Enough Surprises

I am going to say something which I believe to be true, about the corporation which manages the building where I live, as well as other people within the city of Toronto. Toronto Community Housing is more interested in how management feels when going to work in the office, or at their job, rather than the general safety of the people who live in the buildings. Management also cares more about whether the job is done, rather than whether the resident whose apartment has been chosen for work on it, on a particular day, has been notified in a sufficient and timely manner. I could say if anything happened to me on Wednesday, but what happened was not funny at all in any way humourous and frankly, it is a violation and if I have my way, the final one. I had sent an email with much the same information here to my city counsellor and to Toronto Comunity Housing, but so far nothing has come of it. So, here it is in the blog as it was and I may even include more information than had appeared in the emails. I don’t know, so let’s read on. Shall we?

To review, I am blind from birth and for some reason, some people still can not let go of printed notices of entry, as they have not been and are not sufficient for my unit. There for, I am disabled and the fact that I have been treated as if I am not in some senses, is just plain wrong. There are activists who will give building management and general Society as a whole more grief referring to the rest of us as able-bodied and I understand it, but I am not such a soul. I am just another human being trying to live in this world like everyone else. I shouldn’t have to get angry about things like what I am about to tell you, but unfortunately, the people who run TCHC have not even tried to patch this problem properly and if they have, it is only a band-Aid solution.

I am going to go back to August, just after the long weekend when my bathroom was redone and painted the next day, with no notice from anyone. This came at a time, when mail delivery to 250 Davenport had stopped and there for, notices of entry have not come to me either from anyone, let alone contractors. I got a knock on the door and I let them in anyway, to do the work and it was certainly done… both days and unfortunately, things didn’t have a happy ending. There was something loose as far as the bathroom sink was concerned and I had to deal with water leaking all over the floor, for nearly 2 days. This even occurred while the bathroom was being painted so, you can imagine how this was not just a problem for me, but for other contractors doing other kinds of work. I had to call our Super to correct the problem and he did. I shouldn’t have had to do this in the first place. The Super also had to replace a flapper in my toilet and thankfully, both problems were fixed easily, but what if they weren’t? What if they were more difficult to repare and a flood had ruined the new bathroom floor?with me possibly being away from home? I wasn’t, but I think that not everything was considered. You know? Any of the what ifs that could have arisen and any potential problems that could have also affected the tenant below me? I’m just pointing something out which should have been thought out before anyone was even knocking on doors of units, looking to do work.

On Wednesday, I got a knock on the door before 9:00 A.M. and it was to put ceramic on my kitchen floor and I was given (yet again) no notice of entry. I called our Super this time and he had spoken with the contractor and I had the option of saying no to the work being done and instead, I had decided to let them do it, along with moving everything out of the way, in order for them to work. After all, I was reassured that any appliances I had in there would be plugged in such as the fridge and the stove. I don’t use the stove, but it’s good that it was plugged in anyway (somewhere else in the dwelling unit). I let the man do the work, but this is the last time I will allow him, or anyone else who is a contractor in, without sufficient and timely notice of entry.

I had received strange phone calls from people who are not in my contacts, who are silenced and who did not leave a message when it went to voicemail. Maybe it was the contractor, but I don’t know and calling me on a Sunday morning at a random time is not sufficient notice. I need notices of entry, in order to prepare for the work being done and I do not allow unknown numbers to get through in case they may be Robo calls. So, I would prefer that any and all contractors give me notice of entry by email. Our Superintendent has my email address and so should any contractor, who has been hired to do work for 250 Davenport since the new management took over in 2022. I will not except anything less than that, because I am blind and so I will have plenty of time, to prepare for the work on my own time. I also did not appreciate what amounts to a surprise entry by a contractor and what happened on Wednesday, may not happen again, without me knowing about it in writing by email, to my email address. The next time I get a knock on the door without any notice, they will be turned away and as a tenant have the right to be notified in a sufficient and timely manner. Am I right?

This may not be a big deal to some, but when you get a surprise knock on the door telling you that someone is here to do work in your kitchen and you are in pyjamas and were woken from a nice dream, that is simply uncalled for and… … dare I say rude. That is why I had called our Super and he had given me the option to refuse the work, because according to him, there was no work on my kitchen scheduled for Wednesday and yet, I let the man in to do what he had to do, only because it didn’t involve destruction of any countertops, cupboards and sinks, with simply no time to move anything to where I can find it again and put everything back, after the work is finished. Also, because I am blind I need sufficient notice so I can do the work myself and not somebody else do it for me, as they will move things around as they see fit and not where I feel things should be. Not everyone puts things back exactly where they found them and I expect some of that, but this was too much. However, with a refrigerator and the stove I let them deal with it as I have no interest in unplugging an appliance which is meant to keep things cold and trying to wheel it around, with food in there. Also, I can’t see so I let the experts do that for me. Anything else I should have been sufficiently notified about.

