August 7th, 2020 · Comments Off on SPORTS: Silent Pits hold fond memories for Maple Leafs Pitcher (July 2020)
Pitcher Marek Deska has been a fan favourite at Christie Pits for 13 seasons. R.S. KONJEK/GLEANER NEWS
As 2020 season is cancelled, Marek Deska recounts historic no-hitter
By R.S. Konjek
Marek Deska smiles as he remembers that night.
“The cool thing was, I knew the whole time.”
Deska is recounting his role in one of the most historic baseball games in Toronto Maple Leafs history.
On August 15, 2018, Deska and fellow pitcher Zach Sloan teamed up to defeat the Guelph Royals by tossing the only postseason no-hitter in the 102-year history of the Inter-county Baseball League. On top of that, the 6-2 victory eliminated Guelph and propelled the Leafs onward in the playoffs that summer.
Many of the fans at Christie Pits that night were unaware that they had witnessed history. A rough sixth inning saw the Royals send seven men to the plate and score two runs. Despite all that activity at the plate, they did not record a hit.
Sloan was the starting pitcher for the Leafs, and he cruised through the first five innings of the game, striking out seven Guelph batters.
While Sloan held his opponents in check, the Leafs put two runs on the board early.
It was not until the sixth inning that Sloan ran into trouble. He threw two wild pitches, two intentional walks, hit a batter with a pitch, made an error, and watched one of his fielders make another error. When the dust settled, the Royals had tied the game 2-2.
Deska had watched most of the game from the Leafs’ bench, then moved to the bullpen when manager Damon Topolie asked him to start warming up. After Sloan got through the sixth inning, he trudged off the field and vented to his teammate.
“He sounded disappointed because he pitched so well against that lineup and they still eeked out two runs,” Deska recalls. In the back of his mind, he knew that Sloan had not given up a hit to that point in the game.
“I always know. To me, the goal is always perfection. It may not be realistic at times, but if you set your expectations high enough, you’ll find a higher level of confidence that keeps you constantly sharp.”
A fan favourite for 13 seasons with the Leafs, Deska took the ball with the task of finishing the final three innings in order to win the game, clinch the series, and achieve something every pitcher dreams of. As a teenager, Deska had pitched in three no-hitters, but never at this level.
The Leafs took some of the pressure off their reliever’s shoulders by scoring four late runs to provide him with a comfortable lead, although any pitcher would agree that no lead is ever comfortable enough.
Deska hunkered down and pitched a perfect seventh inning. He survived a slightly-less-perfect eighth, and then three more outs were all that separated Sloan and Deska from destiny.
Toronto baseball has seen many no-hitters.
From 1885 to 1967, over a dozen of them were recorded by the Leafs’ minor league predecessor in the International League.
The Toronto Blue Jays have a lone no-hitter to their name, pitched by Dave Stieb in 1990.
The Leafs of Christie Pits have also recorded no-hitters, most recently by Rob Patterson in 2000.
Never before had there been a situation like this one. It was the deciding game of a postseason series. Not only was a no-hitter at stake, but if the Leafs blew the game their season would come crashing to an end.
Deska was determined not to let that happen, and returned to the mound in the ninth inning with a plan.
“I knew that all I needed to do was throw strikes to secure the win,” he recalls. “The strange thing was that they did not make any real adjustments. I was going with my regular routine of getting ahead of the batter and making them hit my pitch. I did notice that they started taking a strike near the later innings, but that just allowed me to get ahead of another hitter.”
The first batter grounded out.
“I attacked the next two batters with fastballs.”
The next man up struck out swinging.
“My slider was sharp and I had great life on my fastball that night.”
The last man up for the Royals also went down swinging. Deska got the final out and the Leafs won the game and the series.
“That last punch out was a belt-high fastball with some added zip to it to put an exclamation point on the night.”
The Leafs celebrated on the field and Deska kept the ball that marked the final out of the game.
For Sloan, Deska and the rest of the Leafs, that game remains their most recent postseason success. They were eliminated by the Kitchener Panthers in the following round of the 2018 playoffs, and were eliminated by Kitchener again in the first round last year.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to postpone its season, and the City of Toronto closed all sports fields. In late June, there remained a faint possibility that the Leafs might be able to play a truncated season at Christie Pits.
If it happens, Deska will be back.
“I’m itching to go,” he says. “A summer without baseball feels odd. I’ll keep pitching as long as I can help the team win games. I’m realistic and I’m sure I’ll know when my time is up. But not yet.”
