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!
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 Neighbour,
It has been a whirlwind week with many exciting events and updates to share with you.
In this newsletter:
Marit Stiles, the incoming leader of the Ontario NDP, revealed new information about the Ford government’s plan to carve up the Greenbelt. Her obtained documents reveal that a land development company seems to have had advance knowledge of Ford’s plan before it was made public.
Three days before Ford’s announcement to tear up the Greenbelt was made public, Rice Group, a land development company, told the Mayor of King Township that a parcel of land could be provided for a nominal fee for a local project. At the time, that land was a protected part of the Greenbelt. Just three days later, the Ford government announced their intent to make the land available.
“This finding indicates to us that somebody knew something”, reported Marit Stiles. “I am confident that the Integrity Commissioner will review this information and provide Ontarians with the answers they deserve about the Greenbelt”.
As the Official Opposition Critic for the Ministry of the Attorney General, I have been diligently tracking the long-awaited report from Ontario’s Ombudsman, who has been investigating delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board since 2020. My office heard from the Ombudsman’s Office yesterday that the report is still being drafted and is unlikely to be released in the coming month as there is an approval process the Ombudsman must follow before the report can be made public.
Ontarians need to be ready to fight like hell for access to justice. Because I don’t trust Ford to not seize his opportunity to give his corporate landlord insider buddies the eviction rubber-stamping kangaroo courts that we know they crave.
You can watch today’s press conference here.
You can learn more about this by joining my expert panel on February 15, 2023, to learn from access to justice experts about how we got here and what solutions to Ontario’s backlogged tribunals could look like.
Register for my Feb 15, 2023 panel: Tribunals in Crisis
Guests will include Kathy Laird and Gary Yee — two members from the Steering Committee of Tribunal Watch Ontario, a non-partisan public interest watchdog concerned about independence and access to justice for Ontario’s adjudicative tribunals.
Show that Ontarians are united against Ford’s plans for private American-style health care. Toronto NDP MPPs are organizing a rally to show that Ontarians will not give up on our public health care system on Wednesday February 22, 2023 — the day when Ford is expected to introduce his legislation at Queen’s Park.
What: Rally to Save Public Health Care
When: Wednesday February 22, 2023 at 5 p.m.
Where: Corner of University and College St.
RSVP: Want to join the TCNDP contingent?
What an exciting time to be a New Democrat as we come together this Saturday to welcome our new leader, Marit Stiles! I say we give Marit, the biggest and warmest Toronto Centre greeting together.
I invite you to join me and fellow Toronto Centre NDP members at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre located at 255 Front Street West, in the North Building, Room 107. Doors open at 10:30 a.m. and the exciting official event begins at 11 a.m. If you haven’t already, please sign up by clicking here.
Following the leadership showcase and announcement, there will be a Meet & Greet Social with the new Leader, Marit Stiles. This event is free to attend and will be hosted at 2 p.m. at Chef's Hall, located close by at 111 Richmond Street West.
As this event is indoors, please bring a mask with you to wear at the event. Organizers will ask attendees to wear a mask upon entry. If you have forgotten, no need to worry, as masks will also be provided. And if you are feeling unwell, there is the option to watch on the livestream, here.
I look forward to seeing you this coming Saturday, February 4!
I had an early return to Queen’s Park this week for Justice Policy Committee hearings on bail reform. Many Ontarians feel our bail system is broken, and I hope that government members listen to the systemic reforms Ontarians are calling for to ensure our families are truly kept safe.
We heard from experts who shared many remedial actions the Ford government can take right now to make our communities safer, including :
Since 2018, 77% of the people held in detention are on remand or awaiting a hearing, and that most of those individuals are caught up in a system that can’t appropriately address criminal behaviours related to the epidemics of mental illness and addictions.
When the system is so clogged up with people who don’t pose a risk to the public and offences that would be better addressed with health care and housing, the real dangerous people fall through the cracks.
Every February, let's re-commit to ending anti-Black racism with social action. A better future for the Black community in Ontario requires us to acknowledge, understand & educate ourselves. Celebrate #BlackHistoryMonth all year long.
I look forward to seeing you as we welcome Marit Stiles as the new Ontario NDP leader this Saturday.
Toronto Centre
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Dear Neighbour,
This Sunday, January 22, marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Rabbit, which occurs every 12 years. The Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac symbolizes longevity, positivity, auspiciousness, wittiness, cautiousness, cleverness, deftness and self-protection. The new year brings new fortunes, and in 2023, people can expect prosperity, hope, and calm. This is also my personal wish for all of you.
In China and some parts of Asia, the new year holiday season continues for 15 days and obviously that is not the case for us proudly living and working in Canada. During this time, however, you choose to celebrate the lunar new year with friends and family, I hope you are able to give and receive lucky red envelopes, to eat delicious food including sweet rice balls and socialize safely in community celebrations.
On Wednesday, I was more than honoured to begin my own Lunar New Year’s celebration with so many of you, in the heart of Chinatown, at the Luminato Festival! I spent the evening connecting and listening to community members, local organisations and other MPPs.
If you are looking for local Lunar New Year festivities in Toronto Centre, you can join me and pick up your lucky red envelopes at two upcoming events:
Since my previous newsletter, key updates have come out about Ford’s shady plan to pave over the Greenbelt.
Thanks to 200 pages of evidence documenting how Ford’s plan to give away the Greenbelt violates the integrity standards for Ontario politicians (and may constitute unlawfully sharing insider information), the Integrity Commissioner and Auditor General will be moving forward with an investigation!
This means that the NDP has won an investigation into Ford’s Greenbelt development plan by both Ontario’s Auditor general and its Integrity Commissioner.
I want to highlight, Marit Stiles, incoming Leader of the Official Opposition, in writing that this response is a step in the right direction. Ontarians, like yourself, deserve transparency and accountability from their government. Read Marit’s statement here.
And if you want to get caught up about how the decisions to investigate were made, look no further than this article in The Narwhal; it explores the connection between six developers who bought Greenbelt land and Doug Ford. I also share my insight about the whole fiasco in this video:
Let's make the Midtown Complete Street Pilot project on Yonge Street Permanent!
If you have walked, rolled, cycled or moved along Yonge Street between Bloor and Davisville over the past year you may have enjoyed a heightened feeling of community and safety created by the installation of complete street infrastructure including bike lanes, planters, CafeTO venues, public art, seating and redesigned intersections. Installed after approval by city council in December of 2021, many people do not realize that this is a pilot project. In early February, City Council will vote on whether this becomes permanent or goes away for good.
City of Toronto staff recently published data that I believe justifies its continuation: Pedestrian use of the area has increased as much as 142 percent and cycling has increased as much as 152 percent, while the increase in vehicle travel times northbound (which has seen greater increase than southbound) is just 78 seconds. Travel times of Toronto Fire Services have increased just 5 seconds more than what has been experienced across the city and travel time for Toronto Paramedic Services is 38 seconds less than what is happening across the city.
There are just a few weeks left to voice support for making the Midtown Complete Street Pilot permanent. Make your voice heard by signing the petition, organized by the community advocacy group Yonge4All, that will be sent to Mayor Tory.
From my family to yours, we wish you peace, health, happiness and good fortune in the New Year.
Toronto Centre