Announcements

At The Second Chance Foundation we understand the importance of staying informed and equipped. Announcements are made available to uphold interests of the incarcerated and former incarcerated women, as well as Scarborough, Toronto and GTA community at large. 

TSCF Year Round Income Tax Clinic - February 27 to May 1, 2025
Filing income tax every year enables to receive the benefits and credits there may be an eligibility to receive.

TSCF Year Round Income Tax Clinic begins February 27 and will run until May 1, 2025. We offer a convenient easy drop off and schedule pick up on your completed return. We also offer Virtual Tax Preparation for those who are comfortable with technology. Contact us at taxes@thesecondchancefoundation.ca or book your appointment at 416-792-6702 Ext. 11

Our operating hours for taxes are Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturdays 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

Filing dates for 2024 taxes as outlined by the Government of Canada:
February 24, 2025: Earliest day to file your taxes online
April 30, 2025: Deadline to file your taxes
June 15, 2025: (June 16, 2025, since June 15 is a Sunday): Deadline to file your taxes if you or your spouse or common-law partner are self-employed
April 30, 2025: Deadline to pay your taxes

See Get ready to do your taxes - Canada.ca for complete details and make sure to prepare your documents to report income and claim deductions, as well as how you want to file and send your completed tax return to the CRA.
City of Toronto's Welcome Policy – Recreation Fee Subsidy

Recreation fee subsidy can help Toronto residents to access recreation programs: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/employment-social-support/child-family-support/welcome-policy-recreation-fee-subsidy/

Eligibility - An applicant (and their family) must meet the following criteria: (1) Live in the city of Toronto (2) Have a before-tax total family income (for all family members over the age of 18) that is below the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) threshold. See “Who Can Apply” for more details. See required documents.

Fees are effective January 1, 2025.

Amounts per year (non-transferable between family members) 

  • Child/Youth (up to age 24): $669.65
  • Adults/Older Adults (age 25 and over): $308.43

Welcome Policy recreation fee subsidy is valid for a 12-month period and funds do not carry over into the next year. Residents need to re-apply and submit required documents each year. People who receive Ontario Works are automatically eligible and should contact their caseworker.

Major changes to TSCF Food Bank set up, operation and distribution

Effective February 7th, 2025 TSCF will be making some major changes to its food bank set up, operation and distribution. The office will be contacting each and every client individually to update the records and schedule appointments, during a time period that will work with your schedule.

Appointments are on first come, first serve basis, so whom every respond when we reach out, they are the ones to get any coveted appointment slots.

The food bank will be operating, based on appointment only, from the hours of 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM every Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, except for holidays, or any unexpected occurrences beyond the organization's control.

Substack to inform, inspire and make meaningful impact for our clients and the community

While we do have a digital quarterly you can subscribe to at www.thesecondchancefoundation.ca , the Substack experience allows to connect to regularly produced short and long-format readings, as well as dedicated audio-visual content https://thesecondchancefoundation.substack.com

Ontario Taxpayer Rebate

Taxpayer rebate of $200 will be made available to all eligible adults in Ontario who have filed their 2023 Income Tax and Benefit Return by December 31, 2024. Eligible families are noted to receive an additional $200 for every child under 18. Recipients of this taxpayer rebate can expect cheques mailed to them in early 2025.

Eligible adults: (1) 18 years or older at the end of 2023 (2) resident in Ontario on 31 December 2023 (3) filed their 2023 Income Tax and Benefit Returns by 31 December 2024 (4) not bankrupt or incarcerated in 2024.

Eligible children under age of 18 for whom the Ontario family receives the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) for 2024.

For more information: Ontario Taxpayer Rebate | ontario.ca

Cheques began to be issued by the finance minister as of January 17th, 2025. Ontarians can verify status of their cheque on the Service Ontario website.

Concerns about the cheque being missing or stolen can be addressed at Ontario.ca/TaxpayerRebate, or by calling Service Ontario at 1-833-351-0409 or 1-888-821-9056

Subscribe to our digital newsletter to read us online

You can also pick up our physical copy of The Second Chance Foundation quarterly newsletter at our office. While Substack experience allows to connect to regularly produced short and long-form readings, as well as dedicated audio-visual content.