LOCAL/CITY NEWS:
HNY FROM THE CRA
First up, the CRA wishes all of you a very happy new year (and good riddance to 2020!). We’ve been on a break for a couple of weeks, so this first newsletter of 2021 is a bit of a bumper issue!
This weekly newsletter, started in April 2020, has proved quite popular, so we plan to continue it into 2021.
If you know of anyone who would benefit from receiving the newsletter, please encourage them to sign-up to get it, , we’d love to reach more members of our community.
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HOLIDAY LIGHTS COMPETITION – WE HAVE A WINNER
For Xmas 2020 we had a bumper crop of homes (17) as well as a record breaking number of votes (2338!), which is fantastic. Congratulations go to the winners from Spruce Street. You can check out all the rankings here.
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DAYLIGHT INTRUDER TAKEN INTO CUSTODY
A resident on Hillcrest Park contacted us to advise that they encountered an intruder on the second floor of their home at 9 am on January 2. Apparently he was convinced to exit without too much trouble. He returned the following morning, same time and tried to access the house again. The police were able to find and apprehend the man and he is now in custody, awaiting an appearance in the Mental Health Court. Upon review of their Nest camera they discovered that he had been to their house almost every day from December 30 on.
While this incident played out safely, similar incidents are on the rise across greater Cabbagetown, so we recommend that residents keep their doors locked, even when they are at home.
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218 CARLTON CONVERSION – 10 UNITS AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The City of Toronto is seeking an indigenous non-profit housing provider to operate affordable housing at 218 Carlton. Renovations will be done by MOD Development, who bought the property and then sold it to the city for a peppercorn price. More details available online.
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MORE GOOD PRESS FOR LOCAL START-UP, SUPPLI
Megan Takeda-Tully’s startup company, Suppli, has so far signed up five restaurants in Toronto’s Cabbagetown neighbourhood, as well as hundreds of consumers wanting their takeout delivered in Suppli’s stainless steel containers with silicone lids, reports Alastair Sharp at Canada’s National Observer.
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CITY HALL LIVE MUSIC CONCERTS KICK OFF NEXT WEEK
The City of Toronto, in partnership with Unison Benevolent Fund, is launching City Hall Live Spotlight, a weekly livestreamed concert series, as part of ShowLoveTO, to support the local music industry and provide Toronto residents with music experiences at home. City Hall Live Spotlight kicks off on January 14 at 7:30 p.m. online.
Residents are encouraged to make a night of it, order in some takeout and settle in for a live concert in the comfort of their own home.
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GREEN THUMBS – 2020 REVIEW
Local charity Green Thumbs has issued a review of its 2020 achievements in our community. Take a look here.
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RESTAURANT OFFERS FREE BURGERS TO HOMELESS/ SENIORS
Anyone who is homeless, has fallen on hard times, is a senior or veteran, and is hungry can get a free burger (which just so happens to be one of the best in the city) from a Toronto restaurant right now, reports Amy Carlberg at BlogTO.
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CANADIANS LEAVE XMAS LIGHTS UP AND ON
Some Canadians are choosing to leave their Christmas lights on a little longer this year in a bid to keep the holiday cheer going during these dark times, reports CTV News.
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REGENT PARK REPLACES OAK STREET SLUM
Here’s a link to a neat old movie that a contributor posted to Life in Cabbagetown. The short film, made in 1953 is from the National Film Board of Canada archives.
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22 OF THE LCBO’s BEST BOTTLES UNDER $20
How to stock your cellar, closet or wine rack without breaking the bank. A useful report by Andre Proulx and Michael Pinkus at Toronto Life.
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PANDEMIC UPDATES:
FORD EYES FURTHER RESTRICTIONS AS CASES SOAR
Premier Doug Ford is promising further restrictions coming for Ontario, as the province reported a record 4,249 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, reports CBC News.
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AN ALTERNATE VIEW TO MORE LOCKDOWNS
Cynthia Mulligan at City News spoke with Infection Control Epidemiologist Dr. Colin Furness, who believes we should be doing even more testing than we are and that part of that solution is within our reach.
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FOUR MORE COVID-19 CASES AT ST LAWRENCE MARKET
Four more employees who work at St. Lawrence Market have now tested positive for COVID-19, the city said Tuesday, reports Joshua Freeman at CP24.
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CAN A ‘CANADIAN SHIELD’ CURB RISING CASES?
An upcoming nightly curfew in Quebec is hogging the headlines, but some public health experts say it’s another plank of Premier Francois Legault’s new plan that other provinces should pay the most attention to, reports Ryan Flanagan at CTV News.
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TRACK THE PROGRESS OF VACCINATIONS
CTV News has created a handy dandy tracker that shows the progress of vaccinations across in Canada. You can also track it with the COVID-19 Tracker Canada, and track Canada’s progress on a global scale too.
Read: Doctors urge Ontario to pick up pace on vaccine rollout.
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EMERGENCY CHILD CARE FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS
The City of Toronto has announced that emergency child care will be made available in 35 locations for school-aged children of designated essential service workers during remote learning week.
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XMAS AND NY CELEBRATIONS DRIVE UP INFECTIONS
Health experts are warning that the current rise in COVID-19 cases across the country will likely increase through January and February due to gatherings during the Christmas holidays and New Year’s, reports Brooklyn Neustaeter at CTV News.