September 6 2025 Newsletter

Dear Emma,

This week, we saw our students go back to school. It was an exciting time for families and educators as everyone prepared to create the best environment for young ones. My son entered grade one with a backpack full of school supplies and joyful hope for the learning year ahead. I hope everyone had a great start. I look forward to hearing about your school experiences in the months ahead, especially as our school boards experience huge changes and possible elimination. Send me your stories. This government needs to understand how their unilateral changes affect real students and families. 

I spent part of this week in beautiful Orillia with my fellow NDP MPPs at our annual caucus retreat. We spent this time working, reviewing research, finalizing our legislative agenda, and aligning our local goals into a successful provincial strategy. The Legislature resumes on October 20, and we are ready to go! I am so proud to work alongside such committed colleagues who all want to do what is right for Ontario communities. I can’t wait to share what we have cooked up! 

But before all that, we still have one big summer weekend of local festivals in Toronto Centre. That's right, I am talking about the Cabbagetown and St James Town Festivals weekend! My team and I will be out all weekend with our popular tote bags, fun games, petitions and other campaign tools to hold our provincial government accountable. 

Please come and check out our booths! We will be at the heart of the Cabbagetown Festival, at the corner of Parliament and Carlton streets and at the St James Town Festival in the tent area. These festivals offer amazing opportunities to meet your neighbours, connect with local vendors and businesses, enjoy kids' play areas, and experience amazing music and dance performances! It is a not-to-be-missed weekend that draws thousands of people from across the GTA into the heart of Toronto Centre. I can’t wait to see you there! 

Cabbagetown Festival

Time & Date: Saturday, September 6, 11 AM - 8 PM & Sunday, September 7, 11 AM - 7 PM

Location: Parliament St. and Carlton St. 

St James Town Festival

Time & Date: Saturday, September 6, 1 PM - 7 PM

Location: St. James Avenue & Wellesley Street East

Want to experience the festival even more thoroughly? Volunteer with us! 

Our booths will be bustling and fun-packed. We would love for you to join us!

Have a safe and fun-filled weekend!

Kristyn Wong-Tam

MPP, Toronto Centre

• Minister Calandra’s Disgraceful School Board Takeover
• Ford is Starving Colleges and Universities
• Ethio-Canada Day Celebrations
• Regent Park’s Sunday In The Park
• Labour Day Parade
• Overdose Awareness Day
• Keep Healthcare Public Virtual Townhall
• Roundtable on Affordable Childcare
• This Week’s Headlines
• Local Community Events

Late last night, we heard the horriffic but not shocking news that the Minister of Education is looking at collapsing Ontario school boards into four provincial-level boards: English Public, French Public, English Catholic, and French Catholic. THis would be a disaster for our students. 

Local decision-making is essential to providing the supports that our children need to be safe and successful at school. School boards oversee everything from hiring and assigning EAs and teachers, special education supports, student transportation routes, the location of new schools, and addressing local repairs.

How can one province-wide school board for each system possibly make decisions for communities as diverse as Kenora, Cochrane, Gogama, Ottawa, Peterborough, Orillia, Amherstburg, and Toronto? This decision is not about efficiency or student wellbeing, it is about power consolidation. 

Parents and communities deserve local, transparent, accountable representation through democratically elected trustees to ensure that the school bus shows up on time, that programs and hiring respond to community needs, that new schools are located where they are needed most, and repairs are prioritized and carried out quickly.

Instead of limiting parents' ability to raise concerns about their children’s education, Doug Ford and Paul Calandra should focus on providing the necessary funding to ensure that every child’s needs can be met.

We must fight this decision. I will bring you updates next week about actions, but in the meantime, I encourage you to get involved in your local school’s council to raise your voice for public education. 

• Date: Saturday, September 13
• Time: 11:00 AM
• Location: 8130 Sheppard Ave E, Unit 204, Scarborough
• Activities: Foot canvass, phone canvass, flyer drop
• Sign up here: https://forms.gle/47iMkYKLy79uo4mv5

Students are headed back with more uncertainty than ever thanks to Ford’s multi-billion-dollar cuts to our colleges and universities. These aren’t just students; they are the future of our province. Without real investments into postsecondary programs, Ontario’s workforce will be unstable for decades to come.

While Trump attacks our economy, Ford is starving our colleges and universities, leaving the next generation of Ontarians with an uncertain future. These cuts have caused hundreds of program closures, and as a result, we are losing talent, falling behind, and losing jobs. The chronic underfunding, coupled with the capping of international student visas, has resulted in more than 8,000 job losses, 600 program eliminations, and the closure of six major college campuses. That is unacceptable at a time when we need an educated workforce more than ever. 

