York-Scarborough

Bishop Kevin Robertson
The Rt. Rev. Kevin Robertson is the area bishop of York-Scarborough. Before being elected bishop in 2016, Bishop Robertson was the incumbent of Christ Church, Deer Park and the Regional Dean of the Eglinton deanery. He previously served as the liturgical officer for York-Scarborough; incumbent of St. Nicholas, Birch Cliff; and incumbent of St. Peter, Oshawa. Bishop Robertson has a Master of Divinity (Hons) from Trinity College at the University of Toronto and a B.A. (Hons) from Huron College at the University of Western Ontario. He was ordained deacon in 1997 and priest in 1998. Bishop Robertson and his spouse Mohan have two children and live in Toronto.
Read Bishop Kevin’s 2021 Vestry Letter.
Bishop's Office
Diocesan Centre 135 Adelaide St. E. Toronto, ON M5C 1L8 Phone: 416-363-6021, ext. 253 Office Hours: Monday – Friday:8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
(Note that the office closes at 2 p.m. on Fridays in July and August.)
Area Administrative Assistant
Sue Willoughby
Email: swilloughby@toronto.anglican.ca
Phone: 416-363-6021, ext. 253
Bishop's Email
krobertson@toronto.anglican.caYork-Scarborough Deaneries & Regional Deans
York-Scarborough Area Council
Mission statement
The mission of the Area Council is to support the area bishop in fulfilling God’s mission in York-Scarborough. Our actions are guided by the mission of the Diocese of Toronto: to build healthy, missional Anglican communities that engage faithfully with the world and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Area Council and sub-committee meetings
Area Council meets four times a year, usually on a Wednesday in March, June, September and November. The venue moves around the area by deanery. The meetings are chaired by the Regional Dean of the hosting deanery.
The next Area Council meeting will take place on June 23, 2021.
Deadline for Ministry Development Grant and FaithWorks Grant applications: June 11, 2021. Late applications won’t be accepted.
Sub-committees meet before Area Council and report to council with their recommendations.
Membership
Lay representation from each deanery:
- Eglinton: Vacant
- St. James: Vacant
- Scarborough: Mr. Ryan Ramsden (Grace Church in Scarborough)
- Toronto East: Ms. Darleen Knowlton (St. John the Baptist, Norway)
- York Mills: Vacant
Members at large:
- The Rev. Andrea Christensen (St. Timothy, Agincourt)
- Mr. Bob Horne
- The Rev. Leonard Leader (St. George on Yonge)
- Vacant
Youth members:
- Mr. Ian Physick
- Ms. Jillian Ruch
Regional deans:
- Eglinton: the Rev. Pamela Rayment
- St. James: the Rev. Canon Geoff Sangwine
- Scarborough: the Rev. Greg Carpenter
- Toronto East: the Rev. Shelley McVea
- York Mills: the Rev. Nicholas Morkel
Elected members to Diocesan Council representing York-Scarborough:
- Mr. Chris Ambidge, ODT (Redeemer, Bloor Street)
- The Rev. Canon Dr. Eric Beresford (St. Timothy, North Toronto)
- Ms. Catherine Bryant (St. John, York Mills)
Area Budget and Grants Sub-Committee:
- The Rev. Leonard Leader (Scarborough Deanery)
- The Rev. Carol Brunton (York-Mills Deanery)
- Mr. Bob Horne (Toronto East Deanery)
- The Rev. Andrea Christensen (Eglinton Deanery)
- VACANT (St. James Deanery)
Elected member of Area Council to Diocesan Council:
- The Rev. Andrea Christensen (St. Timothy, Agincourt)
Area Bishop (ex-officio):
- Bishop Kevin Robertson
Financial resources
Area budget
The Area Council’s budget is resourced directly from the diocesan budget. It funds:
- clergy deanery retreats
- lay training
- youth ministry
- special project: fresh expressions projects and missional coaches
- area bursary grants
- area events
- retired clergy events
- building inspection subsidy
- bishop’s envoys
- Ministry Development and FaithWorks grants
Student bursaries
In 2011, York-Scarborough Area Council initiated the Bursary Fund. Since then, $26,000 in bursaries have been distributed to more than 50 deserving students. Applications are made available annually in the spring.
