Centennial community continues to show it cares
By continuing to follow guidelines, we can support frontline workers, local agencies and community organizations as they work to address the impacts of COVID-19. Today, we are better equipped to respond to the pandemic because of our ability and willingness to adapt. I am inspired by the compassion shown by the Centennial community.
Tackling Food Insecurity
Local residents came together on October 3 to show support for the Daily Bread Food Bank in a Thanksgiving food donation car parade. Along with the generous neighbours who participated and our community leaders Linda Barlow and D’Arcy Perkovic, this event was supported by the UTSC, Toronto Fire Services, Toronto Police, the Toronto Zoo and Parks Canada. We welcomed Mayor John Tory and thanks to local business Cones & Characters, Spiderman and Elsa were also able to join the fun.
Our community donation parades have so far raised over 4,000 pounds of food for the Daily Bread Food Bank in Scarborough–Rouge Park. Please consider donating non-perishable food to Daily Bread at our local Fire Hall at 5318 Lawrence Ave. E.
On October 17, I joined the youth and elders of the Grace Presbyterian Church at 447 Port Union Road for a Mask & Soap Pack-a-thon! We packaged over 3,000 kits of soap and masks that will be provided to those in need. A big thank you to GlobalMedic and Proctor & Gamble for making this event possible. Thank you also to Elder Dan Nortes, Pastor Kim and the Grace Church Youth Group for supporting our community.
Local Park Upgrades
Over the summer, we heard from residents about the need to upgrade the playground in Port Union Village Commons for older children. Since the planned upgrade for this park was at least 10 years away, we asked what could be done now. Parks, Forestry and Recreation staff identified a surplus structure that was installed last month. I want to thank them for this $80,000 investment in our community.
Update on 633 Coronation Drive
I continue to monitor the Environmental Compliance Approval (ECA) application before the provincial government regarding Coronation Organics. There is still no application before the City of Toronto. Mayor John Tory and I co-wrote a letter to Environment Minister Jeff Yurek to express our opposition to the project and relay community concerns. Minister Yurek is ultimately responsible for approving or denying the ECA application related to 633 Coronation Dr.
The letter from Mayor Tory and I requested a public meeting, citing that “we feel strongly that a public hearing will provide an opportunity for local residents to learn about the project and voice their concerns.” We are disappointed that the provincial government refuses to hold a public hearing on this controversial project. Mayor Tory and I also requested “that the province work with the City of Toronto’s Transportation Services to look at this project holistically and consider the impact of traffic on the local community. We feel it is important that the municipal and provincial governments work together to assess the environmental impacts of this project.” To date, the provincial government has not agreed to expand the scope of the ECA to include offsite transportation impacts.
Mayor John Tory and I support the strong community opposition to this proposal and have encouraged Minister Yurek to deny the ECA application. We will continue to advocate for residents.
Keeping in Touch
For a status of the virus in Toronto, visit www.toronto.ca/covid19. Active cases are displayed by neighbourhood.