Dear Emma,
The new year has come in like a lion! We may now be facing a provincial and federal election before the month of May. Now is the time to hold on to your hats, stay informed, and get involved in your local communities.
As I’m sure you have heard by now, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that he will resign. He has also prorogued, or suspended, parliament until March 24. After that date, a federal election could happen at any point, especially since both Jagmeet Singh and Pierre Polievre have said they will table non-confidence motions as soon as possible and will not vote to support the government.
The NDP have done incredible work at the federal level over the past several years, bringing dental care and pharmacare to Canadians. Our federal party did the hard work of starting up those programs to bring dental care and access to medications to those who need it the most. These programs represent the most significant expansion to our healthcare system since Medicare and bring us several steps closer to true universal healthcare. The NDP also passed the Early Learning and Child Care Act to lower the price of child care along with anti-scab and sustainable jobs legislation to protect workers. These strides would never have occurred if the NDP had not held the threat of an election over the Liberals every day. All of those measures were opposed by both Liberals and Conservatives until the NDP forced the Liberals to enact them.
However, the NDP never intended the supply and confidence agreement to last forever. Eventually, the Liberals showed their true colours, as they always do, and the NDP couldn't look past their scandals and mistakes. It is time for a new government in Ottawa, and I am so glad that the NDP has already shown the kind of caring and effective government they will be.
At the same time as all of this drama is taking place at the Federal government, President-elect Trump is threatening to slap massive 25% tariffs on Canadian goods, providing Doug Ford with the cover he needs to seek a new mandate from Ontarians and send us back to the polls. This could happen any day now, as it is advantageous to Ford to have Ontarians go to the polls before the Federal election begins. But all of this is pure speculation. Only Ford and his insiders know when Ontarians will go to the polls.
Regardless of what the government decides, the Ontario NDP caucus and I are ready to run a campaign filled with positive, practical and ready-to-go solutions. The only thing that would make our campaign in Toronto Centre better is YOU!
Campaigns run on people power. I would love to see each and every one of you out knocking on doors with me. Let’s tell your friends and family about the significant policies of the Ontario NDP. Speak out on social media about the importance of getting out the vote, especially for first time voters. Let’s work together to elect the Ontario NDP and fix the things that has been broken by 30 years of Liberal and Conservative rule in the province.
Amidst all of this turmoil, we also need to take a moment to gather with our friends and neighbours. In that spirit, I’d love for you to join me in celebrating the possibilities of the year ahead at my New Year’s Levee.
Here are the details for your calendar:
When: Sunday, January 26, 2025
Time: 2 – 4 PM
Where: Daniels Spectrum
585 Dundas Street East
Toronto, ON M5A 2B7
We’ll have a selection of refreshments and snacks. The venue is wheelchair accessible, including washrooms.
Let’s celebrate the year ahead, including the Lunar New Year, with hope, positivity, and our shared power to create change. I can’t wait to see you there.
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
| In This Newsletter |
- Jarvis Collegiate Repair Backlogs
- Supporting Small Business - Wanda’s Pie In The Sky
- 2024 in Review
- Regent Park Community Centre’s Pancake Breakfast
- Ford Fails on Housing and Homelessness
- Pride Toronto’s 2025 Theme - ALL IN!
- This Week's Meetings
- This Week’s Headlines
- Local Community Events
| Jarvis Collegiate Repair Backlogs |
On Thursday, I returned to Jarvis Collegiate with ONDP Leader Marit Stiles and Trustee Dee Williams. Principal Stephen Bain highlighted the vibrant school community and revitalized the library and gym.
Ontario students deserve safe, fully operational and staffed schools so that they can receive the best education and learn about all career paths. I am so grateful to the principal, educators, and students we met, especially the grade 10 civics class, who are passionate about politics and asked the best questions!
