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I hope this message finds you safe and warm. Winter has hit hard these past weeks, and global news has hit even harder.
Between the frigid temperatures and record snowfall, Toronto is still digging itself out from the largest winter storm in our city's history--and the snowiest January to boot!
It's been a challenge, but as always our community has pulled together: shoveling sidewalks for seniors, helping neighbours dig out cars and laneways, and bringing those in need to warming shelters. It's mutual care and generosity such as this that strengthens our communities and helps builds our resilience.
We see this in the example of our Minnesota neighbours, who have shown up bravely day after day in the depths of winter to protect their communities from the ICE threat. To stand against authoritarianism and white supremacy and try to help one another--as Renée Good and Alex Pretti heroically did--even to their very last breath.
American journalist Ana Marie Cox wrote last week on how Minnesota's longstanding tradition of mutual aid enabled its rapid mobilization against ICE--building the community connections, response networks and habits of helping that have been essential to their response. As she says, "truly resilient communities don’t arise out of an emergency. They come together before that through a thousand little acts on a regular basis."
So in the weeks and months ahead, let's keep coming together as a community, both in joyful times and times of hardship. Because it's these connections more than anything that will help us protect one another--and our democracy. Click on the video below for my further thoughts on events in the US, their connection to Ontario politics and what we can all be doing to better help our neighbours:
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