Dear Friends,
Vaccination rates are heating up in Scarborough and across the country! First dose and second dose vaccine rates in most Scarborough-Guildwood neighbourhoods have surpassed the national average.
Per capita, Canada is ranked first in the G7 and G20 on the administration of first doses, and we are administering doses faster than any other G7 countries. As of July 12, over 42.6M vaccine doses have been administered across Canada and as of July 8, over 54.5M vaccine doses have been delivered to the provinces and territories.
Congratulations to the Scarborough Health Network and partners for your work in getting Scarborough vaccinated, and for hitting a milestone of just under 1500 doses administered a day at your Centennial College Clinic!
As a result of our high vaccination rates, the provincial government has decided to enter Step 3 of its reopening plan ahead of schedule.
Thank you to all who have received their vaccine and helping finish the fight against COVID-19. I encourage all Scarborough residents to get vaccinated as soon as they have the opportunity.
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Highlights from this issue:
- Save the Date: Food Bank Drive
- Virtual Seniors Discussion
- One-Time Payment for Seniors
- What We Give
- Entering Step 3 of Ontario's Reopening Plan
- COVID-19 Updates
- Vaccine Update
- *New* Pop-Ups
- Vaccine Support
- Pop-Up Testing
- New Investments in Arts, Culture, and Sports
- Community Events and Resources
- Guild Festival Theatre Summer Shows
- What If Scholarship
- Free Outdoor Recreation Programs
- Black Girls Film Camp
- Volunteer with SCHC
- Employment Programs for Newcomers
- Who's Hiring in Scarborough
- Food Access List
- Travel Measures
- Immigration Information
- New on the Hill
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Save the Date: Food Bank Drive
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I am pleased to announced that I will be hosting a Food Bank Drive in partnership with Daily Bread on July 31. Please stay tuned for a special announcement in the coming weeks with further details for Scarborough-Guildwood residents!
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Virtual Seniors Discussion
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Last Saturday, I was pleased to hear how funding recipients of the New Horizons for Seniors Program in Scarborough have found new and innovative ways to care for our seniors during this difficult time. Many thanks to those who participated and for your thoughtful insights about how I can better serve some of the most vulnerable and important members of our community.
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One Time Payment for Seniors
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The Government of Canada will be delivering a $500 one-time payment to older seniors, announced in Budget 2021, during the week of August 16, 2021. This summer’s one-time payment of $500 will support older seniors’ higher expenses, and will apply to 3.3 million seniors who are eligible for the OAS pension in June 2021 and were born on or before June 30, 1947.
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What We Give and Why We Give
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As you know, my podcast is a reflection of Winston Churchill's quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” In this episode, I hear from volunteers in Scarborough about why they give back to our community at my Annual Volunteer Appreciation Ceremony. I greatly appreciated their wisdom and even jotted down some of their thoughtful insights.
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Entering Stage 3 of Ontario Reopening Plan
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The provincial government has decided to move into Step 3 of its reopening plan on Friday, July 16 at 12:01 a.m.
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I recently received my second dose at Centennial College. Thanks to Scarborough Health Network doctors, nurses, & staff for your hard work in getting Scarborough vaccinated. Super efficient.
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Everyone 12 years of age and over in Ontario is currently eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
To find out when you are eligible to book your second dose appointment, click here.
There are several ways to book eligible individuals can book their first and second dose vaccines in Scarborough-Guildwood.
- Book with the Ontario-wide portal
To book, visit https://covid-19.ontario.ca/book-vaccine/ or call 1‑833‑943‑3900.
2. Book with a local pharmacy
- First Dose:
- 12 years old and older for Pfizer ;
- 18 years or older for the Moderna;
- The Shoppers Drug Mart at 255 Morningside Avenue and 1235 McCowan Rd offer vaccine appointments 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For a full list of participating pharmacies, click here.
- Second Dose:
- AstraZeneca (second dose only)
- Moderna (age 18 or older on the day of your appointment)
- Pfizer (age 12 or older on the day of your appointment)
Call to book with your local pharmacy here.
3. Book with Scarborough Health Network
- First dose:
- 12 years and older who live, work, or go to school in an M1 postal code. First dose clients will be given priority access at pop-up clinics.
- For those who do not live or work in Scarborough but identify as one of the following groups: Black, Indigenous, Francophone, Other racialized minorities (i.e.Arab, Middle Eastern or West Asian; East Asian; Latin American; South Asian or Indo-Caribbean; etc.) at TAIBU Community Health Centre clinic.
- Second dose:
- 12 years and older who live, work, or attend school in any M1 postal code can now book their appointment through www.ScarbVaccine.ca
- Please also regularly check their list of pop-ups for details on eligibility, locations and times.
