Good Shepherd gives good news to Corktown Outreach worker will mitigate client disruption

Eric Morse —

CRBA AGM 2014

The Corktown Residents’ and Business Association held its annual general meeting on Feb. 4 and the big news of the evening was a breakthrough in community liaison with the Good Shepherd Centre.

Former CRBA President Larry Webb announced that following several meetings with the Centre, he had been advised that they have now received funding for an outreach worker, for the purposes of monitoring clients when they are off premises in the public realm. The outreach worker is a permanent position. and preparation of a job description is under way. Webb said that CRBA will be involved in the creation of the job description.

Webb also noted that Good Shepherd is moving toward a solution to the problem of smoking in public by clients. They are exploring with MPP Glen Murray’s office the possibility of an exemption under existing smoking legislation so that the Centre’s mothballed smoking room (still equipped) can be brought back into service. Finally, he informed the meeting of a list of 212 clients banned for an average of 63 days during 2013.

President Kara Isert told The Bulletin that her year has been “a continuous good year of getting to know my neighbours, better collaborating with people, getting increased attendance at our monthly meetings and participation from across the spectrum of the neighbourhood.”

She feels that one of the high points was the naming of Corktown Common, the acclaimed new park and flood control facility in the West Don Lands. “The naming contest was a real rallying point for local people.”

Isert also recalled the very successful community picnic sponsored by Enbridge Gas, the first community held event in Underpass Park at the end of September. She feels that Corktown has been gaining traction as a neighbourhood in the past year and that these events have been very important in that.

CRBA acclaimed its new Board of ten Directors for 2014, including Alex Bartlett, Peter Coish, Michele Cummings (Treasurer, new Director for 2014), Matt Elliott (re-elected Secretary), Nahel Fekadu (new), Kara Isert (re-elected President), Sandra Iskandar, Mike Kapil, Peter MacDonald (new), and Arthur Sinclair.

For info about CRBA activities and all kinds of events in the Greater Corktown Area, visit www.corktown.ca.