So, the solution to this problem is to simply get contractors, our super and building management in general, into a habit of notifying me by email, about anything and everything addressed to me and my unit, which is not from Canada Post. I have things in a certain place so I can find them, when I need them and having a stranger move stuff around, is simply not right. However, I made an exception this time, because I had made that rushed call to the Super and I wasn’t sure how far along the man had gotten with the work, before pressing the call button in my contacts.

This should also extend to all buildings within the rest of the Toronto Housing portfolio, as there are people in other buildings (who are also blind and have other disabilities living in them too. In 250 Davenport we have 2 of us, myself and another one a floor below me and there was another blind fella who lived near the main floor in 2019. My idea is that I had suggested that our city councillor bring this topic up because of people like myself and others who need sufficient notice of entry by not just building management, but also contractors. However, nothing has come of it.

Not everyone was born equal and it seems that TCHC seems to have forgotten this fact, or figures that those like myself have a babysitter there to read their mail for them. I do not and I do not want one either, as I am not a senior and even when I do become one, I will still not want an adult in the room because I value my independence and I have no wish to be running to people for help all the time, much less our Super. Besides, I am 50 years old and last time I checked, I am an adult and I may be a kid at heart, but I m not a kid.

This simply can not go on and I had done a number of posts about this issue and yet, nothing really has changed and if they had done, they didn’t stick. For example: here is an excerpt of a post I did a few weeks ago. “For notices about things which are of importance to us individually, calling us on the phone is not a good move. We cannot always be at your beck and call 24 seven and the best way to receive such notices is by email. It is less intrusive and if we are asked to reply, we can do so. Otherwise, leave us alone and don’t call us, we will call you if we need help. Otherwise, we should all be informed by email unless otherwise specified and if we do not have email, then you can distribute paper notifications to those who need it done that way. Not everyone has a computer or an iPhone, but I do and so do others”.

I hope I have made myself clear and if not, I do not feel that a turse message is enough to get the point across, as this required explanations and looking back to past incidents of this occurring. I have allowed this for 23 years and Wednesday, was the last time. I hope to see results immediately and the next time anybody comes in without warning to do work, I will refuse them entry, unless I have sufficient notice by email and only by email. I have been saying this since day one and this goes not just for our superintendent, but for everybody including building maintenance. Enough is enough with the surprises and I expect results for myself, immediately. Once again, I only want to be emailed and not called on the phone, unless it is an emergency . Are we clear on this? This does not only go for myself, but for every single person who lives in Toronto Community Housing buildings in general. Besides, using less paper will save trees and there for, help the climate. Right? I am not an environmentalist, but I do believe that if anybody has a computer or a smart phone, they should be receiving emails and not paper notices by default. That means that not just the unit and phone number, but an email address should be on file in rental lease renewals every year, if applicable. This applies to myself and my friend below me as well as other people so, there is no excuse for saying no to this strongly worded suggestion.

Postscript

Since this post had gone out as an email to my counselor, it seems that TCHC is still not quite getting the message, in that I am not kidding around about this. On November 17th just after 11:00 AM, I had received a surprise knock on the door, by someone wanting to take pictures of my kitchen and I was not given any notice, other than a piece of paper, with a smaller piece stapled to it. It does not count as a notice of entry to me and I had refused to let them in to do what they were trying to do. I must receive only email notices of entry, or you are not allowed in and this goes for everything to do with maintenance and goings on, within my apartment block, with no exceptions unless otherwise noted. The same thing had taken place on January 5 2024 and because we no longer have door-to-door mail delivery by Canada Post in the building, I do not check behind the door for any surprises. Apparently, someone had attempted to shove such a surprise through my door during the Christmas holiday season and the person who knocked on the door, told me so while being turned away. This will continue until I am notified by email.

Post-Postscript

On January 31 2024 I had received two pieces of paper, which were notices of entry. Clearly, the message still has not gotten through and for the record, they were for cleaning out the exhaust fan and changing the filters for our heating and cooling system controlled by our thermostats. The latter I am making an exception for because, I had no idea that they would be pushing out notices of entry for the ladder job. As for the other, I refused after I had learned what was going on, on February 6. They assumed that I let them in to do the job, but I said no after a contractor brought in a screen and around Peg like object and put it on my kitchen counter. As you could probably guess, I refused cleaning of my exhaust fan because I was not notified sufficiently and as I said again and again, paper will not do as a notice of entry. Apparently, they weren’t sure how to notify me so, the Superintendent told them to shove paper through my door. Is this the same person whom I had called to help me with the potential emergency in the bathroom in August? If so, they should be fired and if not, why is one hand not doing the same as the other? It seems that not everyone is on the same page and there are mixed signals to contractors and residents alike. If an alternate Super is in charge, they should be doing the exact same thing as the main and without any deviation from it.

