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Reel Flicks, a 12-week project culminating in five short documentaries, engaged a group of 10 youth living in Lawrence Heights to shed light on their experiences living in a social housing community in Toronto. Premiering at the beginning of July, the films depict the realities and ambitions of teens living in the Lawrence Heights community. Filmed from their point of view, the young participants focused on topics ranging from gun and gang violence to a profile on an aspiring Olympic athlete.
The project, which provided participants with filming and editing equipment, workshops and mentorship, was a partnership between Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC), Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC), the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and two local community partners: Pathways to Education and Unison Health & Community Services.
“As a partner in this project we saw our role as connecting youth to a tremendous opportunity to experience and explore the art of film making while learning about themselves and exploring issues in their community,” explained Daniela Mantilla, a team leader and mentor from Pathways to Education. “Collaborating on the film project was a way to deepen an already strong and influential relationship with the students, and to continue supporting them on a path of success in school and out.”
A Fresh Point of View
Zara Hemmings, the Project Lead of Reel Flicks from the Social Housing Services Corporation (SHSC), found that the films offered a realistic and fresh point of view on subjects that need to be talked about.
“At the community premiere was someone who trains Toronto Police Services officers on how to work within communities,” Zara explains. “He has asked for copies of The Jump Off and A Road to Peace to screen for the officers that he trains, which should hopefully provide insight on how to better work within these communities.”
Zara further added that, “Reel Flicks provided a view into the Lawrence Heights community that many, as outsiders, don’t necessarily get to see. Hopefully this will lead to further discussions and ideas for the future.”
To help raise the profile of social housing among the general public and showcase the achievements of the young filmmakers, the Reel Flicks documentaries will be submitted to film festivals. You can stay posted by checking out the Reel Flicks Facebook, Twitter and Youtube pages.
Investing in Communities
Reel Flicks is one example of SHSC’s efforts to improve the quality of life for low-income residents. Building on our successful Community Champions and Tenant Insurance programs, SHSC is creating a Social Innovation Test Lab that connects all our resident focused initiatives and research including:
- START – A province wide financial literacy and asset-building pilot
- REDY - A green jobs training program
- YourSay – A technology tool for surveys, communication and resident engagement
- UK School for Social Entrepreneurs Ontario – A pilot to help low-income residents start sustainable social ventures
- GC Foundation for Youth – To fund education, employment training and entrepreneurship directly to low-income individuals
By offering a connected series of supports and resources and engaging communities, SHSC is leveraging sustainable, scalable solutions to social challenges, enabling social and economic inclusion and building capacity for the Ontario housing sector.
The Documentary Videos
A Road to Peace – Examining the issue of violence in Lawrence Heights, and the sometimes strained relationship between community and police
The Jump Off – A profile on an aspiring Olympic athlete from Lawrence Heights
A Way With Words – Showcasing young talents from within the Lawrence Heights community
Left in the Dark – Looking at the lack of programming available for girls in Lawrence Heights
Teen Preggers – What youth in Lawrence Heights think about teen pregnancy
It’s been a productive day: You re-lamped the fixtures in both stairwells and the laundry room, replaced a broken lens cover, re-ballasted four fixtures in the office and common room, and switched-out one receptacle that has been heating up and giving its users problems. It’s now time to go home. Or is it?
Are you sure that you did everything correctly? Are you sure that you have no bare or crimped wires and that there are no loose connections? Did you record or log your actions in your electrical service book? Did you call the Electrical Safety Authority to apply for the appropriate permits and ask them to inspect your work? If not, you may have compromised your building’s electrical safety and you could be held responsible should something terrible happen.
“Electricity is core to our society. With it, we can do amazing things. Misuse it and it becomes extremely dangerous and a silent killer. Work safe, play safe, be safe – respect the commodity and always work to maximize electrical safety. We all benefit when we do this”
Gerry Lichty, Director, SHSC Technical Services
We all can agree on the need to protect residents as well as the need to ensure that each development operates at maximum safety levels. But who is the Electrical Safety Authority? What rights do they have and why should you not only ask them to inspect your work, but to pay for that privilege as well?
The Electrical Safety Authority: Who They Are and What They Do
The Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) was established as a stand-alone, not-for-profit organization on April 1, 1999. ESA assumed the responsibilities of the former Ontario Hydro Electrical Inspection Division and was designated by the Province of Ontario as the sole authority responsible for electrical safety.
Their responsibilities include:
- Enforcing the Electricity Act 1998 and associated regulations including the Ontario Electrical Safety Code
- Responding to fatalities, injuries, and fire losses associated with electrical safety
- Promoting the safe use of electricity
- Increasing public awareness of the dangers of electricity and the requirements for ensuring safe electrical applications and use
- Increasing public awareness of the requirement to have all electrical safety work inspected in accordance with the Ontario Electrical Safety Code
What it Means to You
As the only legal authority in Ontario certified to make regulations about electrical safety, appoint inspectors and prescribe fees, ESA requires that:
- You keep a record of every electrical task undertaken in your development, including what was done, when it was done, and who did it.
