Regent Park Planning Committee Tackles Strategic Planning and Funding Challenges

By -

The Regent Park Planning Committee convened on June 27, 2024, for a pivotal meeting, addressing strategic priorities and funding challenges for the Regent Park Social Development Plan (SDP).

The meeting was led by facilitator Elena and saw active participation from key community members.

The committee's mission is to steer the SDP Stakeholders Table on strategic direction, action priorities, and stakeholder engagement, ensuring that meetings are effective, workgroups are prepared, and urgent needs are swiftly addressed.



The meeting kicked off with a review and approval of the agenda. One of the focal points was the consultant refresh meeting scheduled for July 16. Richard, a Community Development Officer (CDO) at the City Of Toronto, confirmed that findings and recommendations from this process, involving both residents and organizations, would be presented. Richard emphasized that these findings would be available at the meeting and, if possible, made public beforehand. This assurance came in response to Walied’s insistence on transparency, highlighting the community's demand for open access to information.

Richard further elaborated on the consultant refresh process, explaining that it aims to gather comprehensive feedback from Regent Park residents and organizations to ensure the SDP aligns with their needs and aspirations. He assured attendees that the refresh process is thorough and inclusive, designed to foster community cohesion and address recurring concerns such as the involvement of Dixon Hall. Richard stressed that the final document, once reviewed, would be shared with the community, dispelling any notions of secrecy.

A lively debate ensued about whether to keep the July 11 Strategic Planning Committee meeting or postpone it until after the July 16 refresh update. The discussions covered budget allocations, meeting facilitation, and logistical support.

The spotlight then shifted to the "Sunday in the Park" event. Walied highlighted an urgent funding gap of $11,000 and requested a vote to address this in the SDP meeting. The committee deliberated on whether to pursue direct city funding or follow existing processes. Michael Rosenburg suggested a compromise: address funding concerns only after receiving a response from the current process. This motion passed, showcasing the committee's dedication to strategic planning and consensus-building.

Leadership training for co-chairs of the SDP Committees, proposed by Gail Lynch, former Employment and Economic Development committee co-chair. This initiative aims to bolster strategic planning and foster community cohesion. Joel Klassen backed the idea of postponing the July 11 meeting to concentrate on the refresh and strategic planning for the fall.

As the meeting wrapped up, plans were laid to request city funding for the 2024 "Sunday in the Park" event. The letter-writing campaign to resource the Regent Park Social Development Plan was deferred to the next meeting.

The Planning Committee is committed to enhancing community engagement, transparency, and strategic planning to address Regent Park's pressing needs and ensure the successful implementation of its initiatives. This meeting underscored their resolve to navigate funding challenges and drive the community forward.

 Dawar Naeem a community journalist with FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CENTRE

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Regent Park Portrayed in Film and Television

By -
Image
Toronto has a rich history of being a go-to shooting location for many television and film production companies. Some notable films shot here over the years include Good Will Hunting (1997), Billy Madison (1998), American Psycho (2000), and X-Men (2000). Regent Park has also had its share of showcases in film. This article aims to review the general content of movie dramas and televisions shows shot in Regent and explore their relationship to the community. Clement Virgo is a director, producer, and writer from Montego Bay, Jamaica. He was born in 1966 and moved to the Regent Park area in Toronto in 1977. During this time Regent Park was generally populated by low-income families and as a hot spot for drugs. Virgo is most recently known for his roles in Greenleaf (2016-2018), The Book of Negroes (2015), and The Wire (2002) as Director and/or Producer. His first feature-length film, however, was Rude (1995), which was filmed almost entirely in the old Regent Park. “The film told
Read more

Meet Your Neighbourhood Police Officers – PC Mircea Biga and PC Farzad Ghotbi

By -
Image
Community-based policing is a proactive law enforcement strategy that focuses on building ties and working closely with a community’s members to create partnerships and plans for preventing and reducing crime. While community policing will look differently depending on the community it serves, a central feature is that the same officer patrols and works in the same area on a permanent basis. Currently there are 17 community-based police programs in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), but what most people don’t know is that Toronto’s community policing started in Regent Park in May of 2017. We know this because the original officers involved in setting up the Regent Park community policing program continue to work here today. The officers are PC Mircea Biga, PC Farzad Ghotbi, and PC Edward Parks; the newest officer assigned to the Regent Park community is PC Nigel Thomas (who is replacing PC Melissa Huntley while she is on maternity leave). Symptomatic of the increasing diversity of
Read more

What Social Inclusion Means to Me

By -
I had moved into Regent Park only a few days before I saw the pink, fuchsia, strawberry, indigo, yellow, green, neck streamers and sparkling robes worn by children, parents, aunts, uncles, and elders as they marched passed my kitchen door. Soon, the nearby Athletic Grounds was blazing with colour. Although it was the first time I heard them, the intonations on the microphone were recognizable, even to me, as prayers. It was Eid, the concluding celebration after Ramadan. It was a beautiful sight. I am a White Jewish senior and I hunted for a stairless condo for years before I chose to live in Regent Park and then only because a relative did business with the new seniors’ building there. “Regent Park?” a friend exclaimed. “You are going to have ethnic problems.”  “Not I.  I come from a long line of fiery leftie activists.” I replied. Stage four and five of revitalizing this post-war subsidized development into a multi-income community was just beginning and I jumped in w
Read more