Kristyn Wong-TamVerified account

@kristynwongtam

Progressive. Human rights activist. Urbanist. Champion of all things Toronto.

Toronto, Turtle Island
Joined February 2009

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  1. Pinned Tweet

    This year and I are sending out an extra special Christmas card. From our growing family to yours.

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  2. This Aug photo was taken during a lunch break from court. Our lawyers Rod Northey + Michael Watson gave it their best and we’ll need them to do it again in appeal court. This winning campaign belongs to 3 fearless women, Pamela Taylor, Lorraine Tinsley and our leader Margot Boyd!

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  3. The legal fight is not over as the Mt Pleasant Group of Cemeteries will appeal the court ruling. They have resisted the call for public oversight at every turn. We don’t expect them now to give up $2B worth of land without an even bigger fight ahead.

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  4. In fact, they are tax-exempt. So no taxes paid to the Province for income, revenue surplus and capital gain, or the city for property taxes for the 1200 acres.

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  5. The AGO, ROM, AGCO, OLG like the cemetery trust all have governing special legislation. Some like AGO + ROM require funding from government, others like AGCO + OLG return funds to Ontario Govt. Mt Pleasant Group of Cemetery run surpluses and returns NOTHING to the Ontario Govt.

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  6. The Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries as a “private operation” obliterated historic landscapes by filling in avenues for more gravesites; demolished historic vaults and buildings, covered green space for funeral homes, cut trees without permit and used pesticide against bylaws.

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  7. The Mt Pleasant Cemetery alone is 205 acres and that’s almost 10 times the size of Raildeck Park and we already own it. This is a lot of green public land.

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  8. To put this into perspective, because of this court ruling, the public owns over the 1200 acres again as the Special Act that created this “charitable purpose” trust for the public’s benefit in 1826 was never repealed. NEVER repealed but somehow it was privatized.

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  9. This is what was at stake and what we went to court to fight for. Over 1200 acres of green space. I’m sure you recognize where these sites are.

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  10. Retweeted
    Jan 3

    Story updated with comments from and a copy of the decision itself, which is an interesting read

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  11. Retweeted
    Jan 3

    New from me: Mount Pleasant Cemeteries Group overstepped bounds of public trust beginnings, needs to be more open, judge rules. Residents hail "David & Goliath" victory, say will ensure 10 GTA cemeteries remain public greenspace via

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  12. This is big news! In 2013 I personally joined a legal action with Friends of Toronto Public Cemeteries to put over 1200 acres of green space back into the hands of public ownership + oversight. Court has ruled and we won. (For now as it will be appealed)

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  13. Retweeted
    Jan 2

    Bill 5 was just part of it. What we didn't know was just how scary & unrelenting it was for WWTO co-founder, and now three time councillor, - thank you for sharing your experience. Let's all do our part to make sure it doesn't happen again.

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  14. Retweeted
    Jan 2

    I would like to introduce you to my new website! A great resource to follow along what's happening at Queen's Park and to stay updated with my work in the community! Please RETWEET to spread the word!

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  15. Retweeted
    Jan 2

    Councillor says her professional resolution is in part to ensure the youth equity strategy is fully funded (in this round-up of councillors’ 2019 goals):

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  16. I've run for public office three times and the 2018 election was the most challenging for me ever. Read why and how moving forward, we can make democracy stronger. "The Trumping of Toronto politics: how I became the target of an alt-right slander campaign"

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  17. Retweeted
    Jan 1

    In 2019, let's end gun violence. Sign the petition for a Canadian national handgun ban.

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  18. Gun violence + related costs must be put into perspective. A study commissioned by the Dept of Justice show that gun crime costs Canadians a whopping $3.1 Billion. Imagine the youth equity, poverty reduction, housing and employment programs we can have by reinvesting this money.

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  19. Victims of gun violence have been at the forefront in the battle for gun control, wanting to prevent other families from suffering as they have. Watch and listen to their powerful stories here. (VIDEO)

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  20. Effective controls on guns help to protect police. They also give them valuable tools to help investigate and prosecute gun crime.

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  21. Six public inquests have specifically recommended the licensing of gun owners + registration of firearms to reduce the risk of further tragedies and strengthen the screening processes. It's time for Action not Reaction.

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