Community Recognition Awards
My Community Recognition Awards will recognize and thank individuals and groups for their outstanding efforts in the community.
This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the amazing things that people are doing to help others and that make the Spadina-Fort York riding such an incredible place to live.
Nominations are for the following categories:
- COVID Hero
- Youth Leader
- Community Leader
- Business Leader
- Disability Advocate
- Seniors Advocate
- Environmental Advocate
- Arts and Culture Leader
Deadline for nominations is Monday, January 31, 2022.
The awards will be presented at a Community Recognition Virtual Ceremony on Saturday, February 26 at 7:00 pm. A meeting link will be provided closer to the event.
Webinars, Conferences, Consultations, Town Halls
School Reopening Survey
My office hears regularly from families, frontline workers, and community members who are doing their best to keep up with the many announcements, policies and program changes during this pandemic. As students and education workers return to class, I want to hear what concerns and ideas you might offer during this challenging time for children and families in Ontario.
I am asking for your experiences and perspectives, to share with the provincial government and amplify your voice. Please take a few minutes to complete my School Reopening Survey.
Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Air Quality Meeting
Thursday, January 27, 7:00 pm
The Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Association will be holding a public meeting to review the University of Toronto’s update on air quality measurements in the Bathurst Quay neighbourhood. A project overview and registration information is available here.
Tarion Home Warranty Consultation
Tarion is seeking feedback on enhancements to the new home warranty. Based on feedback from this past spring, Tarion is proposing to address a recommendation on improving the warranty process from the Auditor General of Ontario, as well as increasing the coverage under the new home warranty. Public feedback will help inform Tarion’s implementation of these changes. Full details are available here.
Deadline for feedback submissions is February 17, 2022.
Ontario 2022 Budget Consultations
The Ministry of Finance has launched its 2022 budget consultations. People and organizations are welcome to share their ideas via a series of virtual consultations that begin Monday, January 17.
Visit Ontario.ca/budgetconsultations to learn how to submit your ideas by email, mail, or by filling out a survey. The 2022 budget consultations will close on February 11, 2022. The 2022 Budget will be delivered by March 31, 2022.
City of Toronto Proposed Budget 2022
The City of Toronto has presented its proposed 2022 budget and will be deciding how and what city services will be funded for the next year. You can find the presentation and more information at: www.toronto.ca/budget.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto is facing a significant budget shortfall again this year. With the goal of continuing its vital programs and services, the budget includes a 2.9% residential tax increase, as well as a 1.5% increase to the city building levy that was approved in 2019. The budget, as proposed, is balanced on the basis of approximately $1.4 billion in funding from the federal and provincial governments to cover costs related to the pandemic, but this funding has not been secured.
For information on how to provide feedback on the budget, visit the City website here. Council will be voting on the budget in late February.
Waterfront ReConnect Design Feedback
The Bentway, in partnership with the City of Toronto, Waterfront BIA, and Toronto Downtown West BIA, has revealed six proposals for the next phase of Waterfront ReConnect — a project aiming to improve the safety and quality of experiences, particularly for pedestrians, under the Gardiner Expressway.
Three shortlisted designs have been proposed for the intersection of Lake Shore Boulevard and York Street, and three for Lake Shore Boulevard and Simcoe Street. The designs are experimental in nature, created by interdisciplinary teams composed of some of Canada’s most innovative architects, designers, engineers, and artists.
The public is encouraged to review the proposals online and register feedback by January 19, 2022. A jury composed of local and international design and arts professionals will consider this feedback and select one design for each intersection, and the winners will be announced mid-February. The designs will be installed in 2022 and will remain in place until the Gardiner deck rehabilitation project moves to this area of the Expressway (estimated in 2025).
Watch the project video on YouTube here.
TTC Fares Virtual Town Hall
The TTC is holding a virtual town hall on Wednesday, February 2 at 6:30 pm to hear from riders regarding their plan to develop a 5-year Fare Policy and 10-year Fare Collection Outlook in conjunction with York Region Transit. A project report will be brought to the TTC Board in February. Learn more and register here.
