Toronto is a relatively safe city in comparison to other Canadian cities, and much safer than comparably large American cities. Still, there is crime in every area. Criminals have cars and can drive to wherever they want. Low crime areas may even provide an opportunity for criminal acts. There is no place that is safe from all crime. It also stands to reason that the more dense an area’s population, the more crime should be expected.

I have chosen to research Chinese areas in Toronto because I am Chinese, live in Toronto and have an interest in this topic. It is not because I believe Chinese people have more or less a propensity to commit crime. Of course I hope they have less propensity, but realistically, I know this is difficult to prove.

The Toronto Star had published a series of articles on Toronto’s most populous ethnic enclaves. Note that these ethnic enclaves are usually not predominantly one race, but are mixed race. I believe it is natural for a newly landed immigrant to seek out people who share a similar language and culture, because this makes the immigrant more comfortable and eases integration into Canadian life. Actually it preserves their home land culture and diffuses the effect of moving to Canada somewhat.

That being said, in my area of Toronto, with its predominance of Chinese culture, you can live very happily speaking only Mandarin or Cantonese. One can shop for groceries and other products and not speak a word of English. Large big box grocers are slowly converting more signage over to Chinese, as well as hiring more Chinese speaking staff. There is one big box grocer near my house that is predominantly Chinese and is even designed to look like an independent Chinese grocer. A local store from a Canada-wide home renovation chain near my house hires predominantly Chinese speaking staff, though you can also speak to them in English. No matter that these stores and their staff are biased to Chinese speakers, there is no exclusion of other races displayed. I often see Indian, white and black shoppers rubbing elbows with Mainland Chinese shoppers, all without issue. In turn I also visit Indian and Sri Lankan shops where I am the only non-Indian shopper, where all the signs are in Indian, and the staff speak very little English. This is common here in my area of Toronto. Body language and racial tolerance goes a long way for inter-racial communications and social harmony.

Toronto Ethnic Enclaves: TorStar

Focusing on the predominantly Chinese areas of Toronto, by far the largest block is located in Toronto’s north east, in the suburbs of Scarborough and North York (east). This area is generally bordered by Yonge Street to Markham Road, Steeles Avenue to Highway 401. The more east you go in this area, the heavier the concentration of Chinese culture. Often such a concentration of Chinese culture is a shock to people new to the area, but it should not be. I do understand shock from people who have lived in their houses for 30 years and have seen their neighbourhoods become more Chinese with time. Sometimes I do hear the occasional resentment, but this should be expected, as this area 10 years ago was predominantly white. The map below uses the Toronto Star ethnic enclaves map, with a Google map underneath. Note that there is an even larger concentration of Chinese in Markham/Richmond Hill, just north of Scarborough.

Toronto Largest Chinese Community: North York and Scarborough

If you live in this area you should expect a high predominance of Chinese stores, Chinese literature at local public libraries, Chinese kids in elementary and high schools, and generally more Chinese neighbours. If you love Chinese and Asian food, there is plenty to choose and quality and competition is very high. Go to local parks and you will see and hear from Chinese kids talking Chinese to their Chinese parents, though they most often speak English between themselves. Negatively at local schools you should see a generally lower level of English language skill. This area has a large predominance of new immigrants who’s first language is Chinese and not English. English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are very common in almost all schools. I often meet Grandparents who know not a word of English, speak their local dialect of Chinese and struggle to understand my Mandarin, just like if I had met them while in China.

The next important question I asked myself is, how safe are Toronto’s Chinese enclaves, when compared to Toronto? I have taken the Toronto Star’s Ethnic Enclave map and overlayed a Violent Crimes map from the Toronto Police. The Violent crimes map tracks violent crime calls (lighter green means less violent crime calls), shootings (hollow circles) and homicides (circles with dot), Toronto police carding (Field Information Report, or FIRs), all overlayed on a Google map.

Toronto Violent Calls map: Toronto Police Services

Toronto Chinese Neighbourhoods and Violent Crime Rates

From Yonge Street to Brimley falls into the lowest and second lowest violent crime categories. From Brimley to Markham Road falls into the highest of the five violent crime categories, and one of the areas of Toronto where police stop and question citizens the most.