Comments Off on SPORTS: Silent Pits hold fond memories for Maple Leafs Pitcher (July 2020)Tags:Annex · Sports
June 15th, 2020 · Comments Off on ON THE COVER: Halfway there (May 2020)
Robert Watt House, the former home of Anne Mirvish’s studio, is on its way from 610 to 604 Markham St. The building is being preserved and re-located as part of Westbank’s Mirvish Village development. NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS
June 15th, 2020 · Comments Off on NEWS: Kensington Gardens loses eight (May 2020)
Kensington and other seniors’ homes in Annex very well prepared
By Nicole Stoffman
Coronavirus has hit long term care homes and retirement homes hard, accounting for 12% of all Toronto’s cases but 35% of all the city’s deaths, according to data from the National Institute on Ageing and Toronto Public health. As a percentage of Toronto’s cases, 61, or 6.5%, and 8 deaths, or 4%, are in the Gleaner’s coverage area. All of the eight deaths have been at Kensington Gardens, at the time of writing.
Kensington Gardens faced the largest outbreak of any seniors’ home in the Annex, with 29 cases, seven of them amongst staff, and eight deaths. All eight deaths occurred in the most acute ward, amongst residents with advanced dementia or Alzheimers.
The outbreak, one of 38 across the city, was most probably spread by an asymptomatic staff member, whose mother had just returned from the U.K and who subsequently developed symptoms. When it spread to Kensington Gardens’ “lockdown unit,” in the north building, it spread like wildfire. This unit is for patients referred to as “the wanderers”, the residents with significant behavioural issues.
Kensington Gardens is a 350 bed long term care home operated by Kensington Health, a registered charity that also runs an eye surgery institute, screening clinic, hospice, and many other programs and services. Formerly the Doctor’s Hospital, the campus has been serving the health needs of the Kensington Market community for 100 years.
When symptomatic staff in the long-term care home began following protocols to self-quarantine for 14 days, CEO John Yip put out a call for volunteers to replace them. Thirty staff from across the organization answered. Knowing he could not ask them to do something he wouldn’t do himself, Yip bought himself some scrubs, an N95 mask, and a washable gown. He’s worked as an aide on the affected unit for 102 days, feeding bedridden residents.
The Ontario Ministry of Health did not begin purchasing additional personal protective equipment for long-term care homes until March 17. Fortunately, Yip had swung into action in February. Realizing Kensington had only a two-week supply, he instructed staff to order PPE from Amazon, Walmart, “whatever we could get our hands on that was good quality,” he said. It was a good thing he did: PPE ordered from their usual supplier in early March did not arrive until May 5.
Yip implemented outbreak protocols, such as universal masking and limiting staff to one workplace at the end of March, two weeks and three weeks, respectively, before those measures were mandated by Toronto Public Health and the province. A mobile team from their partner, Women’s College Hospital, tested all staff and residents starting March 12, including in the less acute South building, long before universal testing was mandated by the province on April 22.
As of the Gleaner’s May 6 interview with Mr. Yip, the south building was COVID-free, the lockdown unit had been declared out of outbreak, and the remaining residents were recovering well.
“Residents who were bedridden are wandering again, which to me is healthy,” said Mr. Yip. “They’re eating. My guys, that I see, were struggling to eat, and they’re now helping themselves to seconds.”
In other good news, Kensington’s senior team is already planning repatriating staff back to their home positions, as they ramp up their ambulatory-surgical operations.
“This is an unbelievable example of a team,” said Yip. “Colleagues helping colleagues.”
Of the eight seniors’ homes in the Gleaner’s coverage area, Kensington Gardens is the third largest after Castleview-Wychwood (capacity 456), and Christie Gardens (capacity 400). Castleview-Wychwood, a municipally run home, has had two staff cases, and Christie Gardens, a non profit retirement home, is COVID-free as of the beginning of May, after an outbreak of 22 cases, according to data from Toronto Public Health. All have recovered.
Castleview-Wychwood did not respond to the Gleaner’s request for comment. The remaining five homes, which range in capacity from 99 to 238 residents, have had 1-5 cases of COVID-19.
Christie Gardens’ CEO Heather Janes attributes the quick recovery of her home to its partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital, which ramped up April 18. The hospital provided on site testing, risk assessment, and PPE, including over 1,000 disposable gowns, just when they were about to run out. Two weeks later, they were through the worst of it.
Christie Gardens found housing for 18 of their staff, who had been away from their families for two months at the time of writing. The only two coronavirus infections at Christie Gardens were among staff. Of the 61 infections in seniors’ homes across the Annex, 16 were staff cases.
Janes also attributes the home’s complete recovery to the large cohort of independent residents, who live in apartments with their own kitchens, and respected her request that they stay in their suites for three weeks.
“It’s a highly educated crowd,” says Janes, proudly, “a lot of former politicians and profs from U of T.”
