Comment 175 – comments and feedback

Courtney Fisher

Dear Chair, Honourable Justice Lynne C. Leitch,

I am writing to voice my strong opposition to the proposed electoral district boundary changes in the City of Toronto. Specifically, I oppose the proposal that will reduce the number of ridings in the City from 25 to 24, resulting in one less riding and reduced political representation in Scarborough.

In the previous electoral redistribution, the community of Malvern, was divided between two ridings and now this latest proposal aims to reduce our 6 ridings to 5. This is unacceptable.

The Commission has already heard through the in-person and virtual meetings that Scarborough's residents have long been neglected with respect to services including public transit, affordable housing, and high quality hospitals. Now, more than ever, we need to maintain our number of ridings to ensure Scarborough will have the political representation needed at all three levels of government.

My name is Courtney Fisher (he/him) and I am the founding Chair of Rising Sun Food Drive Foundation (RSFDF) which is located in the riding of Scarborough North. We are a charitable non-profit organization devoted to ending poverty and hunger in our communities. Our mission is to relieve poverty by providing food and other basic supplies to persons of low income by establishing, operating and maintaining food drives, supporting food banks in the community that have charitable status under the Income Tax Act of Canada, and by providing other similar programs to relieve poverty in the community. We procure non-perishable, perishable, and food rescue food items for 14 community client agencies located in Scarborough.

According to Daily Bread's Who's Hungry Report 2021, food bank usage across the City of Toronto has risen 47% compared to the previous year. In Scarborough, food bank usage has risen steadily year after year and after opening during the pandemic, Scarborough's Grace Place Food Bank is now home to one of, if not the largest member agency food bank in the City:

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1979699268000

The link between low incomes and food bank usage is well-documented. The following maps of median household income come from:

2016--Census--Backgrounder--Income

As you can see in this close-up of the Scarborough-Agincourt and Scarborough North ridings, there are three distinct areas of very low income, a large number of areas at or below Toronto's median income and only one area with a median income over $100,000:

As you can see in this close-up of the Scarborough-Agincourt and Scarborough North ridings, the majority of the neighbourhoods have higher percentages of low income households:

Scarborough deserves to maintain its current number of ridings to have effective advocacy. In addition to meeting the needs of Scarborough's citizens and permanent residents, thousands of international students are currently enrolled in post-secondary institutions in Toronto and their concerns also need to be represented even though they are not currently eligible to vote.

Enrollment Report--University of Toronto

Centennial College--About the International Centre

Scarborough's six MPs work tirelessly to advocate for the transit, housing, and working poor needs of our Scarborough neighbourhoods. The same is true for Scarborough's six MPPs and six City Councillors.

Right now, going into 2023, there appears to be a perfect storm with all three levels of government working together to complete projects that will benefit Scarborough residents:

Scarborough Birchmount Hospital Revitalization

Scarborough Subway Stations

This is no time to weaken the voices of Scarborough residents.

In conclusion, I strongly advocate that this proposal be withdrawn and that the Commission revert to the original boundaries and number of ridings in Scarborough and in the City of Toronto as a whole which currently exist today.

Sincerely,

Mr. Courtney Fisher
Chair, Rising Sun Food Drive Foundation
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Scarborough ON XXX XXX
Charitable BN XXXXXX