Durham police are appealing to the public for information after unidentified people shouted racial slurs, drew a swastika and exposed themselves during a City of Pickering Zoom meeting on Wednesday. 

Internal Trade Minister Anita Anand informed the provinces Friday that Ottawa will remove more than half of federal internal trade barriers in a move to make Canada less reliant on the U.S., according to a senior federal government source.

Less than a week out from election day, the Ontario NDP and Liberals released their full list of campaign promises with price tags attached on Friday.

The Detroit-Windsor Tunnel will be closed for the Annual Emergency Response Exercise on Sunday, February 23 from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Windsor Fire and Rescue, Essex-Windsor EMS, Windsor Police Services, Canada Border Services Agency, along with Detroit Police, CBP, Detroit Fire and Homeland Security will be taking part in the exercise.

The Tunnel will reopen at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Image: Government of Canada

The post Detroit-Windsor Tunnel To Close For Annual Emergency Response Exercise appeared first on Kingsville Times.

Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, a lower-city riding stretching east from Hamilton’s industrial sector to past Fifty Road in the west, was an Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) stronghold for years until the 2022 election, when it went to the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.

Bradley Strickler has been sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole for 25 years for the murder of Sandy Gauthier, police say.

Ottawa police allege a 45-year-old woman fatally stabbed a man early Wednesday morning just east of the city's core.

A Niagara Police drug investigation that had been going on for a few months resulted in a major drug seizure and the arrest of two Hamilton men.

During the investigation, detectives discovered that a male residing in Hamilton was traveling to Niagara to distribute illegal drugs.

On Wednesday, arrested two males after observing several suspected drug deals throughout the Niagara Region.

Then the next day detectives executed a search warrant on a Hamilton and seized the following:

977.9 grams of suspected Fentanyl and Carfentanil (value $110,000)

193.3 of suspected cocaine and crack cocaine (value $19,000)

36.8 grams of crystal methamphetamine (value $1,000)

166 pills of suspected MDMA (value $1660)

285 tablets of Percocet (Value $1,425)

$10,639 in Canadian currency

Patrick Benson (36 years) of Hamilton has been arrested and charged with a string of drug charges as well as possession of ammunition contrary to a prohibition order.

Caolan Faulkner (48 years) of Stoney Creek also faces a number of drug charges.

Faulkner was released on a Form 10 Undertaking with a future court date. Benson was held in custody and is scheduled to appear in court today.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact detectives at 905-688-4111, dial option #3, extension #1009667. Members of the public who wish to provide information anonymously are encouraged to contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara online or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). 

The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) has observed a significant increase in cases of influenza reported within the region. To date in 2025, the WECHU received more than double the number of reported cases of influenza compared to this time last year.

The health unit is reminding residents that respiratory illness season is ongoing and there is still time to protect yourselves and those around you. The WECHU is working closely with local hospitals who have seen a significant rise in Emergency Department (ED) visits for respiratory illnesses.

In this regard, hospitals are also reminding residents with non-emergency concerns to consider whether the ED is the best option for them. Additional options such as Health811, virtual care clinics, or walk-in clinics may be able to provide the appropriate level of care without the need to access the ED, more information on these options can be found on the Windsor Regional Hospital and Erie Shores HealthCare websites.

Getting vaccinated for flu, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are the best ways to prevent serious illness and avoid hospital visits. In Ontario, the flu vaccine is free for people who live, work, or study in the province.

Residents are encouraged to contact their healthcare provider or local pharmacy about getting the flu shot if they have not been vaccinated. In addition, publicly funded doses of COVID-19 & RSV vaccines are also available to eligible individuals.

Along with staying up to date with vaccinations, the health unit is reminding residents to stay home when they are feeling unwell and to wear a mask until 10 days from symptom onset, to wear a mask in crowded or indoor places especially if you are at higher risk of infection, to wash hands frequently, to cover coughs and sneezes, and regularly clean high touch surfaces.

For more information on vaccination and ways to help prevent illness, visit wechu.org.