We also observed important facilities that have been shut down for a decade or more, including two science labs, a greenhouse, an art room and a full industrial kitchen. Ontario’s Fiscal Watchdog, the Financial Accountability Office, warned in their December report that the Ford government was underfunding capital repairs needed in schools by $12.7 billion. What we saw at Jarvis CI is symptomatic of chronic Liberal and Conservative government underfunding in public education, leading to 85% of TDSB schools falling below the state of good repair.
| Supporting Small Business - Wanda’s Pie In The Sky |
Wanda’s Pie in the Sky is a longtime and beloved bakery in Kensington Market. I’ve known the owners, David and Wanda Beaver, for years. In fact, they used to be one of my suppliers when I owned a Timothy’s World Coffee franchise on Church Street. They’re responsible business people and exceptional pie makers. So when they reached out for assistance in December to correct an issue with City Hall, I was happy to lend my support as the Small Business Critic for the Ontario NDP.
At issue was an addition built during the pandemic to provide safe distancing for indoor dining. City Hall at that time was gripped with delivering rapid responses on critical issues during the extended state of emergency. Issuing permits was not one of the urgent core functions as City Council redeployed planning, building, transportation staff to shelter, housing and public health departments to fight the spread of COVID-19.
Caught in the middle of all this was Wanda’s Pie in the Sky who has been ordered to take down an expensive addition. Except the City’s notices were sent to their landlord and property owner but never forwarded to Wanda’s Pie as the commercial tenants. I asked David and Wanda not to tear down the addition, so we can work with the City to find an alternative solution. Thanks to Mayor Olivia Chow’s personal involvement, City staff will now be working with Wanda’s Pie to conditionally approve the addition. This is a big win! Thank you to everyone who came out to sign the petition, call their Councillor, enjoy a slice of pie, and support Wanda’s Pie in the Sky. It’s a great Toronto news story for the start of 2025!
|
2024 in Review |
2024 was a huge year, and I am so proud of all we have accomplished together as a community. At the end of last year, my team and I put together a year in review to capture all of the big events. You can view the entire thing here.
A few of my favourite moments of the year include when we:
- Moved second reading of the Gender Affirming Healthcare Act (which Ford voted down)
- My Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act passed second reading after Ford was forced to support it by community pressure
- Helped to save St. Bartholomew’s Children’s Centre
- Ontario NDP cracked open the Greenbelt scandal, revealing that Ford’s office used codewords to avoid detection
- Supported St James Town tenants through flooding, power outages, and landlord negligence
- Fought Ford’s sudden closure of the Ontario Science Centre, removing fencing by hand
- Worked alongside the community to bring Rastafest to Regent Park
- Listened to 100+ expert witnesses who affirm IPV is an epidemic in Ontario
- Rode my bike from Toronto to Montreal in support of HIV/AIDs research
- Lead community consultations around the Our London Family Act and countering Islamophobia
- Hosted a Small Business Roundtable to hear directly from business owners about the support they need
- Hosted a massive National Housing Day event at Queen’s Park, bringing over 200 advocates together
- Tabled my bill to fix Ontario’s tribunal backlog at the Landlord Tenant Board
I am looking forward to everything that 2025 has in store! I know it will be a year of bringing community voices forward, fighting for access to justice, and bringing forward new ideas to make our neighbourhoods stronger.
| Regent Park Community Centre’s Pancake Breakfast |
Thank you to the City staff and volunteers at the Regent Park Community Centre for cooking up a delicious pancake and waffle breakfast for the neighbourhood. It was so much fun to make waffles and chat with everyone who attended.
The breakfast was about connection, community, and belonging for everyone during the winter season. Let’s keep showing up for one another this new year - it's what community is all about!
|
Ford Fails on Housing and Homelessness |
On Thursday, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) published its Municipalities Under Pressure Report, a searing indictment of the conservative government’s inaction on homelessness.
We in Toronto Centre know the realities of encampments and homelessness. We see our neighbours out in the cold every day. Each person sleeping unsheltered is a failure of government, and yet this conservative government doesn’t have any concrete plan to tackle homelessness. I have asked the government over and over to produce this plan, and they have refused.
The number of unhoused Ontarians grew by 25% over the past two years, with more than 81,000 people identified as experiencing homelessness in 2024. Without significant intervention, that number is expected to triple by 2035.
A future in which hundreds of thousands of people live without stable housing should be unimaginable in a province as prosperous as Ontario, but instead, it is a very real possibility.
