Dear Neighbours,
I'd like to begin by recognizing that yesterday evening began Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) which ends this evening. As we reflect and remember all of those who suffered and lost their lives during the Holocaust, we must commit anew that nothing like this will ever happen again.
I also want to recognize that May 1st will mark the beginning of Eid-al-Fitr for the Muslim community in Toronto and across the world! As Ramadan comes to an end, I want to wish community members Eid Mubarak as you celebrate together with your families and friends!
The City has taken important steps to support our cultural and artistic sectors as a part of Toronto's economic recovery. Most recently, on Monday, the City announced a one-time increase of $400,000 in funding for cultural organizations outside of the City's core, including for the Museum of Contemporary Art in our Davenport community! The MOCA is an important part of our community's cultural expression, and with this new funding, it will be able to continue providing accessible public programming!
This past weekend, many of our community members came together to participate in spring cleanups across Davenport! These cleanups were organized by our local community organizations and took place in all parts of our community. A very special thank you to everyone who participated in helping to clean up our parks as we welcome the spring season.
The City has also taken steps recently to further environmental awareness as part of the City's operations by taking a climate-action approach to affordable housing development. On Monday, I joined the Mayor and Councillor Joe Cressy to announce the new Mass Timber Pilot Program! This pilot program will use mass timber and other low carbon materials to transform what is currently a City-owned parking lot at Dundas Street and Ossington Avenue, which is close to Davenport, into 100 new affordable homes!
Mass timber construction presents us with an opportunity to rapidly scale up the supply of affordable housing as we respond to Toronto's housing challenges. It allows for housing construction that is both quicker and more environmentally friendly. The Mass Timber Pilot Program will be assessed on an ongoing basis, and the results of this pilot program will form a model for future scalable affordable housing developments in Toronto.
There was further good news on housing affordability on Tuesday when I joined the Mayor, Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson, and Councillor Fletcher to mark the official opening of a new building in the City's east end that includes affordable homes for seniors as well as a new EarlyOn Child and Family Centre! The affordable homes for seniors at this location will be operated by WoodGreen Community Services, illustrating the importance and impact of partnerships with the non-profit sector.
And, today, I joined again with the Mayor as we marked the craning of the new modular housing homes at 540 Cedarvale Avenue. These affordable housing announcements that have taken place over the past few weeks are part of our continuous and ongoing efforts to improve the supply of affordable and supportive housing in our City.
I also want to let residents know that on Thursday, May 5th from 3:30 p.m to 5:30 p.m, my office, in collaboration with the City's Seniors Services and Long-Term Care Division, will be hosting an information session for seniors and their caregivers on services available in Toronto and in our Davenport community. I have provided more information on this below.
Lastly, I want to remind residents that we will be hosting our first Davenport Environment Day this Sunday May 1st at Dufferin Mall! Residents will be able to safely dispose of various hazardous items, donate items in good condition for reuse, as well as pick up bagged compost!
As always please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can be of any assistance. You can contact my office by email at [email protected] or by phone at 416.392.7012.
In community,
Ana
Table of Contents
COVID-19 Updates
- Vaccination Clinics at Shopping Centres Including Dufferin Mall Continue until April 30th
- More than 50,000 vaccination appointments now available at City of Toronto immunization clinics
City & Local Updates
- City Increases Funding for Museum of Contemporary Art
- Eid Mubarak to the Muslim Community!
- Upcoming Info Session on Services for Seniors & Caregivers
- Transforming a City-owned Parking Lot at Dundas & Ossington into 100 New Affordable Homes
- Marking the Opening of New Affordable Homes for Seniors & A New EarlyOn Child and Family Centre
- Welcoming the Delivery of 59 New Permanent Modular Homes at 540 Cedarvale Ave
- City further expands Pilot Program to Collect Dog Waste in Street Litter Bins
- Bloordale Spring Cleanup at McGregor Playground A Success
Upcoming Community Events
- Davenport Environment Day This Sunday May 1st from 10am to 2pm!
- Upcoming Compost Days in May
Recent Municipal Announcements
- April 21 - City of Toronto to launch online voting for Toronto’s new official tree
- April 24 - The City of Toronto recognizes National Immunization Awareness Week
- April 25 - Mayor John Tory announces new mass timber pilot program for affordable rental housing
- April 25 - City of Toronto announces recipients of Cultural Festivals Funding Program and enhanced funding for cultural organizations outside of the city core
- April 26 - More than 50,000 vaccination appointments now available at City of Toronto immunization clinics
- April 26 - Mayor John Tory officially opens new affordable housing for seniors and EarlyON Child and Family Centre
- April 26 - City of Toronto further expands pilot program to collect dog waste in street litter bins
- April 26 - City of Toronto to announce details of new program to accelerate emissions reductions in buildings
- April 27 - City of Toronto and George Brown College to work together on a plan for a new campus opportunity in the Mount Dennis community
- April 27 - City of Toronto launches Deep Retrofit Challenge to accelerate energy efficiency in existing buildings to help meet goal of net zero emissions
- April 27 - City of Toronto approves the first training provider for vehicle-for-hire drivers
Vaccination Clinic at Shopping Centres Including Dufferin Mall until April 30th
On April 20th, the City of Toronto announced that Toronto Public Health will bring COVID-19 vaccination clinics to local shopping centres as part of the Shop And Vax initiative, and one of these locations will be at Dufferin Mall in our Davenport community!
These vaccination clinics will operate on a walk-in basis, to provide first, second, third, fourth and pediatric doses to eligible residents. Residents can learn more here.
