As I work to advocate for our communities, I will be sharing updates of my work through a continuation of my regular newsletter.
You can choose if you to receive local updates, provincial updates, or both!
Dear friend,
This week, Ford announced the first active spending under Ontario’s tariff response plan. $1 billion of the $5 billion Ontario’s last budget promised can now help support companies impacted by Trump’s tariffs.
I am concerned that Ford’s tariff response is too narrow. Ontario’s unemployment rate is one of the highest in the country. Tariffs are a blunt economic tool with far-reaching effects. Affected companies deserve government support, but Ford failed to recognize that workers struggling to find employment as companies scale down need support too. The Ontario government must wise up and do more. Investing more into Ontario Works, Employment Insurance, and ODSP would bolster demand and help the most vulnerable. We could see this moment as an opportunity to fund new renewable energy infrastructure and housing. Strategic investments today could help stabilize demand and employment. We already know that Trump will be as chaotic and destabilizing three months from now as he is today.
On Wednesday, I was honoured to join a press conference led by Gazan Canadians, Jews Say No To Genocide, and If Not Now Toronto. Families called for the Federal and Provincial governments to fix the Gaza Temporary Refugee Visa program. Unreasonable and impossible administrative barriers are locking out Gazan Canadians' loved ones from the program. Currently, the family members of Gazan Canadians must travel to Egypt for biometric screening. The federal government knows full well that applicants are trapped in Gaza and cannot leave while the borders remain closed. The Carney government should allow biometric tests to happen upon arrival in Canada instead. The Ford government could also waive the three-month waiting period for a refugee to receive OHIP to help speed up settlement. Instead, he spent the winter election and every day afterwards fashioning himself as “Captain Canada” without ever lending a word of support to innocent Palestinian civilians living under daily bombardment. Ford could use his political clout to sway Carney to do better and save lives during a genocide, but the political cousins choose each other and look away.
We know that Canada and Ontario can do significantly more because we have done better before. In 2022, Canada and Ontario accepted higher numbers of refugees when Russia invaded Ukraine. All orders of government rolled out the red carpet and actual cash for resettlement. Government funding was made available for housing, employment, and settlement supports for Ukrainian refugees. It was the right thing to do. But it also stands in stark contrast to the barriers Gazan Canadians are facing. The program caps, physically impossible procedures, and lack of resettlement resources are wrong. Gazans deserve better.
You can use this online tool to email Prime Minister Carney, Premier Ford and your local MP. We need to demand that all levels of government give Gazans escaping genocide the support they deserve:
Next week, I am looking forward to attending AMO — the Association of Municipalities in Ontario. This is the largest annual gathering of provincial and municipal representatives in our province, and it’s taking place in Ottawa. I’m excited to meet municipal leaders and learn how the Official Opposition NDP can amplify their many calls to the Ford government, including the urgent one to address Ontario’s homelessness and opioid crises.
On a final note, I am so proud of my sister Dianne and every Air Canada flight attendant who is standing their ground for a fair contract from Air Canada. They get starting wages at $1900/month, are expected to live in big expensive cities near airports, work thousands of hours in uniform unpaid. That’s right: they are only paid when the plane is in the air! Air Canada executives are making lucrative salaries while their flight attendants often live in rooming houses or wait in food bank lines. If they strike, I will walk the picket line with my sister and all flight attendants until my feet bleed. Then I will walk some more!
Yours in community service,
Kristyn
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto CentreIn
| In this Newsletter |
- Boy on Scooter Struck by Vehicle in Regent Park
- Ontario's Big Cities See More Public Drug Use
- March with the NDP at the Toronto Labour Day Parade!
- This Week’s Events and Meetings
- This Week’s Headlines
- Local Community Events
| Boy on Scooter Struck by Vehicle in Regent Park |
I am deeply relieved to know that the 12-year-old boy, who was struck by a car while riding his scooter in Regent Park, was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
This incident occurred in the evening on Sunday, August 10, near Dundas Street East and Arnold Avenue. I am grateful to our first responders for their quick action. Much more must be done to make our streets safe for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
As a pedestrian and cyclist myself, I know that our streets are sometimes dangerous places to be. Toronto’s Vision Zero strategy is working to address these safety gaps.
| Ontario's Big Cities See More Public Drug Use |
Across Ontario, the consequences of the Ford government’s decision to close supervised consumption sites (SCS) are manifesting in big cities like Toronto. We are witnessing firsthand a deepening crisis in our streets and communities. After ten SCS locations were closed because of Ford’s Bill 223, Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act, 2024, these life-saving programs vanished, and those who need service have migrated to sites that remain open.
While overdose deaths have reduced in 2024, the number of overdoses has only increased after the closures on April 1, 2025. This is an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in our communities, a spike in homelessness, the opioid epidemic — people are dying on our streets. Doug Ford’s decision to cut services, at a time when people need them the most, has had devastating impacts within just a few months.
Stigma will not make communities safer. Support will. What keeps our communities safe is making sure nobody is losing their life to overdoses on our streets and in our neighbourhoods – and that everyone has a safe place to call home.
You can sign my petition calling on Ford to adequately invest in this health care crisis. When the house resumes, I will deliver the petition and the names of everyone who signed it to Ford's desk in the Legislature.
| March with the NDP at the Toronto Labour Day Parade! |
Join me and the rest of the Ontario NDP at the Toronto Labour Day Parade on Monday, September 1st! The labour movement has won and continues to win real gains for all workers — wins our community needs now more than ever in the face of greed-driven inflation. It is more imporant than ever to show our support for our labour workers.
RSVP below to reserve your CNE pass! We have a limited number of passes, so it is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
| Working with Animal Alliance Ontario |
You may have heard by now that St Joseph's Hospital in London, Ontario, has been doing medical testing on dogs. This news was truly horrible to hear, and Premier Ford agrees. He commented on legislating an end to using dogs and cats in research, and I have been speaking with animal rights advocates, like Animal Alliance, to hold him accountable. I will continue to work with them on what needs to be done.
| Moss Park Festival 2025 |
Last Saturday, I was happy to join the Moss Park Festival! My team and I had an amazing time connecting with residents, volunteers and vendors.
I felt especially honoured to have received a certificate of appreciation from Neighbourhood Information Post’s Executive Director, Gladys Wong. Thank you, NIP Toronto, for hosting another amazing Moss Park Summer Festival. Your annual event is a highlight for Toronto Centre, and I’m so proud to be your community sponsor. Thank you for the incredible work you do.
| Tour With The Neighbourhood Group |
It is always a pleasure to visit The Neighbourhood Group (TNG) and witness the amazing work being done on their behalf in Toronto Centre. Community support agencies like TNG play a vital role in helping our neighbours access care, resources, and employment.
I look forward to advocating for the smart, predictable and sufficient provincial funding that organizations like yours need to succeed! If you are interested in making a difference and getting involved, TNG is always looking for volunteers. Click here to find out more!
| Canadians for Properly Built Homes |
Thank you, Dr. Karen Somerville, with Canadians for Properly Built Homes, for meeting with me earlier this week. We discuss the challenges that Ontarians are facing accessing justice at the License Appeals Tribunal when trying to hold problematic home-builders to account.
I look forward to amplifying your stories and continuing to call for the systemic reform we need to Ontario Tribunals. It's time to take the politics out of tribunal appointments and ensure that the best people with the most relevant experience become adjudicators in Ontario. Donating to the governing party should never be a qualification.
|
Green Thumbs Growing Kids Ontario Trillium Recognition |
I was excited to join Green Thumbs Growing Kids for a special (and delicious) tour to see the vital work they do connecting children and their families to healthy food and the environment. Their organization runs school garden programs, like planting seeds and composting!
We also celebrated the Ontario Trillium Foundation's support for your healthy school food programs. This will help expand their work of ensuring that every child can have fresh, nutritious meals and the tools to grow their food. I recommend you check out their good work here!
| Ontario Non Profit Network |
Economic uncertainty and new laws are changing the funding landscape for Ontario nonprofits. Thank you, Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN), for meeting this week to share what your members need to navigate economic uncertainty during a trade war. ONN works to create a public policy environment that strengthens nonprofits so they can do more. I am always happy to stand with them and advocate for effective policy implementation for Ontario’s nonprofit sector.
Their work is admirable — find out what they are up to here!
| A Visit to Little Canada — Again! |
I never have, and never will, miss my chance to stop by Little Canada! Thank you to the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at Little Canada, Jean-Louis Brenninkmeijer, for seeing me yet again.
Little Canada is a true gem of Toronto Centre, and I can’t recommend it enough that people go and visit; it is a unique visitor attraction in the heart of Toronto that tells the stories of Canada and showcases the country’s cities & landscapes through the art of miniature. If you’re interested in visiting, here’s a clip of what to expect!
| This Week's Headlines |
Slowdown in new building permits spells trouble for Toronto’s housing future
Financial firms file for eviction more than any other Toronto landlord, new research finds
Ontario big cities see more public drug use, paramedic calls since consumption site closures
Tenant advocates say Toronto’s new renoviction bylaw already making ‘positive impact’
Ontario Prisoners Are Passing Out from Extreme Heat
Amid 5-year rise in hate crimes, new group teaches LGBTQ+ people self-defence
Ford government considered ‘developer-proposed’ Hwy. 413 route alteration
Ontario records low housing starts, even using new ways of counting them
‘This is all disingenuous’: Ontario’s belated Bill 5 consultations fail to reassure First Nations
Screening in emergency departments could help boost vaccine coverage, survey suggests
|
Upcoming Community Events |
| Regent Park Seniors BBQ |
You can enjoy a relaxing afternoon socializing with other seniors, tomorrow, August 16, from 3 PM to 5 PM at 252 Sackville St. on the 7th floor. There was light dancing with Dancing with Parkinson's, and feast on hamburgers or hot dogs, coleslaw and cake!
|
81 Year Memorial of the Sinking of the Tsushima-maru |
The Church of the Holy Trinity is hosting an event to mark the 81st anniversary of the sinking of the Tsushima-maru, an evacuation ship lost during World War II while carrying more than 1,700 school children and civilians.
The program will feature a Japanese-language film with English subtitles, followed by a discussion about the tragedy. Light refreshments will be available at the start of the gathering. Find out more here.
Date & Time: Sunday, August 24, 12:00 PM
Location: 19 Trinity Square, The Church of the Holy Trinity
| St. James Town Festival |
Another year has come to join Toronto Centre’s very own St. James Town Festival! My team and I will be there along with so many other vendors to meet you, listen to great music and have fantastic food. Come by on Saturday, September 6 from 1 PM to 7 PM at the courtyard by St. James Avenue and Wellesley Street East. See you there!
|
Teach-In and Rally |
Policing-Free Schools Ontario will host a provincial Teach-In and Rally as part of its campaign for policing-free schools. The event will focus on opposing Bill 33 and advocating for increased support and resources in schools rather than carceral measures.
Date: Wednesday, August 27
Time: 11:00 AM ET
Location: Queen’s Park, South Lawn
| Share your Feedback about a Maximum Indoor Temperature Requirement |
Like many cities around the world, Toronto is experiencing more frequent heat events and extended heat waves outside of seasonal norms. Indoor temperatures in apartment buildings are a particular concern, as tenants living in units without air conditioning or other cooling equipment may be at higher risk of heat-related health impacts. As the climate continues to change, the risk of heat-related health impacts is expected to increase.
Share your feedback about a maximum indoor temperature requirement for rental units and cooling rooms. Complete the online form (opens in new window) by September 8, 2025.
| Queen’s Park North Revitalization Consultation |
Queen's Park North is a historic and culturally significant public green space in Toronto, located north of the Ontario Parliament Building.
In 2025, the City was approached by the Weston family with an offer to donate $50 million to improve the park, plus additional funding for long-term maintenance and programming. In response, City staff have been instructed by Council to undertake community and First Nations, Inuit and Metis engagement, along with design exploration, that will build on work completed in the park in 2019. The engagement conversations will inform opportunities related to park design, park amenities, Indigenous placekeeping, park programming, maintenance and governance. This public feedback will be collected and included as part of City staff’s report back to City Council in late 2025, which will include a recommended path forward.
Take the online survey by August 31, 2025 to help shape the future of Queen’s Park North. Visit Get Involved for more information and other ways to participate.
|
Are you a Registered Canadian Charity? Join the Accelerator Program! |
The Social Purpose Real Estate (SPRE) National Accelerator is an initiative initially focused on the Greater Toronto Area and now expanding nationwide. This program supports mission-driven organizations through networking, capacity-building and professional support, in the development of thoughtful and realistic development proposals that can supply the missing housing, services and other social infrastructure needed in our communities.
Applications open and close September 15th, 2025. Apply here!
|
Renaissance Canadian Theatre Company Presents Bachelor Man |
Renaissance Canadian Theatre Company presents Bachelor Man, a powerful play set on July 1, 1929—Dominion Day, known in Toronto’s Chinatown as “Humiliation Day.” The story unfolds in John’s teahouse, a haven for those living through the sixth anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred families from reuniting for twenty-four years.
Audiences will meet vivid characters, including a one-armed WWI veteran, a half-Chinese scholar, and a teenage stowaway, each navigating life in a “Bachelor Society” created by exclusionary laws. Written by Winston Kam—born in Trinidad and Tobago of Chinese descent—Bachelor Man first premiered at Theatre Passe Muraille in 1987 under the direction of Peter Hinton. Brenda Kamino, originally cast as Queenie at a young age, now returns to the role three decades later.
Founded by Andrew Moodie and Brenda Kamino, Renaissance Canadian Theatre Company is dedicated to reviving overlooked works of Canadian theatre, ensuring culturally significant plays remain part of the national stage heritage. Get your tickets here!
| Corktown’s Annual Tree Giveaway |
Toronto Centre’s Corktown is about to get a whole lot leafier!
The Corktown Residents & Business Association is giving out beautiful indigenous trees and shrubs to plant, nurture, and enjoy for years to come. Apply by September 3 by clicking here. The giveaway date is September 20! If you have any questions, please email [email protected]
| GOOD TO BE GOOD’s Change Make-Her Program |
GOOD TO BE GOOD’s Change Make-Her Program is now accepting applications for its 6th Cohort!
This free, interactive, virtual group-based community-rooted program is open to women and gender-diverse people from equity-deserving and marginalized communities across Canada who want to grow their entrepreneurial journey and take their business to the next step — on their terms.
The 10-week program includes:
- 6 interactive group workshops
-
Mentorship with leaders who share lived realities and experiences
- Peer support check-ins & networking
- Toolkits, resources, and a $250 micro-grant upon completion
- Opportunity to apply for a $500 Bursary
- Wraparound supports (internet/data stipends, wellness tools, childcare, accessibility) to reduce barriers to access
Rooted in equity, inclusivity, and care, CMH helps participants build foundational business and leadership skills through values-aligned workshops, mentorship, and community connection. Folks from equity-deserving communities—Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, newcomers, low-income, survivors, and others facing barriers to traditional entrepreneurship spaces and systems are prioritized in this program.
The date to apply is Friday, August 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm EST. APPLY HERE!
Questions or referrals? Contact the Manager of Support Services, Aramí at [email protected] or visit the website for more information and FAQ.
| Get Started in Canada - Newcomer Women |
Hard Feelings is hosting its 7th Annual Mental Health Pop-Up Market on Saturday, September 6, 2025, from 12:00 – 5:00 PM at 353 Church Street (Church and Gerrard).
This community event will bring together local vendors and mental health advocates, offering products and resources that promote well-being. Visitors can explore a curated selection of items, connect with supportive services, and learn more about initiatives aimed at reducing barriers to mental health care.
Hard Feelings is a registered charity dedicated to increasing access to affordable therapy and providing mental health resources through its storefront and online shop.
More details are available at www.hardfeelings.org.
Dear Neighbour,
This past week, I was on the road cycling 600 km from Toronto to Montreal, enjoying the beauty of Ontario, as a part of the Friends for Life Bike Rally.
Nearly 200 riders and I left last Sunday from Corktown Commons in Toronto Centre, and by the time you open this newsletter, we will have rolled into Montreal, exhausted and happy. This fundraising ride for the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation (PWA) is my tenth time participating, and each year it is more memorable. This incredible organization, located in Toronto Centre, has held a special place in my heart since long before I entered public life. I became involved when I decided to be a corporate sponsor in 2001 with my former franchise, Timothy’s World Coffee. I have seen firsthand the life-saving and life-changing work PWA provides to people living with HIV/AIDS in our city.
The six-day Bike Rally offers a powerful opportunity to reflect on the lives lost to HIV/AIDS, the courageous activism that propelled the 2SLGBTQI rights movement forward, and the critical work that remains in reducing transmission and supporting those living with HIV/AIDS. Along the way, as the 2SLGBTQI Issues Critic, I had the opportunity to speak with Deputy Mayor Vicki Mink of Port Hope, Mayor Neil Ellis of Belleville, and Mayor John Beddows of Gananoque about the importance of supporting those living in their communities with HIV and AIDS. I’m grateful that they came out to greet the Bike Rally and for hosting us at different rest stops.
Despite the growing demand for their services, provincial government funding for PWA has remained stagnant, while the cost of delivering essential programs continues to rise. PWA has set an ambitious fundraising goal of $1.7 million for this year’s ride. We have raised over $1,550,000. Help PWA close the gap and meet their fundraising goal! Every dollar raised will be directly invested into community services and support. To learn more about my journey with PWA and the Bike Rally, visit my page here.
Our journey took us through Port Hope, Adolphustown, Kingston, Johnstown, Lancaster, and finally Montreal. With overnight stays at various campsites and even the dorms of Queen’s University, organizers of the ride never failed to bring incredible energy and heart to the experience. Registration is now open for 2026. I hope you’ll join us next year!
As I connected with communities and took in Ontario’s natural beauty, I couldn’t help but think about how lucky we are to call Ontario home. For generations, we’ve protected and enjoyed natural spaces that belong to us all.
But now, Doug Ford is threatening to privatize our provincial parks — starting with Wasaga Beach Provincial Park.
The Ford government is proposing changes to the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act that would make it easier to sell off provincial parklands. Currently, the PPCRA requires that elected MPPs approve any significant removal of provincial park land. The proposed amendments are vague, but would likely weaken the process requirements of removing Park or Conservation reserve lands.
Right now, 60% of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park beachfront lands are at risk of being sold to developers. Wasaga Beach is part of the longest freshwater beachfront in the world and is home to rare and valuable ecological spaces. The Provincial Park includes mature sand dunes, significant wetlands, and habitat for several endangered species. Wetlands are critical in preventing floods and absorbing stormwater. Wasaga Beach coastal dunes serve as a protection from extreme storms and erosion. As the climate crisis accelerates, it’s more important than ever to preserve natural spaces that protect us from extreme weather events.
Provincial Parks like Wasaga Beach serve as more than protected land. They are public spaces, open to everyone, that generate millions of much needed revenue for our local economy. We must not allow a shortsighted land grab to destroy an Ontarian treasure that belongs to us all.
Selling off the majority of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park for private development is an egregious act. It puts fragile ecosystems, endangered species, and public access in jeopardy.
In 2023, we fought hard against Ford’s attempt to sell out the Greenbelt to his developer friends — and we won. We can win again with your support. Stand with us and sign our petition to save Wasaga Beach Provincial Park!
Tomorrow I return home from Montreal just in time for the Moss Park Festival and with renewed vigour. I am excited to get back to work with a focus on accessible public healthcare, affordable housing, access to justice and community safety.
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto CentreIn
| In this Newsletter |
- Progress Against Bill 33
- Condemning Israel’s plan to retake Gaza City: A Call to End the Complicity
- Celebrating WE Pride Fest’s Ambassador of Pride!
- A Message from the Church and Wellesley Neighbourhood Association
- Local Community Events
| Progress Against Bill 33 |
Last week, I was proud to stand with students, educators, parents, and community leaders at Queen’s Park to support the provincial campaign against Ford’s Bill 33. Bill 33 calls for several harmful amendments to the Education Act, including a requirement for school boards to collaborate with local police to allow them on school grounds, involve them in school activities, and establish school-based police officer programs.
What our schools urgently need instead is investments in students mental health and learning to reverse the $1500/student cuts inflicted since Ford became Premier. Students, educators and families are calling for include investments in smaller classrooms, fixing crumbling schools, supports for students with exceptionalities, funding for mental health and wellness. Smart investments focused on student outcomes will go a long way in improving Ontario's public education system and creating a workforce ready for the future.
Following the press conference, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw said that Toronto Police will not reinstate the School Resource Officer program. The program was ended in 2017 because it disproportionately targeted Black, Indigenous, and racialized students leading to worse relationships between communities and law enforcement. This is a positive signal, but what we need to see is the Ford government oppose and withdraw Bill 33.
Thank you to Andrea Vásquez Jiménez of Policing Free Schools, and additional press conference speakers Dr. Beyhan Farhadi, Raheem White, Cyrielle Ngeleka, and Laura Walton for your leadership.
We must still work toward building a safer, more equitable school system by defeating Bill 33.
| Celebrating WE Pride Fest’s Ambassador of Pride! |
Please join us in celebrating Stefanie Pest, who has been named the 2025 Ambassador of Pride by Windsor-Essex Pride Fest, a well-deserved recognition of her decades-long advocacy, community leadership, and unwavering commitment to 2SLGBTQIA+ rights.
Stefanie has dedicated herself to building more inclusive political spaces, equitable workplaces, and supportive community networks. From championing gender-affirming healthcare legislation with the Ontario NDP to helping establish Unifor Local 444’s LGBTQ Committee, her leadership continues to pave the way for systemic change.
Beyond her political and labour activism, Stefanie has been a cornerstone of 2SLGBTQIA+ community life in Windsor-Essex. She was a founding board member of WE Trans Support (now Trans Wellness Ontario), co-chairs the Windsor-Essex Rainbow Alliance (WERA), and has helped shape inclusive public spaces through her work on the Essex Pride Murals Committee and the installation of Inclusive Pride Crosswalks along Ottawa Street.
Whether advocating for trans health equity, amplifying local queer history, or organizing Pride-themed community art and infrastructure, Stefanie leads with passion, purpose, and deep roots in the communities she serves.
Congratulations, Stefanie, and thank you for continuing to inspire and lead with courage!
| Condemning Israel’s plan to retake Gaza City: End the complicity |
This week, Netanyahu’s War Cabinet announced plans to take over Gaza City.This was once the most populated city in Gaza. The major ground operation in the city could displace tens of thousands of already displaced people and further disrupt food distribution amidst an already devastating man-made famine in Gaza. It would also likely further endanger the lives of hostages held by Hamas.
MP Heather McPherson captured the urgency of the moment in a recent statement on X:
Canadians support the rule of law and human rights. Canadians support the Geneva Conventions. Canadians believe in prosecuting war crimes. Our government has led before when the United Nations established peace keepers. Canada must show moral leadership again, now. Inaction will make our government complicit in genocide. As humanitarian aid remains obstructed, civilians suffer en masse, and Israel escalates its violent land theft — Canada must respond with more than words.
| A Message from the Church and Wellesley Neighbourhood Association |
The Ontario Land Tribunal recently completed the hearing for the development proposal at 68 Wellesley Street East, also known as the Pizza Pizza building. The Church Wellesley Neighbourhood Association (CWNA) has been granted party status at the hearing.
