Biography of City Councillor Candidate, Marvin Macaraig of Ward 36.

Photo by, Christina Cheng

Marvin Macaraig’s story begins just like many other immigrants who came to Canada in the 1970s. He was born in Quezon City, Philippines in 1976. His family came to Canada when he was still an infant, and like many other new Canadians at the time, they settled in Scarborough because of the rapidly growing economy and plentiful housing.

Since then, Macaraig remained a “local boy”. He attended local schools and graduated from Neil McNeil H.S. where he was introduced to the Beaches, and to the Birchcliff neighbourhoods. From there on, he fell in love with Ward 36, Scarborough Southwest and began to grow within the city.

With his high school diploma, he got on a good track and received scholarships that lead him to attend York University where he completed his Bachelor of Science (Biology) degree. After completion, he worked for two years at a Private Biotech company where he did lab work; analysis on real science instrumentation, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry and high performance liquid chromatography. He soon realized that there had to be more to life than working in a lab. He missed the collaborative aspects of problem solving and decided to go back to school. He received another undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies at York University where he graduated magna cum laude, and won an Undergraduate Achievement Award.

To him, fully understanding the social and cultural aspects of an issue was a key difference from his previous pure and applied science background. It was through this realization that he became interested in politics, governance, and urban life. It was then Macaraig realized a new beginning for his education.

Macaraig’s enthusiasm for learning lead him to earn his Masters in Environmental Studies at York University. Thereafter, he spent a whole summer in Scandinavia where he attended an international graduate summer school at Lund University. This experience was truly transforming with respect to his perspectives on the critical issues facing Toronto and other North American urban areas. Once he completed his Master’s Degree, he decided, “why not keep going?”

Macaraig then got accepted into the Ph.D. program in the Department of Geography and Program Planning at the University of Toronto and is currently a Ph.D. Candidate, with an expected graduation date in late 2010.  One of his areas of expertise is metropolitan governance, and his research is based on community planning and sustainable development. His dissertation is on the creation and management of the Rouge Park, which is the large greenspace located on the eastern boundary of the City of Toronto.

He is also an Instructor and Teaching Assistant at the University of Toronto Scarborough, in the Department of Social Sciences, in city studies and geography.

In addition to completing his  Ph.D., Macaraig has also served on a number of university-wide committees. Last year he was named as a Screener for the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, $100,000 Go Green Challenge. For over 7 years, he has also took part in working with organizations such as, the Friends of the Rouge Watershed, and most recently, Our Community Speaks, which is a group working to find a suitable solution to the highly-contested Quarry Land Development located in Ward 36.

Today, Macaraig still calls Scarborough home. He and his wife Clarine, and alongside their Shih-Tzu Jaq, are proud homeowners in Ward 36, in the Birchcliff neighbourhood. Macaraig is a transit rider, a motorist, and commutes by bike whenever possible.

He has a passion for all things urban and is a believer that effective governance is only possible through carefully cultivated community partnerships and is looking forward to representing his community as Councillor of Ward 36.

Photo by, Christina Cheng

Municipal Election Story - Ward 36 Scarborough Southwest

Photo by, Christina Cheng

             City councillor candidate Marvin Macaraig of Ward 36 Scarborough Southwest hoped to fill the shoes of longtime councillor, Brian Ashton on Monday night. As a first time runner, Macaraig took part in the grueling months of campaigning only to find himself ranked sixth on the voting polls with a total of 866 votes.

            Ten candidates were competing for the next city councillor position for Ward 36. As the polls closed at 8p.m. on Monday night, Toronto public school trustee Gary Crawford was elected in Scarborough Southwest with a total of 4,392 votes. Although Crawford owned the title, candidate Robert Spencer came close behind by just under one percentage point (23.4%), while Diane Hogan reached third with 13.4 per cent of the vote.

            Although candidate Macaraig ranked sixth in the voting polls, he beat out one of his closest rivals- Vicki Breen who took a total of 663 votes.

            Macaraig expressed his disappointment but he kept positive.

“When you come out of nowhere it’s hard to gain recognition but I had to start somewhere. I got to pull in a few percentage of the votes so I’m glad,” he said.

            On election night, Macaraig was mourning the results with his volunteers, friends, and family at a private gathering.

            Macaraig, an instructor and teaching assistant in city studies and geography at the University of Toronto had opposed views on the topic of having light-rail lines in Scarborough while many of the candidates of Ward 36 criticized light-rail lines and stressed the need of subways in Scarborough.

            Some of the main issues in the ward are: the fate of the proposed Scarborough-Malvern LRT, the renewed plan to redevelop the Markington Square shopping plaza into high-rise condos, residents’ concerns about the installation of wind turbines offshore, the development of the Quarry Lands, and the concern on the revitalization of Birchcliff and Cliffside.

            If Macaraig was elected he mentioned that he would immediately start his Working Together plan in the community in order to improve and develop on transit, wind turbines, community safety, the Quarry Lands, and the Birchcliff and Cliffside revitalization.

            When asked about his views on Crawford being elected, he was at a loss for words as he was still upset and shocked by the results.

“I don’t know,” stuttered Macaraig, “I just think his platform was all over the place. We have different views and his is more generic. Plus, he’s been there for a while, people know him. He’s a Conservative and people like that.”

            He said he is glad the months of campaigning are over and looks to run again in the near future. This was his first run and a learning experience.

            His first priority is completing his Ph.D. He admits that once he receives it, he’ll be more than ready the next time around.