So is living in a predominantly Chinese area safer than other areas? While it is difficult to say, I would guess that yes, it is safer, but not necessarily because Chinese people are less violent than other races. This large Chinese enclave has less population density, being a suburb of Toronto, and therefore should have fewer violent crime, shootings and homicide rates. This is especially true from Yonge Street to Brimley Avenue. Troubling is the area east of Brimley to Markham Road, which has similar densities but some of the highest rates of violence calls, shootings and homicides in Toronto, though from the map most of the shootings and homicides are outside of the Chinese predominant areas. What this means I do not know and will not speculate.

I do not want to necessarily prove that living in Toronto’s largest Chinese enclave is safer than elsewhere in Toronto, but to bring some facts and statistics to light about the area. Where you buy or rent your home is your decision. Ethnic diversity and crime are but two deciding factors to consider. However if you want to live in a predominantly Chinese neighbourhood in Toronto, you now know where to look.

It is old news that recent immigrants to Canada have a difficult time finding gainful employment in their specialty. It goes without saying that new immigrants to Canada may have language issues which limit their employability, but year on year there are news articles about surgeons from foreign countries living in Canada only able to find work as truck or taxi drivers. With personal experience from friends I believe this is completely true.

In this tough recession, after years of unemployment, despite my Canadian employment experience and Canadian education, I could not understand why I could not find a job. I was perplexed. Was it the state of the economy? Was it my studies in China and fluency in Mandarin that companies did not like? Was it my Chinese name?

One jewel of a link from the Globe and Mail article caught my attention:

But there is more to the problem than just the state of the business cycle, a case made by Philip Oreopoulos, a labour economist at the University of Toronto, in a paper called “Why do skilled immigrants struggle in the labour market?“

While I cannot comment on the methodology of the study the conclusions of Dr Oreopolous make a lot of sense in my situation and explain a lot.

Thousands of resumes were sent in response to online job postings across multiple occupations in Toronto to investigate why Canadian immigrants, allowed in based on skill, struggle in the labor market. Resumes were constructed to plausibly represent recent immigrants under the point system from the three largest countries of origin (China, India, and Pakistan) and Britain, as well as non-immigrants with and without ethnic sounding names. In addition to names, I randomized where applicants received their undergraduate degree, whether their job experience was gained in Toronto or Mumbai (or another foreign city), whether they listed being fluent in multiple languages (including French).

The study produced four main findings: 1) Interview request rates for English-named applicants with Canadian education and experience were more than three times higher compared to resumes with Chinese, Indian, or Pakistani names with foreign education and experience (5 percent versus 16 percent), but were no different compared to foreign applicants from Britain. 2) Employers valued experience acquired in Canada
much more than if acquired in a foreign country. Changing foreign resumes to include only experience from Canada raised callback rates to 11 percent. 3) Among resumes listing 4 to 6 years of Canadian experience, whether an applicant’s degree was from Canada or not, or whether the applicant obtained additional Canadian education or not
had no impact on the chances for an interview request. 4) Canadian applicants that differed only by name had substantially different callback rates: Those with English sounding names received interview requests 40 percent more often than applicants with Chinese, Indian, or Pakistani names (16 percent versus 11 percent). Overall, the results
suggest considerable employer discrimination against applicants with ethnic names or with experience from foreign firms.

Clear is the conclusion from page 8:

Applicants with English-sounding names with Canadian education and experience received callbacks 40 percent more often than did applicants with Chinese, Indian, or Pakistani names. Conditional on listing 4 to 6 years Canadian experience, being foreign educated (whether at a highly ranked school or not) did not affect callback rates
substantially… Adding more language credentials, additional Canadian education, or extracurricular activities had little impact on these overall results… Overall, the results suggest considerable employer discrimination against ethnic Canadians and immigrants.

Because of the diverse multicultural nature of Toronto this conclusion is shocking to me. Despite my decidedly Canadian upbringing, is it my Chinese name that is my Achilles heel? Is this also true for my children? While there is relative racial harmony here in Toronto, we still have a long way to go for employment equality. Irregardless of the reasons for discrimination, and the author has suggested many, this discrimination greatly harms job seekers, just as it has harmed my family and myself.

