August 17, 2021 Update
Dear Neighbours,
I would like to thank all Team Toronto partners for making getting vaccinated against COVID-19 as easy as possible and thank you Toronto for rolling up your sleeves and getting vaccinated. If you haven’t booked your first or second COVID-19 dose, you can now walk-in to any of the City-run vaccination clinics. Details are available at www.toronto.ca/covid19.
*NEW* Ontario makes COVID-19 vaccination policies mandatory for high-risk settings – News Release. The provincial government is taking action to increase protection for our most vulnerable. Vaccination policies will be required for settings such as hospitals, home and community care service providers, and must be effective no later than September 7, 2021. These policies will require individuals to provide proof of full vaccination, a medical reason for not being vaccinated against COVID-19 or completion of a COVID-19 vaccination education session.
Vaccination policies will also be implemented in other high-risk settings such as post-secondary institutions, licensed retirement homes, women’s shelters, congregate group homes and day programs for adults, and children’s treatment centres.
The government has also announced that it is pausing the province’s exit from the Roadmap to Reopen, and will continue to monitor the data to determine when it is safe to exit the Roadmap and lift the majority of public health measures currently in place.
The province will begin offering third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to those at highest-risk, providing them with an extra layer of protection against the Delta variant. This includes transplant recipients, patients with hematological cancers, recipients of an anti-CD20 agent and residents of high-risk congregate settings.
In addition, to further support a safer return to school, as of Wednesday, August 18, 2021, all children turning 12 years old before the end of 2021 will be eligible to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and can book their appointment through the provincial booking system, their public health unit, pharmacies or walk-in to a vaccination clinic.
*NEW* Toronto Public Health reporting more than 98 per cent of hospitalized COVID-19 patients not fully vaccinated – News Release. Since, May 1, 98.7 per cent of hospitalized COVID-19 cases with known vaccination status were not fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated people have greater protection against COVID-19 than unvaccinated people, including against the Delta variant.
*NEW* Toronto Public Health launches #VaxTOCampus campaign to promote vaccination in post-secondary settings – News Release. To enable the safest return to campus for staff, students and faculty of post-secondary education institutions and student residences, TPH and local health partners are working towards achieving the highest possible vaccinations as quickly as possible. This #VaxTOCampus campaign is in an effort to increase COVID-19 vaccine confidence and uptake in post-secondary settings.
City of Toronto COVID-19 Case & Vaccination Update: (Data as of August 17, 2021) Case status and vaccination dose data can be found on the City’s reporting platform.
| 128 – Newly Reported COVID-19 Cases 1,215 – Total number of Active COVID-19 Cases 20 – Hospitalized Cases (Cumulative) 172,353 – Number of COVID-19 Cases in Toronto (Cumulative) | 167,521 – Number of Recovered COVID-19 Cases in Toronto 3,617 – Number of COVID-19 Fatal Cases in Toronto 4,460,534 COVID-19 – Vaccine doses administered in Toronto |
Scarborough Health Network One-Day Pop-Ups – 1st and 2nd Dose. These clinics will be vaccinating individuals for 1st Dose: Ages 12+; for Pfizer 2nd Dose: 1st dose of Pfizer 21+ days ago or AstraZeneca 8+ weeks ago; for Moderna 2nd Dose: 1st dose of Moderna 28+ days ago or Pfizer 21+ days ago or AstraZeneca 8+ weeks ago.
- Aug 20 | 1pm to 8pm | Agincourt Mall, 3850 Sheppard Ave E
- Aug 20 & 21 | 12pm to 6pm | Bridlewood Mall, 2900 Warden Ave
- Aug 20 & 21 | 12pm to 6pm | Golden Mile Shopping Centre, 1880 Eglinton Ave E
- Aug 20 & 21 | 12pm to 6pm | Cedarbrae Mall, 3495 Lawrence Ave E
- Aug 20 & 21 | 12pm to 6pm | Parkway Mall, 85 Ellesmere Rd
Tickets will be provided for same-day appointments on a first come, first served basis. Please bring ID or document with your address or proof of employment, a health card if you have one and your first dose vaccination receipt. Full details at www.scarbvaccine.ca
Scarborough Health Network Community Vaccine Clinic & Eligibility: Eligible individuals can book now at www.scarbvaccine.ca
COVID-19 Pharmacy Vaccine Locations & Eligibility: Full details on eligibility and pharmacy locations administering the COVID-19 vaccine can be found here.
