Dear neighbours,  

It’s August! I hope many of you were able to enjoy the long weekend. It is good to see our communities opening up, but it is also a time of significant anxiety -- I know – for many. 

I also want to share my condolences and concern on behalf of our community as we learn more about the devastating impact of yesterday's explosion in Beirut. For anyone with family and friends in Lebanon, I know this is an extremely difficult time, and we share in your grief and shock. 

Over the last week, we learned more about the Ford government’s plan for the return to school for Ontario’s 2 million students. As Education Critic for the Official Opposition NDP, I have been working for months with school boards, education workers, experts, parents and students to propose effective and safe solutions to ensure our students have a safe return to school.  

Sadly, Premier Ford and Education Minister Lecce failed to listen. Today we are faced with a ‘bargain-basement’ plan that sends K-8 students and staff back to the same crowded classrooms they were in a year ago, with few additional supports  -- no more staff, no extra space, no needed modifications to buildings.  Meanwhile, in Toronto and some other regions – high school students will continue to have some of their classes online and some in person but in smaller classes.  

We’re calling on Ford to scrap this scheme, and bring in a plan that delivers smaller, safer classrooms for all students.  

I want to recognize the incredible work of Kelly Iggers, a Davenport parent, who started an online petition for a safer reopening that is now exceeding 150,000 signatures. And I also want to applaud the Davenport parents who formed Ontario Parent Action Network, coordinating protests last week across the province to urge MPPs to ensure a #SafeSeptember for our students and staff. Our community continues to stand up strong for publicly funded education, equity and the rights of workers in COVID19! 

As always, we have lots of new information and updates for you below. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need any assistance. 

Sincerely, 

Marit Stiles, MPP
Davenport
416-535-3158 // MStiles-CO@ndp.on.ca

Updates from our local school boards

A ‘perfect storm’ that puts tenants at risk 

With the end of the state of emergency on July 24, tenants are no longer protected from eviction orders, even as many in our community struggle to get back on their feet and back into a regular paycheque. Earlier this month, Ford rammed through Bill 184, legislation that makes it easier for landlords to evict tenants. The new law allows landlords to bully tenants into bad payment plans, and then evict people without a hearing for falling behind on that plan – even if the tenant is short on rent because of the pandemic. It’s created a perfect storm for tenants, and we are seeing the impacts right here in Davenport, with people forced on to the streets, into crowded shelters or into tents wherever they can find space.  

The NDP is urging Ford to extend the ban on evictions immediately and, ultimately, to repeal the easy-evictions law. It’s the eleventh-hour for people who have already been hit hard by the pandemic. 

I have compiled a list of resources on my website that may be of assistance to you if you are a tenant currently dealing with a threat of eviction, or other tenancy-related issues. I hope that you find this list helpful, but if you are looking for more assistance and would like to speak to someone from my office, please feel free to call (416-535-3158) or email (Mstiles-CO@ndp.on.ca) anytime. 

Supporting Local Businesses 

Our local small businesses have faced incredible challenges during this pandemic.  

Tre Mari Bakery, an institution in Davenport's Corso Italia neighbourhood for 60 years, had to completely shift their way of doing business in the wake of COVID-19. Operating online and running a delivery program, they were able to keep going and even bring housebound families some brand new traditions. Now that we're opening up into Phase 3, I dropped in to show my support and thank them for all their work. And to enjoy some incredible sfogliatelle! Grazie Tre Mari! 

Learn more about their story in this great Blog TO feature and stop by yourself  at 1311 St Clair West.

Do you own or operate a small business in Davenport? 

Register to speak to Ontario’s Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs about how COVID-19 has impacted your business and tell them what you need to keep going. 
Applications are open until Friday at 5 pm: Apply Here: 
https://www.ola.org/en/apply-committees

Resilient Communities Funding - Deadline Sept. 2 

The Ontario government has redirected some previously announced funding at the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) into a new $83 million fund to provide one-time grants to help eligible non-profit organizations, including food banks, child and youth programs and Royal Canadian Legion branches, to help them recover from COVID-19. 

According to the OTF, the funding is for “community-based projects and activities that will support rebuilding the capacity of eligible non-profit organizations that have been impacted by COVID-19.”  I know this funding is not near enough given the incredible pressures facing our non-profits at this time, but if your organization can benefit, there is information below:

Request amount: From $5,000 to $150,000  
Grant term: up to 1 year 
Application Deadlines*: September 2, 2020 at 5 pm ET. and December 2, 2020 at 5 pm ET. 

Learn more and apply here.

New COVID-Alert App Available 

The Canada-wide COVID-19 contact tracing app, which launched August 3, has been downloaded 1.3 million times so far, or by about 3.42 per cent of the country’s population the Toronto Star reports. The COVID Alert app is only active in Ontario right now, but the app is available for download across the country. It uses your phone’s bluetooth technology to alert you that you may have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID.  

Learn more about the app here. 

I spoke with press about my own parents’ experience trying to download the app, and equity issues around the fact that it only works on newer phones.

Davenport Diamond: Track resurfacing begins this weekend