Also, on Friday, February 9 I received another piece of paper shoved in my door by someone and I went on a wild goose chase to find them, possibly to give ’em hell, about shoving things through the door of my unit. Apparently it was for testing of the fire alarm on Tuesday and I found out because I found the person and apparently someone did not tell them that the guy in the unit I happen to live in, is blind. It’s not his fault, but the people above him and anyone else who has done this in the past few days. They have dropped the ball and even after I have sent out email after email to Toronto Comunity Housing about this, they have laid down and done nothing to change things, when it comes to delivering notices of entry.

With the ladder, I’m going to let it go along with any testing of the fire alarms in our units because it is simple and no rigmarole with the work being done. Besides, as I said earlier I had no idea that they had sent out notices of entry for those jobs (if any) and the work is quick and they are in and out. Anything else which takes longer requires mandatory notices of entry and in my case, it is email. I had been told that my email is on file and if someone is not telling me the truth, heads should roll… … immediately because this is dangerous.

On February 20, 2024 I had found something in my door, which was not supposed to be there. As you can guess, someone left a piece of paper (a notice of entry) in my door and it’s probably for something happening on February 21, but it could be for anything at all as far as I’m concerned. Also, it is not supposed to be there For reasons which are obvious in this post. I had discovered it in the evening, hours after I returned from a scheduled appointment and as you can imagine, I was not happy and I’m still angry about this issue being unresolved. If it is in fact about something happening on the 21st, that’s really cute, but I am not amused. I will deal with it as I see fit and in any way I can affectively. It turns out that somebody wanted to come into my kitchen and inspect it on a 21st and once again, there is no excuse for me not getting an email, instead of a piece of paper as a notice of entry.

On April 9, 2024, I find out that the office has been moved from where it used to be and is now called “The Hub” and I can have all kinds of fun castigating the name change because it is silly and means nothing. The main issue is that it was moved and I was not informed by anybody, especially those who were supposed to inform me of such matters of importance. I should know this because I needed to go down there and renew my lease. Another reason could be that I have to complain to someone directly and not on the phone about something. I personally fall into the former category, where I would rather go down there and renew my lease and otherwise keep to myself.

I hope that whom ever is reading this will take heed of everything I have written here, including what I have written today in this update to a post I wish I never had to compose. Unfortunately, not everyone gets with the program right away and I am hopeful that if you are reading this and you work for TCHC, you will do all within your power to make sure that only emails come to me, instead of pieces of paper as notices of entry. Again, I am making no exceptions and this is also because Ontario is supposed to make everything accessible by 2025 and at this rate, I don’t see this deadline being reached. The next person who tries to get in will be refused entry without a prior email and next one after that, after that, and so on until I receive emails and emails only, unless noted. No dead tree remnants are allowed in my door anymore, unless it is actually mail in the form of bank statements, phone bills or anything else from the government, my bank, my phone and internet provider, as well as any cards being sent to me, which have a greater bearing on my ability to leave and use public transit. I hope I have made myself clear.

250 Davenport

Hi folks. Today I’m going to write about where I live and I am going to name check it. This blog post is not personal, rather it is about how things have gone from when I had moved in here to today. In other words, this is a post about how things have gone from not exactly Tickety boo, but from just fine for me, to bad to worse and nothing is being done about it, despite myself and the actions of people within the apartment building at this address.

I live at 250 Davenport Rd., Toronto Ontario postal code M5R1J8. The one thing I will not give away in this post is my apartment number, because this post is about the building and building management in general and besides, it’s none of your business in which unit I reside. However, this post will not be personal because this is an attack on how management in general sees certain individuals as less than nothing, despite any improvements which were meant to help people with disabilities of all types.

250 Davenport is a brown building and you can’t miss it and it has 25 floors, including 2 basement floors and one of them, houses the laundry room. probably because someone who built this was superstitious, there is not a 13th floor! Therefore, this building is a high-rise.

It is located pretty close to Yorkville, which is obviously an area of affluence. Of course, if you know your music history you know that Yorkville was also the hub of music in Toronto in the 60s. Just do a google search on Yorkville and if you didn’t know already, you will learn something.

The building has four elevators and they all have braille on the panels inside the cage for those who cannot read print and there is raised print, for those who can read print and brail. I can read both brail and the raised print because I was taught both my braille and print letters and numbers in school. We also have our apartment numbers on the outside of our doors in print and like the elevators, I can read that too so I know that I am where my apartment is, if I ever overshoot it and I find that I am in front of the wrong unit’s door.

I have lived here since April 2000 and it was managed by Greenwin Corp and is now been taken over by the city of Toronto, otherwise known as “Direct Management” as of 2022. By the way, isn’t anybody accountable for if things go terribly wrong with the building now that The City of Toronto manages the building as a whole? I’m just asking because I don’t like the idea of being owned by the city I live in. This could very well have increased the chances of governmental encroachment and I believe that is what is happening with everything which has happened as of late and one thing in particular, which I will talk about later on.

