Community News Update - January 5, 2024

Dear Community,

This Sunday, January 7, Orthodox Christians around the world will celebrate Christmas. To everyone celebrating in our community and beyond, I wish you a very Merry Christmas. May you find joy in your celebrations and time spent with loved ones.

According to a federal Labour Force Survey, Ontario lost 48,000 jobs in December alone. This includes:

20,000 construction jobs
7,400 jobs in manufacturing
7,400 jobs in health & social services

Each job lost represents a person whose life was upended and just found it more difficult to make ends meet. Racialized Ontarians are being disproportionately affected. Community, we can't solve the crises in this province without workers. From construction to health care, we're losing thousands of good people and jobs in those sectors that need workers most.

Our ONDP team is proposing REAL solutions would create jobs and get people to work while taking on the housing and health care crises.

We'll build at least 250,000 new affordable and non-market homes, rehabilitate aging affordable housing, and work with municipalities to implement effective inclusionary zoning.

For years, we've seen the Conservatives waste public money on private surgical, private staffing agencies, and by fighting health care workers in court. We'll shorten wait times, get ERs back open, and put the lights on in ORs by hiring more staff and paying them fair wages.

Read the full press release here.

As much as we pretend it is, the pandemic is NOT over. I am heartbroken to see the alarming new COVID-19 rates in long-term care homes that have led to 260 tragic deaths in the last four months. This is devastating and my heart goes out to the loved ones mourning those lost.

This government has spent years dismantling safeguards for LTC residents and has failed to protect our elders in LTC throughout the worst moments of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, they continue to attack the public health sector and workers leading to staff crises, while funneling money to private agencies. Seniors in LTC homes deserve BETTER.

Read the full press release here.

The Black Student Summer Leadership Program (BSSLP) is back!

BSSLP is a 7-week full-time paid summer experiential learning opportunity. Students hired will explore a range of academic and career placements including but not limited to: Business, Community Development, Information Technology, Public Health and Youth Justice.

Requirements:

Black TDSB student (current, graduating or returning)
Must be available for Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) paid training (April 9-May 28)
Must be available for full-time summer employment (July 2 - Aug 16, 2024)
Must be available for interview from February 15 - 23, 2024)
Currently in Gr. 10-12 and must be 16 years old as of July 1, 2024.

Click here to apply!

There will be an information session on January 16, 2024 from 6-7:30 pm.

The deadline to apply is January 19, 2024.

Pride Toronto is hiring! Check out their Job Board today. Available positions include:

Fund Development Manager
Volunteer Curator
Operations Coordinator
Fund Development Coordinator
Accessibility Curator
Community Engagement Curator
Programming & Events Curator

Click here to view available positions and to apply.

They're also looking for community members to join their Accessibility Community Advisory Group. For more info and to apply, contact [email protected].

They've also put out a call for 2024 festival vendors. Click here for more info!

Hillcrest Village Community Players is looking for volunteers for their upcoming production of Footloose (Feb 22–March 2, 2024)!

There is a lot of fun to be had in their Front of House team! Roles available include:

Two ushers
Two ticket-takers
Two Merch sales people
Two cafe and intermission sales people
Two coat-checkers

Interested? Fill out their interest form by January 29th here.

Tickets for the production are on sale NOW. You don’t want to miss it! Click here to purchase.

Also, from Hillcrest Village Players–

Hello Community -

We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a Trivia Night at The Gym Pub (782 St. Clair Ave W) on Thursday, January 18th 6:30pm!

Brush up on your knowledge about the community, our upcoming production of Footloose and MORE to win Food/Drink prizes throughout the evening… and the grand prize of Footloose tickets for your team!

Book a table for your team of up to 6 people. A minimum donation of $5 per player will be collected before trivia begins.

Event: HVCP x The Gym Trivia Night

Date & Time: Thursday, January 18th, 6:30pm

Location: 782 St. Clair Ave W, Toronto

Minimum donation of $5 per player

See you there!

Cheers,

Krista & Catherine

Click here to book your table!

dance Immersion Presents the North American Premiere of
Traditional Future
by Kenya’s Fernando Anuang’a

Friday, January 19, 2024:
Pre-Show Reception – 7:15 PM
Performance & Artist Talk – 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Saturday, January 20, 2024:
Performance & Artist Talk – 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Venue:
The Theatre Centre, 1115 Queen St W, Toronto, ON

Tickets:
General – $32.50
Students/Arts Workers – $22.50

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS: https://danceimmersion.ca/anuanga/

About the Performance:

dance Immersion presents Kenya’s Fernando Anuang’a in his internationally-renowned contemporary Maasaï dance solo, TRADITIONAL FUTURE, in North America for the first time!

With this work Fernando explores: How do we evolve tradition toward modernity without obliterating its tracks, without betraying one’s roots?

Fernando Anuang’a is an autodidact artist (self-taught dancer/choreographer) from Kenya. He is supported and inspired by Kenyan Maasaï songs, his ancestral memories, and his community’s vocal rhythmic power for his vocabulary. He is driven by a will to take tradition into the future, and continuously researches ways for Maasaï dance to live fully in this era. While tourists have exploited the image of the Maasaï jump tradition, Fernando’s practice instead infuses this cultural vertical energy with evolving Maasaï undulation gestures. For his third solo, TRADITIONAL FUTURE, he stays loyal to the Moran (Maasaï warrior) tradition as a symbolic root, while finding a deeper energy and more liberating form of self-expression to bring the tradition into the future.

This work is presented as part of dance Immersion’s 30th Anniversary Season! The performance will be accompanied by an opening night pre-show reception, and artist talks following both performances.

Applications for Black Women in Motion's Black Youth Employment Assistance Program (BYEAP) are now OPEN!

BYEAP is a 13-week, virtual employment and entrepreneurial-focused program for Black survivors of gender-based violence. BYEAP provides employment-focused training opportunities and mental health resources to support survivors in developing their employability skills, business ideas, and wellness strategies for job retention.

For general inquiries, please email us at [email protected]

Registration for the Winter/Spring 2024 cohort closes on Thursday, January 18th, 2024, at 11:59 P.M.

Interested applicants are asked to email their resumes to [email protected] with BYEAP-2024 in the subject line.

Calling all poets of St. Paul's and beyond! The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is seeking nominees for the next Poet Laureate of Ontario. The role was created in 2019 in honour of the late Gord Downie.

The application is open until January 15, 2024. Click here for more information.

In Ontario, 1,400 people on average are waiting for a lifesaving organ transplant while thousands more are in need of a life-changing tissue donation. They are our friends, neighbours, colleagues, and, in some cases, members of our own families.

When you register as a possible organ and tissue donor, you have the potential to change the story for someone in need.

One donor can help over 80 people get back to life.

Register your consent to become an organ and tissue donor after your death and tell your family so they can help honour your wishes.

Did You Know?

Any Ontario resident who is 16 years or older and has an Ontario health card is eligible to register as an organ and tissue donor
Everyone has the potential to be an organ and/or tissue donor, regardless of age or health.
People from every major religion have donated. Many religions support donation or respect and individual’s choice.
The first and foremost concern for health care professionals is to save lives. Only when a life cannot be saved does organ and tissue donation become an option.
It takes two minutes to register or check your status at www.beadonor.ca. You can also register in person at any ServiceOntario location.

More information about the donation process, who can register, and the importance of speaking to family can be found online at www.beadonor.ca.

This is a reminder to get up-to-date on your COVID-19 boosters. The XBB 1.5 updated boosters are NOW available. I got mine and I encourage you to join me!

Consult this page for information about where you can get vaccinated.

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