Dear Community, 

On August 1, 1834 slavery was abolished in the British Empire, including Canada and British Caribbean colonies. Most of our people were legally free and emancipated. 

190 years later, we gathered for the 11th annual Emancipation Underground Freedom Train at Union Station — a collaboration between Blackhurst Cultural Centre and the TTC. Shout out to the ATU Local 113 public transit operators who held it down during our ride!

It was incredible to be surrounded by community members and leaders who've I've looked up to for most of my adult life — colleagues, family and community friends. We were also surrounded by the spirit, tenacity, love and strength of our ancestors, including Mr. Louis March who recently left us in physical form. 

What does emancipation mean to me? It means freedom. It means a deep awe for the resilience of a people who lived and died through the most inhumane catastrophic assaults on their minds and bodies. It means recognizing the value of our freedoms today and the responsibility we must hold to ensure all our Black children can strive for the stars with less limitations and systemic barriers. 

Thank you to everyone who made those late hours on July 31st and those early hours on August 1st so special. May we reflect on the Black, the green, and the red of our Black liberation flag not just today, or this month but every day of the year. Click here for more photos from this event. 

Click here to read more about the history of Emancipation Day. Ontario has recognized August as Emancipation Month since the passing of this 2021 Bill sponsored by former MPP Laura Mae Lindo.

Our Community Deserves Answers from Metrolinx

Yesterday, we learned that there is an opening date for the Eglinton Crosstown - but it's being deliberately hidden by Ford and his politicians. 

Emails uncovered by the Toronto Star revealed that the Ford government instructed Metrolinx not to announce the completion date. Our community in St. Paul's deserves answers. For over a decade, our community suffered great losses due to the ongoing construction of this project. When will we finally reap the benefits? The people of St. Paul's deserve answers. When will the Eglinton LRT ever open? As I said during my interview with the Star, we mustn't forget the internal Metrolinx performance report from September 2022, where Metrolinx said that CTS didn't have a "credible plan" to complete the LRT... Doug Ford needs to hold his government agencies and infrastructure partners accountable and get this job done. I will continue to call for an explanation—and a fix! 

Click here to read more. 

Ontario Ends Wastewater Surveillance Program

This week, Ontario officially ended its COVID-19 wastewater surveillance program. Community, this is incredibly disappointing news. 

Have we learned nothing from the pandemic? We use wastewater testing to monitor and PREVENT current and future pandemics. Key word: prevent. Our wastewater surveillance program provides us with information fast enough that we can act! It's too late to be waiting until our hospitals are overflowing with cases. We should be investing in this early warning system NOT halting it! 

Click here to read more.

Doug Ford CANNOT cancel childcare funding

Doug Ford's conservatives are cancelling 48 previously approved child-care projects planned in Toronto's public and Catholic schools. These spaces would have provided 3,000 new childcare spaces and significantly reduce long waitlist times for families across our city. 

Families in our community need these childcare centres. I will continue to call on this government to release the funding that will make affordable childcare a reality for thousands of Ontarians. A government that doesn't prioritize childcare is a government that doesn't prioritize the economic stability for every day Ontarians, especially women. Full stop. 

Click here to read more. 

Fire at Leo Baeck Day School

On Tuesday morning, our community learned of a fire at Leo Baeck Day School. I am thankful to the first responders who were on-site to assist. We were made aware that the fire started in a shed outside the day school, where an unhoused person had been sheltering on previous days. Police have reported that the person's belongings were removed by school staff the previous day, and that surveillance footage shows the person returning early Tuesday morning, finding their belongings removed, and entering the shed before the fire started. 

This person has since been arrested and is being charged. 

While the Hate Crime Unit has not currently considered this a hate crime, the investigation is ongoing. Some members of our community have expressed fear of antisemitism, and we must continue, as always, to center our community care because all of us have a right to community health and wellness here in St. Paul's.

This incident exhibits the dangers that exist when there are inadequate investments in safe, real affordable housing – including supportive and transition housing – for those in need.

Click here to read the full police report. 

Meeting with HQ Toronto

Today I met with Osmel from HQ Toronto! This vital organization provides sexual health, mental health, and social services for a wide range of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Toronto. They recently celebrated their 2nd anniversary and in two years, they have served over 12,000 clients and provided almost 150,000 HIV tests with next day results. I look forward to learning more about how I can support their work!

Dream Wheels on Eglinton

I had the time of my life last Saturday at Dream Wheels on Eglinton hosted by the Eglinton Way BIA! The organizers did an incredible job with this event. It was fun to check out some of the coolest antique cars and bikes and an incredible way to support SickKids Foundation, too! I had a chance to stand next to a 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air, similar to what Johnny would have driven Baby around in in Dirty Dancing. 

We were gifted with the perfect weather and it was a fantastic time all afternoon! It was wonderful to chat with the hundreds of community members who passed by our booth. Thank you to my amazing volunteers for your conversations about the Ontario Science Centre, rent control, and making more electric vehicle charging stations available in our communities. It was fun to meet the pin-up girls and and chat with the motoristas as well. 

What a wonderful way to end our July festival circuit. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi!

