Dear Emma,
My Virtual Town Hall on the next steps that the Ford government must take to address intimate partner violence (IPV) in Ontario is less than a week away! If you haven’t RSVP’d, the time is now:
I am honoured that an incredible group of leading advocates from across Ontario are sharing their time and insights with us. They will provide brief presentations, and then the event will be turned over to you - the audience! You will have a chance to share your feedback and ideas and ask the panellists questions. We strive to build stronger communities through conversation and collaboration. You will leave with a deeper understanding of how we can all work together to end IPV, along with other clear next steps.
The leading advocates who will be joining us are:
- Pamela Cross, Feminist Lawyer and author of “And Sometimes They Kill You”
- Erin Lee, Executive Director of Lanark County Interval House
- Marlee Liss, Founder of Survivors for Justice Reform and author of “Re-Humanize”
- Andrea Vásquez Jiménez, Community & Electoral Political Organizer Director of Policing-Free Schools
- Ololade Aje, Student Trustee, Durham Catholic District School Board
- Pamela Hart, Executive Director of Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto
- MPP Alexa Gilmour, Shadow Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity
Ontario doesn’t need another report. We need government action and accountability. I hope you will join us.
Virtual Town Hall on IPV
Date: Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Time: 7 PM
So many people in Ontario need our government to give a damn about them. From survivors of IPV to those living on our streets, the family struggling to put food on the table, the need is massive. That is why I want to share a good news story with you today.
On Wednesday, I had the honour and privilege of visiting Journey Home Hospice at 90 Shuter Street. I was overwhelmed by the love and care oozing from every inch of this facility, and so proud that it is located in the heart of our riding.
Journey Home Hospice provides wraparound and trauma-informed end-of-life care for people who, before they called Journey Home their home, were unhoused or precariously housed.
I want you to imagine for a moment: you are living on the streets or couchsurfing, you are more than likely a senior, and you have been told by a doctor that you have less than 6 months to live. That would feel pretty hopeless, wouldn’t it? But then, imagine again that you are told that you won’t be spending the end of your life in a hospital or out on the street. There is a place for you at Journey Home, a hospice that understands your unique needs and will treat you with warmth, love, and humanity.
Ontarians at the end of their life deserve loving, personal, and high-quality hospice care. Care in a place that feels like home. And that is exactly what I saw at Journey Home. During my visit, I was welcomed by kind and personable healthcare workers and volunteers who spoke about their clients and their place of work with reverence.
Not everything at Journey Home is rosy. Of course, people die there. Patients who are eligible for Journey Home have had difficult and traumatic lives. They often struggle with mental health and substance use. That is not shied away from. I was proudly shown the secure medication cart and fridge where doctor-prescribed narcotics and alcohol were stored. The clinical focus here for those who use substances is preventing withdrawal and managing symptoms. At the end of life, it is all about comfort and dignity.
The things that stuck with me the most were the little things: the blanket warming machine that meant residents always had access to coziness, the volunteer pulling a freshly baked apple crisp out of the oven in the community kitchen, and the care menu that offered a hand massage or a conversation about legacy on a hard day. This place is about so much more than healthcare: it is about honouring the full person, the life they lived, and the life they are still living.
I want to thank Matthew, Felicia, and all of the staff, volunteers and residents at Journey Home for welcoming me into their space and showing me that dignity and care at the end of life are for everyone.
Journey Home is creating a model that must be properly funded and replicated across Ontario. They already have a satellite location in Windsor and are in contact with other hospices caring for this patient population. I am so proud of their work and looking forward to championing hospice care for all at Queen’s Park. To learn more about their services and volunteer opportunities, click here.
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
| In This Newsletter |
- You’re Invited: Community Iftar
- Coffee with Kristyn in Corktown
- Doly Begum’s Departure
- Toronto Police Arrests
- Grocery Prices Don’t Have To Be This High!
- Chronic Hospital Underfunding Risks Lives
- Ford’s TDSB Supervisor Scraps Class Size Caps
- Youth in Custody Deserve Dignity
- Black History Month in Toronto Centre
- What’s Making Headlines
- Local Community Events
| You’re Invited: Community Iftar |
You're invited to a Community Iftar Party!
Join me for an evening of spiritual reflection, delicious dinner, and warm company as we break fast together.
Date: Friday, February 20, 2026
Location: 150 River Street - Main Floor Party Room
Community Market: 3 - 8 PM
Iftar: 5 PM onwards
RSVP is required to reserve your seat. All are welcome!
| Coffee With Kristyn - Queen Street East |
Come join me at the beloved Roozamoon Cafe, 398 Queen St East on Wednesday, February 11th, from 10 AM to 12 PM.