The building has been around since 1970 (give or take a few years) and it has been renovated (inside and out) as well as the previous change in property management and has no doubt gone through many different Supers over the years. As of 2022, we are basically being monitored thanks to fibre optic cables which were installed in our units. Because most of us have cut the cord, those of us who actually went along with it had decided to accept the fact that they may have Access to the intercom through their smart phone allowing for people to be let in and also allowing for people to press the wrong buzz code, just for kicks. I have chosen to decline this offer (if you will) to be monitored and encroached upon and frankly, I don’t care What anybody thinks of my decision. This is my life and I do not wish to be on call, when ever people want to randomly check on me. After all, this is an apartment building and not a long-term care, or a nursing home, or even a group home. Yes, this is Comunity Housing, but we are not a community. There’s a community outside the walls of this building and we think of it as a neighborhood, inside a city and I feel that there is too much emphasis on making this building a community in and of itself. I declined the offer to be monitored as close as I could’ve been, because I knew what would happen from my days as someone who used a landline. Our occasion to get some person buzzing me who has no knowledge of who I am and has no business contacting me And that is why I refused as was my right and I do not regret this at all. They say that this was all done in case of emergency, but I wonder if there’s more to it than that and that they want to keep track on us at all times. In other words, encroach on our freedoms and privacy. Anyway, I digress.

I had moved in here, starting April 1st 2000 and my rental lease is due in May, every single year. I used to pay the monthly rent directly through money orders, but thanks to a visit from Ontario Disability Support Program in 2005, it has switched to direct payment of rent each month. I am there for responsible for being careful with my money and at the same time, I do not have to go down and slip something through the door of the office, where building management works.

Things have been rather cosy (for the most part) until the COVID-19 pandemic took over our lives. It had thrown a monkey wrench into various aspects of living here such as rental lease renewal and really, that was the only potential problem I would have. However, with a mask on I went down and did what I had to do, in order to live here another year, as well as having a helpful guy in the office, who actually gave a shit and took care of the big details for the rental lease renewal and all I had to do, was go down there and sign my name and I would do it, around the time of doing our income taxes every year and I’ve continued this practice since the change in building management. No, I’m not saying that everyone gives less then a rats ass about us now, but it’s not the same as it was before the fall of 2021. For one thing, we’re not referred to us names, but apartment numbers and no, I will not reveal my number here because it’s not your business. Last time I checked, I was born with a name and not a number and frankly, this reminds me way too much of the New World order and that we are not names, but we have numbers assigned to us and we are monitored 24 seven.

Speaking of 2021, before then we were not required to provide that year’s tax return for the rental lease renewal and this brings me to how I’ve been notified of such things as this and other important vital information which has an effect on whether I live here, or not. Apparently, Housing had sent out something in July 2021, informing us about this and because we were basically in a variation of Covid restriction in Ontario, I couldn’t just ask anyone and there for, I had been left in the dark. This also extended to the new laundry machines in October 2021, about which I posted here and was not informed about, until the very last minute by a fellow resident. The same is true with the recent change in how we receive our mail. Actually, in this case it was me overhearing a conversation with somebody else by my neighbour and once again, I was not informed by anyone from management. I was not called on the phone, sent an email, any other form of carrier pigeon messaging to let me know that something was up. I had to basically go on my own and figure things out and connect the dots, while others who are able-bodied can go about their day without a care in the world.

In 2022, we have a new building Super, who is a nice guy, but he can not always be leaned on in order to inform me of everything and frankly, I don’t want to depend on his emails alone for this. Unfortunately, Toronto Housing Management has done nothing to correct this problem, so that everyone (no matter their abilities) can receive vital information in a timely manner and in a way in which everyone who lives in this building can understand what is being told to us. Most people have received information in print and frankly, this will not do for me. Yes, I have an iPhone and I can read print using various applications, but I have no wish to take pictures of what I’m reading using the camera. I have other things to do with my life then to attempt to take a photo. Besides, I was born blind and I had no inclination of learning how to take a picture and I still don’t. I have asked many times for emails and people have said they would accommodate my needs and they have not come through. If they have, they would do it for a while and then the emails would stop. Why? I guess they expect me to reply to everything that they send me and like the government, I’m not always going to reply. Because, there is nothing else to say besides “thank you” or “got it” and that is not good enough a reason to reply to an email. I should be able to receive vital information and not be obligated to ping back a reply. How is this hard to understand? I refuse to reply with something which could easily be a text message and not all messages deserve a reply. Besides, has anyone replied back with a printed letter, because of a paper notification or a flyer they may have received in their door? No and in this case, the emails should be treated as such in that the sender should not expect a reply. As someone who volunteers for the federal government, I know this and as someone who works for the municipal government of Toronto, they should know this too as you can’t expect a reply to everything. Emails should be the default way of distribution of vital information and not through a Facebook group either. I will have more on that further down!

