Concrete, Coronation and Community

Raymond Moriyama's Legacy, More on the Crosstown, and Supporting Community Groups

Dear Neighbour,

This week I had the very special opportunity to meet family members of Raymond Moriyama at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, where I presented to them a King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of his architectural legacy.

Mr. Moriyama is the famed architect and urban planner who is most often recognized for designing the Ontario Science Centre. He has also designed many other iconic buildings such as the Toronto Reference Library, Scarborough Civic Centre, Canadian War Museum, Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre and even the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo.

I am truly sorry to have never had an opportunity to meet Mr. Moriyama, but my conversations with his family left me convinced of his genius. They shared with me how hard he worked, how far into the future he planned, how principled he was, and how concerned he was for protecting our environment for future generations.

I also learned that an important theme that shaped Mr. Moriyama's worldview was his experience of isolation and ostracization. For example, he suffered a disfiguring burn during childhood that left him with visible scars and led to him being taunted ruthlessly. Also, as a Canadian of Japanese ancestry, he was held in an internment camp during World War 2 as an “enemy alien” after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. These experiences left him feeling humiliated and rejected, but also keenly aware of the need to build inclusive societies – between one another, as well as between ourselves and nature.

For all of his incredible attributes along with his very concrete contributions (literally and figuratively!) to Canada and Don Valley East, Raymond Moriyama was awarded a Coronation medal by command of King Charles III. In the same way that I hope the Science Centre and its legacy will last forever, so too will our admiration of Mr. Moriyama.

Constituency update

This week the Ontario Trillium Foundation announced a new round of grant winners, and I’m proud that some of this funding will be coming to Don Valley East. Congratulations to the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre on securing $150,000 for important projection system upgrades and to the Afghan Women’s Organization on $71,000 to launch a new Community Innovation Lab.

I’ve also attended a series of events and meetings in our vibrant community. Last weekend, I visited the Natsu Matsuri and Bon Odori Festival at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre and also stopped at Armenian Summer Fest. I subsequently also met with experts from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board and Ontario Real Estate Association (in separate meetings) to better understand how we can address our housing crisis.

Fun fact: both organizations are headquartered in Don Valley East!

Legislative update

We have now learned – unsurprisingly – that the Eglinton Crosstown LRT is unlikely to open by September. The TTC CEO has called that timeline “a reach,” and warned that key safety and testing work is still ongoing. After over a decade of disruption, it’s time for results and I have launched a petition to demand accountability through a public inquiry and other measures. Come by my office to sign it or check your mailboxes at home – I recently sent all households a copy.

With so many colleges and universities under unprecedented strain, the Premier may be overhauling their funding formula to keep them from going under. This is against the backdrop of him freezing their core operating grants for the last seven years and slashing $12.9 billion from post-secondary education in this year’s budget. The future of our province requires us to invest in education and make sure that students can afford to go to school.

Finally, Bill 5 continues to face opposition from Indigenous communities who have now launched a legal challenge against it. Their lawsuit references both provincial and federal Bill 5s, which are unrelated but coincidentally have similar goals of speeding up certain kinds of projects such as mining critical minerals in the Ring of Fire. The Federal Bill C-5 has certain basic safeguards, but Ontario’s Bill 5 was deliberately designed without these protections and has an alarming lack of oversight. As someone who believes in democracy and the rule of law, I support the right of Indigenous people to challenge this legislation.

Adil in the Media

La Téléjournal Ontario: Épisode du samedi 12 juillet 2025

“People ask me all the time, every single day, ‘what are you doing to fight for the (Ontario) Science Centre? How are you going to make sure that it stays right where it is?’ That’s what my community expects [and that’s what I’m going to keep fighting for].”

Events and Opportunities

July 19: Weekend Family Fun

As always, our friends at TNO are hosting Weekend Family Fun events for families with children aged 0 to 6 this upcoming Saturday. Please check out their website’s calendar as there are many other events coming up!

Calendar: Home - TNO - The Neighbourhood Organization

July 19: STEM Saturday at Flemingdon Park’s Public Library

Check out our riding’s public libraries! The Flemingdon Park branch is hosting STEM Saturday for school-age children from 3 to 4 pm.

Website: STEM Saturday : Flemingdon Park : Program : Toronto Public Library

July 21 to July 25: Ice Cream Festival

Join me at MP Salma Zahid’s Ice Cream Festival next week! Our office will host a booth at the four locations in Don Valley East: Bartley Park (July 21), Sweeney Park (July 22), Ranchdale Park (July 24), and Graydon Hall Park (July 25). Find us between 5-7PM.

July 23: Free Wednesdays at Aga Khan Museum

Don’t forget to visit the Aga Khan Museum this Wednesday for free tickets from 4 to 8 pm.

July 24: Vegetarian Sushi Making Workshop

The Don Mills Public Library branch is hosting a Vegetarian Sushi Making Workshop with Chef Sang from 2 to 3:30 pm this Wednesday.

Newcomer women: Get Started in Canada

This free program helps newcomer women in Canada build job readiness and plan their career paths. Running from August 11 to October 3 in a hybrid format, it includes job search training, confidence building, stress management, and micro-certificates in areas like workplace safety and business writing. Eligible participants include permanent residents, convention refugees, protected persons, live-in caregivers, and international Francophone students. Classes are mostly online, with in-person sessions on Wednesdays at 5353 Dundas Street West. Contact: Mila at 416-239-0496 or lyudmylav@ptp.ca/gsic

Sincerely,

Adil