Despite the Ontario Human Rights law that bans discrimination due to ethnicity, it is difficult or impossible to legislate equality in hiring practices. It is these same companies that are bypassing some really excellent talent. Yet this is Canadian culture, and I learned this from a very young age. Unlike the Americans we are much more subtle here in Canada. It will be interesting to see if this hiring practice will persist as Toronto becomes even more ethnically diverse. I hope that there will not be the unspoken two tier society that we have today.

In the late 1980s the Beijing University foreign student’s dorm was called Shao Yuan. It was a “U” shaped structure with 3 sections, 6 floors, each housing about 100 students. Each building had a guard on the first floor. The guard asked all Chinese to sign in. He also manned the single telephone for 100 students.

Foreign student dorms were two to a room. Each student had a bed, a desk, a bookcase and a small closet for clothes. Not much else could fit into the room. The beds and bookcase was painted metal. The bookcase and closet were wood. The floor was concrete with rock aggregate, polished smooth. Life was simple. Few students has refridgerators or washing machines. Electric fans were common, because there was no air conditioning. Cooking was prohibited but was common. Washrooms and showers were communal, two per floor. Hot water was always available, as the boiler was beside the showers. Heating was hot water radiator under the window, which doubled as a clothes dryer. There was a small window above the door for ventilation. Life was simple but adequate.

Chinese student dorms were much different. Each building had about 5 floors, about 14 rooms per floor, 6 girls to a room, or about 400 students. Each room had 3 bunk beds. There were two desks for six students. No bookcase or closet. Students for each bunk stored their belongings under the bottom bunk. The floor was simple concrete. Washrooms were communal, 2 per floor. Showers were in another building, on specific days and at specific times. Hot water was a 5 minute walk outside to the communal boiler. Masters students had two to a room, and doctoral students had their own rooms. Heating was hot water radiator under the window, which doubled as a clothes dryer. There was a small window above the door for ventilation.

In the Chinese dorm, their bed was where personal items were stored. Many had built small shelving for books and small items. Most had their beds screened off for privacy. Living was crowded but acceptable.

Beijing University foreign student dorm, 2011. Two students to a room.

Of course the contrast between the two dorms was striking. Today the difference is about the same. The foreign student dorm room has not changed much. There is internet access and private phones now. Refrigerators are common, as is air conditioning. The furniture is a bit more upscale, but overall the quality of the room is comparable.

Beijing University Chinese student dorm, 2011. Four students to a room.

Today’s Beijing University Chinese dorm room has some significant changes. There is now only four students to a room, when before there were six. Each student has their own desk, upon which there is a small bookcase as well as upper cabinets. The floors seem to be plain concrete. Compared to 20 years ago, Chinese students now live much more comfortably.

More shocking is the text in the article outlining recent additions to the Beijing University foreign student dorms:

Guo claimed that the [Beijing] university has made a lot of improvement to their foreign students’ dormitories during this summer vacation. They have renovated the swimming pool, the bowling center, KTV rooms, the gymnasium and the billiards room. While the foreign students are enjoying the new, well-conditioned dormitories, the Chinese students are living in the old shabby dormitories with plank bed (no mattress), and no air-conditioner. Guo also called for improvement and equal treatment for the Chinese student in her post.

When I was at Beida there were tennis courts in front of the dorms. In the basement there was broken exercise equipment and table tennis tables, usually dominated by North Korean students. Now they have a swimming pool, bowling, singing rooms and billiards? Wow, this is a shocking change. While I can see the addition of internet and air conditioning, the rest is above and beyond. I wonder how much they pay for their dorm per month. According to a comment Beida foreign students pay 2,400RMB/month, compared to 700RMB/year for Chinese students.

RenMin University foreign student dorm, 2011. Two students to a room.

I would hate to be the Grandpa telling my Grandkids that when I was young I slogged through 3′ of snow and walked 10 km just to get to school. In this case, foreign student dorms were very comparable to today in 2011. Chinese student dorms have been vastly upgraded.

The B2M Institute Summer Camp is wildly popular because it is well run, the kids have a great time, it keeps the kids busy from 09:00 to 16:00 and because there is no registration fee. Grants from the Federal government and sponsorship by the Toronto District School Board and others, allows this magic to happen. lunch is provided to all kids, and the food is excellent. Sometimes my Little Weed would return home bragging about the lunch he had at summer camp. Maybe I should up my game plan for family food prep?

