Toronto – Good morning.
I would like to begin by acknowledging that we are gathered on the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples. I am thrilled to be in Toronto —in my riding of University–Rosedale—at the beautiful Evergreen Brick Works, with Mayor Chow, Councillor Dianne Saxe, and Jennifer Angel, CEO of Evergreen.
This really is an event, an announcement, an investment for the whole City of Toronto, for the city we live in and we love. And it is also a great neighbourhood event, right now. I see lots of my constituents here. As I was riding over, I reflected on the fact that this is the second event Dianne and I have been at together over the past week, and the second event that the mayor and I have been at together over the past week. I think that shows how committed we all are to working together for our wonderful city.
As the local MP, I know how important and beloved the Brick Works is for the people of Toronto, for the families of Toronto.
From the great running trails to the Saturday farmers’ market, this is really the best place in our city to enjoy the beauty of Toronto’s ravines—something we are so fortunate to have here in our city.
It is also the best place to learn about the ravine system. There are fantastic programs here at the Brick Works to teach both children and adults about how to practice sustainability and how to keep our ravine system vibrant.
All of you are doing such important work here at the Brick Works. Having vibrant public spaces is such an important part of having a vibrant, healthy community that works and lives as a community. And this is one of the lungs, one of the hearts of our city.
Your work is so important, and our government is here to help you continue doing that important work.
I am truly excited to announce that the federal government is investing $2 million to rehabilitate the Ravine Centre.
This investment will go towards helping to lower energy consumption and emissions through upgrades that will cut the energy costs of the building in half. And this investment will help create a new Indigenous programming space right here at the Brick Works.
This space is more than a building—this is important community infrastructure. It is the social infrastructure that helps us not just live, but thrive. And it helps us have a place where we can live together. There was some research that came out this week that I found really sad, about how lonely and isolated we are. And that is something that can happen in a big city, and that’s something that COVID probably made worse.
Having beautiful, attractive, appealing public spaces that take us outside, like the Brick Works, is such an important part of combatting that loneliness and of bringing us together. Building more vibrant communities, like this one, is at the heart of our government’s economic plan. Toronto, our amazing city, is at the heart of our economic plan. That is why our government has and will continue to invest in Toronto—whether it’s building more housing, improving public transit, or investing in essential community spaces like the Brick Works.
By helping to make it more sustainable, our government is helping to ensure that the Brick Works can continue its educational work and become an even more treasured gathering space for the people of Toronto for generations to come.
Thank you very much.