• If you are a homebound person receiving care through a Primary Care Provider, Family Health Team, Home or Community Care or Community Support Services or Agencies, please contact your provider to learn whether they are able to offer in-home vaccination. Many teams are beginning to organize or being supported to offer in-home vaccination and will begin to reach out to their patients and/or clients in the coming weeks. If your provider is not able to offer at-home vaccination, they will place your name onto a list for at-home vaccination.
• If you are a homebound person who does not have a Primary Care Provider, Family Health Team, Home or Community Care or Community Support Services, please contact the Toronto Seniors Helpline. The Toronto Seniors Helpline will be available to support homebound people who are 18-65 years old, as well as seniors. They can be contacted at 416-217-2077 or by web chat following instruction at https://torontoseniorshelpline.ca/web-chat/

To rapidly expand screening and ease pressures on hospital emergency departments, a number of dedicated COVID-19 testing centres have been established across Toronto. Please click here to learn more about who should visit these centres and where they are located. 

To review the daily status of cases in Toronto from Toronto Public Health, please click here. Kindly note that the data shown here may differ from other sources, as data are extracted at different times.

Please click here to view Federal news releases regarding COVID-19.

Please click here to view Provincial news releases regarding COVID-19.

Please click here to view City of Toronto press releases regarding COVID-19.

The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed. The new COVID-19 variants of concern may spread more easily. It is more important than ever to carefully follow these public health practices:

• Limit trips outside the home only for essentials. Such as shopping for food, health care visits, walking the dog, outdoor exercise, going to school, child care or work.
• Do not visit friends or family in other households, even if you live in the same building.
• Connect with friends and family by phone, social media or online.
• Home care, support workers, and emergency repair persons are permitted.
• People living alone may join one other household for companionship.

Remember to:

• Stay home if you are feeling unwell, even with mild symptoms
• Keep two metres distance from people you don’t live with
• Wear a mask when entering indoor public spaces and outdoors when you can’t keep a physical distance
• Wash your hands often or use alcohol-based sanitizer
• Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands
• Cover your cough or sneeze with your elbow or a tissue
• Clean and disinfect high touched objects and surfaces
• Download the COVID Alert app
• Do not travel outside of Ontario

Read the Dos and Don’ts guide for more information about what is expected. Please click here to visit the City of Toronto’s website and learn more about how to say safe, including information on physical distancing, face masks, food safety, and safe sex during COVID-19.

Safe and Physically Distant Cycling Resources 

Cycle Toronto, in collaboration with Toronto Public Health, has produced an online resource regarding cycling in the time of COVID-19. Please click here to read important information on how to ride safely during the pandemic. 

Emergency Services
Call If You’re Having Difficulty Breathing or Experiencing Other Severe Symptoms
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 911

Telehealth Ontario
Call If You Develop Symptoms
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 1-866-797-0000

Toronto Public Health Hotline
8:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Telephone: 416-338-7600
TTY: 416-392-0658
Email: PublicHealth@toronto.ca

311 Toronto
Outside City limits: 416-392-2489
Call if You Have Questions About City Services.
Telephone: 311
TTY: 416-338-0889
Email: 311@toronto.ca

211 Toronto
Helpline and Online Database of Ontario’s Community and Social Services
Telephone: 211
TTY:1-888-340-1001
Text: 21166
Email: 211@toronto.ca

Toronto Seniors Helpline
Interpretation Services Available
Mon-Fri: 9:00am-8:00pm
Sat-Sun-Statutory Holidays-9:00am-6:00pm
Telephone: 416-217-2077
Long Distance: 1-877-621-2077

Gerstein Crisis Centre
Adults 16+ Experiencing Mental Health & Substance Abuse
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 416-929-5200

Distress Centre of GTA
Anyone in Distress or Need of Emotional Support
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 416-408-4357
Text: 45645

Connex Ontario
Addiction, Mental Health & Problem Gambling
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 1-866-531-2600
https://www.connexontario.ca/

