Premier Wynne held a “consultation” with tenants of Thorncliffe Park in the auditorium of Thorncliffe Park Public School Tuesday night. It is a meeting she attends in an ongoing but irregular fashion given her schedule. The meeting seemed to appear out of nowhere with many media getting brief notice. But these are after all the Premier’s constituents and she was there. She had anticipated most if not all the complaints in a published agenda. But the heartfelt and colourful expression of concerns was interesting. One by one, tenants spoke of large rent increases justified by landlord upgrades, unreliable elevators, rats and various vermin, overcrowding (several families to an apartment) and inequities such as higher rents, reputedly for immigrants just off the boat or airplane. Abbas Kolia, the crusty president of the Thorncliffe Park Drive Tenant Association was called forward by Ms Wynne. He verbally lambasted the Premier for delays in addressing issues he had brought forward some eight months ago.
ABSENTEE SUPERINTENDENTS?
The Premier’s response to Mr. Kolia as he stomped to the rear of the gym was an appreciative thank you much as if he had just read a prayer (see video). And so it was as tenants complained about landlords such a Morguard and MetCap. These were organizations that had millions if not billions of dollars, said tenants, and they did little to keep locations clean and safe. One woman struck a disturbing note when she complained of absentee superintendents. The concept is challenging. Her point was that in an emergency no one was in charge. Pat Moore, a familiar and wise Thorncliffe hand who is a member of TNO, the Thorncliffe Neighborhood Office, fired up the crowd with her idea for a rent strike. The money would be held in escrow pending the completion of landlord obligations. Notable at the meeting were Jon Burnside (Ward 26) and Justin Van Dette, an energetic community organizer in East York and John Tory supporter.