Through donations and their GoFundMe campaign we were able to secure almost $20,000 to help with the cost of hiring a legal team. The decision from the OLT will be in a few weeks!
The CWNA are still accepting donations to help cover the legal costs. To donate you can go to their GoFundMe campaign, their website www.cwna.ca and donate through PayPal. All help is appreciated as we continue to work for responsible development in the Village.
| This Week's Headlines |
Landlords could face $100K fine for Toronto renovictions
St. James Town square to under go massive redevelopment
How Toronto considered a privately-operated tunnel to alleviate congestion
Toronto police chief says school resource officers are not coming back
Toronto’s youth unemployment crisis: Young people want to work but having a hard time, report finds
Biidaasige Park: a sunlit future in the Port Lands
the bridge’s Downtown East summer guide
Ontario ACORN's New Report: Tenants Paying the Price for Climate Action
|
Upcoming Community Events |
| Moss Park Summer Festival |
Join my team and your fellow Moss Park Neighbours for a celebration of summer! This event is tomorrow, Saturday, August 9 from 1 PM to 4 PM at the green space between Queen Street East and Ontario Street. I will be giving away some of my swag at my table -- look out for the big orange tent and drop by to say hi! You can also enjoy a BBQ, live music, games, a raffle, photo booth, balloons, and community resources all in one place.
Date: Saturday, August 9, 2025
Time: 1 PM - 4 PM
Location: Green Space - Queen Street E and Ontario Street Intersection
|
World Food Forum – Ontario Chapter Launch |
The World Food Forum is launching here in Ontario! It will be their first official chapter in North America. Join them at Food Hall TO for an evening of keynote speeches, networking, and celebration. This reception will bring together high-level stakeholders, community supporters, and friends to highlight youth engagement in agri-food systems. Get your tickets here!
Date: Tuesday, August 12, 2025
Time: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Location: Food Hall TO, 5210 Yonge Street Toronto, ON M2N 5P6
| St. James Town Festival |
Another year has come to join Toronto Centre’s very own St. James Town Festival! My team and I will be there along with so many other vendors to meet you, listen to great music and have fantastic food. Come by on Saturday, September 6 from 1 PM to 7 PM at the courtyard by St. James Avenue and Wellesley Street East. See you there!
|
Filipinos in Regent Park Guided Walking Tour |
Join the Filipinos in Regent Park Community Group for their guided walking tour! The walk will start at Castlefrank Station and take approximately 20 minutes to the trails leading to the Don Valley Evergreen Brickworks. To register, call Hannah at (416) 919-3287 or Mary Ann at (416) 820-6464 More event details below:
Date: Saturday, August 9, 2025
Time: 10 AM - 1 PM
Meeting Location: Castlefrank Station
Make sure you bring comfortable hiking shoes, hats, sunscreen, water bottle, bug spray, sunglasses, and money if you would like to purchase something at the Evergreen Brickworks gift shop.
| St. James Town Pebble Mosaic Workshops |
The St. James Town Neighbourhood Association has been approved for city funding to create and install three mosaic art projects in the community! They are working with ReDefine Arts on the project and want YOU to participate!
About the workshops:
- Free to attend
- No experience necessary
- Inclusive, collaborative & fully accessible
- Interdisciplinary public art making & community building
- No commitment required
Where and When:
-
Mosaic Design Feedback
- Thursday, August 7 from 6 PM – 8 PM at Diane Frankling Co-op (85 Bleecker Street)
-
Final Design Presentation
- Saturday, August 9 from 12 PM – 2 PM at Wellesley Community Centre (495 Sherbourne Street)
-
Mosaic Building
- Monday, August 25 from 4 PM – 7 PM at Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
- Tuesday, August 26 from 4 PM – 7 PM at Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
- RAIN DATE: Thursday, August 28, 4 PM – 7 PM at Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
-
Unveiling Celebration
- Thursday, October 2 PM at 4 PM in Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
| Queen’s Park North Revitalization Consultation |
Queen's Park North is a historic and culturally significant public green space in Toronto, located north of the Ontario Parliament Building.
In 2025, the City was approached by the Weston family with an offer to donate $50 million to improve the park, plus additional funding for long-term maintenance and programming. In response, City staff have been instructed by Council to undertake community and First Nations, Inuit and Metis engagement, along with design exploration, that will build on work completed in the park in 2019. The engagement conversations will inform opportunities related to park design, park amenities, Indigenous placekeeping, park programming, maintenance and governance. This public feedback will be collected and included as part of City staff’s report back to City Council in late 2025, which will include a recommended path forward.
Take the online survey by August 31, 2025 to help shape the future of Queen’s Park North. Visit Get Involved for more information and other ways to participate.
| Book Launch: Have You Seen a TTC Rail Vehicle? |
Janine Carrington Books is hosting a fun community celebration for Toronto transit fans with the launch of Luis-Mario Carrington’s new book, Have You Seen a TTC Rail Vehicle?
Event Details:
- Date: August 9, 2025
- Time: 1 - 3 PM
- Location: Spacing Store, 401 Richmond Street West
The event will feature snacks, speakers, books, Toronto-themed merchandise, and transit-inspired activities. TTCriders and Spacing are also supporting this exciting launch that celebrates the city’s transit system and vehicles. RSVP here!
| Council Fire Youth Gathering |
Check out Council Fire’s 8th annual Youth Gathering on Saturday, August 9th in Regent Park. Tkaronto: Our Home, Our Community, Our Future pays tribute to future generations. This is a family friendly and free public event open to all who want to enjoy Pow Wow music, drumming, dancers, food, vendors, prizes, and much more, right in the heart of downtown Toronto.
Date: August 9, 2025
Time: Grand entry at 12 PM
Location: Regent Park Big Park
| Get Started in Canada - Newcomer Women |
Get Started in Canada- Newcomer Women program is designed to support newcomer women in setting meaningful goals and strengthening their employability skills, while also providing the opportunity to earn micro-certificates.
Dates: Aug 11 - Oct 3, 2025
Time: 9:30 AM to 2:45 PM
Days: Mondays and Thursdays (virtual)
Tuesdays and Wednesdays (in-person at Dundas & Kipling location)
What you will get:
- Micro-certificates such as WHMIS, Business Writing, Customer Service, and more
- Goal-setting support and enhanced job search skills
- Increased confidence and workplace communication skills
To apply, fill out the form here.
| GOOD TO BE GOOD’s Change Make-Her Program |
GOOD TO BE GOOD’s Change Make-Her Program is now accepting applications for its 6th Cohort!
This free, interactive, virtual group-based community-rooted program is open to women and gender-diverse people from equity-deserving and marginalized communities across Canada who want to grow their entrepreneurial journey and take their business to the next step — on their terms.
The 10-week program includes:
✨ 6 interactive group workshops
✨ Mentorship with leaders who share lived realities and experiences
✨ Peer support check-ins & networking
✨ Toolkits, resources, and a $250 micro-grant upon completion
✨ Opportunity to apply for a $500 Bursary
✨ Wraparound supports (internet/data stipends, wellness tools, childcare, accessibility) to reduce barriers to access
Rooted in equity, inclusivity, and care, CMH helps participants build foundational business and leadership skills through values-aligned workshops, mentorship, and community connection. Folks from equity-deserving communities—Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, newcomers, low-income, survivors, and others facing barriers to traditional entrepreneurship spaces and systems are prioritized in this program.
The date to apply is Friday, August 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm EST. APPLY HERE!
Questions or referrals? Contact the Manager of Support Services, Aramí at [email protected] or visit our website for more information and FAQ.
| RAW Design Student Summer Camp |
Registration is open for RAW’s Diversity in Design Summer Camp! Running August 25–29, this is a free, week-long camp for Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth in grades 6–12. The goal is to introduce young people to architecture and design through creative, hands-on workshops, walking tours, design challenges, and conversations about how design shapes our communities.
The camp includes:
- Daily workshops (10 AM – 3 PM) at RAW’s studio near Ossington and Dupont
- Lunch, snacks, and TTC support as needed
- Mentorship from architects and designers
- Portfolio review and post-secondary prep for grade 11/ 12 high school students
Interested families or students can contact Carrie at [email protected] for more information and to register.
Dear Neighbour,
Wonderful news! The bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge, and University are saved (for now)! I want to thank the tireless activists at Cycle Toronto, the two individually named applicants, their talented legal teams, and everyone who spoke out about Ford’s unconstitutional and unsafe legislation. Cyclists deserve to be safe on our roads, and I am so happy that Justice Schabas came to that same conclusion after considering all the facts.
Experts concluded again and again that removing bike lanes would increase collisions for all types of road users by at least 54%, would not decrease congestion over the medium or long term, and would make travel substantially less safe for cyclists. Some of those experts were even hired by the government itself!
These expert opinions are not just theoretical, either. After the city installed the Bloor Street bike lanes, collision rates dropped 56%, even as cyclist volumes rose 90% on those roads.
Justice Schabas noted in his decision, “there is no evidence that the government based its decision on data, manuals or expert ‘highway engineering', or that its decision would ‘contribute to highway safety.’ Rather, the evidence is to the contrary.” The government knew this when they wrote the legislation. Why else would they have included clauses in the bill insulating themselves from lawsuits when road users were hurt or killed if the Ford government were to remove these bike lanes?
The Justice called the presentation by the government “weak anecdotal evidence and expert opinion which is unsupported, unpersuasive and contrary to the consensus view of experts.” Part of that argument was that cycling is a “choice” and, should the government remove the bike lanes, any cyclists continuing to use Bloor and Yonge would be taking a voluntary risk. Justice Shabas did not buy this argument, stating that it had “no merit” as cycling is the best and often only option for many people due to its reliability and affordability.
The government further tried to argue that they could install “alternate route” bike lanes on side streets instead to meet the needs of cyclists. However, they could not provide examples of any routes that would facilitate efficient travel, connection to services, or uninterrupted travel via protected lanes. The “side street” model always included cyclists travelling in mixed traffic, alongside cars, for portions of their routes, often at the busiest intersections. The government’s internal documents showed that they knew this plan was unlikely to work and was simply “messaging” to the public.
I am very grateful to Justice Schabas for his thorough and well-researched decision. The fight is not over yet, and the government has already announced it will appeal the decision. However, to officially file the appeal, the government’s lawyers will need to find an error of law in the decision. Additionally, the government cannot use the notwithstanding clause to ignore this decision. If they wanted to do so, they would have had to invoke the clause in the initial bill, which they did not.
I was so fired up about this decision that I had to film a little sidewalk rant. Ford and his Ministers need to get back to the real work of fixing our healthcare, education, and court systems. They should not be wasting their time picking petty arguments with cyclists! You can watch my rant here.
As a cyclist and a driver, I am deeply invested in this story and in these bike lanes remaining exactly where they are. I will continue to keep you updated.
On a personal note, next week I will be out of the office to participate in the Friends for Life Bike Rally from Toronto to Montreal in support of the People with AIDS Foundation (PWA). This is a remarkable organization that I began supporting long before my time in public life. PWA carries out life-saving and life-transforming work to support people living with HIV/AIDS in Toronto.
Government funding for PWA has flatlined and the cost to delivering the essential services from PWA has continued to surge with inflation and the cost of living crisis. PWA has a fundraising goal of $1.7 million for this ride and we are not there yet, but I know that more money will be raised over the six-day ride starting this Sunday. Every dollar raised will be directly invested in community services and support. To learn more about my journey with PWA and the Bike Rally, please visit my page here.
I hope that you all have a safe and happy August long weekend. I know I will! If you are out celebrating Caribana this weekend, make sure to stay hydrated, use sunscreen, and above all, have a blast at the parade!
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
| In This Newsletter |
- Report: Canada Continues to Sell Arms to Israel
- Education Townhall - Ministry Takeover of TDSB
- Oak Street Community BBQ
- Chinatown Festival Launch
- Underpass Park Farmers Market
- Policing Free Schools - Defeat Bill 33!
- This Week’s Meetings
- This Week’s Headlines
- Local Community Events
| Report: Canada Continues to Sell Arms to Israel |
A breaking new report this week has demonstrated that Canadian businesses and federal inaction are actively facilitating the genocide in Gaza being committed by the government of Israel. The report shows that Canada has been sending arms and ammunition to Israel for years, despite the Federal government emphatically stating they had ended the practice in 2024. By combing through tax records and international shipment records, four NGOs (World Beyond War, the Palestinian Youth Movement, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East and Independent Jewish Voices) found at least 391 shipments of arms and arms-related goods had been sent from Canada to Israel since late 2023.
Many of those shipments took place after January 2024, when the then-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Melanie Joly, told the public the Canadian government would be severely restricting the shipment of Military supplies to Israel. Included in those shipments were 421,070 bullets, 175,000 of which a Canadian company sent in one large shipment in April 2025.
Canada is a signatory to the Geneva Convention, which means we have an obligation not to be complicit in genocide and to ensure that any sale or transfer of arms does not facilitate war crimes or significant violations of international law.
This week, we have watched the continued mass starvation of Palestinians, as the flow of aid continues to be restricted. Canada and the entire international community must step up with real consequences for Israel. This is a genocide and must end now.
I encourage you to write to your MP about these issues and demand that Canada commit to a true arms embargo with Israel, as well as additional sanctions and pressures to end the manufactured famine in Gaza.
You can read the full report here and the CBC’s coverage of it here.
|
Education Townhall - Ministry Takeover of TDSB |
Public education is under attack in Ontario, and the democratic checks and balances we rely on have been taken away. The Trustees you elected to represent our schools and community concerns have been locked out and prohibited from using their TDSB phones or email addresses to assist community members with their concerns. Meanwhile, the new supervisor of the TDSB, Rohit Gupta, has no public contact information. This is entirely undemocratic.
On Monday evening, I co-hosted a virtual town hall on the education crisis to help students, parents, and concerned community members understand the situation and how they can get involved. Thank you to my co-hosts, MPP Jessica Bell and Elected Trustee Deborah Williams, as well as our panellists, the Ontario Autism Coalition’s Sandra Huh and TDSB Student Senator Amontaye Mullings.
If you missed it, you can watch the full town hall here.
| Oak Street Community BBQ |
On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of joining community members at 220 Oak Street for their annual BBQ. It was lovely seeing so many dear neighbours and friends!
Thank you to TCHC, the Salvation Army, and Cota for sponsoring the lunch and bringing the community together. Sharing food and time in the sunshine strengthens neighbourly connections. If you are having a summer social in your building, I would love to attend. Please message me!
| Chinatown Festival Launch |
The Chinatown Festival is fast approaching! This week, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Chinatown BIA’s Festival press conference. It was full of stunning performances from local artists and delicious food - just a taste of what is to come at the festival!
Thank you to Chinatown BIA Chair Tonny Louie and Event Committee Chair Steven Pho for your hospitality and all that you do to serve our communities. Your festival launch reminded us all that diversity is Toronto's strength. In the face of anti-Asian racism, gatherings like today are a joyful act of resilience, pride, and Canadian unity!
|
Underpass Park Farmers Market |
My team and I loved tabling at the Underpass Farmers' Market yesterday! This market is a gem in our community — bringing together local farmers, food producers, and neighbours to share fresh, sustainable, and delicious food.
Thank you to the incredible organizers, vendors, and volunteers. You are why this market thrives week after week. Thank you for connecting people to their food and to each other.
If you haven’t been yet, the market happens every Thursday until October 16 at 29 Lower River St. from 4 – 7:30 PM. You can grab some fresh produce and meet local farmers! Check out the full list of vendors here!
Last night, after the farmers' market, I popped over to the Toronto Outdoor Picture Show’s screening of Challengers to greet the huge crowd!
For 15 exciting years, the Toronto Outdoor Picture Show has brought diverse communities together for free film screenings and other cultural programming. TOPS activates our parks, builds partnerships and draws tourism to Toronto for unforgettable arts experiences. I am proud to see the Ontario Trillium Foundation support TOPS with funding for new equipment to continue delivering world-class programming. To see their full lineup for the rest of the summer, click here.
| Policing Free Schools - Defeat Bill 33! |
I was proud to stand with students, educators, parents, and community leaders at Queen’s Park yesterday to support the provincial campaign against Bill 33. Ford's Bill 33 will not make Ontario's schools safer. Toronto ended policing in schools because the SRO program targeted Black, Indigenous, and racialized students, criminalizing their behaviour and failing our most vulnerable students.
Students should not be afraid to go to school, but with police in schools, many are. Bringing this program back is a step in the wrong direction, and a misallocation of funds that the government should invest in responsive and supportive education for all students.
Thank you to Andrea Vásquez Jiménez of Policing Free Schools, Dr. Beyhan Farhadi, Joy Henderson, Raheem White, Cyrielle Ngeleka, and Laura Walton for your leadership. We can build safer, more equitable schools by defeating Bill 33!
| This Week's Meetings |
- Visions of Science
- Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario and Your Way Forward
| This Week's Headlines |
Landlords could face $100K fine for Toronto renovictions
St. James Town square to under go massive redevelopment
ANALYSIS: Workers are being priced out of Toronto. Can we reverse course?
Canadians are experiencing the widest income gap ever recorded
NHL says five players acquitted of sexual assault ineligible to play
Toronto tenants win fight over rental increase they argue was for redevelopment costs
Ontario ACORN's New Report: Tenants Paying the Price for Climate Action
| Upcoming Community Events |
| St. Michael’s Homes DBT Skills Group |
St. Michael’s Homes is offering a DBT Skills Group to support emotional well-being and personal growth.
- Date and Time: Tuesdays, 12:00–1:00 PM
- Location: The Corner @240, Unit 108, 240 Wellesley St. E. (behind Food Basics)
- What to Expect: A psychoeducational group to learn and practice Dialectical Behavioural Therapy skills. Topics include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
- Additional Support: Individual case management is also available.
For questions or registration, contact 416-926-8267 ext. 126 or email [email protected].
|
Book Launch: Have You Seen a TTC Rail Vehicle? |
Janine Carrington Books is hosting a fun community celebration for Toronto transit fans with the launch of Luis-Mario Carrington’s new book, Have You Seen a TTC Rail Vehicle?
Event Details:
- Date: August 9, 2025
- Time: 1:00–3:00 PM
- Location: Spacing Store, 401 Richmond St. Toronto
The event will feature snacks, speakers, books, Toronto-themed merchandise, and transit-inspired activities. TTCriders and Spacing are also supporting this exciting launch that celebrates the city’s transit system and vehicles.
|
Preparation for Employment: Skills for Success |
Ready to Start Your Dream Career?
Dixon Hall’s program provides essential support to help individuals develop the skills and confidence necessary for employment readiness and successful community integration. Participants would be required to attend core courses for 6 weeks and participate in 2-4 hours of one-on-one coaching sessions. Additionally, optional computer literacy and creative writing programs are available. These courses will take approximately 28 hours to complete.
Core Courses:
In-person Group Workshops: 4 hours weekly for 6 weeks
• Skills for Success – Learn strategies to navigate challenges and foster personal and professional growth.
• Employment Readiness – Receive practical guidance on job searching, resume building, and understanding workplace expectations.
One-on-One Coaching Sessions:
• 2-4 hours throughout the program.
Optional Courses:
• Basic Computer Training or computer training with certification
• Creative Writing
Program Eligibility
- A resident of Ontario
- Unemployed
- Legal working age (18+ years old)
- Eligible to work in Canada (open work permit holders, not employer-specific permits)
- Not currently registered with another Employment Ontario agency
The program starts in April 2025 and continues throughout the year. The most recent cohort started on Thursday, July 31, 2025. Please click here to complete the application form.
| St James Town Pebble Mosaic Workshops |
The St James Town Neighbourhood Association has been approved for city funding to create and install three mosaic art projects in the community! They are working with ReDefine Arts on the project and want YOU to participate!
About the workshops:
- Free to attend! All are welcome! All ages!
- No experience necessary!
- Inclusive, collaborative & fully accessible.
- Interdisciplinary public art making & community building.
- No commitment required. Join one or all workshops... it's up to you.
- Spread the word! Share this opportunity with your friends, family & neighbours.
Where and When:
-
Mosaic Design Feedback
- Thursday, August 7 from 6 – 8 PM at Diane Frankling Co-op (85 Bleecker Street)
-
Final Design Presentation
- Saturday, August 9 from 12 – 2 PM at Wellesley Community Centre (495 Sherbourne Street)
-
Mosaic Building
- Monday, August 25 from 4 – 7 PM at Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
- Tuesday, August 26 from 4 – 7 PM at Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
- RAIN DATE: Thursday, August 28, 4 – 7 PM at Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
-
Unveiling Celebration
- Thursday, October 2 at 4:00 PM in Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
| Council Fire Youth Gathering |
Check out Council Fire’s 8th annual Youth Gathering on Saturday, August 9th in Regent Park. Tkaronto: Our Home, Our Community, Our Future pays tribute to future generations. This is a family friendly and free public event open to all who want to enjoy Pow Wow music, drumming, dancers, food, vendors, prizes, and much more, right in the heart of downtown Toronto.
Date: August 9, 2025
Time: Grand entry at 12 PM
Location: Regent Park Big Park
| Moss Park Summer Festival |
Join your Moss Park Neighbours for a celebration of summer! Enjoy a BBQ, live music, games, a raffle, photo booth, balloons, and community resources all in one place!
Date: Saturday, August 9, 2025
Time: 1 PM - 4 PM
Location: Green Space - Queen Street E and Ontario Street Intersection
| Queen’s Park North Revitalization Consultation |
Queen's Park North is a historic and culturally significant public green space in Toronto, located north of the Ontario Parliament Building. In 2025, the City was approached by the Weston family with an offer to donate $50 million to improve the park, plus additional funding for long-term maintenance and programming. In response, City staff have been instructed by Council to undertake community and First Nations, Inuit and Metis engagement, along with design exploration, that will build on work completed in the park in 2019. The engagement conversations will inform opportunities related to park design, park amenities, Indigenous placekeeping, park programming, maintenance and governance. This public feedback will be collected and included as part of City staff’s report back to City Council in late 2025, which will include a recommended path forward.
Take the online survey by August 31, 2025 to help shape the future of Queen’s Park North. Visit Get Involved for more information and other ways to participate.
| Get Started in Canada - Newcomer Women |
Get Started in Canada- Newcomer Women program is designed to support newcomer women in setting meaningful goals and strengthening their employability skills, while also providing the opportunity to earn micro-certificates.
Dates: Aug 11 - Oct 3, 2025
Time: 9:30 AM to 2:45 PM
Days: Mondays and Thursdays (virtual)
Tuesdays and Wednesdays (in-person at Dundas & Kipling location)
What you will get:
- Micro-certificates such as WHMIS, Business Writing, Customer Service, and more
- Goal-setting support and enhanced job search skills
- Increased confidence and workplace communication skills
To apply, fill out the form here.
| RAW Design Student Summer Camp |
GOOD TO BE GOOD’s Change Make-Her Program is now accepting applications for its 6th Cohort!
This free, interactive, virtual group-based community-rooted program is open to women and gender-diverse people from equity-deserving and marginalized communities across Canada who want to grow their entrepreneurial journey and take their business to the next step — on their terms.