Journalism students get a kick of reality in 99 points

Steve Kowch, a veteran journalist and author of a new book, 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Making it Big in Media said Tuesday- in order to be good in the demanding business, you have to be noticed because “to attract attention you have to be better than everyone else you’re competing against.” And once that happens, “you stand above the crowd, attract attention, and get better job offers.”

Kowch visited journalism students at the Centennial College, Morningside campus Tuesday to offer the aspiring journalists a lecture and speech on his new book along with insightful pointers on the reality of life as a journalist outside the classroom and away from professors and mentors.

With forty years of experience in the media business, Kowch describes his book as being the students’ shortcut on how to chase their dreams, learn how to stand above the crowd, and make it big in the media in 99 bullet points. His life experiences and success stories in the business allowed him to give insight to the students on what they could expect upon graduation. “It is all about attitude when it comes to beating the competition,” Kowch said.

“You need to get into the business with a positive attitude. Positive beats out negative all the time and I can tell you, right now, that 75 per cent of the people you will be working with are the most negative people you will ever encounter,” said Kowch, as some students’ eyes widened while the rest chuckled or gasped with worry. Kowch told them that was a good thing because “a positive attitude raises you above the crowd.”

Kowch’s raw speech on reality in the media business had the journalism students feeling nervous but he provided them with advice and helpful tips on how to survive in the industry. He put the students at ease when he made a judgment on the topic of multiplatform reporting and the high expectations that employers have for applicants nowadays.

“People have to become more polyvalent. You will need to be able to multitask more than ever,” Kowch said. “The more that you want to do, the more valuable you are!”

He says after graduation, “ it means that you’re going to be doing more than the person who graduated five years ago, and you need to take that as good news.” Kowch explains that knowing more and being able to do more helps one get noticed and to stand above the crowd. It’s important to beat the competition in the media business because it moves you to the front of the line when job offers arise. You know you’re doing something right when “they call you instead of you having to call them,” said Kowch.

In such a demanding field, it was only fitting for Kowch to address one of the major factors in the media- the major financial cutbacks. “Today the media is not the growth industry,” Kowch said, but on a lighter note, a lot of these cuts are to save money and the future journalists need to understand that in this business it’s “not about if you’re going to get fired but about when you’re going to get fired” and it’s simply just apart of the business. “You have to understand, there is no shame in being fired in the media,” said Kowch.

Kowch himself was able to sympathize as he was fired last year from Toronto’s CFRB radio station. That was his first time being let go in his 40-year career in the business.

Kowch predicted that there would be another hit list on the financial cutbacks in the media because the economy hasn’t completely turned around. This will continue to mean- cutting expenses, laying more people off, and getting fewer people (upcoming journalists) to do more work! Kowch encouraged the journalism students not to see this as a burden but to say, “Thank you! Not screw you, thank you!” He foresees this as a positive opportunity for the aspiring and upcoming journalists because it opens for greater possibilities, opportunities, and a jump to beating the competition and making it big in the media.

“If you take on a positive approach and you remember why you got into the business in the first place, and that was to do all these things that they now want you to do, then you will rise to the top and you will rise above everyone else… And I can guarantee you that you won’t be on the next hit list!”

The 99^th point in Kowch’s book states, “Dreams never die. No one can steal your dream and make it theirs. It’s yours to chase when you want to. But you have to want to chase it.”

Being a journalist means you’re on the clock and you’re in-the-know 24/7 and Kowch revealed his passion and dream behind making journalism a forty-year career. “Believe me, there will be times you’re sitting in the front aisle of history. And you got to pinch yourself and say ‘I can’t believe I’m here. I can’t believe they’re paying me to do all this.’ And that’s when you go home at night and say ‘wow what a job, what a job I have,’” said Kowch, who seemed to reminisce as he spoke with bright eyes and moved with animated gestures. 

The Toronto Observer | Ward 36 Scarborough Southwest Profile by Christina Cheng

Ward 36 Scarborough Southwest

Current councillor:
• Brian Ashton

Candidates:
• Tony Ashdown
• Vicki Breen
• Gary Crawford
• Roman Danilov
• Eddy Gasparotto
• Sean Gladney
• Diane Hogan
• Marvin Macaraig
• Robert McDermott
• Robert Spencer

Ward snapshot

Ward 36 is located in southwestern Scarborough in Toronto’ s east end. It is bounded by Victoria Park Avenue to the west, the CNR tracks to the north, Hill Crescent to the east and Lake Ontario to the south.

The race in Ward 36 is an open one, as longtime councillor Brian Ashton steps down after 26 years. Ten candidates are competing for the seat.

The majority of the 54,530 residents are from diverse backgrounds. The top three countries by origin are: Sri Lanka (9.5 per cent), Caribbean (9.2 per cent), and United Kingdom (9.2 per cent).

According to the City of Toronto, the population of Ward 36 fell between 2001 and 2006 by 5.8 per cent.

Forty-five per cent of the population occupied private dwellings in single-detached houses while 29 per cent were in highrise apartments and the remaining 12 per cent were in low-rise apartments. At the end of 2006, 39 per cent rented.

Issues

The renewed plan to redevelop the Markington Square shopping plaza into highrise condos remains controversial.

Residents have raised concerns about the spectre of installing wind turbines offshore and about the development of the Quarry Lands.

The fate of the proposed Scarborough-Malvern LRT is another top issue.

—Ward snapshot and issues by Christina Cheng

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