Diana Chan McNally

8% voting for furries.

How Doug Ford made the drug problem on the TTC worse If we want to see less public drug use and people sheltering on transit, we must begin by reopening and expanding supervised consumption sites and by addressing housing unaffordability.

My latest for @thestar.com. Increasing surveillance and extending police powers doesn’t solve homelessness or drug use on transit — it merely opens up the broader public to arbitrary punishment, including the potential for jail time and $10,000 fines. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Ryan is 18 and homeless in Toronto. As with 1 in 10 homeless people in the city, he went through the child welfare system first Roughly 10 per cent of Toronto’s homeless population, as of a 2024 street needs assessment, spent time as children in foster care or group homes.

I was briefly a ward of Children's Aid. I'm lucky enough to have found stability before I aged out of the system, but too many young people don't find that support — especially to find housing — before the system cuts them off, effectively putting them on the street. www.thestar.com/news/gta/rya...

Aw, thank you, pal! Karaoke any time.

$2B Gardiner rehabilitation, FIFA contract, permanently closing cooling centres, massive cuts to social services, bleeding out millions in shelter hotel contracts, announcing "water fountains are open!" because they weren't because low tax city.

A few things I will remember John Tory for:

Violent, militarized encampment evictions.

Undermining local democracy by requesting 'Strong Mayor' powers from Doug Ford.

The failure of SmartTrack and the closure of the Scarborough LRT.

Denying shelter to refugees.

Brothers.

Proudly declaring he's started a global conflict based on a lack of evidence, just an opinion.

Why do you keep liking your own posts.

It's already illegal to openly use drugs on public transit. What
Premier Ford is proposing is to give powers reserved for police to untrained transit constables to profile, detain, arrest, and fine you if you "look like someone who uses drugs" — which in the context of Bill 6 means homeless people.

Lol

Ford Government Looks To Take More Control Of Science Centre, Public Health Real Estate New legislation tabled by the Ontario government on Thursday looks to give the Province more control over the real estate assets of several organizations, including the Ontario Science Centre and Publ...

Ford seized realty control of:

The Ontario Science Centre, Public Health Ontario, Ontario Health, Niagara Escarpment Commission, McMichael, Metropolitan Toronto Convention Centre, Ottawa Convention Centre, the ROM, Science North, and the Algonquin Forestry Authority.

storeys.com/ontario-gove...

Ford says Toronto has ‘one of the worst’ convention centres in the world, teases billion dollar rebuild - Toronto | Globalnews.ca Doug Ford complained Toronto currently has 'one of the worst convention centres anywhere in the world' and hinted he wanted to overhaul and potentially expand it.

In 2023, Premier Ford seized realty control of the Metropolitan Toronto Convention Centre and other entities, including the ROM and the McMichael.

Ford is a realtor pouring money into projects the public never asked for while slashing healthcare and education.

globalnews.ca/news/1170842...

Again, WHOM. You seem to want homeless people off the TTC, but also understand that social services do not exist for them. So your solution is to trust the law "won't be too harsh," without also understanding that people who do not even use drugs are vulnerable under this proposal.

Again, removal of whom, and to where? There is nothing more dangerous than complying with legislation because you "trust" that it won't be applied as harshly as it's literally written.

Think about what you just wrote and why "suspected" is an issue, and why someone "suspected" of drug use may not comply. There's no burden of evidence needed here — only the biases of the enforcer. Moreover, if you want to see less public drug use, join me in fighting for consumption sites, housing.

Sadly, the argument very few people understand, let alone what Charter rights even are.

Doug Ford wants TTC officers to crack down on drug users. Why some say that’s a bad idea The provincial government is exploring a move that would grant greater authority to the city’s specialized transit peace officers

Do you know why this is dangerous? Because this law states that you can be jailed for six months, fined $10K, or both if you are merely *suspected* of having or using drugs. People will absolutely be profiled — and not just homeless people. www.thestar.com/news/gta/dou...

Actual spit-take.

If you agree, you can let the Ford government know by submitting comments on these proposed regulations (deadline March 1): www.regulatoryregistry.gov.on.ca/proposal/53233

Ontario could give TTC special constables new powers to arrest drug users on transit | CBC News Ontario is considering changes to legislation that could give special constables new powers to arrest people using drugs on public transit — a move constables say needs to come with an increased abili...

I spoke to CBC about proposed regulations on Bill 6. Bluntly put, I am vehemently opposed to criminalizing people on the TTC suspected of using drugs. While the law is aimed at homeless people, what does someone who uses drugs look like? This is a recipe for profiling. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Happy Lunar New Year!

To literally say "Happy New Year" in Cantonese, we say "sun nin fai lok (新年快乐)!" — just don't judge my terrible pronunciation too harshly!

And, of course, a happy Losar to all of my Tibetan friends.

I wish everyone a peaceful year full of rest and joy.

In 2019, Premier Ford substantially cut OSAP grants and axed the interest-free six-month grace period before graduates had to repay OSAP loans. He's again limiting grants as well as vastly increasing loans — a recipe for massive student debt, to begin being repaid immediately post-graduation.

Thanks for having me!

‘Undignified’ lack of personal hygiene products for the homeless tackled in city budget talks Drop-ins say they lack the funds needed to readily supply the homeless with tampons, pads and adult diapers.

Here's how I won this funding in 2022. www.thestar.com/news/gta/und...

In 2022, I won $185K in the municipal budget under former Mayor John Tory to make menstrual and incontinence supplies free for homeless people unable to access shelter space. This proposed $100K increase for this initiative, to be built into the 2026 budget, will help to meet the real need.

And yet the Ford government will take over multiple school boards on the premise that they have mismanaged their finances.

We need to talk about infinitely expanding police budgets and accountability.

Well, it's my birthday today — yes, Groundhog Day. And as your designated human-groundhog hybrid — just look at that wily hair — I am putting you on notice that it's going to be an early spring! Congratulations, everyone!

There is no reasonable, humane argument for creating systematic barriers for some of the most vulnerable people who need and deserve health care. Not even a sound fiscal argument. It's just cruelty.