“At Erie Shores HealthCare, we have taken proactive steps to manage the increased demand for care, including expanding our capacity by utilizing unconventional treatment spaces, utilizing the Mobile Medical Clinic on-site, and ensuring our healthcare teams are equipped to respond efficiently. While Emergency Department volumes remain high, we want to assure the community that those experiencing a medical emergency should not hesitate to seek care by visiting their nearest emergency department or calling 911. Patients are always seen based on the severity of their condition to ensure that those in urgent need receive timely treatment.”
Kristin Kennedy
President and Chief Executive Officer
Erie Shores HealthCare

“The general public’s cooperation and assistance is critical during this heightened flu season. In addition to getting vaccinated, I encourage everyone to practice good hygiene, consider wearing a mask while at the hospital, stay home if you are sick and try to limit the number of visitors if you are a family member is hospitalized. For our part, HDGH opened surge beds in September and more in January for a total of 25 unfunded beds to assist in alleviating the pressures being experienced throughout the regional hospital system.”
Bill Marra
President and Chief Executive Officer
Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare

“Windsor Regional Hospital continues to experience high volumes during the current flu season. We have specific visitor restrictions in place for our paediatric and neo-natal intensive care units as well as other visitor guidelines which can be found here: https://www.wrh.on.ca/VisitingHours.

“We encourage residents with non-emergency concerns to continue to check out alternatives to the Emergency Department such as those found here: https://www.wrh.on.ca/ED-Alternatives. For emergent issues as always please come to the Emergency Department or call 911.  Our ED wait times can be found at: https://www.wrh.on.ca/EmergencyWaitTimes.

“Please continue to follow the advice of WECHU and all our hospital partners by taking precautions to reduce the spread of viruses this season.”

Karen Riddell
Acting President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Nursing Executive
Windsor Regional Hospital

“The WECHU is working closely with our hospital partners to monitor influenza rates and outbreaks across the region. During this particularly challenging influenza season it is critically important that all residents take precautions to keep themselves safe. First and foremost, this involves getting vaccinated if you have not already done so. Taking additional measures to protect our most vulnerable residents like older adults, and those with chronic conditions will also help to limit the spread and prevent ED visits and hospitalizations.”
Dr. Ken Blanchette
Chief Executive Officer
Windsor-Essex County Health Unit

The post Increase in Local Influenza Cases: Community Urged to Take Precautions appeared first on Kingsville Times.

TOWN OF KINGSVILLE
REGULAR MEETING OF COUNCIL
AGENDA

Monday, February 24, 2025
6:00 – 10:00 PM
Unico Community Centre
37 Beech Street Kingsville, ON
N9Y 1A9

The Agenda for the Council meeting is available on our website. View the meeting via Livestream at the time of the proceedings at https://www.kingsville.ca/livestream

Please contact the Clerk at [email protected] for information pertaining to this agenda or to arrange for any additional accessibility needs.

Event Details

Agenda (PDF):
Agenda Package – Regular Council Meeting_Feb24_2025.pdf

Agenda (HTML): 
https://kingsville-pub.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=b590f5f3-b728-4b4e-b660-ed1cc31032bd&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English

To receive agendas, planning notices and other town news in your email inbox, subscribe here:
https://subscribe.kingsville.ca/Subscribe

The post February 24 Kingsville Town Council Meeting Agenda Is Online appeared first on Kingsville Times.

Canadians across the country celebrated Connor McDavid’s game-winning goal against the United States Thursday night in the 4 Nations Face-Off final. CBC’s Clara Pasieka has reaction from fans in the GTA.

Warden urges support for local businesses in light of U.S. threats

Warden Hilda MacDonald in her remarks at the start of Wednesday’s Essex County Council meeting applauded and encouraged support for local businesses and all companies that have invested in the Essex-Windsor region.

“The County of Essex and the rest of Canada are in uncertain times as we face tariff threats and unmerited taunting by the U.S. president and his administration,” the warden said.

She thanked the federal and provincial governments for making Canada’s case to U.S. officials and making plans to respond.

“It is heartening to see Canadians showing national pride and wanting to buy products that are made here,” MacDonald said. “We need that kind of spirit to boost morale and boost our local economy as we go forward.”

She urged strong support for all entrepreneurs and businesses contributing to the regional economy.

“More than ever, we must be solid, stable partners who will work with local companies of all sizes, stand by them and purchase their products,” the warden said. “Let’s keep showing the world our doors are open and that businesses that come to Essex County and Windsor are supported so they can flourish and grow.”