Kids Help Phone
Free & Confidential Counselling for Youth
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone:1-800-668-6868

Toronto Emergency Central Intake for Shelters
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 416-338-4766
Email: cfi@toronto.ca
https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/housing-shelter/

Grocery Gateway
Order Groceries Online from Longos
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 1-877-447-8778
https://www.grocerygateway.com/store/groceryGateway/en/

Instacart
Order Groceries Online
24 hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 1-888-246-7822
https://www.instacart.com/

Inabuggy
Order Groceries Online
24-hours, 7 days a week
Telephone: 1-844-41-BUGGY (28449)
Email: support@inabuggy.com
https://www.inabuggy.com/

COVID-19 Youth Mental Health Resource Hub
Before the pandemic, we were advocating together for programs to help our youth. Now, during the COVID-19 crisis, we want our community’s youth to get through this physically, and mentally, well. Here’s a helpful COVID-19 Youth Mental Health Resource Hub that youth can access virtually.

Unison Health Telephone Counselling and Support

For the safety of community members and our clients and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Unison Health is now offering the following services over the phone:

 mental health counselling: Call Amanda Costa, Mental Health OutreachWorker at 416-645-7575 ext. 2050 or send an email to amanda.costa@unisonhcs.org

 help to apply for income benefits, such as CERB: Call 416-787-1661 ext. 3240, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm Leave a voice mail message with your name and phone number.

 help to get food: Call 416-787-1661 ext. 3341, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm Leave a voice mail message with your name and phone number.

If you are worried, sad, or scared, you are not alone. Unison’s counsellors are here to help you. Connect with Unison by using one of the phone numbers listed above. Someone will return your call as soon as possible. Note: staff are working from home and your call may be returned from a blocked number.

Shoppers Drug Mart 841 (Open 24 hours)

2345 Yonge Street
416-487-5411
https://www.shoppersdrugmart.ca/covid19

Address: 200 Eglinton Avenue West

(View map of clinic location within North Toronto Memorial Community Centre).

Accessibility: This clinic location is accessible.

Parking: Parking is available on site. Be mindful of your appointment time, and only arrive shortly before your appointment and depart directly after your appointment.

A list of City of Toronto immunization clinics can be found here.

UHN OpenLab’s Friendly Neighbour Hotline:

University Health Network’s OpenLab is helping vulnerable seniors—the group most at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic—by mobilizing volunteers to deliver groceries and other household essentials. The service gives priority to seniors living in low-income housing.

Due to the need for social distancing, many seniors face challenges with picking up essentials like groceries. These challenges are made worse by the new reality of having to wait in long lines at some stores, which may not be possible for frail seniors, and which brings a higher risk of contracting COVID-19.

Many seniors, particularly those with low-income, do not have digital access or are unable to go online or afford the added fees for delivery services.

Since this initiative was first announced on March 13, 2020, close to 600 volunteers have stepped forward to offer assistance to the thousands of seniors living in low-income housing across the city. Together, we operate the Friendly Neighbour Hotline, a single phone number seniors living in low-income housing in Toronto can call, connected to a network of volunteers throughout the city who can help with picking up groceries and household essentials during this difficult time.

Volunteers are ordinary Torontonians who want to help. All volunteers have been vetted. Vetting includes a review of government-issued ID (e.g. driver’s license, passport) and two references, one of which must be from work, school or another volunteer organization. Those who have passed the vetting process attend mandatory online training before they can assist vulnerable seniors.

The UHN OpenLab team has established the processes and procedures of the operation, and consulted with City officials, collaborators, and seniors themselves to ensure a coordinated, effective and safe response. The team has long-standing relationships and projects looking at creative ways to support seniors to live independently in Toronto’s vertical communities. This has allowed UHN OpenLab to get organized very quickly, and to go live with the service in just a week.

The Friendly Neighbour Hotline went live on Monday, March 23. Currently, it is only serving Toronto seniors who live in low-income housing. The toll-free Hotline is available in 180 languages.

