COVID-19 June 10 Update

I know that all members of our community join with me in expressing out deep sadness and concern with the tragic events that took place this past week in London. Hatred has no place in our society and yet once again it showed itself in a terrible act that took the lives of four members of one family and resulted in the hospitalization of a young boy. This family was targeted because of their Muslim faith and we share with all in our community in expressing our condolences to their family and friends and the people of London. This week at Toronto City Council we remembered this family and recommitted ourselves to fighting hatred in any form including Islamophobia.

I would like to wish everyone a happy Portugal Day. This day gives us the opportunity to celebrate Portuguese heritage here in our City. I joined with the Mayor as we raised the Portuguese flag at Toronto City Hall. This year was also made more special with the announcement - along with the Little Portugal on Dundas BIA, the Consul General of Portugal, Minister Ahmed Hussen, other Davenport elected officials and community organizations - of the finalist for the Rooster that was gifted by the Municipality of Barcelos, Portugal to the City of Toronto to be designed, painted and displayed in Little Portugal. Feliz Dia de Portugal!

As noted, this week Toronto City Council did meet and we had a full agenda of items to discuss and approve including initiatives to protect people experiencing homelessness and the approval of multiple projects creating more than 500 supportive housing units and 100 affordable housing units including a project in our own ward. We also approved an important initiative, ParkFitTO, which makes parks available to fitness establishments to provide outdoor classes and training. With these businesses still not able to open due to public health restrictions, Council recognized the importance of supporting them and their clients to improve health and wellness as the summer begins. In the spirit of summer, City Councillor Brad Bradford and I worked together on a motion to pilot live music on outdoor patios as part of the City's recovery and rebuild initiatives. As we rebuild we must continue to build back better and that includes elevating the marginalized and working to correct systemic injustices of our past and present. That is why I was proud to introduce a motion that passed at Council this week to assist a Black-owned housing provider to create more affordable housing along Dufferin Street.

This week also marks on Friday the movement of Toronto, and the province, into stage one of the provincial re-opening plan as our Covid numbers improve on all fronts. This has been a very difficult time for all of us and with this re-opening process beginning it means we can welcome back outdoor dining, the return of non-essential stores, less restrictive gathering limits and the return of indoor religious gatherings up to 15% capacity among other changes. It has been as noted a very challenging time for many people, including our small business people and I encourage all of you to get outdoors and to support safely our restaurants and small businesses. One new option to have some fun in the sun that just opened for the summer is City of Toronto outdoor pools. On Saturday, June 12th, there are 10 pools opening and then on June 19th we will see all other outfoor pools opening, including the Joseph J. Piccininni community Centre's pool.

As mentioned, our Covid numbers have significantly improved over the last week or so on all fronts and this is encouraging. We all worked very hard to realize this improvement. To those who have yet to get vaccinated, I encourage you to do so as soon as you can if you have not had your first dose of vaccine. And, please book and receive your second dose when you time comes over the next few weeks. This past weekend, I was pleased to join with staff and volunteers at the Davenport Perth Neighbourhood and Community Health Centre as we hosted a vaccination clinic with support for Portuguese speakers in our community. With over 500 residents vaccinated the clinic was a great success and I thank all of those involved.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend and encourage all of you to get out and enjoy the weather and also that you support our restaurants and small businesses as they re-open.

In community,

Ana

Key Updates
1. Toronto City Council creates more than 500 supportive homes and more than 100 new affordable rental homes with the approval of multiple projects
2. Toronto Launches ParkFitTO
3. Toronto's Pandemic Progress
4. City Launches CampTO for Summer 2021
5. Toronto's Beaches Re-Open
6. Province Moves Ontario to Stage One of Re-Opening Plan
7. VaxTO
8. Vaccination Dashboard Provides Up To Date Data on Community Vaccination Rates
9. Portuguese language Vaccination Clinic hosted at Davenport Perth on June 5th
10. LALAContemporary & Dundas West Open Air Museum launch new mural “ Zion” by Emmanuel Jarus
11. 316 Campbell Planning Application – Public Meeting
12. 150 Harrison Street Park Public Meeting – June 16
13. College West and Bloorcourt Neighbourhood Murals
14. The Oakwood Village Roots and Routes Discovery Trail
15. Davenport Diamond Grade Separation Work
16. Metrolinx Scaffolding Work To Cause Short Term Closure of Bloor Street Sidewalks - June 11, 6am-6pm
Recent Announcements

Key Updates

Toronto City Council creates more than 500 supportive homes and more than 100 new affordable rental homes with the approval of multiple projects

There are approximately 7,800 people experiencing homelessness in Toronto. New housing that provides tenants with support services is urgently needed to ensure everyone has a warm and safe place to call home. Supportive housing sites are operated by a qualified and experienced non-profit housing operator with 24/7 on-site staff providing residents with a range of supports to help achieve housing stability and prevent a return to homelessness. To provide this rapid response, the City is using both innovative modular construction on City-owned or controlled land or acquiring existing buildings (such as hotels or motels) that need renovations.

Toronto Launches ParkFitTO

Personal fitness, exercise and training are very important in terms of personal physical and mental health for many people in our City. Due to pandemic restrictions, many of our gyms and martial arts facilities have been and remain closed for at least the next month or so. To assist people to safely return to training the City has introduced ParkFitTO which permits fitness businesses to conduct training in our parks with up to 10 people at a time. This is much needed and welcome program and details here.

