Letter for Grey Bruce Pride

September 24, 2024

The Honourable David Piccini

Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training & Skills Development

400 University Ave, 14th floor

Toronto, ON   M7A 1T7

RE: Ontario Immigration Nomination Program delayed wait times. 

Dear Minister Piccini, 

Recently my office has received an influx of messages from constituents expressing concerns about the status of their OINP applications due to extreme wait times that well-exceed the ministry’s prescribed average wait times.

In one case, my constituent’s application has been in the decision process for 12 months with only 2 months left on their work permit. You can imagine the distress this is causing and the negative consequence it will bring if they do not receive an outcome soon. 

My question for you is, what is your plan to address the backlog of applications? I urge you to immediately take action to alleviate this issue and support the OINP applicants. 

Thank you for your time and attention to this issue. I look forward to your prompt response that will rectify this problem.

Sincerely,

Kristyn Wong-Tam

MPP Toronto Centre

Member of Provincial Parliament for Toronto Centre

120 Carlton Street. Suite 401

Toronto, Ontario

M5A 4K2

Kristyn Wong-Tam

MPP TORONTO CENTRE

September 26, 2024

By Email and Post Mail

Samuel Grosz, Owner

Chaim Sachs, General Manager

Owners and Managers of 77 Howard Street 

Wellesley Parliament Square (WPSQ)

Parwell Investments Inc.

c/o 260 Wellesley Street East, Unit 101

Toronto ON M4X 1G6

Dear Owners and Property Managers of WPSQ and Parwell Investments Inc.

Re:  77 Howard Street Power Outage and Financial Support for Tenants

It has been over 50 days since any response was provided regarding the aftermath of the July 16, 2024 flooding at 77 Howard Street in St. James Town. My last letter to you dated August 9, 2024 has gone unanswered. 

As the Toronto Centre MPP representing more than 800 constituents who reside in this high-rise residential complex, I remind you that for many days, your tenants were deprived of electricity, hot water, hot meals and many other essential services. Some tenants even experienced catastrophic electrical fires and water damage due to Parewell Investments/WPSQ’s apparent failure to provide adequate maintenance to the building’s critical infrastructure. This was repeatedly stated by multiple tenants who shared their unanswered service requests with me.

While I am pleased to hear you have honoured existing leases and that the laundry facilities have been fixed, your inaction on the other corrective measures that your tenants have asked for has led to continued and deep frustration.

On behalf of the tenants at 77 Howard Street, I reiterate their fair and reasonable requests below:

1. Rent abatements:  Tenants seek rent abatements to alleviate the physical and financial burden imposed on them. The abatements should be calculated to reflect the physical suffering and emotional anguish caused by extended power outages. Tenants were highly frustrated and physically stressed when they could not walk up or down the stairs when the elevators were inoperable or limited to one. You collected their full rent on time, even when the building was sitting in absolute darkness without any functioning critical life support equipment or working elevators. CPAP machines couldn’t be turned, wheelchairs couldn’t be charged, medical appointments cancelled without elevator access and refrigerated medicine was thrown away. 

1. Reimbursement of all expenses caused by the flooding and power outage: Tenants seek full reimbursement for all expenses incurred, specifically for but not limited to meal replacements, transportation, insurance deductible, credit card or loan debt plus interest and hotel or other accommodation-related costs during this time. Many tenants are on fixed income and under tremendous financial street, they demand full compensation for the expenses related to losing their groceries due to the lack of refrigeration and stove use. 

1. Freeze on Rental Increases for 2025:  Tenants seek a rent freeze including any AGI increases for 2025, as this will support fixed-income and economically stressed households; and provide much-needed financial stability as they work to recover from this vital service disruption. It is unacceptable that tenants have begun to receive rent increases after what they have recently endured. 

Furthermore, ACORN Toronto and tenant members living at 77 Howard Street are asking for an in-person meeting with the owners and managers of WPSQ and Parwell Investments. Yesterday, I accompanied them to your office at 260 Wellesley Street East to deliver their own letter asking for this meeting. They informed me that all other attempts to engage your company representatives have failed and that their service requests remain unanswered. 

Turning a blind eye to the pleas of your tenants is not the answer. I urge you to not ignore your tenants. I look forward to your timely response to this letter by September 25, 2024 or sooner.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.  Should you have additional questions, you can reach my office by email at [email protected] or by phone at (416) 972-7683.

Sincerely,

Kristyn Wong-Tam

Member of Provincial Parliament for Toronto Centre

August 20, 2024

The Honourable Sylvia Jones 

Deputy Premier and Minister of Health 

777 Bay Street, 5th Floor 

Toronto, ON M7A 2J3

RE: Expanding Availability of Mpox Vaccine

Dear Minister Jones:

It has come to my attention that amidst the growing concern and awareness campaigns around the mpox virus, Toronto Public Health currently has no vaccine appointments available. 

Toronto Public Health has urged eligible residents to book vaccine appointments as soon as possible after a sharp uptick in cases reported in Toronto in July. However, access to vaccine appointments has not kept pace with increasing local demand. These barriers to vaccine accessibility threaten to undermine our efforts to control the spread of this virus and protect public health.

Ensuring widespread access to mpox vaccines is critical in preventing outbreaks and safeguarding the health of our communities. The current limited availability of these vaccines not only hampers our ability to respond effectively but also instills fear and uncertainty among those at risk.

I urge you, Minister Jones, to take immediate action to address this issue by:

1. Increasing Vaccine Supply: It is critical that your office facilitate the procurement of additional mpox vaccines to meet the growing demand.
2. Improving Distribution: Work with Toronto Public Health and other local health authorities to streamline and enhance the distribution process, ensuring that vaccines are readily available, especially in high-risk communities.
3. Monitoring and Reporting: Establish a robust system for monitoring vaccine distribution and reporting any challenges or gaps in real-time, allowing for swift adjustments and improvements. Restore wastewater surveillance across Ontario. 

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I look forward to your prompt action and am hopeful that together we can work towards a healthier and safer community.

Sincerely yours,

Kristyn Wong-Tam

MPP Toronto Centre

Member of Provincial Parliament for Toronto Centre

120 Carlton Street. Suite 401

Toronto, Ontario

M5A 4K2