Click here to book your 15-minute meeting slot!
Afterwards, we will have a 30-minute roundtable for anyone who wants to stay and continue speaking with a larger group. Stay tuned as we announce upcoming locations and dates.
| Doly Begum’s Departure |
As many of you will have seen, Doly Begum resigned as MPP for Scarborough Southwest on Tuesday. She will be running federally for the Liberals in Scarborough Southwest in a byelection that will be called soon.
This news was very hard for me and many New Democrats to hear. Doly has been a personal friend and colleague for many years. I wish her well in the journey ahead.
Scarborough Southwest has strong and deep connections to the ONDP. The MPP constituency staff are valued members of the ONDP caucus team and continue to serve local residents without any interruption. A provincial byelection will be called in the weeks ahead, and the ONDP looks forward to continuing to serve the great people of Scarborough Southwest.
| Toronto Police Arrests |
Like many of you, I have been carefully watching the developing story of the eight Toronto Police officers (seven current and one retired) who we learned last night were arrested on multiple serious charges.
I want to begin by commending York Regional Police and the more than 400 officers across multiple services who dedicated months of painstaking work to this investigation.
This investigation touches on the trust Ontarians place in law enforcement, and demands a thorough, unobstructed public oversight investigation concurrent with this criminal investigation. This is a deeply troubling situation. We must see real accountability, consequences, transparency, and systemic change from this process so that trust in our province’s law enforcement and justice system isn’t further eroded. This will be a long road, but one that must be walked.
|
Grocery Prices Don’t Have To Be This High! |
We all know the feeling: you do your regular shop at a big three grocery store and then bam! You get to the checkout and are hit with a bill that can’t possibly be right. Suddenly, you are paying double digits for a bag of apples and $3 for a grapefruit?
Marit Stiles breaks down the issues in this informative and funny video she shared on socials, which you can watch here!
Grocery prices have been rising faster than inflation at the big three grocery chains, meanwhile, small mom-and-pop grocers are finding ways to keep prices low and deliver high-quality products to their customers.
Right now, there is no mechanism to hold big-box stores accountable. But it doesn’t have to be this way. In Manitoba, the NDP government just froze milk prices! An Ontario NDP government will bring in a consumer watchdog to guard against price gouging and other unfair practices, so that something like the bread price fixing scandal doesn’t happen again.
| Chronic Hospital Underfunding Risks Lives |
Chronic hospital underfunding by the Ford government is driving hallway medicine and putting patients at serious risk across Ontario. This isn’t news to anyone, but to get results, we must keep pushing. We all know someone who has waited a full day to be seen in the ER or was put on a stretcher in the hallway when they were critically ill. These events are not random. They are what happens when a government knowingly underfunds hospitals year after year.
This government was warned. They were shown the data. They heard from workers and hospital leaders. And they chose not to act. Hallway medicine exists because the Ford government allows it.
And now, not only is Ford not taking action, but they are refusing to share data about hallway healthcare numbers. To rebuild our public healthcare system, we need transparency, accountability, and action. Instead, we are getting secrecy and inaction.
This government’s inaction means that healthcare workers and patients are paying the price. Nurses and doctors are doing everything they can, but you cannot run hospitals at crisis capacity forever and expect people not to get hurt. The best time to fix this situation was 10 years ago, but the second-best time is today.
|
Ford’s TDSB Supervisor Scraps Class Size Caps |
Ford’s appointed TDSB supervisor has decided that hard class size caps are no longer needed in grades 4-8. I don’t know if any of them have ever been in a classroom, but that is categorically false.
The Ministry of Education has a class size policy that states that class sizes within a given board must not, on average, exceed certain caps. For grades 4-8 that cap is 24.5 students. However, there is no hard cap on the number of students in any given classroom.
The TDSB decided to set its own hard cap of 32 students per grade 4-8 class to ensure there are no ultra-large outlier classes. Ontario students and teachers deserve a safe learning and working environment.
Education workers, parents, students, and experts tell us that smaller class sizes lead to more individualized support for students, fewer fights, and greater safety for everyone.
Right now, our public education system needs adequate funding, class-size caps, capital repair plans, and more caring adults in the classroom to support kids' learning.
Instead, since the Ford Conservatives came to power, they’ve cut $6.3 billion from education. Meanwhile, teachers are buying their own paper. Children are sitting on the floor because there are too many kids in their classroom. This is what Doug Ford and Paul Calandra think our kids deserve.
