Dear Neighbour,

There are some special moments in Parliament when all parties work together to get something important done. This week the Ban on Conversion Therapy became law after all parties in the House of Commons provided unanimous consent and the Senators quickly agreed as well.

One priority on which we need to work together is to fight climate change. I co-hosted a meeting with representatives from all parties to encourage our colleagues to find ways to reach across party lines for solutions. Following this meeting I participated in this Parliament’s first executive meeting of the All-Party Climate Caucus. Climate change shouldn’t be a partisan issue and I will continue to seek ways to make progress together in this fight.

Climate change will be at the centre of my work in Ottawa as I was asked by the Prime Minister to serve as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change. In the last Parliament I had served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. I will continue to champion issues for our creative industries while I take on this new role.

Our 2022 calendars will be arriving soon, please click here if you’d like one delivered. Thank you to everyone who made submissions!

Please read more below on:

• Omicron Variant
• NOW Magazine Readers’ Choice Award
• Don’t Mess with the Don Rally for the Valley
• Holiday Events
• Helping out over the holidays

Omicron Variant

Many people have reached out with questions about the Omicron variant which was declared as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization. We know that vaccines are still the best defense against COVID-19. As of December 13th, anyone born 1971 or earlier (aged 50+) will be eligible for a booster dose if they had their second vaccine at least 6 months ago.

If you or someone you know needs to get vaccinated, please book through Michael Garron Hospital. This link includes vaccine bookings for ages 5–12.

If you are planning travel, please check COVID-19: Travel, testing and borders - Travel.gc.ca for the latest Canadian travel requirements. Also, please check with your destination country for their requirements as they can change quite quickly.

NOW Magazine Readers' Choice Award

Thank you for choosing me to be the Runner up to Best MP in NOW Magazine’s Readers Choice award. There are so many amazing Toronto MPs and I congratulate my Beaches-East York neighbour, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith for winning the title. I am proud to be the voice for Toronto-Danforth in Ottawa and I will continue to represent you.

Don’t Mess with the Don Rally for the Valley

We need to treasure and protect our ravines. People in our community came together to clean up part of the ravine — organized by Don’t Mess with the Don — and participate in a rally to show our support for stronger protections for this important natural infrastructure. You can follow Don’t Mess with the Don on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/dontmesswiththedon) to get notifications of future events.

Left photo credit: Rosemary Waterson

Holiday Events

Here is a list of some of the holiday events happening in the community. Let me know if there are others. You may also be interested in the Holiday Gift Guide prepared by East End Arts. 

• Dec. 11th: Riverside Antler Breakfast. This breakfast fundraiser is 10-years young and supports the operations of Rivertowne Breakfast Program. For those who don’t know, local volunteer Joan King runs this breakfast program that provides a healthy breakfast for kids in Rivertowne before they go to school.
• Sat.–Sun., Dec. 11th–12th: Leslieville Flea. This popular holiday market is back at Jimmie Simpson with local vendors and handmade gifts.
• Sat.–Sun., Dec. 11th–12th: Christmas in Greektown. There will be caroling from 1-2pm and photos with Santa from 2–4pm at Alexander the Great Parkette.
• Dec 12th: Cram-A-Cruiser. A food drive in support of the YWCA hosted by Division 55 and Loblaws Leslie
• Sat.–Sun., Dec. 18th–19th: The Leslieville Christmas Pop-up Market. Featuring a hot chocolate bar, products from local vendors and a holiday dog costume competition, this market will be held at a historic building at 20 Wagstaff Dr.

Helping out over the Holidays

The Holidays are a great time to reach out to people to bring a little cheer. Veterans Canada and Eastview Neighbourhood Community Centre (see below) are organizing opportunities to share holiday cards with veterans and seniors over the holiday season.

The Toronto East Rotary is looking for items for their Out of the Cold program, please see below for items in need and how to donate.

Please let me know of any other local initiatives that I can highlight for community members.

All the best for safe holiday season,