On behalf of all council members, MacDonald acknowledged the passing of former Essex County councillor James Edward MacPherson and extended condolences to his family. MacPherson was mayor of the Town of Essex from 1985 to 1991 and also served as reeve and deputy reeve.

The Bridge’s tiny home community evolving

Representatives of the Bridge Youth Resource Centre in Leamington gave council an update on the non-profit organization’s tiny home community project, which will see the construction of 38 housing units.

The project has received zoning and site plan approvals and recently secured a building permit. About $100,0000 in development charges were waived by the Municipality of Leamington and a private donor invested $2 million. Engineering services, site services and a construction company have been lined up and they are just awaiting final electrical costs.

The initiative is backed by a $2 million investment from the County of Essex, funded from the 2024 and 2025 Budgets. Krista Rempel, executive director of the Bridge Youth Resource Centre, told Essex County Council its investment was leveraged by the Bridge to secure additional capital funds.

“Your investment specifically was pivotal to us securing additional capital funds,” Rempel told council.

Report on councillors’ 2024 remuneration presented

Council received a summary of remuneration paid in 2024 to councillors, as well as members of boards and committees. They are paid under the authority of By-law 2024-27 and the Council and Committee Remuneration Policy.

Tax ratios for 2025 set

Council passed a by-law setting the tax policy and levy ratios for 2025 that contains no major changes from last year.

Council approved continuing with the Essex County Tax Assistance Program for Low-Income Seniors and Low-Income Persons with disabilities and the Essex County Charity tax Rebate Program. Councillors were also provided with a background report about the 2025 tax policy discussions held with representatives of the seven local municipalities.

Costs and benefits of annual credit rating evaluation reviewed

A report to council reviews the costs and benefits of the annual credit rating evaluation the County of Essex pays S&P Global to conduct.

The annual cost of the evaluation, which has been done for the past 24 years, has increased steadily to $28,000 in 2024. While the county’s good credit rating doesn’t generally affect borrowing rates for local municipalities, it helps the county get the best possible rates when it borrows. It also provides access to valuable resources and insights, says the report.

“The County’s debt levels, while currently low, are anticipated to increase in the near future,” adds the report. “Growth pressures combined with a lack of provincial grant funding will require a greater reliance on debt to meet capital related expansion needs.”

Auditing firm appointed for next five years

KPMG LLP has been appointed to audit County of Essex finances for the next five years, and the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA) board will be asked for its approval at an upcoming meeting.

The firm was hired to audit the county’s finances over the past five years, including those of the Essex County Library, Sun Parlor Home and the county’s share of the EWSWA. The price has increased significantly but is fair given inflationary pressures, says a report.

Council updated on building renovations

Council received a report summarizing renovations done to the almost 50-year-old County of Essex Administration Building.

Starting in 2011, the work has included: renovating council chambers; upgrading mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems; upgrading the exterior of the building; and renovating the majority of the office space on the main and second floors.

Second floor meeting rooms are currently being renovated. Still to be updated are lobbies on the main and second floors, as well as office spaces occupied by the Essex County Library and tenant agencies.

Council rescinds cut to Invest WindsorEssex

Council voted to rescind a resolution passed during 2025 Budget deliberations and restored its funding to Invest WindsorEssex to $1.12 million.

Deputy Warden Joe Bachetti, who initially voted to cut the development agency’s funding by 15 per cent, made the motions to rescind the decision and restore the county’s funding to the requested level.

Council stipulated that Invest WindsorEssex complete its strategic plan in 2025.

Council urges removal of interprovincial trade barriers

Council passed a resolution calling on the provincial and federal governments to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers to ensure that items produced in the County of Essex can be moved freely across the country.

County to assess viability of a ‘buy Canadian’ strategy

At council’s request, the County of Essex will examine the viability of a “buy Canadian” procurement strategy, which will include defining what is Canadian content and how to determine the percentage of Canadian content.

Image by websubs from Pixabay

The post County Council Highlights for Feb. 19, 2025 appeared first on Kingsville Times.

The Hamilton Mountain riding is up for grabs after the NDP MPP announced last fall she wouldn't seek re-election. 