Also in 2022, we had a bus stop outside the building, which was convenient because we could get off the bus and walk right to the door, go inside and we are home. Because of a bike share, the bus stop was taken away from us, for those who ride bicycles and it doesn’t make sense, because the bus stop on the other side of the street going east is still there, while the one outside 250 Davenport has been removed. The stop at Davenport and Avenue Rd West Side had been moved up, but it doesn’t solve the problem for residence of the building. We have no bus stop outside our door now and we have to walk on a bike lane, in order to get from the sidewalk to the bus, at the bus stop. This is potentially dangerous because there could be an accident where some unsuspecting person could walk to get the bus and somebody on a bicycle could be going faster than they realize and they could crash into a passenger, who just wants to get on the bus and go somewhere. Why does an accident or a death of someone always change the minds of those who are citty planners? If this is to happen, I do not wish to be the victim and frankly, there should be no victims and those who make decisions should think about that before starting the work in the first place. However, thinking is not something that people like that do. What I’m saying is that people who have these plans make them without realizing that what is happening could be potentially dangerous for some and removing a bus stop was the dumbest thing they could do, especially outside of a building where people reside.

This was bad planning, especially given that we live in a climate where we have winter and there will be times when it’s not easy to get the bus, because of snow and the same thing going back, getting off the bus and trudging Home. Imagine if you will, somebody who is blind who is walking with their cane, during either January or February. They are trying to get the bus to run an errand. They cannot because there is an immense amount of snow on the ground, which is making it difficult for them to walk in order to find the bus stop and to feel where they are in relation to where they should be. They could very easily walk off of the sidewalk onto the road and get hit by a car and die. Again, I hope this does not happen and this should not happen, in order to wake people up who make these plans to the possibilities of something like this. If it bleeds it leads should not be more than just a top news story description from the late Christy Blatchford and I have no wish to be the one who bleeds, in order for change to happen.

As far as receiving mail, we used to get it in our doors as somebody would slide envelopes, pieces of paper as notices and other things into our doors because there’s a metal flap that one can flip up, and shove something through, flipping up the metal flap on the other side of the door. Then, whatever it is would fall down on the floor in front of the door going out of the unit. Since August 2023, things have changed in that Canada Poast has decided that we have to get our mail now from in front of the building. How is this practical? How is this truly workable for everybody? We don’t all have the same schedule every single day and not everybody will be here to receive their mail, when the mailman comes twice a week. It’s not always possible and the mailman may not have said piece of mail on them For that long either. After a time, it may be put into another file if not retrieved by the recipient so, this new way of receiving our mail is not well thought through, or practical..

There is also the Weather to factor into this decision and right now it isn’t an issue, but come the winter it could be a different story. Yes, I went down yesterday and got my mail and it was not fun. I don’t mind going outside, but this was truly hell. I went down, went outside and got my mail. I had to show my ID and frankly, I do not like that. We should not be going in front of the building to retrieve our mail and mail should be delivered to us as it always was, as it is a basic human right. Just because the mailman is scared to come up and bring the mail to me and the rest of us, it does not mean that we should have to be going outside and retrieve our mail, no matter what the weather. Yes, the seven little postmen have to deliver the mail through all sorts of weather, but we shouldn’t have to get it in all sorts of weather either. It is the postman’s responsibility of delivering the mail to us and having this right taken away from us is completely uncalled for.

This building does have a social media presence in that there is a Facebook group. I checked it out and I’m not going to join. The reason, it’s public and that’s not the worst thing about it. What is the least attractive thing about the group is that there are no opinions or signs of critical thinking from any of the Facebook posts which I have given a glance. It’s all about having something for sale, posting pictures and basically all things mundane. No opinion or critical thinking about various issues going on in the building and worst of all, no recent news about any changes which had occurred. So, nothing about the change in mail delivery to us or anything else which affects all of us who live in the building. So, will I ever consider joining the group? The answer is no because this group has nothing to offer. If you are reading this and you are a part of the Facebook group, I’m sorry. It’s just that the group has to provide vital news to anybody living in the building and it should not be a public group. It should be private, because despite that this building is a public building housing multiple units, the group should be private and a place for us all to get News, make critical comments on happenings and find out what we are all doing. Not everybody has Facebook, but I do and I’m sure that a goodly number of other residents also have Facebook, or other social media. Otherwise why does the group exist in the first place?

So, how to resolve the problems I am having with building management and the lack of mail delivery via door-to-door service. First of all, when it comes to Information, why not use the Facebook group as a source for all of us to get together and find out what is happening with all things related to the building? It could be about the CONSTRUCTION going on, changes and how things are done, temporary closures of rooms we use for various reasons, or all manner of things which allow us to live here in a safe environment. Not everything can be posted, but that is understandable and yet, there is nothing about the stoppage of mail delivery and the change to how we receive it.