The 10-week program includes:
✨ 6 interactive group workshops
✨ Mentorship with leaders who share lived realities and experiences
✨ Peer support check-ins & networking
✨ Toolkits, resources, and a $250 micro-grant upon completion
✨ Opportunity to apply for a $500 Bursary
✨ Wraparound supports (internet/data stipends, wellness tools, childcare, accessibility) to reduce barriers to access
Rooted in equity, inclusivity, and care, CMH helps participants build foundational business and leadership skills through values-aligned workshops, mentorship, and community connection. Folks from equity-deserving communities—Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, newcomers, low-income, survivors, and others facing barriers to traditional entrepreneurship spaces and systems are prioritized in this program.
The date to apply is Friday, August 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm EST.
APPLY HERE!
Questions or referrals? Contact the Manager of Support Services, Aramí at [email protected] or visit our website for more information and FAQ.
| RAW Design Student Summer Camp |
Registration is open for RAW’s Diversity in Design Summer Camp! Running August 25–29, this is a free, week-long camp for Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth in grades 6–12. The goal is to introduce young people to architecture and design through creative, hands-on workshops, walking tours, design challenges, and conversations about how design shapes our communities.
The camp includes:
- Daily workshops (10 AM – 3 PM) at RAW’s studio near Ossington and Dupont
- Lunch, snacks, and TTC support as needed
- Mentorship from architects and designers
- Portfolio review and post-secondary prep for grade 11/ 12 high school students
Interested families or students can contact Carrie at [email protected] for more information and to register.
|
My Job Match |
Attention job seekers, employers, and employment support professionals! MyJobMatch is an innovative platform that connects job seekers with disabilities with employers looking to hire. Check out MyJobMatch.ca for more information.
Dear Emma,
Yesterday, after weeks of testimony, public scrutiny, and long waits, we received Justice Maria Carroccia’s decision on the Hockey Canada case. All five players were found not guilty. Our adversarial legal system rarely provides accountability, healing, or growth to any of the involved parties; unfortunately, this time was no different.
My heart is with E.M. I hope that she is surrounded by care and that she is able to find healing.
This entire trial served as a stark reminder of the systemic challenges that survivors face when seeking meaningful justice. There is so much work that we all must do to give survivors real options for justice and accountability, including the option for restorative justice if they request it.
To survivors and their loved ones: I see you and hear you. This decision is painful, and it brings up a lot of anger, grief, and confusion. You’re not alone in that. If this week has felt especially heavy, I hope you’ve had space to rest and care for yourself. The Toronto Rape Crisis Centre offers excellent support, resources, and community, including a 24/7 crisis line that you can access at 416-597-8808. If you have a child with questions or who is in need of support, the professionals at Kids Help Phone are an incredible resource. They can be reached at 1-800-668-6868. Please connect with them when the time feels right. You are not alone. You matter, and I will keep fighting for you.
While this trial has illuminated the shortcomings of our current justice system, it has also brought conversations around consent to the forefront. Consent education is critical, especially as we reflect on the huge gulf between the consent culture we all deserve and our society’s current attitudes.
This educational gap and the need for greater consent competency are why I co-sponsored the Consent Awareness Week Act. This bill would officially designate the third week of September each year as Consent Awareness Week. This time frame was chosen because the first few weeks of the fall term at post-secondary schools are known as the “red zone,” a time when campus sexual violence spikes. Students need education, prevention, and awareness during this time to prevent violence and trauma. Consent education is, of course, also required far beyond post-secondary institutions. Consent Awareness Week will create an annual opportunity for communities, workplaces, and beyond to engage in consent education. To support our bill, you can add your name here.
We have so much work ahead of us to create a culture of consent in Ontario and beyond, a culture where sexual violence is unacceptable, and where explicit and enthusiastic consent, respect, and healthy relationships are non-negotiables. I am proud to work towards those goals every day, and so grateful to everyone I work alongside.
One concrete thing you can do today is learn how to be BRAVE. According to Statistics Canada, in 2019 there were approximately 940,000 incidents of sexual assault in Canada, yet only 6 percent were reported to police. Survivors in our community and everywhere are more likely to tell a friend, neighbour, or co-worker. That means we need to be ready. Watch this short video where my wife, Farrah Khan, an expert on sexual assault and consent culture with over 20 years of experience, introduces the BRAVE model, a practical tool she created to help people respond to disclosures of sexual assault with care, respect and compassion.
The next step is to take action in your own communities. Speak up when someone is being treated disrespectfully. Practice consent-based language with your children. Ensure your workplace and community groups have clear consent and anti-harassment policies that are frequently discussed and faithfully upheld. Consent culture starts with each and every single one of us.
On Tuesday, Toronto District School Board Trustees were locked out of their email accounts and stripped of their phone numbers – another step in Ford’s takeover of our school boards and an effort to silence our democratically elected Trustees.
Instead of experienced education professionals running Ontario’s largest school boards, we have Rohit Gupta. Mr. Gupta is a former Metrolinx advisor who lacks any experience in education. Despite being unqualified, he is responsible for the education of 248,000 students. Mr. Gupta has no public email address or phone number, and isn't answering questions.
I am hosting an Education in Crisis Townhall to respond to this gross overstep and empower students, parents, and caregivers to take action.
On Monday, July 28th, join me, MPP Jessica Bell, and elected TDSB Trustee Deborah Williams at our Virtual Town Hall to find out what the TDSB takeover means for your family, your neighbours, and your community.
Together, we'll share the information you need, answer your questions, and give you the tools you need to fight for our public education system.
Date: Monday, July 28, 2025
Time: 7 PM
Location: Online (Zoom) - RSVP for Link
Everyone is welcome!
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
| In This Newsletter |
- Manufactured Famine in Gaza
- Bill 9 Hearings - Municipal Accountability Act
- Taste of Regent Park
- Metrolinx Facing $8.2 Billion in Lawsuits
- LiftED Education at Rose Avenue School
- Visit to Centres D’Accueil Héritage
- This Week’s Meetings
- This Week’s Headlines
- Local Community Events
| Manufactured Famine in Gaza |
For weeks, we have all been seeing horrific images of emaciated Palestinians, especially babies and young children, battling starvation. However, the crisis has reached a new peak in the past few days. One in five children in Gaza City is malnourished, and the numbers rise every day. On Wednesday, over 100 aid organizations warned of dire consequences without a ceasefire and the rapid distribution of aid. Healthcare workers, journalists, and international aid workers have been speaking up, sharing that they are passing out at work, unable to carry out their critical duties due to extreme hunger.
While Gaza is in acute crisis, thousands of aid trucks full of enough food to feed everyone in Gaza for months wait at the border, barred from entry by the Israeli government. This famine is a massive humanitarian crisis that is entirely manufactured. It is beyond horrific that government and military officials have the power to open the border to these trucks and end so much suffering and death, but refuse to do so. Yesterday, Prime Minister Carney called the blocking of aid “a violation of international law” and called for international bodies to take over the management of aid from Israel.
Canada is one of 28 countries globally that have demanded that Israel cease blocking aid and end the bombardment of Gaza. In May, Prime Minister Carney warned Israel that if they did not lift the blockade, they could face sanctions. Yet here we are, months later, with no sanctions. We need real action now to save Palestinian lives.
I am proud that the NDP has been calling out the genocide in Gaza, demanding sanctions, and amplifying the voice of UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, whom they have nominated for the next Nobel Peace Prize.
Please write to your MPs about this crisis and urge them to pressure the Israeli government to allow aid trucks to enter Gaza, or face harsh sanctions. For millions of people, this is life and death.
|
Bill 9 Hearings - Municipal Accuntability Act |
Yesterday, I travelled to Whitby for the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy’s hearings on Bill 9. This Bill would create a process to remove an elected municipal official from office. The Bill has laudable aspirations and questionable implementation.
I was a City Councillor during the Rob Ford era. I know what it is like to have a City Council distracted by repeated ethical and professional lapses from a colleague on Council. Sitting Toronto Councillor Michael Thompson is being prosecuted for multiple charges of sexual assault. Many question why he can still vote on Council matters and supervise young interns while facing criminal charges. Our current system is crying out for change.
Unfortunately, this Bill is proposing a process that I do not think will solve Ontario’s problems. Experts commenting on the bill call its process “nearly impossible to implement”.
Bill 9, as it is currently written, would force all municipalities to establish their own Integrity Commissioner who will enforce a new standard code of conduct that the province will impose. The City of Toronto was the first in the country to create an Integrity Commissioner, and for the past 21 years, this accountability office has been providing guidance to members of council. But many smaller municipalities do not have their own Integrity Commissioners because of their small size and lack of resources. This provincial bill provides no funding for municipalities or their newly mandated Integrity Commissioners. These local Integrity Commissioners could recommend removal with the agreement of Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner. Removing someone from office would require a unanimous council vote. Yes, you read that correctly, a unanimous vote.
Ontario municipalities need better processes. No other city or town should be forced to experince what Toronto lived through during the Rob Ford era. The Association of Municipalities in Ontario and Ontario Integrity Commissioner all recommended that this incredible power be given to a judge to ensure that there are appropriate checks and balances. The Ontario NDP has also proposed legislation that would leave this decision up to a judge, just like experts are requesting. I believe that letting judges judge would be a better and far less polarizing path.
Leaving this decision up to a Council creates far too much room for external politics to cloud a decision that should be about professional Integrity. Ontarians deserve a process that is fair, independent, and as free from political considerations as possible.
I hope that the government takes the expert feedback we heard this week seriously and improves upon this bill.
| Taste of Regent Park |
I was overjoyed to be back in Regent Park’s Big Park on Wednesday for another beautiful evening at Taste of Regent Park. This weekly community dinner and market is a treasured summer tradition that we all look forward to. If you missed it, don’t worry! It happens every Wednesday until September.
Every week, the Fred Victor team works tirelessly to put together such a fun and welcoming festival. Thank you to the vendors, volunteers, staff and sponsors who make it all possible.
| Metrolinx Facing $8.2 Billion in Lawsuits |
How many times does Metrolinx get to fail? Metrolinx just released their 2024-2025 annual report and buried on page 114 is the news that they are facing an eye-popping $8.2 billion in lawsuits. ). The claims relate to property acquisitions, the Ontario Line, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, the Finch West LRT and the Hazel McCallion LRT.
Delay after delay on the Eglinton Crosstown, descoping of the GO Expansion, ballooning costs everywhere – and now a money pit of lawsuits that Ontarians will have to pay for – is the opposite of delivering for transit riders. We have all been kept in the dark for far too long, as costs skyrocket for every project.
Who is responsible? How did this happen? I am sorry to say I have no answers for you right now, but I am fighting hard to get them. Premier Ford and Minister Sarkaria must pull their heads out of the sand and start demanding transparency and accountability. It’s long past time for a public inquiry. We need to crack open Metrolinx’s black box and find out what is really going on. I will, as always, continue to keep you updated.
|
LiftED Education at Rose Avenue School |
This past Tuesday, I had the privilege of attending LiftED Literacy and Leadership at Rose Avenue Public School! LiftED runs literacy and leadership programs for underserved youth in our communities, ensuring they have the skills to fulfill their dreams. It was a delight to talk to young people benefiting from their programming. Anyone interested in learning more about what they can do can check them out here.
| Visit to Centres D’Accueil Héritage |
Centre d’Accueil Héritage is a gem just off of the Esplanade! CAH supports Francophone seniors in our neighbourhoods by providing safe and affordable housing, building community, and ensuring they have access to supports in French. All of this work helps their clients to live independently in their golden years.
It was such a gift to see the care and dedication every member of CAH’s staff brought to their role, as well as their welcoming facilities and happy clients! CAH is a wonderful model of language-inclusive care right in our neighbourhood!
Anyone with aging Francophone loved ones can learn more about their services here.
| This Week's Meetings |
- Regent Park Islamic Resource Centre and TCHC
- Black People United for Change
- Unifor
- Dr. Barrie - HIV Healthcare
| This Week's Headlines |
Heat warning continues in Toronto Friday as temperatures could feel like 40 C
Churches see alarming overdose spike on-site since safe consumption site closures
Ontario will bypass feds, issue its own work permits: Ford
Famous dead Toronto raccoon just got a permanent memorial
Toronto council butts heads over where to put new shelters
How app upgrades are helping Toronto police do more bail compliance checks
Murder victim's father impacted by change to Ontario courts
Tenants facing mass eviction say negotiations broke down over clause meant to ‘silence’ them
Mammoth 80-storey tower would completely transform major Toronto intersection
‘We’re on a journey’: TTC’s new CEO on subway ‘slow zones’ and his goals for Toronto transit
| Upcoming Community Events |
| Indonesian Food Festival |
The Indonesian Food Festival is not to be missed! In addition to delicious food, you can enjoy performances, cooking demonstrations, a fashion show, and much more!
Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025
Time: 12 PM - 8 PM
Location: Sankofa Square (formerly Yonge-Dundas Square)
|
Ecocraft Market |
Join the St. James Town Community Corner for a day of creativity and conscious crafting at the Ecocraft Market. Browse crafts handmade by locals and take home some treasures!
Date: Friday, July 25, 2025
Time: 3:30-6 PM
Location: The Corner, 240 Wellesley Street
| St James Town Pebble Mosaic Workshops |
The St James Town Neighbourhood Association has been approved for city funding to create and install three mosaic art projects in the community! They are working with ReDefine Arts on the project and want YOU to participate!
About the workshops:
- Free to attend! All are welcome! All ages!
- No experience necessary!
- Inclusive, collaborative & fully accessible.
- Interdisciplinary public art making & community building.
- No commitment required. Join one or all workshops... it's up to you.
- Spread the word! Share this opportunity with your friends, family & neighbours.
Where and When:
-
Design Workshops
- Saturday, July 26 from 2 – 4 PM at Diane Frankling Co-op (85 Bleecker Street)
-
Mosaic Design Feedback
- Thursday, August 7 from 6 – 8 PM at Diane Frankling Co-op (85 Bleecker Street)
-
Final Design Presentation
- Saturday, August 9 from 12 – 2 PM at Wellesley Community Centre (495 Sherbourne Street)
-
Mosaic Building
- Monday, August 25 from 4 – 7 PM at Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
- Tuesday, August 26 from 4 – 7 PM at Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
- RAIN DATE: Thursday, August 28, 4 – 7 PM at Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
-
Unveiling Celebration
- Thursday, October 2 at 4:00 PM in Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
| Switching Regent(s): A Creative Exploration of Bridging Queerly in Regent Park |
The Switch Collective is offering a creative workshop/art jam on Saturday, July 26, 3-7 PM, at Studio 1 on the ground floor of Daniels Spectrum. All levels of creative confidence & experience are extremely welcome!
The workshop will bring together a group of LGBTQ+ artists & Regent Park residents to:
- Collectively experimenting with movement, words and song, both in a studio and on the streets of Regent Park
- Exploring the themes of bridging distance between different communities, queer migration, and the past, present & future of life in Regent Park
- Learning about the Switch Methodology’s approach to creating queer, roving, street performance art
- Creatively manifesting our queer wishes for Regent Park
Snacks will be provided, along with dinner at 7 pm. This is not currently a masked event, but that may change based on group needs.
Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025
Time: 3 PM - 7 PM
Location: Studio 1, ground floor of Daniels Spectrum
RSVP before Tuesday, July 22 by filling out this form
After the workshop, Switch Collective & collaborators will do a public share of song, audio & movement based on their previous work in the park and influenced by the workshop. It will take place outside in Regent Park, by the Aquatic Centre.
| Queen’s Park North Revitalization Consultation |
Queen's Park North is a historic and culturally significant public green space in Toronto, located north of the Ontario Parliament Building. In 2025, the City was approached by the Weston family with an offer to donate $50 million to improve the park, plus additional funding for long-term maintenance and programming. In response, City staff have been instructed by Council to undertake community and First Nations, Inuit and Metis engagement, along with design exploration, that will build on work completed in the park in 2019. The engagement conversations will inform opportunities related to park design, park amenities, Indigenous placekeeping, park programming, maintenance and governance. This public feedback will be collected and included as part of City staff’s report back to City Council in late 2025, which will include a recommended path forward.
Join the conversation! Attend an in-person public working session on July 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Metro Central YMCA, and take the online survey by August 31, 2025 to help shape the future of Queen’s Park North. Visit Get Involved for more information and other ways to participate.
| Policing Free Schools Press Conference |
Policing-Free Schools, the organizational lead of the Provincial Campaign for a Policing-Free Schools Ontario will be hosting a press conference at Queens Park along with supporters on Thursday, July 31, 2025 at 11 AM, demanding fund our schools not policing-in-schools and we will be launching the provincial back-to-school initiatives and upcoming actions against Bill 33! Everyone is welcome!
The Provincial Campaign for a Policing-Free Schools Ontario & supporters demand: Fund our schools not policing-in-schools
Date: Thursday July 31, 2025
Time: 11 AM
Location: South Lawn, Queens Park, 111 Wellesley St W, Toronto
Bill 33 is a proposed sweeping legislation, a power grab that ultimately mandates police-in-school programs, namely the School Resource Officer program and policing-in-schools across the province of Ontario. While simultaneously, the Ford Government has been funneling millions of dollars into policing-in-schools including police-in-school programs and technological surveillance in schooling spaces. Rather than addressing the root causes, the Ford Government chooses to siphon funds out of our schools and communities and pour tax-dollars into harmful non-evidence based carceral measures. Bill 33 is a distraction from what the real issue is, a chronically underfunded public education system and deteriorating public community-based supports.
| Get Started in Canada - Newcomer Women |
Get Started in Canada- Newcomer Women program is designed to support newcomer women in setting meaningful goals and strengthening their employability skills, while also providing the opportunity to earn micro-certificates.
Dates: Aug 11 - Oct 3, 2025
Time: 9:30 AM to 2:45 PM
Days: Mondays and Thursdays (virtual)
Tuesdays and Wednesdays (in-person at Dundas & Kipling location)
What you will get:
- Micro-certificates such as WHMIS, Business Writing, Customer Service, and more
- Goal-setting support and enhanced job search skills
- Increased confidence and workplace communication skills
To apply, fill out the form here.
| RAW Design Student Summer Camp |
Registration is open for RAW’s Diversity in Design Summer Camp! Running August 25–29, this is a free, week-long camp for Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth in grades 6–12. The goal is to introduce young people to architecture and design through creative, hands-on workshops, walking tours, design challenges, and conversations about how design shapes our communities.
The camp includes:
- Daily workshops (10 AM – 3 PM) at RAW’s studio near Ossington and Dupont
- Lunch, snacks, and TTC support as needed
- Mentorship from architects and designers
- Portfolio review and post-secondary prep for grade 11/ 12 high school students
Interested families or students can contact Carrie at [email protected] for more information and to register.
| Moss Park Summer Festival |
Join your Moss Park Neighbours for a celebration of summer! Enjoy a BBQ, live music, games, a raffle, photo booth, balloons, and community resources all in one place!
Date: Saturday, August 9, 2025
Time: 1 PM - 4 PM
Location: Green Space - Queen Street E and Ontario Street Intersection
|
My Job Match |
Attention job seekers, employers, and employment support professionals! MyJobMatch is an innovative platform that connects job seekers with disabilities with employers looking to hire. Check out MyJobMatch.ca for more information.
Dear Emma,
Ontario’s colleges are a vital piece of our education system, but right now they are in freefall. In Toronto alone, we have four publicly funded colleges and each contribute greatly to the economy, workforce and cultural fabric of our city.
Nearly 10,000 college faculty and staff have been let go or are projected to lose their jobs very soon. Colleges are eliminating over 600 unique programs of study as they struggle to cope with the dual shocks of international student caps and frozen provincial funding.
Doug Ford provides the lowest per-student college funding in the country, cutting it even further in the 2025-2026 budget. Colleges and universities already had to make cuts and operate on razor-thin margins before this, relying on very lucrative and uncapped international student tuition. When the Federal government greatly reduced the number of international students it was admitting into Canada, colleges were suddenly in massive financial trouble. Colleges have reported a 48% decrease in enrolment of international students and, with that, a drop in their revenue.
Instead of recognizing this crisis for what it is and coming to the table with more funding, Ford and his government are letting the entire sector flounder.
Colleges are anchor institutions in communities. Of course, they provide education and jobs to people who work and study there, but they also provide massive economic and cultural benefits to their surrounding areas. They allow young people to stay in their communities after high school, while attracting students from across the province with unique program offerings. These students and staff provide a population base that patronizes local restaurants and other small businesses, and students themselves are often staff for those very same businesses. Moreover, they bring fresh and creative ways of thinking to the towns and cities they are in, energizing them and making them great places to live.
Cuts and program closures will have ripple effects through our whole province. They will put our next generation at risk, reduce qualified applicant pools for employers, and destabilize entire communities that are structured around these institutions.
I, alongside my colleagues in the Ontario NDP, are demanding a substantial, permanent increase in post-secondary operating grants. We call on the government to immediately stabilize the sector, protect jobs, preserve programs, and ensure every student gets the education they deserve. Investments in education pay dividends to our economy and the strength of our social fabric.
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
| In This Newsletter |
- RSVP: Education in Crisis Virtual Townhall
- Nine First Nations Request Injunction Against Bills 5 and C-5
- Ford Threatens Subsidized Childcare
- Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Surges
- Raise Your Voice: Unfair Patient Fees at Doctors’ Offices
- Ethiopian Heritage Community Dinner
- CLC Panel: Women in Leadership
- Add Your Name: Lift Up 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities
- This Week’s Headlines
- Local Community Events
| RSVP: Education in Crisis Virtual Townhall |
On the last day of school, the Ford government took over the TDSB, along with three other school boards in Ontario. That means that our democratically elected TDSB trustees, along with other TDSB leadership, are not in control of our school board.
Instead, Rohit Gupta, a former Metrolinx advisor with no experience in education, has been appointed to run the TDSB. He is responsible for the education of 248,000 students. Mr. Gupta has no public email address or phone number, and isn't answering questions.
I bet you are upset. I am, too. Let’s use that passion to make change!
On Monday, July 28th, join me, MPP Jessica Bell, and elected TDSB Trustee Deborah Williams at our Virtual Town Hall to find out what the TDSB takeover means for your family, your neighbours, and your community.
Together, we'll share the information you need, answer your questions, and give you the tools you need to fight for our public education system.
Date: Monday, July 28, 2025
Time: 7 PM
Location: Online (Zoom) - RSVP for Link
Everyone is welcome!
| Nine First Nations Request Injunction Against Bills 5 and C-5 |
Nine First Nations in Ontario have joined together in asking the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for an injunction against both Ontario’s Bill 5 and the Federal Government’s Bill C-5. These bills both grant governments sweeping powers to approve large development and infrastructure projects, allowing applicants to ignore many existing laws and skip past layers of approval.
Both of these bills ignore Indigenous nations’ rights to self-determination and fail to honour the legally binding treaties that cover much of Ontario and Canada. Indigenous leaders across Turtle Island have been speaking up against these bills, and rightfully so. So many communities have been devastated by pollution from mining and other extractive projects that poison their lands and waters, jeopardizing the health of whole communities. And that was when levels of approval and environmental assessments were in place! So much more damage could be done with critical safety and environmental regulations removed.
I stand with Indigenous nations behind this injunction and am so proud of my fellow caucus member, Sol Mamakwa, for his tenacity in fighting Bill 5.
|
Ford Threatens Subsidized Childcare |
Parents, caregivers, and childcare workers across Ontario are in limbo right now, all because Doug Ford is dragging his feet on signing an agreement with the Federal government. An agreement that would ensure childcare subsidies through to 2031.
