First Toronto

First Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCIC)

Located in the downtown core & on the campus of Ryerson University!

[First Toronto @firstelc]

@jrbsman @MichaelPryse Beautiful

[First Toronto @firstelc]

@globeandmail The PM of Denmark is female. Metre Fredriksen. G&M has #misgendered PM referring to Fredrksen as “he” in article about Queen Margarethe’s abdication on Dec 31. Please correct.

[First Toronto @firstelc]

#torontometropolitanuniversity welcome students Sunday! #pizza #seasonofcreation #myelcic

[sue @sue85624315]

@jen_keesmaat We all suffer when urban sprawl increases and essential agricultural and livestock lands disappear into the maw of more tarmac, more cars and dirty air. Our food becomes more expensive, travel more frustrating and animals lose their habitat. Corruption destroys all communities.

[Jennifer Keesmaat @jen_keesmaat]

To put a visual on the myth that we need to open our Greenbelt lands for housing: these are just four of a multitude of transit stations within the region that have Provincially owned parking lots adjacent to transit.

These sites are large enough, in every instance, that community amenities can be built right into these developments, where needed: daycares, grocery stores, cafes, new parks. Even schools, where needed (some of them are in catchment areas with school capacity!).

This is not a radical model - it is a desired model, promoted in Provincial policy statements - and in every municipal Official Plan in the region. We can add more housing without adding more cars. Without building expensive new infrastructure that will strain the public purse. Without compromising agricultural land. We can create strong, new communities.

We know how to do this - and we can do this quickly.

We have land. Lots of land for housing.

Where we put housing should not be driven by the interests of a few developers, seeking to get rich quick based on a myth that we are out of land.

[Jennifer Keesmaat @jen_keesmaat]

Can you do anything you want with land in Ontario? No, you cannot. We have rules and regulations enshrined in The Planning Act that govern how we use land. Why? Because there is a broad public interest in land use. It affects every aspect of our lives.

Whether we have a home near transit or no choice but to commute for hours, whether we have access to nature or live in an asphalt hellscape, whether our air is polluted or clean. Whether farmers can exist, or are pushed out by speculators. The Planning Act governs this.

When we change the rules, it must be done through an ‘open and accessible’ process. According to the Auditor General, this Government broke many of their own laws removing land from the Greenbelt to benefit a handful of their friends.

Rules were broken. Accountability is required. The rest of us follow the rules - whether we like them or not.

On day one of this scandal, the Premier said, “I take full responsibility.”

If you rob a bank and you get caught, you don’t get to keep the loot. This government MUST, immediately recall the legislature to reinstitute the protections to these lands that were removed from the Greenbelt. That is the first step in taking responsibility.

You can read The Planning Act here: https://t.co/JAK52Q2ZVS

[Jennifer Keesmaat @jen_keesmaat]

This is mind-boggling. Ontarians are being told that one political staffer was able to take over the machinery of government and override civil servants to remove land from the cherished, protected Greenbelt, increasing the value of developers’ - who are key donors to the Conservative party - property by billions of dollars. And neither the minister nor the Premier knew?

Yeah, that is believable.

If this was true, it would be the most remarkable failure of leadership.

There are now three reasons for the Minister to resign:

1) violation of the Planning Act, in removing these lands without due process as established in regulation
2) the breach of public trust, in serving the interests of a handful of developers instead of the public
3) lying about doing so

https://t.co/zL8t3dDmqw

[Theo Moudakis @TheoMoudakis]

Here's a cartoon I ran at Christmas that many did not enjoy at all. Please enjoy.

[First Toronto @firstelc]

@CanadaGray @loblawco So true!

[Timothy Gray @CanadaGray]

Hey @loblawco I want to buy Ontario peaches but not when they come in throw-away plastic boxes that will be in the environment and our bodies for hundreds of years. #plasticpollution

[Theo Moudakis @TheoMoudakis]

Here's one of my all-time favourites. Boy, did I get trolled when I ran this. Please enjoy.

[Ken Greenberg @KGreenbergTO]

Canadian Architect Editorial cautions about pushing ahead with an ill conceived plan for Ontario Place https://t.co/QcWUGombWG Via @CdnArch

[First Toronto @firstelc]

🦈 BREAKING: Brazilian authorities make a jaw-dropping seizure of 28 TONS of illegally obtained shark fins! 😱Join the call to ban the shark fin trade once and for all. #SaveSharks #FinBanNow
https://t.co/1LEuPPRCIY

[Jennifer Keesmaat @jen_keesmaat]

For those trying to get their heads around why highways in the sky (like the Gardiner expressway) gobble up so much land: access ramps.

Here is a Toronto example: we successfully removed the York-Bay-Yonge eastbound off-ramp of the Gardiner Expressway (image on the left) and turned that space into a park - Love Park (image on the right). We took something ugly and noxious and unnecessary and created an immediate people place.

We know how to do this - we don’t need to spend billions rebuilding a small portion of the Gardiner expressway.

[Karin Achtelstetter @KarinWaltraut]

Great job ‼️ @LaurierArchives @CanLWR

[Occupy Democrats @OccupyDemocrats]

BREAKING: A political bombshell of nuclear proportions drops as Michigan's Attorney General announces felony charges against the 16 treasonous Michigan Republicans who falsely claimed to be the state's presidential electors in an effort to steal 2020 for Donald Trump.

AG Dana Nessel said that the electors are being charged with forgery and other dire crimes — constituting the first charges in the country to be brought against Trump electors.

This is the nightmare scenario for the MAGA movement. They have been hoping and praying that their sinister plot to steal the election would go unnoticed and unpunished. Too bad!

Included in the group of indicted individuals is former state Republican Party co-chairwoman Meshawn Maddock — demonstrating just how high up in the Republican Party this plot reached.

The historic charges stem from a Michigan state investigation separate from the escalating federal probe being spearheaded by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

The charges in full are: one county of conspiracy to commit forgery, two counts of forgery, one count of conspiracy to commit “uttering and publishing," one count of “uttering and publishing,” one count of conspiracy to commit election law forgery and two counts of election law forgery.

One beautiful wrinkle in the story of lifelong misogynist Donald Trump's downfall is the role that powerful women are playing. DA Dana Nessel, DA Fani Willis, AG Letitia James, and E. Jean Carroll are winning and you know that it infuriates him.

Please retweet and ❤️ to thank the Michigan prosecutors — and follow us on “woke” new Facebook/Twitter competitor Tribel to get ALL of our breaking news alerts sent straight to your phone or tablet. Here’s the link to follow us on Tribel: https://t.co/HnJzSKjCwX

[First Toronto @firstelc]

@SpesInCruce Do I understand correctly that Reformed theologians knowingly or unknowingly borrowed Lutheran versions of kenosis? Is that bad? 😂😇

[David Moscrop @David_Moscrop]

Between Poilievre (mis)quoting an economist who buddied up with authoritarian dictator August Pinochet and Stephen Harper smashing the like button on fascist Viktor Orban, it’s been quite the week for conservatives.

[Pastor Jordan @jrbsman]

It was a great afternoon worshiping with Pastor Simon and the Danish Lutheran Church for his farewell service. It was a joy to have him as a friend of the @ESynodELCIC

[First Toronto @firstelc]

@revadamsnook @RCWushke Thanks so much @revadamsnook ! So happy you were with us!