Opening my Constituency Office

Dear friends and Parkdale-High Park residents,

I will be opening my new constituency office in April. It is located at 2849 Dundas St. West – just east of Keele St.

Mike Biliski and Cicely McWilliams are my Toronto staff and can be reached at 416-769-5072. They will be here to assist you while I am in Ottawa. They will be able to set up appointments to see me and respond to requests on issues affecting our riding. You can of course reach me by email at [email protected] or at [email protected].

I will host an Open House at my constituency office on Sunday April 23 from 12 noon to 3:00 p.m. This office opening coincides with Earth Day weekend, and that seems a perfect day to celebrate new priorities and new ideas for Parkdale-High Park and for Canada.

My second community outreach meeting took place on March 20 in Parkdale at the Masaryk Cowan Community Centre. It was a great success. Over the course of the evening over 100 people dropped by to share their views and opinions with me.

I was very impressed with the range of issues that were raised at the meeting:

• The war in Afghanistan was front and centre for many. There was genuine concern that more Canadian soldiers may be wounded or killed in this conflict.  
• The need for a national housing strategy and programs designed to build affordable housing were a top priority for many others at the meeting. Rents are too high and tenants cannot make ends meet. There was a strong concensus that we need a national housing plan, and we need to implement the 1% solution.
• Child care is a concern for many working families. They want the Harper government to support the national child care strategy negotiated during the last minority government.
• Other programs and services for women and children were also raised.
• Arts and cultural funding is critical to a significant number of area residents. I encouraged these people to work with me on initiatives to support this important sector. Let Mike or Cicely know if you would like to assist in this effort.
• Other important issues raised included: nuclear power, animal cruelty, access to trades and professions, and the recognition of foreign credentials. Many residents in Parkdale continued to be frustrated that they can not get their skills and degrees recognized in Canada.

Parkdale residents wanted to make sure I will continue to be engaged in local activities. I reassured them that I am very committed to participating in the daily life of communities across the riding.

The information I received on both March 20 and March 7 in Swansea will be very helpful to me. I will use it to inform my fellow New Democrats in Ottawa, as well as in my work in the House of Commons. I am getting ready for the opening of Parliament on April 3 and the Harper government’s speech from the throne. This will allow us all to see where this new Tory government is headed.

This post-election period has been very important. I have learned so much, and I am committed to reporting to you on a regular basis.

Thank you,

Peggy Nash, MP
Parkdale-High Park