October 29, 2020
Dear Neighbours,
COMING SOON: SCARBOROUGH-GUILDWOOD TOWN HALL WITH MAYOR JOHN TORY
Please join me, Hon. John McKay M.P., Mitzie Hunter M.P.P. and Mayor John Tory for another Scarborough-Guildwood Live Town Hall on Monday November 2nd at 7:00pm!
Please submit your questions by TOMORROW October 30th at 4pm:
As we continue to fight against of COVID-19, it is very important that we continue to take steps for self-protection, including, practicephysical distancing, wash hands as often as possible, wear a mask or face covering where mandatory or when physical distancing cannot be maintained, consider only leaving home for essential activities such as work, education and fresh air and exercise. As much as possible, residents are asked to limit contact with people not in the same household and to remain at home when ill.
Getting a flu shot is one of the best ways to protect yourself and others from the flu. It is especially important this year to help protect our healthcare system during the fight against COVID-19. Learn more about the flu online at www.toronto.ca/flu and book your flu shot appointment at www.tphbookings.ca
Stay safe and follow Public Health advice this Halloween. Torontonians have been called to take a different approach to Halloween this year to help stop the spread of COVID-19, including recommending against door-to-door trick-or-treating. There are several fun and creative alternative ways to celebrate Halloween this year, including encouraging kids to dress up and participate in virtual activities; organize a Halloween candy hunt with people living in their own household; carving pumpkins and more.
City of Toronto COVID-19 Case Update: (Data as of October 28, 2020) There has been an increase of 447* COVID-19 cases in the City of Toronto. Through the pandemic the City of Toronto has seen a total of 27,961 cases of COVID-19, of these, 23,312 cases have recovered, an increase of 292 cases from the day before. There are 127 people currently hospitalized, an increase of 8 cases from the day before. To this date, there have been 1,362 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto, an increase of 4 deaths from the day before. Case status data can be found on the City’s reporting platform. Province of Ontario status of COVID-19 Cases can be found here.
*The latest reported case count of 447 is not a single day record but is the result of an unusually high amount of data being input after staff illnesses and deployment of other staff of training on the new provincial software system for case and contact management. This batching of data entry accounts for 100 cases, which, if not included, would have been consisted with the level of recent case counts, in the low to mid-300 range.
City of Toronto launches MoveTO action plan to help manage congestion and build more resilient and safer transportation system. The plan, which will be considered at the Infrastructure and Environment Committee meeting on Thursday, November 5, proposes five key measures that will help make the City’s transportation system more resilient in response to the effects of COVID-19 on Toronto’s overall transportation network. The five key proposed actions that can launch starting next year include ‘Smart’ traffic signals, ‘Intelligent’ intersection, Advanced Transit Signal Priority (ATSP), Continue and grow the Construction Hub Pilot Program and Transportation Demand Management Strategy. The full interim MoveTO report is available online. More information can be read in the news release.
Ward 22 Scarborough-Agincourt by-election candidate nominations and third-party advertiser registrations open October 29. Toronto Election Services will receive nominations for the Friday, January 15, 2021 by-election for the office of Councillor, Ward 22 Scarborough-Agincourt, from Thursday October 29 to Tuesday December 1.More information can be read in the news release.
REMINDER: Tomorrow is th last day for low-income seniors and people living with disabilities to apply for tax, water and solid waste relief. Visit this website for eligibility requirements and more.
Transition to EI and new Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB). The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was created to provide an immediate and necessary temporary response to support Canadians, providing up to 28 weeks of income support to those who had to stop working due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of Canada began transitioning Canadians back to the Employment Insurance (EI) program on September 27, 2020, when some workers began to reach their 28-week maximum of the CERB. Find more on the transition to EI and CRB here.
The Toronto BIA Office is now accepting applications for Stream 6 of the BIA Innovation Fund. Awards range from $5000 to $25000. Finding is Limited. Descriptions of projects previously funded under the program can be found here, along with feature stories. Special consideration will be given to projects that address economic support and recovery in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Deadline to apply is Thursday December 10th, 2020 4:30pm. Apply NOW.
Celebrate World Lemur Day tomorrow October 30th from the comfort of your living room. Ontario non-profit Planet Madagascar has partnered with your Toronto Zoo and The University of Toronto Scarborough on a virtual World Lemur Day festival. Hosted by Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, the event will feature behind-the-scenes visits with rare and endangered primates; a trip to Madagascar to learn more about conservation in action; and discussions with conservationists, scientists, and authors.
