211 is your community connection. It is the number to call for information about human services – health, social and community services. 211 connects you with an information specialist who can provide information and referrals 24 hours a day. For example, you can call 211 if you are a newcomer to Canada and are looking for employment training or you are concerned about a family member with an addiction and need information about available programs. You can call 211 if you’ve lost your wallet and don’t know where to replace your identification or you’re looking for marriage counselling or even need to know where the nearest after-hours medical clinic is located. You can also visit the 211 Toronto website.
311 is a simple, three-digit phone number that you can use to get information about City of Toronto services or programs, or to make a request for service. Residents, visitors and businesses no longer have to try to find the right division or individual at the City to get information or help. Callers can get information about everything from Toronto Public Library hours of operation, to reporting a missed garbage pick-up, to finding out where the closest flu clinic is located.
Customer service representatives are available to answer your questions or fill a service request 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and you can also email 311@toronto.ca or visit toronto.ca/311 for assistance.
Accessibility barriers impact everyone from seniors and people with disabilities to families with young children using strollers. I am committed to working closely with residents to address accessibility issues within Ward 22 and the City of Toronto as a whole.
I believe that greater awareness of accessibility barriers is a great first step towards improving quality of life for people with disabilities and their families. It is important that landlords, tenants, and business owners are aware of the issues and legislation surrounding disability accommodation.
The following websites and contact information will be helpful to residents seeking more information about accessibility and the rights of people with disabilities. Most accessibility legislation is provincial, but the City of Toronto can assist residents with accessible transit and other services. Please feel free to contact my office for assistance with municipal accessibility issues.
To inquire about City of Toronto bylaws relating to accessibility, call 311 or email 311@toronto.ca.
City of Toronto – Office of Equity, Diversity and Human Rights:
http://www.toronto.ca/diversity/index.htm
416-392-8592
TTY: 416-338-0889
Multilingual Services, call: 311
Centre for Independent Living in Toronto:
Phone: (416) 599-2458
Direct Funding Hotline: 1-800-354-9950
Fax: (416) 599-3555
TTY: (416) 599-5077
Email: cilt@cilt.ca
Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations: (416) 921-9494
http://www.torontotenants.org/
Ministry of Community and Social Services – Accessibility Directorate of Ontario:
http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/accessibility/index.aspx
General Inquiry: 416-326-0207
TTY: 416-326-0148
Toll Free: 888-520-5828
TTY Toll Free: 800-335-6611
Fax: 416-325-9620
Human Rights in Housing: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/human-rights-housing-overview-landlords
Toronto Transit Commission – Accessibility: http://ttc.ca/TTC_Accessibility/index.jsp
680 News: Scarborough subway extension to proceed despite ballooning costs
July 13, 2016
680 News
The controversial one-stop extension of Line 2 will go ahead as planned after council voted 28-15 against reviving plans for a seven-stop light-rail transit (LRT) line in the east end on Wednesday.
The issue was being discussed as part of a broader transit plan for Toronto. However, the subway versus LRT debate dominated the council meeting.
Toronto Star: Council backs Mayor John Tory’s request for 2017 budget cuts
Council critics say across-the-board reductions pushed by Tory will mean cuts to service for TTC riders and public housing tenants.
July 12, 2016
Jennifer Pagliaro
The Toronto Star
Former Toronto mayor Barbara Hall shares a laugh with current Mayor John Tory at a gathering of pre-amalgamation mayors at City Hall on Tuesday. Tory won a small victory later in the day with council's approval of his budgetary restriction proposals. (Richard Lautens / Toronto Star)
Council has backed a push from Mayor John Tory for all city departments and agencies to find 2.6 per cent worth of reductions in next year’s budget as the city faces a shortage of new revenue.
In a 32-10 vote, council also passed a resolution saying the 2017 budget should be based on a property tax increase at or below at inflation — a key promise from Tory’s mayoral campaign.
But critics on council warned those budget directions will lead to service cuts that will hurt transit users, Toronto Community Housing tenants and other vulnerable citizens.
Toronto Star: UPX airport train subsidized $52 per ride last year
The provincial government subsidized passengers on the troubled Union Pearson Express last year at a rate of $52.26 per ride.
June 30, 2016
Ben Spurr
The Toronto Star
Passengers enter a UPX train at Union Station. (Andrew Francis Wallace / Toronto Star)
The provincial government subsidized passengers on the troubled Union Pearson Express last year at a rate of $52.26 per ride.
The astounding sum, which far exceeds the subsidy received by other Toronto-area public transit projects, was revealed in an annual report that came before the Metrolinx board Tuesday.
The regional transit agency, which has faced fierce criticism over the $456-million air rail link, did not explicitly publish the per-ride subsidy. But calculations based on ridership numbers and operating expenditures that the agency did make public reveal the extent to which the UPX’s costs exceeded its revenues in its first 10 months of operation.