If you are as fired up about this as I am, I encourage you to attend our Shadow Education Minister MPP Chandra Pasma’s Emergency Education Town Hall on Feb 9 at 7 PM.
RSVP here: Hands Off Our Schools Emergency Townhall: Stop the Takeovers, Fund Education
|
Youth in Custody Deserve Dignity |
Doug Ford must immediately address disturbing reports of ongoing strip searches at the Roy McMurtry Youth Centre: the province’s largest youth detention facility.
Provincial regulations around strip searches were tightened in 2023, but multiple accounts of systemic strip searches have emerged, including an instance of a teen being searched four times in less than 48 hours.
Doug Ford’s crisis in our youth justice system is hurting youth in custody and violating their rights. What will it take for this government to listen to youth, workers, and Ontarians calling for change? What will it take for youth justice facilities to be properly resourced to ensure youth and workers are safe?
For years, New Democrats have sounded the alarm about Ontario’s youth justice system. Each time, the Premier has ignored our calls to address the chronic understaffing and unsafe conditions. Ford and Minister Parsa must ensure that the human rights of both youth and workers are strictly safeguarded. This can’t be ignored.
A child’s well-being should be the primary concern, no matter where they are. Ontario’s youth justice system must be a safe environment for youth and workers. Anything less is pure neglect.
|
Black History Month in Toronto Centre |
February is here, and that means Black History Month is in full swing! I am so excited to profile black-owned businesses and events celebrating Black history all month long.
First, I want to spotlight the work being done by Regent Park TV to highlight Black stories in February and all year long! RPTV has started off with the above interview with local community advocate, educator, and broadcaster Murphy Browne. Click here to watch.
BGC Toronto Kiwanis is hosting their Black History Month Community Celebration on Feb 21, 2026—a large-scale community-led event bringing together 250+ attendees, including youth, families, artists, entrepreneurs, community orgs, and civic leaders.
I am so excited to attend this celebration and enjoy the creativity and artistry of Black youth in our communities. We will be wowed by youth-led performances, cultural showcases, community awards, and opportunities to connect across Regent Park, Cabbagetown, and St. Jamestown. I hope to see you there!
Are you a Black youth who wants to participate? Register to perform here.
Toronto Kiwanis will also recognize the winners of its Black Excellence Awards at the event. Nominate an amazing Black young person here.
| What's Making Headlines |
Ontario NDP names Ali Chatur as Provincial Director
Toronto Centre Tenants Union holds training session amidst rising rent pressures
Thousands of people want to double size of historic Toronto attraction
Development Application in Regent Park South
Why bestselling author Rowan Jetté Knox sold his home to open a queer café in Toronto's Village
| Upcoming Community Events |
| TCHC Community Support Initiative: Applications Open! |
Toronto Community Housing is accepting applications for the 2026 Regent Park Community Initiative Support program. The program provides financial assistance to initiatives led by community groups within Regent Park. You can request up to $2,000.
Application deadline: Monday, February 9, 2026
Application details: Community Initiative Support
| Family Day Skate at the Regent Park Ice Rink |
The Friends of Regent Park, in partnership with the Regent Park Community Centre, Councillor Chris Moise, and the Toronto Police Services, is hosting a Family Day Skating event!
Date: Saturday, February 14, 2026
Time: 1 PM to 4 PM
Location: Regent Park Ice Rink (480 Shuter St.)
Skates and helmets will be available for FREE on a first-come, first-served basis. It will be an afternoon filled with fun, music, games and activities.
| Lunar New Year at Queen’s Park with NIP |
Join me and Neighbourhood Information Post for a fun-filled Lunar New Year Reception at Queen’s Park! You won't want to miss the lion dance!
Date: Monday, February 23
Time: 6 - 8:30 PM
Location: Queen’s Park Main Legislative Building, Rooms 228-230.
RSVP here to be added to the visitors list.
| Petition: Expand the Allan Gardens Greenhouse |
🌼 Friends of Allan Gardens just launched their petition to expand the Allan Gardens greenhouses! 🌼
With this expansion, they can scale up their existing cross-cultural and cross-generational work: the farmers' market, food-growing that supports food banks, horticultural education, venue space, and Indigenous-focused programming like language keeping and storytelling.
They are aiming for 10,000 signatures and need your help!
Click here to sign and share with your networks.
| Participate in Jamii’s PASI Photo Exhibition |
PASI is a large-scale outdoor community photo exhibition led by Jamii, taking place along Toronto’s Esplanade promenade from May to July 2026. The project brings together Torontonians of all ages to reflect how people from around the world live side by side in one city.
