When the Shelter Support and Housing SSHA can’t do what they want because zoning does not allow it, the councillors step in and change the zoning. Then the SSHA can now fulfil their mandate without consultation or input from the community. “we were not consulted,” the councillors say, or “we don’t have any say in […]
Ontario Line sparks land grab in Moss Park
Andre Bermon, Publisher of the bridge community newspaper Moss Park, a Downtown East community long impervious to change, is on the precipice of gentrification. The historically marginalized district, nestled between several high-priced neighbourhoods, is seeing lucrative real estate deals thanks in part to the planned Ontario Line subway project. The 15.6-kilometre transit line is set […]
Toronto Police, Toronto Fire and EMS Calls To Homeless Hotels Setting Record Numbers
(Toronto) Homeless hotels continue to be a nightmare to residents and businesses in downtown Toronto, particularly in the financial and tourist areas of Yonge Street and Front Street where three homeless hotels are located within 800 metres of each other. Aggravated assaults, sexual assaults, theft, drug trafficking, property damage, propane tank explosions, arson, garbage, public […]
Vote
Contributed by Karen Joan Watson — We live in a strange world. But Canada has advantages during this time of Covid-19, climate crisis, democracies under pressure, social injustice and long-term care emergencies. During Covid, our federal government quickly gave out CERB (a form of universal basic income during crisis) and business grants and loans to keep […]
Safe injection Site confidential
A heart felt, first hand look at the day to day life of a front line worker in a safe injection site. Contributed by an anonymous front line worker. — I woke up late this morning. Luckily I live close to the site where I work, so it’s easy for me to arrive on time. […]
Changing street names won’t change street culture
Opinion contributed by Andre Bermon, Publisher of the bridge community newspaper. — In the last City Council meeting before the summer recess, our public servants put history to the test. In a 17-7 vote, council decided that the name Dundas, referring to an obscure 18th-century British politician, should be stripped from all Toronto signage. […]
The Transformational Power of Being Heard
Contributed by Samantha Peck. “A welcome reprieve from the harsh realities of life.” “A transformative experience.” “Life changing.” These are a few of the things I was told by the family caregivers who participated in expressive writing workshop sessions run by the Toronto Writers Collective. In March 2020, long-term care was rocked by the onset […]
May the REAL NDP please stand up
The Winds of Change have hit the current NDP. Contributed by K. Fisher – Full disclosure, my vote usually flip-flops between Liberal and Conservative depending on the official mandate of the Party. In the 2020 Toronto Centre By-election, it was apparent the Conservatives were not running a qualified candidate. So, what was a slightly right-of-center […]
War vs Covid
Contributed by Duncan Fremlin. For the first time in our lives, death has not so quietly infiltrated our day-to-day consciousness. The daily news feed has become routine – “4724 new infections, 29 deaths”. The alarming part is, it’s actually happening to people we know. In the five years of the second war, which was fought […]
Health crisis consolidates global wealth
Contributed by André Bermon, Publisher of The Bridge News. Behind the hysteria of Covid-19 cases and deaths, the wealth of the top percenters continues to grow. While the pandemic has upended the lives of millions of people around the world, large corporations are quietly amassing one of the largest consolidations of wealth in human history. […]
