Working together in response to COVID-19
Last week, the City initiated a formal step towards recovery with the announcement of Toronto’s Recovery and Rebuild Strategy and the establishment of the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild. This office will be guided by several themes including, building preparedness through City divisions and agencies, resilience, equity, business and cultural development, and government and fiscal renewal.
As a member of the Mayor’s Economic Support and Recovery Taskforce, I have been leading the Academic Institution and Industry tables, and I continue to work closely with institutions, communities and partners to ensure engagement throughout. Residents and businesses will play a significant role in successfully restoring communities and social and economic infrastructures, while ensuring the City remains healthy.
In the coming weeks, I will continue to update you about timing of re-opening and relaxing current measures in Toronto. These timelines have not yet been determined and will be guided by advice from public health officials.
Local
Food Support
During this difficult time, we must
all work together to protect those in our community who are most vulnerable.
This includes making sure that everyone has access to healthy food, and that no
one goes hungry.
The City is currently working with Red Cross and other partners to provide food hamper delivery to seniors and others in need. Red Cross Canada is accepting calls at 1-833-204-9952. There are also several local food banks serving our community and my team has compiled a list of resources for those who are looking for sustainable access to foods. For more information and a list of organizations and availability, please click here.
My office is in regular contact with
the food banks serving our neighbourhood and assist in coordinating supplies
and resources required by our agencies.
For those of us able to donate, our local fire stations continue to
accept food donations for the Daily Bread Food Bank 24/7, a list of our local fire stations can be found
here.
211 Toronto also maintains an up-to-date list
of resources to support community needs.
Local
Updates
While our community has seen a
dramatic drop in traffic volumes, I ask that residents remain mindful of rules
of the road. Toronto Police report that
from March 15 to March 31, there was a 35% increase in speeding tickets and an
almost 200 per cent increase in stunt driving compared to the same period last
year. Beginning May 1, officers from the
Toronto Police Service’s Vision Zero Enforcement Team be supporting speed
enforcement via rotating shifts, specifically to patrol main roads for
motorists who are speeding and stunt driving.
In addition to local speed enforcement, the City is resuming operation of
spring street sweepers as well.
Beginning this month, street sweepers will be busy cleaning up dirt and
debris from local roads to help keep roadways clean and safe. Local road street
sweeping will take place during the day and in the evenings. Street sweeping
helps to remove dust, dirt and other contaminants, assists in improving overall
air quality and is an important part of Toronto’s flood prevention strategy,
since it removes litter and debris from roadway catch basins.
Let’s stay in touch
Although our physical offices will be closed until further notice and my staff continue to be working remotely. In the interim, the best way to connect with us is by email at councillor_mckelvie@toronto.ca.
For any information related to COVID-19, please sign up for our weekly e-newsletter at www.jennifermckelvie.ca, and follow me on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter via my handle, @McKelvieWard25 for regular updates.
Working together in response to COVID-19