THE GREEN LINE
DOCUMENTERS NOTES

Artists vs Affordability: How Toronto Plans to Keep Creatives in the City

Drawing from her experience dedicating co-op housing units to artists in Don Summerville and Riverdale, coun. Paula Fletcher asked the Toronto Music Advisory Committee to endorse affordable housing for creatives.

Artscape’s residential building on West Queen West was the first legally zoned artist live/work space in Toronto.
: Google Maps Street View.

Sebastian Tansil

Caring mastermind who loves spending quality time with friends and family. Empathetic and precise economist by training. Loves amber yellow as it reminds him of people dearest to him.

Feb. 19, 2025

These city meeting notes are part of Documenters Canada. Learn more about our program here. 

We’ve all heard of the struggling artist trope. But how are Torontonian artists truly navigating the city’s cost-of-living crisis?

A Toronto Arts Council report found that creatives are struggling to afford living expenses, especially housing, in our city. What’s more, according to census data, the median personal income for artists in Ontario was $29,600 back in 2021. 

Last year, hundreds of artists feared losing their affordable housing units when Artscape, the non-profit operating their buildings, entered receivership. On Feb. 6, the City of Toronto, with funding from the Government of Canada, announced it will preserve affordable housing for 390 tenants across 14 Artscape properties. 

Earlier this week, Councillor Paula Fletcher shared a letter with the Toronto Music Advisory Committee highlighting how she was able to add artist-designated affordable co-op housing units in Riverdale and in Don Summerville. Drawing from this experience, she asked the committee to support a motion for the city to provide more affordable housing for workers in the arts, film, television and culture sector.

The Toronto Music Advisory Committee discussed her proposal on Feb. 18.

Heela Omarkhail, a member of the Toronto Music Advisory Committee’s Affordable Housing Task Team, said that the committee is interviewing multiple stakeholders, including Toronto’s Housing Secretariat, to determine the best set of tools to create more affordable housing for artists.

Coun. Paula Fletcher, Toronto-Danforth ward, said that the City Council is looking to build a priority list for affordable housing— with a particular attention to sector-specific housing needs. She acknowledged that artists need housing support. "We want to keep local artists in the city," she added. 

What were the results of the discussions?

The Toronto Music Advisory Committee requested to be involved in the development of the Choice Based Housing Access System, which is a new application system being developed for affordable housing in the city.

The committee also recommended that the Housing Secretariat designate art, television, film and culture workers as a priority group within this system.

Fact-Check Yourself

Sources and
further reading

Don't take our word for it —
check our sources for yourself.

City of Toronto

City of Toronto protects affordable housing and Propeller Art Gallery at 38 Abell St. for former Artscape tenants and their families

City of Toronto

Paula Fletcher Letter to Toronto Music Advisory Committee

City of Toronto

Affordable Housing for Workers in the Arts, Film, Television and Culture Sector

Canada Council for the Arts

Concentration of Artists in Canada

Hill Strategies

Artists in Ontario in 2021

Artscape

Artscape Receivership Update

Sign up for newsletter updates on Documenters Canada, a civic journalism initiative aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in local government. We recruit, train and pay community members like you to attend and document public meetings, like City Council meetings.

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The post Artists vs Affordability: How Toronto Plans to Keep Creatives in the City appeared first on The Green Line.

The Town of Kingsville is dedicated to expanding our recreational programs. See what’s happening in Kingsville the week of February 24, 2025.

Monday, February 24

• Drop-In Indoor Pickleball – 7:30 am to 1:00 pm – Kingsville Arena
• Adult Skate – 9:00 am to 9:50 am – Kingsville Arena
• Sweat and Shine! – 9:30 am to 10:15 am – Kingsville Arena
• Shinny – 10:00 am to 10:50 am – Kingsville Arena
• Home School Skate – 12:00 pm to 12:50 pm – Kingsville Arena
• Home School Shinny – 1:00 pm to 1:50 pm – Kingsville Arena
• Tai Chi All Levels – 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm – Lakeside Park Pavilion

