February 23, 2010.

Dear Minister of Parliament Gerard Kennedy, Minister of Provincial Parliament Cheri DiNovo, and City Councillor Bill Saundercook,

I have resided in this ward for about 20 years now. I raised two children who attended schools here, and although they had to leave home, they still live in the ward, as do both of my parents (although not together).

It was while living here that I was chemically injured, not once, but several times. Not from industrial accidents, but from legal and toxic consumer products and roadwork.

I have done everything in my power to protect and regain my health, but all my efforts have been in vain as it’s the activities of others that have injured me. I have no power or ability to prevent those activities, despite doing everything I possibly can.

I have also contacted all of your offices for help, not once, but numerous times over the past several years, and often from what very nearly became my deathbed. Despite my pleas, I remain without any means to ensure I live instead of dying a completely preventable death.

My time is now running out. The Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) decided last year that I have until April 4, 2010, to vacate my home of 18 years.

I have been trying to find appropriate, medically required housing since 2005. I have had a large number of people helping me look, including people from Toronto’s Shelter Support and Housing Administration (SSHA) and the not-for-profit organization Center for Equality Rights in Accomodation (CERA). In five years, we have not found a single, suitable, affordable place that would allow me to survive.

Due to the deteriorating circumstances here, my health has continued to decline, and still there has been no effort to make medically required, non-toxic housing available and accessible for people like myself, who are disabled by Environmental Sensitivities, Multiple Chemical Sensitivities, and Electro-Hyper Sensitivities (ES/MCS/EHS). Safe housing is our number one medical need, a place we can avoid the triggers and substances that disable us, in order to heal.

All levels of government are responsible for allowing this travesty to occur. There is no regulation of toxic chemicals and harmful substances in everyday consumer goods and housing, no accessible or appropriate healthcare for people injured and disabled by them, and no appropriate assistance or access to services that everyone else takes for granted. This is discriminatory and possibly even Criminally Negligent (bodily harm, death that might have been prevented, acceleration of death, administering noxious things).

I ask you all now to change the trajectory, to intervene on my behalf, to show that you have hearts, and that you care about the people you represent: First, to make sure I am not made homeless in April; and then to ensure that I have a safe place to move to from here, where I can recover my health and abilities, so that I can again become active in society, able to share the gifts I have been given and have developed.

I have assembled a team of people willing to help accomplish this, but we need your help to make it happen.

I await your responses at your earliest convenience.

Regards,

Linda Sepp

Toronto, Ont
https://seriouslysensitivetopollution.wordpress.com/
Facebook page

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A note to my blog readers:

If you can take a moment to email or call and ask these representatives in government to intervene on my behalf, here is their contact info:

Gerard Kennedy
Member of Parliament
KenneG1@parl.gc.ca
gerard@gerardkennedy.ca
Telephone: (613) 992-2936
Fax: (613) 995-1629
Constituency office Telephone: (416) 769-5072

Cheri DiNovo
Member of Provincial Parliament
Queen’s Park
dinovoc-qp@ndp.on.ca
Tel 416-325-0244
Fax 416-325-0305
Constituency office: dinovoc-co@ndp.on.ca
Tel 416-763-5630
Fax 416-763-5640

Bill Saundercook
Toronto City Councillor
City Hall
councillor_saundercook@toronto.ca
Phone: 416-392-4072
Fax: 416-696-3667

Bea Mozdzanowski
Constituency Assistant
416-338-5165
bmozdza@toronto.ca

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The health and ability for those with environmental sensitivities rests with the choices and actions of others.

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