Winter Blues

So far, in 2019-20, winter has been an unpredictable mess. One day earn the next freezing. Is this the new normal? Let’s hope not! Meantime Aurora, Ontario, Canada has the Aurora Winter Blues Festival upcoming to help quell those winter blues! Kickoff Bash is Feb 29 2020! Tickets @ www.musicaurora.ca 

Mothers Day On Main St Newmarket

Newmarket, Ontario, Canada's, Main Street, has been called, "One of Canada's most beautiful", and therefore is certainly a good fit for most any mom on May 13, Mother's Day but it's unique shops, boutiques, and services also are much deserving of praise when it comes to all things mom.

From fantastic restaurants, patios, cafes and live entertainment, to quaint gift and novelty shops, to vintage and new clothing, to amazing spa services, beauty and hair salons, Main St., Newmarket certainly has enough to please most any Mom and we hope to showcase that through a contest that gives one lucky mom a great time out on her special day! #mothersdayonmain

#MothersDayOnMain #mothersdayonmain

Mothers Day On Main starts or ends at Balsam Day Spa (Mom's choice) where she'll meet with the professional staff and owners and arrange for her own special spa experience from her winning prize $120 Value Gift Certificate. Balsam Spa, located a little more north than most in the prize package group at 38 Main St. S., has been at their beautiful historic home location for over four years now and have been  consistently top performers earning consecutive Top Choice and 3 Best awards as well as glowing online reviews from repeat clients Whether looking for massage therapy, body and facial treatments, waxing, threading, eyelash extensions, micro-blading, nails or mani or pedicures the friendly professional staff will take care of you or your mom! But hurry its a busy day!

See Balsam Spa's Intro video here.

You can order spa products, services and gift certificates now online!

Mother's Day would most certainly not be complete without flowers and to that end we feel Blooming Wellies located at 171 Main St S has the expertise and know-how to more than please mom with a bouquet of flowers. If you've not gone inside the shop located just inside an  historic building on Main and across from a beautiful church to experience the flower arrangements and smells of fresh cut flowers, its time you did! but don't leave it until Mother's day because like any good florist - they will be busy that day, the most busy day of the tear in the industry and for that we especially appreciate Blooming Wellies beautiful bouquet contribution to Mothers Day On Main!

To call Blooming Wellies : 905-657-8984 or Order Online right here!

Have you discovered Red Scarf Equestrian yet? Wow, although the clothing, accessories and hats are mostly designed for equestrians to use, most certainly the Red Scarf's garments and accessories like equestrian bracelets and bangles, shawls, Irish wool sweaters and hats of a variety that most anyone (mom!) could wear not to mention Dad's-wear and even for the horse! In addition Red Scarf carries bone china cups, like the Made in England Dunoon Mugs and offer even more access to order products online! 

The Red Scarf, located at 221 Main St is providing the winning mom her choice of a great Dunoon Mug or a Hello Sunshine hat which must be seen to be instantly loved! I don't relish mom's decision making quagmire! Ha. See more or order directly on the Red Scarf  Equestrian website right here!

CanadaT.com on Main

An ideal Mother's Day also includes some laughs and to that end we've chosen a suitable printed T - shirt from Main St's CanadaT.com, with a message mom can embrace with her sense of humour! Or not! Should the winning #mothersdayonmain  Mom wish, she can trade our choice for a choice of her own from the dozens of messages and art printed on custom T's in the display racks and adorning the walls, alongside numerous novelty and gift type items in the long time Main St icon.

2 P.M. @ #Mothersdayonmain

About now, mom's likely getting hungry and so we've booked her a spot (winners must confirm) at the gorgeous Cachet Restaurant & Bar, located at the foot of  Main and Water Sts.S, with the ambient Fairy Lake Falls running nearby to sooth and add to mom's already superb outing.

In additional to Cachet's beautiful restaurant and patio and delicious food and drink, Cachet provides live entertainment on the patio on weekends and Mothers Day, as well as features a special Mother's Day menu. The winning Mom's in for a treat that day! Sorry kids, you're on your own though! Visit their website here.

