to remain below poverty. Sadly when you ask these government funded agencies how many people they REALLY place, nobody wants to tell you the truth and among those placed, nobody wants to admit that the majority of placements are only short-term, low-paid and/or seasonal. Are your bills only short-term obligations, only required to be paid in certain seasons ...?

The report was an interesting read; nevertheless, I feel it is so full of holes, there is enough to make Swiss Cheese out of it. Until the day that people with disabilities get real opportunities and stop getting subject to stereotypes, and employers start to scrutinize their requirements more deeply to ensure they are not leaving people out by simply outlining job duties that block a lot of people from even considering ... there will always be a skills shortage.

I think if there were suitable opportunities for many people on ODSP, they would work and choose not to collect ... but if this continued discrimination is an ongoing factor, while people who don't need many of these jobs, or worse yet, people less qualified than many of the disabled prospects get hired ... the government might as well raise ODSP rates by 150 to 200% to at least allow people to eat AND keep a roof over their heads in the same month.

Thoughts?