As Toronto's Seniors' Advocate, I had the pleasure of visiting Wesburn Manor, one of 10 City of Toronto operated long-term care homes, and Malton Village, one of 5 Peel Region operated Long-Term Care Homes. Wesburn Manor employs various models of emotion-centred care and Malton Village specifically uses the Butterfly approach. Both homes have demonstrated reductions in unintended weight loss, falls, negative responsive behaviours, and the use of anti-psychotics. At the same time, there have been improvements in pain levels, social engagement, as well as staff and family satisfaction.
Last July, I was deeply heartened that my motion passed unanimously by Council to take the first steps toward transforming care within each of the City’s ten Long-Term Care Homes. Through this motion, the City's Long-Term Care Homes and Services (LTCHS) Division was requested by Council to report on the potential for a pilot project inspired by care-based programs, such as the Butterfly and Greenhouse Project models, to better support seniors living with dementia, in one of the City's ten Long-Term Care Homes and Services units. LTCHS engaged Dr. Pat Armstrong, Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology at York University, as an external consultant and researcher to assist in investigating leading models and approaches to dementia care. In her report, Dr. Armstrong and her team concluded the need for increased direct care staffing levels and to not implement one specific model of care within Long-Term Care Homes.
While I agree that a flexible model of care should be used across the 10 Long-Term Care Homes, I also firmly believe that an implementation strategy to ensure that all 10 Long-Term Care Homes provide emotion-centred approaches to care should be employed, along with a specific accountability process to measure the plan’s outcomes against stated goals.
LTCHS will now report to Economic and Community Development Committee in the third and fourth quarters of 2019 on their implementation strategy and budget impact assessment. For further details about this, I welcome you to read this Toronto Star article.
With the demographic of our city changing, we must begin taking the major steps required to ensure the quality of life and care in our City's Long-Term Care Homes is both innovative and thoughtful.
Ryerson City Building Institute: Toronto Interrupted
I'll be joining Ryerson University’s City Building Institute in a timely conversation “Toronto Interrupted” about how we can, despite enormous challenges, finally move forward on what’s most important to our city. I hope to see you there! Please click here to register.
Toronto St. Paul's (Ward 12) Tenant Summit
Please join me, M.P.P. Jill Andrew, MP Carolyn Bennett and Toronto-St. Paul’s Tenant Association Network (TSPTAN) for an afternoon of information, discussion, ideas and action to address tenant issues here in Toronto-St. Paul’s.
The event will take place Sunday, April 28th from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Oakwood Village Library (341 Oakwood Ave.)
Please also RSVP with TSPTAN by clicking here. I look forward to seeing you!
Planning our Community Together: St. Clair W. & Bathurst Planning Framework Study #2
Thank you to everyone who attended the initial community planning meeting as we begin to work on a holistic plan for the Bathurst & St. Clair Area. Like you, I want our neighbourhoods to have access to transit, parks, playgrounds, open space, affordable housing and childcare, seniors services, recreation and hard infrastructure to support our quality of life.
I want our main streets to be successful and vibrant with great shops, restaurants and with the kind of development that is respectful to the City's Official Plan and local neighbourhood residents.
For far too long, ad-hoc development proposals have put pressure on the core services and infrastructure in our neighbourhoods that people rely on every day. That is why I initiated this study. Any planning and development should be about revitalizing Bathurst & St. Clair by contributing positively to people's experiences and I expect any developer coming into the community to leave it better than they found it.
Without a comprehensive and defendable plan, Toronto neighbourhoods are at the mercy of developer interests. As we did at the first planning meeting, it's important that everyone continues to work together on this study in order to have a plan in place that reflects your priorities.
On Monday, May 13th , please join me at this critical follow up meeting to ensure that City Planning Staff hear from you about your vision for the community before any report goes to city council.
The drop-in begins at 6:00pm with the rest of the meeting to follow between 6:30-8:30pm at the Forest Hill Jewish Centre (360 Spadina Road).
If you have any questions or comments, please feel welcome to contact my office or the City's Planning Lead on this file, [email protected]
*If you were unable to attend the first meeting, no problem! You can view the materials from the last meeting here and join the conversation at this meeting.