Now we are on the eve of a possible college worker strike, weeks into the fall semester. This didn’t happen by accident. Doug Ford’s Conservatives provide the lowest per-student college and university funding in the country. Their failure to act has created one of the worst crises Ontario’s colleges have ever faced. We need to stand up for students and stop the cuts. The Ontario NDP has been ringing this alarm bell for years. Now the crisis is unavoidable, but Ford is still missing in action. We need him to come to the table to help colleges and staff avoid a strike that nobody wants.

On Saturday, I was thrilled to join the Ethio-Canada Day Celebrations in Christie Pitts with the Ethiopian Association in the Greater Toronto Area. 

Later this month, the Ethiopian New Year will begin. I am so excited to celebrate, especially since the Ethiopian Heritage Month Act, a bill MPP Doly Begum and I tabled, will designate September as Ethiopian Heritage Month. 

 I'm proud to stand with the Ethiopian-Canadian community and so blessed to be welcomed into their loving and joyful culture. 

Regent Park’s Sunday in the Park festival was once again a massive hit! It was special to celebrate the end of summer with so many neighbours. Thank you to everyone who came by and said hi at our tent.

I had a wonderful day seeing everyone come out to enjoy the fun activities, delicious barbecue, and energizing music. A big shout to the organizers who made this day possible and to everyone who attended!

Happy Labour Day! This past Monday we celebrated all of Ontario’s workers and the progress that unions have won. During a trade war, we need the government to work with unions to protect workers and our economy.

Solidarity is not a slogan — it’s about the commitment to each other that workers deserve. Thank you to Toronto & York Region Labour Council for bringing us together this year and every year for the Labour Day Parade! I am proud to honour the labour movement and all those continuing the fight for justice.

This past Sunday was Overdose Awareness Day. A day when we honour all of those we have lost to overdose, the toxic drug supply, and the lack of available treatment beds. 

Hannah Robinson lost her teenage son to an overdose. At our press conference last week, she shared her family’s powerful story of hope, hard work, and ultimately loss. She joined us in calling for an emergency government task force to save lives. You can watch her speak here. 

The overdose crisis is complex. People need many different kinds of support to get housed, stay alive, and navigate towards healing. No one should go through what Hannah's family has. The government needs to put politics aside and listen to the evidence today.

We need urgent action to save lives and end the overdose crisis. Email Ford if you agree at kristynwongtam.ca/save-lives-house-everyone.

When: Wednesday September 17 at 7PM

Where: Zoom (RSVP for Link)

RSVP here for the link.

Ontario’s healthcare system is designed to provide service based on need, not on the ability to pay. However, we are seeing more for-profit healthcare providers enter our province, from for-profit surgery delivery to for-profit primary care clinics.

Join me and MPP Jessica Bell to get an update on what we’re seeing in Toronto in the healthcare sector, what you can do to protect yourself from being billed for medically necessary care, and how we can all protect our healthcare system.

Are you struggling to keep with the costs of child care? We want to hear from you! We are hosting a town hall on child care in Toronto Centre alongside community organizations. Come out to learn how we can work together to support families struggling under the cost and limitations of the existing childcare system. Light refreshments and childminding will be available. 

Date: September 25, 2025

Time: 6pm-8pm

Location: Regent Park Community Centre

Click HERE to RSVP!

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health calls for province-wide vaccine registry

Montreal tenant stages protest to fight significant rent hike — and wins

Landlord-tenant mess: How multi-year ceiling leak spiralled into assault allegations, lost job and eviction threats

Stabbing in Toronto’s Moss Park neighbourhood leaves 1 male injured

Giant earth-chewing machines that will carve Ontario Line just got names

Citing U.S. loophole, NDP pitches tighter arms controls on Israel

Measles outbreak and community exposure declared in Vaughan: health agency

Thorncliffe Park tenants, landlord reach 'amicable agreement' after years-long rent strike

Unemployment rate hit 7.1% as Canada shed 66,000 jobs in August

The Back to School Jam, will be held Friday, September 5, 2025, in Regent Park, from 4 PM to 8 PM. 

This is an opportunity to come together to celebrate the lives of those the community has lost, have conversations about youth violence in the community, celebrate the final Friday Cultural Bazaar, and mark the transition back to school. 

Donations for Back to School Supplies will be graciously accepted. 