“It demonstrates a complete lack of competent planning,” said Councillor Josh Matlow (Ward 22, St. Paul’s), who in 2014 brought a motion to council asking Metrolinx to set the UPX fare at an “affordable” rate.
Toronto Star: $1 billion funding gap for Scarborough transit a question of ‘priorities’
Chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat says city council now needs to make the tough decisions on an "optimized" plan.
June 21, 2016
Jennifer Pagliaro
The Toronto Star
Jennifer Keesmaat is Toronto's chief planner. (Steve Russell / Toronto Star)
The city’s chief planner says the question over how to build transit in Scarborough is one of “priorities” — a dilemma now facing council.
A report released Tuesday on a future transit network for the city recommends moving ahead with plans for both a one-stop subway extension and an LRT along Eglinton Ave., despite updated cost estimates showing the subway alone would eat up nearly all of the available funding.
“The question is one of competing priorities, and that really is a decision for city council to make,” Jennifer Keesmaat told reporters Tuesday night.
Toronto Star: One-stop subway plan needs ‘rethink’ with 25 LRT stops possible, critics say
SmartTrack plan loses Scarborough stop as council prepares to debate what a future transit network will cost the city
June 20, 2016
Jennifer Pagliaro
The Toronto Star
While the future of transit in Scarborough remains an open question, the Scarborough RT continues its regular runs. (Carlos Osorio / Toronto Star)
A revised transit plan for Scarborough risks giving residents just one new rapid transit stop when 25 stops could be built at roughly the same cost, critics say.
Now that the estimate for a one-stop subway extension has ballooned to $2.9 billion, experts in city building and council critics say bad politics are trumping good planning. Two proposed LRT lines once championed by the city’s chief planner, Jennifer Keesmaat, could be built to create a network of 25 stops serving tens of thousands more people at the same cost.
The Star has also learned that Mayor John Tory’s signature SmartTrack plan has shed a station in Scarborough. Part of Tory’s pitch for 13 new local stations along existing GO Tracks — tied to the province’s plans to expand service — was that stations in Scarborough would serve residents looking to get downtown. But just five new “SmartTrack” stops have made the cut, reduced from an earlier seven-stop option. At least one Scarborough stop at Ellesmere Rd. will no longer be recommended. A station at Lawrence Ave. is part of the plan.
That’s the reality council now faces as city staff prepares to unveil recommendations for a future transit network on Tuesday. That debate, including what to build in Scarborough and at what cost, will begin anew at executive committee next week.
CTV News: Estimated cost of Scarborough subway extension rises by nearly $1B
June 17, 2016
Chris Fox
CTV News
The Scarborough subway extension will cost $900 million more than initially thought, Mayor John Tory has confirmed.
The cost of the one-stop extension of Line 2 from Kennedy Station to Scarborough Town Centre was initially pegged at $2 billion, however on Friday the mayor told reporters that further analysis by city staff has revealed the price tag to be $2.9 billion.
The increase in budget, Tory said, is due to engineering and planning work that has recently been conducted.
Previously the city had based its estimate on a ballpark figure for a three-stop subway extension that was scrapped back in January.
The City has introduced a new parking ticket dispute process for parking meter and/or pay-and-display machine offences. It’s now easier to dispute your parking ticket if you have a valid receipt. Click here for more information.
The Toronto Meeting Management Information System (TMMIS) is your online window into the activities of City Council and its committees. Here, you can get up-to-date information including meeting schedules, agendas, minutes, and reports.
You can watch each Council meeting live online with Rogers TV.
- If you are a homebound person receiving care through a Primary Care Provider, Family Health Team, Home or Community Care or Community Support Services or Agencies, please contact your provider to learn whether they are able to offer in-home vaccination. Many teams are beginning to organize or being supported to offer in-home vaccination and will begin to reach out to their patients and/or clients in the coming weeks. If your provider is not able to offer at-home vaccination, they will place your name onto a list for at-home vaccination.
- If you are a homebound person who does not have a Primary Care Provider, Family Health Team, Home or Community Care or Community Support Services, please contact the Toronto Seniors Helpline. The Toronto Seniors Helpline will be available to support homebound people who are 18-65 years old, as well as seniors. They can be contacted at 416-217-2077 or by web chat following instruction at https://torontoseniorshelpline.ca/web-chat/
Each member of Council is deemed to be a commissioner for taking affidavits. The associated duties and powers are set out in the Commissioners for Taking Affidavits Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.17. Section 2(3) of the Act gives members of Council, by virtue of office, the authority to take affidavits on any matter within the geographic limits of the City of Toronto. A commissioner for taking affidavits is not a notary public or guarantor.
