Anglais

He fought to save Toronto Islanders from eviction. Now, they’re trying to evict him

Published

5 années ago

décembre 31, 2018

admin

[ad_1]

Thirty years ago, Don Sampson linked arms with fellow residents of the Toronto Islands to block sheriffs who had come to evict them. Now, the trust representing islanders is evicting him from his family home of over 60 years.

“I was on the bridge. I helped defend our homes. I had a role in fighting against our evictions,” Sampson said. “I voted for the trust and now I have to fight against the trust I helped set up.”

“I voted for the trust and now I have to fight against the trust I helped set up,” says Don Sampson, seen in front of his family home on Algonquin Island. (Rene Johnston / Toronto Star)

At issue is the fact the deed to the family home was in his brother’s name. Sampson’s brother died two years ago and, unlike property in any other part of the city, the house cannot be transferred to him — despite the fact he’s named in his brother’s will — and must instead be sold by the trust to someone else.

On Dec. 20, Sampson, 61, received a letter from a lawyer representing the Toronto Islands Residential Community Trust Corporation giving him less than three weeks to turn over the keys to the house he was born and raised in.

“If the keys are not received on or before Jan. 7, 2019, the Trust will forcibly enter and change the locks,” reads the letter from Trust lawyer Bruce Lewis, obtained by the Star.

The letter goes on to inform Sampson that the house must be emptied of all possessions — for Sampson, two generations of furniture and heirlooms — otherwise they will be cleared out for him.

“The costs of the above, including all legal costs and a reasonable allocation of Trust administrative costs, will be deducted from the proceeds of sale,” Lewis states.

Sampson was born in the house on Algonquin Island and lived there until he was 30. He moved back full time two years ago to take care of his dying brother, Bruce, and says he’s being turfed out by a system that was supposed to ensure that people who live on the Toronto Islands can stay there.

“It’s terrible. Everybody knows I’ve been here my entire life. All my friends are here. My roots are here. I grew up here. It’d be heartbreaking for me to move out of my family home after 60 years,” he said.

Don Sampson's family home is on Algonquin Island. His brother took it over but has since died and now the Island Trust is making him sell the home as leases can only go from parent to sibling or spouse to spouse, not sibling to sibling. — Don Sampson’s family home is on Algonquin Island. His brother took it over but has since died and now the Island Trust is making him sell the home as leases can only go from parent to sibling or spouse to spouse, not sibling to sibling. (Rene Johnston / Toronto Star)

The trust rules allow houses on the Islands to be passed from parents to children, or between spouses, but not from one sibling to another.

“The place has always been half mine, even though it wasn’t on paper,” Sampson said. “My brother always told everyone that it was half mine and he wanted me to take the home so it would pass down to my sons.”

Defenders of the rules say they have kept houses on the Toronto Islands affordable while the real estate market in the city has skyrocketed. Without the trust, the Islands would have become a playground for the super-rich, they say.

Trust board chair Lorraine Filyer told the Star she could not comment on individual situations due to privacy concerns, but said “the Trust is required to sell a house and land lease upon the death of the owner if the property has not been devised to a spouse or child.”

Filyer said she not aware of any exceptions having been made to this rule.

Toronto Island residents spent a generation fighting to keep their homes, starting in the 1950s, when Metropolitan Toronto began bulldozing houses to create parkland. The demolition crews began at the west end, and by the time they made it to Algonquin and Ward’s Islands at the east end in the 1970s, residents had dug in for a struggle that would last more than a decade.

The Supreme Court would eventually rule that Metro had the right to evict the Island dwellers, but a newly elected Ontario government under Bob Rae passed legislation granting them ownership of their houses and 99-year leases on the land.

When the first leases were signed in the early 1990s, fears that speculators would snatch up the idyllic waterfront lots and drive up prices drove the province and the residents to establish a trust to manage the purchase and sale of all Islands property.

That system, which requires those interested in buying houses on the island to win a lottery for a spot on a 500-person wait list, is overseen by the Islands Trust. When a resident wants to sell their home, the trust assesses the value of the house, declares a price and offers it to those on the wait list. There are no bids; wait-listed purchasers can only say yes or no.

“The Trust is mandated to provide stewardship of the Island Residential Community, ensuring that this community is maintained according to the principles which islanders fought hard for in their 30-year effort to retain their homes,” states the Trust’s website.

“One of the core principles of the Trust is to ensure that the sale of island homes and leases, which sit on public land, do not result in windfall profits for the owners … The system of regulated prices for homes and leases, sold only to people on the Purchasers’ List, ensures that this principle is maintained.”

“It’s terrible. Everybody knows I’ve been here my entire life. All my friends are here,” Don Sampson says.

The only exception to the wait-list system is a rule that allows parents to transfer their houses to their kids, or spouses to transfer their houses to one another. Transfers to siblings aren’t allowed.

Sampson’s parents bought the house on Algonquin Island in 1957 and raised Don and his brother Bruce there. They moved out to the countryside in 1976 and transferred the house to their sons. When it came time to sign the 99-year lease in 1993, Don had bad credit and could not get a mortgage for the $46,000 owing to the province, so Bruce took him off title and assumed ownership.