Meals, a hallway exercise program, mail and other services were delivered to their doors. “If you walk through the hallways, you wouldn’t believe the notes on people’s doors, thanking staff for ‘caring for us’. ”
Ninety percent of cases at Christie Gardens were asymptomatic.
“COVID-19 is so different from any other kind of flu outbreak,” said Janes.
“We have not done a good job as a province, and as a country on contact tracing, like other jurisdictions,” asserted Yip. “Had we done contact tracing of all international travelers at that time, we would have saved eight lives here, guaranteed.”
There might still be other outbreaks, yet the stories at Kensington and Christie Gardens suggest that a proper PPE stockpile and early testing of both staff and residents kept the virus in check.
If there is a silver lining in all of this, perhaps it is to draw attention to the importance of hospitals partnering with seniors’ homes in times of crisis, as witnessed right here in the Annex.
“Our partnership with Women’s College has helped tremendously. We’ve had a partnership with them pre-COVID, but we drew on that existing relationship for them to come help us,” explained Yip. “ Without them, the numbers would have been drastically different. The testing and protective equipment that they supplied saved lives.”
Christie Gardens’ partnership with Mount Sinai was not pre-existing, and how it came to be still mystifies CEO Heather Janes, who suspects one of her residents made it happen. It allowed them to start testing about three weeks before the ministry of health and local health networks were able to. “I have been in this business almost thirty years,” said Janes. “I have never-seen a hospital-nursing home partnership like this. It’s incredible. I can’t wait to say a proper thank you to the folks at Sinai.”
June 15th, 2020 · Comments Off on NEWS: COVID-19 outbreaks at grocers (May 2020)
Loblaws, Metro, Fiesta Farms all affected
By Nicole Stoffman
How is COVID-19 impacting the health and safety of grocery workers and their customers across the Annex? The Gleaner took a closer look.
DUPONT LOBLAWS
Toronto Public Health is actively investigating two clusters of cases of COVID-19 among staff at grocery stores including the Loblaws at Dupont and Christie, said Dr. Vinita Dubey, Associate Medical Officer of Health, in an email to the Gleaner.
There have been “multiple confirmed cases over many weeks,” of employees who have tested positive at the Dupont Loblaws, according to a May 23rd statement from the company.
“We immediately took a number of steps to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our customers and colleagues, including providing masks and gloves to the team, making temperature checks mandatory before shifts and following the guidance of public health following each confirmed case. The store also significantly reduced the number of customers allowed in at any one time, and proactively sent home many colleagues to self-isolate,” the statement read.
An employee who spoke to the Gleaner, on condition of anonymity, stated there have been 25-30 cases, but Loblaws declined to share exact numbers.
A Dupont Loblaws employee tested positive on April 17, another on April 29, and a few more on May 2. It was not until May 2 that employees had their temperature checked at the start of each shift, and at no time were masks mandatory for workers or customers, according to information shared on the Dupont Loblaws Facebook page.
“It was just a case of ‘wash your hands and practice good hygiene’,” said the employee. “But you can’t trust human beings to do the decent thing.”
All confirmed cases but one came from the day crew who interact with customers, as opposed to the night crew, who restock shelves and prepare online orders, said the employee.
In response to each positive case, and working with Toronto Public Health, the store was sanitized daily, and closed overnight for cleaning, according to statements on the store’s Facebook page.
However, customers writing on the page complained that social distancing measures were not being enforced, staff was not wearing PPE, and the company was not letting people know when the COVID-19 positive employees had worked, making it impossible for them to know if they had been exposed.
“Once we started having cases three, four and five, I feel that they kind of wanted to turn a blind eye and not accept responsibility for it,” the employee said. “At a time like this, you just want to be honest and upfront with people. People will respect that a lot more.”
On May 11, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), which represents 25,000 grocery workers across the province, including at Loblaws, called on the store to close for two weeks to assess the scale of the outbreak. Instead, Loblaws temporarily closed the store to shoppers, providing pickup orders only. Their pharmacy remains open.
Since then, masks, gloves and temperature checks are mandatory for all staff, and they have only had one case in two weeks, according to the employee, who now feels safe, but says, “it’s also too little, too late… It’s very much been a reaction.”
BLOOR STREET METRO
An employee at the Bloor and Robert St. Metro grocery store tested positive on April 24th. Working with Toronto Public Health, Metro ensured the employee was safe and quarantined, cleaned all surfaces they may have been in contact with and informed all of the store’s employees. The store was deep-cleaned that night, according to a statement from Communications Manager, Stephanie Bonk.
Metro advises, but does not require, everyone to wear masks in store. In early May, all employees were provided a face shield and masks. PPE is now mandatory for employees for whom contact with others within 2 meters is likely because social distancing measures, “have been considered but are not possible,” said Bonk.
