How To Deal With Contractors & Home Renovations

Thinking of doing any home or property renovations this summer? You might be able to take advantage of the federal government’s renovation rebate, which is a part of their Canada-wide stimulus package. You must have receipts for any work and/or materials. Up to $1350 can be deducted from your 2009 income tax filing, which would mean you would have to spend close to $10,000 in renovations to receive the maximum benefit.


But how do you decide on one contractor over another? Obviously, your choice will be influenced by cost. Which contractor can provide you with the best quote. What goes into the ‘best’ quote includes much more than price alone. Like the saying goes no job’s done until the paperwork is completed. You can bank on the fact that if you’re not satisfied with the paperwork, then the finished job is likely to be disappointing too!

Here are some simple steps you can follow to help you choose a reliable and reputable
Contractor. My list includes crucial steps which should assist anyone wanting a quality finished product.

First step A). Check with friends for names of contractors they’ve used. Ask them how satisfied they were with the work? Was the job completed as scheduled or were unexpected delays? Did changes have to been made to the original job?

If you don’t find anyone through friends, then the next place to check would be a professional association in your area; they should give you a list of contractors who are members. Find out what criteria is used for membership i.e. knowledge and skills, including training in that field. Ask if the association has a quality control component. You’ll need to find a contractor that has good credentials.

Once you find a contractor, ask them how much experience and training they’ve received in a specific area. Always ask the contractor to provide you with at least three referrals with phone no.’s. Make the calls and find out how satisfied other customers have been.

Step Two B). Who will be doing the actual work? Is your contractor using subcontractors? For bigger jobs, if he’s not doing the work himself, then you will have to holdback 10% of the final payment, to prevent any liens being put on your house, in the event that a subcontractor is not fully paid.

Step Three C)
Find out if the contractor is fully licensed, insured or bonded? Do they have membership in the Better Business Bureau? Do they have any complaints lodged against them?

Step Four D).
Ask whether a written contract will be provided, along with a draft plan, including drawing and lists of grades, materials, colours that your contractor is planning to use?
How will the terms of payment be handled? Do they require a 50 % deposit and when are the interim payments due?

How much lead-time might they need? In what time frame can they realistically get the work done? What if the workmanship turns out to be poor and the materials come with defects? Does your contractor say in writing that he will be dealing with this if it happens? Does your contractor have any concerns with your putting a percentage of the final payment on holdback until a final inspection is done? This ensures that all the work has been properly completed. Also you’ll need to know if the contractor charges G.S.T. and/or P.S.T.?

Step Five D):
Permits. Ask if your contractor will be responsible for providing all the required municipal permits?

Step Six E):
Will your contractor provide you with a written warranty for the materials and workmanship?

Remember there is a big downfall to choosing a contractor strictly based upon prices. You want to be left with a quality job, as well as one that’s done at a reasonable price. Having three quotes would be best, so you can compare apples to apples. These are the things to look-out for when picking a contractor. Make sure you understand the agreement fully, & have all your questions answered before you sign the contract.

If you have any further questions, you can email me at howard.buchin@sympatico.ca.

Organic Farmer's Market Great Success

The new Organic Farmer's Market has opened in the Guild to great success. Located at the corner of Livingston and Guildwood Pkw, the market operates between 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm every Thursday from June until September.

Public Art In And Around West Hill

Getting Around West Hill Without A Car

The truth is, being a suburb of a large city, we mostly drive. We haven't designed our suburbs well for getting around by any other means. Although there are other ways--

We can still ride horseback.



And get to fires on time.



Sometimes, it feels like we spend more time waiting than actually getting around.





Although, eventually the bus does get there.




If we want to get somewhere fast, both the local communiter GO trains and the trans Canada VIA train stop at our local Train Station






We make sure our kids get to school on time, even if we have to call a cab.



Of course, we could always take the boat.
















Or just ride a bike; although that can get tiring.



Walking is fun too.



Although maybe our ancestors still had the best idea. West Hill has many murals on the sides of buildings depicting life in less frantic times.




Although this might just be our future:



Councilor Paul Ainslie is hosting an open house to discuss plans for a Kingston Road-Morningside Avenue Light Rail Transit line on Thursday May 21at at 6:30 pm at West Hill Public School.

West Hill's "Main Street"

By a strange quirk of nomenclature, West Hill stands as the eastern most gateway to the City of Toronto. Most visitors entering the city via the Kingston Road exit from the 401 have their sights set on the massive towers of the downtown core.

