No. 2: Connectedness
Bernie meme in Toronto. Deputing on #TObudget. Challenges with digital civic engagement. Climate emergency vs. housing emergency.
Welcome to Dwell & Drizzle! I’m Diana Yoon. This newsletter intersects housing, climate, activism, Toronto life and politics.
Hello cool cats,
Gosh, January has certainly been a month.
My enthusiasm for the year has dropped significantly, but I am relying on my light therapy lamp to carry me through to spring and shoo away the persistent seasonal depression.
Sometimes, we up North pay more attention to American politics than our own, so I’ll just touch on this briefly. President Biden is rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement and opposing the Keystone XL pipeline (to our own PM Trudeau’s great disappointment). I won’t lie, it’s not enough but I felt a certain heaviness lift with the old President gone and once the shock of the White House coup wore off.
Ok, back to Toronto matters.
I love that our very own Mayor Tory created and shared his own Bernie meme (will we ever see a democratic socialist Toronto mayor in our lifetime?).
As I mentioned in the last (very first!) newsletter, the City budget process has begun.
Climate and housing are the issues I think about the most (and what I’ve promised this newsletter is about, to an extent). But with the City of Toronto budget, I couldn’t help but to focus more on racial injustice and inequality.
On Monday, I deputed (gave a short speech) to the City of Toronto’s Budget Committee. My speech was on defunding the police by 50% and reallocating it to community-led programs, plus a few other things (e.g. not cutting the Environment and Energy Division budget, meeting climate emergency commitments). I drew from Toronto Environmental Alliance’s budget analysis and calls to action. You can find the text of my full deputation down below, as well as more thoughts on civic engagement (and the City’s inability to do civic engagement well).
What else is new?
In my down time, I skate. I walk around College Park, Grange Park, Baldwin Village, Nathan Phillips Square, and other areas of interest in my 15-minute walk radius.
On a friend’s recommendation, I started a book “Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion” by Jia Tolentino. The notion of overvaluing our opinions is introduced in the first chapter. Part of me feels like this newsletter (and social media in general) is certainly overvaluing my own ideas and opinions; the other part is willing to accept that this sort of writing can build community.
I hope we can chat, share ideas, and grow as a community in small ways.
Connect and develop a sense of connectedness.
It’s not much, but it feels like it matters.
HOUSING & CLIMATE JUSTICE
either or both or taxing the rich
I mentioned the City’s climate emergency declaration in my deputation, but did not mention the equally pressing state of emergency on housing and homelessness (as Toronto City Council denied this motion and has not voted on it again, despite the 50,000+ petitions it received from the Shelter & Housing Justice Network).
This frustrates me to no end. Governments can pass symbolic climate emergency declarations, but Toronto not only denies housing in the city is in crisis, but also exacerbates it by removing Tiny Homes. I’d like to see the City take the concerns of those living in encampments seriously.
Winter is usually when we see the concern for the under-housed spike, especially when we face freezing temperatures and snowy days. 2020 shifted this, as there was less foot traffic in general, and thus more visibility of those who could not simply “stay home” all year. I learned a lot from the Encampment Support Network’s “We are Not the Virus” podcast. Their first episode, “Water”, speaks to some of the pandemic-induced challenges and struggles related to the heat. Give it a listen.
I’d like to explore these “emergency declarations” more. Why have so many governments declared a climate emergency? What has it achieved in a year or so? What prevents the City of Toronto from declaring a state of emergency on housing and homelessness? And how does it all feel in light of the “state of emergency” we face now with the pandemic?
TORONTO
life, activism, politics
This was my second time speaking on the City Budget (the first time two years ago).
I missed the air of anticipation. Being in the same City Hall committee room as a group of nervous people, waiting their turn to speak. Jittery fingers. Rustling of paper. City clerks typing away.
When do you feel motivated enough to engage in municipal, provincial, or federal government community consultation opportunities? Have you ever spoken to your city’s council or committees?
Share your stories in the comment section!
I do commend Progress Toronto, who held workshops that made it really easy for folks to practice their deputations together. This act became a collective activity, even if we were speaking at different sessions.
Usually, I could share the youtube link to my own deputation -- but with virtual City Hall, the WebEx platform denied video privileges to residents and community members (only the City Councillors get the luxury of zoom video fatigue).
Jokes aside, the budget deputations and other city processes this past year have been disappointing, despite best efforts from engaged citizens and community members. There has been a significant difference in civic engagement efforts.
People’s voices can carry emotion and depth, but the lack of body language and facial expressions impact how much the Budget Committee is moved or even paying attention to these public deputations.
