What kind of City do you want Toronto to be? Exercise your voting rights! 

Help to shape Toronto’s future on the issues that matter the most to you! 

In order to vote in the 2023 by-election for mayor, you must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, and either residents of Toronto or non-residents who own or rent property in the city.

Early voting will end on Tuesday, June 13. During the advance voting period (June 8 to 13), eligible voters can vote at any voting location in the city from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Monday, June 26 is the official election day. You can vote at the designated location in your ward from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Visit the MyVote website to find useful information such as voting locations, verifications and identifications, the list of candidates, wards and maps, etc.

Save the date! Sunday, June 25, 2023 - join us for ‘Community Fun Day’ in the Junction’s Malta Park

This free event will be held in the Junction’s Malta Park (3179 Dundas West - accessible from Dundas West or St John's Road) from 12:00 (noon) to 4:00 pm.

Hosted by the Junction Resident’s Association (JRA), the 2nd Annual Community Fun Day features: a BBQ, children's activities, face painting and live entertainment (for kids: Twinkles the Clown & The Monkey Bunch and for adults: Grey Swans & Just Sax). The JRA is expecting between 100 to 200 people! Don’t miss out on the fun!

The local Stone Soup Network for Windermere in Junction High Park (SSN-WJHP) will be part of the fun! We plan to have a table with activities so that we can meet people, parents and kids in the community! 

We are looking for a number of volunteers, willing to volunteer in person in the park, so that we can get the word out about the local activities of Stone Soup Network (SSN) and build community connections.

If you are interested in volunteering, please send an email with your contact information and interests to Lisa Jayne, Co-chair of WJHP. Please be aware that your information will be shared with SSN-WJHP Volunteer Recruitment Working Group members.

Announcing the Amalgamation of Windermere United Church and Runnymede United Church 

It’s a match! On April 23, 2023 the congregation of Windermere United Church (WUC) voted to amalgamate with Runnymede United Church (RUC),  just north of Bloor Street on Runnymede Avenue. And on May 14, 2023, Runnymede United Church (RUC) voted to amalgamate with Windermere United Church (WUC).  The plan is that the two churches will be fully amalgamated by June 1, 2023.

How will this affect the Junction High Park (neighbourhood) Stone Soup Network? 

The amalgamation agreement between the two congregations is clear: "The local Stone Soup Network (SSN) is an important element of the outreach of Windermere and will be considered as part of the outreach and engagement of Runnymede upon amalgamation". There is a lot of detailed work that needs to be done while this transition is made without the help of a Neighbourhood Director. Current operations of the neighbourhood SSN program are temporarily on pause until the amalgamation is complete. Stay tuned for more information!

If you have any pressing questions for Stone Soup Network or Windermere United Church, please send an email to [email protected].

New Adventures Ahead for SSN Founder, Rev. Alexa Gilmour

Rev. Alexa Gilmour, the Stone Soup National Director and SSN founder, is pursuing new adventures! SSN was founded at Windermere as a local neighbourhood project. Building on the success of the WUC/Junction High Park project, SSN took on a ‘national’ focus, seeking to support the development of ‘pots of Stone Soups’ in other neighbourhoods. WUC decided, in 2021, to separate the national and neighbourhood activities, hoping that the national operations would find a home elsewhere. Unfortunately, despite best efforts by many, this did not come to fruition. As of April 30, 2023, the Stone Soup Network (‘National’) ceased its activities. Alexa’s legacy will continue, as she built many relationships and devoted many years and many late nights to the Stone Soup Network. She’ll be announcing her next justice-based project in the coming weeks. Be sure to follow her on social media!

Stone Soup Network receives the Toronto Community Champion Award

Stone Soup Network received the Toronto Community Champion Award on March 20th in recognition of its’ extraordinary leadership in supporting residents and communities through the COVID pandemic, one of the most unprecedented times we have experienced in recent history. Nominations for the award were launched by Mayor John Tory in December 2022 as part of the Stronger TOgether initiative. 

It is a privilege for us to receive such an honour and the award reflects the dedication and passion of our staff, volunteers, local partners and donors for helping our neighbours. During the pandemic, Stone Soup Network (SSN) provided $140,000 in goods and services to people in need locally, partnered with Bhutila Karpoche, MPP Parkdale-High Park, to bring 16,000 N95 masks to food banks, seniors and support agencies, and provided $104,000 in direct aid to 107 Swansea Mews families who had to be evacuated from their Toronto Community Housing units when a ceiling collapsed.

Our 2023 Contributors

In 2022, SSN distributed over 170 items, worth $71,097 via vouchers from the webstore. We thank our many partner businesses for helping so many during a difficult time!