BetterHomesTO launches! Check it out!
As we approach the holiday season and I look back at my first year as your City Councillor, I see that we are off to a great start and I look forward to continuing to work with you to enrich our Centennial community. I had the pleasure of joining many of you at the Pumpkin Parade on November 1 and seeing all of the neat pumpkin creations. The energy and unique qualities that make Ward 25 an incredible place come from the hard work and efforts of our community organizations, residents, staff and volunteers like yourselves.
Promoting Home Improvement
On November 22, we recognized National Housing Day and our office reflected on the initiatives launched by our city to make housing more efficient. This November, alongside Mayor John Tory, I was pleased to launch BetterHomesTO, a platform dedicated to make it easier for Toronto residents to learn about how to save energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
BetterHomesTO offers a comprehensive online resource where Toronto homeowners can find information, tools and resources to help them learn about and undertake home energy retrofits and has launched with 31 retrofits in detailed, and access all the programs, rebates and incentives offered by the city and its partners. The platform currently includes information from partners including Enbridge Gas, Humber College, Toronto Hydro, Clean Air Partnership, University of Toronto Building Industry and Land Development (BILD) Association GTA. I look forward to promoting this important initiative within our community.
Scarborough–Rouge Park has over 18,000 single family homes and is included as
one of the areas being targeted for the program. A net zero home is
comfortable, healthier and better for the environment because all the efficient
features work together to lower energy consumption, reduce GHGs and shrink the
home’s carbon footprint. You can learn more about this new platform by visiting
www.betterhomesto.ca.
Acting on Climate Change
On November 12, our office organized a community consultation with over 25 residents present at the Port Union Community Centre. The consultation provided input into TransformTO, the city’s climate change strategy. This session focused on the actions that can be implemented by the city from 2021-2023, to reduce GHG emissions from transportation sources and buildings in the city, which cumulatively account for 90% of our GHG emissions.
A report summarizing and presenting the consultation findings will be available to the public in January, followed by a proposed TransformTO Implementation Plan in the spring. I look forward to sharing results of the city-wide consultations and implemented actions with you at that time. In the meantime, to stay engaged and get the latest news on TransformTO you can visit www.toronto.ca/transformTO.
Merry Christmas!
Our office will be attending Christmas in the Valley at the Miller Lash House (130 Old Kingston Rd.) on Saturday, December 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 pm. We look forward to celebrating our community and serving you a Christmas treat.
We’re here to work for you. If you have local issues you would like addressed, any ideas for how we can build a better city, or just want to chat about the neighborhood, please feel free to contact me or my team. We can be reached at 416-338-3771. To keep up to date with local news, please sign up for our e-newsletter at www.jennifermckelvie.ca, and follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter via my handle, @McKelvieWard25.