November 28th Weekly Update
Message From Tony
Support for Blue Door Shelters
All Canadians deserve a place to call home. A safe, healthy space to raise and care for a family. A sanctuary. A refuge.
That is why I was excited to represent our government as Blue Door celebrated the opening of a new supportive housing facility in Newmarket. Funded in part by Reaching Home, Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, Forward empowers senior men facing homelessness. It provides accessible, dignified, and independent supportive housing. Barriers to housing for senior men can include limited income, and physical and mental health issues. Forward offers senior men longer-term stays than traditional emergency housing as well as personalized case management for their health, education, and employment needs.
Reaching Home is a community-based program. It funds and supports urban, rural, Indigenous, and remote communities to address local homelessness needs.
Launched in 2019, Reaching Home supports the goals of the National Housing Strategy. This includes supporting the needs of the most vulnerable Canadians, improving access to safe, stable and affordable housing, and reducing chronic homelessness by 50 per cent by 2027-2028.
Eliminating chronic homelessness will take a coordinated effort. The federal government is committed to working with communities and partners, including veteran-serving organizations, Indigenous partners, and housing providers, to achieve this important goal.
When we invest in community infrastructure, we create stronger communities. When we invest in community infrastructure, we are investing in the well-being of Canadians today, and for generations to come.
Building More Homes in York Region
Yesterday the Government of Canada and the City of Richmond Hill announced that they had reached an agreement to fast track over 780 housing units over the next three years. This work will help spur the construction of more than 41,500 homes over the next decade. It is another great example of the work being done to build more homes in York Region and across Canada.
The agreement, under the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) will provide over $31 million to eliminate barriers to building the housing we need, faster. It will encourage the creation of more density and affordable housing in Richmond Hill by making it easier to build more missing-middle housing and accessory dwelling units as well as incentivizing affordable housing. Richmond Hill’s action plan will also help streamline development by reducing barriers to development, accelerating key infrastructure and through zoning by-law changes permitting up to four units in residential areas where accessory dwelling units are permitted, supporting transit-oriented development, and allowing increased density around transit stations.
The Government of Canada is making life more affordable for Canadians – and housing is key to our work. We will continue to work with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, as well as Indigenous partners, to keep building more homes for Canadians, faster.
Kicking Off the Holiday Season
Over the past few weeks, my team and I have had a great time spreading the holiday spirit to members of the community in Newmarket-Aurora.
I joined dozens of organizations in downtown Newmarket and downtown Aurora for the Santa Claus Parades to help welcome in the Jolly man-in-red himself and kick off the holiday season.
Together, we got to see beautifully decorated floats, listen to marching bands, support the Newmarket Food Pantry, and say hello to and send off letters for Santa.
Both parades brought magic and joy to our community and gave us an opportunity to get together to celebrate this festive season, no matter what you celebrate.
Happy Holidays!
Canada Summer Jobs Information Session
Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) is an annual program that provides wage subsidies to employers from not-for-profit organizations, the public sector, and private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employees, to create quality summer work experiences for youth aged 15 to 30 years old.
To help increase understanding of federal and local priorities, my office is hosting an information session in advance of the upcoming launch of the 2024 CSJ application process.
These sessions will take place on Friday, December 1st, at the Region of York Administrative Building, located at 17250 Yonge Street, Newmarket. For this information session, we are offering two time slots:
Session A: 12:45 PM to 2:00 PM
Session B: 2:15 PM to 3:30 PM
Through CSJ, our government is continuing to support local organizations and ensure that Canadian youth have access to invaluable work opportunities.
I encourage organizations that meet the criteria for CSJ to register for an information session today.
Call for Proposals under the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative
In Canada, diversity is our strength. That’s why the Government of Canada is investing in initiatives that empower Black Canadians and address longstanding and systemic racism issues affecting them in the areas of recognition, justice, and development.
We’ve allocated $21.5 million for the third round of funding to the Black-led National Funders network, which includes Tropicana Community Services, Africa Centre, Black Business Initiative, and Groupe 3737.
The National Funders network has launched a call for proposals under the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative (SBCCI), which will provide up to $105,000 in funding for registered non-profit organizations that are Black-led and serve the Black community.
This call for proposals will help Black-led organizations increase their organizational capacity and improve their workplaces and community spaces as needed.
SBCCI strengthens and complements existing measures that work towards greater social inclusion, improve the wellbeing of People of African descent, and address the unique challenges faced by Black communities.
Applicants are encouraged to submit online. For details on how to apply through each National Funder, please visit here. The deadline to apply is December 15, 2023.
Small Business Saturday
Did you know that 66 cents of every dollar you spend at a small business in your neighbourhood stays local?
This past Saturday was Small Business Saturday, encouraging Canadians to shop local and support their communities, while recognizing the over one million small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.
Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and play an essential role in delivering the goods and services we need.
In recent years, small businesses have shown resilience and ability to adapt through challenges like the pandemic, impacts of climate change, and global inflation.
Our government is committed to supporting local entrepreneurs through measures like lowering transaction fees for small businesses, breaking barriers for marginalized communities through initiatives like the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, Black Entrepreneurship Program, and the 2SLGBTQI+ Entrepreneurship Program, and by providing financial support through the Canada Small Business Financing Program and the Canada Emergency Business Account.
To Newmarket-Aurora and Canada’s small business owners, thank you for your dedication and spirit. I encourage everyone to continue to shop locally and support the entrepreneurs in our community.
