Community Engagement in Thorncliffe Park

Emerging data has shown that COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted certain areas of the City. Last month, Toronto Public Health reported a 13.4% positivity rate in Thorncliffe Park.

In response to rising case numbers, local community organizations in Thorncliffe Park have quickly rolled-out a number of services and supports to help bolster testing efforts and curb the spread of the virus. This work comes in addition to the targeted strategies the City is implementing in neighbourhoods with a demonstrated need.

In partnership with the City, local hospitals, and other healthcare agencies, these community-based organizations have:

  • Launched a mobile testing facility;

  • Distributed thousands of face masks to local residents;

  • Supplied food for hundreds of at-risk families through regular food drives; and

  • Translated public health information into dozens of languages.

Last week, a group of community leaders launched a campaign called "We Are More Than a Community – We Are a Family" to celebrate the work being undertaken by local community members and grassroots organizations. Any Thorncliffe Park residents with a story to share about how the community has come together during the COVID-19 pandemic is invited to contact Shakhlo Sharipova at Sh2010sharipova@gmail.com.

It is encouraging and inspiring to see our communities mobilize in the face of an unprecedented challenge. As the local Councillor, I will continue to identify opportunities for the City to support these excellent, community-based initiatives.

Feature: East Toronto Health Partners
Since November, the East Toronto Health Partners (ETHP) have tested more than 2,200 local residents at their temporary testing facility in the Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood. This facility is just one of eight in East Toronto that ETHP has established to improve access to testing for local communities.

ETHP has also identified and coordinated COVID-19 testing in priority residential buildings. In addition, they provide other local, congregate settings with on-site infection prevention control measures, personal protective equipment (PPE) distribution, and staffing support.

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To improve the dissemination of key public health information in the Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park communities, ETHP has launched a COVID-19 awareness video campaign that features well-known community leaders sharing COVID-19 information in over a dozen languages, including Arabic, Urdu, and Mandarin.

For more information on the resources available from ETHP, please visit their website.

My sincere thanks to the ETHP team for all the excellent work they are doing in our communities.

Community SafetyJaye Robinsonthorncliffe park, COVID-19