Neon Flamingo Cafe & Ice Bar

Mom deserves a nice specialty coffee and desert of course too, and so following her lunch, mom and a guest can enjoy fresh made coffee or espresso or cappuccino using fresh roasted beans and desert, pastry or iced delight from the Neon Flamingo Cafe & Ice Bar located at 206 Main St., tucked into the back of one of Main St Newmarket's most unique shops, Haven Eclectic Modern Style which I'm sure mom will not be able to pass through without having enjoyed witnessing the nostalgic decor and items for sale, from retro to unique novelty, while the Cafe has the most interesting flamingo lollipops that are all the rage!

The Neon Flamingo also sports street window side lounge tables for natural lighting while you sit in in addition to its eclectic mix of products and nostalgic decor which the contest winning mom will I'm sure enjoy her spoilings!

British Imports

British Imports, located at Timothy & Main St's, is a long time Newmarket icon, with the next generation now running the family business but with the same old fashioned service you come to expect from shopkeepers in and around Newmarket's Main St - likely because of long time examples I'm sure such as British Imports. 

Whether you crave steak & mushroom pies like from "back home, or baked goods, potato scones, cookies, candies, grocery or novelty back'ome stuff, this is your place! And we thought that this old fashioned style shop, complete with bell attached to the door to greet visitors would be a fine example stop on our Mother's Day on Main adventure and it is there mom will get her roses...well imported from the UK chocolate roses anyway!

Those are not the only shop and restaurants on Main Street that moms would love but all we had time to get to! So happy Mother's Day to all the mothers win or lose! 

How To Enter?

It all sounds wonderful you say but how do I enter the #mothersdayonmain contest?

There are 3 Easy Steps to Enter the Mother's Day On Main contest

1."Like" TPE Productions Facebook Page to "follow" for further instructions.

2. View and Share TPE's video of the #Mothersdayonmain contest with your mom or kids.

3. TPE has posted this question you must answer to enter - Which streets intersection is the video showing Main St looking north shot from?

The answer is contained within the videos and images posted already on the TPE FB page. 
Send the answer to the question and contact info and Moms name to TPE, where ONE winner will be drawn ONE week prior to Mother's Day on Sunday May 6 which falls on May 13 in 2018. Some conditions apply. Watch for new questions being posted to enter more than once One entry per question per family.

Good Luck to you all the Moms!

#Mentoo - York Region's Forgotten Homeless

Sam Orrico has struggled years now with housing

Christmas came and went, then New Year's and for most of Canada life carried on as it had previously, with most of us convinced we'd done our part during the festive season giving to our loved ones and to the "poor".

But for some, there is no back to normal. For some a life of misery, at least for the foreseeable future, remains. Like the now senior farmer who tires from fighting just to have land to "farm" and now lives alone in a trailer with off the grid heat.

But so too do some youth struggle to survive in this often unforgiving society that seems to more easily accept a sentence of homelessness to males.

In a sort of reverse way our system often seems to, unwittingly perhaps through past patriarchal thinking, give less treatment and attention to men's and boys issues. One needs look only at the programs and services available. For example, there is no "men's centre" - yet a long established women's centre - and shelter beds available to women outnumber the men over 3 to 1 yet men and males make up the bulk of the actual street homeless.There are also 0 transitional houses for men yet we have units for women.

In fact, a 2017 Toronto / York Region United Way survey found a full 100% of York Region's street homeless without any supports whatsoever were male. Compile that with studies showing males commit  suicide in 80% of all cases and one wonders why a crisis has not been declared and political champions not speaking out outraged? #Mentoo ?

Our outdated social safety net system seems to regard these men as expendable? Indeed they are from my experience often simply given bus tickets to take them somewhere else, like Toronto, where last year over 70 men - over 90% - were found to have died (decades) early as a result of having lived on the streets, as of only November. No inquiry? And we cannot be so naive as to think York Region men aren't part of those death statistics when our lone full time York Region's men's shelter of 26 beds is full 100% of the time. Ditto its 12 bed youth shelter in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada.

