Commentaire 336 – commentaires et rétroaction

Sandra Mills

I am a resident of the former city of Scarborough now an area within the City of Toronto. I am concerned about the proposed changes to the Federal Electoral Districts, particularly the loss of an electoral riding in Scarborough and thereby Toronto.

The proposal takes out a large portion of Scarborough North, and a sizable portion of Scarborough-Agincourt, and collapses areas of these communities into a new riding called Scarborough Northwest. This would not only break up existing communities, but it would redistribute a sizeable portion of Scarborough-Agincourt into North York and delete any reference to the history of Agincourt in the process. Scarborough Village dates back to 1832 and Agincourt emerged in 1858 as a farming town and continues to this present day to have a rich cultural and historical identity. One example is Agincourt Junior Public School, which is designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act and is listed on the Toronto Heritage Property Register.

The western municipal boundary of Scarborough clearly ends at Victoria Park Ave. Taking parts of Scarborough from Warden Ave. and Pharmacy Road to Victoria Park Ave. will break up police services from 42 Division, health care services and social and seniors' community services. Like Scarborough North, Scarborough-Agincourt has large numbers of seniors, newcomers, families, and immigrants. Scarborough-Agincourt's immigrant population is 19% over the Toronto average. Over the decades, our communities have created an interconnected network of services that meet Scarborough's unique needs.

In anticipation of the Sheppard subway line, numerous developments are happening right now all along Sheppard Ave. E., and even more in the near future, including the Agincourt Mall 5,000-unit condominium/retail development, and the current Village Green (Kennedy and 401) condominium expansion. The Agincourt Mall project is the largest residential development application in Scarborough and the 2nd largest residential application in the City of Toronto. The 2021 census does not take into account these developments, which, if factored in will substantially increase the population of Scarborough-Agincourt. Nor does the Census taken in 2021 (a pandemic year) reflect the true number of residents living Scarborough-Agincourt and Scarborough North.

People who do not understand Scarborough are making decisions that will impact our daily lives – we deserve better. The strong representation that six representatives has afforded us has finally gotten us closer to being heard. One less voice from Scarborough is one less voice for health care, subways, seniors, residents, and businesses.

Please take our concerns seriously and keep Scarborough-Agincourt and Scarborough North as distinct ridings. We want fair representation for Scarborough and Toronto as a whole.

Sincerely,
Sandra Mills

attachment:

October 29, 2022

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.

I am a homeowner in the Scarborough North riding in the City of Toronto and I am simply sharing my anecdotal observations based on door-to-door engagement of residents through Rising Sun Food Drive Foundation. Most recently, I was tasked with returning a bag of mail that had been accidentally included in a resident's donation of non-perishable food items. I knocked on the door with a 50% expectation that someone would answer. I was masked and I am a short person, which I figured would work in my favour. My optimism was rewarded—someone opened the door. I said hello and briefly explained why I was on his doorstep. He smiled and said he didn't speak English very well, which usually results in the visitor concluding the conversation and leaving. However, I was determined not to return home with this bag of mail. Based on my experience as a teacher of English language learners, I spoke at a measured pace and concisely re-explained why I was on his doorstep. I continued to smile, held up the bag, pulled out an envelope and showed him one of the letters. Realizing that I wasn't giving up that easily, he called to his housemate to come and assist. His housemate's English was stronger and he eventually understood why I was on their doorstep. He explained that the mail belonged to the downstairs tenants and that they weren't home at the moment, but he would give them the mail. He was very appreciative that I had made the effort to return their mail and I was happy that my mission was accomplished.

I share this experience to highlight the fact that my polite physical persistence meant I could not be ignored unlike a yellow census envelope written in a language not readily understood by the household's occupants.

MP Shaun Chen, MP Jean Yip, and others have no doubt already provided you with concrete data and statistics, but I can assure you that a high percentage of our residents will not respond to the census especially if it is not in a language they can readily understand. Further to this, it is commonplace in our riding for 2-3 families to live in what was designed to be a single-family residence so it is reasonable to estimate that approximately 6-8 people are not accounted for every home that does not respond to the census. In addition, the most recent census was taken during the time of COVID-19 when the usual translation services and other in-person supports were limited or unavailable. Educating communities about the importance of completing the census is ongoing in all communities, but is additionally challenging due to language and past experiences with intrusive governments.

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,

Sandra Mills

Sandra Mills