Current Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC), colloquially known as “$10-a-day childcare,” funding agreements expire in March of 2026. The Ontario government must sign on as soon as possible to avoid gaps in funding and skyrocketing fees for families. Currently, fees in Ontario are capped at $22 per day for children under the age of six. This is far from the goal of $10, but a stark improvement from the pre-subsidy era, when families were paying nearly $90 per day for infant daycare.
Angela Zhu, a parent with a child in a Toronto Centre daycare, recently spoke with CTV News about what affordable childcare means to her family. She shared that if the subsidy disappeared, she would likely not be able to have a second child, a gut wrenching decision facing so many. She also shared that many parents at her son’s daycare would have to leave their jobs if subsidies ended, a reality for so many young families.
| Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Surges |
Ontario is in the midst of a raging epidemic of intimate partner violence. This is not news to anyone who regularly reads this newsletter, but even for me the new numbers are staggering.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) recently released data showing that reports of intimate partner violence in 2024 increased by 18.1 per cent in Ontario compared to 2023 levels, from 5,326 victim-survivors in 2023 to 6,289 in 2024. 2023 levels were also 13.5% higher than 2022. Experts like Erin Lee, executive director of Lanark County Interval House, says that these increases can be attributed to an increase in incidents and severity of incidents, as well as rising awareness and willingness to reach out for help.
We know that the real numbers are much higher and that this epidemic disproportionately affects marginalized folks, especially unhoused women, Indigenous women, newcomers, and those with multiple intersecting marginalizations. We need to do so much more to support survivors so that they feel safe to report and that they do not have to wait for services when they decide they are ready.
I am working tirelessly behind the scenes this summer so that when the Legislature resumes, we can hit the ground running, get the epidemic declared, and produce real results for survivors. Part of that strategy is championing the Consent Awareness Week Act, a bill I am co-sponsoring, which would make the first week of the post-secondary school year Consent Awareness Week. The first few weeks of the fall term at post-secondary schools are known as the “red zone,” a time when campus sexual violence spikes. Much more education, prevention, and awareness is needed during this time.
You can learn more about the Consent Awareness Week Act and how you can get involved here.
|
Raise Your Voice: Unfair Patient Fees at Doctors’ Offices |
Your voice matters! Right now, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) is holding public consultations on block fees and other charges that patients are saddled with at their doctor’s office.
The CPSO is reviewing its policy on uninsured services — fees charged to patients for services not covered by OHIP, such as sick notes, driver’s medical exams, and prescription renewals by phone. Many Ontarians are also being asked to pay annual “block fees” of $150 or more to cover these types of services. These changes are being considered following a rise in complaints from patients who feel pressured or unable to afford the extra costs.
Ontarians are already struggling with rising costs of living and Doug Ford is quietly pushing Ontario toward a two-tier American-style system, where if you have money, you get better care, and if you don’t, you’re left behind. These block fees and extra charges are just another form of upselling that has no place in our public health system. We need reform on this issue - it is about fairness and access to healthcare.
Ontarians can provide feedback through the CPSO’s official consultation page before the August 1 deadline.
| Ethiopian Heritage Community Dinner |
It was a real honour to join the Ethiopian Association in GTA and Surrounding Regions last Friday. Together, we celebrated the progress we have made to recognize Ethiopian Heritage Month in Ontario. I am proud to be a co-sponsor of ONDP Deputy Leader MPP Doly Begum’s bill, the Ethiopian Heritage Month Act.
The Ethiopian community’s hospitality and love of their culture is infectious. I can’t wait to continue supporting their advocacy when the legislature resumes.
| CLC Panel: Women in Leadership |
Yesterday, I was so happy to join the Canadian Labour Congress’ panel on supporting women and gender-diverse people in leadership. The labour movement has been at the forefront of real workplace wins for women and gender-diverse people across Ontario and Canada. We must keep fighting for pay equity and fair treatment for all workers!
| Add Your Name: Lift Up 2SLGBTQIA+ Communities |
The Ontario Federation of Labour has launched a new petition, and they need your help getting signatures!
This petition calls on the Ontario government to protect and include 2SLGBTQIA+ people explicitly in our communities, public institutions, and workplaces, including by ensuring that they have access to affirming healthcare, housing, and education. The petition additionally calls on the government to adequately fund Pride festivals, implement anti-hate education campaigns, and support immigrants and refugees.
You can download a printable petition here and mail the originals (the Legislature does not accept photocopies) directly to the OFL.
We must all work together and demand better from this government!
| This Week's Headlines |
Homes on Jarvis St. latest target of city’s heritage designation push
What you need to know to understand air quality warnings in Canada
Controversial bus lanes on Bathurst and Dufferin may get extended after all
Bodenstein siblings follow in mother's footsteps in receiving provincial appointments to boards
Income inequality hit record high at start of 2025, Statistics Canada says
Thousands go from jail to being homeless in Ontario every year, report finds
Bad news, commuters: the Eglinton Crosstown LRT may be delayed again
Ontario is adding 150 new jail beds. Experts say they aren't enough to address overcrowding
| Upcoming Community Events |
| Hungry Carnivores Plant Sale & BBQ |
Friends of Allan Gardens and Plantzza Hut will be co-hosting Hungry Carnivores (Toronto’s only carnivorous plant sale) on July 20th! Don’t miss this exciting event with your favourite vendors and BBQ!!
Friends of Allan Gardens have partnered with Ti Kay La Foods INC to bring you a taste of St. Lucia!
Date: Sunday, July 20, 2025
Time: 12-5 PM
Location: Children’s Conservatory at Allan Gardens on the west side of the park by Jarvis and Carlton - 19 Horticultural Ave
|
St James Town Pebble Mosaic Workshops |
The St James Town Neighbourhood Association has been approved for city funding to create and install three mosaic art projects in the community! They are working with ReDefine Arts on the project and want YOU to participate!
About the workshops:
- Free to attend! ● All are welcome! ● All ages!
- No experience necessary!
- Inclusive, collaborative & fully accessible.
- Interdisciplinary public art making & community building.
- No commitment required. Join one or all workshops... it's up to you.
- Spread the word! Share this opportunity with your friends, family & neighbours.
Where and When:
-
Design Workshops
- Monday, July 21 from 5:30 – 7:30 PM at Wellesley Community Centre (495 Sherbourne Street)
- Wednesday, July 23 from 6 – 8 PM at Hugh Garner Co-op (550 Ontario Street)
- Saturday, July 26 from 2 – 4 PM at Diane Frankling Co-op (85 Bleecker Street)
- Mosaic Design Feedback
- Thursday, August 7 from 6 – 8 PM at Diane Frankling Co-op (85 Bleecker Street)
-
Final Design Presentation
- Saturday, August 9 from 12 – 2 PM at Wellesley Community Centre (495 Sherbourne Street)
-
Mosaic Building
- Monday, August 25 from 4 – 7 PM at Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
- Tuesday, August 26 from 4 – 7 PM at Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
- RAIN DATE: Thursday, August 28, 4 – 7 PM at Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
-
Unveiling Celebration
- Thursday, October 2 at 4:00 PM in Winchester Park (530 Ontario Street)
| Under the Stars in Regent Park |
Pre-show activities begin at 7:30 PM.
Films start at sundown.
Audiences are encouraged to arrive early, bring a picnic blanket, and gather friends and family to grab a great spot for opening night.
This year’s Under the Stars lineup has already earned rave reviews from Letterboxd users. From a bold reimagining of the Iranian road-trip genre to a charming rom-com featuring a meet-cute at a Hindu temple, the 2025 selection promises unforgettable stories and standout cinema.
Date: July 23
Location: Regent Park
Get ready for another incredible summer of movies Under the Stars! Check out the local movie line-up here.
| Ecocraft Market |
Join the St. James Town Community Corner for a day of creativity and conscious crafting at the Ecocraft Market. Browse crafts handmade by locals and take home some treasures!
Date: Friday, July 25, 2025
Time: 3:30-6 PM
Location: The Corner, 240 Wellesley Street
| Switching Regent(s): A Creative Exploration of Bridging Queerly in Regent Park |
The Switch Collective is offering a creative workshop/art jam on Saturday, July 26, 3-7 PM, at Studio 1 on the ground floor of Daniels Spectrum. All levels of creative confidence & experience are extremely welcome!
The workshop will bring together a group of LGBTQ+ artists & Regent Park residents to:
- Collectively experimenting with movement, words and song, both in a studio and on the streets of Regent Park
- Exploring the themes of bridging distance between different communities, queer migration, and the past, present & future of life in Regent Park
- Learning about the Switch Methodology’s approach to creating queer, roving, street performance art
- Creatively manifesting our queer wishes for Regent Park
Snacks will be provided, along with dinner at 7 pm. This is not currently a masked event, but that may change based on group needs.
Date: Saturday, July 26, 2025
Time: 3 PM - 7 PM
Location: Studio 1, ground floor of Daniels Spectrum
RSVP before Tuesday, July 22 by filling out this form
After the workshop, Switch Collective & collaborators will do a public share of song, audio & movement based on their previous work in the park and influenced by the workshop. It will take place outside in Regent Park, by the Aquatic Centre.
| Moss Park Summer Festival |
Join your Moss Park Neighbours for a celebration of summer! Enjoy a BBQ, live music, games, a raffle, photo booth, balloons, and community resources all in one place!
Date: Saturday, August 9, 2025
Time: 1 PM - 4 PM
Location: Green Space - Queen Street E and Ontario Street Intersection
| Get Started in Canada - Newcomer Women |
Get Started in Canada- Newcomer Women program is designed to support newcomer women in setting meaningful goals and strengthening their employability skills, while also providing the opportunity to earn micro-certificates.
Program overview:
Name: Get Started in Canada
Dates: Aug 11 - Oct 3, 2025
Time: 9:30 AM to 2:45 PM
Days: Mondays and Thursdays (virtual)
Tuesdays and Wednesdays (in-person at Dundas & Kipling location)
What you will get:
- Micro-certificates such as WHMIS, Business Writing, Customer Service, and more
- Goal-setting support and enhanced job search skills
- Increased confidence and workplace communication skills
To apply, fill out the form here.
| RAW Design Student Summer Camp |
Registration is open for RAW’s Diversity in Design Summer Camp! Running August 25–29, this is a free, week-long camp for Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth in grades 6–12. The goal is to introduce young people to architecture and design through creative, hands-on workshops, walking tours, design challenges, and conversations about how design shapes our communities.
The camp includes:
- Daily workshops (10 AM – 3 PM) at RAW’s studio near Ossington and Dupont
- Lunch, snacks, and TTC support as needed
- Mentorship from architects and designers
- Portfolio review and post-secondary prep for grade 11/ 12 high school students
Interested families or students can contact Carrie at [email protected] for more information and to register.
Dear Neighbour,
Get your orange horses ready! Yesterday, key rules for the federal NDP Leadership race was decided. A new leader will be named by the end of March 2026. Political junkies rejoice: over the coming weeks and months, you can expect swirling rumours, fresh announcements, and hot political gossip about who will lead the NDP at the federal level. I’ll be keenly watching and encouraging everyone to renew their membership. Thanks to the NDP’s unified party structure, our federal and provincial NDP membership comes with voting rights!
What: Education in Crisis Townhall
When: Monday July 28, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Where: Zoom — RSVP here
On the last day of school in June, the Minister of Education placed four more school boards under provincial supervision — including the TDSB. The authority of elected Trustees is now in the hands of the Minister of Education, who has appointed an un-elected supervisor. Join MPP Jessica Bell, MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, and elected Trustee Deborah Williams for updates and what provincial supervision means for our students, families, educators, communities, and our democracy. Everyone is welcome! Your voice matters! Please note, as of June 27, 2025 the TDSB is under Ministry of Education supervision and control. Provincial supervision has restricted the role of Deborah Williams, who is the Elected Trustee for TDSB Ward 10, University-Rosedale & Toronto Centre.
Failing to act on homelessness should be a political impossibility, and yet here we are, with homelessness in Toronto at crisis levels. Rates have more than doubled over the past three years, something I know isn’t a shock to anyone in downtown Toronto. We experience this humanitarian crisis every day at our doorsteps and in our neighbourhoods.
The City of Toronto published their 2024 Street Needs Assessment report this week, and it is bleak. This report is a snapshot in time of homelessness in October 2024. Still, it gives us valuable insight into who is unhoused, what complexities are common, and which needs are going unmet (spoiler alert - it's most of them). The survey found that Indigenous, Black, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people are vastly over-represented in Toronto’s homeless population, as are people with unmet health needs and survivors of intimate partner or gender-based violence. We also know that surveys like these miss many “hidden homeless” people who are couch surfing, living outside in difficult-to-access areas, and those who are unwilling to participate in surveys like this. Cathy Crow, a street nurse and advocate for the unhoused, shared with CBC that every count of homeless folks is an undercount, especially of those living outdoors.
The vast majority of respondents to the Street Needs Assessment survey stated that access to Rent-Geared-To-Income housing would have prevented or would end their homelessness. Many others stated that unmet health needs, like access to a family doctor, mental health supports, and/or addiction treatment, were all factors in their lack of housing. Another trend was that experiences of violence, especially gender-based and intimate partner violence, were high among respondents, and often were factors in their lack of housing. This phenomenon was echoed in another report published this week by the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario, which found that gender-based violence was the leading cause of homelessness for women and gender-diverse people.
Solving the homelessness crisis in Toronto and across Canada is possible. It will require a concentrated, collective effort by every level of government across our country. It will be difficult, but not impossible, as we already know how to end homelessness.
Building affordable non-market housing and supportive housing are homelessness prevention and reduction strategies. Accessible, high-quality healthcare with low barriers is homelessness prevention. Doubling social assistance rates to a level that would actually lift people out of poverty and allow them to pay for housing is homelessness prevention. We also know that creating a justice system that works, investing in violence prevention and early-intervention programs for youth, are all homelessness prevention. Not only are these solutions to address homelessness, but they also reduce expensive and desperate alternatives such as shelter, hospital and correctional beds. Building a continuum of suitable and affordable housing for the broad needs of Ontarians reduces government costs, creates healthier communities and bolsters our economy.
Yet the Ford government fails to implement them. This government does not have a plan to end homelessness and continually ignores the recommendations of its own housing task force.
The Ontario NDP will never stop pushing for a housing mix that meets everyone’s needs and includes non-market options, a healthcare system that is public and well-funded, violence-prevention and justice services that advance community wellbeing, and the prioritization of equity for underserved communities. I am so proud to be a New Democrat; to be part of a party that advances policies that make life more affordable, make our communities healthier, more connected and prosperous, and lead with compassion. I will never stop pushing all governments to do more for our communities. Ending homelessness is a responsibility that falls on every elected official and order of government.
Despite being incredibly busy ignoring Ontario’s homelessness crisis, this week, Ford met with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to sign two non-binding Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) on interprovincial trade. The MOUs focused on pipelines and rail transportation to transport critical minerals, oil sands extraction, and natural gas to markets. I can get behind more rail transportation and recognize the need to export our critical minerals (when they are responsibly mined and respectful of Indigenous sovereignty), but building new fossil fuel infrastructure like pipelines must come with rigorous environmental assessments and a clear business case, things I worry Ford would not provide. A resurrection of the Energy East pipeline, once proposed to carry Alberta crude from the oil sands to refineries in New Brunswick, even seemed to be on the table.
We need more interprovincial trade - that is something that I fully support. However, Ford is using the cover of Trump’s trade war to push his regressive, anti-environmental agenda as far as it will go. Anything to help his rich buddies get richer!
The Energy East pipeline was killed more than ten years ago because it was too expensive, too logistically complex, faced massive opposition from Indigenous nations and environmental groups, and because the world is moving away from fossil fuels. Ten years later, the same barriers exist, renewables are cheaper, and Trans Canada (now TC Energy), which was going to build the pipeline, is no longer in the business of building pipelines. The only reason that Energy East was ever logistically or economically viable was because Trans Canada owned a natural gas pipeline that covered ⅓ of the proposed route, which they planned to repurpose. And even with that existing pipeline, the project couldn’t get off the ground!
Instead of relying on the fossil fuel industry to create short-term jobs and short-term energy independence, we should go all-in on renewables. Renewables create great long-term jobs, energy independence that lasts for generations, and a cleaner planet we can all be proud of.
If Energy East is ever officially proposed, we need to be prepared to push for strong environmental assessments, true consultation with Indigenous communities, and an air-tight business case. Bill 5 has completely changed the regulatory environment, and we know that Doug Ford often pushes through projects that don’t make economic or local sense (see below for an update on the Ontario Place mega-spa). We must therefore be ready with strong arguments and stronger opposition to create an environment where building this pipeline is a political impossibility. I am ready.
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
| In This Newsletter |
- Judge Upholds Bike Lane Injunction, Ford Flounders
- Ontario’s Tribunals Failing on Transparency
- Therme Downsizes Ontario Place Spa Again
- Cafe Zuzu Open After Impaired Driver Crash
- This Week’s Headlines
- Local Community Events
| Judge Upholds Bike Lane Injunction, Ford Flounders |
Another win for cyclists and an independent judiciary in Toronto this week! The Ontario courts have dismissed Ford’s request to appeal the injunction currently in place to prevent the removal of bike lanes on Bloor, Yonge, and University. This injunction is in place until the courts hear arguments and decide whether Ford’s legislation to remove these bike lanes is constitutional. Cycle Toronto argues that the law is arbitrary, puts cyclists’ lives at stake, and that the government lacks evidence that removing the lanes will reduce congestion. I couldn’t agree more.
As a cyclist and a driver, I strongly support keeping these lanes for the safety and well-being of cyclists and drivers alike. Nothing is more stressful than drivers and cyclists sharing the same space on a busy roadway, no matter who you are! I will not stop fighting for safe streets for all road users.
| Ontario’s Tribunals Failing on Transparency |
Yesterday, I sent two letters to the Ontario Ombudsman, Paul Dubé, asking him to investigate issues of transparency and consistency within the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), as well as the failure of three Tribunals to release annual reports for two years in a row.
In my letter concerning the LTB, I ask why Tribunals Ontario and the Ombudsman’s office are reporting contradictory statistics concerning the LTB’s implementation of the Ombudsman’s Office’s recommendations for improvement. The Ombudsman’s 2023/24 Annual Report says that the LTB had taken action on 35 of 61 recommendations. Meanwhile, Tribunals Ontario claims to have “fully addressed” 79 percent of the recommendations. This discrepancy is enormous. You deserve answers about what is really going on inside the LTB. Tenants and Landlords are waiting for egregiously long periods of time for hearings, much longer than they waited just six years ago. They deserve answers and a genuine commitment to improve wait times through evidence.
My second letter concerned the failure of the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB), Health Services Appeal and Review Board (HSARB), and Consent and Capacity Board (CCB) to publish annual reports for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. This failure is consistent with the lack of transparency and increased insider appointments that have plagued the tribunal system throughout the Ford government’s tenure, especially after Ford appointed former PC candidate Sean Weir as Tribunals Ontario's Executive Chair in 2020.
While these annual reports may not make for the most exciting reading, they are critical tools to understand how the tribunal is functioning, what the backlogs are, and to track trends in types of cases and case outcomes. If one kind of case suddenly skyrockets, that is a flag that something in our society is not working well, and the government should act to address it on a systemic level. If there is a sudden spike in dismissed cases, that is an opportunity to review adjudicator training and appointments, as well as materials and processes on the public side. Those are just two examples! These reports are critical for transparency, early response, and reflection by tribunal leadership. Failing to produce these reports and make them public undermines the effectiveness of the entire system.
I am eagerly awaiting a response from the Ombudsman and will keep you updated.
|
Therme Downsizes Ontario Place Spa Again |
The Ontario Place mega-spa is getting a little less mega — for the second time. This Tuesday, Therme released newly redesigned plans for its private spa on public land. These plans include a 13% reduction in the spa's size, following a 2023 redesign that saw the space reduced by 25%.
These continual redesigns may mean more public realm space and less inaccessible public land, but they also point to chaos and a potential lack of financing behind the scenes. As we know, Therme lied continuously about their assets, allowing the government to believe that they owned and operated six large spas globally. When the Auditor General looked closely, they found that Therme only owned and operated one spa; the others were simply operated under the same model and the same name by a different company and owner, but not by the Therme that was making the application. That alone should be grounds for tearing up this horrible agreement.
The more we learn about Therme and their plans for Ontario Place, the more the entire agreement reveals itself to be a sham. It is disgusting that this government continues to double down on this failed plan, when we could be spending nearly $3 billion on a beautiful public realm project that suits the site and is open for everyone to enjoy. I am so thankful to the diligent Ontario NDP researchers and the array of journalists who have worked so hard to reveal Ford’s corruption for what it is. This story is continually evolving, and I promise to continue holding the government to account for it.
| Cafe Zuzu Open After Impaired Driver Crash |
Last Saturday morning, an impaired driver crashed into the front of Regent Park’s beloved Cafe Zuzu. Thankfully, nobody was hurt, and Cafe Zuzu has been incredibly resilient. They are already open again and with their sense of humour intact. They are even hosting a “Door Crasher” community event today, inviting the neighbourhood to “bless this mess” and enjoy a special price on some of their most popular drinks. We love you, Zuzu!T
| This Week's Headlines |
Coalition of parents, teachers, trustees speaks out against Ontario's school board takeover
Federal NDP plans to have a new leader by end of March
Ontario asks feds to drop bill that would help provide clean drinking water to First Nations
Extreme heat is killing more seniors. Cities aren’t ready
Brace for layoffs, budget watchdog says, as Carney government aims to slash spending by $25B
New law that aims to protect Ontario gig workers falls short, critics say
Ontario child-care fees still at ‘high end,’ despite significant savings: report
Ontario community colleges face up to 10,000 layoffs: union
York Region paramedic shouldn't have been fired over Israel comments: union, law experts
This man is running every street in Toronto. He’s not letting a brain cancer diagnosis stop him
| Upcoming Community Events |
| RAW Design Student Summer Camp |
Registration is open for RAW’s Diversity in Design Summer Camp! Running August 25–29, this is a free, week-long camp for Black, Indigenous, and racialized youth in grades 6–12. The goal is to introduce young people to architecture and design through creative, hands-on workshops, walking tours, design challenges, and conversations about how design shapes our communities.
The camp includes:
- Daily workshops (10 AM–3 PM) at RAW’s studio near Ossington and Dupont
- Lunch, snacks, and TTC support as needed
- Mentorship from architects and designers
- Portfolio review and post-secondary prep for grade 11/ 12 high school students
Interested families or students can contact Carrie at [email protected] for more information and to register.
|
The Big Thank You Contest - CFIB |
Celebrate the amazing Canadian Small Businesses that make our communities unique with the CFIB’s Big Thank You Contest! Send a thank you message to your favourite Canadian small business for a chance to win one of two weekly prizes consisting of $1,000 cash and a Big Thank You Gift Box valued at $500 of small business goodies from across the country!
If you win, the business you thank also wins a cash prize of $3,000 and a Big Thank You Gift Box valued at $1,000 which includes small business goodies and a 1-year CFIB membership connecting them to advocacy, business support, and savings! PLUS! We’re giving the most nominated business a bonus prize of $3,000!
