Dear New Toronto Community,

We have noted with great regret the spread of significant misinformation about our church, our outreach, and our service to the New Toronto community.

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We understand that the challenges facing our neighbourhood, especially around homelessness, addiction, and safety, can cause deep concern and sometimes fear. These are complex and difficult realities, and they affect all of us. That’s why our approach is guided by both compassion and responsibility.

This city is in the midst of overlapping crises 

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We suffer from a housing crisis so severe that people recovering from major surgeries, including amputations, are sometimes discharged from hospitals directly into encampments. 

We suffer from a drug crisis where access to addiction treatment is often limited to those who can pay out of pocket for a recovery bed, while others are left on long waiting lists.

We suffer from a mental health crisis, where the need for compassionate, effective care far exceeds available resources.

But perhaps most of all, we face a crisis of meaning. Hope is scarce, inequality is growing, and our social bonds are strained. Our sense of community is fraying, and our media often profit from division rather than unity.

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How We Serve

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In this hurt and broken world, the Church does what it has always done: in the spirit of Jesus’s parable of the Good Samaritan, we feed the hungry, provide a community to the isolated, comfort to the sick, and solace to the dying and the bereaved. This church has been carrying out the mission of Jesus for almost 120 years in New Toronto.

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At St. Margaret’s, we have a service, usually a Eucharist, with music every Sunday morning at 10:30. We host a Bible study each Wednesday at 1:00pm and hold seasonal religious events. We provide services to seniors at Lakeshore Lodge. 

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We work with multiple partners to deliver daily drop-in meals for unhoused and precariously housed persons and people with disabilities. Together, we and our partners serve meals five days a week, including Sunday lunch and Monday dinner. We provide laundry machines, showers, and hygiene facilities for people without homes to go to. We offer a listening ear, a friendly voice, a respite from the cold or the heat, and a place of community, striving to affirm and uphold the dignity of every human being we encounter. That is what we promised to do as part of our baptism covenant.

Addressing the Misinformation

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You may have heard that we distribute harm reduction supplies. This is true. Our partners offer sterile equipment to reduce the spread of blood-borne illnesses like HIV and hepatitis C. This work is part of a public health strategy that protects everyone, especially those who may one day rely on a blood transfusion.

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You may have heard that we distribute drugs. This is categorically false. We do not provide drugs, nor do we condone drug dealing.

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You may have heard that we offer safe consumption services. We do not. We and our partners actively discourage drug use on our premises and work to prevent it.

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You may have heard that we are not a “real” church. This is false. We are an Anglican Church, in good standing with the Anglican Church of Canada and the Diocese of Toronto.

You may have heard we do not pay our taxes. This too is false. As a registered charity and religious institution, we comply fully with all legal and financial obligations, including tax and reporting requirements. Our operations are subject to regular oversight and review, in accordance with Canadian law.

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Our Invitation to You

We remain committed to both our Christian path and the safety of our community. We know these are sensitive and often misunderstood issues, and we welcome open and respectful dialogue.

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If you would like to learn more about who we are, how we worship, or whom we serve, we warmly invite you to join us any Sunday morning at 10:30am. 

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If you have questions about our work, please contact us directly at stmargaretnewtoronto@toronto.anglican.ca

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In the coming weeks, we will be hosting some community conversations and an open house, where neighbours can meet our community, staff and volunteers, ask questions, and see our programs in action. Details will be posted on our website and bulletin boards.

We thank you for taking the time to read this.

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Yours in the service of Christ,

Rev. Jacqueline Daley, Incumbent, John Spragge, Rector’s Warden, Bri Ford, People’s Warden

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© 2025 St. Margaret’s New Toronto. This letter is intended for public information. It may be shared without modification, but may not be altered, misrepresented, or republished without permission.