So, as we all continue on and pat each other on the back about what a great job we're doing, maybe just stop a minute and take a good look, and if in conscience you can say we are, then so be it. More men will simply die. Are these men deserving of programs and homes? You decide.

Pictured is a sample of "thank-yous" sent out after a donation for presents to a York Region male youth shelter over Christmas of 2017 and donated by a local business, Stellar Car Wash.

Editors note: One person had never had an Xmas present before. 

York Region Forests Map Developed Trails

Spotted at Jokers Hill, King Township

Summer seems finally within grasp and with that this year were being told to expect higher than usual numbers of mosquitoes and black flies and something else - ticks they say are also more plentiful this year and as spreaders of Lyme disease something we surely want to avoid.

As a person who loves the outdoors and is prone to venturing off beaten paths at times to capture wild life and nature photos if not cleared them of fallen trees, I've come up with a few rules I use to make my outdoor experience less annoying (nothing more annoying than batting off mosquitoes as you try and hold for a shot) and ultimately more safe. Ditto thought to batting bugs while using a chain saw.

Before anything else, I douse myself in bug repellent, ensuring to cover areas like my head, face and susceptible spots like above the waistline and ankles and if I'm working outdoors or around swarms of bugs when further north ensuring to close my eyes when spraying my face and keeping cameras and sunglasses out of spray shot so as not to damage them, I might even wear a cheap dollar store type of overalls with hood as well as gloves which leave only your face at risk, but, barring all that, wearing long sleeved shirts or jackets with hood  and long pants is best to avoid unpleasantries. Shoes and socks over bare feet or sandals are recommended as well.

While out in nature, just remember that any new nearby land development - maybe even your home - will shakes out a few casualties or displaced wild life looking for new territory so be on the look out while driving and on the trails, and be sure to respect their habitat.

Residence near Bathurst St. Newmarket

It's usually best to stick to the marked trails if you want to avoid black legged ticks and if you have dogs and allow them to run free, please don't if you want to avoid ticks and especially don't during June's nesting season, as free-for-all-running dogs often uproot ground nests or spook wild life out resulting in lost wild life and habitat.

Bathurst Street 

York Region has some of the greatest trails in Ontario to check out also whether the around the Oak Ridges Moraine, York Regional Forest main trails, Vivian Forrest, Thornton Bales, Jokers Hill, Tom Taylor Trail, wherever you trek out to, enjoy! Just respect nature and nature will respect you! And remember doggy poop bags do no good lying on the ground, plastic does not decompose, and neither do Timmies cups! Enjoy it...just don't destroy it!

Tom's Green Show

List of York Region Trails and Maps here.

Newmarket's Tom Taylor Trail

Joker's Hill dog owners often don't use leashes jeopardizing nesting sites

No bugs on him

Glenway property at Bathurst

Aurora grows up

Info here

Former Macgregor Farm in Newmarket by Glenway

 

Later, Tom

British Home Children connected to Newmarket House of Hope

British Home Children were shipped in trunks

Recently I attended an event held in Newmarket commemorating the "British Home Children" who were children that were yanked from British families after WW1 from families of the poor workers" and such, uprooted and shipped to other countries within the commonwealth such as Canada and Australia for fresh air and farm work. Parents of these poor Brit families would sometimes arrive to pick up their kids to find they'd been shipped away.

And many of those kids were grossly mistreated - similar to the fate of aboriginal children - and there are documented cases of the kids being kept in chains in some Canadian farms. By 1924, social consciousness had changed somewhat and although it continued into the 70's in some places, the practice was strongly discouraged. 

"House of Hope" location serving area since 1910 originally under the Walter and Mary Haines family

Yet for some lucky ones placed to good care - such as in 1910 into a farm care home just outside Newmarket, in Sharon Ontario, run by the Haines'. Afterward, when the two charges in the Haine's care - including Herbert Blackall - were called to the 1st world war as teens, they wrote "home" to the couple, and returned after the war to settle here. They considered the Haines their parents.

And a house of care has continued in one form or another as a care facility to this day, now featuring 16 self contained units, all of which receive natural sunlight on acres of green. Who knows, maybe we'll implement some farming into the life there again but so far the region has claimed it has no funding.  Let's hope that changes because with support its a tough climb.