Click here to submit your thank you!
| Taste of the Caribbean! |
Time: 1 PM - 5 PM
Date: Saturday, June 12, 2025
Location: Regent Park Community Centre, 402 Shuter Street
All are welcome to take part in this free event for a taste of Caribbean food, drumming, Socacize, Caribbean and Latin dance, mask/headpiece making and games!
|
Under the Stars in Regent Park |
Under the Stars Opens Next Week!
Pre-show activities begin at 7:30 PM
Films start at sundown
Audiences are encouraged to arrive early, bring a picnic blanket, and gather friends and family to grab a great spot for opening night.
This year’s Under the Stars lineup has already earned rave reviews from Letterboxd users. From a bold reimagining of the Iranian road-trip genre to a charming rom-com featuring a meet-cute at a Hindu temple, the 2025 selection promises unforgettable stories and standout cinema.
Dates: July 16, 23
Location: Regent Park
Get ready for another incredible summer of movies Under the Stars! Check out the local movie line-up here.
| Mental Health Matters: Women in Leadership |
Are you a self-identifying woman aged 15–35? Join Mental Health Matters for an inspiring evening of networking, connection, and community. Enjoy a panel discussion, interactive networking, a Bloom Bar, and a photo booth — plus free food and refreshments.
Time: 6 PM - 9 PM
Date: Friday, July 18, 2025
Location: 150 River Street, Party Room, First Floor.
Dress Code: Business Casual
| Mainstreet Walking Tour — Discover Cabbagetown’s Roots Now Live on Driftscape |
Join us for an unforgettable evening as the Mike Field Jazz Quintet celebrates the release of their highly anticipated fifth album, Nashland!
Renowned for his bright, energetic sound and captivating performances, Mike Field returns with a vibrant collection of original tunes—two years in the making and brought to life by some of Toronto’s top jazz talent.
📍 Reid's Distillery (32 Logan Ave, just north of Lakeshore Blvd.)
📅 Tuesday, July 22, 2025
🕗 8:00–10:00 PM (Two 50-minute sets)
🎟️ Tickets: $15 in advance / $20 at the door
🎫 Get yours now at https://www.mikefieldjazz.com/dates
Set in the stylish setting of Reid’s Distillery, this special album launch concert promises an unforgettable night of fresh, fiery jazz and feel-good vibes.
This exciting project has been made possible with the funding support of the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
| Mainstreet Walking Tour — Discover Cabbagetown’s Roots Now Live on Driftscape |
A new self-guided walking tour exploring Cabbagetown’s rich history is now available through the free Driftscape app. The Mainstreet Walking Tour — Discover Cabbagetown’s Roots takes users through the neighbourhood’s lively commercial corridors, highlighting its architecture, notable historical figures, and independent businesses.
With stops along Carlton, Parliament, and Gerrard Streets, the tour allows participants to explore at their own pace, making it ideal for both residents and visitors looking to discover something new.
This year’s edition includes brand-new content and expanded locations, as well as a Scavenger Hunt feature that challenges users to solve clues at each stop—adding an engaging, interactive experience for all ages.
Tour Features:
-
Historic landmarks and heritage homes featuring archival images
-
Stories of local figures and hidden histories throughout the neighbourhood
-
Scavenger Hunt with clues and prize entry
-
Interviews with local business owners and community voices
-
Audio guides, visuals, and offline access for convenience
- Insider recommendations curated by the Cabbagetown Preservation Association
The full experience takes 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the participant’s pace, and is available anytime until the end of the year.
Dear Emma,
This past long weekend was full of fun, excitement, and community connection as we celebrated Pride and Canada Day.
On Canada Day, I was thrilled to see so many neighbours out enjoying the festivities organized by the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association. St. James Park was busy with locals and visitors soaking up the music, performances, historical reenactments, and kids’ activities.
I truly believe that Canada is one of the greatest nations in the world and that everyone who calls Canada home has a responsibility to make life better for themselves and their neighbours every day. I am grateful that my parents chose Canada as our adopted home. I am proudly raising my family here and planting our roots as deeply as possible, giving back to my country and city in every way. I love Canada and am so proud to be Canadian!
Canada Day is not just a celebration, but also a time for reflection. Celebrating Canada authentically means recognizing how Indigenous peoples experience Canada, both historically and today. We can be proud of how much has been done to work towards reconciliation and documenting the true history of colonialism and genocide. However, as Doug Ford showed when he passed Bill 5, and as Mark Carney showed when he passed Bill C-5, colonialism never ended: it evolved. It falls on truly patriotic Canadians to see this, work with Indigenous communities, and demand better.
July 1st is also an important day for Chinese Canadians, as it is the day we call “Humiliation Day,” when the Chinese Exclusion Act came into force, requiring that Chinese Canadians pay a “head tax” of $500 ($15,000 in today’s money) per person to immigrate to Canada. The head tax was a racially specific immigration tax, one that Canada has never asked another group to pay. The Canadian government finally apologized for this racist policy in 2006, after years of activism from the Chinese-Canadian community.
Canada is an incredibly welcoming and diverse country, where people come from all over the world to seek safety, community, and a better life. We might have a long way to go, but I also cannot name a single country whose people aspire to be inclusive, just, and a force for good, the way that Canadians do. I am thankful to all of the people in our Toronto Centre community for creating strong neighbourhoods and support networks that make me proud to be Canadian!
Thank you to the St Lawrence Neighbourhood Association for organizing this Canada Day celebration, as they do every year! It was great to celebrate Canada and reflect on our history together, alongside the tabling groups, performers, and attendees who made Tuesday a beautiful day!
This week, Doug Ford was talking a big game about investing half a billion dollars in six new water bombers to fight wildfires in Ontario. The problem? Despite desperately needing more planes to fight wildfires, Ontario has water bombers sitting idle because the province has not invested in the staff to pilot them. The other problem? Ford has not allocated any money in the 2025-2026 budget to pay for these water bombers. Not to mention, the one facility that builds these planes is so backed up that any order placed now would not be delivered for nearly 10 years.
On Wednesday, the Toronto Star released a report detailing the internal government documents they acquired, which showed that no money had been put aside to purchase new waterbombers, despite Ford’s claims. Even in the face of this report, he refuses to explain his comments to the public.
People’s lives are on the line as these wildfires rage. They do not need empty promises that will be decades in the making (if they are even true). They need commitments that will improve their lives today, for the rest of this fire season, and for years to come. We all also deserve a government that takes climate change seriously, invests in reducing our emissions, and lowers our risk into the future.
The Ontario NDP has been raising the alarm about the lack of wildland firefighters in Ontario and proposing solutions for years. Firefighters have been telling us what they need to recruit and retain wildland firefighters, pilots, engineers, and other frontline workers: better pay, presumptive WSIB coverage for fire-related long-term illnesses, the acknowledgement that one fire season of work is one year of work, and basic respect for the incredibly challenging and life-saving work that they do.
The North is on fire, and instead of respecting workers, Ford cut millions from wildland firefighting in the last budget and is now refusing to come clean about whether the government actually purchased necessary equipment.
I will continue to press the government to disclose whether or not these planes have actually been ordered and what concrete actions Ford is taking today to ensure our communities' safety.
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
| In This Newsletter |
- Toronto Pride!
- 2026 Rent Increase Guideline will be 2.1%
- Justice Must Extend Behind Bars: New Maplehurst Recommendations
- Book Launch: Shame-Sex Attraction
- East African Experience in Regent Park
- This Week’s Headlines
- Local Community Events
| Toronto Pride! |
Anyone who spent any time in Toronto Centre last weekend knows that we celebrated Pride all weekend long!
I had a blast marching in all three marches alongside new and old friends, and of course, my Ontario NDP family.
Starting off Pride weekend with the Trans March always feels right. It is a time to celebrate 2 Spirit, Transgender, and Non-Binary people in our community, speaking up for our rights to be safe, happy, and loved. This year, more than ever, we need to stand with our Trans siblings. They cannot face attacks on their safety and personhood alone, and nor should they. I was so moved to see the massive crowd of Trans folks and our allies this year, who proudly proclaimed that Trans people are an integral and treasured part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. I was also overjoyed to march with my wife, Farrah, who spent days lovingly sewing a banner (with the help of my mother) that proudly proclaimed “A day without trans kids is like a day without sunshine,” paying homage and building on the legacy of this iconic pride banner honouring lesbians. It was an honour to carry this banner and speak up for Trans kids everywhere.
The rest of the weekend was packed with events, including family pride, the Dyke March (a personal favourite), walking through the community fair, the Greenspace Festival, Church on Church, Drag Brunch at Glad Day, and of course the Pride Parade!
Sunday’s Pride Parade, the grand finale of the whole weekend, was wall-to-wall joy. Supporters packed the NDP float, dancing to gay anthems and spreading happiness (and free hand fans) to everyone along the parade route. I can’t wait for next June to do it all over again! Until then, you can find me pushing my Queer and Trans Agenda for the other 11 months of the year.
Cultural festivals like Pride are critical gathering places. They are also economic engines, bringing millions of dollars to our community and supporting thousands of workers. The Ontario government must come to the table with stable, predictable funding to support Toronto Pride and other significant cultural festivals across the province. It is a good deal for them! The province takes in significant tax revenue - to the tune of tens of millions of dollars - from Toronto Pride each year. They have much to gain from its success and should invest in its long-term viability as a festival. These investments are also just the right thing to do! Pride is critical to the social fabric of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and governments should invest in events like it that improve the lives of people in our communities. This funding is something that I have been pressing the government to commit to for years, and I will not let up!
| 2026 Rent Increase Guideline will be 2.1% |
The Ford government recently announced that Ontario’s 2026 rent increase guideline will be 2.1%. It's good that this is the lowest increase in four years. But let’s be clear: this government is doing the bare minimum. Renters need more support.
Renters need the government to close control loopholes. Units first occupied after November 15, 2018, remain completely exempt from rent control. This means that every renter in new buildings could be hit by a 10% or more rent increase every year.
That's not the only loophole. Corporate landlords regularly take advantage of above-guideline increases. Tenants facing AGIs could see rent increases as high as 5.1% in 2026.
Ontario’s renters deserve real rent control that includes all units. They deserve protections from renovictions and AGI abuse. They deserve a housing system built around human rights.
I will continue fighting for full rent control — that includes vacancy rent control.
|
Justice Must Extend Behind Bars: New Maplehurst Recommendations |
This week, a coroner’s jury released 23 urgent recommendations in response to the overdose deaths of seven incarcerated men at Maplehurst Correctional Complex. These deaths were tragic and preventable.
The jury’s recommendations build on existing calls from inmates, their loved ones, and unions. None of these findings are new or shocking, all the more reason that we must act on them to save lives in our correctional facilities.
Here are a few of the most urgent recommendations:
- Inmates and staff must be equipped with Naloxone (a nasal spray that quickly reverses overdoses) and trained to use it.
- Inmates must have access to comprehensive addiction treatment services while incarcerated.
- The Ford government must address dangerous staffing shortages that threaten the safety and freedoms of inmates and staff.
Let me be clear: human rights continue when someone is incarcerated. I will be following the Ministry of the Solicitor General’s actions closely to ensure these recommendations are not shelved or ignored, but instead treated with the urgency that they deserve.
We must build a province where healthcare and support, not punishment, is our response to addiction.
| Book Launch: Shame-Sex Attraction |
LGBTQ+ lives and stories are fundamental to our history, but hate, bigotry, and intentional erasure have hidden our people's stories for far too long.
Last night, I was honoured to attend the launch of Shame-Sex Attraction: Survivors' Stories of Conversion Therapy, an anthology edited by Lucas Wilson.
New Democrats are proud to have led the charge to ban conversion therapy — provincially and federally. It is critical to document the history of abuse that 2SLGBTQI+ people endured so that we never go backwards. You can request this book and others like it at Glad Day Bookshop!
|
East African Experience in Regent Park |
This past weekend, I spent an incredible evening at the third annual East African Experience in Regent Park!
Events like this show the brilliance and beauty that collides together in Toronto and Regent Park! The cultural richness and strength on display reminded me of the importance of the Ethiopian Heritage Month Act that I sponsored with Doly Begum.
Thank you to the organizers, performers, local vendors, and sponsors behind this celebration. I'm so grateful that you invited the whole community to celebrate with such generosity.
| This Week's Headlines |
Competition Bureau warns Canadian landlords and property managers about illegal discussions on rents
How Toronto tenants took on their landlords—and won—with rent strikes
USAID defunding could lead to 14 million deaths worldwide from infectious diseases by 2030
Thousands gather for Pride parade in downtown Toronto
GALLERY: Toronto Pride Parade a ‘really special’ experience for first-timers
Moderna announces promising efficacy results from mRNA flu vaccine trial
Shingles, RSV vaccines may protect older adults from dementia
Maternal flu vaccine protects newborns, vaccination in kids also effective, studies show
| Upcoming Community Events |
| Pride Wrap-Up at 40 Oak |
Join Fred Victor for a fun pride wrap-up celebration featuring a Bollywood dance workshop, button making, music, and snacks!
Time: 1:30 PM - 3 PM
Date: Wednesday, July 9
Location: 40 Oak Street
In Vaibhav Sharma’s workshop, participants will learn a fun Bollywood routine to “Main toh raste se jaa raha tha,” a lively song about enjoying life and being true to oneself. Vaibhav interprets it as a powerful Pride anthem — expressing, “I was minding my own business, loving whoever I want, and if that offends you, that’s not my problem.”
|
Under the Stars in Regent Park |
Under the Stars Opens Next Week!
Pre-show activities begin at 7:30 PM
Films start at sundown
Audiences are encouraged to arrive early, bring a picnic blanket, and gather friends and family to grab a great spot for opening night.
This year’s Under the Stars lineup has already earned rave reviews from Letterboxd users. From a bold reimagining of the Iranian road-trip genre to a charming rom-com featuring a meet-cute at a Hindu temple, the 2025 selection promises unforgettable stories and standout cinema.
Dates: July 9, 16, 23
Location: Regent Park
Get ready for another incredible summer of movies Under the Stars! Check out the local movie line-up here.
| Taste of the Caribbean! |
Time: 1 PM - 5 PM
Date: Saturday, June 12, 2025
Location: Regent Park Community Centre, 402 Shuter Street
All are welcome to take part in this free event for a taste of Caribbean food, drumming, Socacize, Caribbean and Latin dance, mask/headpiece making and games!
| Mental Health Matters: Women in Leadership |
Are you a self-identifying woman aged 15–35? Join Mental Health Matters for an inspiring evening of networking, connection, and community. Enjoy a panel discussion, interactive networking, a Bloom Bar, and a photo booth — plus free food and refreshments.
Time: 6 PM - 9 PM
Date: Friday, July 18, 2025
Location: 150 River Street, Party Room, First Floor.
Dress Code: Business Casual
| Mainstreet Walking Tour — Discover Cabbagetown’s Roots Now Live on Driftscape |
A new self-guided walking tour exploring Cabbagetown’s rich history is now available through the free Driftscape app. The Mainstreet Walking Tour — Discover Cabbagetown’s Roots takes users through the neighbourhood’s lively commercial corridors, highlighting its architecture, notable historical figures, and independent businesses.
With stops along Carlton, Parliament, and Gerrard Streets, the tour allows participants to explore at their own pace, making it ideal for both residents and visitors looking to discover something new.
This year’s edition includes brand-new content and expanded locations, as well as a Scavenger Hunt feature that challenges users to solve clues at each stop—adding an engaging, interactive experience for all ages.
Tour Features:
-
Historic landmarks and heritage homes featuring archival images
-
Stories of local figures and hidden histories throughout the neighbourhood
-
Scavenger Hunt with clues and prize entry
-
Interviews with local business owners and community voices
-
Audio guides, visuals, and offline access for convenience
- Insider recommendations curated by the Cabbagetown Preservation Association
The full experience takes 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the participant’s pace, and is available anytime until the end of the year.
Dear Neighbour,
I want to start by saying that my thoughts are with my colleague and Ontario NDP Deputy Leader Sol Mamakwa. His wife unexpectedly passed away this week. I cannot imagine the shock and pain he and his family are going through. I hope they are wrapped in love as they come together, grieve, and work to heal.
You may have heard of Ford’s school takeover. Friends, I am furious.
Today the Ford government seized control of four democratically elected school boards. The list includes the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
He did this on the Friday before Pride and a long weekend because he wants you distracted.
Ford's move is a hostile takeover, dressed up in the language of “fiscal responsibility.” An unelected provincial appointee answering to Ford will now run each board. Trustees getting no pay or say in the public education that our children receive. It is another affront to public education and local democracy.
Ford created this funding crisis so that he could take more power away from our communities. For years, Trustees have been rightfully crying out for more provincial funding. Trustees were a vocal thorn in Ford's side as they fought for adequate staffing levels, smaller classrooms, supports for special education and more resources for students' well-being. That's because they were doing their job. Ford should absolutely be afraid of the power our Trustee Deborah Williams was working to build with students, parents, caregivers and education workers.
Paul Calandra, the Education Minister is a brazen media hitman deployed to bully public servants and attack public services. That's why I warned our community to watch out when he became Education Minister. He is trying to blame Trustees for inflation, downloading, and chronic underfunding. But he knows damn well that his government made the crisis.
We must start organizing now to fight the critical service cuts that will be coming. Trustees were trying to protect programs such as special education, mental health supports, and access to school pools. Now they’re being punished for refusing to make budget cuts that would hurt our children.
And soon, a provincial appointee with less understanding of how vital programs support our kids will wield the axe instead. Buried in his announcement, overdue curriculum updates to literacy, history, and STEM will be delayed — again.
We must not be silent. We must fight for transparency, for our young students, and for local democracy. We must demand that the Minister and Ford fix the real problem: their underfunding of our schools.
This week, Ontario’s Ombudsman released his annual report. His findings are clear: what happened at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex is not an isolated incident. There it is a widespread, systemic failure in Ontario jails that is getting worse under Doug Ford.
The Ombudsman has recorded a record-breaking 55% increase in complaints over the past year. That's the highest in the Ombudsman's 50-year history. Every complaint is a cry for help — and complaints from youth in detention have more than doubled from 202 to 423 last year alone. Investigators visiting 12 correctional facilities saw conditions deteriorating in real time with indefinite lockdowns. Facilities regularly fail to provide access to basic healthcare and mental health supports. How does this rehabilitate inmates, foster health or make Ontarians safer?
It’s time to call balls and strikes: Ford's policy failure in the corrections system is akin to subjecting Ontarians to state-sponsored torture.
As the Ombudsman said: “When we fail to uphold the basic dignity of people in custody, we do more than inflict harm, we erode public trust, degrade working conditions for staff, and weaken the very foundations of our justice system.”
The crisis in corrections impacts all of us. These conditions put everyone at risk — staff, families, communities, and the public at large. Many cases that law enforcement workers are advancing to keep the public safe are at risk. Judges are weighing time and mistreatment in corrections heavily when determining case outcomes.
The Premier can't call himself tough on crime when he's endangering our community’s safety.
Like the Ombudsman, Ontario New Democrats are demanding meaningful, systemic reforms. Subjecting inmates and corrections workers to unsanitary and unsafe conditions won't improve moral character or make the public safer. Correctional facilities must be places where rehabilitation is able to happen.
It's Pride weekend in Toronto! This is a great moment to uplift for our community and local businesses! Again, if you spot me, don’t be shy and please say hi! I will be at the NDP’s Pride Table in the Community Fair and other iconic Pride events — all listed in this newsletter. Happy Pride!
You can sign up and join fellow supporters and I at Pride events using the button below:
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
In This Newsletter |
- Join Me at Pride Marches this Weekend!
- 2025 AIDS Vigil
- Living Long in the Distillery District
- Touring the Hassle Free Clinic
- LAUFT Event
- A Successful Market St. Pride
- This Week’s Headlines
- Local Community Events
Join Me at Pride Marches This Weekend! |
Toronto Pride lets our community celebrate who we are, remember our history, and recommit to the fight for liberation. Ontario New Democrats are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with 2SLGBTQI+ communities every step of the way.
You can march with us in this year’s Pride! Whether it’s your first time or your fiftieth, you are welcome — with your flags, bells, signs, sparkles, and righteous indignation.
🏳️⚧️ Trans Rally and March
🗓 Friday, June 28
📍 Rally 7:00 PM | March: 8:00 PM
📌 Location: Church & Charles Street
🌈 Dyke Rally and March
🗓 Saturday, June 29
📍 Meet-up time: 1:00 PM | March: 2:00 PM
📌 Location: North side of Church & Hayden
🎉 Pride Parade (NEW location this year for meet up)
🗓 Sunday, June 30
📍NDP contingent Assembly time: 1:30 PM
📌 NEW Location: Yonge St & Aylmer Ave(north of Bloor & Davenport)
Let’s show Ontario what solidarity looks like. Let’s march for queer joy, for trans rights, for racial justice, for public healthcare, and for a future where no one is left behind.
2025 AIDS Vigil |
Every Pride Month, the AIDS vigil is one of the most important moments for our community. At the AIDS vigil this year, our community remembered those we lost, those we love, and the work ahead. There is tremendous power running through the ongoing history of HIV/AIDS. 2SLGBTQI+ communities have stared apocalypse in the face and come out the other side. The political present — no matter how scary or hateful — is vincible. Our elders took command of their destiny when the odds were stacked against them and grief was everywhere. Our community can win impossible fights again because we have won impossible fights before. Thank you to the 519 and those working year-round supporting those with HIV/AIDS and keeping our history alive.
I also want to share the AIDS Memorial Story-telling project. This initiative by the 519 aims to document peoples’ lived history and create a multimedia record that can be layered on to the existing monument. If you want the legacy of someone you know or loved who died of HIV/AIDS included in this project, you can share their story here.
Living Long in the Distillery District |
Congratulations to the Gooderham and Worts Neighbourhood Association on receiving a government grant to support your project Living Long in the Distillery District! I was thrilled to join you this week and learn about how there will be more support and programming for older adults coming to Toronto Centre! Our community is stronger because of your work to build a more inclusive and age-friendly Toronto.
Touring the Hassle Free Clinic |
Thank you to the Hassle Free Clinic for inviting me to tour your beautiful facility at 66 Gerrard Street East!
The Hassle Free Clinic provides free sexual and mental health services to 2SLGTBQI+ folks and community members at risk because of marginalization. If this is your first time hearing about the hassle free clinic, you can check them out at https://www.hasslefreeclinic.org/ if you or someone you know would benefit from their low-barrier services!
LAUFT Event |
The way in which people work continues to rapidly change. The rise of remote work quickened during COVID when opportunities to physically meet were limited. It brought unique challenges that are still being addressed and understood today. I was honoured to join Founder and CEO, Graham Wong of LAUFT for Toronto Tech Week at their 95 King Street East office and event space.
LAUFT creates flexible coworking spaces for people who want the benefits of remote and flexible working locations without missing out on in-person collaboration opportunities. Community and connections make for successful places to work. Thank you for choosing to make Toronto Centre your home!
A Succcessful Market Street Pride! |
Thank you St. Lawrence Market, Pride Toronto, and Old Town Toronto BIA for organizing another fabulous Market Street Pride last weekend! I’m very proud to have initiated the pedestrianized of Market Street years ago at City Hall with the Old Town Toronto and the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association. The extra public space enabled performances and unique vendors while highlighting the small businesses and community ties that keep Toronto's Pride movement growing across the city. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hi and pick up a new tote bag!