For notices about things which are of importance to us individually, calling us on the phone is not a good move. We cannot always be at your beck and call 24 seven and the best way to receive such notices is by email. It is less intrusive and if we are asked to reply, we can do so. Otherwise, leave us alone and don’t call us, we will call you if we need help. Otherwise, we should all be informed by email unless otherwise specified and if we do not have email, then you can distribute paper notifications to those who need it done that way. Not everyone has a computer or an iPhone, but I do and so do others

When it comes to mail delivery, why not have someone who works in the building, specially assigned to doing this job? This person must be fit, trustworthy, must be someone who lives in the building 24 seven and must also have site, in order to deliver the mail to the proper recipient when it comes to packages, they must also be able to deliver them too and if something comes to a person, you knock on the door. If the person is home, you have them sign for it and continue on your rounds and go back down and report to the mailman, hiding in the mail truck. If this is not possible, Canada Post should get back to delivering mail to us, with no questions asked.

Some people seem to think that the male carriers are scared and I understand that, because this is a risky business being a delivery person. However, they knew going into this job that they were signing up for something that could be potentially dangerous and whether you deliver mail, food or anything else you may run into people who are either the nicest people you could ever meet, or could be as unhinged as a serial killer. They signed up for this work, knowing the risks and given that apartments have people who are (by default) a little bit off. They should just shove the mail through the door and keep on going and they should travel up and down from floor to floor, by an elevator, which should also be in service for the mail carriers. If they need security in order to perform this job safely, then the building should give them security. I may not know all the ins and outs of the job, but at least I am trying to provide a workable solution. Others in the building are just going about their day, not knowing what to do and going along with this. I can’t just stand by and watch the world burn. Depriving us of mail delivery for all and in a timely manner, as well as delivery of notifications for all of us and also in a timely manner and not in an understandable form is also wrong. Building management has allowed this to happen and actions, or in actions have consequences. The consequences may not be significant to some people, but to others it is vitally important that things change because it could impact lives. People could be evicted for no good reason and keeping people in the dark, is not just wrong, it is criminal. We are not the same, we were not born the same and we can’t all receive notifications the same way either. Besides, this building houses everyone from children to seniors and some of us who have disabilities such as myself being blind. By blind, I mean no eyesight and not the other definition of the word blind, meaning that we are dim.

With the bus stop, it should be put back where it belongs despite the bike share and there should be no ifs, ands, or buts about this. The stop was taken away from the building, for no good reason except to please those who ride bicycles in order to get around. This seems to matter more to them and less about the people who live in the area and have to deal with this when leaving the building, in order to run errands, or go see friends or family. Bikes are basically nothing more than toys and if you think about it, cyclists are more vulnerable to being run over by people in either a bus or a car, then somebody in a car has one could be knocked off of the bicycle and either hurt badly, or killed, if they are run over. I had gone over the removal of the stop in past posts in 2022 and 2023 and you are welcome to read them if you like!

So, will things go back to the way they were, before chaos decided to rain? I hope so, but I’m not keeping my hopes up as something else may rear its ugly head that I have to cry and whine about. I shouldn’t have to be angry about this shit, but nobody else’s and begging, grovelling or pleading is not going to do it. Besides, politicians respond to anger, or violence. I’m not violent, but unfortunately that is the only action (other than plain anger) that the people who have power will either respond to positively, or respond to poorly. I hate agitators, because they do nothing to help, but sometimes protests do. Again, I hate protesters as well because they’re annoying and I wish they would shut up and stop chanting. Change shouldn’t take being annoying and violent to change the minds of those who have made mistakes, who claim not to make them. Anybody who is in management will tell you that and even The Simpsons has pointed it out in their satire of every day life. We do not make mistakes is basically the line they give you and the other one is, go back to being your boring dumb dumb self and stop crying. No, they do not use those words, but that is basically what they say in their tone of voice, body language and overall demeanour when speaking to somebody who is complaining about a mistake. They covered up and try to brush it off, like Dug Ford and the current Green Belt scandal.

I am going to use this blog post as my protest against the way things are now and I hope that the right people see this and wake up to the fact that treating people like nothing more than boards at chess is not how to move society forward. Sorry to quote a Black Sabbath song, but we are basically looked upon as having no voice. Well, with my blog I have somewhat of a voice and I can write and potentially, anyone in the world can read this. I also have social media and again, anyone in the world can see what I have written and if the right people take notice of this post, things will begin to change and people who make decisions will think twice, about removing important bus stops and adding unnecessary frivolous bike lanes. Also, unlike protesters, I wish to remain anonymous unless something happens to me.