Lets take a moment to see what they may be passing by in their haste.

Today, as always, West Hill has much to offer---

From the West, reaching out toward the very centre of the community is the "Main Street" of West Hill, the Kingston Road. The view here is from the railroad bridge at the Guildwood train station, looking toward where Kingston Road forms a triangular intersection with Lawrence and Morningside to form the Commercial Centre of the community. The City of Kingston was, for a time, the capital of Canada and West Hill was one small community along the long route there from the City of Toronto. The commercial backbone of the community, Kingston Road changes its personality several times as it moves through the heart of West Hill.



Where the major thoroughfares of Kingston Road, Lawrence and Morningside Avenues intersect, the commercial centre of West Hill has grown. Here banks and stores, supermarkets and hardwares, florists and department stores have all found a home. The West Hill Shopping Centre is situated on the north east corner of Lawrence and Kingston Road.




The heart of the triangle is inhabited by a major supermarket and its adjacent plaza. Now a No Frills, the supermarket was for most of its life, a Loblaws. It was here that I and many of my friends got our first jobs and worked our way through high school on Thursday & Friday nights and all day Saturday. The plaza is also home to a drugstore, Brewers retail, Chick'n' Joy, McDonalds and a Pizza Pizza among others




The new Morningside Crossing was completed on the site of the former Morningside Mall. The Mornigside Crossing proper was opened in the summer of 2008, anchored by Shoppers Drug Mart and a Food Basics Supermarket.




Then commerce gives way to trees and lawns, churches, restaurants and motels. This is near the traditional centre of the community where the first homes in the area were constructed and where the West Hill Hotel provided the only social life for miles around. The hotel was torn down many years ago and, after remaining a vacant lot for decades, was replaced by a modern housing development in 2001. West Hill is the first glimpse of the City of Toronto for travelers from the east. Its motels provide an opportunity to rest up from the drive, while its restaurants offer a wide selection from elegant dining to fast foods.













The Kingston Road bridge across Highland Creek is the most distinctive feature of the eastern most entrance to the City of Toronto from the 401 highway. And here our Main Street reaches its Easternmost end and we leave West Hill behind us, with a sad farewell.



But maybe you'd like to stay and party with us a bit longer? Here is a little video I shot of the opening ceremonies at Morningside Crossing last summer.

Tips For Joining Fitness Clubs

Tips on Joining Fitness Clubs
By Howard Buchin

Spring is here and many of us think that it’s time to get into better shape. Have you thought about joining a fitness club? Every day we receive flyers promoting numerous kinds clubs, with different kinds of fees, facilities and classes to entice you. Most clubs will need you to sign some form of a membership agreement.

There are clubs tailored to adults only, or other clubs which allow children to attend.

All fitness clubs are governed by the Consumer Protection Act, which means they must disclose any “hidden charges” before you sign with them. As the name hidden charges implies, you need to look closely at any membership agreement. There is usually an extra charge for towels, access to saunas, or exercise mats, or other specialized equipment areas. Make sure you prepare a list of questions ready to ask, in order to find out what your membership fees will include.

Most Clubs have lots of fitness machines such as stationary bikes, rowers, treadmills, weight training nautilus-type machines designed to improve fitness. These machines also help with strengthening and conditioning. You’ll need to decide if you require a fitness evaluation, or the assistance of a personal trainer. There are usually costs involved with testing, as well as fees for personal training sessions, which are sold in packages.

Fitness clubs use various levels of personal trainers & instructors. Ideally the trainers are geared towards helping you to get to the fitness goals set for yourself. A personal trainer can get his/her qualifications from several places. Certification courses are offered by community colleges, and other training courses are offered via the Internet. Obviously, the Internet doesn’t compare to a college level of study. A question to ask might be: “How do your trainers/instructors get their qualifications”? If you’re involved with competitive level sports, you’ll want to work with a higher-level of trainers.

Clubs have varying hours of operation, depending on their clientele. Be certain to enquire about what hours your club is open. Take the opportunity to visit the club at various times of day before you sign up, when you expect to be working out there. Check out if there is sufficient space to allow for the number of people there. Are the change rooms big enough to allow you to be comfortable when you attend?

