Safety in Malvern, transit issues discussed at debate

Safety in Malvern, transit issues discussed at debate. George Singh (Green), right, Neethan Shan (NDP), Raphael Rosch (Family Coalition) and incumbent MPP Bas Balkisoon (Liberal) sit on the panel during the Scarborough-Rouge River all-candidates meeting held Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Malvern Recreation Centre. (Sept. 22, 2011) Staff photo/MIKE ADLER

New Democrat Neethan Shan suggested Malvern would be getting rapid transit if it had a "strong" leader like Mel Lastman and Greg Sorbara.

The Progressive Conservative, Ken Kim, didn't show up.

Four provincial candidates in Scarborough-Rouge River, however, did stake out territory in a debate last Thursday, touching on transportation, jobs and tuition in a riding with greater-than-average numbers of young people.

Shan, a former youth worker and York Region public school trustee who is "an activist first, and politician second," said local youth are tired of having to pay so much for higher education, which is "the only way to get out of poverty."

New Democrats would freeze undergraduate tuitions - currently the highest in Canada - for four years, while the Liberals will let tuitions rise, he said.

Balkissoon, a two-term MPP, said the NDP tuition pledge would benefit "the rich folks and the poor folks," he said, but "our plan (for education) is to help those who absolutely need it, and that's the middle class."

"The last time (New Democrats) got into government they made the same promise and they raised fees 50 per cent," Balkissoon told an audience at Malvern Recreation Centre on Sept. 22.

Balkissoon said when he was first elected MPP in 2005 - a year remembered for gun violence across Toronto - "people told me that crime was affecting Malvern. You asked me to resolve it.

"Through my leader, Dalton McGuinty I received all the resources to deal with the crime in this community. It is now gone," he said, implying a greater police presence and improved social services in the neighbourhood are responsible.

But Shan said Scarborough's leaders - and by implication, Balkissoon - "have not been strong advocates" in bringing rapid transit to the riding.

The New Democrat said he supported plans - approved but then cut back by the Liberal government - to extend two light-rail lines to Malvern, one along Sheppard and another from Scarborough Town Centre north to Malvern Town Centre.

In contrast, Shan said, Lastman, a former North York mayor, "was a leader who actually pushed to get a subway through his area" and Sorbara, a Liberal MPP, successfully lobbied for a subway to Vaughan.

Shan said he will be "strong" on the issue from the start to make sure Malvern gets some form of rapid-transit.

"If the community doesn't speak up it's not going to happen. We need to speak up together."

Balkissoon said Mayor Rob Ford changed the province's Transit City plans for an LRT network, "and because of that you have a slight delay."

The province gave the city $8.2 billion - money that will go to a fully-underground Eglinton-Scarborough Crosstown LRT instead of funding a surface LRT line on Sheppard - because the city has an elected government whose decisions the province must respect.

"They're elected to represent you and it's up to you to pressure your (city) government to give you the right transit," Balkissoon said.

Running for the third time in a year - he was also a federal Green candidate and a municipal challenger in Ward 42 - Green candidate George Singh said a two-hour bus transfer would benefit people in Scarborough, as would a cheaper GO Transit fare - $2 instead of $6 to go downtown.

An entrepreneur who specializes in "getting people away from negative behaviours," Singh said residents have to move beyond left versus right political contests to embrace a forward-thinking party.

"People say they like me, but they don't want to vote (for me) because of the colour of my party, which is green" said Singh. "Vote for the person who you think serves you best."

Kim was represented at the evening Malvern Votes event by an empty chair, and for a while moderator Alex Dow of Action for Neighbourhood Change seemed to hold out hope he would arrive. "At 6:35, I received an email he was not coming," Dow later told the crowd.

In an interview this week, Kim explained that as a first-time politician, "I generally follow the party advice on all aspects of campaigning," adding "I've been advised by party headquarters not to attend this debate."

Voters in the riding understand the campaign's top issue is strengthening Ontario's economy and his main job as candidate is to meet people while canvassing and listen to what they want, he said.

Kim's spot at the table was filled by Raphael Rosch of the Family Coalition Party, whose platform "supports the family unit" Rosch said.

"The family unit knows best because government doesn't know best."

Rosch made a generous pledge of his own: "If you want to eat at my house just let me know. My wife is an awesome cook," he said.