Bursary Sub-Committee
- Ms. Jillian Ruch
- Mr. Ryan Ramsden
York-Scarborough Grants
Ministry Development Grants
Deadline: June 11, 2021
Money is designated in the annual area budget for Ministry Development Grants for projects and programs that will promote growth in faith and collaboration among area Anglicans to help equip the saints for ministry.
Ministry Development Grants will not exceed $10,000 in one year.
FaithWorks grants
Deadline: June 11, 2021
The funding for FaithWorks grants represents a percentage of the donations to FaithWorks from our episcopal area. The grants are for outreach projects in York-Scarborough.
FaithWorks Grants will not exceed $5,000 in one year.
Natural Church Development grant
Deadline: ongoing
In 2010, Area Council approved a motion to give a grant to parishes participating in Natural Church Development. Parishes will receive $250 for the first survey and $150 for the second survey. The money for this grant is taken from the Ministry Development Grant funds in the area budget.
To apply, send an email or letter to Sue Willoughby at swilloughby@toronto.anglican.ca, stating the date the parish completed the first or second survey.
Leadership Development Grant
Deadline: ongoing
In 2016, Area Council voted to devote $2,500 to a new budget category called “Leadership Development.” Individuals can apply for up to $2,500 in any given year.
For applications or further information, contact Sue Willoughby at swilloughby@toronto.anglican.ca or 416-363-6021, ext. 253.
Building inspection grant
Deadline: ongoing
Every year, Area Council designates $3,500 in the area budget to help parishes with the compulsory building inspection. (For more details, see the Church Property page.) Because they’re expensive, it’s good to be aware of when your parish will be next up for inspection, and budget accordingly.
Parishes may apply for a $500 grant toward the cost of this inspection. To apply, send an email to Sue Willoughby at swilloughby@toronto.anglican.ca, stating that you’ve had the inspection done on your church building and rectory (if applicable).
Bursary grant
Deadline: May 21, 2021
In 2010, Area Council approved a motion to set aside $2,500 in the 2011 budget for bursary grants to support youth of our area entering into post-secondary education. In 2012, Area Council voted to increase the amount to $5,000.
Application forms, along with an explanation letter, are sent out each spring to every parish in York-Scarborough. An email is sent to every parish in February or March, encouraging incumbents and priests-in-charge to share the information with qualified students in their parishes.
2019 bursary recipients
- Kayla Poce-Choy Yuen (St. Paul, L’Amoreaux)
- Kiara Cipriani (St. Paul, L’Amoreaux)
- Sara Kate Farquharson (St. Jude, Wexford)
- Evan Jonker (Trinity East)
- Patricia Marchack (St. Timothy, Agincourt)
- Lesha Persaud (St. Timothy, Agincourt)
- Taylor Rattray (St. Timothy, Agincourt)
- William Corrigan (St. John the Baptist, Norway)
- Brywn Goodman (St. Cuthbert, Leaside)
- Baron Silvino (San Lorenzo Ruiz)
- Aiko Maskay (San Lorenzo Ruiz)
- Naomi Gnanasegaram (St. Margaret Tamil)
- Ekko Elumir (Resurrection)
- Emily Kirchner (St. Margaret in-the-Pines)
- Kathleen Edna Kellas (Ascension, Don Mills)
- James Fraser Barsby (St. Aidan)
- Meredith Jones (St. Matthew, First Avenue)
- Sydney Callaghan (Christ Church, Deer Park)
Other funding opportunities
You may also wish to consider funding from other diocesan sources:
York-Scarborough Resources
Episcopal visit schedule
It’s the bishop’s practice to visit the congregations in his area on a rotating basis. The current rotation takes between a year and 18 months to complete, meaning that not every congregation will be visited every year.
The episcopal visit schedule and form are available below. Please keep in mind that changes may need to be made over the course of the year due to the bishop’s schedule. If you’d like another date, check the schedule to see which parish has that date and ask them to switch. If you switch dates, let Sue Willoughby know so the bishop is in the right place at the right time.
If you change the lections from what you wrote on the Episcopal Visit Form, please let the bishop’s office know! The bishop prepares his sermon in advance using the lections you’ve indicated.
These may not always be the most up-to-date versions of the schedules. For the most recent version, contact Sue Willoughby at 416-363-6021, ext. 253 or swilloughby@toronto.anglican.ca.
Area vacancies
For vacant incumbencies across the Diocese, see Clergy in Motion.