April 30 - Updates

Dear Friends and Neighbours,

Work on the Mount Dennis Planning Study has been moving forward throughout the current state of emergency. City staff have been meeting virtually with the project consultants and other staff to facilitate the work. The City continues to push forward on the work program, including exploring options for virtual community consultation. Please stay tuned for more updates on this Study, as well as any emerging details about possible online public consultations.

Westbound Eglinton Ave W will be reduced to one lane only between Blackthorne Ave and Gabian Way on Friday, May 1 from as early as 10AM until approximately 4PM.  Metrolinx crews at Caledonia Station will be pouring concrete to form a wall in the future station’s Main Entrance. Construction notice available here. 

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has an update that includes information related to COVID-19, community supports and resources, update on labour negotiations, and board meeting notes. Click here to view it. 

A review is underway by TDSB to develop a student accommodation plan for George Harvey CI and York Memorial CI. The review will also address under-utilization at George Harvey CI, identify the best location for the schools, and determine the long-term future of the York Memorial CI site. A survey is available to help facilitate greater community feedback, and comments will be included in the final report to the Board of Trustees. Updates on the student accommodation plan and access to the related survey (offered in multiple languages) are available here.

Today, Toronto City Council met virtually for the first time in its history. Click here to see the meeting’s agenda. Live stream of the meeting can be viewed here.

Sincerely,

Frances Nunziata 

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Advice for landlords and tenants

Tenants who are asked to self-isolate or who can’t work, may have difficulty affording their rent. All property owners are strongly urged to find ways to help tenants to stay in their homes. The City encourages landlords and tenants to proactively communicate about their situations and establish fair arrangements, including deferring their rent or other payment arrangements (such as allowing tenants to use their last month rent cheque to cover payment). The City has compiled a number of resources for renters including information on paying rent and changes to the eviction process.

COVID-19 DonateTO

The City's new COVID-19 DonateTO web page allows businesses and residents to make donations of products, services and funds in support of the City’s pandemic relief efforts. The web page contains information on the areas of greatest need and specifications for urgently needed items. The web page also guides donors through the submission process. If you’re looking to make a donation, please go to the COVID-19 DonateTO web page for further information and to submit your donations. Any questions may be sent to donate@toronto.ca. For more information on the launch of DonateTO, please read the April 15 news release.

COVID-19: Spread the Word Multi-lingual Information Sheets

An information sheet is now available in 11 languages on the City of Toronto website. The information sheet provides answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and explains why it’s important to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is available in the following languages: Cantonese, Farsi, French, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tamil and Urdu.

COVID-19 cases and enforcement initiatives

The City of Toronto continues to respond to COVID-19. Residents are reminded of the importance of reducing all contact with others as much as possible and staying home, except for essential outings to help stop the community spread of the deadly virus. As of this afternoon, there are 5,551 cases of COVID-19 in Toronto. Cases include 5,019 confirmed cases and 532 probable cases. There are 345 cases hospitalized, with 111 in intensive care units. We continue to see COVID-19 deaths; to date, 366 people in Toronto have died from COVID-19. Case status data can be found on the City’s reporting platform.

Enforcement of the City's physical distancing bylaw and the Province’sEmergency Management and Civil Protection Act orders is ongoing. Yesterday, the City received 314 complaints involving people using outdoor amenities or not practising physical distancing in parks. Bylaw and police officers issued four tickets – bringing the total number of tickets issued since April 3 to 582. Bylaw and police officers have spoken to more than 12,950 people in City parks about the closures and public health measures

The City received 180 complaints yesterday related to non-essential businesses remaining open. Since March 24, Municipal Licensing & Standards and Toronto Public Health have issued 93 tickets and 195 notices to non-essential businesses.

You can experience virtual cherry blossom bloom during closure of High Park

With the peak bloom period about to begin, the City of Toronto is closing High Park starting today, Thursday, April 30. During the park closure, residents will be able to enjoy the cherry blossom bloom virtually. Throughout the closure period, the City will provide a continuous livestream of the cherry tree grove in High Park, plus multiple live events and videos featuring virtual walk-throughs of the blossoming Sakura (cherry blossom) trees. BloomCam, the continuous live stream, is now live: toronto.ca/cherryblossoms

For the latest updates from the City of Toronto, please click here.

For the latest updates from the Federal Government, please click here. 

For the latest updates from the Province of Ontario, please click here.