Tuesday, February 25

• Senior Shinny – 8:00 am to 8:50 am – Kingsville Arena
• Parent and Tot Skate – 9:00 am to 9:50 am – Kingsville Arena
• Drop-In Parents & Tots (10 Months – 4 Years) – 9:30 am to 12:00 pm – Kingsville Arena
• Chair Exercise and Stretch – 9:30 am to 10:15 am – Kingsville Arena
• Creative 55+ Art Class – 10:30 am to 12:30 pm – Carnegie Arts & Visitor Centre – Registration Required
• Little Ninjas (4-5 Years) – 4:30 pm to 5:15 pm – Kingsville Arena – Registration Required
• Little Ninjas (6-8 Years) – 5:30 pm to 6:15 pm – Kingsville Arena – Registration Required

Wednesday, February 26

• Drop-In Indoor Pickleball – 7:30 am to 1:00 pm – Kingsville Arena
• FUNctional FITness – 8:00 am to 8:45 am – Kingsville Arena
• Adult Skate – 9:00 am to 9:50 am – Kingsville Arena
• Shinny – 10:00 am to 10:50 am – Kingsville Arena
• Home School Skate – 12:00 pm to 12:50 pm – Kingsville Arena
• Home School Shinny – 1:00 pm to 1:50 pm – Kingsville Arena
• Public Skating – 3:00 pm to 4:20 pm – Kingsville Arena
• Little Athletes (ages 7 to 10) – 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm – Kingsville Arena
• Kingsville Painters Guild – 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm – Grovedale Arts and Culture Centre

Thursday, February 27 – All Drop-in Programs Cancelled due to Advanced Polls

• Drop-In Indoor Pickleball – 7:30 am to 12:00 pm (CANCELLED)
• Drop-In Indoor Badminton – 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm (CANCELLED)
• Public Skating – 3:00 pm to 4:20 pm – Kingsville Arena
• Drop-In Corn Hole Toss – 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm – Kingsville Arena (CANCELLED)
• Board Game Café – 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm – Grovedale Arts and Culture Centre

Friday, February 28 – Parents Night Out

• Drop-In Indoor Pickleball – 7:30 am to 12:00 pm – Kingsville Arena
• Adult Skate – 9:00 am to 9:50 am – Kingsville Arena
• Shinny – 10:00 am to 10:50 am – Kingsville Arena
• Parent and Tot Skate – 11:00 am to 11:50 am – Kingsville Arena
• Home School Skate – 12:00 pm to 12:50 pm – Kingsville Arena
• Home School Shinny – 1:00 pm to 1:50 pm – Kingsville Arena
• Parents Night Out: Under the Sea – 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm – Kingsville Arena

Saturday, March 1

• Little Dancers (4-5 Years) – 9:00 am to 9:45 am – Kingsville Arena – Registration Required
• Little Dancers (6-7 Years) – 10:00 am to 10:45 am – Kingsville Arena – Registration Required
• Gymnastics Beginner (Parents and Tots) – 9:30 am to 10:15 am – Kingsville Arena – Registration Required
• Gymnastics Beginner (2-3 Years) – 10:30 am to 11:15 am – Kingsville Arena – Registration Required
• Gymnastics Beginner (4-6 Years) – 11:30 am to 12:30 pm – Kingsville Arena – Registration Required
• Public Skating – 4:30 pm to 6:10 pm – Kingsville Arena

Sunday, March 2

• Drop-In Parents & Tots (10 Months to 6 Years) – 10:00 am to 12:00 pm – Kingsville Arena: Auditorium A

Visit our online recreation portal at Kingsville Click and Play to register and to see specific details (such as fees). Drop-in programs do not require registration.

Explore Kingsville’s Community Calendar to discover more events hosted by various groups in the area. We can’t wait to welcome you next week!

The post Recreation Update — Week of February 24 appeared first on Kingsville Times.

Members of London's Sudanese community say although they're relieved Ottawa has reopened a program that would allow them to bring their relatives stuck in the war zone to safety in Canada, they want clarity on how long it will take for their active applications to be processed.

Provincial police in Oxford County are investigating a two-vehicle crash that killed one driver and sent another to hospital late Thursday night east of London.  

Public safety made its way into the campaign spotlight this week, with the major party leaders sparring over Ontario's court system and several of the province's largest police unions taking the rare step of publicly endorsing the PCs.

Farhi Holdings Corp. and London Community Foundation say they're working together to find non-profits groups who may be interested in buying one or more of the former's downtown properties to turn into housing.