As a business analyst I enjoy analyzing the workflow of complex processes, and registration for a summer camp, while seemingly simple, can become complex due to certain human traits, some of them laughable now, but while you are in line they are not as funny. The registration is as follows. Before the end of day school, forms were sent around to parents. Parents were to fill out the form and return them to their public school, where they would be collected. You arrive on the starting day of camp. The organizers have all your info and you’re ready to go.

The intent of the preregistration, I believe is that it simplifies the first day of camp, identifies that only kids that go to the Toronto District School Board get admitted, and it gives the camp organizers precious time and information for forward planning. Registration the start day of camp for over 500 people would be total chaos. The Toronto District School Board is a major sponsor of the camp.

Last year registration took 2.5 hours in a very hot and unventilated high school, even though the kids were preregistered. I was not the only parent grumbling about the lack of organization. They eventually got it right.

This year registration took one hour, and I arrived about 30 minutes before the start of registration. Thus, there has been marked improvement in the registration process since last year. Still this year there were still many issues, some of which are the responsibility of the organizers, Boys 2 Men Institute, and some of which are the responsibility of the parents.

Many kids missed the preregistration of camp, causing havoc in the parking lot. It is difficult to determine on exactly is to blame, so there is blame all around.These issues include:

• Parents not reading the form and following directions: If parents were more interested in their kids and knew about the camp, they would have called the school and ask about the camp in advance. Camp registration forms for the little Weed’s school only went out on the second last day of school, after I called the organizer and asked him how to register. Parents did not read their form, which clearly stated the forms were to be returned to the school. Instead parents brought the form to the first day of camp and are told they would join a waiting list. In actual fact their kids will not attend camp. All 300 spots are already filled with those kids who followed the registration process.
• B2M Institute did not provide sufficient forms for each school and more importantly, did not provide the school administrators with processing instructions. Our school administrator had no clue as to the purpose of the form. no written documentation was provided and administrators were clueless as to the process. Further more, 25 forms for over 180 kids is not sufficient. I had to phone the school, go into the school office, read the form, identify that this was the Boys 2 Men Institute summer sports camp, and phone the camp administrator to seek clarification as to how to register. He asked what school I was calling about, and my call started the ball rolling. A week later and on the second last day of school, forms were sent home to parents. Organizationally, this was too little too late, leaving precious little time for parents to comply.
• The registration form by B2M was clear, easy to fill out and had written processing instructions included. On the negative, when the forms were sent out to parents, this form looked physically different from the first form I filled out, had different schools, but looked like last year’s form. As a parent I was confused enough to contact the B2M administrator yet a second time to ask him if I needed to fill this form out again. Consistency of the form would have been better. The second form was the better, because the form was shorter and left camp instructions for parents (start time and date, location of camp) after the form was ripped off and handed into the school. The first form took up the whole page, was to be completely handed in and left no information about the camp to parents.
• The B2M administrator was quick to return my call and emails. This is very good, and he clarified the process quickly.
• While the camp is held in unilingual English, 95% of attending kids are of Chinese background. Many of these parents do not speak much English and would have difficulty with the form. I, however, do not lay blame on the B2M Institute, but on the parents. We live in Canada. The camp is held in English. Either have the child read the form in English or find someone that can help you with the form. B2M Institute has no moral obligation to translate the form into multiple languages. They are a charity, not the civil service.

Today, the first day of camp and registration day, was more chaotic than necessary. Much of the problem was with the preregistration issues, but many were due to the parents. The B2M Institute handled it as best they could.