Luckily, the Ontario NDP does have a homelessness plan and is committed to making meaningful investments in mental health care, taking back provincial responsibility for shelters and homelessness prevention programs, and building affordable and supportive housing.
| Pride Toronto’s 2025 Theme - ALL IN! |
This week, Pride Toronto announced their Pride 2025 theme: ALL IN! You can watch the announcement video here.
I am so excited about this theme, which brings solidarity and community connection to the forefront of our pride celebration. This unity is something we need now more than ever as the alt-right tries to separate LGB people from their Trans and Non-binary siblings. A threat to one of us is a threat to all of us, and we must stand strong together.
I can’t wait to celebrate pride together in June, emphasizing love, solidarity, and joy!
| This Week's Meetings |
- Rainbow Health Ontario
- Canadian Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
- The Harm Reduction Collective
- FAIR Association
| This Week's Headlines |
After refusal to declare intimate partner violence an epidemic, PCs curtail study
YorkRegion.com reporters wrote about intimate partner violence in 2024 in response to local murders
TTC board debating 2025 budget that's set to freeze fares, increase service | CBC News
Norovirus cases are on the rise. Here's what you need to know about this nasty bug | CBC Radio
CBC investigation uncovers grocers overcharging customers by selling underweighted meat
Huge tent next to Toronto landmark may finally come down after a decade
| Upcoming Community Events |
| NIP’s Rosedale Heights School of the Arts Workshops |
Neighbourhood Information Post is offering exciting workshops at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts for youth under 18. Participants can explore ceramics, filmmaking, printmaking, and photography in two after-school sessions:
- Dates: January 14, 2025, and February 4, 2025
- Time: 4:30 to 7 PM
- Location: Rosedale Heights School of the Arts, 711 Bloor St E, Toronto, ON M4W 1J4
Transportation and a gift certificate will be provided, with all supplies offered by the school. For more details, contact Seyon at 416-924-2543 x0.
|
Artreach Info Session: Community Arts Programming Grant |
ArtReach invites Toronto-based arts programmers aged 13–29 to attend an info session for the 2025 Community Arts Programming Grant. This session will provide guidance on grant applications and strengthen submissions.
Details:
- Date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
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Time: 6–8 PM
- 6–7 PM: Overview of guidelines and Q&A
- 7–8 PM: Walkthrough of the application package
- Location: Online via Zoom
The grant application deadline is February 1, 2025, at 11:59 PM. For more information, visit artreach.org/workshops.
| YSM's Micro-Grants for Regent Park Entrepreneurs |
The Yonge Street Mission is supporting entrepreneurs in Regent Park with its 2025 Micro-grant Program. This initiative offers financial assistance and coaching to help individuals grow their businesses.
Program Details:
- Grant Amount: Up to $4,000 (disbursed in two payments based on progress)
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Eligibility:
- Must be a business owner or aspiring entrepreneur in Regent Park or surrounding areas
- Eligible to work in Canada
- Proficient in English and computer skills
- Involvement in YSM programs is a plus
Timeline:
- Application Deadline: January 24, 2025
- Coaching Sessions: March – May 2025 (8–10 sessions)
- Grant Interviews: May 2025
- Final Report Submission: August 2025
To apply, click here or email [email protected] for further inquiries.
| SLNA’s January ReMarket |
The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association (SLNA) Waste Reduction Group is hosting its 12th annual REmarket, a two-day event for recycling and donation.
Event Details:
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Dates:
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January 29, 2025 (10 AM–7 PM):
- Donation collection, recycling services, and hazardous waste drop-off
- FreeMarket: Guests can donate or take items for free (non-commercial purposes).
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January 30, 2025 (10 AM–6 PM):
- Donation collection, recycling services, and hazardous waste drop-off
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Repair Café Toronto and CultureLink Bike Hub (11 AM–3 PM):
- Repair Café: Fix clothing, jewelry, electronics, appliances, and more.
- Bike Hub: Conduct small bike repairs and safety checks.
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January 29, 2025 (10 AM–7 PM):
- Location: St. Lawrence Market Tent, 125 The Esplanade (at Market St.)
Items Accepted:
- Recycle: Dental waste, cigarette butts, batteries, damaged textiles, disposable razors, and more.
- Donate: Household items, books, mobility aids, toys, clothing, and accessories.
For full details and accepted items, visit slna.ca/remarket-guidelines or email [email protected].