Legal Aid Consultation
Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) is consulting about the proposed minimum experience standards that prospective roster members must meet to join the roster and be eligible to provide legal aid certificate services and duty counsel services in specific areas of law. LAO is seeking feedback until January 24, 2022 on:
- Proposed addition to Rule 28
- Draft minimum experience standards
To find out more about the consultation, how to participate, and to read the proposed addition to Rule 28 and draft minimum experience standards, visit the consultation website.
Ryerson University Renaming Feedback
- The University Renaming Advisory Committee’s (URAC) is looking for feedback and insights from the community regarding the renaming process of Ryerson University. The shortlist, along with rationale for the selections, will be submitted to the university president and Board of Governors for a final decision by the end of the 2021/2022 academic year.
How to participate:
- Complete the online anonymous survey
- Email the committee at [email protected]
- Share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag #NextChapterName
- Mail a letter to the research firm: The Strategic Counsel, 1 St. Clair Avenue West, Suite 1200, Toronto, ON, M4V 1K6
For more information about the committee and the renaming process, please visit ryerson.ca/next-chapter/renaming-process/.
Condominium Authority Tribunal Consultation
The Condominium Authority of Ontario has created a survey to consult on upcoming expansion of the Condominium Authority Tribunal’s (CAT) jurisdiction. The key questions are related to:
- Further expanding the CAT’s jurisdiction to encompass additional types of disputes
- Feedback on the CAT’s current processes and any potential best practices the CAT could consider
The survey should take between 15-30 minutes to complete, and can be completed anonymously. Click here to complete the CAO’s Consultation Feedback Survey.
The riding of Spadina-Fort York has more condos than anywhere else in Canada. Thousands of residents live in condo apartments along the waterfront and throughout downtown Toronto. I have heard from constituents complaining about many issues related to condo board governance, fees and other problems arising for condo dwellers. I encourage you to write to my office at [email protected] to share your experience and help us advocate for solutions.
Waterfront Strategic Review
The City of Toronto has released a report on its Waterfront Strategic Review Update. The review includes a public consultation and engagement on what a renewed vision of the City’s 43 kilometers of waterfront would be.
First Parliament Site Heading to Toronto Executive Committee
Two significant staff reports relating to the First Parliament Site (FPS) are heading to Executive Committee at Toronto Council. It is important for the Executive Committee to have letters and deputations from organizations and individuals with an interest in the future of the site.
The City of Toronto is currently in negotiations with Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario related to the expropriation of the FPS and their proposal for a transit-oriented community development on the site. The recommendations in these reports will have an impact on the ability of the City to advocate for the important civic features that were planned for the site.
The First Parliament Master Plan, which was finalized earlier this year, needs Council approval before it is official City policy. In the negotiations with Metrolinx and Infrastructure Ontario over the development of this site, it is crucial that a Council approved Master Plan be part of the official planning context.
Letters and requests to depute can be sent to [email protected].
This staff report answers a number of questions posed by Councillors Wong-Tam and Cressy and confirms that negotiations with the province are putting forward city priorities for the site based on the FP Master Plan.
It is important that decision makers recognize the 20-year history of trying to get the FPS into public ownership, including the various land swaps, library lands and the long-standing commitment to using the lands for much-needed parkland and open space.
Ontario Digital Privacy Consultation
- The Ontario Government released a white paper outlining proposals to strengthen privacy protections across the province. The Ministry of Government and Consumer Services is seeking to address gaps in Ontario's legislative privacy framework and to establish comprehensive, updated rules to protect privacy rights and support innovation. There has been some concern around the move from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce - read more here. I urge you to review the white paper, and send in your comments to the Government, as well as a copy to my office at [email protected] so we can advocate for your recommendations. More information is available here.
Ontario Place Virtual Rally Event Recording
- The Future of Ontario Place Project, along with Ontario Place for All and Architectural Conservancy Ontario hosted a virtual rally on Thursday, May 13, 2021 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ontario Place. I spoke at this rally to reiterate that Ontario Place must remain a public space, and the Ontario government should consult with the owners of this valuable waterfront land (public taxpayers) before making any development decisions.
Watch the recording of the virtual rally here, and hear the statement I made in the legislature here.
Sign our petition calling on this government to respect local planning.
Holipalooza Dec 11 7pm
Thank you to everyone who joined my Holipalooza virtual event on Saturday, December 11. It was a fun way to end a very hectic year!
You can watch the full recording here.
Newchoir team Scott and Alison join “Santa” for some holiday fun!