• The B2M Institute administrator blocked the door to all parents, letting in only 20 kids and parents at a time. This is excellent crowd control. He also told people trying to cut the queue to line up, at the END of the queue.
• The B2M Institute administrator was collecting forms for all the kids that missed preregistration. This is good because it gave the parents direct feedback, input and acknowledgment that the form was received properly. Parents and kids dispersed, reducing the size of the lineup. Unfortunately he was also telling them that all 300 spots for kids were already filled by preregistered kids.
• The B2M Institute administrator was also trying to explain the process to many parents, but was not able to explain himself because parents largely spoke Chinese and he spoke English. Nor did he acknowledge that there was any language issue. When a Chinese parent offered to translate he stated that no help was necessary. The reality is that not everyone speaks English sufficiently to understand the registration process, so a Chinese translator would have been very helpful.
• With no explanation forthcoming to the Chinese parents that they could understand, Parents with forms in hand continued to stay in line, not knowing that could not register their kids that day. I could see them getting more impatient and angry. A healthy and happy mood there was not.
• Do Chinese people not know how to join a queue? They certainly do. Even with other Chinese parents giving explanation, many Chinese parents tried to jump the queue and push themselves in. Some were able to push themselves in, bypass the B2M Administrator, only to be blocked inside the building because their kids were not preregistered. While I admire their persistence, there was no way their kids were getting in without the proper registration process. Simply being pushy and rude to those around you may work elsewhere.
• The traditional way for Chinese parents to jump the queue is as follows: Look at the line and try to identify a friend. Engage your friend in Chinese. Hopefully your friend will invite you into the line. If others complain that you are queue jumping and they speak to you in English you feign that you do not understand English. If you are told to not queue jump in Chinese, you tell the Chinese person to mind their own business. Because of this Chinese trait the queue gets fatter and more funnel shaped the closer you get to the entry.
• A more innovative way to jump the queue is to engage the B2M Administrator at the door. As he is explaining in English you feign you do not understand and push your way into the line. Once others see that this tactic does work, a flurry of other parents from the queue all try to do the same thing, again making the queue more funnel shaped. While it worked for a few parents, the B2M Administrator wisened up and told these parents to go to the back of the queue.
• I really do not think that language was the issue today. Parents did not or could not preregister their kids, and the result was chaos. A Chinese mob mentality was starting to occur. Selfishness showed its ugly face, as it has for the last 3 years of registration day. We are human.

With a little more forward planning, project management and a touch of Chinese translation the registration process and Registration Day could be more streamlined. Thankfully parents did not revolt, though I know some of them wanted to. Each year gets a little better, but they seem to be a little slow in learning their lessons. While there was a marked improvement over the previous two years, further improvement is required.

Which Toronto Chinatown is better? Uptown or Downtown? I test both.

It is rare for me to visit Toronto’s downtown Chinatown because I live in North-East Toronto, where we have the highest concentration of Mainland Chinese in Toronto. Today we went to MEC.ca (Mountain Equipment Co-op) for cycling gear, so stopped and had lunch in Chinatown at Spadina and Dundas. Having not been there for many years, it was interesting.

Firstly I was amazed at the diversity of people in the Downtown Chinatown. People of all nationalities walk around, shop and eat, just like local Chinese, because they, unsurprisingly are local Torontonians. We saw a wide variety of people visit Chinese bakeries, shop at Chinese grocery stores as well as small “Carry Everything Chinese” variety stores. Initially this was surprising to me, but then again we are in Toronto, where diversity is commonplace and we all get along.

Uptown at places like Pacific Mall (Kennedy/Steeles), and more so at local strip malls and stores, Asianness is the rule. You might see the odd Caucasian or non-Asian individual perusing merchandise, but more likely they are employed at the mall as maintenance workers. Non-Asians in malls uptown truly stand out. Upon reflection, this seems quite odd for multicultural Toronto. More so is the fact that North East Toronto also has a large contingent of Indians and Pakistanis, who are not commonly seen in Chinese stores. The corollary is also true. While I frequently visit Indian grocery stores and restaurants, there are usually no other Chinese besides myself. Though it does not cause me any discomfort nor hesitation, it is notable. People Diversity level: Downtown is better

We visited a local Chinese barbeque restaurant downtown for some roasted duck and roast pork on rice. Though it was nice, it was not over and above the quality I can find uptown. Prices are also not as cheap as in the past. I actually think we can get the same meal for less uptown, but I am a local. I am not complaining, because Chinese food quality here in Toronto is universally pretty good. Barring the occasional health inspection failures that occur both uptown and downtown, visitors to Toronto expect and receive excellent and authentic Chinese food. Restaurant Food Quality and Price: draw

We passed by numerous local grocery stores while in the Downtown Chinatown. A usual quick glance at prices of produce as well as comments from the spouse yielded the same conclusion: Prices both downtown and uptown are about the same. Each store might have their loss leaders, but overall, prices are the same. We cherry picked. Downtown may have a slight advantage in freshness, but this arguable. Uptown stores do not display produce outside and therefore may be incrementally cleaner. Grocery Produce Pricing: even