**This venue is wheelchair accessible
Hillcrest Park Clean-Up Day With Councillor Matlow
Please join me for a Hillcrest Park Clean-Up day on the morning of Saturday April 27th! Meet at 10:00 am at the picnic table beside the Tennis Clubhouse, or stop by any time between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. Garbage bags and gloves will be provided, along with drinks and cookies. I would like to kindly thank Starbucks on St Clair/Bathurst, Cocoalatte on St Clair, Leah's on St Clair and Loblaws at Dupont and Christie for their generous donations. See you there!
A Voice For Transit
It was wonderful to meet with A Voice For Transit, a group of concerned young transit activists, at City Hall this month. We discussed how to resolve delays and overcrowding on the subway, and the need for evidence-based transit planning. Keep up the great work!
Friends of Cedarvale's Clean-Up Day with Councillor Matlow
I'm thrilled to invite you to my clean-up day with the Friends of Cedarvale on Saturday April 27th! To kick-off this event, we'll be meeting at 10:30am under the Glen Cedar footbridge, and the event will run until 12:30pm. Garbage bags and gloves will be provided, along with drinks and cookies. I look forward to seeing you soon!
Friends of the Beltline Community Clean-up
Friends of the Beltline will be hosting a tree planting, cleanup and invasive species removal event on the Beltline Trail between Avenue Rd and Eglinton Ave, in collaboration with Urban Forestry's Natural Environment & Community Programs unit. This event is scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 5th from 10 am to noon, and will begin at Forest Hill Road Park (at the Beltline and Avenue Road). I look forward to seeing you out there!
SAVE THE DATE: Public Consultation Meeting for 65-83 Raglan Ave
A rezoning application has been submitted to permit a 33-storey residential building. The proposed development would include three of levels below grade parking and 347 residential units. The site is currently occupied by a row of single detached and semi-detached residential dwellings that would be demolished to accommodate the proposed development.
Date: Wednesday May 29th at 6:30pm
Place: Forest Hill Jewish Centre (360 Spadina Road)
Please join me to learn more about this development proposal and share your comments and feedback with City Planning Staff and the Developer.
If you have any questions or comments in advance, please contact Sipo Maphangoh, Senior Planner, at:
[email protected]
(416) 338-2478
St. Cuthbert's Spring Fair
On Saturday, April 27 from 11 am to 2 pm, St. Cuthbert’s Anglican Church (located at 1399 Bayview Avenue) is having their annual spring fair featuring an art gallery, baking, books and soups, crafts, electrical, jewellery, kitchenware, knitting, odds & ends, quilting, sewing, stamps, toys, and other treasures! The event will also include a barbecue, snacks and free activities for children. For more details, view their flyer here.
Councillor Matlow's Compost Days
Looking for free compost? Join me and my team at one of my Compost Days! Please see the details below for dates, times and locations. Remember to bring your own shovel, buckets and bags! We look forward to seeing you!
Monday April 29th 2019
St. Bruno Catholic School - 402 Melita Cres – 4pm- 6pm
St Alphonsus Catholic School- 60 Atlas Ave – 4pm- 6pm
Tuesday, April 30th 2019
Humewood Community School -15 Cherrywood Ave – 4pm- 6pm
Cedarvale Community School - 145 Ava Rd – 4pm- 6pm
Thursday May 2nd 2019
J.R. Wilcox CC - 231 Ava Rd – 4pm- 6pm
McMurrich Jr PS - 115 Winona Dr – 5pm- 7p
South Eglinton Ratepayers’ & Residents’ Association (SERRA) Annual General Meeting
This year South Eglinton Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association (SERRA) Annual General Meeting will be taking place on Tuesday April 30th at Greenwood College School, 443 Mt. Pleasant Road. Doors open at 6:00pm for attendees to enjoy refreshments, renew memberships and browse information booths. The formal meeting will start at 7:00pm and end at 9:00pm. Guest speakers include myself, Councillor Jay Robinson and TDSB Trustee Shelley Laskin. For more details, please review this flyer.
Drop in Youth Basketball and Soccer on Vaughan Road
Drop by Davisville Jr. Public School / Spectrum Alternative School (formerly Vaughan Road Academy) on Mondays and Thursdays from 6pm until 8pm from drop-in youth basketball and soccer. The program runs until Mat 30th and is a great way to get active and involved!
