Latest news with #SocialSharingToronto
CBC
18-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Liberal campaign volunteer wearing hijab says she was harassed and followed, Toronto police investigate
Social Sharing Toronto police are investigating after a Liberal campaign volunteer said she was harassed for wearing a hijab while door knocking and then followed down a street while walking away with other volunteers. The young woman was subjected to racial slurs and aggressive questions, and criticized by a resident for wearing a hijab on Wednesday in her first day as a volunteer, said Salma Zahid, Liberal candidate for Scarborough Centre-Don Valley East. Zahid said a male campaign volunteer who was next door intervened because he felt the woman might be attacked by the resident. A couple of other volunteers were also door knocking, and Zahid said the resident then followed the group for a few minutes. "It is really unfortunate and disturbing to see incidents like this," Zahid said in an interview with CBC Toronto on Friday. "Let's respect each other's views. It's OK to disagree, but incidents like this will only weaken our democratic process." In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday, Zahid said the volunteer was "very shaken" by the incident. Zahid said the volunteer has told her she will not go door knocking again. "I want to be clear that this sort of incident has no place in our community. We are a welcoming and diverse community where people from around the world have chosen to call home," Zahid said in the post. "Furthermore, as a woman who also wears the hijab, and was subjected to racist comments when I made this decision, I stand to be clear that no one — no government, no employer, no neighbour — has the right to tell a woman what she can and cannot choose to wear." Const. Cindy Chung, spokesperson for the Toronto Police Service, said a report about the incident was filed and the investigation is continuing. Chung provided no other details. On its website, the federal government says Islamophobia "includes racism, stereotypes, prejudice, fear or acts of hostility directed towards individual Muslims or followers of Islam in general." 'It's absolutely unacceptable,' advocacy group says Reem Sheet, spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), an advocacy and lobby organization, said on Friday the council has been hearing reports of hate on the campaign trail across the country against various political parties. Sheet said the council is concerned such incidents will discourage people from getting involved. "I mean, unfortunately, it really is everywhere and it's absolutely unacceptable," Sheet said. "It's so unfortunate that these volunteers are taking time out of their day to be a part of this election, and the reception they have been getting is just negative and sometimes even violent."
CBC
07-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Toronto food banks brace for the worst in the face of looming tariff threat
Social Sharing Toronto food banks – many of which are already struggling to meet demand – are expecting to see a significant increase in users if the threatened U.S. tariffs go ahead on April 2. Neil Hetherington, CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank, told CBC Toronto the non-profit was already expecting to spend $2.5 million more than originally budgeted to meet increased demand this year. And that's before factoring in any impact tariffs would have, he said. "Now you add on individuals who are going to lose their jobs, individuals who are not going to get those additional hours at their place of location and they are going to come to the food bank," Hetherington said. On Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump paused the tariffs on Canadian goods that briefly went into effect on March 4, which included 25 per cent levies on most Canadian goods and 10 per cent levies on oil and gas exports. The nearly month-long reprieve comes after weeks of back-and-forth from the administration in Washington, leaving local food banks preparing for worst-case scenarios in the days ahead. In retaliation, Canada originally slapped 25 per cent tariffs on $30 billion worth of American goods, and tariffs would be applied to another $125 billion worth after a three-week consultation period. If that should come to pass, Hetherington said, any revenue earned on counter-tariffs should be put to good use. "Let's make sure that that money is going directly back into social infrastructure," he said. "Like making sure that we're developing decent affordable housing across Canada so that this legacy at least be one where we have a stronger, more resilient Canada." Ryan Noble, executive director at North York Harvest Food Bank, agreed, adding that while food banks would be under additional strain because of the tariffs, the larger problems they face aren't new. Policy solutions needed, even without tariffs "We've been telling similar stories for years now," he told CBC Toronto. "We've allowed our social safety net to degrade … That story is not going to change until we see the types of policy solutions that are going to be required so that people have sufficient income to meet their basic needs." North York Harvest is also preparing for major impacts if the trade war is reignited. Specifically, Noble said he would expect a higher volume of users as well as a decrease in contributions as regular donors face rising daily costs. "And then our ability to fill in the void from that decrease in donations becomes more and more expensive," he said. Fiona Yeudall, an assistant professor at Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Nutrition, told CBC Toronto tariffs pose a threat to food security in general. "When people are stressed in terms of their income the food is the elastic portion," she said. "You start to eat food that you don't like as much or you reduce the quality. And if it gets really bad, you reduce the quantity. And the last people within any household who get reduced quantity are children. So if there's hungry children, there's hungry parents." Even before the tariffs came along, food insecurity was primarily an income issue and requires income-based solutions, Yeudall said. CERB-like program could help, says professor One tactic would be for the government to implement a similar strategy to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) rolled out during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, adding that learning from that program – what worked, what didn't – should be applied to any new approach. Solutions like this are essentially a form of universal basic income, Yeudall said.
