Lest we Forget—Cabbagetown Unites in Remembrance Day Tribute

By -

On November 11, community members gathered at Parliament and Carlton Streets for a Remembrance Day ceremony hosted by the Cabbagetown BIA, honoring Canada’s veterans and the sacrifices they made. This year’s observance brought together residents from Cabbagetown, Regent Park, and surrounding areas in a poignant display of remembrance and unity. The event began with Matthew Mohan, Executive Director of the Cabbagetown BIA, who welcomed attendees with heartfelt words. Bill Renieris, Chair of the Cabbagetown BIA, offered opening remarks, setting a reflective tone for the gathering. Silas Friesen, a talented trumpeter, led O Canada before Marci Ien, Member of Parliament, delivered a stirring reading of In Flanders Fields, followed by Silas’ rendition of O God, Our Help in Ages Past. Community voices Patty Junior of the Epicure Shop, Lissed Gamboa from Dixon Hall, and Gail Lynch of Zero Cocktail Bar shared a meaningful poem reading on Why We Wear a Poppy, underscoring the importance of remembrance. MP Marci Ien, City Councillor Chris Moise, and MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam each delivered speeches, honoring veterans and calling for continued commitment to remember those who served. The ceremony concluded with the Last Post, a moment of silence, and Reveille, performed by Silas Friesen, and final remarks by Mathew Mohan. This gathering offered residents not only a moment of solemn reflection but also a chance to connect with neighbors and local veterans. In a city as diverse as Toronto, events like these reinforce the importance of unity, respect, and community bonds. 

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

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 ju...
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...
Read more