Metro publishes a listing of the numbers of all positive employee COVID-19 cases, along with the location details, at the bottom of the FAQ page of their website..
FIESTA FARMS
Fiesta Farms blogged on May 20th that their first employee tested positive that day. The employee’s last day of work was May 16th. Fiesta Farms immediately informed public health, interviewed all staff to discover who had contact with the employee, and closed the store for three days so it could be sanitized by a specialized company.
The employee is recovering very well, at home, according to store managers Tracy Virgona and Kendra Sozinho.
To get ahead of a possible outbreak, all other 149 employees were tested. At the time of writing 60% have come back negative. Employees still waiting for results stayed home, while those who tested negative were part of a small crew stocking shelves for the re-opening on May 23.
Fiesta Farms went beyond Toronto Public Health protocols for plexiglass shields and social distancing markings by providing face shields for employees. On May 13th, they went further and implemented a mandatory mask policy, to the objection of many customers.
“You’re coming here to shop. It’s a 20-30 minute shop, so just go with the rules the store has put in place,” urges Sozinho. “Think of our health care workers. They’re wearing the full gear for 10-12 hour shifts. So, suck it up and wear a mask. Sorry to be so blunt.”
“The best protection from COVID-19 is to keep two metres (or six feet) from others, wash your hands often and avoid non-essential trips in the community,” says Dubey.
Toronto Public Health and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) both recommend that grocery store staff and customers wear a face mask, as shopping sometimes makes keeping six feet apart difficult.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has said that refusing someone service because they are not masked would be a violation of their rights. However, Dubey confirmed that it is within the purview of private businesses to implement Occupational Health and Safety policies for their workers.
‘‘Just as we’ve seen different governments around the world enforce policies around mask wearing, it really is up to the employer or government to make it applicable across the province, country or the workplace,” said Joel Thelosen, of the UFCW.
Grocery store employees have suddenly become front line workers during a pandemic involving an insidious virus that spreads asymptomatically. Keeping them safe, therefore, protects the public too, and may be key to flattening the curve, according to a March 19th statement from UCFW President, Wayne Hanley, who called on the province to take stronger measures to protect grocery workers.
June 15th, 2020 · Comments Off on CHATTER: Green Beans no more (May 2020)
R.H. Thomson, actor and Annex resident, sat down with the Gleaner at the Green Beanery in March of 2016 to discuss his starring role in the Tarragon Theatre play You will remember me. NEILAND BRISSENDEN/GLEANER NEWS
The Annex café at the corner of Bathurst and Bloor has announced its closing after 12 years in business. The announcement came ahead of the pandemic crisis and reportedly as the building had been sold by the tenant’s parent company.
Since no tenant was immediately found, the owners reopened a temporary takeout window on May 7. They will continue serving coffee, tea, ice cream and small bags of freshly roasted beans, until a new occupant is secured.
The Green Beanery café-roastery was a popular source for coffee beans and equipment for Annex’s locals since it opened in 2008.
“Green Beanery began as an experiment in fundraising for Probe International, our charitable foundation. We wanted this enterprise to embody our ideals of bringing together small coffee farmers and Canadians who loved their unique coffees,” reads their statement. “We also wanted to recreate a coffee house of old, without WiFi, where all could come to imbibe superb coffee and explore the important issues of the day without fear of intolerance. We hope we have succeeded.”
The café was a beloved space to connect for the political discussion group Grounds for Thought, and from “first dates (and even proposals), to meetings and poetry readings.”
“We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to you, our loyal customers and friends, who have made this café such a great success,” the statement reads in part.
While the company has closed a location on Bloor Street, it remains in business.
“We are very happy to share the news that our online coffee equipment and bean sales will continue from new locations run by Green Beanery staff and associates,” says the statement.
The Green Beanery takeout window at the corner of Bathurst and Bloor is open every day of the week from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for fresh beans, beverages and ice-cream to go until further notice.
—Tanya Ielyseieva, Gleaner News
Comments Off on CHATTER: Green Beans no more (May 2020)Tags:Annex · News
The twenty-four room Annex Hotel at 296 Brunswick Avenue has re-opened its doors to accommodate Toronto healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Mid-March we closed our doors to the public proactively, obviously, as a result of COVID-19 becoming a bigger and bigger kind of presence,” said General Manager Ryan Killeen. “We re-opened the hotel early April to frontline health care workers, and we were able to do so through a private donor. The cost of our rooms has been sponsored through the end of June, which means that we were able to put health care workers up on a complimentary basis.”
The hotel has been fully occupied since the initiative was launched. All services are provided online and by text message or phone.
