Covid-19 Newsletter, 9 June 2020

Dear neighbours, 

If there were ever a time for us to come together as a single community, now is the time!  

 We are still offering community support to those who need assistance with necessities: 

NEED HELP??

• Groceries
• Drug store items or prescriptions
• Phone call check-ins

Click here to request assistance. Please provide contact information.

Work is progressing and things are being finished!

• Allan and Lakeshore intersection now open.
• New, more supportive and less onerous regulations for Restaurant Patios in place.

You can sign-up at https://www.oakville.ca/residents/lakeshore-newsletter-sign-up.html for weekly updates to the end of the project.

As a member of the We Love Oakville coalition, the TCRA is joining with other residents associations across Oakville to encourage our members to reach out and lend a helping hand to those who need us. Through the Oakville Community Foundation, there's a way to help agencies which continue to need our help but may not have been top of mind in our giving. 

The Foundation has created the We Love Oakville Fund as part of its Oakville Resiliency Fund The fund focuses on the charities that are on the front lines of helping the vulnerable populations in our community. If you are thinking of donating towards Covid-19 relief but are not sure where your money will do the most good, we recommend this fund. 100% of your gift will go to frontline charities, and charitable receipts will be issued for all donations of $20.00 and more.

 The Oakville Community Foundation is an organization that has taken a leading role in identifying the pressing needs of our local community and finding ways to address them. The Foundation is working collaboratively with the Halton Granters Roundtable, and other local Community Foundations to ensure resources are targeted and not duplicated. 

 The Foundation is also part of the Regional COVID Response Action Table, whose members include Halton Region Social Services, Housing and Public Health Departments, local municipalities, United Way and other agencies. 

Nosy Crow, a British children’s book publisher, has produced a book about Covid-19 Coronavirus just for children - and it’s available as a FREE download.  Axel Scheffler, illustrator of the award winning Gruffalo, and everyone else involved donated their time to produce it. Please share it amongst your friends so that it’s available to every family who needs it. 

 DOWNLOAD THE BOOK HERE 

Summer jobs for students are a priority for Council, which recently passed a motion calling on the Federal Government to support students and businesses by allowing post-secondary students to keep their Canada Student Benefit while completing a voluntary part time work placement.  (Click here for the May 29 newsletter from Councillors Janet Haslett-Theall and Dave Gittings for more details).  

Councillor Janet who co-sponsored the motion would be very grateful if you could take a minute to email an endorsement of the Town’s position to MP Anita Anand (anita.anand@parl.gc.ca), and copy MPP Stephen Crawford (stephen.crawford@pc.ola.org) . Here are some words you can use: 

Dear MP Anand

I support the recent Town of Oakville motion “Increasing Student Work Experience Opportunities”. In these challenging times our post secondary students and recent graduates need both work experience and financial aid. Please encourage your Cabinet colleagues to support this initiative.

Yours sincerely, etc. 

If customers can’t find it, it doesn’t exist. Clearly list and describe the services you offer. Also, be sure to showcase a premium service.

Our Downtown merchants desperately need our help. They are depending on us to continue shopping Downtown when we can. The Lakeshore Road reconstruction project has been very hard on them. It is on track for completion (click here for status) in time for Christmas shopping - which will be hugely important for Downtown this year. Covid-19 has been a calamity. However, many stores have put in place on-line offerings, home deliveries, and curb-side delivery. The Downtown BIA’s website has constantly updated details of their offerings: https://oakvilledowntown.com/2020/03/17/whats-open-and-closed-in-downtown-oakville/. 

 Wednesday, June 24, 2020, 7:30 – 8:30pm, Via ZOOM, meeting opens at 7:15pm 

The TCRA Annual General Meeting will take place electronically via ZOOM from 7:30pm to 8:30 pm on Wednesday, June 24, 2020. “Doors open” at 7:15pm.

Guests include 

• Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP), Stephen Crawford
• Oakville Mayor, Rob Burton
• Ward 3 Regional Councillor, Dave Gittings
• Ward 3 Town Councillor, Janet Haslett-Theall

Our guests will conduct a fireside chat on the topic of “Covid-19: current disruptions and recovery”.   If you would like them to address a specific question, please email your question to info@tcra.ca, subject TCRA AGM. 

Unfortunately, because of complications with managing security with electronic meetings (there have been hacking incidents!) we need to know in advance if you plan to attend the meeting.  Please email us at info@tcra.ca indicating that you will attend, and we will send you an email invitation with a LINK to the meeting. You do not have to have a Zoom account to attend it. You will be prompted to download the software, once you have clicked on the link that you have been provided. You may also wish to create a Zoom account, but that is not required to participate in a Zoom meeting. All you need is a smart phone, tablet or computer, and an Internet connection. Please click on the LINK between 7:15 and 7:30 pm on June 24th. This will ensure that the meeting will start on time. 

Many of you use the regular (face-to-face) Annual Meeting as an opportunity to sign-up for, or to renew, your TCRA membership.  As that will not be possible this year, if you are not yet a member, we encourage you to sign-up or renew now.  We depend on the $25 membership fee per household to fund TCRA’s work.  Click here to view and download a membership form with instructions for completion and payment.   

Only paid-up members (as of June 15, 2020) may vote on Annual General Meeting resolutions.  Voting will be by email ballot.  Results will be announced at the Annual Meeting.