The Team
Liberals
in Toronto Centre can be proud of the fact that
it is represented by a large and active riding
association, which is overseen throughout the
year by the Association’s executive committee.
All members of the riding association are welcome
to participate in the Association’s activities
to help maintain a strong Liberal presence in
Toronto Centre as well as to assure victory in
th next provincial election.
One way to get involved in the activities of the
Toronto Centre Provincial Liberal Association
is to participate in one of the committees. Outlined
below are the seven core committees with a brief
description of their responsibilities. If you
would be interested in getting involved with any
of these committees, please contact us by email
at info@torontocentreliberals.com or write to:
Toronto Centre Provincial Liberal Association
P.O. Box 1113, Station F
Toronto, ON
M4Y 2L5
1. Membership Committee – Chair: To
be appointed
Mandate:
To establish and implement an innovative strategy
for recruiting and maintaining membership within
the Toronto Centre Provincial Liberal Association
and ensuring that their coordinates remain current.
2. Fundraising Committee – Chair: Ed Gamrot
Mandate:
To set targets that would ensure the Association
can carry out its local operations, maintain an
election readiness fund necessary to run and mount
an effective and successful election and meet
its financial obligations to the OLP.
3. Finance Committee – Chair and CFO:
Ralph Fernando
Mandate:
To assist the Treasurer to ensure compliance with
the requirements of regulatory laws relating to
the financial transactions of the Association
and ensure that financial records are audited
on a timely basis.
4. Communications Committee – Chair: Jason
Grier
Mandate:
To ensure that the membership and the community
are informed of the external and internal activities
of the Association and that media relations would
enable the dissemination of political news and
messages from the MPP and the Association.
5. Volunteer Committee – Chair: To
be appointed
Mandate:
To recruit member and non-member volunteers and
ensure their meaningful involvement into planned
needs of the Association by providing specific
training to execute its programme commitments.
6. Diversity Committee – Chair: Dunstan
James
Mandate:
To assure that the Association attracts involvement,
membership and interaction with the diverse communities,
neighbourhoods, agencies, organizations and associations
of the community and is informed of their current
needs and concerns.
7. Election Readiness Committee – Chair:
Ali Khan
Mandate:
To carry out preparatory activities imperative
for a credible and successful election campaign
and ensuring the Association maintains an active
community profile in the riding, helping once
again to form the government.
Message
from the President
The
past few months have been extraordinarily busy
and productive ones for the Toronto Centre Provincial
Liberal Association. The hard work and dedication
of all our many volunteers continues to set us
apart in the Ontario Liberal Party as we go about
telling our story about the power of liberalism.
As
always our M.P.P., George Smitherman, has led
by example through his truly tireless commitment
to our cause and that of Ontarians. In fact, as
many of you will know, George has recently had
added to his already significant responsibilities
as provincial representative of our extremely
diverse downtown Toronto Riding, and Minister
of Health and Long-Term Care – the government's
largest and most complex ministry, the great honour
of being named Deputy Premier.
This
appointment is no coincidence. It is recognition
that our Premier has long looked to George for
input, support and leadership on our party and
our government's priorities. It is recognition
also that George will be called upon as we move
forward - with an election only a year away -
to bring his significant energy and leadership
to our task to an even greater extent.
I
would like take this opportunity to highlight
the important role that we have, as members of
the TCR PLA, to not only support our M.P.P. in
his work, but to bring as much energy and passion
as he does to our duties on behalf of the association.
As those of you who attended the recent Ontario
Liberal Party AGM at the Sheraton in Toronto will
recall George's parting instruction to all of
us at the closing ceremonies. He said that we
must "work harder, be more passionate than
ever, speak to more people than you ever have
before, leave no stone unturned, knock on more
doors than ever." With this as our guiding
mantra, we can only succeed.
In
so many ways this association has already stepped
up to follow the example of our M.P.P. and to
support him as he represents our community in
the ways I have outlined above. Even a quick glance
at our association's accounts for the past 18
months – which can be found at http://www.electionsontario.on.ca/stats/05files/annual/ar1/05lib290ar1.htm
– will tell the story of the many great things
we have done.
As
an association we have donated over $25,000 to
charities in our community, some examples; Cabbagetown
Tenants Association, Canadians for Equal Marriage,
Christian Resource Centre, Forsythia Festival,
Hugh Garner Housing Co-op, Islamic Khadem Committee,
Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Youth Line, Moss Park Arena
(skating for youth), Moss Park Community Festival
and Aid Foundation, Multicultural Society for
Pakistani Canadians, Ontario Black History Society,
Ottawa Kids Triathlon, Regent Park Focus, Regent
Park Tamil Cultural Organization, Regent Park/Duke
of York Public School, Roland Rampage Run, Silayan
Community Center, St James Town Festival, St Lawrence
Neighborhood Association, Toronto East General
Hospital Foundation, and Tsunami Fundraiser (just
to name a few!).
We
have also built a new website at a cost of $4,000
(being launched in the second week of november
2006) and created a special $10,000 clothing allowance
to support for our high profile and hard working
M.P.P. More, we have hosted very successful project
profile weeks and are investing in our community;
we donated $1,000 to Wesley Community Center basketball
team, and our annual community BBQ had over 2,000
people attend. We were also active, and donated
to our friends in Toronto-Danforth and Parkdale
High Park in their attempts to elect more Liberals
to the Toronto team.
I
would like to thank each of you who have contributed
to our many successes as an association over the
past year. And I would ask you all to redouble
your efforts in the coming year, as we move ever
closer to the next election. Together there is
nothing we cannot accomplish.
Davies
Bagambiire