Glebe Road United Church
It was a great pleasure to meet with the Glebe Road United Church this month to discuss working together as partners to provide much-needed social services and recreation opportunities to our Midtown community, with a focus on local residents’ quality of life. More to come!
Sunday, April 28, 2019 is your next chance to share any unwanted, reusable items.
Simply leave them on your property next to the sidewalk or curb for your neighbours to take for free. Then, get in on the action. That thing your neighbour no longer wants could be exactly what you need!
Participating is easy:
- Leave your reusable items on your property next to the sidewalk or curb on Sunday, April 28, 2019. Please, no hazardous, illegal or non-reusable items.
- Leave a "free" sign beside the items you are giving away.
- Join in the fun by hunting for treasure in your neighbourhood. Share your Secondhand Sunday "before and after" photos online by tagging #SecondHandSundayTO or emailing [email protected].
- At 5 p.m., take back any remaining items or drop them off at a second-hand shop or charity. Search toronto.ca/reuseit for locations near you.
Important reminders:
- Always keep sidewalks and fire hydrants clear and obey the local traffic laws at all times.
- Visit to fill out a survey about your experience so we can make the next one even better.
Secondhand Sunday is an event supported by the City of Toronto. For more information visit
www.secondhandsunday.ca
Jane's Walk 2019
The 2019 Jane's Walk Festival occurs May 3-5th. Named in honour of writer and urban activist Jane Jacobs, Jane's Walks are a community-based approach to city building that uses citizen led tours of neighbourhoods across the city to make space for people to observe, reflect, share, question and re-imagine the places in which they live.
The weekend will feature dozens of walks around the city, including several in Ward 12 Toronto St-Paul's. For detailed listings on the walks, please
click here.
Artscape Wychwood Barns 10th Anniversary
Join me on May 4th at the Artscape Wychwood Barns as we celebrate their ten year anniversary! Come by from 11:30 am until 1:00 pm to celebrate a decade of creativity and community. I hope to see you there!
St. Alphonsus Catholic School 50th Anniversary
On May 4th, St Alphonsus Catholic School will be celebrating its 50 year anniversary! Join me between 1:00pm and 5:00 pm at 50 Atlas Avenue to celebrate 50 years of trust, friendship, and love. For more information, please click here. See you then!
Summit on the Environment and Climate Change
Please join me on May 5th for a Toronto St. Paul's Summit on the Environment and Climate Change. Representatives from all levels of government will be present for a panel discussion about how we can all make a difference in the fight against climate change.
The event will take place from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at 230 St. Clair Ave W. I look forward to having this important discussion with you!
Toronto Council on Aging's Civic EngAGEment Series
The Toronto Council on Aging will host an event as part of their Civic EngAGEment series on May 7th from 6-8 PM at the Toronto Central YMCA (20 Grosvener St). The series is free to attend and aims to encourage civic engagement among older adults through learning about how different levels of government work to address the needs of older community members. This event will focus on municipal government, while the next two events explore federal government (August 13th, and provincial government (November 12th).
Registration is required to attend these events through Eventbrite: http://bit.do/TCA-civic-engage or by calling the Toronto Council on Aging at 416-630-7000.
Cedervale Marketplace Day
We had so much fun shopping, trying good food and tea, and enjoying conversations with community, at the annual Cedervale Community School Marketplace Day! Thank you to the parents for inviting us!
Inorganic Market - Drop off your electronic waste at Deer Park Library!
On May 11 from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., bring your e-waste to Deer Park library and keep hazardous electronic waste out of landfills! Bring your TVs, computers, phones, and other unused electronics for safe disposal. All the material collected at the event will be sent to a provincially certified processor based in Toronto for waste electronics.
Deer Park Library is located at 40 St. Clair Avenue East. For more information, visit inorganicmarket.ca or contact the branch at 416-393-7657.
Community Open House at St. Matthew's United Church
Head over to the Community Open House at St. Matthew's United Church (729 St. Clair Ave. W. At Rushton Road) on May 11th, from 1:30 to 4:30pm. Join the church to discover all the amazing activities that take place through the week in this community hub. Enjoy a Mother's Day Tea, Children's Activities from Fabric Fun Camp and Hippo Nursery School,a Yoga Class, Artists at work and much more!