Meaning “a soccer pass” in Swahili, PASI will feature a continuous chain of portraits in which participants symbolically pass a ball from one image to the next. Installed between the Distillery District and St. Lawrence Market, the exhibition includes 48 large-scale outdoor portraits representing countries participating in the 2026 tournament.
Click here to sign up and have your portrait taken for this community art exhibit!
| St Lawrence Waste Reduction REmarket |
The SLNA Waste Reduction Group is hosting its 15th REmarket event on February 11 and 12, 2026. This event has a direct, tangible impact on both the environment and the social welfare of our local communities, and you can widen that impact. New items being added to the growing recycling list at the upcoming REmarket include: hearing aids, elastic bands and non-synthetic corks. On February 11, stop by to participate in their FreeMarket, where anyone can drop off gently used items and take home items free of charge (not for commercial resale).
On February 12, bring your items in need of repair to the Repair Cafe. Items such as clothing, jewelry, small appliances, electronics, and bikes can be fixed free of charge by local volunteers.
Learn more about the event, as well as recycling and donation guidelines here: REmarket Guidelines
Dates and Times:
February 11, donation 10 AM - 7 PM, FreeMarket 10 AM - 6 PM
February 12, donation 10 AM - 6 PM, Repair Cafe 11 AM - 3 PM
Location: St Lawrence Market Tent, 125 The Esplanade
| Youth 4 Future Launch |
Youth 4 the Future (Y4F) is a youth-led SDG Accelerator and Civic Incubator empowering Canadians (ages 15–29) to translate global goals into tangible local action. The campaign provides interactive workshops, mentorship, and networking opportunities to develop youth leadership and civic engagement skills. Participants will gain access to our exclusive Youth Incubator Program, digital resources, and a Certificate of Leadership for attending the full event.
Location: Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre, 647 Queens Quay W, Toronto
Date: March 1, 2026
Time: 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
| Ontario NDP Iftar at Queen's Park |
The Ontario Official Opposition and NDP Leader, Marit Stiles, is honoured to invite you to an Iftar on Wednesday, March 4, at Queen’s Park.
As the sun sets, community members will come together to break fast and share in a serene evening in the spirit of Ramadan. The program will run from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, allowing time for our community to participate in Taraweeh at their local mosques.
Date: Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Time: 5 – 7 PM
Location: Queen’s Park, Main Legislative Building (south entrance), 111 Wellesley Street West, Toronto
Please RSVP here to be added to the guest list.
| Share Your Thoughts: Surveys Informing Regent Park Strategic Plan |
The Regent Park Neighbourhood Association (RPNA), with assistance from Endeavor Consulting, is developing a three-year strategic plan.
Regent Park residents are invited to participate by completing a short survey and participating in a small focus group discussion.
Focus Groups:
Virtual focus groups are being convened for the following stakeholder groups:
- Market Tenants
- TCHC Tenants
- Community Partners
- RPNA Board Members
To participate in a focus group, reach out to Hanieh Shams Kolahi, Engagement Manager, Endeavour Consulting: [email protected]
Surveys:
| Toronto Centre Leadership Awards - Nominations Open |
Do you know a phenomenal leader in your community who deserves recognition?
Kristyn Wong-Tam will present six people with the prestigious Toronto Centre Leadership Award in June 2026.
This honour recognizes individuals who have made a profound and lasting contribution to the Toronto Centre community in any field. This can include the arts, politics, community building, healthcare, and beyond!
|
Outside Mural & Street Art Program |
Applications are now open for the City of Toronto’ Outside Mural & Street Art Program!
Business associations and community groups with strong local participation can receive one-time funding of up to $7,500 for outdoor murals projects. Eligible costs include artist fees, materials, installation, and equipment rental. Applicants are responsible for ongoing maintenance.
As a FIFA host city, special consideration will be given to murals celebrating the tournament and the city’s theme, “World in a City.” Selected proposals must follow FIFA branding and IP rules.
Deadline: Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 11:59 pm. Details here.
| Statistics Canada is Hiring for the 2026 Census |
The next Census of Population will take place in May 2026. Census data provides a detailed statistical picture of the country’s people and places every five years, vital for government, businesses, and communities to plan essential services, determine electoral district boundaries, allocate funds, understand changing demographics, and support informed decisions for a thriving Canada.
Statistics Canada is hiring approximately 32,000 people across Canada to help residents complete their census questionnaires. Applications are now being accepted for supervisory and non-supervisory positions across the country. Details here.
