As the campaign for the June 2 Provincial Election begins, 10 faith groups in Beaches East York have come together to host a Candidates Meeting. The event will take place at The Church of the Resurrection at 1100 Woodbine Avenue. People can attend in person or on Zoom on Thursday May 12 at 7:00 p.m. by registering at www.therez.ca/election
The meeting will give people of faith and all citizens a chance to hear the ideas of the various candidates and political parties on how they would create strong and vibrant communities following the pandemic.
As people of faith we believe that we have a responsibility:
- to create a more just and equitable world,
- to care for one another … and for successive generations, and
- to protect the environment that we share.
These responsibilities inspire us to shape how we live in our community, how we value people who are vulnerable and how we tend to creation.
Our purpose is to hear how the different candidates would work to meet these responsibilities, if they are elected to represent us in the Provincial Legislature. There will be opportunities for participant to submit questions for the candidates at the meeting.
Our objective is not to instruct anyone on how to vote. We will leave it to the candidates to persuade each person.
This is the 4th Interfaith Candidates Meeting in Beaches East York in the past few years. Similar events have taken place during the last Provincial election and the past 2 Federal elections. The Beaches East York riding is between Coxwell Avenue and Victoria Park and extends from the lake all the way north to Sunrise Avenue.
Representatives of several Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities in the riding have endorsed the Candidates Meeting. Faith Groups involved directly in organizing the Candidates Meeting include:
Danforth Mennonite Church; Church of the Resurrection; St. Aidan’s Anglican Church; Kingston Road United Church; Calvary Baptist Church; Beach United Church; Kimbourne Park United Church; Beaches Presbyterian Church; Toronto United Mennonite Congregation; and Danforth Islamic Centre. Several other faith communities support the initiative but have not been available to help with the planning.
To register to attend the event in person at the Church of the Resurrection or on Zoom, go to www.therez.ca/election
People attending the event in person will be required to wear a mask; social distancing will be achieved by limiting attendance.
Please share the information about the event with members of your community and others that may be interested.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Paul Dowling
Animator for Social Justice
Beach United Church