“The healthcare workers have been very appreciative that we were able to assist and provide them with a place to call home,” said Killeen. “It’s alleviated stress for them. I mean, there’s a lot of healthcare workers who are living with immunocompromised parents and children. So going home after work is a very anxious feeling for them and they’ve been very appreciative that they’re able to come back to The Annex Hotel and self-isolate in their own rooms.”
The Annex Hotel has launched an online store where the community can participate in the initiative.
“We know there are many organizations and people out there stepping up,” Killeen explained. “We hope that by adding our name to the chorus, it will give others a chance to join in to support everyone who is, in turn, supporting us.”
Neighbours come together in a time of “social distancing”
By Tanya Ielyseieva
The Palmerston Area Residents Association (PARA) has donated $7,900 to the Daily Bread Food Bank raised by a community fundraising drive. To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, they also launched an initiative to make non-medical masks, which raised some additional funds for the Daily Bread Food Bank.
Ingrid Nasager, PARA membership coordinator and board member, says the idea for the mask project came after hearing the statistic that one in five people may be asymptomatic carriers of COVID-19, and learning that wearing masks could help curb the spread of the disease.
“I liked the idea of wearing a fabric mask, so as to avoid taking away resources from healthcare professionals,” said Nasager.
PARA made a Facebook post asking for people in the neighbourhood who sew to start making masks on April 7. By the time the Gleaner interviewed Nasagar, PARA had collected more than 100.
Volunteers followed Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations in making the masks.
They used tightly woven 100% cotton for the outside, and non-woven interfacing for the inside.
Though not a medical-grade filter, the interfacing makes it harder for the wearer’s infectious respiratory droplets to escape.
There were no set prices for masks, and people could pick them up from various porch-locations at set times.
“The response has really just been so great. It provided a safe space, with social distancing, of course, for people to promote and ask questions, get the latest updates. I’m really glad to see something being done and I’m glad to participate in that,” said Nasager.
This initiative is part of a larger one launched initially by an anonymous group of neighbours called The Gratitude Project which aimed to raise funds for the Daily Bread Food Bank.
“We called it the Gratitude Project because we’re saying thank you to everybody who helps in the neighborhood and then thank you, to you, who make the donations,” said Paul MacLean, PARA’s chair.
The Daily Bread Food Bank encourages donations, and has a collections button on its web page.
PARA has also provided a community service for seniors like grocery shopping or picking up medications or running errands.
Musicians from Horn on the Cob and the Social Distance outside the home of bandleader Adam Seelig on Brunswick Ave. The impromptu brass band has been playing a song or two every night since March at 7:30 sharp, to the delight of their neighbours. TANYA IELYSEIEVA/GLEANER NEWS
Long-term care homes in the Annex, public, not-for-profit, and profit alike, have fared relatively well in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sadly, the same cannot be said for similar facilities across the province. Before government starts pointing fingers for the tragedy that has unfolded among our most vulnerable seniors, it would do well to acknowledge its own role in the problem.
A report by the Canadian military following a stint of emergency service at long-term care homes in Ontario this May describes horrific conditions at five homes in particular. To get specific, the report said some patients were left in soiled clothing and beds, some were turned so rarely they developed bedsores. Others were left hungry and developed symptoms of dehydration. According to the report, staff were observed re-using non-sterile supplies including catheters and syringes, and homes were plagued by insect infestations.
Prime Minister Trudeau called the findings, “deeply disturbing and heart breaking.” Premier Doug Ford, whose government is actually responsible for setting the standards of care in these facilities and ensuring those standards are maintained, called the report “gut-wrenching” and vowed to send in provincial inspectors.
Will those inspectors make a difference? How could they possibly have failed to see what the soldiers witnessed first-hand in just a few short weeks?
These conditions help to explain why the novel coronavirus is hitting long-term care homes in Canada so hard. The International Long-Term Care Policy Network found that Canada had the highest percentage of deaths in long-term care homes compared to thirteen other countries including Germany and France. The Public Health Agency of Canada reports that COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care homes are responsible for 82 per cent of coronavirus-related deaths in this country.
Dr. Samir Sinha, director of geriatrics at Mount Sinai Hospital, calls long-term care homes the “epicentre of this epidemic,” and blames under-funding and neglect. That, in turn, led to workers being employed at multiple sites and moving frequently between them, acting as vectors for the spread of the virus.
In addition, those employed in long-term care homes are paid much less than they would be to perform the same work in hospitals. They may not receive paid sick days, so may well have gone to work when they should have stayed home, in bed. Doug Ford took back their entitlement to paid sick days when he came to office.
