October 2019 E-Newsletter

Published on October 04, 2019

A Message From The Desk of Your MPP

With fall sneaking in and children set into their school routine, I hope everyone has settled well into their new normal routine. I am sure by now you all must have started drinking your pumpkin spice lattes and started wearing your boots and jackets with winter just around the corner. However, as temperatures start to dip, the festivities in the upcoming months are going to warm our hearts. October marks the start of the festive season and I know that from the start of October until we hit the New Year, every Canadian will be partaking in some sort of celebration.

Tomorrow, our office will start our festivities with our 2nd Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon. This year, our signature event will be at 7895 Tranmere Drive, Unit 7 in Mississauga from 1pm onwards. Please join us by registering at https://www.deepakanand.ca/thanksgivingluncheon.

For Canadians the month of October has traditionally been the month of the harvest, when all the crops are collected before the cold winter air blows in. In gratitude for all that we receive during harvest, we always have a celebratory meal together called Thanksgiving. I am also thankful for many things. I am thankful to be able to live in a country that respects the rights and freedoms of every individual, I am thankful for the wonderful and diverse community I live in and I am thankful for the wonderful family I have.

Thanks to all the interactions I have had with my neighbours, I have learned about many different harvesting and thanksgiving celebrations that exist around the world. In Japan, the harvesting celebration is known as Kinrō Kansha no Hi. In East Asia, it is known as the mid-autumn festival. In the Indian subcontinent, there are numerous harvesting festivals such as Pongal, Lohri, Makar Sakranti and Onam. In the Middle East, the harvesting season is celebrated as Sukko. One common thing with all these festivals is creating good memories and better bonds with the family, friends and the community.

We hope to hear some great stories tomorrow about how your culture celebrates the harvesting season. We would like to remind you that our office is always open for everyone and we hope you do not hesitate to contact us for any help.

This is the best time of the year to hug your family and say thank you to them for everything they have done for you.

Sincerely,

Queen's Park Update

Project Now: Focusing on Child and Youth Suicide Prevention

“By building the right supports within a community, we can ensure that our children and youth have early access to connected care and services before they hit a crisis point”

On World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10, I was pleased to join my fellow Mississauga MPPs at Mississauga YMCA to hear the Minister of Health, the Minister of Education, and the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services announce the investment of $3 million over three years in a new mental health initiative called Project Now.

Project Now is a cross-sector partnership that will improve access to mental health services in schools, hospitals and community-based agencies. This funding will support suicide prevention and mental health initiatives led by core partners, including Trillium Health Partners, the Region of Peel, Peel District School Board, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, Peel Public Health and Peel Children’s Centre.

Ontario is committed to investing $3.8 billion over the next 10 years to develop and implement a comprehensive and connected mental health and addictions system.

Expanding Home & Community Care in Mississauga-Malton: Major Investments in Frontline Care Critical to Ending Hallway Health Care

“Mississauga-Malton is experiencing higher-than-average rates of patients receiving care in unconventional spaces. By investing in targeted partnerships between hospitals and home and community care providers in these regions, we can tackle the challenge of hallway health care head on to ensure patients are receiving the high-quality care they expect and deserve.”

The government has announced major investments to expand home and community care to help end hallway health care and build more capacity in communities across the province. This funding announcement involves $45 million in targeted innovative integrated care models intended to immediately support ending hallway health care in high-need areas. In addition, the government is also continuing to invest $63 million in existing integrated care models.

As part of this investment, Mississauga-Malton will receive over $600,000 to fund existing integrated care models.

New Childcare Spaces at Lancaster Public School

The Ministry of Education has given approval to Peel District School Board to tender up to $750,000 for an addition to Lancaster Public School (7425 Netherwood Rd, Malton). The new addition will accommodate 2 childcare rooms with 25 new childcare spaces, and is part of the province’s capital investment program to support students with better learning spaces.

Volunteer Service Awards 2019

I have always believed that community service is the most meaningful form of giving back. This is one of the reasons why I instituted the Mississauga-Malton Remarkable Citizens Award. And it is why I was so pleased to join the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sports on September 19 for the 2019 Volunteer Service Awards in Mississauga.

This year, more than 7,000 hardworking and dedicated individuals are being recognised through local Volunteer Service Awards ceremonies taking place in September through to November across the province.