I know, because I've dubbed the place the "House of Hope" in the past when trying to garner interest to parties to run something there that can care for or provide housing and lodgings to those in need or those needing care - whether mental health or addictions help. My dream was to have supports and learning / training opportunities in addition to a living space and the property owner remembered this, calling me recently to help him in starting up a home doing just that.

Ironically, while waiting for the British Home Children display to open I wandered towards nearby Fairy Lake where I met a gentleman who looked rather peculiar wearing a hardhat over a winter hat, undersized coat, and carrying bags, but who was nevertheless , I found out, very articulate and well spoken and, I'd find out, knowledgeable on worldly issues.

Earl and I exchange use of pics and contact info. He needs a home, and maybe supports.

He'd been collecting empty beer cans along the railway tracks for money when 4 cruisers pulled up on him he said. He's used to the overkill he relayed, but told them if they wanted his name he'd give them his lawyers card.

Earl's's suffered a brain injury in the past including numerous concussions and told me he was a former Montreal Canadians first round draft pick and truck driver for Home Hardware for many years. But, as he says,

"I know my rights. The cops don't need to hassle me. And they always do"

Today he was also nursing a leg injury, and told me of being beaten up over his politics. I was surprised when he told me he was seventy something. And he still has dreams - like an idea of a type of affordable housing that included Home Hardware, and 3 or 4 people building it themselves.

Being from Barrie (but homeless), I think the new train service to only Aurora may have confused him a bit, and he'd had to seek shelter locally now, showing me his transit stub where all the destination change overs were listed from Waterloo to Barrie, some from train to over to bus.

House getting some roofing repairs finished up

I let him know that I was really glad to have met him and we exchanged numbers and when the "House Of Hope" is looking for residents maybe I'll give him a ding because he really seemed like the type of guy who'd fit the model - despite his age.

This home has a long history of providing a type of care - since 1910 - and with the same owner over the past 26, who now wants to be hands on, to help create a place that residents will want to live.

Myself and the property owner meet with the housing minister April 13 2017, "hoping" to get some "support" in opening up this great asset to the community once again.

Homelessness in York Region is no surprise, nor its Crime Spike

As the local newspapers focus headlines throughout the winter through feel-good pieces aimed at propping up our social network assist vehicles - instead of dissecting what we could be doing better - it seems in keeping with York Region politicians.

It's no secret that Y.R. has had not only a shortage of government assisted housing units for those in need for many years, as highlighted in the 21010 York Region Social Audit Behind The Masks which was presented to Council in deposition, and which they supported in principle and then used / sent to the Ontario government towards helping them formulate a plan to coordinate funding and services for this area but it has also had one of the lowest owned units-to rental units ratios in the entire country, as well availability rates - also country-wide close to worst. So it's no secret. See the Social Audit Video.

In the download of $ and services to the municipalities from the Ontario government, the Region took away certain safe-guard initiatives designed (that are / were part of The ACT) to help individuals in need avoid becoming homeless and those just out of prison or institutions. It was called the Start Up Fund used to help residents avoid eviction or 1st and last to obtain a place to live and could be applied for no more than once every three years. It's no longer available through the municipalities take over, and its replacement deemed unattainable by former user types, so those same people now are more likely to go homeless. At the time when the download of services was still in proposal mode, I specifically mentioned this safety net program to Y.R. Councillor John Taylor who assured me all would be kept. It wasn't. Notice a crime spike of late? It's no coincidence.

Not going to say I told you so. But I did.


Instead, the Region seems to think putting everything into shelters has been the answer - spending more than 10 years focusing all available funding - over $10,000,000 - towards building one women's shelter, Belinda's Place as well as some assisted temporary housing for the same single women only category.Geez, Magna's C.E.O. makes $26 million a year. Donate some.  

Problem is / was, most of Y.R.'s homeless are men, a fact I have long crowed, but now have tangible proof of, from the just released stats collected by United Way Toronto / York Region..