Coffee in the Park

Last Sunday afternoon, I joined neighbours at Frankel Lambert Park for their biweekly Coffee in the Park. It was great to catch up with so many old and new friends. These folks exemplify the St. Paul's spirit of community care. Thank you for the delicious goodies and see you all very soon! 

COMMUNITY BULLETIN BOARD📌

Toronto Caribbean Carnival

Happy Toronto Caribbean Carnival (formerly Caribana) weekend everyone! This is North America's LARGEST festival celebrating Caribbean culture, traditions, and heritage. This festival is an economic powerhouse for our province and we are SO lucky to come together in community each summer in Toronto. 

Here's the at Exhibition Place:
👉 Thursday, August 1: King and Queen Showcase
👉 Friday, August 2: Friday Night Mas
👉 Friday, August 2: Toronto Panorama - Keepin’ Pan Alive
👉 Saturday, August 3: Grand Parade

Click here for tickets and more information!

Patty Fest

The Toronto Patty Fast is coming back to Little Jamaica for a second year this weekend!

Saturday, August 3rd from 12 to 5 pm, celebrate Toronto's favourite unofficial snack food in Little Jamaica. The festival is taking place at 1531 Eglinton Ave W - Green P Parking Lot. 

Free Trees

Saturday, September 21st, the Oakwood Vaughan Community Organization will be distributing free tree saplings, in large pots between 10 AM to 7 PM. 

Location: Pick-up is done locally

Pre-registration is required. Please include your name, contact information, and what type of tree(s) you would like. These trees are for private properties only, that a person has permission to plant on, and are provided by a City of Toronto Forestry Grant. 

For more information, contact: [email protected] or [email protected]

Mount Pleasant Village BIA - Movie Night in the Park

Bring the entire family and enjoy our FREE movies in the park! Mount Pleasant Village BIA presents a different film favourite each Tuesday night starting July 30th, 2023. All shows start at dusk. Bring a chair and a blanket. The BIA will also be collecting donations for the Daily Bread Food Bank each Tuesday night. 

July 30th will start at 8:45 PM. The first film will be Migration!

Location: Manor Community Green - 196 Manor Rd East

Forest Hill BIA Music in Suydam Park

Forest Hill Village BIA's much-loved acoustic concert series, Music in Suydam Park is back for another season!

Concerts take place every Saturday afternoon from 1-3 pm throughout July, August and September. Weather permitting.

Click here for their full concert schedule!

James Rottman Fine Art

Check out the new exhibition at James Rottman Fine Art!

John Eric Laford: OJIBWE LEGENDS
Exhibition Dates: July 13 - September 14, 2024
Location: 830 St Clair Avenue West
Tues to Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm and/or by appointment.

Born on the West Bay of Manitoulin Island in Ontario, John Eric Laford was a celebrated Anishinaabe Canadian artist who passed away in 2021. Laford was inspired by the Ojibwe legends and stories of his elders on Manitoulin Island. Laford was the grandson of hereditary chief Dominic Migwans and Ann Commando.

In this exhibition visitors to the gallery will enjoy Laford's interpreted visions, stories and legends of his elders through the artist's dynamic and visually striking paintings. Laford used various materials including paper, birch bark, canvas, pine, cedar and pipestone as surfaces to depict his stories in paint. The artist's works are poignant studies of all creation, including the spirits, elders, animals, birds and plants.

Laford's paintings have been collected and exhibited by The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, The Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver, British Columbia, The Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and several other public art museums worldwide.

Sprint Senior Care

I would like to share this appeal for volunteers from Sprint Senior Care. Volunteers are needed to:

• Deliver healthy and affordable meals to seniors
• Provide security checks
• Reduce Isolation

You will need to have a car and a valid driver's license to help, but gas reimbursements are available. To volunteer call 416-481-0669 ext. 8723 or e-mail [email protected]

Local Farmers Markets

Wychwood Barns Farmers' Market

• Every Saturday from 8 AM to 1 PM at the Wychwood Barns

Davisville Farmers' Market

• Every Tuesday from 3 PM to 7 PM in June Rowlands Park

The Eglinton Way Farmers' Market

• Every Sunday from 8 AM to 1 PM at 125 Burnaby Blvd. 

Afro-Caribbean Farmers' Market

• From 11 AM to 3 PM on July 7th, 21st and 28th and August 11th and 25th, and September 8th, 22nd and 29th at Reggae Lane (1531 Eglinton Ave W - Green P Parking Lot)

The BFBG Awards

The Black Fashion & Beauty Gala is making its return September 29th, 2024. This year's theme is The Awakening of Black Fashion: A Journey of Resilience and Creativity. 

Click here to learn more about this year's event. 

Learn to Prevent an Overdose

Each year across Ontario, thousands of lives are lost to overdoses. We need every level of government to prioritize implementing harm reduction strategies to combat these senseless deaths, and you can help.

As many of you know, Naloxone is a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, and these kits are FREE with training at participating pharmacies across the city. Together, we can prevent unnecessary deaths and work toward a more compassionate society that is safe safe for everyone.

Find a pharmacy with Naloxone kits near you, and make sure you can recognize the signs of an overdose.

In solidarity, 

Dr. Jill Andrew, Ph.D

MPP, Toronto-St. Paul's