Founded in 1976, the award-winning Cabbagetown Festival is Toronto’s longest-running street festival! Taking place in the heart of Toronto's historic Cabbagetown neighborhood from Saturday, September 6 to Sunday, September 7, 2025, this two-day extravaganza features  entertains visitors of all ages with DJs and live music, street performers, artisan stalls and shops, food trucks and pop-up patios, giant outdoor games, a Kids’ Zone, and a historical Cabbagetown photo exhibit. This year the new Indigenous Stage will feature storytelling, performances, poetry, and demonstrations that honour deep-rooted Indigenous traditions.

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!

Riverdale Farm is hosting a Farm Festival!

Date: Saturday, September 6, 2025 and Sunday, September 7, 2025

Location: Riverdale Farm (201 Winchester St.)

Farmer talks, demonstrations, children's activities, spinning, weaving and line dancing!

Please have a look at the attached poster for the schedule of activities.

FREE ADMISSION

For more information: call: 416-392-6794 or email: [email protected]

The Cabbagetown Community Arts Centre is getting ready for a new season of learning and creativity with its Fall Semester starting September 8th.

Programs include:

• Piano, violin, guitar, drums, voice, arts and crafts, pop band, and storytelling

New offerings this year:

• Musical theatre
• Martial arts
• Mommy and Me (for pre-schoolers)
• CCAC Children’s Choir
• After School Homework Club
• Ukulele Club
• Hip-Hop and K-Pop Dance

Location: The Cabbagetown Community Arts Centre, 422 Parliament Street, Toronto, ON M5A 3A2

Phone: 416-925-7222

Email: [email protected]

Important Notice: Anyone who registered between August 1st and 27th is asked to register again due to a technical issue. The Centre apologizes for the inconvenience.

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.

Join the Bloor East Neighbourhood Association to celebrate the reopening of the newly modernized Morley Callaghan Bridge (aka Glen Road Pedestrian Bridge), Tunnel and Walkway.  Neighbourhoods are reconnected, residents and visitors can enjoy easier access to our green spaces, as well as a new connection to the City’s transportation network.  This is an important piece of infrastructure with historic significance restored and revitalized.

Features:

• Rebuilt bridge to the City’s Multiuse Trail requirements
• Revitalized tunnel with Artwork
• New public square outside the entrance to the Sherbourne Subway off Glen Road south of Bloor Street East enhancing the Village of Glen Road South
• Fully accessible path from the bridge to Bloor Street East with entrance/exit just east of Sherbourne (across the street from the Sherbourne Subway entrance/exit with elevator to the subway platforms)

Join BENA on Saturday September 13 from 5:30 to 9 PM with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 6:30 PM, family-friendly activities as the community celebrates this important milestone together. 

Join your neighbours for a fun, sustainable yard sale right in the heart of the Canary District!

Participants can buy and sell gently used items, connect with others, and enjoy a great day outside.

When: September 14, 2025 at 11 AM – 3 PM

Where: Front Street Promenade

Participate by:

• Renting a space and selling your gently used items, items you make such as crafts, or services (Compose a song! Tell fortunes! Paint their portrait!)
• Volunteering to help set up, manage, and/or clean up the event
• Just coming out to the Promenade and enjoying the day!

Space Rental Pricing: 

• Standard: Just a table ($30), or
• Premium: Table + 1 folding chair ($35)

Interested in applying? click here!

Whoa where did the summer go? It's time again for the Canary District’s twice-yearly neighbourhood cleanup! 

Participants will meet outside Rock On Climbing (NW corner of Tannery and Front) at 10 AM. All volunteers will be provided with gloves, bags, and trash grabbers and will be assigned to a street. 

When: Sepember 28, 2025 at 10 AM – 12 PM

Where: (In front of) Rock on Climbing, 474 Front St E, Unit 4

Learn more and RSVP here! 

Optional: If you can't make it on the day, reach out to [email protected]. They will set you up a special shift on another day!

Homeless Connect is back with another One Stop Shop event! Unhoused and precariously housed individuals are invited to come to the Mattamy Athletic Centre to receive a variety of free services including health and personal care services (dental, hearing, vision, haircuts, foot care, etc), practical assistance (employment, legal, housing support), plus clothing, a hot meal, and more. 

Date: Sunday, October 26, 2025

Time: 10 AM - 3 PM

Location: Mattamy Athletic Centre, 50 Carlton Street

This event is walk-in only and no pre-registration is required. 

Homeless Connect is always looking for volunteers for this event. Sign up here to help! 

Experience the City of Toronto’s free full-day signature in-person event at Meridian Hall to support small businesses in Toronto.

