Dear Gabriel,

We wanted to reach out to you in solidarity during this time of COVID-19.

Since the start of the year, we have watched, along with the world, the increasingly frightening drama of the virus unfolding, domino effect, from community to community.

And yet, in the fear, there is an abundance of good.

This is a time of unprecedented appeal to individuals, communities and countries to be our best selves; to demonstrate restraint, kindness, and care for one another. Already, the response has been uplifting.

There are many examples: from international teams of doctors working cross-countries to activists calling on the halt of evictions, and the “caremongering” movement that started in Toronto days ago, to help the most vulnerable in our communities (check Facebook for a group near you).

As people of faith, moments like this give us an opportunity to model what our spiritual practices preach. Already, we are seeing places of worship step up to support their members and communities and provide services online. For example, in Brampton, our partners at the Lighthouse Program, City of Brampton Emergency Management (Task Force for Social Supports for the COVID19 Response) are inviting outreach faith-based organizations to contribute some volunteers toward their efforts which involve helping with food distribution including assembling and delivering food hampers.* Many of our chapters are sharing resources online and inviting everyone to participate.

This is the time for bold action to not only support our most vulnerable but also to push for the long-overdue, urgent transformation our communities must undertake so as to become more equitable and resilient.

As we engage in physical distancing, we invite you to also practice social cohesion and continue building relationships with neighbours, to use our collective resources towards uplifting our entire communities by calling on our decision-makers to implement policies that protect everyone’s wellbeing (shelter, food, healthcare, financial safety, etc).

Our leaders are on the right path: the Federal government is taking immediate action to help Canadians facing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak; we need to continue the pressure for them to do even better – and take this opportunity to think long-term, beyond this moment.

Please join us. Together, we can help shift our world towards a
more healthy, just and compassionate society for all.

In peace and hope......Michelle Singh, ED