The Consumer Protection law gives you the right to:
*Change your mind about joining (within 10 days after signing a contract).
*To cancel your agreement within the first year, if you believe you’re a victim of
unfair business practices.
• The right to choose to sign a membership for one year, or renew on a monthly, or bi-monthly basis.

Remember there’s always a possibility of unforeseen scenarios developing. A club can slip down with maintenance and upkeep of the premises.
What if unsanitary conditions do not get addressed? What are the terms and conditions if you want to cancel your membership?

Clubs sales people will likely try to use pressure tactics with statements such as, “You can cancel at anytime for any reason” or “Don’t worry your not bound by the agreement should any unforeseen events such as injury or pregnancy occur.” Clubs generally do their best to protect the clubs own interests, and not yours. I asked to take the club agreements home to read, but the staff refused at both clubs I attended. Remember there are good reasons why the fine print is so difficult to read, quite simply, they acted as if, it would better appreciated if I didn’t read through the contract, or understand what it said. To me, this appears to be an unfair business practice, but it’s not necessarily ‘illegal.’ Remember that anything that requires you r signature, signifies that you have agreed to it.

Initially a club offered a four-month free membership. They wanted me to sign on for a complete one-year membership, which I would have had to pay bi-monthly (from my bank account). They didn’t seem very interested in my paying in advance for the year. One club policy said it would suspend the fees for the time a member was unable to attend, but then tacked the time back on once the member was healthy and attending again.

I noticed that the staff at the clubs I visited made many verbal claims about what would happen in the case of having to suspend my membership, but these weren’t backed up by their contract. Anything you agree to needs to be included in writing, within the membership agreement that your signing.

The agents at the clubs I spoke with inferred that I had no worries by telling me, “You can trust us. We’re your friends.” In fact, the agreement wasn’t too friendly. The terms included late-payment penalties. ‘Failure to pay within 3 days would result in late payment charges.’ Another club had terms included which stated a ‘member would be given a 10-day window in which to pay his fees.’ How the clubs deal with late payments is often left up to the discretion of the club.

If you do intend to join up with a fitness club, I advise the following,
- Do some serious research before hand, are there many complaints about the club.
- Read carefully any contract that you are expected to sign. If any verbal promises are made to you, then these need to be in writing, into the contract.
- Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions.

If you have any consumer issues you might need help with please email me at howard.buchin@sympatico.ca

Homes A Photo Essay

The First Nations peoples originally settled this land and built their homes on the banks of the Highland Creek.



The name "Iroquois" was given to the peoples of the six nations by their enemies. The Algonquin called them the Iroqu (Irinakhoiw) "rattlesnakes." After the French added the Gallic suffix "-ois" to this insult, the name became Iroquois. The Iroquois call themselves Haudenosaunee meaning "people of the long house." Iroquois villages were generally fortified and large. The distinctive, communal longhouses of the different clans could be over 200' in length and were built about a framework covered with elm bark.

Evidence of two of their villages have been found long the banks of the Highland Creek. These villages were set well back from the creek, away from the flood plain and from the sight of their enemies. The village on the west hill is located near the Alda Motel, while the one on the east hill of the creek is on the Helliwell property. Descendants of the original peoples continue to reside on this land in the Gabriel Dumont community of West Hill. This reconstructed Longhouse is from the Crawford Lake reserve.




More Myth than Reality, more Dream than Truth, the original village of West Hill can no longer be seen but only glimpsed. Hidden from direct view behind apartment blocks, shopping malls, major thoroughfares and sprawling subdivisions, the village of West Hill lives on, in small oasis of beauty between the encroaching bricks and granite of Canada's largest metropolitan area. Swallowed first by the City of Scarborough which in turn was engulfed by the City of Toronto, West Hill no longer exists on any map, yet can still be found when the light is right and guide is sure. Come, we will seek this small village together and let her peace and charm renew our souls and delight our eyes.














Originally the home of Colonel Bickford, The Guild Inn was owned by my great uncle Msrg. John Fraser from September 1921 to October 1924. He renamed the property the St. Francis Xavier China Mission Seminary. During World War II it became an official naval base and was renamed, HMCS Bytown and, later still, was transformed into a military hospital and renamed Scarborough Hall. The property later became the Guild of all Arts and became an major Arts Center. Now owned by the City of Toronto, and its future the subject of considerable controversy, the stately building has been boarded up and left to rot.

Most recently Centennial College has expressed an interest in the property to house its International Relations Department.