On the other side of this, we do have people in here who have addiction problems and who also have mental health issues. We have people in here, who have families with children who are very young to young and middle-aged adults, to seniors and some of us are disabled. There are people in here who have problems with Either mental health issues or drugs and alcohol. Some people had ended up here, from various homeless shelters and others may be here, just because they found this place and happened to be accepted. My problem is I’m blind and I am now in my 50s, which in and of itself is not a bad thing. I just happened to be born blind on June 2, 1973 and I ended up here, because of Balance For Blind Adults back in 2000 helping me find a place and this happened to be one of them I had found, in Christmas 1999. I was excepted and moved in on March 13th, but I did not officially move in until April 1, 2000. I make the best of a bad situation and unfortunately, this has gone from bad to worse and those at the top do not give a damn. I shouldn’t have to beat people over the head in order to wake them up and make them go “oh, oh we are sorry” and maybe something happens. People shouldn’t have to either die, or get a life changing injury in order for things to change either and unfortunately, those in power respond to death and blood. I refuse to allow myself or anyone I know to be a blood sacrifice, in order for things to change back to the way they were. I also refuse to be a martyr because of a decision to stop receiving mail in our doors. I want to live here and I want to live here in peace, without the threat of chaos continuing. This has to stop and this has to stop now, or else someone will get hurt and others may be moved out, for no good reason other than they are blind and have been intentionally left out of the loop, as to any changes which have occurred.

In case anyone who is reading this thinks I am being dramatic, I am not and if you have listened to the news even a bit, you know how news stories are situated and the top story is one, which makes the most impact and I do not wish for anyone here, to be a story, in that if it bleeds it leads. Taking away essential things is not how to move progress forward and it only makes things worse so, how about those who make decisions, think of ways to make things better and bring back everything the way it was and then, find another way to make things better for everyone, as opposed to making things worse for some and better for others, or worse for others and better for some. If you really want the world to be a better place, don’t make things worse for anybody and in fact, make things better for everyone. If you are smart enough to be given the position of city planner, surely you can figure a way to do this without hurting anybody. at least, I hope so.

As for 250 Davenport, I hope that we will get our mail delivery back some day and not have to go outside to get it, like we are a bunch of hungry dogs. We are not animals and mail should not be like food and it shouldn’t be treated as such. Let’s stop farting around and get back to bringing us all our mail and not just me. I would like it to start off with me, but quickly expand to everyone in the building, because of a demand for it. If this ground swell of demand happens, maybe we can all get our mail in our doors again, like it was before.

As for our male carriers, don’t be scared. You signed up to deliver mail in all sorts of weather and in all sorts of situations and this includes delivering mail to all sorts of people. You never know who you’re going to meet and you are an adult so, stop cowering to pressure from those who have mental issues. I know this is a tough job sometimes, but the mail must go through and it must go through to the right people, no matter what obstacles you have to go through. It is your job to deliver the mail, directly to us and in the case of this building, two our doors. Not everyone is going to be an asshole and not everyone is going to be Mr. or Mrs. nice person either, but you are in a job where you take all manner of risks and you knew this before starting the job in the first place. Correct? This goes for any delivery person and this includes groceries and you can not just run away, because something happened to you and if you do that, you are basically cowering to bullies. Stop that and get back on the horse and bring us our mail like you are supposed to do and never mind the bullies. Rather, how about practising stoicism in order to do your job effectively?

As for the building itself, it will probably be here long after I am gone and a century from now, people may look back into history and wonder why things were the way they were in the 2000s and the 2010s, and the 2020s. They may ask why did it take someone dying or being evicted unnecessarily, for change to happen? That is, if it comes to this and I certainly hope that it does not.

Finally, here’s an idea of how things have progressed on the inside and this could lead down a whole other rabbit hole of issues I have, with social workers now in our building who do not need to be there and the fact that this is turning into a rest home, rather than an apartment block. Don’t get me wrong, I love what has happened over the years, but the other things which are occurring around it should not have happened. For example: the space outside the building leading to the street is not as easy to get around for people like myself as it once was. When people walk up to the building, they use their own area and for someone like me who is blind, I have to use my own and unfortunately, those on the other side of the spectrum do not understand this unless they live in the building too. Anyway, check out this website “by the numbers”, as it says. https://www.torontohousing.ca/building-construction-and-revitalization/revitalization/250-davenport

Postscript

I will not apologize for any words I have written in any of these paragraphs. I had toldu the truth about where I live and what has happened. I had purposely left out things which are relatively superfluous, such as the installment of the new fire alarm system and Central Air in our units. I wanted to leave that out because they do not have the same potential or current impact, on whether I stay here or not and how I have been impacted while I continue to live here.

I will say though, that I wish I had more control over the heat and air conditioning, in that I wouldn’t be bound by someone flipping a switch, turning one or the other on or off, resulting in one or the other working or not. Right now the heat is off and some time this week, I expect it to be turned on, in time for the fall and winter months. Then in May, the heat will be turned off again and we will have use of the air-conditioning. I don’t use it because I don’t like the cold and besides, I prefer to ware shorts in the late spring and summer. I expect this change to take place, also because of the weather switching patterns and cooling off more than it has done so in the past couple of weeks. After all, it is October and it is the fall.