Where to get accurate COVID-19 information:
- City of Toronto’s COVID-19 Vaccines webpage
- VaxTO: Text “VACCINE” to 1-833-750-0888 for COVID-19 vaccine resources
- SHN VaxFacts Clinic – website or contact vaxfactsclinic@shn.ca or 416-438-2911 ext. 5738.
- City of Toronto COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Location Map
- City of Toronto’s Vaccine Equity Transportation Plan
- Vaccine Coverage by Neighbourhood in the City of Toronto
- Public Health Agency of Canada – The Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines
- COVID-19 Assessment Centres, Pop-Ups and Mobile Testing. Use this map to find a testing location near you.
- NEW: Real Talk with Real People – www.realtalkcovid.com
The City of Toronto is in Step Three of the province’s Roadmap to Reopen. Full details on Step Three restrictions are available on the “Reopening” Ontario webpage. Please review the City’s COVID-19 Reopening Guide for Toronto Residents for a list of activities permitted in Step Three.
Toronto News
YouthLink LGBTQ2S+ Scarborough Needs Assessment Survey – Scarborough Youth (aged 12-29) and community service providers are encouraged to provide their feedback about their experiences on what’s working, what’s not working, and how you feel the 2SLGBTQ+ experience in Scarborough could improve. For the Youth Survey click here. For the Service Provider Survey click here.
Parents Engaged in Education is collecting School Supplies to send 1000 low-income students back to school! On August 21 and 22, volunteers from Parents Engaged in Education will be outside the Toronto Zoo Entrance collecting donations of school supplies to send to kids before the school year starts. Backpacks and lunch bags are needed most. See their flyer here.
Church of the Holy Trinity, Guildwood – Operation Backpack! Youth attending The Native Learning Centre East located at Sir Wilfrid Laurier CI are in need of donated school supplies such as backpacks, water bottles, lunch containers, binders, calculators, glue sticks, pencil crayons, duo tangs, folders, rulers, erasers, loose leaf paper, pencils, tape, masks and more. Please bring the donated items to the Church lobby, 85 Livingston Rd by August 22, 2021.
Register for the DineTOgether! Running from September 17 to October 3, DineTOgether will showcase a diversity of Toronto’s restaurants offering two course feature menus for $15 to $50 in $5 increments. Interested restaurant owners/operators can register until August 31 online here. Restaurant listings and menus will be available in September here.
Community Events
- Backpack Giveaway by Scarborough Compassion Ministry & Metro East Regional Youth Association
August 19, 2021 | 3pm-6pm | Scarborough Seventh Day Adventist Church – 4350 Lawrence Ave East.
Parents must bring their children with them in order to receive bags
Click here to view their flyer
- Bat Monitoring Walks in Cedarbrook Park with the Friends of Cedarbrook Park & Thomson Memorial Parks
August 20 and September 9 | Cedarbrook Community Centre, Parking lot, 81 Eastpark Blvd
Updates: www.friendsctmparks.wordpress.com. Questions: friendscedarbrookthomsonparks@gmail.com
- COVID-19 Vaccination Webinar for Youth Serving Organizations
Register: August 23
Full details are available here.
- SHN Foundation x STC Drive-In Theatre
August 26 & 27, 2021
- Scarborough Women’s Centre Summer Pop-up Webinars
August 25| 2:30pm-4:00pm | Body Positivity w/ Ms. Nadya Lim-Douglas
September 14 | 2:30pm-4:00pm | The 3M’s To A Happier State of Mind w/ Ms. Cindy
Review the webinar schedule and registration details here.
- NEW: The 8Th Annual Back to School Supply & Car Show
August 29 | 12pm-3pm | The East Scarborough Storefront, 4040 Lawrence Ave E
Register by calling 416-208-9889 or email info@thestorefront.org by August 27 at 5pm
See this post for more details.
Please click here for a list of food banks and soup kitchens in 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.
I am continuously updating my social media platforms and my website:
You can also reach me by telephone at 416-396-7222 or email me at councillor_ainslie@toronto.ca
All my Best,
Paul