This Week's Headlines |
Ombudsman sounds alarm about 'growing state of crisis' in Ontario jails
Creating a safe space for 2SLGBTQ+ seniors
Toronto renters see little mandated relief as temperatures soar
More than 100 households on rent strike await their fate after four-day eviction hearing ends
Toronto woman waited 12 hours for police's non-emergency line — but didn’t get through
Scorching temperatures keep hammering GTA, heat warning expected to end Tuesday night
Upcoming Community Events |
Canada Day in Toronto Centre
|
St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association Presents CANADA DAY at St. James Park
July 1st, 2025 from 11:00am – 3:00pm.
FREE: T-shirt colouring, temporary tattoos, and perforances!
The 519 Green Space |
Every year, the 519's Green Space festival has some of the most fabulous Pride programming. Green space lets community members party for a cause, with all proceeds supporting the 519's work in our community! You can check out their programming here.
Pride Weekend in Toronto Centre
|
It will soon be Pride weekend in Toronto Centre! You can check out Pride Toronto's Pride Guide to see the fabulous line-up of events in our community. Remember to shop local and support Toronto Centre businesses where you can throughout Pride weekend!
Mainstreet Walking Tour — Discover Cabbagetown’s Roots Now Live on Driftscape
|
A new self-guided walking tour exploring Cabbagetown’s rich history is now available through the free Driftscape app. The Mainstreet Walking Tour — Discover Cabbagetown’s Roots takes users through the neighbourhood’s lively commercial corridors, highlighting its architecture, notable historical figures, and independent businesses.
With stops along Carlton, Parliament, and Gerrard Streets, the tour allows participants to explore at their own pace, making it ideal for both residents and visitors looking to discover something new.
This year’s edition includes brand-new content and expanded locations, as well as a Scavenger Hunt feature that challenges users to solve clues at each stop—adding an engaging, interactive experience for all ages.
🔍 Tour Features:
-
🏛️ Historic landmarks and heritage homes featuring archival images
-
📍 Stories of local figures and hidden histories throughout the neighbourhood
-
🎯 Scavenger Hunt with clues and prize entry
-
🎙️ Interviews with local business owners and community voices
-
📞 Audio guides, visuals, and offline access for convenience
-
💬 Insider recommendations curated by the Cabbagetown Preservation Association
The full experience takes 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the participant’s pace, and is available anytime until the end of the year.
Explore Downtown Yonge |
The Downtown Yonge BIA is celebrating summer by giving away a $300 prize pack EVERY WEEK from June until September!
There are 2 ways to enter:
1) Submit a photo of any purchase made in Downtown Yonge
AND/OR
2) Submit a photo you took at a Downtown Yonge event. Check out their full list of events
Prize packs include show tickets, restaurant and shopping giftcards and more!
For full contest details, please click here.
Black People United for Change Petition |
I want to help amplify Black People United for Change’s official petition! Black People United for Change has come together to stand up to the Canadian Government to address the lack of protection afforded to Black Canadians.
Dear Neighbour,
The thermometer is spiking and Pride Month is in full swing in Toronto Centre! This Sunday from 3 to 5 PM the Toronto Centre NDP Riding Association is hosting our Pride Month Social at Paddington’s Pump and you are invited! It will be right beside Market Street Pride — an all day Pride celebration along Market Street in St. Lawrence Market!
Yesterday I had the honour of attending Lord Dufferin Public School’s graduation. Congratulations to all of the families with graduates and students for their hard work and perseverance during the school year. Your achievements are many, and the next chapter awaits you filled with opportunity and bright hope. I wish the students all the very best for a safe and healthy well-deserved summer break.
My thoughts are also with everyone in our community who has family and friends affected by the emerging Israel and Iran war. Violence against civilians is wrong — no matter by whom. I know that critical airports have closed, trapping people while their loved ones here in Canada desperately wait for answers. Hundreds of civilians have been killed or wounded. Trump’s reckless statements that the US could join a war or that civilians in Tehran might need to evacuate are as terrifying as they are impossible to imagine.
It is crucial that we remember the history of American interventions: Iran's current despotic regime was only able to come to power because of instability unleashed after the United States helped overthrow the democratically elected government of Iran's Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953. American interventions have lacked foresight and seem to only guarantee future violence. We need to put civilian safety above warlords' short-term political goals.
It is disappointing that Mark Carney is failing to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Neyatanahu and Iran's neighbours to push for peace as this violence unfolds. While recent sanctions against war cabinet members were better than doing nothing, Canada is continuing to transfer military goods to Israel. This is happening while the genocide in Gaza has left millions displaced and almost 60,000 directly killed.
I fully support calls from the Federal NDP for Canada to:
- Demand an immediate ceasefire between Iran and Israel
- End all military exports to Israel
- Sanction Netanyahu and his war cabinet
- Stand up for international law and protection for all civilians
I also want to tell you a secret that I have come to learn from years of being elected: always be intensely skeptical of what a government tries to do at the start of their term. Right after elections, governments put forward their worst laws. We just saw this with Doug Ford and Bill 5. Newly elected governments hope that time will make voters forget their sins by the next election. Carney’s Bill C-2 and C-5 are prime examples of this.
If a Conservative government was trying to pass Bills C-2 and C-5, progressives would be united in outrage. Carney does not deserve a pass for being a Liberal.
Bill C-2 appears to be an attempt to appease Trump by weakening the laws that protect Canadians and uphold our values. NDP MP Jenny Kwan described this bill as ushering in a “surveillance state” that would allow police to approach any doctor or service provider to find out what other services someone is using — without a warrant. The government has declined to publish a Charter analysis of Bill C-2 — something that is a standard practice.
Carney’s Bill C-5 is the hideous federal doppelganger to Ford’s highly contentious Bill 5. It would:
- Let Cabinet Ministers bypass existing laws and override constitutional obligations
- Let the federal government move resource extraction projects forward without Indigenous Peoples' Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC)
- Let the federal government violate Section 35 of Canada's Constitution — Rights of the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada
- Let Ministers ignore protections for water, air, biodiversity, and climate change;
-
Undermines federal health and safety regulations, putting workers, communities, and ecosystems at risk;
With support from Poilievre's Conservatives, Carney Liberals fast-tracked Bill C-5 through Parliament. Even though the Chiefs of Ontario, the Assembly of First Nations, scientists, constitutional experts and many civil society organizations strongly oppose this bill, Carney is promising its passage before Canada Day.
Toronto Centre is home to the second largest Pride festival in the world, so there is a good chance we will see each other. Don’t be shy and please say hi. I will be at the NDP’s Pride Table in the Community Fair and other iconic Pride events this week and next. I hope to see you soon!
You can sign up and join fellow New Democrats and I at Pride events using the button below
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
In This Newsletter |
- Ontario’s Pride Festivals Deserve Fair Funding
- Thank you to our OLIP Intern Annie!
- Cooling Centres in Toronto Centre
- Maplehurst Inmates Launch a Class Action Lawsuit
- Bill 5 Fall-Out Continues
- Victim Impact Statements in the Sentencing of Thane Murray’s Killers
- Black People United for Change Petition
- Black Students Alliance Showcase
- This Week’s Headlines
- Local Community Events
Ontario’s Pride Festivals Deserve Fair Funding |
Pride Toronto and Pride festivals hire local workers and generate massive revenue for small businesses and cities across Ontario through tourism and foot-traffic. Don’t take it from me: take it from the pinko-socialists at KPMG who conducted Pride’s economic impact report. Their thorough 2023 analysis into the economic impact of Toronto’s Pride festival found that it: increased Canada's GDP by $589.8 million, generated combined tax revenues of $231.4 million, and helped create 4,748 jobs.
But Doug Ford and his conservative government is leaving Pride festivals across Ontario out to dry as corporate sponsors pull funding to appease Trump’s anti-Queer and anti-Trans policies, all the while security costs sky-rocket for event organizers. In a trade war, Ontario should be doubling down on promoting local tourism, buying Ontario campaigns and Canadian values. Pride festivals deserve stable and predictable funding from the Ontario government to strengthen our economy and cultural mosaic. I have heard from various festival producers — not just Pride festivals — that they learn about provincial funding amounts just weeks before their actual festivals open. It is literally impossible to plan logistics and book the performers with such little notice. Festival organizers deserve more respect and Ontarians expect better from their government.
Thank you Annie! |
This week our office extended best wishes to Annie Dowd, our intern through the Ontario Legislative Internship Program. Annie’s infectious positivity was a blessing during the fast and furious legislative session. She contributed greatly to the enhanced operations of our legislative and constituency offices. Mark my words: Annie will one day be a leading lawyer who blazes progressive trails for future Ontarians to follow.
Cooling Centres in Toronto Centre |
The temperature will shoot up to 43 Celsius with the humidex this weekend. Everyone should take caution and stay safe in the heat. Anyone who needs access to air conditioned space can go to a City of Toronto cooling centre. You can find a list of local cooling centres on the City website here. With climate change, we urgently need a maximum temperature bylaw. Heat stress kills. Safe temperatures should be recognized as a vital service!
Maplehurst Inmates Launch a Class Action Lawsuit |
This week, a class action lawsuit of the Ontario government by prisoners at the Maplehurst provincial prison was announced. This followed their bone-chilling collective punishment in December 2023 and a Ministry cover-up that is being investigated by the Ontario Ombudsman.
Instead of making Ontarians safer, the Ford government and its Solicitor General Michael Kerzner continue to hide behind a cover-up, refusing transparency and investments. The horrific abuses recorded at Maplehurst will keep happening if there is no independent public inquiry and urgent action is not taken.
Ford’s failure to fix Ontario corrections is putting the work of law enforcement and public safety at risk. Judges have already begun considering the collective punishment of prisoners at Maplehurst when deciding bail terms and sentencing. This is actively interfering with legal cases that police officers, Crown Attorneys, and investigators have worked to build.
The root cause of abuse at Maplehurst is provincial neglect and underfunding. When prisons are unsafe for people to work at, they become unsafe places for people to be forced to live in.
Let’s be clear: Ford’s willful underfunding and ignoring of requests for resources and mental health services is just as evil as the violence prisoners were subjected to.
Bill 5 Fall-Out Continues |
The political fall-out of Bill 5 continued this week when the Premier answered a question about First Nations opposition to Bill 5 that “you can’t just keep coming hat in hand all the time to the government, you’ve got to be able to take care of yourselves”. I am glad that he apologized to the First Nations Leaders whom he made these remarks to.
However I want to echo what Deputy NDP Leader MPP Sol Mamakwa said: “This premier has made it clear that he won’t bring people together, uphold the honour of the crown, and obtain free, prior, and informed consent. Bill 5 was an assault on treaty rights, the whole province made their voice heard, the Premier needs to take a step back and listen.” In short, it would be easier to take Ford’s apology seriously if he also committed to repealing Bill 5.
Victim Impact Statements in the Sentencing of Thane Murray’s Killers
|
This week, the devastating victim impact statements from those who knew and loved Thane Murray were heard. Thane Murray was a 27-year-old Regent Park recreation worker and community leader who was randomly shot in 2021. Hearing how his friends spoke about how "we can never see our friend again," while his mother told the judge "I just want my son back," is heartbreaking. Thane was dedicated to uplifting community members and I know his passing has left a huge void in our community. My thoughts are with all his family and friends for all they have endured. I know that he made a difference on so many lives through his work, and that difference is still with us.
Black People United for Change Petition |
I want to help amplify Black People United for Change’s official petition! Black People United for Change has come together to stand up to the Canadian Government to address the lack of protection afforded to Black Canadians.
Black Students Alliance Showcase |
It was an honour to attend the Black Students Alliance Showcase by the TDSB this week! The energy was amazing as students proudly shared their stories through spoken word, music, song & dance. Thank you to Lord Dufferin Public School for hosting this event and all of the organizers who made this important event happen!
This Week's Headlines |
TDSB approves balanced budget while slamming Ford over cuts
Ontario electronic vaccine registry urged as measles spreads
Extreme heat in store for Toronto with temperatures that may prompt warning | CBC News
Pride Toronto $900k shortfall sparks urgent NDP call
These Toronto public beaches are open for swimming
New law taking effect this week called 'major win' for Canadian workers
New report finds housing crisis is taking a huge toll on middle-class workers
Kids are breathing more toxic air in schools. We know how to fix it, but will Ontario act?
Health-care unions calling for Alberta government to halt plan to limit free vaccines
Upcoming Community Events |
Ontario’s Pride Festivals Deserve Fair Funding |
This weekend, get your Pride on early and support local! The 11th Annual Village Fest, put on by The Village BIA, is packed with activities and entertainment. Check out the schedule on their website! See you on Church street!
AIDS Vigil |
On Tuesday June 24, 2025, join community members at the Toronto AIDS Memorial in Barbara Hall Park at 9pm for the annual AIDS Vigil. This year’s theme is “Legacy is the Light, Action is the Path.”
This past year The 519 has embarked on the AIDS Memorial Storytelling Project. This project has involved targeted outreach to find loved ones of people on the AIDS memorial to tell their stories, and to find names of people who had died of AIDS related causes in the past, but were yet to be included on the memorial. Visit ToAIDSMemorial.com to learn more, or to contribute to this project.
For 41 years, communities and allies alike have gathered in Barbara Hall Park to remember, honour, and celebrate those we have lost to AIDS, and those who live with HIV.
Join community members at Barbara Hall Park [519 Church St.] on Tuesday, June 24 at 9pm for our 41st annual Toronto AIDS Candlelight Vigil.
The 519 Green Space |
Every year, the 519's Green Space festival has some of the most fabulous Pride programming. Green space lets community members party for a cause, with all proceeds supporting the 519's work in our community! You can check out their programming here.
Pride Weekend in Toronto Centre
|
It will soon be Pride weekend in Toronto Centre! You can check out Pride Toronto's Pride Guide to see the fabulous line-up of events in our community. Remember to shop local and support Toronto Centre businesses where you can throughout Pride weekend!
Mainstreet Walking Tour — Discover Cabbagetown’s Roots Now Live on Driftscape
|
A new self-guided walking tour exploring Cabbagetown’s rich history is now available through the free Driftscape app. The Mainstreet Walking Tour — Discover Cabbagetown’s Roots takes users through the neighbourhood’s lively commercial corridors, highlighting its architecture, notable historical figures, and independent businesses.
With stops along Carlton, Parliament, and Gerrard Streets, the tour allows participants to explore at their own pace, making it ideal for both residents and visitors looking to discover something new.
This year’s edition includes brand-new content and expanded locations, as well as a Scavenger Hunt feature that challenges users to solve clues at each stop—adding an engaging, interactive experience for all ages.
🔍 Tour Features:
-
🏛️ Historic landmarks and heritage homes featuring archival images
-
📍 Stories of local figures and hidden histories throughout the neighbourhood
-
🎯 Scavenger Hunt with clues and prize entry
-
🎙️ Interviews with local business owners and community voices
-
📞 Audio guides, visuals, and offline access for convenience
-
💬 Insider recommendations curated by the Cabbagetown Preservation Association
The full experience takes 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the participant’s pace, and is available anytime until the end of the year.
Explore Downtown Yonge |
The Downtown Yonge BIA is celebrating summer by giving away a $300 prize pack EVERY WEEK from June until September!
There are 2 ways to enter:
1) Submit a photo of any purchase made in Downtown Yonge
AND/OR
2) Submit a photo you took at a Downtown Yonge event. Check out their full list of events
Prize packs include show tickets, restaurant and shopping giftcards and more!
For full contest details, please click here.
Canada Day in Toronto Centre
|
St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association Presents CANADA DAY at St. James Park
July 1st, 2025 from 11:00am – 3:00pm.
FREE: T-shirt colouring, temporary tattoos, and perforances!
Toronto Neighbourhood Group - Tai Chi with Chinese Seniors Group |
TNG Community Services invites residents to the TNG Challenge, an event supporting seniors to live independently, safely, and with dignity.
- Event: Tai Chi with the Chinese Seniors Group
- Date: Saturday, June 21
- Time: 10am
- Location: 349 Ontario Street
This engaging outdoor event promotes wellness and community spirit. Participants can also get involved by donating, starting a fundraising page, or becoming a matching donor.
Learn more at Get moving in support of seniors!
Market Street Pride
|
Market Street Pride promises a day of music, delicious food, engaging workshops, and live demonstrations. Local queer vendors will be featured, along with a carabiner decorating session with Beyond the Bow.
Performances will light up the Great Lakes Brewery Stage, including a show by the iconic Tynomi Banks. Freedom School Toronto and the Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance will offer youth workshops and demos.
Date: June 22, 2025
Time: 10 AM - 5 PM
Location: St. Lawrence Market
Legacy Labyrinths Designation Ceremony |
Toronto’s public labyrinth at Trinity Square Park is becoming the 10th Legacy Labyrinth in the world. To celebrate this distinction, two great community events are coming up!
🌿 Legacy Labyrinth Designation Ceremony
Saturday, June 21 at 12:00 PM
📍 Trinity Square Park
The ceremony will be followed by a Summer Solstice Walk, inviting reflection in support of global and local community care.
🍽 Legacy Project Workshop – Lunch & Learn
Sunday, June 22 from 12:30 to 2:00 PM
📍 Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
This interactive session will explore how walking a labyrinth can raise awareness for social issues, including the needs of Toronto’s unhoused residents.
Find Your Voice Through Empowerment - Storytelling Workshop |
Date: June 26 and July 03
Time: 6 PM – 8 PM
Location: 180 Sackville Street (main floor meeting room)
*Attend at least 2 sessions to qualify for raffle draw.
**Free child minding, call for more info.
Click here to register
Find Your Voice Through Empowerment Of Storytelling Workshop uses the art of storytelling as a therapeutic approach to mental health, it will allow community members to discover their lifepath, or something that brings confidence, and to be able to link it to their identity. For more info on the details of each session, please find the syllabus here.
The Find Your Voice workshop will consist of 2 sessions (2hrs per session). The workshop will be facilitated by Sarah Abusarar (RSW, ExAT). Sarah is a professional Storyteller, registered social worker, and expressive arts therapist with a focus in the areas of survivors of violence and gender based violence at home.
Canadian Immigrant Fair |
Canadian Immigrant is bringing its signature Canadian Immigrant Fair back to Toronto on Friday, June 27, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre North (255 Front Street West).
This free, one-stop event is designed to support newcomers with the tools and connections they need to succeed in Canada, focusing on:
- Careers
- Education
- Settlement
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with employers, recruiters, educational institutions, government agencies, and community service organizations.
Highlights include:
- One-on-one résumé critiques
- An engaging lineup of guest speakers
- Access to valuable resources for job searching, upgrading education, and settling in a new community
Admission is free and open to all.
Join the St James Town Festival Planning Subcommittees!
|
The St James Town Service Providers Network is looking for community input in planning the 2025 SJT Festival, taking place in August.
This is an opportunity to share your voice and leadership in this amazing yearly celebration!
Sign up for a festival planning subcommittee that meets your interests, where you can share your skills or learn new ones! To join a SJT Festival Planning Subcommittee, fill out this online form, and you will receive an email with next steps. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact the SJT Festival Planning Team, [email protected].
Sign up here.
Dear Emma,
Yesterday, the Ontario Legislature rose for its summer break, which will last until October 20, over four months. This government has a shameful pattern of rushing the passing of all of their bills on a compressed timeline and then taking long breaks to avoid scrutiny from the public. It is undemocratic and shameful.
On Wednesday, the government rammed through Bill 5, passing it despite Indigenous rights holders and their allies packing the chamber, raising their voices, calling for the government to scrap the bill. All week, Indigenous communities rallied outside of Queen’s Park, many of them having travelled eight hours or more to be there. They were there sharing their opposition to the bill, drumming so loudly that we could hear them in the chamber. It was powerful, but it did not move the Ford government, who passed Bill 5 despite massive opposition and concerns about the bill’s harmful impact to Indigenous sovereignty, the environment, labour laws and override of municipal and provincial laws at the discretion of this government.
Right after Bill 5 passed, I recorded a video explaining what was going on, which you can watch and share here.
This government should never have passed Bill 5. Instead, they should have listened to Indigenous people who are asking for real consultation and a true partnership when legislation concerns their treaty territories. None of that happened, and Bill 5 became law when it received Royal Assent yesterday.
But this is not the end. Indigenous leaders have told me that Bill 5's passing just means that their fight changes shape, and it will move from the lawn of Queen’s Park to other parts of their land. The Idle No More movement of 2012 is just one example of how they will shut things down and make their voices heard when all other means have failed. The ONDP will stand with them to resist Ford’s undemocratic seizure of power every step of the way.
First Nations chiefs and the Ontario NDP are now calling for the government to rescind Bill 5 and for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation, Greg Rickford, to resign after his blatant failure to honour First Nations rights in the lead-up to Bill 5. He has disgraced the ministry and set back Indigenous relations in Ontario for years to come.
This week, we celebrated the start of the Pride season, which is always full of joy, tempered by reflection on the attacks that our Queer and Trans siblings are experiencing globally.
I attended the progress Pride flag raisings at City Hall and Queen’s Park and spoke in the Legislature about the importance of Pride Month. Making this statement in the Legislative Chamber each year is a highlight for me, as I get to bring Queer and Trans joy, as well as our struggles directly to the government. This year has brought many struggles, with attacks on Trans people and inclusion coming thick and fast. Pride Toronto has lost many core corporate sponsors who are bending to Trump’s anti-DEI ideology like cowards, Alberta is pushing a disgusting anti-Trans agenda, and American lawmakers are currently considering over 900 anti-Trans bills across their country. This Pride season, we must unite in deep solidarity, caring for each other and standing up for our collective human rights. I know I can count on all of you.
You can watch my full speech here:
I will be participating in all of the Toronto Pride marches with the Ontario NDP and would love for you to march with me! You can sign up to march in the Trans March, Dyke March, and Pride Parade with the Ontario NDP here.
The Ontario NDP is also tabling at the Pride community fair all weekend long. Join us by signing up to volunteer here!
Finally, Eid Mubarak to the Muslim community and all who are celebrating Eid Al-Adha today. May this blessed time bring you and your family peace, good health, and happiness.
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
| In This Newsletter |
- Government Refuses to Declare IPV an Epidemic
- Justice for Soli (Stop Criminalizing Mental Health Act)
- Declare September Ethiopian Heritage Month
- Homes Ontario: The ONDP’s Plan to Get Building
- Ford’s Plan to Take Over Our School Boards
- Protect Ontario Consumers - Stop the Illegal Sale of Palestinian Land
- Tragic Death from Measles in Ontario
- This Week's Meetings
- This Week’s Headlines
- Local Community Events
| Government Refuses to Declare IPV an Epidemic |
Yesterday, on the last day before the Legislature rose for the summer break, I moved a Unanimous Consent motion that would have declared intimate partner violence (IPV) an epidemic in Ontario. Passing this motion would have declared IPV an epidemic without further delay or debate. You may remember that I have moved this motion three times in the past year, but the government said no each time. Yesterday was no different. Global News has the story here.
