A new decade for transit, infrastructure and affordable housing
Happy New Year, Centennial! I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas season. In December, I had the pleasure of visiting many local organizations doing great things in our community. While they all have their own mandates and accomplishments to celebrate, they are all united in their love of Scarborough. It’s a new decade. I’m hopeful that together we will know the 20s as the decade that we built public transit in Scarborough, tackled our state of good repair backlog for our public infrastructure, and built affordable housing for the next generation.
We’re Moving!
Over the past month, my staff and I have been busy moving into our new constituency office located at 4630 Kingston Road, Unit #20. This new home in the ward will help us to serve you more efficiently and effectively. We can be reached at 416-338-3771, councillor_mckelvie@toronto.ca, or by dropping in to say hello!
Let it snow
Snow accumulation can take us by surprise. It is important to be there for each other and check in on our neighbours who may be vulnerable. During a snow event, city plows are directed to clear expressways and major arterial roads once we receive 3cm of snow accumulation and will work through the snowfall. The city will begin plowing local roads within six hours after a snowfall of 8cm of snow accumulation. An exciting snow update for this year is that all local sidewalks in Scarborough-Rouge Park will be plowed once we receive 2cm of snow accumulation, in contrast to 8cm in years past.
I ask that residents refrain from street parking during snow events and provide up to 24 hours after a snowfall to allow city plows to reach your street. The city has also significantly improved PlowTO, an interactive map that shows live coverage of where your plow is. To learn more, visit www.toronto.ca/plowTO.
Heavy snowfalls can also create hazardous conditions and increased damage to trees and our water infrastructure. In the event of a severe storm that damages a tree or causes a watermain break, please remember to call 311. 311 Toronto provides quick access to non-emergency city services, programs and information 24 hours a day, seven days a week and has translation available on-call for over 180 languages.
City budget 2020
The 2020 City of Toronto Budget process is currently underway and you can learn more about it by visiting www.toronto.ca/budget. Here you will find an overview of the budget, the budget schedule, infographics, briefing notes, facts/figures, and much more! I will also be hosting a Ward 25 Budget Town Hall in January. Please check my website for the date as it becomes available, or sign up for my newsletter at councillor_mckelvie@toronto.ca. This town hall will be a great opportunity to provide your feedback to me on this year’s budget and learn about the various services, programs and projects the city is undertaking this year. I hope you can join us.
Port Union Winterfest
I look forward to joining you at this year’s Port Union Winterfest. Come by and enjoy the warm apple cider we will be serving! My office and I will be at the Port Union Community Centre from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. on January 25.
As always, 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 & Twitter via my handle, @McKelvieWard25.