Dear Community,
The Metro strike continues, which means the pickets in our communities are active and available for you to join!
I stopped by again yesterday morning, this time with a few dozen donuts in tow, to chat with more hardworking community members about the reality of being left behind by corporate greed.
Grocers like Metro are proudly touting record profits to the tune of $922 MILLION, but numbers like this always come at a cost. Unfortunately, we're seeing workers standing in line at food banks because they can't afford to shop the very shelves they stock, or worrying about missing the next month's rent because their wages don't match inflation.
This is shameful, and what's more: it's a CHOICE. CEO Eric La Flèche earned a whopping $5.4 million in 2022 alone, but you expect us to believe he can't afford to pay his workers a living wage? I'm not buying it.
Remember: these are the very same workers who kept our cabinets and fridges stocked during the pandemic, who went to work day after day on the frontlines to ensure our families were fed. But we can't return the favour?
Metro locations across the GTA will be picketing each day from 8AM to 8PM, and I know they'd love for you to stop by and show your support for DECENT WAGES and BETTER WORKING CONDITIONS for ALL.
Speaking of GREED, the threats to our public health care at the hands of the Ford government continue!
SAVE THE DATE!
On Monday, September 25 @ 12PM, join us at Queen's Park alongside Ontario Health Coalition, the Ontario Federation of Labour, labour activists, and health care workers as we show up and show out in support of publicly funded health care for all.
Learn more and RSVP HERE!
This week, the FLOC community hosted a Community Safety Meeting with the Community Crisis Response Program, safety partners, and other City of Toronto agencies for folks feeling uneasy about or unsafe by recent critical events in the community, including the tragic shooting of community member Munawar Warsama.
I was so heartened by the outpouring of support offered the many residents of our community, which included on-site counselling for individuals or groups, and it was a wonderful reminder of just how true that old adage is: we keep us safe.
Thank you for allowing me to attend not only as your MPP, but as a fellow community member.
The Vaughan-Oakwood (VO) Youth Network, a youth and volunteer-led network working to strengthen the Vaughan-Oakwood community, is hosting their community basketball tournament this September 30, 2023. Registration is now open to compete in the tournament! You must be aged 15-21 to apply. Register at voyouthnetwork.ca. Application deadline is August 18, 2023.
If you have donations to spare, please consider bringing them down to Marian Engel Park on Saturday between 11AM - 1PM! If you need some extra groceries, come on down no questions asked (we have tote bags)!
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,
Jill Andrew
Toronto-St. Paul's