This year focuses on helping small businesses navigate and find opportunities in a rapidly changing globalized economy and international business landscape:

• Main stage sessions featuring spotlight speakers, fireside chats and expert panels,
• Speed mentorship with international business leaders and seasoned entrepreneurs ready to share insights and tackle your biggest questions, and
• Trade show of diverse small business services and goods providers.

Date: October 29, 2025

Time: 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Location: Meridian Hall, 1 Front Street East

Registration is required. 

Studio RAW, as a brick-and-mortar extension of RAW Taiko, seeks to empower and encourage people, prioritizing people of colour and of marginalized genders, to find and express their own voice and power, and to influence positive personal, group and societal development, through the practice of taiko drumming. 

Find all of their program offerings here.

This is the second annual community-led survey gathering the lived experiences of families navigating special education in Ontario’s publicly funded schools during the 2024–2025 school year.

The survey is:

• Open to all students with disabilities (not just autism) in Kindergarten through Grade 12 who are accessing, or attempting to access, special education in a publicly funded school in Ontario.
• Focused on key issues including school exclusion, Individual Education Plans (IEPs), accommodations, and safety.
• Anonymous: No identifying information is collected.
• Quick: Takes about 10 minutes to complete.

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PRDQJ7K

Survey Password: OAC20

The Hello Neighbour app is a new tool designed to help residents stay connected with their community. It provides quick access to local programs, services, news, and events, all in one place.

Features include:

• Find what you need – Search for programs and services, check who they’re for, when they’re open, and even get directions.
• Neighbourhood news – Stay updated with the latest stories and newsletters from your area.
• Events and job opportunities – Discover local events and find community job postings.

The app is available for download on Google Play and the App Store.

This initiative is brought to the community by Yonge Street Mission (YSM), Regent Park Neighbourhood Association (RPNA), the Social Development Plan Communication Working Group, the City of Toronto, and Focus Media Arts.

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 by September 8, 2025.

This survey is intended to identify and connect with grassroots organizations in Regent Park to better understand your needs and to invite you to participate in the upcoming Regent Park Grassroots Forum that will be organized by the City of Toronto. They are looking for community and resident led groups active in Regent Park that are focused on various local issues.

Why This Matters

The City of Toronto wants to strengthen its connections with grassroots organizations to understand their priorities and how to better support them. The upcoming Grassroot Forum will provide a space for resident-led groups in Regent Park to share their needs and ideas directly with the City of Toronto and one another.

How Can You Participate

Please take a few minutes to complete this Regent Park Grassroots Engagement Survey to:

1. Confirm if your group is a grassroots organization
2. Share information about your focus area
3. Let us know if you are interested in attending the Grassroots Forum

Next Steps

• The Survey will remain open until September 9, 2025
• We will use the responses to plan the first Grassroots Forum,
• Further details and invitations will be sent to interested grassroots organizations once the planning is finalized

Please reach out to ([email protected]) If you have any questions or would like more information. 

Who it’s for:

• Adults 55+ in Downtown East (M4X, M5A, M4Y, M4W) or with no fixed address
• Those feeling lonely or socially isolated
• Seniors seeking connection to community supports

Program Details:

• Short-term, 6 months
• Personalized support to build social connections and improve well-being

Referral Sites (Initial Launch):

• 423 Yonge St.
• 55 Bleecker St.
• 252 Sackville St.
• 310 Dundas St. E.
• 585 King St. E.
• 330 Gerrard St. E.
• 540 Queen St. E.

Community Advisory Council (CAC):

• Recruiting Downtown East residents, 55+
• Share lived experience and community concerns
• 1-year term, renewable

Priority Access for:

• Seniors experiencing poverty
• Those in precarious housing
• Individuals identifying as Indigenous, African, Black, or Caribbean

Intake: 416-360-4000 Ext. 77226

Apply here.  

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, 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!

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]

The Daily Bread Food Bank has shared important information about the new Canada Disability Benefit (CDB), which officially opened for applications on June 20, 2025.The CDB is a monthly federal benefit designed to reduce poverty among low-income, working-age persons with disabilities.Eligibility includes:

• Ages 18 to 64
• Hold a valid Disability Tax Credit (DTC)
• Filed a 2024 federal income tax return (including spouse or partner, if applicable)
• Be a Canadian resident

Those without the DTC can apply through the Government of Canada, with part of the form completed by a medical practitioner. Applications for the CDB can be submitted online, by phone, by mail, or in person at a Service Canada centre. The Daily Bread Food Bank has also created a helpful guide to explain how much recipients may receive, what documents are needed, and how the application process works. For more details, visit the Daily Bread Food Bank website to download their printable guide.