“He didn’t pay me anything for my share of the house. He was just holding it for me,” said Sampson. “I kept helping pay the taxes, I renovated the house, I always had an interest in the place.”

Sampson, who raised his three sons in an apartment in the city, moved back to the island two years ago to care for his brother, who had cancer. When his brother passed away, he thought that because he was part of the original community who fought and won the right for islanders to stay put, the trust would let him stay.

“They’ve made exceptions from the rules for longtime islanders before. I think that’s great. No one wants people to be thrown out on the street,” he said, saying a caregiver and a stepchild have inherited houses after an owner’s death. “Why won’t they make an exception for me?”

Sampson has set up a website, asking for members of the public to urge the trust to reconsider its decision to evict him and sell the house.

“The trust needs a wake up call,” he said.

Marco Chown Oved is a Toronto-based investigative reporter. Follow him on Twitter: @marcooved

Anglais

Nostalgia and much more with Starburst XXXtreme

Published

3 années ago

août 10, 2021

admin

Get a taste of adventure with Starburst XXXtreme based on the legendary NetEnt Game. The nostalgic themes are sure to capture fans of the classic version as they get treated to higher intensity, better visuals, and features. The most significant element of the game is its volatility. Patience will not be an essential virtue considering the insane gameplay, and there is a lot of win potential involved. It retains the original makeup of the previous game while adding a healthy dose of adrenaline.

Starburst Visuals and Symbols

The game is definitely more conspicuous than before. The setting happens over a 5-reel, 3-row game grid with nine fixed win lines, which function if a succession from the left to the right reel is present. Only those players that that attain the highest win per bet line are paid. From a visual standpoint, the Starburst XXXtreme slots illustrates lightning effects behind the reels, which is not surprising as it is inherited from the original version. Available themes include Classic, Jewels, and Space. The game is also available in both desktop and mobile versions, which is advantageous for players considering the global pandemic. According to Techguide, American gamers are increasingly having more engaging gaming experiences to socialize to fill the gap of in-person interaction. Starburst XXXtreme allows them to fill the social void at a time when there is so much time to be had indoors.

Starburst XXXTreme Features

Players get to alternate on three features which are Starburst Wilds, XXXtreme Spins, and Random Wilds. The first appears on reels 2,3, or 4. When these land, they expand to cover all positions while also calculating the wins. They are also locked for a respin. If a new one hits, it also becomes locked while awarding another respin. Starburst XXXtreme offers a choice between two scenarios for a higher stake. In one scenario with a ten times stake, the Starburst Wild is set on random on reels 2,3, or 4, and a multiplier starts the respin. The second scenario, which has a 95 times stake, starts with two guaranteed starburst wilds on reels 2,3, or 4. it also plays out using respin game sequence and features. The game also increases the potential with the Random Wilds feature to add Starburst Wilds to a vacant reel at the end of a spin. Every Starburst Wild gives a random multiplier with potential wins of x2, x3, x5, x10, x25, x50, x100, or even x150.

The new feature is sure to be a big hit with the gaming market as online gambling has shown significant growth during the lockdown. AdAge indicates the current casino customer base is an estimated one in five Americans, so Starburst XXXtreme’s additional features will achieve considerable popularity.

What We Think About The Game

The gambling market has continued to diversify post-pandemic, so it is one of the most opportune times to release an online casino-based game. Thankfully Starburst XXXtreme features eye-catching visuals, including the jewels and space themes. These attract audience participation and make the gameplay inviting. The game also has a nostalgic edge. The previous NetEnt iteration featured similar visuals and gameplay, so the audience has some familiarity with it. The producers have revamped this version by tweaking the features to improve the volatility and engagement.

That is characterized by the potential win cap of 200,000 times the bet. Starburst XXXtreme does not just give betting alternatives for players that want to go big. The increase of multipliers also provides a great experience. If the respins in the previous version were great, knowing that multipliers can go hundreds of times overtakes the game to a new level.

Players should get excited about this offering. All of the features can be triggered within a single spin. Whether one plays the standard game or takes the XXXtreme spin route, it is possible to activate all of the features. Of course, the potential 200,000 times potential is a huge carrot. However, the bet size is probably going to be restricted and vary depending on the casino. It is also worth pointing out that a malfunction during the gameplay will void all of the payouts and progress. Overall, the game itself has been designed to provide a capped win of 200,000 times the original bet.

Post Views: 2 693

Anglais

‘We’re back’: Montreal festival promoters happy to return but looking to next year

Published

3 années ago

juillet 23, 2021

admin

In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.

In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.

Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.

With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.

Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”

“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.

The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.

When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”

Post Views: 3 288

Anglais

MELS new major movie studio to be built in Montreal

Published

3 années ago

juillet 23, 2021

admin

MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.

MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.

The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.

The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.

Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.

STUDIO SHORTAGE

The film industry is cramped in Montreal.

According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.

With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.

Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »

« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.

She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.

« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.

There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.

« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.

Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.

For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.