On April 15, Ontario announced that, effective April 22, workers may not work at multiple homes (with the caveat that they would be exempt from this rule if they happened to be employed by a temp agency.) British Columbia, by contrast, passed legislation requiring caregivers to wear PPE and not allowing them to travel between multiple seniors’ facilities by March 27.
Why is Ontario unwilling to help this sector and deal with the systemic problems that exist? Is it that they want to keep profits up at those facilities that are privately owned?
Former Ontario Premier Mike Harris, a fellow Conservative, is the chair of the board at Canada’s largest for-profit retirement home chain, Chartwell. He also happened to be the person who removed the minimum care standard on these facilities.
After some unfortunate freelancing in March, when he urged everyone to, “go away for March Break and enjoy yourselves,” Ford has pretty much kept to the script provided for him. At times he has even managed to muster-up some apparent empathy. However, given the military’s report card on the province’s long-term care homes, Ford would do well to abandon the bluster, take some responsibility, and step-up to fix the system.
As we prepare for a summer like we have never seen in Toronto, I want to take a moment to look back on what our community has accomplished so far. Whether you are part of the frontline response, or are doing your part by practicing physical distancing, this has been a challenging time. However, the sacrifices we have all been making have worked and we have saved lives.
When the worldwide response to COVID-19 began to dominate our daily lives, something special hap-pened in our neighbourhoods. There was an almost instantaneous outpouring of help for our most vulnerable, a banding together of communities, and the creation of many new networks of support. The calls we received from people who needed help were matched by the number of those that asked how they could be of service.
The City of Toronto has been working hard to support people in the countless ways this pandemic has affected our lives. It’s been heartening to see all levels of government working together, despite differ-ences, to build new programs to address unemployment, support people experiencing homelessness, and launch new supports for small businesses to slow economic impacts. As I have said many times, no one should have to lose their homes or livelihood because of the impacts of this pandemic.
As part of the City’s recovery effort, I have been given the role of connecting with our unions and workers as part of the Mayor’s Economic Support and Recovery Task Force.
Over the past month, I have been consulting with labour leaders from our many unions, labour econo-mists, and other stakeholders who represent freelancers and workers in the gig economy to provide a set of recommendations to support workers impacted by the pandemic, and to prepare ourselves for a better future.
I have been hearing three key things: the need to stabilize the care sector and protect the health, safety, and rights of workers; the need to improve supports and benefits for workers and their families; and the importance of ensuring the recovery achieves climate goals and builds resiliency and equity. This is not a traditional recession, so we should not default to a traditional stimulus package.
Through addressing the long-standing policy failures and lack of adequate protections for all workers, both of which have become crystal clear through this crisis, we have the opportunity to rebuild our economy in a way that provides more security for workers and communities.
We will be faced with the choices of what kind of jobs we are creating, what infrastructure investments we are making and what projects we are funding. It is critical for our future as a city and country that we invest in measures that help address, not compound, the climate crisis, reduce inequality and that build resilience.
We need to act now to avoid future crises. Investment in building affordable housing is key, as it is a fundamental building block to reduce inequality, insecurity and poverty among Torontonians. It has also been reinforced during this crisis that adequate shelter is essential to our health both immediately and over the longer-term.
As we move into planning for recovery, it’s important to remember that the process will not happen overnight. We should take the lessons we have learned through the crisis, and make sure we invest in recovery efforts that create stability for our communities and build resiliency for the future.
It is also imperative that we continue to follow advice from our public health professionals. I have full confidence in Toronto Public Health to lead us through this situation and keep us all safe. We must stay the course, because it has been working, and you have my commitment that I will do all I can to ensure that residents of Ward 11, and Toronto, are supported through this pandemic.
Mike Layton is city councillor for Ward 11, University-Rosedale.
We need to summon the political will to make long-term change
By Jessica Bell
The COVID-19 pandemic is not only exposing how poorly our economy and society treat our most vulnerable, it’s making it worse.
While Canada is making positive progress at slowing the spread of COVID-19 in the community, the spread of the virus among our most vulnerable is fast becoming a national tragedy.
“After this pandemic, there will be a reckoning on what went wrong and why,”
–Jessica Bell, University-Rosedale MPP
Over half of deaths have occured in long-term care homes – a death rate that is one the highest in the world according to the International Long Term Care Policy Network. Disturbingly, the Ontario Health Coalition calculates the death rate in the province’s privatized homes seems to be far higher than the rate in public and non-profit homes.
In the past month, I have called many long-term care homes, refugee centres, shelters, retirement homes and assisted living facilities in my riding to ask how they were coping. Most were facing staff shortages, and all of them hadn’t been provided with enough access to personal protective equipment to keep staff and residents safe.
