An early guide to services

By Gleaner Staff

Staying local, living local, and shopping local is going to be the new normal in the coming weeks as the world hunkers down to battle the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19).   Read more

[Read more →]

Listen to public health officials, cancel play-dates, work from home

By Jessica Bell

We are in a new normal. The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting our country, our city, and our community. While our healthcare workers, public health staff, and others – including pharmacists, grocery store workers, and TTC staff – are working around the clock to keep us safe, we also need to do our part.   Read more

[Read more →]

Crusader lauded for her contributions

This article is the second in a series about local residents making a difference in our community. These unsung heroes were brought to The Gleaner’s attention by MPP Jessica Bell, who honoured them at her Annual Community Celebration, in December of 2019.  Read more

[Read more →]

Little Italy’s Nav Persaud makes the case for free meds

By Nicole Stoffman

This article is the first in a series about local residents making a difference in our community. These unsung heroes were brought to the Gleaner’s attention by MPP Jessica Bell, who honoured them at her Annual Community Celebration, in December of 2019.  Read more

[Read more →]

Australia is the canary, we must act now

By Jessica Bell

Australia is my original home, and it is experiencing a climate catastrophe. Armageddon fires are still burning up the country. Half a billion animals are dead. Towns have been destroyed. Billions are needed for rebuilding.  Read more

[Read more →]

Ford forgets “affordable” in his housing plans

By Jessica Bell

Leonard is 72, lives at 103 Avenue Rd., and is the latest victim of Toronto’s affordable housing crisis. Here’s Leonard’s problem: he lives on $1,600 a month from his pension, and $1,500 of that is spent on rent. He has $100 a month to spend on everything else. For food, Leonard has protein shakes and one small meal a day.   Read more

[Read more →]

MPP Bell hosts community appreciation celebration

By Nicole Stoffman  Read more

[Read more →]

Back at Queen’s Park, Ford resumes his agenda

By Jessica Bell

After ordering the longest break in almost 25 years, Doug Ford finally let Queen’s Park get back to business last month. While the government signalled they would take a more tempered approach, the legislation the government has introduced shows the premier is continuing his destructive path.   Read more

[Read more →]

With his popularity in free fall, the premier tries reverse gear

By Jessica Bell

Over the past year, Doug Ford has hacked away at our schools, hospitals, and communities. He’s made devastating cuts to OSAP, ambulance services, and cancer-screening programs. Under his term, class sizes have ballooned, wait times at emergency rooms have increased, and university has become more expensive. It’s a bleak picture. But the good news is we have been fighting back – and Ford is now forced to listen.   Read more

[Read more →]

Dump truck strikes woman exiting streetcar

Jessica Bell, MPP University-Rosedale

On the morning of September 17, a young woman exited the streetcar at Bathurst and Ulster and was hit by a driver of a dump truck who failed to stop behind the streetcar, as is the law.  Read more

[Read more →]