The following are examples of the types of requests that are typically presented to members of Council and which they may sign if they wish:
Adult or child change of name application (Change of Name Act) Insurance documents affidavits:
- Motor vehicle transfer
- Lost cheque or savings bond affidavits
- Affidavit of service
- Affidavit on land transfer tax form
- Affidavit of Responsibility (sponsoring family visiting Canada)
- Passport – Statutory Declaration in lieu of guarantor
- Permanent Residency Card
Please contact our office by phone at 416-392-7906 or email councillor_matlow@toronto.ca if you are is need of this service.
To rapidly expand screening and ease pressures on hospital emergency departments, a number of dedicated COVID-19 testing centres have been established across Toronto. Please click here to learn more about who should visit these centres and where they are located.
To review the daily status of cases in Toronto from Toronto Public Health, please click here. Kindly note that the data shown here may differ from other sources, as data are extracted at different times.
If you want to make your views known about a matter being considered by a committee of Council you can submit comments or request to speak. Your comments will become a part of the public record on that matter and will be made available for everyone to see.
Emergency Services
Call If You’re Having Difficulty Breathing or Experiencing Other Severe Symptoms
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 911
Telehealth Ontario
Call If You Develop Symptoms
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 1-866-797-0000
Toronto Public Health Hotline
8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Telephone: 416-338-7600
TTY: 416-392-0658
Email: PublicHealth@toronto.ca
311 Toronto
Outside City limits: 416-392-2489
Call if You Have Questions About City Services.
Telephone: 311
TTY: 416-338-0889
Email: 311@toronto.ca
211 Toronto
Helpline and Online Database of Ontario’s Community and Social Services
Telephone: 211
TTY:1-888-340-1001
Text: 21166
Email: 211@toronto.ca
Toronto Seniors Helpline
Interpretation Services Available
Mon-Fri: 9:00am-8:00pm
Sat-Sun-Statutory Holidays-9:00am-6:00pm
Telephone: 416-217-2077
Long Distance: 1-877-621-2077
Gerstein Crisis Centre
Adults 16+ Experiencing Mental Health & Substance Abuse
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 416-929-5200
Distress Centre of GTA
Anyone in Distress or Need of Emotional Support
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 416-408-4357
Text: 45645
Connex Ontario
Addiction, Mental Health & Problem Gambling
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 1-866-531-2600
https://www.connexontario.ca/
Kids Help Phone
Free & Confidential Counselling for Youth
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone:1-800-668-6868
Toronto Emergency Central Intake for Shelters
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 416-338-4766
Email: cfi@toronto.ca
https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/housing-shelter/
Grocery Gateway
Order Groceries Online from Longos
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 1-877-447-8778
https://www.grocerygateway.com/store/groceryGateway/en/
Instacart
Order Groceries Online
24 hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 1-888-246-7822
https://www.instacart.com/
Inabuggy
Order Groceries Online
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 1-844-41-BUGGY (28449)
Email: support@inabuggy.com
https://www.inabuggy.com/
COVID-19 Youth Mental Health Resource Hub
Before the pandemic, we were advocating together for programs to help our youth. Now, during the COVID-19 crisis, we want our community’s youth to get through this physically, and mentally, well. Here’s a helpful COVID-19 Youth Mental Health Resource Hub that youth can access virtually.
Unison Health Telephone Counselling and Support
For the safety of community members and our clients and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Unison Health is now offering the following services over the phone:
mental health counselling: Call Amanda Costa, Mental Health OutreachWorker at 416-645-7575 ext. 2050 or send an email to amanda.costa@unisonhcs.org
help to apply for income benefits, such as CERB: Call 416-787-1661 ext. 3240, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm Leave a voice mail message with your name and phone number.
help to get food: Call 416-787-1661 ext. 3341, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm Leave a voice mail message with your name and phone number.
If you are worried, sad, or scared, you are not alone. Unison’s counsellors are here to help you. Connect with Unison by using one of the phone numbers listed above. Someone will return your call as soon as possible. Note: staff are working from home and your call may be returned from a blocked number.
The City of Toronto has created a Family Wellbeing Plan which helps to support those that may be experiencing domestic violence and/or child abuse during this time. The best resource for services and supports is the City of Toronto Webpage, which can be found here: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care/health-programs-advice/violence-at-home/.
On this page you will be able to find a few things:
- Agencies that are available 24/7 (and virtually) that can support those experiencing intimate partner violence or child abuse. It lists all of their contact information as well as links to their respective organization’s website
- Links to resources around legal support, housing, shelter, mental health, and financial support for those that are leaving their abusive situation
- Information and strategies for how to identify if intimate partner violence is taking place, safety tips, and ways you can support if you know someone that is experiencing abuse.
Please note that options in other languages are available by clicking the “Translate” button at the bottom of the page.