Condo Town Hall Recording
Do you own or rent a condo?
Are you getting what you paid for?
MPP Glover will be introducing new legislation to increase transparency in the condo industry. Condo experts will be available to take your questions.
A draft of the motion that MPP Glover will be proposing in the Legislature can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/Glovercondomotion
If you missed the event, watch the full discussion here.
The Fentanyl Epidemic Panel Discussion
I was joined by Dr. Leslie Buckley, Chief of the Addictions Division at CAMH, Kim Curry of Seeds of Hope, and Marcell Wilson from One by One Movement for an intimate and enlightening discussion on the opioid crisis.
Watch full discussion here or read the Minutes.
Call on the Ontario government to declare the opioid overdose crisis a public health emergency: Sign our petition here.
The following article was written by a journalism student who attended the panel discussion:
Community leaders meet to address Toronto’s fentanyl epidemic
“Using fentanyl, it’s often like Russian roulette,” says executive director of the Seeds of Hope Foundation
November 4, 2021
Aloysius Wong
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A panel of community leaders met to discuss Toronto’s fentanyl epidemic Wednesday evening, hosted and moderated by Chris Glover, the MPP of Spadina-Fort York.
The event was held virtually, with over 50 people in attendance on Zoom, YouTube and Facebook Live.
In 2020, the opioid crisis was responsible for more than 2,400 deaths in Ontario alone. Fentanyl has been a particularly deadly contributor to this. According to CAMH, it is up to 100 times stronger than morphine—even a small amount can cause an overdose or death.
“Fentanyl also acts as easy access to suicide,” said Kimberly Curry, the executive director of the Seeds of Hope Foundation. “There’s also been a lot of people using fentanyl to kill one another.”
“There’s so many accidental overdoses it’s easy to hide a murder using an overdose of fentanyl,” said Tony , a community member with lived experience of the crisis.
“In some cases that I know for a fact, it was obviously a murder—everyone in the hotel knows this person was murdered. There’s no investigation, and it always comes up as an accidental overdose on the coroner’s report.”
Joanne is a community member and advocate who has personally struggled with an opioid addiction. Her biggest fear is that her family will think that she died of an accidental overdose if she happens to touch or breathe in fentanyl second-hand.
She described how she’s previously “had to run away from someone casually smoking it by the door” of one shelter.
“Some of the time there’s children in these areas,” she said. “I don’t feel like Toronto is really realizing that we need to help the addicts use in safe spaces, instead of having someone slink around the corner.”
“Using fentanyl, it’s often like Russian roulette.” Curry added. “Unbelievably we talk about, and people talk about how many times they’ve died and come back to life. And it’s pretty scary being on top of someone with blue lips and wondering if that naloxone is gonna work.
“The human impact of this is devastating.”
Curry describes the “devastating” human impact of the opioid crisis.
“Most of the users I know from my time end up penniless and homeless,” said Marcell Wilson, the founder and president of the One by One Movement. “Users and clientele in some cases can’t pay debts, and this leads to violence.”
“At one point every user will hit rock bottom and try to get help, and actually find that there are very little resources.”
Many of the advocates criticized safe injection sites for not being open in the late nights to early mornings when the need is greatest. They also described a shortage of medical detox beds, and stressed the need for safe supply.
“It’s the only way to go,” Tony said. “And it’s the only way to get the money and the violence and the gangs out of the picture.”
“90% of the deaths could be avoided right there.”
There are also challenges in providing the necessary “patchwork” of care to help someone recover, as CAMH’s chief of addictions Dr. Leslie Buckley described.
“It’s really hard to fix something with just a medication that’s been so powerful, like trauma,” she explained. “Therapy is needed too and sometimes it’s hard to find enough therapists and get someone the kind of one-on-one support that they might need.”
But advocates say that getting the government resources needed to adequately address this crisis has proven difficult.
“In the street culture, the usage of fentanyl is overly normalized,” said Joanne. “In the boardroom, it’s almost ignored.”
“We absolutely need to make sure that governments are aware of what’s happening,” said Glover. “We will keep pushing on this issue because this is an absolute crisis that is taking, you know, in Canada, taking more lives than the pandemic, and we need to bring an end to this.
“And it is solvable. We have the solutions. We need to build the political will to actually implement and fund those solutions.”
