What are you talking about? The most community involved foodbanks are located in the south. Know Compass on Lakeshore East of Port Credit? It was a initiative of local churches through out Clarkson that is part foodbank/part free ESL centre. The foodbank portion has been so successful that they are actually turning food away to go to Foodpath.
The charity soup kitchen in Port Credit is often packed and the biggest thing holding them back is a lack of volunteers (which has increased as a result of them accepting people under 18).
Southern Mississauga probably has some of the greatest mixes of incomes in the city. There's the super rich (no one denies it), middle class, lower class and those who live in subsidized, region run apartments. As someone who lives in the South and isn't part of "Les Rich" of Mississauga, like pretty much everyone else here in the south, I take offense to the fact that you keep going on and on about how the south hates the poor and try to get them to leave. I just don't understand the discontent for us all.
I'm going by something that was suggested at the Cities Now budget meeting. I can put the actual footage online for you. But when the 5% "infrastructure levy" was raised for debate, the Ward 2 councillor raised issue saying that she supported a 1% levy. No problem with that.
Then she said that if it does go to 5% she would not support that because of how in her area, there are people who won't be paying just $50 as suggested for the average home price in Mississauga. She said it would be considerably more than that.
I understand that too.
Then she said that the 5% infrastructure levy would affect "various areas of the city." Perhaps I was wrong to read that but seems to me that 5% of the high priced houses would be tough for some to swallow.
I understand that too.
But then she suggested something extraordinary. That the 5% not be 5% (meaning tied to the property tax) but a levy per house. Saying that a run-down townhouse and the lakeshore mansion would both pay the same levy because "infrastructure affects everyone".
McCallion herself raised issue and said that her house was worth $99-thou and she was prepared to pay the 5% levy because she did not want someone in a townhouse to pay for her (I forget McCallion's exact words but I will certainly post the clip).
Council voted and Wards 1 and 2 didn't support the 5%.
I was at the Malton Festival and also checked out the Meadowvalle 25th Anniversary celebrations. Do you know that Mississauga's support for the Malton Festival was a measly two hundred BUCKS?!
These are the people who talk about better distribution of wealth and services being a goal for Our Future Mississauga.
You wrote:
"I take offense to the fact that you keep going on and on about how the south hates the poor and try to get them to leave."
All I wrote was:
"However Les Rich in Wards 1 and 2 can take heart. Mississauga does its best to encourage them to move to Toronto."
My mistake. Les Rich in the other wards can take heart as well. Just from the Social Profiles researched by Peel Region, if memory serves, Lorne Park/Clarkson had by far the highest Mississauga average incomes and real estate.
The problem is it also had some of the most needy (Lakeview).
I was likely not as precise in my second sentence as I should've been. I wrote,
"Mississauga does its best to encourage them to move to Toronto."
The latest people that come to mind are the Trailer people. Yes, they were given lots of warning. Yes, it's legit --people have a right to sell their land for a profit.
There's all this bloated gushing about intensification and liveable, sustainable, vibrant cities. But people around here aren't valued as people and they're served differentially too.
One guy manages a personal audience with the mayor for his tax problem. Another man can't even get her to respond to a single letter. Why? If you have an answer, tell Antonio Batista.
I mean, fine, let the councillor suggest that the Cities Now infrastructure levy not be tied to property values but rathera levy per household.
But then don't sling some line later on about how a priority will be "better distribution of wealth".
Going back to the comment,
"Mississauga does its best to encourage them to move to Toronto." I hope you didn't read that as an exclusively Mississauga thing.
When you think about it it's in the best interests of any municipality to attract and retain mostly the wealthy and educated.
Success Breeds Success just like the Rich get Richer.
That's the trouble with the poor, the vulnerable. High maintenance...