Bicycle Safety Clinic
On Wednesday May 15th from 3:00pm-7:00pm, 13 Division, Community Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) and ZM Cycle Fitness are hosting a Bicycle Safety Clinic! Free tune-ups for kids 14 and under and CPLC Bike Lights will be distributed. If you're interested in a bicycle and helmet safety check come on by! For further details, please review this link here.
May 20th: International Bee Day
In March of 2016, City Council voted unanimously to make Toronto the first Bee City in Canada. A Bee City is a city committed to protecting pollinators, which can be done in part by planting biodiverse gardens that are absent from harmful pesticides. This May 20th is International Bee Day, so take a moment to Bee grateful for all the work bees do to improve the health of our planet.
Oriole Park/Chaplin Estates Garage Sales
On Saturday June 1, 2019 The Oriole Park Ratepayers Association will be holding our annual Garage Sale throughout Chaplin Estates from 8:00AM to 2:00PM. The Sale area is bounded by Eglinton Avenue West / Yonge Street and Chaplin Crescent (The Belt Line).
All are welcome to participate. If you wish to register to sell please email [email protected] by Wednesday May 15, 2019.
30th Annual Bike to Work Day Group Commute & Pancake Breakfast
Bike to Work Day is on Monday May 27. If you're a cyclist, one of the community start points is at our very own Wychwood Barns (Christie side)! The group will bike to Yonge and Charles to meet up with the larger group and bike to City Hall. Cyclists will be leaving Wychwood Barns at 7:15am sharp to meet the larger group at 7:30am. For further details, please review this link here.
Oriole Park/Chaplin Estates Community Traffic Safety Meeting – Monday May 27,2019
Please join your neighbours at a Community Meeting on local traffic safety to be held at Oriole Park Junior Public School, 80 Braemar Avenue at 6:30PM. The meeting will be held in the Gym – entrance off Elmsthorpe.
Over the past few years with the advent of the LRT construction along Eglinton Avenue West the Oriole Park / Chaplin Estates area has seen increased traffic flow which is affecting the safety of residents due to driver frustration and distraction.
Areas of discussion include the pilot 4 way stop at Tranmer and Oriole Parkway; the current state of the Oriole Parkway / College View intersection as well as general traffic concerns in the neighbourhood.
The Meeting is co-hosted by Councillor Josh Matlow and The Oriole Park Association. In attendance will be representatives from the City of Toronto Transportation Services as well as Toronto Police Services. All community members are welcome to attend this important neighbourhood meeting.
SAVE THE DATE: Councillor Josh Matlow’s Community Environment Days
On Thursday, June 6th from 4:00pm-8:00pm, I will be hosting my annual Community Environment Day in collaboration with Councillor Mike Colle in the parking lot of North Toronto Memorial Arena (174 Orchard View Blvd). In addition, on Sunday, June 23rd, from 10:00-2:00pm, I will be hosting my second Community Environment Day at Wychwood Barns. Please drop off any unwanted art supplies, books, toys, and used sports equipment. Facilities will be available to dispose of computers and other hazardous household waste, or even replace your damaged green bin.
The Stop’s Farmers’ Market at Artscape Wychwood Barns
Come out and visit the Stop’s Farmers’ Market at Wychwood Barns (601 Christie St.) every Saturday, year round, from 8:00am to 12:30pm to enjoy local, sustainable and organic products and great music! The Stop’s Market Café is also open during the same hours as the Farmers’ Market and serves delicious breakfasts, soups, sandwiches, and desserts prepared by Stop chefs using ingredients sourced from the market. Check it out in The Stop’s Green Barn (Barn 4) every Saturday. I look forward to seeing you then!
The City of Toronto Community Stewardship Program
The City of Toronto Community Stewardship Program has a site in the Nordheimer. The program beganon April 29th but anyone can join during the season and then attend regularly. The team meets at Roycroft Park at 150 Boulton Drive, Tuesdays at 6 p.m. and work together until 8 p.m. They work on a city agreed on plan to assist the naturalization of the site by clearing invasive plants, doing plantings, and monitoring vegetation. Free workshops with experts are offered. Volunteers are assisted on site each week by experienced volunteers and staff work with them, often every other week. For more information, please click here.