I am not a neat freak and generally expect low hygene standards in any Chinatown worldwide. Still, downtown Chinatown is noticeably dirtier than uptown. I am unsure why. There is more visible garbage in the streets and a unique rotting smell of grocery produce and Chinatownness. This smell was even noticed by my first weed. Uptown Chinatown is newer, but can also run down pretty quickly. I am sure that it is not because uptown Chinese are any cleaner. Street Cleanliness: Uptown is cleaner

Parking downtown is notoriously difficult, and today was no exception. Chinatown was, as usual, lacking in parking. Uptown there is so much space that parking is rarely an issue. Parking: Uptown is better

My friend David rides a bicycle to buy his groceries from a downtown Chinatown. It is easier to ride a bicycle downtown because streets are more crowded and therefore the speed of cars is slower. There are more Chinese grocers crowded together in higher concentrations downtown. While you can bicycle ride uptown, you risk getting run over by local drivers. Also uptown Chinese grocers tend to be larger and more like supermarkets. You ride to one and do all your shopping, which may not allow you to get the best selection. Shopping by Bicycle: Downtown is better

Yes, there is more to life than Chinatown. Apart from Chinatown, downtown has much more diversity of stores and events that uptown cannot match. Uptown you really need to search for specific stores and then plan to visit them. Downtown can be more exploratory. Other things to do: Downtown wins

The importance of speaking Chinese in a downtown store is less of an issue. At stores uptown, it is very advantageous to speak Chinese. Chinese is the default language uptown, while downtown it can be either English or Chinese. I suppose this is a secondary effect of downtown’s diversity and a real help to those who do not speak Chinese. Predominance of Chinese language: Uptown defaults to Chinese

Suffice to say that visits to either Downtown or Uptown Chinatowns will give you an authentic and interesting experience. Downtown Chinatown is walkable, while uptown Chinatown is cleaner. To judge which one is best I cannot say. Visit both and tell me what you think.

People get into trouble, be it their fault or not. Legal charges are brought against them, or they bring legal charges against someone else. These cases are fought in a court of law by lawyers prosecuting or defending. Lawyers for the province are called Crown lawyers. There is a judge that keeps everything fair for both sides. Then there are jurors, the average citizens that decide innocent or guilty. Jurors are so very important to the process, and therefore democracy.

Somehow I have always been a magnet for Mainland Chinese people here in Toronto. They always seem to want to talk to me in Mandarin. Drawn to me was a man in his 60s from Shandong, China. He explained to be that though he is a Canadian citizen and has been in Canada for over a decade his level of English was insufficient to understand the court reporter. Though he tried to tell many people, his simple daily English betrayed his lack of deeper English listening skills. Still, he told me that doing jury duty was much better than in China, where there are no juries at all, judgments made only by an appointed judge. The Canadian way is much better. With a stubbled beard he has been called twice within 6 years.

Randomness starts early in the process. There are 3.4 million citizens in the City of Toronto, an estimated 2.5 million over the age of 18. From this pool of citizens, an estimated 200 are selected weekly for jury duty, to become possible jurors. These 200 are divided into 4 groups of about 50 citizens each. When a case requires a jury one group (for a civil case) or two groups (for a criminal case) are sent to the court room.

Civil legal cases require 8 jurors. The court reporter puts all the names of prospective jurors into a cylindrical container and rolls the container in order to randomize the selection. Eight people are selected, called to stand beside the court reporter. Names and occupations are read for each citizen. Either lawyer can kick out a maximum of 4 jurors, no reason given. This is called a challenge. When a juror is kicked out, another citizen is randomly selected by the court reporter as replacement. The process continues until the lawyers agree on a jury or when they have reached their maximum number of jurors they do not like. No other questions are asked of prospective jurors. The process is actually quite efficient.

Criminal cases require 12 jurors, with no limit of “rejects” by either lawyer. Fifteen or twenty prospective jurors are selected at random by the court reporter. Their names and occupations are read individually. Lawyers again can accept or challenge. Prospective jurors are not asked any questions by the lawyers nor the judge, with the exception of clarification of occupation. No reasons are given for contesting a citizen. There also seemed to be no logic in accepting or challenging prospective jurors. This process can take quite a long time. While the process can seem inefficient, it does look very impartial and therefore fair to both parties. The outcome of a criminal case is serious for the accused, so I am glad the process goes to such lengths for impartiality.

