Laura Stricker

The riding of Don Valley West can best be described as a study in contrasts.
On the one hand, there is the Bridle Path with its multimillion dollar mansions. At the other end of the spectrum is Flemingdon Park, where several families often live in one apartment.
David Sparrow, the NDP candidate for the riding, believes he is the man for the job.
“There are many different issues that face Don Valley West, and I want to be a spokesperson for those issues at the federal level,” he said.
Don Valley West is bounded by Highway 401 in the north and Millwood Road and the Don River in the south. Yonge Street, Broadway Avenue, Eglinton Avenue, Bayview Avenue and Moore Avenue make up the riding’s western boundaries, and it’s bounded by Don Mills Road, the east section of the Don River and the CN rail line in the east.
In 2006, the population was 117,083, an increase of 1.3 per cent since 2001. Approximately four per cent of the riding is Jewish.
The riding was scheduled for a by-election on Sept. 22 to choose a replacement for Liberal incumbent John Godfrey after he resigned in July. It was cancelled after the election was called. Running in Don Valley West along with Sparrow are John Carmichael for the Conservatives, Rob Oliphant for the Liberals, and Georgina Wilcock for the Green party.
Carmichael and Oliphant could not be reached for comment.
Sparrow’s big issues include jobs - making sure immigrants work in the job they came to Canada for and making the minimum wage $10 an hour. As an actor and writer, he believes in the importance of arts and culture. The environment is also at the top of his agenda, as is helping young people so that they don’t join gangs by the time they’re 15.
“I’m a very staunch defender of the arts in all forms, and [Prime Minister] Stephen Harper’s cuts are really reprehensible, because they’re cuts to some of the smallest programs that do some of the best work in our country,” he said.
Sparrow also spoke about his position on Israel.
“The NDP and myself believe that Israel has a right to exist, and also, frankly, that Palestine has a right to exist. I hope the two will be able to exist peacefull,” he said.
“I think that peace in the Middle East is something we all need to support and strive for,” he said.
Carmichael lists on his website the environment, crime and child care as his major campaign issues. Specific plans include cutting air pollution in half by 2015, taking a tougher stand on crime and providing more support to families.
Oliphant and the Liberals plan to cut income taxes for both families and corporation, expand the Canada Child Tax Benefit and create more affordable housing and homelessness programs.
Wilcock and the Green party, meanwhile, are making the environment their number one priority. Plans include reducing Canada’s dependency on fossil fuels and ensuring that Canada’s water supply is managed in order to create healthy, sustainable communities.
Wilcock, a convert to Judaism, told The CJN that if elected, she would be a “strong and staunch defender of Israel.”
She added that her party doesn’t practice partisan politics, and that once in office, she would feel free to vote on matters “according to my conscience.”
“I was proud of [Prime Minister] Stephen Harper’s refusal to go to Durban II,” Wilcock said.
Wilcock added that her campaign’s main focus is on the environment and addressing the issues of pollution and “crumbling cities and infrastructure,” which she said she hears about from constituents in her riding.
The Green party “has a plan to invest in cities,” she said.