CBC
27-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
Proposed Toronto budget would increase funds for school food programs by nearly $6M
Social Sharing Toronto's proposed 2025 budget would increase funding for school food programs by nearly $6 million, the city says. Mayor Olivia Chow, speaking at Islington Junior Middle School in Etobicoke Monday, said the increase in funding is needed because it would mean more children at a greater number of schools will receive healthy food daily. She said many residents are having trouble putting food on the table and school nutrition programs help to ensure student success. The proposed budget will boost funding from $19.3 million in 2024 to $25.2 million in 2025, an increase that will enable the food programs to feed an additional 21,500 children at 48 schools, according to the city. "Torontonians are struggling, groceries are more expensive, and for many, life is just not very affordable," Chow told reporters at the news conference. "We won't give up until every kid has access to a mid-morning meal by 2026 so children can focus on learning, not on their grumbling tummies. We know the impact of food. We know children can't learn when they are hungry. Having good food leads to stronger and healthier kids — better learning, grades go up, attendance goes up, happier kids and happier parents." In November, Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank released a report that showed that more than one in 10 Toronto residents rely on food banks. In 2024, there were 3.5 million visits to food banks, three times as many visits as before the pandemic. One in three food bank users are children, which means they are waking up hungry and dependent on food banks. In December, Chow declared food insecurity to be an emergency in the city following a motion passed by Toronto city council at its December meeting. The city will now integrate the declaration into its Poverty Reduction Strategy, Food Charter and School Food Program. According to the motion, the city will ask the province to increase funding immediately to existing school food programs. It will also ask it to increase funding for student nutrition to enable school food programs to expand to additional schools. The aim is to build a universal school food program, the motion says. Also, the city will ask the provincial and federal governments to address the causes of food insecurity by doing the following: Enhancing income security programs and indexing them to inflation. These include Employment Insurance, Old Age Security, Canada Child Benefit, Canada Disability Benefit, Ontario Works and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). Promoting decent work through secure, quality jobs, living wages and workplace benefits. Together with the city, investing in building and maintaining deeply affordable housing. Ontario's ministry of children, community and social services said in a statement on Monday that it invests $28.2 million in the Student Nutrition Program and $4.4 million in the First Nations Student Nutrition Program yearly, with additional funding coming from municipalities, corporate donations, industry associations and charities. "We continue to work across government to make life more affordable for Ontarians," the ministry said. The ministry said the federal government has announced it will make a new investment of $108.5 million over three years in Ontario's student nutrition programs. As for other measures, the ministry said the province has increased ODSP rates by 17 per cent since September 2022. The rates are tied to inflation, with increases happening each July. It has also increased the earnings exemption by 400 per cent for people on ODSP. Neethan Shan, chair of the Toronto District School Board, said the board, with the help of the Toronto Foundation for Student Success, supports 823 school and community based programs that provide 231,000 nutritious meals every single school day. "Proper nutrition is crucial for all of our students. Not only for their good health, they need proper nutrition for their academic success," Shan said. 'Declarations require action,' food bank CEO says Neil Hetherington, CEO of Toronto's Daily Bread Food Bank, said the provincial and federal governments need to do more about food insecurity. "What is happening in Toronto is obscene. There are more than one in 10 Torontonians who now have to make use of the Daily Bread Food Bank," he said. "In a city as wonderful as ours is, that shouldn't be the case." Hetherington said what is needed is affordable housing, appropriate income supports and a reduction in precarious employment to enable people to feed themselves.