I am especially proud of the 44 awardees from my riding, who are listed below:

Murad Ahmad - YMCA of Greater Toronto - Mississauga

Sumer Akbar - Association of Progressive Muslims of Ontario

Antoinette Allen - Services and Housing in the Province - Peel Youth Village

Isayah Alman - Victim Services of Peel

Alishbah Aslam - Ismaili Council for Ontario - Mississauga

Thaksha Balanathan - SCREEN of Peel Community Association

Maria Basco - Culture Philippines of Ontario

Franca Benati - MICBA Forum Italia Community Services

Remo Carpeneto - Air Cadet League of Canada - 789 Lt RH Gray Squadron Sponsoring Committee

John Cheung - Scouts Canada - 1st Mississauga Scout Group

Andrea Crowley - Living Arts Centre - Front of House

Patience Dave-Odigie - MICBA Forum Italia Community Services

Jessie del Rosario - Culture Philippines of Ontario

Gurwinderjit Dhaliwal - Scouts Canada - Mississauga Area

Yuan Ding - Mississauga Mandarin Association

Elio Donatucci - Lakeshore Lodge

Edna Dontoh - YMCA of Greater Toronto - Mississauga Employment and Community

Rita Hataria - Trillium Health Partners - Credit Valley Hospital

Patricia Hope - Workplace Safety and Prevention Services - Event Volunteers

Zaid Jamaleddine - MICBA Forum Italia Community Services

Suruthi Jesenthiran - Sillalai Social and Cultural Association of Canada

Flora Jin - Living Arts Centre - Gallery & Information Desk

Agnieszka Jurzysta - Polish Teachers Association - Mississauga

Linden King - Mississauga Arts Council

Gary Kuang - Mississauga Board Chinese Professionals & Business

Tarah Kuang - Mississauga Board Chinese Professionals & Business

Terry Kuang - Mississauga Board Chinese Professionals & Business

Karen Lee - Scouts Canada - Mississauga Area

Danny Ma - North Hamilton Community Health Centre

Sara MacDermid - Region of Peel - Public Health

Derek Mak - Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care – Mississauga

Veronica Miranda - Mississauga Food Bank

Amy Moorehead - Hamilton Health Sciences - McMaster Children's Hospital

Januston Nicholas - SCREEN of Peel Community Association

Faiz Patel - Ismaili Council for Ontario - Mississauga

Velnathan Sabaratnam - SCREEN of Peel Community Association

Jeyarajah Saravanamuthu - Canada Kanthaswamy Temple Society (Scarborough)

Aamna Tahir - City of Mississauga - Community Services/Recreation/Training & Volunteers

Tammy Yee May Tam - Scarborough Senior Tamils' Association

Kapilan Vetharaniyaseyon - SCREEN of Peel Community Association

Alice Xian - Mississauga Board Chinese Professionals & Business

Edmund Kue Suen Yau - Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care – Mississauga

Salem Yousef - YMCA of Greater Toronto - Mississauga

Wenlian Zhang - Mississauga Mandarin Association

Finding Your Way - Supporting Seniors with Dementia

On September 18, I joined the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility and Minister of Long-Term Care at Malton Village Long-Term Care Home with representatives from the Alzheimer Society of Ontario to announce $600,000 for the Finding Your Way program.

Finding Your Way is a multicultural wandering prevention program, delivered by the Alzheimer Society, that provides practical tools and advice for individuals, caregivers and the community to recognize and reduce the risk of someone with dementia wandering and going missing, while supporting a quick, safe return should an incident occur.

This new funding will help to locate missing seniors living with dementia by working with police to promote Finding Your Way program resources in their communities, and by delivering seminars for individuals, caregivers and frontline officers that educate and promote awareness.

About 125,000 seniors in Ontario living with dementia are at risk of wandering and going missing each year.

Keeping our Commitment to a Clean Malton

The cleanliness of the area and pathway around the Malton Walmart has been a consistent concern. We have organised several Community Clean-up Days in that vicinity since that last year. Our aim has always been to have a positive and long-term fix, not a temporary change. We have been constantly working with the Fieldgate Properties to come up with a permanent solution.

I am pleased to announce that starting September, this area will be cleaned of debris by the property management thoroughly once per week. They will monitor this area once this weekly clean-up commences to decide whether it is necessary to place an additional waste container in this area. Thank you to Fieldgate Properties for their cooperation, as working together is always more effective.

We believe that this will make a huge impact and offer a more pleasant area for residents to walk through using the pathway.

If you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

Congratulations, Bianca Andreescu!

Congratulations to Bianca Andreescu on becoming the first Canadian to win a grand slam singles title after winning the U.S. Open!

Bianca Andreescu, defeated Serena Williams in straight sets on September 7 and won the singles Grand Slam title. Born and raised in Mississauga, Andreescu began her training as a teen at the Ontario Racquet Club. There will soon be a street named "Andreescu Way" in her honor. The street's sign was also unveiled at the She The North rally in Mississauga's Celebration Square, on September 15.

We are very proud of Bianca and wish her the best for the future.