April 24, 2020
Dear Neighbours,
I want to thank everyone for your efforts during this very difficult time. It is very important for all of us, to the best of our ability to follow the mandatory social distancing bylaw!
Please see the following update regarding COVID-19 key information and resources in the City of Toronto:
City of Toronto begins targeted spring cleanup across the city
Targeted spring cleanup will be taking place across the city over the next few weeks.
Unfortunately, the annual Clean Toronto Together community cleanup campaign was cancelled due to COVID-19. The public can do their part to help keep Toronto clean and safe by properly disposing of items in available street bins and not littering. You can also report litter hot spots to 311. In light of the COVID-19 situation, the City does not want the public handling items that have been discarded on the ground in Toronto’s public spaces or organizing community cleanup events. If residents find personal protective equipment or other trash discarded on their property, they are advised to use gloves to pick it up and to discard it in the garbage, along with the gloves and then wash their hands.
Saad Rafi appointed to lead the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild to begin planning post-COVID-19
Today, Mayor John Tory announced the start of Toronto’s Recovery and Rebuild Strategy including the establishment of an office led by Mr. Saad Rafi, with a public health strategy led by Dr. David Mowat. While the City’s priorities remain on reducing the spread of COVID-19, minimizing demand on the health care system, and ensuring the delivery of essential and critical City services, preparing Toronto for recovery and rebuild in the weeks and months to come must begin now. Decisions about timing of re-opening and relaxing current measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19 have not been determined and will be guided by advice from public health officials. For more information, please read the news release.
Sing for Canada this Sunday
The Canada Together initiative is asking everyone to sing the anthem on Sunday at 12 p.m. Visit canadatogether.com/en for more information.
City urges residents to stay focused on stopping the spread of COVID-19
As of this morning, there are 4,480 cases of COVID-19 in Toronto. Cases include 4,048 confirmed cases and 438 probable cases. There are 300 cases hospitalized, with 113 in intensive care units. We continue to see COVID-19 deaths; to date 238 people in Toronto have died from COVID-19. Case status data can be found on the City’s reporting platform. As the weekend approaches, residents are reminded of the importance of staying home and remaining focused on fighting COVID-19.
Update on enforcement activity
Enforcement of the City’s physical distancing bylaw and the Emergency Measures and Civil Protection Act orders is ongoing. Yesterday, the City received 483 complaints involving people using outdoor amenities or not practising physical distancing in parks. Bylaw and police officers issued five tickets – bringing the total number of tickets issued since April 3 to 489. Bylaw and police officers have spoken to close to 11,000 people in City parks about the closures and public health measures. The City also received 39 complaints yesterday related to non-essential businesses remaining open in contravention of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. Since March 24, Municipal Licensing & Standards and Toronto Public Health have issued 65 tickets and 141 notices to non-essential businesses.
How to Dispute a Ticket
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, new legislation and bylaws have been put in place which have not existed in the past. If you feel that you were wrongly ticketed, you have the option of requesting an early resolution meeting with a prosecutor and challenging it in court. You can do this by requesting early resolution meeting, or requesting a trial. For more information is available on the City’s website.
Eglinton GO Station
At Eglinton GO Station, the overnight drilling work that was scheduled for Sunday, April 26 and Monday, April 27 is cancelled. Drilling work can be expected during the daytime next week, however this overnight work is canceled. The purpose of this work is to install groundwater monitoring wells to collect and monitor groundwater quality information needed for the planned Eglinton GO Station Accessibility Upgrades Project.
Visit this website for the latest GO Transit, UP Express and Metrolinx-related COVID-19 news updates.
Please click here for a list of food banks and soup kitchens in the Ward 24
Please remember to call ahead to book to ensure they are properly stocked. For those interested in volunteering, food banks are always looking for volunteers, so please feel free to save and share this information.
Please click here for a list of food banks in Scarborough
Essential Government Information for COVID -19
Public Health’s information line & 311 are experiencing high call volumes. Residents can get the information they need online at www.toronto.ca
The City’s website has a tool that can translate pages into 51 different languages.
If you need info on COVID-19, please visit the following websites:
Official Global Travel Advisory
The City’s website is updated daily with the latest health advice, and information about City services and social supports. Check https://www.toronto.ca/covid-19/ for answers to common questions before contacting the Toronto Public Health COVID-19 Hotline or 311.
I am continuously updating my social media platforms and my website with up to date information:
Website: www.paulainslie.com
You can also reach me by: telephone at 416-396-7222 or email me at councillor_ainslie@toronto.ca
All my Best,
Paul