To book, visit scarbvaccine.ca or call 416-495-2593 |
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SHN Pop-Up Vaccine Clinics
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There are many opportunities to get vaccinated this week at a Scarborough Health Network pop-up vaccination clinic. For more information, visit www.ScarbVaccine.ca
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In-Home Vaccination:
- Anyone ages 18 years or older who lives in Toronto and cannot physically leave their home to receive the vaccine are eligible for in-home vaccination. Please contact your care provider to learn whether they are able to offer in-home vaccination.
- If you are a homebound person who does not have a care provider, the Toronto Seniors Helpline is available to support homebound people who are 18-65 years old, as well as seniors. Please call 416-217-2077 or visit https://torontoseniorshelpline.ca/web-chat/.
Appointment Assistance
Transportation
- If you need transportation to your vaccine appointment and are a Scarborough-based senior, adult with a disability, or adult who is immuno-compromised, you can request free transportation through SCHC's Scarborough Ride. Call 416-736-9372 or visit their website.
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There are several ways to get tested for COVID-19 in Scarborough-Guildwood. To find a COVID-19 assessment centre, click here.
Businesses and not-for-profits in Scarborough-Guilwood can apply here to receive free rapid tests from the federal government. |
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Supporting Canada's Arts,
Culture, and Sports Sectors
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The Government of Canada announced $1.9 billion in funding for our arts, culture, heritage, and sports sectors. Funding includes the Recovery Fund for Arts, Culture, Heritage and Sport Sectors, Reopening Fund, and Major Festivals and Events Support Initiative.
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Guild Festival Theatre
Summer Season
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Guild Festival Theatre is returning to the Guild Park and Gardens for its 10th year of summer programming! GFT will present two mainstage productions and two special events and offer select programming streamed online.
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New Scholarship
for Young Women
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Empathic Counselling Centre is giving one fortunate young woman the opportunity to ask their "what if" question and take a step towards their dream career choice. Applications for this $3000 scholarship open on July 21, 2021 and will close on September 30, 2021.
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Free Outdoor Recreation Programs for Youth
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The City of Toronto is hosting exciting outdoor programs at parks across the city for anyone aged 4 – 29. In our community, activities will be hosted at Confederation Park, Morningside Park, Glamorgan Park, and Botany Hill Park.
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Black Women Film and Scarborough Arts are teaming up to host a free outdoor film camp for young Black women interested in learning about the filmmaking experience. Space is limited.
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Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities is looking for volunteers for their Palliative care program to support people with life-limiting illnesses in Scarborough. Contact Susan at 647-525-1016 for more information.
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Employment Programs for Newcomers
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PTP Adult Learning and Employment Programs is offering two specialized training programs for permanent residents, convention refugees and protected persons. Business Writing introduces participants to professional emails, memos and other correspondence, and Retail Sales will teach participants what they need to know to work in retail in Canada. Click on the links above to learn more about each program.
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Who's Hiring in Scarborough
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The East Scarborough Storefront has compiled this week's list of all the available jobs in Scarborough.
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The East Scarborough Storefront has compiled a list of food banks and food relief programs in our community.
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As of July 1, travel volumes have decreased by 95% and only 0.8% of all travellers have tested positive for COVID-19 since the implementation of these measures.
As of July 5, fully vaccinated travellers who are eligible to enter Canada and who comply with the specific eligibility criteria will not be required to quarantine, stay at a government-authorized accommodation or complete a day-8 test. This is applicable for both land and air travellers.
Travellers must enter their information into the most recent update of the ArriveCAN app in order to enter Canada.
Those who are not fully-vaccinated must continue to follow current travel restrictions including:
- 3-night hotel stopover (for air travel)
- 14-day quarantine
- Pre-arrival, day-1 and day-8 testing
- Submission of information to ArriveCAN before entering Canada
Non-essential travel to Canada continues to be prohibited and Canadians are reminded that now is not the time to travel.
For updates on new travel measures and a list of exemptions, consult the Travel restrictions, exemptions, and advice page.
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| Check out the following immigration related resources:
Need further resources? My office is happy to assist you with immigration matters by phone at 416-283-1226 or by email at [email protected]. |
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For over a year, public tours of West Block on Parliament Hill have been suspended due to COVID-19. I invite you to watch this short video, which offers a glimpse of where parliamentarians have continued to serve despite the challenges of the pandemic.
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Indigenous Female Leaders Making Canadian History
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Congratulations to the newly elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, RoseAnne Archibald, who is the first female to hold this role. I would also like to congratulate Mary Simon on her recent appointment as the first Governor-General of indigenous and Inuk descent. She has made a large contribution to arctic diplomacy, to Inuit representation and to the relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canadian society.
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Read my most recent interviews here:
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My office looks forward to connect with you about all federal matters by phone at 416-283-1226 or by email at [email protected]. We will return all calls and emails.
If this is the first update you have seen, and you would like to be included on all future communications, please click here.
Sincerely,
Hon. John McKay, P.C.,
Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Guildwood |
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