1-855-581-9580
________________________________________________________________________________________

SPRINT Senior Care

SPRINT began caring for seniors and enabling seniors to care for themselves in 1983. They continue to do so today as an accredited, not-for-profit community support service agency in Toronto by offering a wide range of practical and low-cost services to seniors and their caregivers. Due to COVID-19, there have been a number of program and service changes. Please click here to learn more.

If you’re a senior and interested in grocery delivery, Meals on Wheels food service or security and wellness checks, please call 416-481-0069 ext. 1225 or review this flyer.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Wellness Together Canada E-Portal 

Wellness Together Canada is an innovative joint venture between Canadian mental health leaders to offer a full range of mental health support to people of all ages in every part of Canada. The program connects Canadians to peer support workers, social workers, psychologists, and other professionals for confidential chat sessions or phone calls, and will make it easier to find credible information and help address mental health and substance use issues. It is available in both English and French as an online portal/website and can be accessed at wellnesstogether.ca. Wellness Together Canada is funded by Health Canada.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Feeling Lonely? We Care About You:

During the COVID-19 crisis, and even during “normal times”, too many seniors are isolated. I’ve organized a team of caring volunteers who are ready to reach out to seniors in our community who feel lonely. Please feel very welcome to post this notice in your building or street. For a printable version, please click here.

Canadian Red Cross Food Delivery

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Helpful Housing Information

Social Planning Toronto has created a helpful tool on their COVIDHelpTO page with information on how to get help for a variety of different housing situations. For more information, please click here.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Stop’s COVID-19 Plan:

We’re at a critical time for the containment of COVID–19 (Coronavirus).

The Stop Community Food Centre will be shifting its resources away from community programming and towards emergency food access services starting Monday, March 16.

Our first and foremost priority is to protect the health and well-being of all Stop community members, staff, and volunteers.

We will continue to provide essential food access services to our community in an adjusted form at our main location at 1884 Davenport Road:

• The Stop’s Food Bank will run Mondays and Fridays, 12pm-3pm.

• The Drop-in will no longer serve seated meals. Instead, we will serve takeaway meals on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, 9am-10am for breakfast, 12pm-1pm for lunch

• The Stop’s Community Advocacy Office will no longer hold in-person office hours, but Community Advocates are able to provide information, support, and referrals via phone. Monday-Friday 10am-2pm (416) 652-7867 x243

Please note: the following Stop programs and services are suspended until further notice:

• Healthy Beginnings (general program, Food Bank still open)
• Community Kitchens
• The Stop’s Wychwood Open Door
• Income Tax Clinic
• The Stop’s Urban Agriculture programming, including Youth Programs and the Mashkikii;aki’ing Medicine Wheel Garden
• The Stop’s Farmers’ Market

If you are in need of immediate food access and are experiencing symptoms of Coronavirus, or have come in contact with someone with symptoms, please do not visit The Stop. Instead, please ask a friend or family member to do so for you.

Questions? Please contact our general line: 416-652-7867, or email general@thestop.org.

If you would like to support our work, monetary donations are the most efficient way. They allow us to purchase the exact items we need on short notice. We also have purchasing relationships with farmers, stores, and suppliers, so we can buy items at a lower price than retail customers. You can make a donation here.

If you’d prefer to donate items, that’s great too! Currently, we’re seeking baby supplies (wipes, diapers, and formula. Size 3-4 are our most requested diaper sizes, but we would take anything!) unused personal care products (like hand sanitizer, shampoo, menstrual products, deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, disposable razors, etc) and clean takeout containers with lids. These can be dropped off at 1884 Davenport Road, Monday-Friday 9am-11am and 1pm-3pm.

We all must do our part to contain any spread and mitigate the effects of Coronavirus—both physically and mentally—on our staff, volunteers, and community members.

To keep our workplace healthy throughout this period, our staff and volunteers are following stringent precautionary measures such as frequent hand washing, continually sterilizing our work environments, use of rubber gloves, and social distancing. The Stop is also providing extended, paid sick days and work-from-home arrangements to our employees upon request, no questions asked.

