Community News Update - April 12, 2024
Community News Update - March 15, 2021
Dear Community,
Ontario has reported another 1268 new cases of COVID-19 and has launched the new COVID-19 vaccine portal. The portal can be found by clicking here, and if you an in an eligible group, it will help you register for your vaccination. While there have been some issues on launch day for the portal, it is now working.
Today marks one week since International Women’s Day, and just one week after that day of celebration and reflection, we have been reminded once again of just how far we still have to go by PC MPP Sam Oosterhoff. We discovered today that Sam Oosterhoff is headlining an event being hosted by the National Campus Life Network, who earlier this year compared a woman’s right to choose to the Holocaust.
In response to this, I have released a joint statement with MPP Marit Stiles, that you can read here, calling for Doug Ford to immediately fire Sam Oosterhoff from his role as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education. For Sam Oosterhoff to be using his office to once again attack a woman’s right to choose is abhorrent, and his continued involvement with a group that has trivialized the Holocaust is unacceptable.
Frankly, I do not believe that Sam Oosterhoff should hold any position in government, let alone one with influence over our education system.
As of right now, we have not heard of any definitive action on this issue from Doug Ford, and rest assured, as the Official Opposition Critic for Women’s Issues, I will continue to follow this story closely.
While the Ford government continues to let us down, local organizations continue to pick up the pieces, and today, I’m happy to shine a spotlight on the great work of the Hillcrest Village BIA and the return of their Shop2Win weekly draws, from today until April 25th!
In simple terms, it works like this:
When you shop at an eligible business, you keep your receipts of $25 or more and fill out this form online. Each week, one lucky winner will be drawn who will receive $500. In addition, another $250 will be donated to a local business, as well as $250 to the Wychwood Open Door. The prize money is being donated by the Josie Stern Team.
If you’re interested in finding out more, including details on which businesses are eligible, click here.
Of course, as you go about your shopping, I want to encourage everyone to make sure to follow the guidance of public health experts. That means make sure to wear your mask, wash your hands, and observe physical distancing.
Coming up later this week, I am very excited to be hosting a housing town hall along with MPP Jessica Bell, where we will be joined by some local housing experts for a discussion about what to do when you’re facing eviction. We will be holding this event through Zoom, and in order to attend, you must RSVP in advance.
The event will be held on Thursday, March 18 from 6-7:30PM.
If you’re interested in finding out more, including how to RSVP, please click here.
Finally, I’m excited to share with you a project that I’m very proud to be a part of called Voices from the 6ix. This is a collection of installations at the Harbourfront Centre, where you can listen to stories that speak to the Afro-Canadian experience in our city.
I’m honoured to have my story as a part of this installation, and you can listen to my entire story by clicking here.
In Solidarity,
Jill Andrew
Toronto—St. Paul's