A petition calling on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to declare the opioid overdose crisis in Ontario a public health emergency was created by Glover’s office and shared at the event.
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Sources:
Toronto Board of Health Meeting, Nov. 16, 2020. Agenda and Notes. http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2020.HL23.2
The Fentanyl Epidemic: A Panel Discussion. Hosted by MPP Chris Glover. Replay available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lCZipSzLIY
CAMH Pamphlet on Street Fentanyl. https://www.camh.ca/-/media/files/guides-and-publications/straight-talk-fentanyl.pdf
Stop Overdose Deaths - Petition. https://www.chrisglovermpp.ca/stop_overdose_deaths
One by One Movement website. https://www.theonebyonemovement.com/about
Seeds of Hope Foundation website. https://www.seedsofhope.ca/overview
Aloysius Wong is currently a freelance journalist and Master of Journalism student at X (formerly Ryerson) University. You can contact him or pitch him news tips at [email protected]
Community Recognition Ceremony
On Saturday February 6, 2021, I hosted my virtual Community Recognition Ceremony and was joined by more than 120 community members via Zoom and social media. It was a wonderful opportunity to recognize and celebrate the amazing things that people are doing in the riding. Thanks to all of you who attended and to Phusion and Newchoir for their uplifting performances!
For those of you who were not able to join, you can view the recording here.
Congratulations to all the award recipients:
Outstanding Youth Leadership:
Dante Wellington
Disability Advocacy:
Ipek Kabatos
Seniors Advocacy:
Karen Langill
Environmental Advocacy:
Angela Bischoff, Director, Ontario Clean Air Alliance
Community Building through Arts and Culture:
Isorine Marc, Executive Director, Jamii
Business Leadership:
Rob Sysak, Neighbourhood Director, West Queen West
Sri Selvarasa, Manager, Little India
Community Leadership:
Angelo Bertolas, Co-chair, York Quay Neighbourhood Association
Eli Brown, Founder, Shine the Light On
Richard Dunwoody, Executive Director, Project Recover
Bill Dyck, Toronto Alliance Church
Nichole Edwards
Jen Evans
Carolyn Johnson, Co-chair, York Quay Neighbourhood Association
Suzanne Kavanagh, St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association, West Don Lands Committee
Alicia Liebregts, Liberty Village Cares
Jacqueline McLaughlin
Mark Petierre
Curtis Priest, Garment District Neighbourhood Association
Joan Prowse, Chair, Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Association
Eric Shedden
Humera Siddiqui
Nicole Sparks
Cynthia Wilkey, West Don Lands Committee
Outstanding Community Service from a Group:
Alexandra Park Volunteer Cooking Team
Spadina-Fort York Community Care Program Volunteers
Outstanding Leadership in the Chinese Community:
Simon Zhong, Executive Director, Toronto Community & Culture Centre
Outstanding Community Leadership:
Mohsin Khattak, Director, Scadding Court Community Centre
Lifetime Achievement:
Donna Harrow, Executive Director, Alexandra Park Community Centre
Kevin Lee, Executive Director, Scadding Court Community Centre
Community Town Hall
Thank you to Olivia Chow and to everyone who joined me for the Community Town Hall. Most of the conversation focused on the issue of homelessness. If you weren’t able to participate, you can listen to the recording here.
Ontario Line Town Hall
Thank you to everyone who joined me last week for this very informative discussion with Metrolinx representatives. If you missed the meetings, you can view both recordings on my Youtube channel here and here. I have included some helpful links about the project below:
- Ontario Line – Environmental Assessment Process Overview here
- Draft Ontario Line Environmental Conditions Report here
- Ontario Line Initial Business Case here (includes information on ridership projections)
More information about the Ontario Line can also be found here including an option to sign up for e-newsletter updates from Metrolinx here. The Metrolinx Engage website here also hosts detailed information about the project including neighbourhood-specific updates on the “Get Engaged” page here. You can also submit questions directly to Metrolinx here or post comments or questions on the public forum here.
Anti-Racism Town Hall
Click this link to watch our discussion as we answered questions from a live audience submitted via chat, and we discussed how Ontarians can take part in the growing anti-racism movement.
Support Chinatown Town Hall
If you missed this event, the full video is available here.