The Ford government’s defeat of this motion is a failure to recognize the urgency of the epidemic, which disproportionately affects Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people who face multiple, compounding barriers when seeking help.
This government has heard loud and clear from survivors and their families, law enforcement and 100 municipalities that they must immediately declare intimate partner violence an epidemic. This latest refusal again ignores those calls and puts survivors at risk. The house has risen for the summer, and the Ford government has chosen to deny survivors the immediate resources they need to escape or recover from violence.
The government did, however, move to revive the Standing Committee on Justice Policy’s Study on Intimate Partner Violence, a study they killed when they called an early election in January of this year.
When the Ford government created this study, they promised that it would be resourced to travel to Northern, Indigenous, and rural communities, to hear directly from Indigenous women about the disproportionate violence that they experience. But last year, they broke that promise. Funding was never delivered, and consultations instead occurred online over video calls.
The Ford government knows that Northern and Indigenous communities struggle to access high-speed internet. Yet, they did nothing to ensure that survivors had a secure, private place to share their stories. Because of these callous choices, so many survivors' stories went unheard.
Yesterday afternoon, I re-tabled the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act, and I will be meeting with organizations over the summer to discuss next steps and strategies.
| Justice for Soli (Stop Criminalizing Mental Health Act) |
On Wednesday, I reintroduced a bill that I worked on with the family of Soleiman (Soli) Faqiri, a man who was killed while in custody at an Ontario jail during an acute mental health crisis. He was a beloved brother, son and community member. He also had schizoaffective disorder.
Mr. Faqiri needed care, care that his family and other guards advocated strongly for, but that he never received. His family tried to visit him four times over the eleven days that he was incarcerated before his death. They knew that he was scared and needed support. But they were forbidden from seeing him.
A coroner's inquest into Mr. Faqiri’s death ruled that it was a homicide. It also yielded 57 recommendations for systemic change directed at the Provincial government. The first recommendation was that the government, within 60 days, “develop and issue a public position statement within 60 days of the verdict, recognizing that correctional facilities are not an appropriate environment for persons in custody experiencing significant mental health issues.”
It has now been more than 18 months, and the Ford Conservatives have said nothing. The Premier owes Maryam Faqiri and her family an apology for the killing of their beloved son and relative while in government custody.
I will continue to fight for the justice that Soleiman Faqiri and his family deserve. A person experiencing a mental health crisis needs access to health care, not incarceration.
| Declare September Ethiopian Heritage Month |
I was thrilled to join my good friend and ONDP Deputy Leader, MPP Doly Begum, in introducing a bill to mark September as Ethiopian Heritage Month in Ontario. You can watch our press conferences and hear from Ethiopian community leaders here.
The Ethiopian community has contributed so much to Ontario and Toronto. I want to thank them for their contributions to the many organizations based in Toronto Centre, such as the African Centre for Refugees, Wanasah, Regent Park Mothers of Peace, and so many others, which would not be as vibrant and effective without the leadership and hard work of Ethiopian Canadians.
Declaring September as Ethiopian Heritage Month is an opportunity to celebrate Ethiopian customs, traditions, and proud history, showcase their heritage to fellow Ontarians, and preserve it for future generations.
September holds special meaning for Ethiopian Canadians, featuring important celebrations such as Enkutatash (Ethiopian New Year), Irreechaa (Thanksgiving), and Maskel (Finding of the True Cross). The Bill seeks to formally recognize these traditions and promote greater awareness and appreciation across Ontario.
|
Homes Ontario: The ONDP’s Plan to Get Building |
The Ontario NDP has introduced a motion calling on the Ontario government to establish Homes Ontario, a new dedicated public agency with a mandate to tariff-proof Ontario’s housing market and deliver homes that are publicly built, permanently affordable homes, and made in Ontario.
Housing is essential infrastructure. Ontario cannot grow, thrive, or compete if people can’t afford to live here. Homes Ontario is about getting the government back in the business of building housing—at scale, for the public good, and for the long haul.
The motion urges the government to give Homes Ontario the tools it needs to:
- Finance and deliver hundreds of thousands of permanently affordable homes
- Leverage public land to fast-track development and ensure it serves the public interest
- Partner with non-profit, co-op, and supportive housing providers
- Create good union jobs and strengthen Ontario’s skilled trades and building capacity
I am proud to support this motion. It is critical that Ontario reinvests in building supportive, co-op, rent-geared-to-income, and affordable homes to combat the housing crisis and lift up our communities.
| Ford’s Plan to Take Over Our School Boards |
Late last week, Education Minister Paul Calandra tabled a shocking new education bill, Bill 33.
The bill gives the Minister unfettered power to take over school boards, silence trustees, and ignore students and parents. It establishes that school boards must follow the Minister’s every whim or risk having the ministry take over management of the board.
The bill doesn’t once mention fixing our crumbling schools, putting more caring adults in classrooms, or making sure our kids have what they need to succeed. Instead, this government is focused on locking parents out, silencing them from speaking up about their kids’ education.
This bill does nothing to improve learning conditions, reduce class sizes, or support kids with special needs. It does nothing to fill the $6.35 billion funding gap created by this government. As a public school parent myself, I am proud to stand with the Ontario NDP in supporting students, families, and educators in fighting this legislation and protecting the integrity of our public education system from political control.
Protect Ontario Consumers - Stop the Illegal Sale of Palestinian Land
|
Did you know that illegally occupied Palestinian land is regularly sold at closed-door real estate events in Ontario? These events have no transparency, scant records, and hide information about the sellers and land title. Selling this land is illegal under international law. These sales violate the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute. They also undermine work to establish a just and secure peace with freedom for all. If Ontario land were sold under the same conditions, it would be title fraud. Ford government knows this is happening and is doing nothing. This must end. I was proud to share this petition in the Legislature and await the Minister's response
Relatedly, I want to highlight the work of the Madleen Flotilla. This flotilla is a peaceful attempt to break the Israeli government’s genocidal siege of Gaza. It aims to peacefully facilitate the flow of essential supplies into the Gaza Strip and draw international attention to Israel’s total blockage of food, water, and medicine from entering the Gaza Strip. You can learn more about their effort here.
Tragic Death from Measles in Ontario |
Measles is a serious viral infection that can cause lasting harm and cost lives. We received sad news yesterday when Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer made public that a baby has died following a measles infection. The Chief Medical Officer shared that "the child contracted the virus before birth from the mother, who had not been immunized against measles, mumps and rubella. Measles was a significant contributing factor in the premature death of this child, but the child also had other serious medical complications unrelated to the virus."
My heart goes out to the grieving family. No family should face what they are going through.
Ontario has over 2000 measles cases — more than the entire United States. We need to increase vaccine uptake to keep everyone safe. Many young people missed required vaccine appointments during COVID-19 remote learning. If a young person in your life still needs their MMR shot, they have two options. First, they can get this shot at a family doctor's office. Second, if they don't have a family doctor — they can use Toronto Public Health's booking system here.
I have also launched a petition about this, so you can take action. Sign if you agree that we need more funding to increase vaccine uptake and fix loopholes in our system.
This Week's Meetings |
- Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada
- Consortium of Restorative Justice Advocates
- Centre for Independent Living Toronto
| This Week's Headlines |
Ford government is still underfunding education despite budget increase, school boards say
Parts of GTA under special air quality statement Friday amid wildfire smoke
Four of Doug Ford’s HART Hubs are open in Toronto. What are they?
Full closure of King-Church intersection beginning a month ahead of schedule on June 2
City staff recommend allowing sixplexes across all Toronto neighbourhoods
Toronto’s new Indigenous Health Centre hailed as ‘a place of healing, hope and reconciliation’
Opposition parties slam Ford government for legislature’s long summer break
Doug Ford pushes through rapid development law despite objections of First Nations
| Upcoming Community Events |
TRANScendTO |
TRANScendTO: Registration is Open!
In partnership with LGBT Youthline and the Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance, the City of Toronto is hosting a one-day gathering and service provider fair for Two-Spirit, Trans and non-binary (2STNB) youth. Admission is free and food is provided.
This transformative day of learning, community-building, and celebration for trans and gender-diverse youth will include:
- Workshops and peer-led spaces
- A service provider fair
- A Kiki Ball to close out the day
Date: Friday, June 6
Time: 12 to 8:30 PM
Location: TMU Student Centre, 55 Gould St
Registration and more information
Toronto’s Waste Strategy Update - Phase 2 |
The City is updating its 2016 Long-term Waste Management Strategy to guide waste reduction, reuse, and diversion over the next 30-50 years, with an implementation plan for 2026–2036.
The process is currently in Phase 2, evaluating options based on public feedback, best practices, and City staff input.
This includes exploring residual waste disposal options like energy-from-waste (incineration) and understanding related environmental, economic, and social values.
Phase 3 will develop a ten-year implementation plan, culminating in a final strategy presented to City Council and the public.
Get involved:
- Take the online survey by June 29
- Join the public event on June 10, 6–8 p.m. at City Hall (100 Queen St. W), live streamed
- Learn more and participate at toronto.ca/wastestrategy.
Join the St James Town Festival Planning Subcommittees!
|
The St James Town Service Providers Network is looking for community input in planning the 2025 SJT Festival, taking place in August.
This is an opportunity to share your voice and leadership in this amazing yearly celebration!
Sign up for a festival planning subcommittee that meets your interests, where you can share your skills or learn new ones! To join a SJT Festival Planning Subcommittee, fill out this online form, and you will receive an email with next steps. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact the SJT Festival Planning Team, [email protected].
Sign up here.
Roaming Performers Program - Call for Local Performers |
Call for Local Talent: Cabbagetown Roaming Performers Program Returns
Cabbagetown BIA is bringing back the Roaming Performers Program to animate the neighbourhood with live music, movement, and creativity all summer long.
- Program Dates: June 6 – September 1, 2025
- Application Deadline (First Round): Friday, May 31, 2025
- Final Rolling Deadline: Saturday, June 15, 2025
Who They’re Looking For:
Musicians, magicians, dancers, balloon artists, jugglers, street performers, and other entertainers ready to perform short sets throughout the community.
Program Details:
- Performances run 2–3 hours
- Honorarium of $200–$300 per session
- Artists must bring their own equipment
- Performances must be mobile and suitable for street settings
- Open to solo acts and small groups (up to 3 members)
Selected performers will activate Cabbagetown’s public spaces with joyful, engaging shows for visitors, patio diners, and residents alike.
Apply now: Application for Roaming Performers — Cabbagetown BIA
Fred Victor: THRIVE - Employment Program for Trans & Non-Binary People
|
Fred Victor’s Employment and Training Services is launching THRIVE! A low-barrier, drop-in employment support program specifically for trans and non-binary people.
When & Where:
- Fridays, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
- Fred Victor ETS Office
- 145 Front St. E., Lower Level Unit #2
What’s Offered:
- Resume & cover letter support
- Skills-building workshops
- Referrals to employment specialists & job retention workers
- Computer + internet access
- Quiet space to work on employment goals
Contact the Fred Victor team here: [email protected]
Regent Park Summer Safety Jam 2025
|
Date: Saturday, June 14 (Rain dates: June 15 and June 21)
Time: Noon to 6 p.m.
Location: The Big Park, 600 Dundas St. East
Hosted by: Toronto Community Housing, Daniels, Tridel, and local partners
Enjoy a fun day celebrating community safety and togetherness, featuring:
- A free halal BBQ
- A local bazaar
- Live music
| 51 Division Open House |
Date: Saturday, June 14, 2025
Time: 11 AM - 2 PM
Location: 51 Parliament Street
Join 51 Division for a family-friendly event including:
- Police Exhibits
- TPS vintage cars
- Station tours
- Entertainment
- Food, refreshments and more!
Contact [email protected] with questions.
| It Takes a Village Walking Tour |
Date: Sunday, June 15, 2025
Time: 3 PM
Start Location: Barbara Hall Park, 519 Church Street
Cost: $8/person
Participants will hear stories of Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ community — from the activism sparked by the Bathhouse Raids and the AIDS crisis to the spaces of belonging found at City Park Apartments, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, and St. Charles Tavern. The tour also explores ongoing efforts to strengthen the Church-Wellesley Village.
Click here to register and learn more.
| Toronto Neighbourhood Group - Tai Chi with Chinese Seniors Group |
TNG Community Services invites residents to the TNG Challenge, an event supporting seniors to live independently, safely, and with dignity.
- Event: Tai Chi with the Chinese Seniors Group
- Date: Saturday, June 21
- Time: Not specified
- Location: 349 Ontario Street
This engaging outdoor event promotes wellness and community spirit. Participants can also get involved by donating, starting a fundraising page, or becoming a matching donor.
Learn more at Get moving in support of seniors!
Market Street Pride
|
Market Street Pride promises a day of music, delicious food, engaging workshops, and live demonstrations. Local queer vendors will be featured, along with a carabiner decorating session with Beyond the Bow.
Performances will light up the Great Lakes Brewery Stage, including a show by the iconic Tynomi Banks. Freedom School Toronto and the Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance will offer youth workshops and demos.
Date: June 22, 2025
Time: 10 AM - 5 PM
Location: St. Lawrence Market
Legacy Labyrinths Designation Ceremony |
Toronto’s public labyrinth at Trinity Square Park is becoming the 10th Legacy Labyrinth in the world. To celebrate this distinction, two great community events are coming up!
🌿 Legacy Labyrinth Designation Ceremony
Saturday, June 21 at 12:00 PM
📍 Trinity Square Park
The ceremony will be followed by a Summer Solstice Walk, inviting reflection in support of global and local community care.
🍽 Legacy Project Workshop – Lunch & Learn
Sunday, June 22 from 12:30 to 2:00 PM
📍 Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
This interactive session will explore how walking a labyrinth can raise awareness for social issues, including the needs of Toronto’s unhoused residents.
Find Your Voice Through Empowerment - Storytelling Workshop |
Date: June 26 and July 03
Time: 6 PM – 8 PM
Location: 180 Sackville Street (main floor meeting room)
*Attend at least 2 sessions to qualify for raffle draw.
**Free child minding, call for more info.
Click here to register
Find Your Voice Through Empowerment Of Storytelling Workshop uses the art of storytelling as a therapeutic approach to mental health, it will allow community members to discover their lifepath, or something that brings confidence, and to be able to link it to their identity. For more info on the details of each session, please find the syllabus here.
The Find Your Voice workshop will consist of 2 sessions (2hrs per session). The workshop will be facilitated by Sarah Abusarar (RSW, ExAT). Sarah is a professional Storyteller, registered social worker, and expressive arts therapist with a focus in the areas of survivors of violence and gender based violence at home.
Canadian Immigrant Fair |
Canadian Immigrant is bringing its signature Canadian Immigrant Fair back to Toronto on Friday, June 27, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre North (255 Front Street West).
This free, one-stop event is designed to support newcomers with the tools and connections they need to succeed in Canada, focusing on:
- Careers
- Education
- Settlement
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with employers, recruiters, educational institutions, government agencies, and community service organizations.
Highlights include:
- One-on-one résumé critiques
- An engaging lineup of guest speakers
- Access to valuable resources for job searching, upgrading education, and settling in a new community
Admission is free and open to all.
Dear Emma,
On Wednesday night, I was at the Legislature until 12:30 AM fighting the government’s unconstitutional Bill 5. This Bill attacks Indigenous sovereignty, environmental regulations, workers' rights, municipal bylaws and more in favour of reckless development. My Ontario NDP colleagues and I used every committee tool in the book to delay Ford’s attempt to rush through this legislation, and our filibustering was successful!
By forcing debate to continue late into the night, we ensured that committee hearing for Bill 5 would continue on Monday, giving advocates and journalists critical time to spread the word and build resistance around this horrible legislation. Yesterday afternoon, the Ford government changed the rules to prohibit the Opposition from any further filibustering of Bill 5. Now we must move on to new tools. Sign the petition to stop bill 5 here and click below to email Doug Ford and your MPP about Bill 5. Please share these links with your friends! Ford’s team has caved before under public backlash — we need to stop him again!
We know that Bill 5 isn’t about our economy. It isn’t about the North. It isn’t about anything other than an unchecked, unfettered power grab by Ford. Local democracy is just collateral damage.
I spoke in the Legislature about the dire consequences of Bill 5 and the government’s undemocratic action. You can watch it here.
It is shameful and wrong that Ford tried to jam Bill 5 through without proper consultation with First Nations. Indigenous leaders have told this government loud and clear that they need to scrap Bill 5, go back to the drawing board, and write a new bill that deeply honours Indigenous peoples. Delaying this bill has bought us time to get organized and overwhelm this government with opposition, just like we did with the Greenbelt.
Yesterday, I was absolutely thrilled to host the Toronto Centre Leadership Awards, honouring seven exceptional individuals and organizations who work to make our communities better every day. They work together to improve the environment, report community news, ensure faith communities have gathering spaces, encourage thoughtful development in culturally significant neighbourhoods, fight for affordable childcare, do outstanding advocacy for the Queer and Trans community, and start social enterprises to empower newcomer women. Pretty impressive, right?
Our three recipients of the King Charles Coronation Medal are:
- Connie Langile, President of the Church-Wellesley Neighbourhood Association.Connie brings the Village together by championing community safety, heritage preservation, and social connection.
- Sureya Ibrahim, founder of Regent Park Mothers of Peace and affectionately known as the “Mayor of Regent Park.” Surreya harnesses the power of social enterprises and community organizing to lift up women and children in more ways than I have space to name here.
- Erin Filby, Early Childhood Educator and community organizer with the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario (AECEO). Erin works every day in service of more accessible, affordable, and high-quality childcare for everyone.
Our four recipients of the inaugural Toronto Centre Leadership Awards are:
- Curran Stikuts, Director of Advocacy & Strategic Communications at The 519. Curran’s skill in hearing the smallest voices helps him to heal community wounds, support 2SLGBTQIA+ folks, and advocate for affordable and accessible housing.
- Emad Hussein, founding member of the Regent Park Islamic Resource Centre. Emad is a pillar of strength and leadership within the Muslim community in Regent Park. He is always working to unite the community and welcomes everyone to his table.
- The Bridge Community News, an independent local newspaper covering the Downtown East. When local papers were disappearing and we were losing neighbourhood-level news, the Bridge appeared, offering hyper-local coverage and critical perspectives.
- St Lawrence Neighbourhood Association’s Waste Reduction Group, which works to divert waste from landfill and build community through their regular RE:market events. RE:market offers recycling of typically non-recyclable items, repair cafes, a free store, and chances for neighbours to meet each other.
We had a wonderful celebration, gathering with the recipient's friends and families to toast their accomplishments. It was also a great opportunity to make connections – some recipients had ot met each other. I can only imagine what great local work could come from their shared talents!
I am so proud of these local leaders and can’t wait to support them as they continue their community work!
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
| In This Newsletter |
- Bombshell Report on Maplehurst Correctional Complex
- Free Ice Cream - Eid ul-Adha Celebration
- Changes to Ontario Civil Court Rules
- Rally for Public Education
- Asian Heritage Month Celebration
- YWCA Women of Distinction Awards
- Ontario NDP Plan to Support Caregivers
- You're Invited: Rosemary Brown Awards
- This Week's Meetings
- This Week’s Headlines
- Local Community Events
| Bombshell Report on Maplehurst Correctional Complex |
The Solicitor General, Michael Kerzner, knows just how bad the conditions inside Maplehurst Correctional Complex are, but he refuses to act.
Just yesterday, the Toronto Star published a damning investigation, sharing details from two internal investigations by the Ministry of the Solicitor General into the horrific two-day collective punishment carried out at Maplehurst Correctional Complex in 2023. We all recall the chilling video of this violent incident; two hundred inmates were stripped, handcuffed, and made to crouch in hallways in their underwear. In this report, staff across the organization, including and especially former superintendent Winston Wong, were implicated in the violence prisoners experienced.
One report describes an “absence of competent managerial oversight from the beginning to the end of this incident.” These reports are full of horrific details, including an incident where an inmate says he was tied up like a Christmas turkey by correctional officers while his cellmates were forced to sing carols. I cannot even imagine how degrading that would have been.
Yesterday, during Question Period, I asked the Solicitor General when he would break his silence, end the cover-up, and act on the reports written by his own ministry, which indicate structural changes are needed at Maplehurst. He dodged the question as usual - you can watch our exchange here. I will continue to shine light on this abuse of power and hold the government accountable for addressing the systemic problems in our provincial prisons.
| Free Ice Cream - Eid ul-Adha Celebration |
Join me on June 6 from 3 PM to 6 PM for free ice cream as we celebrate Eid ul-Adha in Regent Park! I am excited to join in on the Regent Park Cultural Bazaar and would love to see you as part of our Eid celebration. All are welcome!
Date: Friday, June 6, 2025
Time: 3 PM - 6 PM
Location: Regent Park Boulevard
| Changes to Ontario Civil Court Rules |
This week, I sent a letter to the Attorney General, echoing calls from the legal community across Ontario for the government to reconsider proposed changes to civil courts. The modernization of Ontario’s civil rules is welcome, but the timelines are rushed, given how significant the changes are. Legal experts are asking for a little more time to consider the legal implications of these changes and share their considered feedback. The Middlesex Lawyers’ Association has an excellent summary of widely shared concerns that you can read here.
In my letter, I requested that the Attorney General heed these calls and alter the finalization timelines to be more realistic, allowing more time for meaningful collaboration with the very stakeholders who are expected to operationalize them.
Rushing this consultation process could limit access to justice and prevent parties from reaching fair settlements sooner. This could result in more costly avoidable trials, making court backlogs worse. This is something that the Ontario courts simply cannot afford or support. As Shadow Attorney General, I intend to continue to advocate for thoughtful changes to Ontario’s justice system that will benefit Ontarians.
|
Rally for Public Education |
Last Saturday was a blast! I was joined by hundreds of students, parents, caregivers, education workers, and labour allies in front of Queen’s Park to raise our voice for public education. We called on the government to properly fund our public schools so that we can save our pools, support music and outdoor education, and ensure special education supports. This is not fluff! These are essential parts of learning that our government should adequately fund.
Thank you to everyone who came out, chanted with us, enjoyed ice cream, got their face painted, and sent a message to this government - education is not for sale!
| Asian Heritage Month Celebration |
Thank you to everyone who came out to the Ontario NDP’s Asian Heritage Month Reception at Queen’s Park on Wednesday evening. I was very proud to co-host this event and connect with so many Asian-Canadian leaders!
Every May, we celebrate the contributions, diversity, and cultural brilliance of Asian communities across Ontario. This month is a time to celebrate culture, yes, but also to recommit to the ongoing fight against anti-Asian racism and to reflect on the historic oppression of our communities. There is so much work to be done, but with the enthusiasm everyone brought to the room on Wednesday, I know we can get it done!
YWCA Women of Distinction Awards |
On Tuesday, I left the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards feeling hopeful. It’s so important to celebrate and shine a spotlight on the brilliant women driving real, lasting change across Toronto. Congratulations to all of the award winners!
I want to give a special shout-out to my unstoppable wife, Farrah Khan, who was honoured with an award for her work in advancing gender equity and justice across Canada. I am so proud of her!
Ontario NDP Plan to Support Caregivers |
This week, I supported my colleague MPP Wayne Gates as he reintroduced his motion to establish the Ontario Caregiver Support Benefit. So many of us are or will be caregivers in our lives, just as many of us have or will require care. It is a role I know well.