Toronto's Pandemic Progress

While we have had some very difficult times over the past year and there were initial challenges with our provincial vaccination roll-out, mostly due to supply at the beginning, the City has reached very important milestones in our vaccination efforts. As of this week, over 2.4 million vaccine doses have been administered in our City. The City continues to encourage people who have not had their first dose to do so as soon as possible and those now able to receive their second dose do so. This link provides update information on our vaccination progress and how vaccinations can be booked.

City Launches CampTO for Summer 2021

Beginning on Tuesday of this week residents can register their kids for CampTO which will run from Monday July 5 to Friday August 27. Since the province moved to step one of their re-opening plan summer day camps are allowed to operate and this eight week program is a popular and safe way for children to have a summer camp experience. This year CampTO will also offer virtual 45 minute long live and interactive workshops and their will also be program for those with disabilities. Details can be found here.

Toronto's Beaches Re-Open

This past weekend and moving forward Toronto's beaches are now open for the summer. Ten of Toronto's beaches will now have lifeguards on duty. Residents of the City can relax on our beaches and swim in the lake but everyone is encouraged to do so safely. The City announced its beach and water safety campaign for 2021 and details are contained in the link. Please enjoy our beaches but remember to be safe both in the water and on the beach. Details here.

Province Moves Ontario to Stage One of Re-Opening Plan

As you will know, the province announced some weeks ago that they had put in place a three stage re-opening program. The three stages seek to safely re-open and move our economy and our lives back to normalcy. The movement from each of the stages will be closely aligned with our vaccination progress and the pandemic numbers in our City and across the province. This coming weekend on Friday we move to stage one which will allow for outdoor dining, increased numbers of people allowed to gather and the opening of non-essential retail among other changes. The link provides details with respect to the re-opening plan and what is permitted in each stage. Details here.

VaxTO

VaxTO is the City's vaccination campaign text line (1-833-750—0888) that allows Toronto residents to connect with vaccination information, updates and appointments. This week VaxTO can now provide information in 14 languages other than English as well as allow residents to access vaccination locations by entering their postal codes. The VaxTO text line is an easy way to access vaccination information for the City. Details here.

Vaccination Dashboard Provides Up To Date Data on Community Vaccination Rates

The City maintains a vaccination dashboard that it updates twice per week. The dashboard features information on vaccination rates in all of Toronto's neighbourhoods and assists the City in determining where vaccination efforts need to be increased. The link providing the neighbourhood map also provides additional information on a number of vaccination topics. View the dashboard.

Portuguese language Vaccination Clinic hosted at Davenport Perth on June 5th

My office was instrumental in helping organize and promote a successful Portuguese language Vaccination Clinic at the Davenport Perth Neighbourhood Community Health Centre last weekend. We brought music, pasteis de nata and a great group of volunteers to help ensure more than 500 people received the vaccine. It is critical that we deliver health services to people in accessible ways and language can be a major barrier, so last Saturday it made a difference to my area residents to be able to speak with healthcare providers and have questions answered in Portuguese. Thanks to Mayor Tory for visiting and helping to amplify the message!

LALAContemporary & Dundas West Open Air Museum launch new mural “ Zion” by Emmanuel Jarus

Created in collaboration with The Little Portugal on Dundas BIA, Creativo Arts and the City of Toronto.

316 Campbell Planning Application – Public Meeting
The City of Toronto Planning Division has received an application to permit a 28-storey (95.2 metres to the top of the mechanical penthouse) residential building with a 6-storey base building.

Register for a Virtual Community Consultation Meeting to learn more about the proposed development application, which will include presentations and a Question and Answer period providing local residents and stakeholders the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.

150 Harrison Street Park Public Meeting – June 16
On June 16 from 5:30-6:30PM, the City will be hosting a public meeting to share timelines for the new park's construction, and will provide an opportunity for questions to be answered. You can register for this event through the above link.

College West and Bloorcourt Neighbourhood Murals
Artists are invited to submit an application to paint a mural on Bell Canada outdoor utility boxes in the College West and Bloorcourt Neighbourhoods of Toronto this summer as part of the 2021 Bell Box Murals Project. Deadline is Monday June 21 at 5 PM for College West and June 28th at 5pm for Bloorcourt. Applications can be made to [email protected].

The Oakwood Village Roots and Routes Discovery Trail
The Oakwood Village Roots and Rotes Discovery Trail is a local project for the summer in the Oakwood Village community.

The Business Improvement Area association is collecting neighbourhood histories and creating a trail of clues, stories and sidewalk painted hop-scotch games from these stories as a fun way to explore the neighbourhood.

As part of the history piece - it would be great to have your input using the 'Beta Version' of their questionnaire linked above!

Davenport Diamond Grade Separation Work
From June to July, Metrolinx will be excavating behind the North and South bridge abutments on the Barrie GO rail line, west of Lansdowne Avenue. There will be temporary partial road and sidewalk closures of Bloor Street West, and some night work. Metrolinx has stated they will notify the community in advance of night work, and most work is scheduled to happen between 7AM-5PM.

Metrolinx Scaffolding Work To Cause Short Term Closure of Bloor Street Sidewalks - June 11, 6am-6pm