Yet for so many of our community members, these arrangements are completely inaccessible.

To isolate yourself, you need adequate housing.
To take a sick day, you need to know you’ll get to keep your job.
To stockpile food and supplies, you need to be able to afford these essentials in the first place.

In times like these, vulnerable community members need our support the most.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

COVID-19 Youth Mental Health Resource Hub

Before the pandemic, we were advocating together for programs to help our youth. Now, during the COVID-19 crisis, we want our community’s youth to get through this physically, and mentally, well. Here’s a helpful COVID-19 Youth Mental Health Resource Hub that youth can access virtually.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Unison Health Telephone Counselling and Support

For the safety of community members and our clients and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Unison Health is now offering the following services over the phone:

 mental health counselling: Call Amanda Costa, Mental Health OutreachWorker at 416-645-7575 ext. 2050 or send an email to amanda.costa@unisonhcs.org

 help to apply for income benefits, such as CERB: Call 416-787-1661 ext. 3240, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm Leave a voice mail message with your name and phone number.

 help to get food: Call 416-787-1661 ext. 3341, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5pm Leave a voice mail message with your name and phone number.

If you are worried, sad, or scared, you are not alone. Unison’s counsellors are here to help you. Connect with Unison by using one of the phone numbers listed above. Someone will return your call as soon as possible. Note: staff are working from home and your call may be returned from a blocked number.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Good Neighbour Project

Are you someone in isolation, elderly, a single parent or person living with a disability that requires delivery assistance for supplies, and groceries with no one to help? A task force of volunteers with the Good Neighbour Project are on standby to offer you assistance. Please call 647-873-2230 between 8:00am-8:00pm daily or visit their website here.
________________________________________________________________________________________

TakeCare19

TakeCare19 is a collection of crowd-sources, accessible, free/low-cost and inclusive mental health resources to help people cope during COVID-19. A variety of resources on mindfulness, exercise, work, therapy, community and more are available. Please feel very welcome to explore their website here.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Chatting to Wellness

Chatting to Wellness connects youth and seniors to sit and chat. This initiative helps to combat isolation and loneliness, while improving the mental health of seniors. In normal times, Chatting to Wellness brings youth on a weekly basis to retirement homes to engage with residents, however, due to COVID-19, volunteers will be chatting with seniors every weekday night between 6:00pm-9:00pm. For more details, please click here.​

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do You Live Between Christie/Ossington & Dupont/Davenport?

Hello neighbour!  My name is Caitlin, and I live in the area between Christie/Ossington and Dupont/Davenport. Along with other neighbours, I’m reaching out because we know that Toronto’s efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will cause challenges for many of us, due to school and work closures, illness, quarantines, or social distancing. We want to connect with our neighbours so we can communicate, share resources and information, and support each other with any needs that come up.

Let us know if there is anything you need help with now –  errands, supplies, groceries, picking up medication, or anything else. We will do our best to help, or connect you to someone who can. Contact me by email at MelitaCrescentToronto@gmail.com or call/text at 647-393-8742.

If you would like to be part of this mutual support network, let us know:
1.    How we should contact you to follow up (email, call, text, social media)
2.    How you can help (shopping, hosting online gatherings, coordinating the network, etc)

Even though we can’t gather in person, we can still come together as a community!
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Legal Aid

• Pro Bono Ontario: free legal assistance offered to low-income Ontarians through their Free Legal Advice Hotline (1-855-255-7256)
  

________________________________________________________________________________________________

211 Toronto

211 Toronto connects people living in the GTA to over 4,000 programs and social services such as financial help, employment services, mental health, home care, housing, shelters, food and childcare. It offers a 24/7 confidential service in 150 languages, including online, text and chat services.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

As COVID-19 (coronavirus) continues to spread globally, be on the lookout for associated scams. Fraudsters want to profit from consumers’ fears, uncertainties and misinformation. Please click here for detailed examples of COVID-19 fraud and information on how to protect yourself. 