The Hamilton Police Service Board has approved a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the homicide of Alexander Circiumaru. The decision was made at the Board’s February 2025 meeting in an effort to advance the investigation.

Circiumaru was killed on March 6, 2024, in front of 119 King Street West. He was walking on the sidewalk near the Ellen Fairclough Building when a single male shooter jumped out of a car and shot several times before returning to the car and fleeing westbound on King Street West.  The vehicle was last seen continuing westbound in the area of King Street West and Queen Street North. Video footage from the area captured a suspect dressed in black clothing with a hood over his head, gloves, and a facemask. Investigators also recovered a Black Honda Civic believed to be connected to the incident in the city’s East End. It was one of several brazen shootings in downtown Hamilton in 2024 that led to the establishment of a special shooting response team.

Police believe there are individuals with crucial information about Circiumaru’s death and are urging them to come forward. At the time of the incident, Circiumaru’s family issued a heartfelt appeal for witnesses to assist police in their search for justice.

Anyone with any information that could assist police with the investigation into this crime are asked to contact Detective Andrew Grant by calling 905-546-3874.

To provide information anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit anonymous tips online at http://www.crimestoppershamilton.com 

Even when a one-of-a-kind program is supporting over 100 rural women experiencing intimate partner violence, it’s still hard to find the money to keep it running, says the head of Hamilton’s Interval House.

Doug Ford’s Highway 401 tunnel has gone from a surprise announcement to a full on re-election pledge — and according to one expert’s cost estimate, it could be a near $100 billion promise.

Ken Rekowski suffered a traumatic brain injury when his car went off the road during bad weather. He's never been unable to find suitable permanent care and remains in a hospital bed in Renfrew, Ont., a decade and a half after the crash.

Lisa McLeod's provincial Nepean-area riding will have a new MPP. Voters talk about what matters to them.

Calum Elliot paid the city $189 to park on his street this month, but the snowbanks are so formidable that he has to pay again to park elsewhere.

THE GREEN LINE
ORIGINAL STORY

How can neighbourhoods get better health care? Check out these tips from Black Creek’s innovative on-the-road approach

The Green Line team visited Black Creek Community Health Centre to learn how its innovative solutions, the Wheels to Wellness van and Community Ambassadors program, take health care straight to residents' doorsteps.

Dr. Mar Lyn, low-density population health manager at the Black Creek Community Health Centre, stands by the Wheels to Wellness mobile health unit at Jane Street and Wilson Avenue.
: Amanda Seraphina/The Green Line.

Amanda Seraphina James Rajakumar

Indian immigrant with a post-grad in journalism from Centennial College. Now living in Grange Park, meeting new people, and hearing different stories. Has four names, so it’s a pick-your-player situation.

 

Feb. 21, 2025

Going to the hospital can be intimidating or even scary for some, so how do these Torontonians get the care they need?

The Black Creek Community Health Centre is taking a different approach to health care, going beyond the walls of its facility and into neighbourhood streets.

Black Creek is one of Toronto’s 31 Neighbourhood Improvement Areas (NIAs), which are given priority status for funding because they lack sufficient social infrastructure. A tool that’s used to determine this status is the Neighbourhood Equity Index, which evaluates neighbourhoods based on economic opportunities, social development, participation in decision-making, physical surroundings and healthy lives.

Black Creek scored the lowest of all Toronto neighbourhoods in the city’s Neighbourhood Equity Index. Simply put, low equity can look like higher unemployment, fewer high school graduations, lack of community spaces and declining health.

The characteristics of a low-equity neighbourhood, according to the City of Toronto.
: Paul Zwambag for The Green Line.

That’s why the Black Creek Community Health Centre is taking health care beyond its physical headquarters to provide services to locals in the immediate neighbourhood.

Tamanah Sultani, a health promoter at the centre, says there are stigmas in Black Creek against vaccines and medications, as well as doubts about the services it provides.

“That's what we try to help with. It’s to reduce those stigmas, and build a team that's very trustworthy and a team that the community recognizes — that they see on a daily basis, that live in the community,” she explains.

One of the centre’s newest tools is Wheels to Wellness, a mobile health unit equipped with blood-sugar and blood-pressure testing.