European Gypsy Moth Control Program
The City of Toronto is in the final stages of implementing the communications plan for the 2019 European Gypsy Moth Control Program. In order to ensure residents are properly informed about the operation, the City has implemented the following methods in which residents can obtain information regarding the program and keep up to date as the program gets underway:
- Visit the City of Toronto website
The City of Toronto
website is live and contains all the relevant information on the European Gypsy Moth Control Program. The website contains a 15 minute video presentation that provides detailed information about the control program and the various control methods that will be implemented, including the aerial/helicopter spray. An
interactive map provides the treatments locations. The application allows users to determine whether a property is located within a spray zone by entering the address in the search bar.
The 3-1-1 staff are available to take calls from the public.
- Subscribe to email notification service
Residents can subscribe to the
Gypsy Moth Aerial Spray E-Updates email subscription service to receive the latest updates regarding the European Gypsy Moth Control Program. Specific spray dates, postponements, cancellations as well as when the spraying operations have been completed a given spray block will be posted through this notification service.
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
The City's social media channels (Facebook and Twitter), will also have updated information posted.
- Look for the Public Notification of Pesticide Use letter
As required by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, each resident located within or adjacent to a spray block will be receiving an information package regarding the European Gypsy Moth Control Program. The Public Notification of Pesticide Use letter will be delivered in the coming weeks via Canada Post.
- Attend an Open House Information Session in your area
Residents are invited to attend Open House information sessions. The City of Toronto staff will be hosting 6 sessions in the areas planned for aerial treatment.Staff will be presenting information regarding the European Gypsy Moth Control Program and will address attendee's questions or concerns. The nearest information session will be held in the gymnasium at the Bob Abate Community Centre (485 Montrose Ave) on Wednesday May 8
th at 6 P.M. An additional session will also be held at Rosedale United Church (159 Roxborough Dr) on Wednesday April 30
th at 6 P.M.
Retail Main Streets Study:
The City of Toronto has launched a study on the current state of Toronto's retail main streets and are inviting the Toronto business community and residents to share their views on the issues and challenges facing independent street-level businesses in the city. This will give the City a deeper insight into future potential policies and programs that will best support these businesses.
The first phase of the study consists of an online Resident Survey and Business Survey to understand both resident shopping habits and the challenges facing main street businesses.
Resident Survey - https://chkmkt.com/retailmainstreetsRESIDENTS
Business Survey - https://chkmkt.com/retailmainstreetsBUSINESS
The survey links will be live from April 4th to May 20th.
The results of the study will be presented to the Economic and Community Development Committee in early 2020.
Have your say: HousingTO 2020-2030 Action Plan
The City of Toronto of Toronto is developing a new long-term strategic plan to address housing issues in the city for the next decade. Opportunities to share your ideas and feedback about improving housing will be provided at four different consultation meetings across the City. All meetings take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Downtown - Tuesday, April 20th
Metro Hall, 55 John Street, 3rd Floor, Room 308
North York Civic Centre, – Wednesday, May 1st
5100 Yonge St., Council Chambers
Scarborough Civic Centre – Wednesday, April 10th
50 Borough Drive, Council Chambers
Etobicoke Civic Centre – Thursday, April 18th
399 The West Mall, Council Chambers
**All locations are wheelchair accessible
If you have any questions or comments prior to the meeting times, please contact [email protected] or visit the City Webpage here
The City of Toronto invites applications for PollinateTO Community Grants
Applications open today for the City’s new PollinateTO Community Grants. Through the grants, the City will provide up to $5,000 to support community-led initiatives that result in the creation or expansion of pollinator habitat on public and private lands in Toronto.
The grants are a component of Toronto’s Pollinator Protection Strategy, adopted by City Council in 2018 to support the more than 360 species of bees and more than 100 species of butterflies and other pollinators found in Toronto. Many species are in decline due to habitat loss, climate change and other stressors.
Projects eligible for funding include those that create new pollinator habitat in green spaces, such as schoolyards and parks, and those that expand existing gardens with pollinator-friendly plants. Projects to create multiple front-yard gardens on a residential street are also eligible for funding. Projects must be visible to the public and educate and/or engage the community in some way.
Community groups, not-for-profit organizations, student groups, parent councils and other resident-led groups are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is May 1.
More information about the PollinateTO Community Grants and the City’s Pollinator Protection Strategy is available at https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/water-environment/environmental-grants-incentives-2/pollinateto-community-grants/.