This week's YRMG headlines scream out Shelter use up 50%...crisis levels..blah,blah,blah but are they not aware the one and only full time men's shelter Leeder Place - is full 100% of the time? That's not a story? Only in winter I guess when its sexy to write about it and INNs from The Cold gets their overflow. Thank goodness for them at least.

Cold Warning in effect

Yesterday, I came across a struggling guy, one who fights addiction issues but one who also works and works hard. I know, because I worked several jobs on which he was hired to assist, and in seeing his willingness to do a great job, I've since assisted him into something more regular, including the last one he's held for 6 months now. But they just don't have the hours for him come January and there he was, last night, out in the bitter cold begging for money.

Knowing I have a video taping upcoming this month for which I've budgeted in a P.A. I gave him $20 advance and told him I'd be in touch about the exact date. "But no more tonight eh? Go home." I said. He thanked me and did just that. He and his girlfriend struggle to keep a roof over their head. They could also benefit from nonexistent rehab programs to assist towards living a "normal" life.

YOURK news covered MPP's start-up

Ironically I 've been trying to find an operator group for a housing or rehab complex of 18 self- contained, up-to-code units, yet no incentives enough seem to exist to entice operators to run anything. So why can't YR controlled funds go here?

Earlier that day, over the phone from Markham, a man seeking help asked me,

" What are they doing with the $16 million dollars the federal government gave to assist with these issues?"


Good question.
On turning 65 and going from ODSp to pensioner -

Markham Community Centre

"It's not right. They knew the date was coming. No one told me I had to apply or that I'd be cut off income. No one told me anything."

Forest, right here, long time homeless camp

So where IS all this new money going in assisting those in need and those who want to live outside the dangerous and undignified shelter system? I don't know, but it's not getting to those most in need, and this to me seems an abuse of process.

Hey, I gave you resources!

The recent York Region Media articles have headlined cherry-picked themes taken from a report by United Way Toronto/Y.R., like the obvious such as aboriginals having a higher than average ratio - as it is in the rest of the country - and they've headlined children, family and youth poverty, but they've actually left out the most staggering headline stat of all that a full 100% of the homeless they found with no attachments to any shelter of any kind in York Region were male. 100%. They further found that 70% of all shelter dwellers were male.

Now I'm not going to come out and say that our social safety-net system seems sexist but...well actually I am, and it is. We have no shelters for males to escape abuse even though stats show spousal abuse is about 50-50, yet we have a number of shelters for women in this regard, in addition to the family shelter and single women's shelter and transitional temporary housing. There is no temporary housing for any single men. Men are last on lists for Y.R. housing too since abuse victims and families - often single moms - also rate ahead of them, regardless of the fact there are extremely few single assisted housing units to begin with in York Region, so vulnerable men often have little chance to get housed, and these men will statistically die much younger than the average person - often by two decades.

So that is what WE are supporting with our current system. We're sentencing men to an early death.

The social audit was clear back in 2010 that the lack of housing was already critical and that men were not only lacking in programs and housing but in how they were being treated and that has still had no change.

We need more male social workers according to some men from shelters
....

"They hire women right out of battered women's shelters and they don't treat us good."

Former Shelter Dweller now deceased. See his and other video testimonials here. I've written in the past of several men who have died while living on the streets in YR and after years in the shelter system and yet not a word from the local media. Shame on them, but shame on us for doing nothing while men die. That would soon include our now area Housing Minister Chris Ballard who has not invited myself nor P.A.C.C, Y.R.'s voice for poverty, to participate in any reforms, nor for consulting, since his quick promotion from regular M.P.P.. Since he knows me and I have much more knowledge and experience than most in the area on the issue, including himself, and an asset as such, you'd expect a call. If you don't recognize your assets how can you use or manage them?

" House of Hope" sits empty begging for use.

I'll give the provincials this much, they have the "cahoonahs" to discuss a fixed basic minimum income model and I have committed to participate in that, if only to try and ensure these off-the-grid and precarious work types are not left out of the mix. As I see it, this type of system may help stop those who often fall through the cracks, to better survive in cold Canada.

One homeless man says we need to form branches for areas within the Region that deal with guys like him in crisis and who cannot travel across an entire region to access emergency help. I agree.


Tom Pearson