MPP Gates’ bill would establish a direct monthly support payment for unpaid caregivers across Ontario. At his press conference, MPP Gates stated, “This isn’t just compassionate policy—it’s smart economics,” and I agree! This bill has the potential to reduce the need for nearly 8% of all long-term care beds, saving up to $300 million annually. The NDP is proud to bring this proposal forward, and I am proud to support it!
| You're Invited: Rosemary Brown Racial Justice Awards Ceremony |
On behalf of Official Opposition and Ontario NDP Leader, Marit Stiles, I are honoured to invite all of you to the 2025 Rosemary Brown Racial Justice Awards Ceremony, an evening dedicated to recognizing exceptional individuals and organizations working to eliminate racial discrimination and advance equity and justice across Ontario.
Named in honour of Rosemary Brown, the first Black woman elected to a provincial legislature and the first to run for leadership of a federal party — these awards carry on Rosemary’s legacy of fighting sexism, racism, and poverty, both here in Ontario and around the world.
In that same spirit, this ceremony will spotlight changemakers who have made meaningful contributions toward dismantling systemic racism and building a more equitable province.
Event Details:
Date: Friday, June 6, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Kennedy Convention Centre, Hall A
(Parking & main entrance at rear. Accessible entrance via Hall C)
1199 Kennedy Road, Scarborough
To confirm your attendance, please RSVP by Friday, May 30 using the following link: RSVP here.
This Week's Meetings |
- Ontario Trial Lawyers Association (OTLA)
- Beef Farmers of Ontario
- Tarion Home Warranty
- Toronto Alliance to End Homelessness
- Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council
| This Week's Headlines |
‘True North Strong & Queer’: Artist recreates banner from Canada’s first gay march
Ontario to give education minister power to more easily take over school boards
Doug Ford's controversial Bill 5: Here's what you need to know
Ontario NDP, Liberals successfully stall Bill 5 after filibustering until midnight Thursday
First Nations chief warns of ‘fierce resistance’ to mining bill
Sir John A. Macdonald statue at Queen's Park to be uncovered after 5 years
Ontario jail guards broke rules, misled investigators
Doug Ford lifts 16-year pay freeze for MPPs
| Upcoming Community Events |
ICL’s People, Power, Change Workshop Series
|
Do you have a desire to step up and fight for a better, fairer, more just world? This People, Power, Change workshop is for you. This workshop series is designed to help anyone learn how to make a difference by organizing their communities.
Based on the work of Marshall Ganz, this in-person workshop develops five core leadership practices:
- Tell your story to share your own leadership journey, connect with your people, and foster shared purpose
- Develop an effective structure that scales up as your movement grows
- Build intentional relationships rooted in shared values
- Develop realistic strategies based in a meaningful power analysis
- Design campaign tactics that grow your capacity while reaching for your goals
Dates: June 7 and 8, 2025
Times: 9 AM - 4:30 PM
Deadline to Register: May 30th, 2025.
Price: $499.00 per person, $2,000 team tickets for groups of 6 people committed to working in a team together. Scholarships available, please complete this form to apply.
Roaming Performers Program - Call for Local Performers |
Call for Local Talent: Cabbagetown Roaming Performers Program Returns
Cabbagetown BIA is bringing back the Roaming Performers Program to animate the neighbourhood with live music, movement, and creativity all summer long.
- Program Dates: June 6 – September 1, 2025
- Application Deadline (First Round): Friday, May 31, 2025
- Final Rolling Deadline: Saturday, June 15, 2025
Who They’re Looking For:
Musicians, magicians, dancers, balloon artists, jugglers, street performers, and other entertainers ready to perform short sets throughout the community.
Program Details:
- Performances run 2–3 hours
- Honorarium of $200–$300 per session
- Artists must bring their own equipment
- Performances must be mobile and suitable for street settings
- Open to solo acts and small groups (up to 3 members)
Selected performers will activate Cabbagetown’s public spaces with joyful, engaging shows for visitors, patio diners, and residents alike.
Apply now: Application for Roaming Performers — Cabbagetown BIA
Regent Park Summer Safety Jam 2025
|
Date: Saturday, June 14 (Rain dates: June 15 and June 21)
Time: Noon to 6 p.m.
Location: The Big Park, 600 Dundas St. East
Hosted by: Toronto Community Housing, Daniels, Tridel, and local partners
Enjoy a fun day celebrating community safety and togetherness, featuring:
- A free halal BBQ
- A local bazaar
- Live music
| It Takes a Village Walking Tour |
Date: Sunday, June 15, 2025
Time: 3 PM
Start Location: Barbara Hall Park, 519 Church Street
Cost: $8/person
Participants will hear stories of Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ community — from the activism sparked by the Bathhouse Raids and the AIDS crisis to the spaces of belonging found at City Park Apartments, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, and St. Charles Tavern. The tour also explores ongoing efforts to strengthen the Church-Wellesley Village.
Click here to register and learn more.
| Toronto Neighbourhood Group - Tai Chi with Chinese Seniors Group |
TNG Community Services invites residents to the TNG Challenge, an event supporting seniors to live independently, safely, and with dignity.
- Event: Tai Chi with the Chinese Seniors Group
- Date: Saturday, June 21
- Time: Not specified
- Location: 349 Ontario Street
This engaging outdoor event promotes wellness and community spirit. Participants can also get involved by donating, starting a fundraising page, or becoming a matching donor.
Learn more at Get moving in support of seniors!
Market Street Pride
|
Market Street Pride promises a day of music, delicious food, engaging workshops, and live demonstrations. Local queer vendors will be featured, along with a carabiner decorating session with Beyond the Bow.
Performances will light up the Great Lakes Brewery Stage, including a show by the iconic Tynomi Banks. Freedom School Toronto and the Toronto Kiki Ballroom Alliance will offer youth workshops and demos.
Date: June 22, 2025
Time: 10 AM - 5 PM
Location: St. Lawrence Market
Legacy Labyrinths Designation Ceremony |
Toronto’s public labyrinth at Trinity Square Park is becoming the 10th Legacy Labyrinth in the world. To celebrate this distinction, two great community events are coming up!
🌿 Legacy Labyrinth Designation Ceremony
Saturday, June 21 at 12:00 PM
📍 Trinity Square Park
The ceremony will be followed by a Summer Solstice Walk, inviting reflection in support of global and local community care.
🍽 Legacy Project Workshop – Lunch & Learn
Sunday, June 22 from 12:30 to 2:00 PM
📍 Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
This interactive session will explore how walking a labyrinth can raise awareness for social issues, including the needs of Toronto’s unhoused residents.
Canadian Immigrant Fair |
Canadian Immigrant is bringing its signature Canadian Immigrant Fair back to Toronto on Friday, June 27, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre North (255 Front Street West).
This free, one-stop event is designed to support newcomers with the tools and connections they need to succeed in Canada, focusing on:
- Careers
- Education
- Settlement
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with employers, recruiters, educational institutions, government agencies, and community service organizations.
Highlights include:
- One-on-one résumé critiques
- An engaging lineup of guest speakers
- Access to valuable resources for job searching, upgrading education, and settling in a new community
Admission is free and open to all.
Dear Emma,
I hope you have all stayed dry and warm during this unseasonably rainy and cool week! I am looking forward to some beautiful spring and summer weather over the next few weeks – fingers crossed!
Tomorrow, Saturday, I’m co-hosting a Rally for Public Education outside of Queen’s Park from 12 to 1:30 PM. Join me and other passionate education advocates on the Queen's Park South Lawn for kids' activities, free ice cream, and an opportunity to advocate for the high-quality public education we need.
Ontario’s public schools are in crisis. Chronic underfunding has led to larger class sizes, cancelled programs, delayed repairs, and a growing crisis in special education.
Since 2018, Ontario has been spending $1,500 less per student when adjusted for inflation. That adds up to a $3 billion shortfall across our education system.
We're calling on the Ford government to reverse the cuts and properly invest in public education.
The rally will be family-friendly, accessible, and feature speakers from the communities most impacted by the cuts, including students, educators, and parents.
Speakers will highlight issues like:
- Special education cuts
- Mental health supports
- Program cancellations (pools, arts, adult education)
- Overcrowded classrooms
Bring your family, friends, neighbours and noise makers!
You may have seen me and my team at your school entrances this week, handing out flyers promoting this rally and talking with parents and students about how the government’s budget cuts affect their schools. A huge turnout will send a strong message to Doug Ford and Education Minister Paul Calandra.
Keep reading below to learn more about Ford’s budget cuts to essential school services, such as swimming pools, music classes, outdoor education, and more. To save our schools, we need you to get involved. Together, let’s tell Ford to invest in our kids!
May is Asian Heritage Month! The Ontario NDP Caucus and I are hosting a reception to mark this important month on Tuesday, May 28, from 5 to 7 PM at Queen’s Park. We would love for you to attend.
This catered reception celebrates diverse Asian cultures and the diasporic communities that call Ontario their home. It will be a special event with food, beverages and special guests. Please RSVP by Monday, May 26, at noon.
I hope to see you at tomorrow’s Queen’s Park Rally for Public Education!
Yours in community service,
Kristyn Wong-Tam
MPP, Toronto Centre
| In This Newsletter |
- Emergency Education Meeting Recap
- Scrap Bill 5!
- Muriel Collins Housing Co-op’s 30th Anniversary
- Marry Me Mochi Grand Opening
- You're Invited: Rosemary Brown Awards
- This Week’s Headlines
- Local Community Events
| Emergency Education Meeting Recap |
This Tuesday’s Emergency Education Meeting was a huge success! Nearly 100 participants joined MPP Jessica Bell, Trustee Williams, and me, and the discussion was dynamic. It was energizing to be around many people dedicated to ensuring our students and public schools are well-resourced. The Ford government is banking on busy parents and caregivers being overwhelmed by budget numbers and government talking points. The clear and concise explanations from my co-hosts left everyone who attended feeling more informed about what’s at stake if Ford does not reverse his budget cuts. Trustee Williams shared her excellent presentation with me, and I’ve posted her slides for you here.
If you are fired up and ready to take action like I am, the most impactful thing you can do to fight cuts to education is to organize your school community. Join your parent council, speak to other parents and caregivers at pickup and dropoff times, and organize a Rally for Public Education of your own in front of your local school before school hours. If you need support with any of this work or would like me to attend your school's rally, please reach out to my office.
If you are looking for a smaller way to get started, you can sign our digital petition here or print out and sign a paper petition, which you can find here.
As your MPP, I will introduce and read your paper petition into the official legislative records. Please note that the Ontario Legislative Assembly only accepts paper petitions. (I know, I know.)
Paper petitions are a great way to initiate a friendly, in-person conversation with your neighbours about public education. Please share all paper petitions with me to ensure they are tabled to make your voice heard. Contact my office and we will arrange a time to pick the petitions from you.
| Scrap Bill 5! |
Yesterday, the government held hearings for Bill 5, their proposed legislation which, if passed, would overhaul mining laws in Ontario, reducing or eliminating environmental assessment requirements, overhauling endangered species protections, potentially overriding labour laws, and more. As with many government bills lately, Bill 5 is written in a very open-ended fashion, allowing most of the details to be finalized “in regulation,” a step that happens after the bill is passed at the discretion of the Minister. This style of governing is very frustrating and, in my opinion, borders on anti-democratic.
Many critics of Bill 5 say that this government is using the threat of tariffs as a convenient excuse to do what they always planned: strip environmental regulations from mining projects. This bill also faces massive opposition from Indigenous nations, especially those near the “Ring of Fire” mineral deposits in Northwestern Ontario. Yesterday, many Indigenous leaders came to Queen’s Park to share their concerns and register their opposition to Bill 5.
You can join the movement to scrap Bill 5 by clicking here to send an email to Doug Ford and Minister Lecce demanding that they scrap this dangerous bill!
Committee consultation on the bill will continue on Monday, and written submissions will be accepted until Monday at 6 PM. To share your feedback with the committee, click here.
|
Muriel Collins Housing Co-op’s 30th Anniversary |
Last Saturday, I had a splendid time celebrating Muriel Collins Housing Co-operative’s 30th anniversary with their members, extended family and supporters of the co-op movement.
Muriel Collins is an iconic housing co-op built in the 1990s on provincial land. It was made possible through the leveraging of government investments and sponsorship from CUPE Local 79, the union representing the City of Toronto’s inside workers. It was a beautiful reminder that the solutions to Ontario's housing crisis are already tried, tested and successfully on display in Toronto Centre.
Doug Ford should take note that selling government-owned land to land speculators is incredibly short-sighted and a policy failure. Public land can do so much more if we only look at the examples that already exist all around us. Workers and everyday folks need affordable housing now!
This special anniversary and the co-op members I met have strengthened my passion for fighting to build more affordable and co-op housing in Toronto Centre.
| Marry Me Mochi Grand Opening |
Congratulations to Marry Me Mochi on the grand opening of their 15th store, this time in Canada's busiest mall, the Eaton Centre!
It's remarkable to see this Canadian independent business, run by a passionate group of siblings, supported by their extended family, accomplished the feat of opening 15 stores in less than one year. I encourage everyone to visit the new location and indulge in delicious Marry Me Mochi donuts. I can't wait to see the next 15 stores and another 15 more after that!
| You're Invited: Rosemary Brown Racial Justice Awards Ceremony |
On behalf of Official Opposition and Ontario NDP Leader, Marit Stiles, I are honoured to invite all of you to the 2025 Rosemary Brown Racial Justice Awards Ceremony, an evening dedicated to recognizing exceptional individuals and organizations working to eliminate racial discrimination and advance equity and justice across Ontario.
Named in honour of Rosemary Brown, the first Black woman elected to a provincial legislature and the first to run for leadership of a federal party — these awards carry on Rosemary’s legacy of fighting sexism, racism, and poverty, both here in Ontario and around the world.
In that same spirit, this ceremony will spotlight changemakers who have made meaningful contributions toward dismantling systemic racism and building a more equitable province.
Event Details:
Date: Friday, June 6, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Kennedy Convention Centre, Hall A
(Parking & main entrance at rear. Accessible entrance via Hall C)
1199 Kennedy Road, Scarborough
To confirm your attendance, please RSVP by Friday, May 30 using the following link: RSVP here.
| This Week's Headlines |
‘Financial landlords’ more aggressive on raising Toronto rents than other landlords, study finds
Lawyer groups are ‘deeply concerned’ about proposed changes to civil lawsuits in Ontario
Rainfall warning in Toronto downgraded as drizzle, unseasonable cold to continue into the weekend
Why is it cold in Toronto this week?
Mining claims in Ring of Fire up 66 per cent over past 3 years: environmental group
Toronto police 911 upgrade expected to improve response times
| Upcoming Community Events |
Doors Open Toronto - This Weekend!
|
Explore Toronto’s architectural, historical, cultural and socially significant buildings for free during Doors Open weekend, this weekend, May 24 and 25. With sports, music and theatre venues and more than 150 sites to discover, the city becomes an urban playground. Get ready to play!
Use this map to explore all of the locations and plan your weekend!
Sites are open from 10 AM to 5 PM unless otherwise indicated.
Youth-Led Roundtable - Building Solidarity Across Communities |
The Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter and the Tamil Canadian Centre for Civic Action invite community members to a youth-led roundtable dedicated to fighting racism and fostering solidarity.
Event Details:
-
Date: Saturday, May 24
-
Time: 10 AM – 2 PM
-
Location: Scarborough Civic Centre + Zoom
-
Language: English with interpretation available in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Tamil
-
Support: Snacks and TTC tokens available as needed; volunteer hours recognized
This hybrid event features youth leaders from Chinese and Tamil communities sharing powerful stories, strategies, and resources. Participants will hear how youth created culturally relevant workshops, developed educational tools, and gained confidence in sharing their lived experiences. The roundtable also offers space to connect with mentors, engage with peers, and contribute ideas to grassroots anti-racism efforts.
Contact:
-
Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter – [email protected]
- Tamil Canadian Centre for Civic Action – [email protected]
|
Regent Park Community Birthday Celebration |
Friends of Regent Park, alongside community partners, invite residents to a joyful Community Birthday Celebration on Saturday, May 24 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Regent Park Community Centre (402 Shuter Street).
This free, all-ages event brings together neighbours for an afternoon of:
- Cake
- Games
- Music
- Fun activities
Everyone is welcome to take part in the festivities and celebrate the spirit of Regent Park with friends, family, and community.
| New Beginnings - Overstock Inventory Sale |
New Beginnings Support Program Hosts Final Overstock Inventory Sale
New Beginnings Support Program is organizing a final inventory sale to support women and children in the community. All proceeds will go directly to the program’s ongoing initiatives.
- Event: Final Overstock Inventory Sale
- Date: Saturday, May 24, 2025
- Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Location: Suite 418, 120 Carlton Street, Toronto, Ontario
- Payment: Cash only
Items for sale include:
- Clothes
- Wedding dresses
- Dove and Silk’n products
- Toys
Shoppers are encouraged to bring their own bags. Everything is priced to go, with items starting at just $2.
| New Play: Long Live the Rainbow |
As part of Pride Toronto's 2025 Affiliate Events, Long Live the Rainbow brings a vibrant celebration of love, resilience, and queer joy to the stage.
🎭 Long Live the Rainbow
📅 May 16 – May 25, 2025
📍 Alumnae Theatre, 70 Berkeley Street, Toronto
🎟 Tickets: Long Live the Rainbow Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite
💖 $5 from each ticket supports Rainbow Railroad, helping LGBTQ+ people find safety from persecution.
Eid al-Adha Bazaar |
The Centre of Learning & Development, Mothers of Peace Regent Park, and ArtHubs Toronto invite everyone to a festive Eid al-Adha Bazaar celebrating community, culture, and local talent.
Event Details:
-
Date: Monday, May 27
-
Time: 2 – 8 PM
- Location: Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas Street East
Enjoy a vibrant market filled with henna, jewellery, clothing, delicious food, and more — all from local vendors!
Contact for Questions or Vendor Inquiries:
Sureya at [email protected] or 647-493-2462 ext. 112
| Toronto Newcomer Day |
Toronto Newcomer Day 2025 Celebrates Diversity and Community Connection
The City of Toronto will host Toronto Newcomer Day on Wednesday, May 28 at Nathan Phillips Square (100 Queen St. West) from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
This annual celebration welcomes newcomers to Toronto with a day filled with:
- Information booths from community service providers
- A vibrant marketplace and food fair
- Free cultural performances throughout the day
Special Feature:
A storytelling session with Indigenous knowledge keeper Jim Adams, offering an interactive, all-ages program. The presentation will explore the histories and relationships of Indigenous peoples in the region — past and present — with a focus on wampum belts, treaties, and cultural traditions. Sensory and auditory elements will be included to engage participants of all ages.
Space is limited. Registration for this program is required and is managed by Toronto Public Library via Eventbrite. Group bookings should include the total number of tickets needed.
| ReMarket - May Edition |
The SLNA’s Waste Reduction Group is hosting their 13th REmarket! This two-day community initiative supports waste reduction by collecting unwanted items, encouraging reuse, and offering repair services.
📍 Event Details
Location: St. Lawrence Market Tent (125 The Esplanade)
🗓 Wednesday, May 28, 2025
-
Donation collection, recycling services, and household hazardous waste drop-off:
⏰ 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
-
FreeMarket:
⏰ 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Guests can bring and take items freely (non-commercial use only). Bring your own bag.
🗓 Thursday, May 29, 2025
-
Donation collection, recycling services, and household hazardous waste drop-off:
⏰ 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
-
Repair Café Toronto & CultureLink Bike Hub:
⏰ 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Clothing, jewellery, electronics, small appliances, and more will be repaired on site. CultureLink Bike Hub will offer bike repairs and safety checks.
ICL’s People, Power, Change Workshop Series
|
Do you have a desire to step up and fight for a better, fairer, more just world? This People, Power, Change workshop is for you. This workshop series is designed to help anyone learn how to make a difference by organizing their communities.
Based on the work of Marshall Ganz, this in-person workshop develops five core leadership practices:
- Tell your story to share your own leadership journey, connect with your people, and foster shared purpose
- Develop an effective structure that scales up as your movement grows
- Build intentional relationships rooted in shared values
- Develop realistic strategies based in a meaningful power analysis
- Design campaign tactics that grow your capacity while reaching for your goals
Dates: June 7 and 8, 2025
Times: 9 AM - 4:30 PM
Deadline to Register: May 30th, 2025.
Price: $499.00 per person, $2,000 team tickets for groups of 6 people committed to working in a team together. Scholarships available, please complete this form to apply.
Roaming Performers Program - Call for Local Performers |
Call for Local Talent: Cabbagetown Roaming Performers Program Returns
Cabbagetown BIA is bringing back the Roaming Performers Program to animate the neighbourhood with live music, movement, and creativity all summer long.
- Program Dates: June 6 – September 1, 2025
- Application Deadline (First Round): Friday, May 31, 2025
- Final Rolling Deadline: Saturday, June 15, 2025
Who They’re Looking For:
Musicians, magicians, dancers, balloon artists, jugglers, street performers, and other entertainers ready to perform short sets throughout the community.
Program Details:
- Performances run 2–3 hours
- Honorarium of $200–$300 per session
- Artists must bring their own equipment
- Performances must be mobile and suitable for street settings
- Open to solo acts and small groups (up to 3 members)
Selected performers will activate Cabbagetown’s public spaces with joyful, engaging shows for visitors, patio diners, and residents alike.
Apply now: Application for Roaming Performers — Cabbagetown BIA
| Toronto Neighbourhood Group - Tai Chi with Chinese Seniors Group |
TNG Community Services invites residents to the TNG Challenge, an event supporting seniors to live independently, safely, and with dignity.
- Event: Tai Chi with the Chinese Seniors Group
- Date: Saturday, June 21
- Time: Not specified
- Location: 349 Ontario Street
This engaging outdoor event promotes wellness and community spirit. Participants can also get involved by donating, starting a fundraising page, or becoming a matching donor.
Learn more at Get moving in support of seniors!
Legacy Labyrinths Designation Ceremony |
Toronto’s public labyrinth at Trinity Square Park is becoming the 10th Legacy Labyrinth in the world. To celebrate this distinction, two great community events are coming up!
🌿 Legacy Labyrinth Designation Ceremony
Saturday, June 21 at 12:00 PM
📍 Trinity Square Park
The ceremony will be followed by a Summer Solstice Walk, inviting reflection in support of global and local community care.
🍽 Legacy Project Workshop – Lunch & Learn
Sunday, June 22 from 12:30 to 2:00 PM
📍 Metropolitan United Church, 56 Queen St. E.
This interactive session will explore how walking a labyrinth can raise awareness for social issues, including the needs of Toronto’s unhoused residents.
Canadian Immigrant Fair |
Canadian Immigrant is bringing its signature Canadian Immigrant Fair back to Toronto on Friday, June 27, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre North (255 Front Street West).
This free, one-stop event is designed to support newcomers with the tools and connections they need to succeed in Canada, focusing on:
- Careers
- Education
- Settlement
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with employers, recruiters, educational institutions, government agencies, and community service organizations.
Highlights include:
- One-on-one résumé critiques
- An engaging lineup of guest speakers
- Access to valuable resources for job searching, upgrading education, and settling in a new community
Admission is free and open to all.