Vision Zero is hosting a Virtual Senior Safety Zone Review for Lawrence Ave E and Markham Rd on Friday November 13 from 2pm to 3pm. You can join by phone or computer! For more information and how to register please visit this website.
Scarborough Swim Team is hosting a Halloween Food Drive on Saturday October 31st from 7:15am to 7:45am and 8:45am to 9:15am in the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre North Parking Lot, 875 Morningside Ave . This food drive will support Feed Scarborough, a Scarborough Food Security Initiative. Visit this post for more information.
The Toronto Police Service would like to invite members of the public to apply for one of 12 positions on its Community Advisory Panel for Race-Based Data (RBD) Collection, Analysis and Reporting Policy. The panel will meet four times a year, starting January 2021, to provide the Service with advice on the analysis, interpretation and dissemination of Race and Identity Based Data Collection. Interested applicants can apply online . The application process will close on October 30, 2020. More information can be read in the news release.
The Toronto Police Services Board (Board) is pleased to invite members of the public to a Public Consultation on the draft Body-Worn Camera (BWC) Policy. You can provide written comments to the Board online. Submissions should be submitted no later than November 5, 2020. Submissions will form part of the public record and will be made public on the Board’s website at a later date.
Community-Based Crisis Response Model Development Survey. The City of Toronto is looking to re-imagine ways of responding to crisis calls that are collaborative, innovative and grounded in community needs and desires. To do this, the City wants to understand your priorities for what a community-based crisis response could look like. Complete this online survey before November 9, 2020.
Scarborough Arts wants your work for their 35th Annual Juried Exhibition! Visual art, writing, and poetry submissions are all accepted by October 30. They’re also bringing back a community favourite: THE BIG ART BOOK! Selected AJE submissions will be automatically eligible for a feature in this 2020 online publication.
Scarborough Civic Action Network (SCAN) 2020-21 Action Mandate Survey. SCAN is seeking broad community input from Scarborough residents and stakeholders to decide SCAN’s 2020-21 Action Mandate. Please visit this LINK to fill out the survey by October 31, 2020.
CafeTO Survey EXTENDED. We want your feedback on CaféTO! We need your input on possible changes, improvements, and other supports for the program. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and share. Please visit this LINK to fill out the survey by October 31, 2020.
Please click here for a list of food banks and soup kitchens in the Ward 24
Please click here for a list of food banks in East Scarborough
Please click here for a list of food banks in Scarborough
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.
Check out all Scarborough-Guildwood’s past Live Town Meetings on my YouTube channel!
Scarborough-Guildwood’s Live Town Halls provide the community with up to date information, supports and resources throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boys’ and Girls’ Club of East Scarborough Scoop
Check out the ESBGC latest Bi-Weekly School HERE. Subscribe HERE.
insidehousing: News from Toronto Community Housing
Check out their latest issue HERE. Subscribe HERE.
BusinessTO Newsletter: BusinessTO’s upcoming webinars and online events
Check out their latest newsletter HERE. Subscribe HERE.
*NEW* What’s On at the Library: Home Edition
Check out the latest copy HERE. Subscribe HERE. Fall TPL live and online programming is available online.
Our KGO Updates: East Scarborough Storefront’s crowd-sourced e-newsletter
Check out their latest issue HERE. Subscribe HERE. Please take a moment to fill out this Community Check-In Survey!
TDSB Trustee Update by Ward 19 Scarborough-Guildwood Trustee Zakir Patel
Check out the latest issue HERE. Subscribe HERE.
Toronto Zoo Press Releases
Latest issue HERE. Contact achambers@torontozoo.ca to subscribe.
Confronting Anti-Black Racism Summer Newsletter 2020
To read the latest news from the City’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit please click here.
City of Toronto Waste Wizard. The City of Toronto’s Waste Wizard helps you find out what waste items go where! You can visit the Waste Wizard online or download the TOwaste app.
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
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 www.toronto.ca/covid-19/ for answers to common questions before contacting the Toronto Public Health COVID-19 Hotline or 311.
The City of Toronto’s website can be translated into many languages using the GoogleTM Translate tool. This tool gives residents and visitors who speak other languages a way of accessing City information featured on the website. To change languages on the City of Toronto website, please click here: www.toronto.ca/home/translate/
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