February 24
Community Update
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Dear Friends,
I would like to remind you that the next Scarborough-Guildwood virtual town hall is tonight at 7:00pm. The event will feature my colleagues MPP Mitzie Hunter, City Councillor Paul Ainslie, myself, and special guest Dr. Isaac Bogoch, Infectious Disease Specialist at Toronto General Hospital.
Please join us for this important conversation using the link here:
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Join me this month in honouring the legacy and achievements of Black communities in our country and Scarborough-Guildwood.
The Children's Breakfast Clubs created an excellent poster recognizing local Black community members who have made a difference, such as my former colleague, the Honourable Jean Augustine, who introduced the motion to designate February as Black History Month twenty-five years ago. |
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What We Give with Jean Augustine
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Join me in this great interview with the Hon. Jean Augustine, mover of the unanimous motion to designate Black History Month and the Famous Five statute on Parliament Hill. She has had a remarkable life journey and is still going strong at the age of 83.
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Centennial College's Black Business Showcase has launched for Black History Month. This showcase features over 40 Black owned businesses from Toronto and neighboring areas, covering everything from fashion, wellness, food, art, and more.
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National Human Trafficking Awareness Day - February 22
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Last week, Parliament officially adopted February 22 as National Human Trafficking Day in Canada. On Monday, I joined my co-chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Group to End Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking to ask Canadians to help us raise awareness about combatting human trafficking across the country. I invite you to also watch my speech in the House here.
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Speech in the House of Commons
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I shared my thoughts in the House of Commons on the human rights abuses of Uighurs and Turkic Muslims.
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Vaccine Rollout Information
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As of February 18, the Government of Canada has delivered 683,255 vaccine doses to the province of Ontario. As of February 22, the province of Ontario has administered 569,455 vaccine doses.
For vaccine updates from the Government of Canada, click here.
Ontario has its own three-phased vaccine distribution rollout plan. For more information, click here. |
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The Scarborough Health Network offers walk-in COVID-19 testing every Tuesday at Malvern Family Resource Center from 9:00 am-6:00 pm, every Wednesday at the Milliken Park Community Centre from 9:00-4:00 pm and every Thursday at Scarborough Village Recreation Centre from 9:00am-6:00 pm.
Additional pop-up locations are regularly announced.
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The Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) gives income support to employed and self-employed individuals who are directly affected by COVID-19 and are not entitled to Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. Please note that recipients will be obliged to account for any benefits received in their 2020 income tax return.
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Claiming a Deduction for Home Office Expenses
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The Government of Canada strongly advises Canadians to cancel or postpone non-essential travel plans outside of Canada.
*New* Travel Restrictions:
- As of February 14, mandatory PCR testing is required at the airport for people returning to Canada. For more information, click here.
- As of February 22, travellers will have to wait up to three days at an approved hotel for their results. For information on hotel booking, click here.
- Federal quarantine applies for all non-essential travellers entering Canada. For more information on air and land travel requirements, click here.
- Until April 30, Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing, and Air Transat will suspend air services to sun destinations, including to the Caribbean and Mexico.
- International Flights will be reduced to only four airports – Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, and Montreal.
For updates on new travel measures and a list of exemptions, consult the Travel restrictions, exemptions, and advice page.
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Important Immigration Information
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Check out the links below to find out how COVID-19 is affecting TRVs, citizenship applications, passport renewals, and other files:
- Click here to find out how COVID-19 is affecting immigration, refugees, citizenship and passport services:
- Click here for updates on Permanent Residence applications
- Click here for updates on your citizenship application
- Click here for updates from Passport Canada:
- Click here for updates on Refugees, asylum claimants, sponsors and PRRA applications
- Potential travellers who have specific cases can consult with the CBSA's Border Information Services here
- Click here for updates on TRV, student's permit and foreign workers
- Even if you have an approved visitor visa or eTA, you may not be approved to travel at this time or guaranteed entry to Canada.
- As of July 1, 2020, IRCC is processing all online visitor visa and eTA applications, so you can be ready to travel when the restrictions are lifted.
- Quarantine requirements
- When visitors arrive in Canada by air, land or sea, border services will assess your health before you leave the port of entry.
- If you're a foreign national, and you have symptoms of COVID-19, you won't be allowed to enter Canada.
- You must have a plan to quarantine for 14 days when you arrive in Canada, including
- A place to stay
- How you'll get to your destination
- How you'll get your groceries
- Accessing essential services and medical care
- This plan is mandatory, even if you have no symptoms.
- If you don't have a plan, you should not travel to Canada. Otherwise, you will not be allowed to enter the country.
- The penalties for not following your quarantine plan once you're in the country can include
- A fine of up to $750,000
- 6 months of jail time
- Being found inadmissible, removed from Canada and banned from entering for 1 year
- Only people who provide essential services, for example truck drivers who regularly cross the border to maintain the flow of goods, are exempt from the quarantine requirements.
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Who's Hiring in Scarborough
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The East Scarborough Storefront has compiled this week's list of all the available jobs in Scarborough.
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Settlement Assistance and Family Support Services (SAFSS) is offering help to individuals and families who are struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, call 416-431-4847, ext. 201 or click the link below.
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Helping out with Collection Action and Response for Everyone in Scarborough (CARES) this past May. CARES at UTSC gives hygiene kits and food to our community.
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The East Scarborough Storefront has created a list with information about all the organizations in our community who are currently offering food services and hot meals.
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The Boys and Girls Club of East Scarborough is offering weekly Family Food Boxes until the end of March 2021 to residents in need that live within Ward 22, 23 and 24.
For more information, call 437-324-2822 or click the link below to register.
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Join Seeds of Diversity Canada, Toronto Urban Growers and organizers from across Toronto for a day of gardening, seeds and growing advice.
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I invite you to read my most recent interviews here:
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My staff and I are embracing video chatting as we work remotely to continue serving you.
Our constituency office continues to be closed, but our services remain available to you by phone or email.
If you require assistance on matters relating to the federal government or departments, please contact my office by phone at 416-283-1226 or by email at John.McKay.c1@parl.gc.ca. We will return all calls and emails.
Citizenship and Immigration is not assisting people via telephone. However they can be reached through their web form.
If this is the first update you have seen, and you would like to be included on all future communications, please click here.
Sincerely,
Hon. John McKay, P.C.,
Member of Parliament for Scarborough-Guildwood
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