Mon Sheong Home for the Aged on D’Arcy St. is in our riding of University Rosedale, and the home has one of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks in the province. After speaking with Helen Lee, the granddaughter of 111 year-old resident Foon Hay Lum, I sent a letter to the Ministry of Health calling on them to provide help immediately. More PPE arrived, however Foon Hay died from COVID-19 less than a week later.
Lum was a tireless advocate for Chinese-Canadians. She was an advocate who fought for reparations for the 81,000 Chinese-Canadians who were subject to the Chinese Exclusion Act and the $500 Head Tax, a policy which kept her family separated until 1959. After 20 years of activism, she secured an apology from Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2006.
Foon Hay Lum is just one of thousands of loved ones who have died from COVID-19. Mon Sheong is just one of many homes and centres plagued by sickness and death. COVID-19 continues to spread among vulnerable people including those who are old, who struggle with disabilities and mental health challenges, refugees, and people in prisons.
This is what we need now to get through the pandemic. The Ontario Government has done the right thing and increased pandemic pay by $4 an hour for most frontline workers, and banned most workers from working in multiple long-term care facility sites in order to curb the spread. We are calling for all workers to earn $22 an hour or more, for all health care workers to get the PPE they need, more government funding for staff, a robust testing regime to limit the spread, and government takeover of facilities that are not able to maintain care for residents.
After this pandemic, there will be a reckoning over what went wrong and why. We must see real changes to how we treat and care for our vulnerable and those who serve them.
The chronic underfunding, poor regulation and privatization of long term care must end. A new regime of fair government funding for non-profit and public long term care homes, a ban on for-profit homes, jobs that pay better and have more security and benefits, and real regulation and oversight must be ushered in.
We didn’t need a pandemic to learn this, but a pandemic will create the political will to ensure these changes actually happen.
Staying home to help stop the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to be the new normal for the foreseeable future.
Read on for our updated guide to Annex resources during COVID-19, the third issue since we all started to hunker down and stay together apart.
You’ll find information about doctor’s offices, pharmacies, grocery stores, and support for small businesses. Hours of operation and service were valid when we went to press, but could change, so check gleanernews.ca for the most up-to-date information.
The basics
Whenever possible please stay home, wash your hands, take care of yourself and your loved ones.
If you have to go out, practice safe physical distancing, wash your hands frequently, and return home as quickly as you can. Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health now recommends that you wear a mask.
The City’s new Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild has partnered with major downtown employers to extend working-from-home efforts. The Office is asking for your ideas so we all can recover, rebuild and emerge from the pandemic even stronger. Take the 15 minute survey before June 30.
You can find the most up-to-date information at the City of Toronto’s dedicated website:
If you think you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who has it, this self-assessment can help you determine if you need further care: www. ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus-covid-19-self-assessment.
If you meet any of the criteria found there, contact your family doctor or Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000. Let them know you used the province’s self-assessment tool.
There are three COVID-19 assessment centres that are near to the Annex:
UHN Toronto Western Hospital, 347 Bathurst St., website: www.uhn.ca/Covid19
Women’s College Hospital, 76 Grenville St., use the northeast entrance on Grosvenor St., website: www.womenscollegehospital.ca/
Go to your nearest emergency department if you have severe symptoms like shortness of breath, chest discomfort, lethargy, drowsiness, weakness, or dizziness. If you have to use a car service, please wear a mask, sit in the back seat, and open the windows. If you can, note the company name and operator number of the driver.
If you are not well enough to make your own way to a hospital or assessment centre, call 911.
The doctor is in
For medical issues unrelated to COVID-19, please reach out to your primary care provider or family doctor. Many are now offering virtual appointments.
If you don’t have access to a family doctor there are several walk-in clinics still open. Please remember, if you are experiencing any flu symptoms, don’t go in person to either walk-in clinic, please call first:
GSH Medical – 481 Bloor St. W., second floor: open for people with non-flu like symptoms. They are also offering virtual appointments that can be set up by calling 416-928-0217 or emailing annex@goldstandardhealth.ca or management@gshmedical.ca. . There is no cost for this service, you don’t need to be an existing patient, and they are accepting all requests at this time.
Downtown Doctors Walk-in Medical Clinic – 720 Spadina Ave., #100: still open for walk-ins. You can also call them to set up a phone appointment at 416-929-1530.
Pharmacies
The following pharmacies in the Annex are still open, and many offer special hours or delivery:
Snowdon Pharmacy – 264 Bloor St. W.: offering delivery to seniors and at-risk customers. 416-922-2156. www.snowdoncompounding.com
Rexall – 481 Bloor St. W.: dedicating the first hour of shopping exclusively to those who are 55 and older. 416-929-8213.