Do I regret anything I had said? Nope and I am willing to live or die on what I had written as I have told the truth and had been as accurate as I can be. I will still not join the Facebook group, because it has nothing to offer me and again, if you are reading this and you are a part of the group, I’m sorry. I just don’t like how bland it is and that there are no questions asked in it, or news about changes which had happened as of late. Since mail is currently not being delivered door-to-door to 250 Davenport’s residents, why not have posts on the Facebook group which talk about important things happening in the building? For example: if and when the laundry room will be closed for whatever the reason, CONSTRUCTION either in or outside of the building, or changes which happen when we receive mail, among other vital things which need to be brought to our attention, because they may be of vital importance. If things change and the group opens up and goes private, I will consider joining and until then, it is of no use to me.

I will continue to pound away at this, until I get a reply from the powers that be, either way. I don’t care what they say, as long as i get a reaction and if someone at TCHC decides that mail delivery to all residents in apartment dwelling units is as vitally important as I believe it is, or I am given a reason for it not continuing (other than the story I had heard in August), I don’t care. I will step things up on Tuesday, when I go down and I will be outside earlier than I was on Friday. In fact, I will be down and outside, at about 9:30 AM, a half an hour before the mailman is scheduled to come on Tuesdays and Fridays. I may get up and go see what mail I may have, or I may not. However, I will make my feelings known and I will not be quiet about it either. I’m gonna be honest and forthright as it is time for me to be candid about this and not just brush it off. Mail delivery is a basic human right and it is a human right for everybody to receive their mail, safely. Because we have apartments with doors which are designed to receive mail, why aren’t we using them as such now? We should be and I will not let this go, until either I get the response I want, or it is a final response that I will not get mail shoved through my door anymore.

If a miracle happens and door-to-door mail does return on a consistent basis, I will be questioning whomever I can find to answer the question, about when this will start. This is important because not everybody lives the same lives and we don’t all have the same schedule. Besides, I will be away two weeks from Tuesday and I will not be back in time, to see the mailman,. This means, I will not be able to get my mail which I would normally find on the floor of my unit, behind the door and I am not going to cancel a dentist appointment, just because the mailman is coming.

Unfortunately, in January 2024 we have Neil meal boxes in the lobby and this is all in the office moving from where it used to be. I may be told otherwise, but I believe what I’m saying is true because, why wouldn’t they do this? After all, the philosophy of the current management is constant change and no matter who it could potentially hurt in the process. If people get evicted, so what and if people don’t like it, so what. I have mixed feelings about the new mailboxes, because I can find them, but others cannot. The others I mention are seniors and a fellow blind tenant who lives below me. My guess is that they don’t come down that often check the mail anyway, which they should.

I know I am taking a risk, but I am willing to take that chance if the result could possibly swing in my favour. I also am aware that potentially many people around the world will read what I have written and I know that what I had done, is potentially dangerous, but I had to speak up and say something. Otherwise, things would continue as they are and if anything, get even worse. I can not stand by, watching the world burn around me while others choose to go along with it because they’re afraid. I’m scared too, because I should be receiving my mail and because I’m not, I could be out of here within months, because I haven’t been up-to-date with an important document. I also can’t call the sender because there is no guarantee I may get that document either so, what am I supposed to do? You see what a spot I’m in now, thanks to the stoppage of door-to-door mail delivery where I live?

Anyway, I will leave it alone for now and let’s see whwat happens either today, or in the near future. Let’s see if there are repercussions for what I’ve written. Like I said, I know what I said and I know that I’m right about what I said and I will not back down to any bullies. In this case, it is the city I was born in who have allowed this to happen and have not even tried, to fix the situation and thus, creating a crisis for kicks. Stop the chaos, stop the uncertainty and let’s get back to normal life, or else people could be either hurt, or out on the streets for no good reason. It is October and winter is coming and do we want to have unnecessary evictions in the spring? My guess is no, but there may be some people at the top who could care less about who is evicted as we don’t matter to them. Unless we are famous, we are nothing and if this sounds in any way, like I’m being pessimistic or negative, that’s not the idea. I’m telling the truth in that the people at the top, the fat cats don’t give a shit about you and me. We are not in the big club and we do not have ultimate control over what happens. Voting does not do anything and protests only occasionally change things and unfortunately, it is those who are crazy by design, who get on the news. This includes OCAP and their ilk of agitators, whom I have no respect for and are annoying, intentionally. This blog is my form of protest and it is my personal blog, so I have other places to talk about things other than myself and the current chaos I am going through right now, which I did not create and I did not want either. So, I hope that if you are reading this and you have some sway, maybe things will change for the better for everybody and not just those who are in their ivory towers. Surely, those who have money can spare a few million dollars for The City Of Toronto and if they are really in a mood to help out, they will not ask for any in return. You will notice I’m not mentioning the government to give The City Of Toronto money, because our mayor has gone around Cappin hand, looking for money from both the federal and provincial governments for various reasons and we got some money for housing and for refugees. However, we need money to solve other problems which are dogging The City and The City needs to get rid of owning apartment buildings and in particular, housing. Housing needs to go back to property owners and not The City, because The City can be too tempted to encroach on those who live in dwelling units and I refuse to be under surveillance during my waking hours, other than what I allow.