More Than 50,000 Vaccination Appointments Now Available at City of Toronto Immunization Clinics
Toronto Public Health (TPH) has added 48,000 appointments at City of Toronto immunization clinics to help residents get the best protection against serious illness linked to COVID-19 and stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations. TPH has also added 5,000 appointments to administer school-based vaccines – the Hepatitis B, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Meningococcal vaccines – to students in grades seven to 12 who have missed starting or completing their vaccine series at schools over the past two years.
All of the appointments are now available up to Saturday, May 7 at the City’s five immunization clinics and can be booked online through the provincial booking system or by calling the provincial booking system at 1-833-943-3900 (TTY 1-866-797-0007).
City & Local Updates
City Increases Funding for Museum of Contemporary Art
The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) is one of our City's cultural treasures, and is located here in our Davenport community! On Monday, the City announced a one-time increase of $400,000 in funding for cultural organizations outside of the City's core, including for the MOCA!
This funding will allow arts organizations like MOCA to continue to provide accessible public programming for our communities, and reflects the importance of the cultural sector in the City's economic recovery! Learn more about the City's ongoing support for our cultural organizations here.
Eid Mubarak to the Muslim Community
As Ramadan comes to an end, and May 1st marks the start of Eid-al-Fitr, I wish Muslim community members in Davenport and across Toronto and the world Eid Mubarak!
Upcoming Info Session on Services for Seniors & Caregivers
My office, in collaboration with the City's Seniors Services and Long-Term Care Division, will be hosting an information session for seniors and their caregivers on services available in Toronto and in our Davenport community!
The information session will take place on Thursday, May 5th from 3:30 p.m to 5:30 p.m at the Wallace-Emmerson Community Centre Ambrico Room, and will provide information on how and where to access a wide range of services for seniors such as:
- Dental care for low income seniors
- Deferring your property taxes
- The HomeShare (student tenant) program
- Food access programs
- Caregiver supports, and more.
This free event is open to any interested individuals, and I encourage interested residents to participate!
Transforming a City-owned Parking Lot at Dundas & Ossington into 100 New Affordable Homes
On Monday, I joined Mayor John Tory and Councillor Joe Cressy to announce that through the new Mass Timber Pilot Program, a current City-owned parking lot at Dundas Street and Ossington Avenue will be transformed into 100 new affordable rental homes!
Using mass timber construction and other low-carbon materials allows for housing construction that is both quick and environmentally friendly. This project at 1113-1117 Dundas St. W. is the first of its kind, will be assessed on an ongoing basis as the project proceeds. The results of this pilot program will form a model for the kind of scalable and environmentally conscious affordable housing development that can our City needs. Learn more about this announcement and the Mass Timber Pilot Program here.
Marking the Opening of New Affordable Homes for Seniors & A New EarlyOn Child and Family Centre
On Tuesday, I joined Mayor John Tory, Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson, and Councillor Paula Fletcher, as well as partners, to officially open a new building that includes 36 new affordable homes for seniors, as well as a new EarlyOn Child and Family Centre at 1117 Gerrard St E!
The affordable homes for seniors will be operated by WoodGreen Community Services, and the EarlyON Child and Family Centre will provide opportunities for children from birth to six years of age to participate in play and inquiry-based programs, and support parents and caregivers in their roles.
This project was funded in part through the City's Open Door Program, which works to accelerate affordable housing construction by providing City financing contributions like capital funding, property tax relief, and other similar methods.
This type of collaboration between levels of government, and the non-profit sector will be instrumental in helping our City meet our Housing TO 2020-2030 Action Plan goals.
Welcoming the Delivery of 59 New Permanent Modular Homes at 540 Cedarvale Ave
Today, I joined Mayor John Tory, Councillor Brad Bradford, and MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith to welcome the delivery of 59 new permanent modular homes at 540 Cedarvale Avenue in the Beaches-East York area!
These new permanent homes are being built with modular construction on what was formerly a parking lot, and are a part of Phase Two of the Modular Housing Initiative that was approved by City Council on April 30th 2020!
The homes will provide 24/7 support services for residents who were experiencing homelessness, including Women, Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, and persons with disabilities, and are part of our ongoing efforts to improve the supply of affordable and supportive housing in our City.
City further expands Pilot Program to Collect Dog Waste in Street Litter Bins
In May 2021, the City launched a pilot program to test the collection of dog waste in 10 street litter bins across Toronto. This pilot was then expanded in August to 38 bins to reach more dog owners across the City.
On Tuesday, the City announced phase three of the pilot program, which will run for six months and will include a total of 100 bins. During the first two phases, approximately 60 per cent of the organic waste usually put in garbage or recycling compartments in street litter bins was put in the dog waste compartment, successfully reducing the amount of dog waste going to landfills.
After the pilot is complete, the City will review the results, and determine next steps. A full list of pilot bin locations can be found here.
Spring Cleanups Across Davenport Were A Success
Spring community cleanups took place across Davenport this past weekend, and community members came together in a spirit of unity to clean up parks and playgrounds in our communities. I want to thank all organizers and residents from across Davenport who participated in the various spring cleanups that took place this past weekend including at the
- Bloordale Spring Cleanup At McGregor Playground
- The North Corso Community Cleanup
- The Dovercourt Park Cleanup and
- The Fairbank Village Community Cleanup
Upcoming Community Events
Davenport Environment Day This Sunday May 1st from 10am to 2pm!
Our first Environment Day will take place this Sunday May 1st at Dufferin Mall (900 Dufferin Street) from 10:00 am to 2:00pm! Residents will be able to safely dispose of various hazardous items, donate items in good condition for reuse, as well as pick up bagged compost!
Upcoming Compost Days in May & June
During Compost Days, residents are able to pick up free compost for use! We will be hosting compost days at various locations throughout Davenport in the coming months, and I encourage interested residents to stop by. The compost will be unbagged, so residents will need to bring their own containers and shovels.
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