Rexall – 474 Spadina Ave.: encouraging shoppers to allow seniors access to the first hour but will serve all who are in need. 416-413-1060.
Pharmasave Spadina Medical – 720 Spadina Ave., #100: offering some local delivery. 416-929-7000.
Green Pharmacy – 620 Bloor St. W.: open with their regular hours. 416-530-4004.
Loblaw Pharmacy – 650 Dupont St.: free delivery, open to seniors only from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., pharmacy opens at 8 a.m. 416-588-4793.
Shoppers Drug Mart – 360a Bloor St. W.: phone orders, free delivery. 416-961-2121.
Shoppers Drug Mart – 292 Dupont St.: phone orders, free delivery. 416-972-0232.
UT?Pharmacy +?Print – 193 College St.:?open regular hours and weekends. Phone orders, free delivery, 647-351-1708.
Mental health
It’s okay to be not okay. If you or someone you know is struggling with anxiety or other mental health issues, you can find information on government and community-based services from the province’s main service hub, 211 Ontario. Call 211 or visit www.211oncovid19.ca to get help. Live chat is also available online.
Park green spaces are open, while park benches, playgrounds and outdoor fitness equipment remain closed.
Gatherings of up to five people are permitted, and those not of the same household are asked to respect physical distancing of 2 meters.
People can picnic, walk,run,bike in parks and ravine green spaces, trails and boardwalks.
Tennis and basketball courts, as well as Dogs Off-leash Areas are open again.
Please note that the playground and wading pool at Christie Pits remain closed. For updates, visit: www.toronto.ca.
Household fixes
Wiener’s Home Hardware at 432 Bloor St. W. reopened on May 11 and is allowing 3 customers in the store at a time. You can also pre-order and pickup by emailing wienershh.orders@gmail.com.
Pets can get care
Restrictions on veterinary practices in Ontario were lifted as of Tuesday, May 19.
Annex Animal Hospital (716 Bathurst St.) is available for visits, food, and medication. Please call them at 416-537-3128 or email them at clientcare@annexvet.ca to schedule an appointment.
Bark & Meow Pet Supplies (712 Bloor St. W.) is offering free local delivery and is open for call ahead curbside pickup. Contact them at 416-532-2275 or by email at 712barkmeow@gmail.com.
Global Pet Foods at 171 Dupont St. has curbside pick-up and can be reached at 416-964-0450.
Pet Valu at 339 College St. also has curbside pick-up, call 416-944-0314.
Businesses still need help
A recent survey conducted by the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) found that 50% of businesses could not make all of April’s rent and 72% of businesses feel they will not be able to make all of May’s rent. The survey also found that 61% of businesses indicate they would close down for good within three months and 76% within five months.
The federal government has begun receiving applications for the Canada Emergency Commerical Rent Assistance program through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. For more information or to apply, please visit.
Uptake for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program for June rent was lower than expected. Out of 1.2 million commercial properties across Canada, only 16,000 applied.
The Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) will be advocating for a wage subsidy, and protection from commercial evictions, which could stimulate participation in the CECRA.
Executive Director, John Kiru, advises small businesses to open under existing rules, apply for all available assistance programs, and diversify to include a digital component, like curbside pick up. “Bricks and mortar has to become bricks and clicks,” said Kiru. TABIA is working with the city to expand patios, and on campaigns to encourage people to shop in their local neighbourhoods.
If you are a small-business owner, be sure to check your local Business Improvement Area’s website for resources and support.
You can support local business by ordering online or buying gift cards to use later. You can call ahead and pay with credit or debit.
The City of Toronto and the TABIA have also partnered with distantly.ca. Vetted by mayor’s office, it’s a crowdfunding platform that supports small businesses in Toronto. You can donate directly to businesses for rent and payroll expenses.
While many local restaurants are closed to dining in, you can still order food for delivery through DoorDash, foodora, Ritual, Skip the Dishes, and UberEats.
Ccheck to see if you can order directly from the restaurant by calling them directly, which saves the restaurant up to 30% on delivery fees.
The Ontario government announced on March 16 that no new eviction orders would be issued until further notice, and asked the Sherriff’s office to postpone any currently scheduled enforcement of evictions.
If you’re a tenant who needs advice or assistance, please contact
MPP Jessica Bell’s office at 719 Bloor St. W., Unit 103, phone 416-535-7206, email: jbell-co@ndp.on.ca
stepstojustice.ca, offers step-by-step information about legal issues.
Thank you
We know many of you work in hospitals, government, and in other essential support roles. Thank you for all that you’re doing to keep us safe.Email us at gleanereditor@gmail .com if you have a story to tell. Because even as we all continue to stay, live, and shop local, we also think it’s important to celebrate local.