Criminal cases are very different because prospective jurors are asked to look at the accused and the accused is asked to look at the prospective juror. There is a tension in the air when this occurs, and is felt throughout the jury panel. The accused will know your name, occupation and city, as does all in the courtroom. If convicted would they hunt down jurors when released? Searching and finding for people on Google is very simple and in most cases very effective. We have much information about ourselves online that is readily accessible by anyone.

A hot topic of discussion amongst prospective jurors is how to be challenged by either lawyer and therefore not become a juror. Health issues were the main reason for disallowing a prospective juror. There are other inventive reasons but I will not divulge them. I believe citizens should do their part in our legal system and if they do not experience extreme hardship, should fulfill their legal obligation of jury duty.

Most of the time in jury duty is idle. There are back issue magazines and National Geographic to read, but no newspapers. There is no internet access, but you could bring your own wireless access. Those on computers checked email once in a while, but usually were seen playing games or not using their computers. There are other people to converse. You are able to eat and talk on the phone in the waiting room. Life in the waiting room is non eventful. There is a one hour lunch break.

I had expected a heavy police presence at the court room. I had visions of G20 style goons in riot gear, accosting and challenging citizens, but this is not the case. There are police at the entrance and within the halls, but they are low keyed and kept to themselves. Police intimidation is left to the street. Courts seem more about fairness than a show of force. Calmness does prevail.

Jury duty disrupts the life of the average citizen, but reminds us that we have an integral part in the democratic process. It is well worth the expense in court and to citizens. The process for prospective jurors, while a little tense, is educational and memorable.

Ten bad driving habits, by Chen Xin, People Daily, equally applicable here in Toronto, Canada

As a lifelong resident of Toronto I can attest that many fellow Torontonians wonder out loud why Chinese drivers are so terrible. I am one of them. As I live in Scarborough, a heavily Chinese area of Toronto, there are certain major intersections that I avoid due to a very high proportion of Chinese drivers that approach 100%. As my ethnic background is Chinese, I have ruled out genetics. Moreover I know many Canadian born Chinese, or Huayi, that are excellent drivers. Further, anyone from Hong Kong can attest to the prowess of their local driving skill. So why are Chinese drivers so terrible?

If you have traveled to China you know that driving in China is terrible and very dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists.

Beijing began a five-year action plan over the weekend aimed at cracking down on traffic violations and bad driving habits in a bid to ease the city’s worsening traffic situation.

Over the next five years, traffic police will crack down on drunk driving, running red lights, the illegal occupation of emergency lanes and bus lanes, driving without a license, and six other traffic violations. Bad driving habits, such as forcibly overtaking another vehicle and forcing it into another lane, will also be targeted.

Traffic in Beijing is horrible. I recall taking 45 minutes to travel 2 kms in a taxi. There are way too many cars on Beijing streets to travel efficiently. Still, cars that do move are dangerous. Traffic signals are ignored if there is no police on site. People park their cars everywhere, blocking whomever they wish. It seems that there is a blatant disregard for the safety and convenience of others. I suppose if you do not know someone else personally, you have no personal connection (guanxi), and therefore no need to be cordial.

I will not cite examples of bad driving practice that I have personally witnessed in China, as they are too numerous. And very scary. Suffice it to say that in trying to cross a busy Chinese street you may not make it to the other side uninjured.

We can only guess at the reasons why Chinese are terrible drivers.

1. Driving is relatively new: Yes, in China the ability to drive is very new, only within the last 10 years. New drivers lack skill. That get a driver’s license from Hong Kong are excellent drivers, and those that fail migrate to Toronto and get an Ontario driver’s license. Many from Mainland China do not have a drivers license from China, so this is their first time driving here in Toronto.
2. Driving is a status symbol: It seems like when Chinese migrate to Toronto from China one of their goals is to get the largest vehicle possible. Maybe this is to brag to those back in China that they are financially well off? Unfortunately these large vehicles are more difficult to drive. These new drives drive so poorly that they become a hazard to everyone else on the road.
3. Driving rules are not enforced: This is true both in China and Toronto. Bad driving is applicable to all drivers here in Toronto. If police would enforce existing laws there would be better overall driving habits, but even the police break the laws.

