Etobicoke North community fights threatened closures

by Aaron S. Bayley

You don’t need to travel to Greece to experience the adverse effects of economic austerity measures imposed by right-wing governments.

On July 16, residents of Etobicoke North gathered at Elmbank Community Centre to organize resistance to school closings and cutbacks to social services by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) and City Hall, respectively.

The TDSB cites low student enrollment as a reason to push through school closures and for consolidating schools with other, larger schools.

Residents fear that the TDSB’s consultation meetings—in the guise of Accommodation Review Committees (ARC)—are designed to create the false impression that the public supports school closures, when in fact the opposite is true.

Whenever a school closes, jobs, relationships, and services, which serve the students and the community, are lost. In addition, child care and after-school programs face cuts, and residents may be forced to pay user fees for important social services like libraries and recreation centres.

Mayor Rob Ford has already expressed his desire to privatize the Toronto Community Housing Corp. (TCHC); threats to sacrifice public services in the name of deficit-cutting are just his latest attack on marginalized people and low-income neighbourhoods.

Parents and community leaders, along with groups including Elementary Teachers of Toronto, CUPE 4400 and the Save Our Schools Committee, are united in their message to politicians: “Stop school closures. Stop cuts to services.”

The rally in Etobicoke North shows that local political activism is alive and well. A similar meeting is planned for Scarborough.