- You must apply and pay for an electrical permit for each and every electrical job completed on your property, including both capital and maintenance work.
- ESA has the right to review your log book, inspect your electrical work at their discretion, and require you to make repairs should they decide that the work is sub-standard.
Helping You Lower Costs
From an operational perspective, these requirements are problematic in that the cost of the permit and allowing their inspectors access to the completed work is often far more costly than the value of the work itself. Recognizing this as a major issue, ESA created their Continuous Safety Services (CSS) program which allows providers to forego the typical permit requirements. Providers can now pay an annual fee, keep the log book up-to-date, and work with ESA inspectors to examine a portion of the completed work once a year. Further, the cost of this program for providers with a portfolio size of 1,000 units or less, has been reduced through a negotiated partnership between SHSC and ESA.
For more information about ESA’s CSS program, contact SHSC Customer Care at 416-594-9325 or 1-877-733-SHSC (7472), or e-mail customercare@shscorp.ca.
You can also visit ESA’s CSS webpages.
It’s a good time to remind ourselves of some important winter maintenance tips now that the holidays are over. Here are some basic tips you can use that will help you keep your property safe for your tenants and visitors:
- Trim trees and remove dead branches to prevent injuries to residents and visitors and/or damage to surrounding properties from falling branches.
- Check gutters regularly; clear them of debris so melting snow & ice can flow freely.
- Maintain steps and handrails. Repair broken stairs and railings as soon as you become aware of them.
- Check pipes and wrap them with heating tape. Check for cracks and leaks; repair minor pipe damage immediately to prevent more severe damage from occurring from neglect.
- Inspect sidewalks, driveways and entryways regularly and keep them free from snow and ice. Have a supply of salt and/or sand readily available and apply whenever conditions require it. This is important even if you have hired a winter maintenance contractor to do this for you. Maintain a written record of your inspections and applications of surface treatment material.
For more information, you can check out Safety and the Holiday Season.
The statistics of stovetop fires are staggering and paints a grim picture. Ontario averages more than 6,000 preventable home fires annually and the majority of these fires start in the kitchen. 68% of all home cooking fires involve stove-tops, and unattended cooking accounts for 69% of these fires. Multi-unit residences are at the highest risk, where over 43% of all stove-top fires occur.
AM800 Radio Interview with Rusty Thompson
During the holidays I became a local celebrity in the Windsor/Sarnia area when I was interviewed on AM800 about stovetop fires and stovetop safety. Rusty Thompson of AM800 radio reached me in my hotel room as I was travelling to visit my in-laws – so I was in a festive mood! Rusty was well-prepared and introduced the subject well. He referred our work with the Electrical Safety Authority, how our goals in terms of fire safety aligned with them and also with the Ontario Fire Marshal to educate social housing tenants about safe practices, and recommended stove-top fire prevention products such as the Safe-T-Element, which has been endorsed by fire marshals across North America.
I echoed the words of Social Housing Services Corporation CEO, Lindsey Reed, who pointed out that “Something as simple as turning away from the stove to answer the phone or offer your guest a drink can distract you long enough for a fire to start. By following the basic rules of fire prevention and installing fire prevention products, everyone can go a long way to avoiding stove-top fires and protecting themselves and their loved ones.”
I provided a personal story about how I had (accidentally) put a tea towel onto the stovetop, which was still hot – we can all learn some simple rules, I told Rusty. I ended my interview by giving some simple tips to help prevent fires including:
• Making sure stove tops and nearby counters are kept clear and uncluttered
• Keeping curtains, utensils, paper towels and other things that can burn away from the stove
• Ensuring pot handles are turned inward so they can’t be bumped
If you are interested in stovetop Safe-T-Elements, they are available through the SHSC’s Appliance Bulk Buy Program.
The holiday season is here! To help you have a festive season and prevent accidents related to holiday decorating, here are some helpful tips for you and your tenants:
- Use only non-flammable decorations (i.e. CSA-approved lights and electrical decorations).
- Make sure to keep lights, ornaments, tinsel and other tasty-looking decorations off the floor and out of reach of children or pets.
- If you’re putting up a real tree to decorate your foyer or other common areas, make sure you keep it watered.
- Check your holiday lights – they should not be hot to the touch. Also check your electrical outlets and circuits. They should not have any broken ground plugs, frayed wiring, broken sockets, cuts, nicks or gaps in insulation.
- Don’t overload your electric outlets and circuits by using multiple plugs, circuit extenders/splitters or multiple extension cords.
- Candles should be placed on a fireproof base or in holders that cannot be easily knocked down or reached by children and pets.
- Keep a working fire extinguisher handy and familiarize yourself and your staff with its use.
- Make sure emergency exits are clearly marked.
Make sure to share these tips with your tenants and have a safe and happy holiday season.
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