Bill Davenhall: Your health depends on where you live

Today we have a post sent in by a blog reader (Patrick), I watched the video, it is quite interesting.

Heres the text he sent along with the link

As a Junction resident (Mulock Avenue), I’m obviously VERY concerned about the pile-driving and destructive plans for the rails.  Today I happened to watch a fantastic presentation on “geo-medicine”, which makes the case for attention to where you live, being as important as your genes, your diet, your exercise, etc.25-01-2010 2-59-41 PM

Not especially damning for the project, but definitely useful in explaining the situation:

http://www.ted.com/talks/bill_davenhall_your_health_depends_on_where_you_live.html

9 Comments

I'm a Mulocker, too, and I often worry about the healths effects of being subjected to the pile driving eight hours a day, nearly every day.

Between the intensification of diesel trains and the rubber factory, I would be curious to see what the air quality on Mulock Avenue is like. It can't be too good.

Fun fact: Before there was industry in this neighborhood, there were houses. Many residences were bulldozed to make way for industry. (Check the map at the Annette Street library, if you don't believe me…) It's sad that it's the residents who have to accommodate business in the area, and not the other way around.

We do live inside of Canada's largest metro city. If you're worried about health then I'd suggest moving to the Peterborough area. Or take a trip to California and drive into LA where you can see the hue of smog as it engulfs the city (way worse than Toronto).

I'm more concerned with the effects that holding up the pile driving is having on my tax dollars. The longer people fight it the more drawn out it becomes and the more money it costs taxpayers.

Why shouldn't we be concerned about our health? Is the health of some 5 million Canadians not important? As rational individuals, we should always be studying and implementing whatever mitigations or reduction to noise and pollution that we can come up with to enhance our quality of life.

It's unfeasible to move to the countryside. Toronto provides us with employment opportunities we need to live and prosper. The opportunity is here, and it is here that we need to have a healthy, safe, and enjoyable environment.

It's stupid to find some worse off place and say "at least we don't here" when there are plenty of improvements to the quality own environment which are within our reach.

"It’s unfeasible to move to the countryside. "

A.R. do you have a diver's license and a car? If so, I conclude my feasibility study.

Its a choice you make to live where to do.

Is that all you have to say in response to that? It's a lifestyle filled with problems for those who can afford it. Long commutes mean lost productivity and lost time with family. It's expensive and bad for the environment. What do you say to the people who can't afford it? "Screw you"? Concentration of employment and residences makes entrepreneurship and development more feasible.

We have some choices of neighbourhood, but no neighbourhood is perfect and leadership to achieve improvements is necessary. If I have a choice, I choose to live here because I identify strong advantages, and I will work to make improvements because I know that they are possible.

These explanations are getting dull, so stop wasting the time of people concerned with addressing community and city problems and working towards improved living conditions.

well said A.R, …. but no neighbourhood is perfect and leadership to achieve improvements is necessary.

if we all think and work together our community benefits

Fund the complaints with private sector money and I'll take support it. We all know deep inside that no matter what nothing is going to change with the pile driving and its just wasting money to fight it.

I'm not saying screw you to anyone, thank you A.R. I'm highlighting a ridiculous statement you've made and questioning just how "unfeasible " it is.

My my quick to the knives aren't we?

I've addressed many community concerns on here, but it seems the only ones discussed are those that bring the Junction into a cheery, rosey glassed light and not the ones that speak to the reality of the community. But as long as you wish to believe this is just a vibrant, artistic community that does not share the ills of other areas and wards… more power to you.

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