By Fred Alvarado and Murphy Browne

In this episode 6, we present you the following news stories for the week of October 5th 2021:

Toronto loses Supreme Court of Canada decision opposing cuts to City Council; City Councillors condemn Supreme Court's decision; Toronto Community Housing introduces Coinamatic as new laundry system; Toronto Rent Bank is providing a Pilot Grant Program to low-income households; the Elspeth Heyworth Bursary Award for young women in Regent Park; A report back on the Virtual Sunday in the Park festival; Covid-19 and Vaccination Update; and events in the Regent Park area.

Below are two of the stories that were featured in the news.

FEATURE: SUPREME COURT OF CANADA DECISION OVER TORONTO COUNCIL CUTS)

The City of Toronto lost its last legal attempt to overturn Doug Ford’s reduction of the council in 2018.

The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in favour of the Ontario government’s decision to cut the size of Toronto’s city council, ending a three-year battle over legislation introduced in the middle of its 2018 municipal election.

In a 5-4 split, the majority of Supreme Court justices agreed with the provincial government and ruled the city’s appeal should be dismissed.

The Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling comes years after the Ford government plunged Toronto’s electoral process into turmoil. In August of 2018, more than two weeks after nominations closed for its Oct. 22 election, the Ontario government passed legislation to redraw the city’s electoral map.

The Better Local Government Act, better known as Bill 5, reduced the number of city councillors from 47 to 25, and realigned the city’s wards to match the federal and provincial electoral boundaries.

Premier Doug Ford — a former Toronto city councillor and failed mayoral candidate — said the legislation would improve decision-making and save $25 million. Critics, however, accused him of political interference and flouting democracy.

Lawyers representing the city, argued the provincial legislation violated constitutional rights to freedom of expression. While split in its decision, the majority of Supreme Court justices disagreed with the argument. Ruling that no one was prevented from speaking, raising money, or campaigning.

The introduction of Bill 5 came after years of consultations which concluded the City needed to add three additional wards to its 44 ward system, to better serve residents. The Supreme Court also ruled against the City’s argument, that Bill 5 violated voters’ rights to effective representation. That constitutional provision, it said, only applies to federal and provincial governments.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruling ends a turbulent period for Toronto politics, much of which occurred in the days following the introduction of Bill 5 and continuing up to Election Day. More than 500 candidates were required to re-register in the reduced structure. A rushed Superior Court hearing saw an initial rebuke of the Ford government, where the premier threatened to override the court’s decision using the notwithstanding clause.

The Ontario Court of Appeal granted an initial stay in ruling, allowing the election to proceed with 25 wards. The following September the court ruled in favour of the province with a 3-2 split decision, setting the stage for City of Toronto lawyers to take the case to Canada’s highest court, where the case was heard last March.

Ahead of the Supreme Court of Canada’s hearing, Ford stood by the decision to cut Toronto’s council.

“It’s the best present I’ve ever given the mayor,” he said. Despite Ford’s initial claims Bill 5 would cut costs, City Council voted in favour of doubling its staffing budget following the 2018 election.

While frosty relations between the city and Ford have eased in the three years since the election, many progressive city councillors harbour negative feelings toward the council cut.

However, Mayor John Tory gave a more cohesive tone and thanked the court in a statement for considering the city’s appeal.

He said he did not agree with the way the province made its changes, but said the city and provincial government “will continue to do our best to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and many other problems for the benefit of our city and our province.”

In a press release, Progress Toronto, a not-for-profit organization that advocates and organizes for a more democratic, socially just, and progressive city, expressed disappointment in the court’s decision.

The Supreme Court of Canada released its decision on Doug Ford’s unprecedented attack on Toronto and local democracy. In 2018 Doug Ford changed the rules and wards in the middle of our city election, weeks before voters went to the polls. It threw our elections into disarray, trampling on the rights of candidates and voters.

“Today we found out that, in a narrow split decision of 5-4, we lost our Supreme Court Case against Doug Ford’s undemocratic meddling in Toronto’s election,” said Saman Tabasinejad, Organizing Director at Progress Toronto. “We are disappointed in the Court’s decision, but grateful for the findings of the four dissenting Justices who agreed with Progress Toronto’s submissions that the Ford Government violated the Charter. We are ready to get to work on the 2022 elections just around the corner.”

“When Doug Ford meddled in Toronto’s 2018 elections he created the conditions for a more conservative City Council, pushing out young, diverse, and progressive women candidates from across the city,” said Saman Tabasinejad. “With this ruling from the Supreme Court, it is finally clear what the electoral map will look like for the 2022 Toronto elections and while it will be an uphill battle to flip some seats, we believe there is still a big opportunity for new and progressive candidates to shake things up at City Hall.”

Sunday in the Park Festival Report

Sunday in the Park Festival is an annual event that takes place usually in the month of August in Regent Park.
Typically it is the biggest festival held in the community.  Each year the Sunday in the Park Festival features music, culture, food, raffles, games and fun activities, for all ages.

This year, due to concerns about Covid -19 and consideration of social distancing, it was decided to hold the 30 Anniversary of Sunday in the Park... virtually....and in September.

Lead by a steering committee comprised of community members, this year’s 30th Anniversary of Sunday In The Park took place on September 19th, 2021, by Zoom.  Despite all the planning, the 2021 Virtual Sunday in the Park did not go well. Last minute changes resulted in the cancellation of planned entertainment that was to be provided by the FOCUS Media Arts Centre. The food which was supposed to be prepared at the Paintbox Bistro was moved to Fred Victor Centre at 40 Oak – unfortunately no one bothered to tell staff there. Furthermore, the kitchen area had to be shared with another cooking program resulting in confusion. That’s not all TCHC staff who were supporting the seniors reported that the seniors attending the viewing stations were bored by the COVID information and that they did not understand the games. In an evaluation review of the event by the Steering Committee, most members felt that the 2-hour event was largely a failure. A motion to apply to the City to hold another in-person Sunday in the Park Festival in the big Park on October 10, 2021, was turned down by the Steering Committee.