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

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