Accessibility has long been an issue. While the digital platform may make it easier for some to participate, it comes with new challenges and frustrations (not just technical difficulties). The City does not seem to care how their digital platforms alienate and isolate residents who are already doing their best to participate in these processes.
I helped to counter this with Friends of ChinatownTO (FOCT) by organizing a side “zoom room” to not feel so alone at the online community consultation for the proposed development at 315-325 Spadina in December. This mattered. It was surprisingly nice to react together in a semi-private space, when the WebEx platform made it appear like it was just us against the dozen or so developers, planners, architects, city staff, and City Councillor.
This is not to say something cliché like “The internet connects us more than ever, but we still feel so alone”…
It’s not necessarily the technology that makes us feel alone (although, I do stress how important internet access is for those with limited or no internet access -- and how the lack of public libraries makes this even more challenging during the pandemic). It’s how we make decisions about how to connect with each other, listen and value civic participation, and genuinely engage in processes where there is accountability to incorporate community feedback.
We’ve spent more than enough time chatting about Toronto above.
Go outside and enjoy the snow (if you can/if you live here/if you live in downtown Toronto and it hasn’t all turned into slush yet).
But, if you’re still reading…
Here’s the full text of my deputation to the Budget Consultation on January 25, 2021:
Good afternoon budget committee,
My name is Diana Yoon and I’m 25, a downtown Toronto resident who lives walking distance from city hall, and graduate student at York University. Thank you for taking the time to listen to residents’ concerns and consider revising the budget to reflect these concerns.
My very first deputation was two years ago on the city budget; I was shocked at how unaffordable the city was becoming and at the underinvestment of our city’s housing and transit infrastructure. I worry a lot about the city’s future (and I’ll speak to this a little later), but I’m now just as worried about the present-day racial injustice faced by my friends, family, and neighbours.
We know 2020 was an unprecedented year, and thus, this years’ budget has much to respond to, especially our public health response, as we recover and rebuild. Unfortunately, the draft 2021 city budget fails to adequately take care of the most vulnerable folks in our communities, in particular Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities and individuals.
That is why I am asking for a 50% reduction and reallocation of the Toronto police budget toward community-led responses and programs. This is consistent with the demands of leading grassroots activist groups like Black Lives Matter TO and Showing Up for Racial Justice. This would mean over $500 million dollars can be reallocated.
So, to share my own experiences and insights on policing, I and members of Friends of ChinatownTO went to a community consultation last year on the potential implementation of CCTV cameras in the Kensington-Chinatown and Alexandra Park neighbourhoods. While there was a decision to not implement the cameras for this area (partly because of our efforts), we heard from many residents on the fears of increasing surveillance in lower-income, racialized spaces. We also built relationships with Jane-Finch Action Against Poverty and those in Parkdale who were facing similar concerns and shared stories of racial injustice and poor treatment of lower-income and homeless folks by the police. This is a city-wide problem.
I believe in the good intentions of staff, city councillors, and the Mayor – and the city’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. The goal of the city budget could be to advance equity and health, and while there is an attempt here, the proposed budget ONLY reallocates $1.7 million of the $1.2 billion police budget to community-led initiatives like crisis support lines, safe shelters, and youth hubs. The city has to invest to support Black, Indigenous, racialized, low-income, and homeless communities currently most harmed by over policing. As it stands, this isn’t enough.
Again, please reallocate 50% of the police budget and consider using those funds instead of cutting funds from other social services (like childcare).
In addition, I would ask for increased clarity on how the draft budget responds to the City’s TORR residents’ surveys. As a volunteer with Friends of ChinatownTO, we spent countless hours to support the city’s process to ensure downtown Chinatown residents were able to provide input and heard much about challenges they are facing from rising rents to increased policing. The city has to make clear how these consultations feed into the draft budget.
Finally, I cannot ignore the climate crisis which threatens the future of our city and planet. We need both an equity and climate lens on the budget and all city decisions. Personally, I’ve been a climate activist since 15 (that’s 10 years!) because my future and that of younger generations depends on decisions the city and our governments make today. The Environment and Energy Division budget should not be reduced by 17% from what was planned. EED needs sufficient resources to deliver overdue Climate Emergency commitments in 2021, including a net zero emission strategy, a climate lens on City spending decisions, and a low-carbon jobs strategy.
I urge the budget committee and city council members to be bold during this unprecedented time and stay accountable to our communities. It is critical that Toronto does not scale back the solutions we desperately need to address the racial injustice and inequality facing our communities, as well as the threat of climate catastrophe.
Toronto is not a timid city; the budget shouldn’t be either. Thank you.
Thanks for caring. Let me know what you like so far and what you’d like to see in future emails.
xoxo, cheers, and solidarity,
Diana
I love you diana yoon - Hannia