No matter where you originate, here in Toronto Chinese drivers have a bad reputation as terrible drivers. Hopefully the next generation of young Chinese drivers will not follow their parents and grow up to be skilled and courteous drivers. Parents need to learn from their kids.

Here in Canada, your average citizen cannot buy a gun. Guns are restricted to police and gun club members, who need to be registered. Guns are either stolen from gun collectors, or are smuggled in from the US in exchange for drugs. Gangs use guns to terrorize the public or other competing gangs.

Chung Hing is our local Chinese grocer. They have 6 cashiers. On a typical Sunday afternoon they would have three open. While it would not be crowded, it would be busy. In the past there has been trouble with black thieves armed with guns in the same plaza. Surprising this is not, but brazen it was. Chung Hing is not a high value target. They do have close circuit surveillance cameras that surround the store as well as show inside the store.

No one was hurt, so there will be no mention about this in the news. Still, many, including my family, are traumatized. Such brazen acts to hurt others breed ill will against the local black community, and with good reason. We continue to be wary and we have good reason. These gangs need to be stopped and thrown into jail.

Billy Bee Honey: Bottle on the right called ethnic is on sale, the one on the left is not

If you regularly read my blog you know I have lived in China and Japan for a couple of years and live in a heavily Chinese area of Toronto. I really enjoy living where I can buy fresh produce from a Chinese store served by Mandarin speakers. These local grocers, however, are specialty stores that represent all ethnic groups here in Toronto. To compete the large big box grocers have decided to “Chinese” up their offerings. I see an increase in Chinese signage and advertising for Nofrills and other grocers in my area. It started with “Do not peel the corn”, or “Please place litter in trash bin” in-store signage in Chinese. These are appreciated and appropriate.

Billy Bee Honey: Bottle with English-Chinese label on sale, bottle with English only label is not. UPC codes are different

The sale on Billy Bee honey(Nofrills flyer, Dec 31-Jan 6 2011), “ethnic” version only crosses the line. To have the regularly labeled English version not on sale and to promote the English Chinese version simply makes no sense. I have purchased and used both products and they are identical in volume, quality, consistency, packaging and price. They are marketed side by side on the shelves of Nofrills and at the same price. The two products are simply identical, save the paper label and UPC code. Billy Bee Honey as stated on both labels is a mix of Canadian and Argentine honey. I wondered if the ethnic version was a mixture of Canadian and China honey, but alas, no. Maybe we should rightly have an English-Argentine version.

For those that cannot read Chinese, the Chinese on the label is a direct translation of the English and no more. No, Mom, the Chinese does not talk behind your back about how you dress or any other nonsense. We are talking strictly about honey.

To be denied the sale price for the English labeled Billy Bee honey feels discriminatory, and I see no financial benefit. All it seems to do is infuriate fellow Canadians who dislike the invasion of Chinese in their neighbourhood. Long time neighbours, mostly white and retired, want to shop in English, and I see no advantage in not allowing them to purchase their beloved Billy Bee Honey, on sale, in their language of choice: English.

Is this difficult for Nofrills to understand? Apparently so. I called the Nofrills customer service line at 1-866-987-6453 to tell them about this and their response was blah, blah, blah, blah, really, blah, blah, We will check with marketing, thanks for calling, blah, blah. Why do I even bother calling them to complain, I do not know. Useless. They do not even call me back to tell me the status of my complaint, because they do not even ask for my name or phone number. If I take the time to phone in a complaint I expect the company to take the time to call me back in a symbiotic manner. Idiots.

http://dontai.com/wp/2010/11/11/chinese-surname-dai-tai/ http://dontai.com/wp/2010/11/11/chinese-surname-dai-tai/#comments Thu, 11 Nov 2010 21:52:08 +0000 dontai http://dontai.com/wp/?p=3241

The Chinese character Dai/Tai: the earth/dirt, a field, to share, a saber (weapon)

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dai/da4i (Mandarin)/Tai (Cantonese, Japanese)/Thài(Gan, Jiangxi)/Tè (Hokkien)/?ái or ??i (Vietnamese)/Dae (Korean): Ranked 57 of the 100 most common Chinese surnames (2006), gaining from 64th in 1990

1. put on; wear: put on one’s gloves, wear glasses
2. respect; honour: love and respect
3. Da4i: a surname

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