Book a Ride to and from Your Vaccination Appointment:

1. Book your vaccination appointment at a clinic locationthat is in your area of the city.
2. Contact the transportation program in your area to arrange for a ride to and from your appointment. Appointments should be booked no later than 48 hours before your appointment time. Availability is limited and rides are not guaranteed.

• If you live in north Toronto, visit iRide or call 1-844-474-3301. iRide boundaries for vaccine clinics are:
  • John St. to the north
  • Clair Ave West to the south
  • Dufferin St./Allen to the west
  • Don Valley Parkway to the east.
• If you live in central Toronto or Etobicoke, visit Toronto Ride or call 416-481-5250.Toronto Ride boundaries for vaccine clinics are:
  • highway 401 to the north
  • the Lake to the south
  • Etobicoke Creek / Highway 427 to the west
  • Victoria Park to the east.
  • areas within Etobicoke that are outside the above listed boundaries

A support person or family member can accompany you on the ride, if needed.

Note that transportation vehicles are not accessible and clients should be able to step into the vehicles (with assistance). There will be approximately one hour between drop off at the vaccination clinic and pick up after the appointment.

Transportation is delivered through a collaborative network of City and Ministry of Health funded community not-for-profit agencies that provide rides to vaccination clinics such as City-run immunization clinics, hospitals or pharmacies.

OSDP and Ontario Works

People who receive social assistance may be eligible for medical transportation funds to help cover costs of travel to receive their COVID-19 vaccination. Social assistance recipients should contact their caseworker to access transportation funds they may be eligible for.

Uber Canada and TTC Support

Uber Canada has made a generous donation of voucher codes for individual rides.

Starting April 6, these vouchers will be distributed to a network of partner community organizations to provide to people who have no transportation options, live in communities with high rates of COVID-19, who have challenges travelling to be vaccinated, as well as for some people with disabilities. Uber Canada vouchers are limited and are not guaranteed.

The TTC is working with the City to distribute 15,000 TTC ride vouchers through a network of partner community agencies across Toronto to provide to people who cannot afford transit fare, with no-cost rides to and from vaccination sites starting in April.

Wheel-Trans Rides to City Immunization Clinics

Existing Wheel-Trans customers can book rides to and from their vaccine appointments by calling Wheel-Trans Reservations at 416-393-4222, seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. or online at the Wheel-Trans Self-Booking .

Customers who qualify for Wheel-Trans service, and would like to arrange a trip to and from their vaccination, can apply by calling Wheel-Trans Customer Service at 416-393-4111, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Wheel-trans will be reaching out to its approximately 26,000 customers regarding this initiative via email blast, a bulletin on its booking website and a recorded message on its Customer Service line.

There is a limited supply of vaccines available in Ontario at this time. The provincial government has a three phase plan to distribute vaccines, starting with people who are vulnerable to severe illness and death from COVID-19 and certain prioritized populations.

As more vaccines arrive, the vaccination program is expanded. The Province’s vaccination program is in Phase 1. Details about Phase 2  and Phase 3  timing, who is eligible and the status of completed vaccinations  for Ontario is on the Province’s website.

To keep up-to-date on vaccine eligibility, please check out the Province’s webpage and/or this comprehensive Reddit page.

The City of Toronto has created a Family Wellbeing Plan which helps to support those that may be experiencing domestic violence and/or child abuse during this time. The best resource for services and supports is the City of Toronto Webpage, which can be found here: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care/health-programs-advice/violence-at-home/.

On this page you will be able to find a few things:

1. Agencies that are available 24/7 (and virtually) that can support those experiencing intimate partner violence or child abuse. It lists all of their contact information as well as links to their respective organization’s website
2. Links to resources around legal support, housing, shelter, mental health, and financial support for those that are leaving their abusive situation
3. Information and strategies for how to identify if intimate partner violence is taking place, safety tips, and ways you can support if you know someone that is experiencing abuse.

Please note that options in other languages are available by clicking the “Translate” button at the bottom of the page.