Dr. Mar Lyn, the centre’s low-density population health manager, drives the health care van through the streets of Black Creek, stopping at apartment complexes, parks and common community spaces to provide health checkups to local residents.

The Wheels to Wellness van parked outside of an apartment building at Jane Street and William Cragg Drive where the health centre regularly hosts a wellness clinic.
: Amanda Seraphina/The Green Line.

“The traditional approach to medicine has failed a certain group of people. They have not been able to get the access that they deserve because they're dealing with their immediate needs, which is food, clothing and shelter,” Lyn explains. “Oftentimes, those take precedence over their actual health.”

He adds that residents only attend to their health when they end up in an emergency room, at a very late stage, which ultimately costs Ontario’s health-care system thousands of dollars.

Dr. Mar Lyn socializes with residents while conducting health checkups at the Parrot Nest Family Restaurant (pictured left) and Yorkgate Mall (pictured right.)
: Black Creek Community Health Centre.

Especially when it comes to outside-of-the-box health care, Lyn emphasizes that it’s important to take a cultural approach because it helps vulnerable communities feel at ease with medical practitioners.

“Their guards are down and then you can speak to them in that sort of lingo or in terms of habits that they typically wouldn’t get when they go to one of the other places where people don’t identify with them — sometimes with food, religion, cultural life,” he says. “It makes a big difference.”

Wheels to Wellness isn’t the centre’s first innovation. In early 2019, it started a community ambassador program where health-care professionals trained local residents to share information about general health checkups with their neighbours.

Black Creek Community Health Centre, which is located at Jane Street and Wilson Avenue.
: Amanda Seraphina/The Green Line.

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, these ambassadors helped fight medical misinformation, and encouraged people who were unwilling or unable to visit Black Creek Community Health Centre to get the right care.

The centre also started a diabetes-focused coaching program. It targets Black Creek’s large African, Caribbean and Black population, who are at a higher risk of getting diabetes, according to a January 2025 study funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and Public Health Ontario (PHO).

Festus Eromi Paul, a health coach at Black Creek Community Health Centre, sits inside a wellness clinic at Jane Street and William Cragg Drive.
: Amanda Seraphina/The Green Line.

Health-care professionals trained 15 residents to be coaches, including Festus Eromi Paul who got connected to a dietician at the centre two years ago. The dietician monitored Paul’s food intake and activities for a year, which helped him reverse his diabetic condition.

“From what I've experienced practically, I did and it worked, so I just want to give back to the community. So that's why I joined to become a health coach,” he says.

As of last month, the centre made profiles for the health coaches on its website, and started contacting people at risk of getting diabetes, offering four months of coaching on healthy living to prevent the chronic disease.

Fact-Check Yourself

Sources and
further reading

Don't take our word for it —
check our sources for yourself.

Black Creek Community Health Centre

About Black creek Community Health Centre

City of Toronto

About Neighbourhood Improvement Areas

City of Toronto

2014: Neighbourhood Equity Index report

National Library of Medicine

2025: Research on diabetes in afro-carribean ancestory

Black Creek Community Health Centre

Diabetes Health Coaches

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The post How can neighbourhoods get better health care? Check out these tips from Black Creek’s innovative on-the-road approach appeared first on The Green Line.

Susanna Tapani scored on a breakaway with just 47 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Boston Fleet a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Charge in Professional Women's Hockey League action on Thursday night.

The post It’s Pancake Day! Shrove Tuesday At Epworth United Church appeared first on Kingsville Times.

Just before 6pm a heavy police presence gathered on the north side of Barton Street East near Victoria Avenue.

  At least 10 police cruisers were at the scene with EMS. Cruisers were still arriving at 5:40 pm.

   A group of up to 10 uniform police were gathered in the doorway of a building at the corner of  Barton Street and East Avenue. A body was visible in the doorway. Police were photographing the scene. 

  For many years the ground level storefront operated as a printing business. But it had been vacant for several months.

More to come….

As measles outbreaks rise in parts of Ontario, Peel Public Health is warning of a measles exposure at a Brampton clinic Sunday. The warning comes as the Ministry of Health says more than 90 cases of measles have been confirmed in southwestern Ontario since January.