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The Regent Park Social Development Plan, also known as the SDP, is a community wide initiative aimed at fostering unity and togetherness among all the different residents and stakeholder groups in the community. The Social Development Plan is built around 4 areas of priorities of the SDP. Each priority area is represented by a different working group. The SDP Working Groups are Safety,  Communications, Employment and Economic Development and Community Building. In addition to the four committees, there is a SDP Planning Committee that meets weekly to help guide the activities of the SDP. The February 16, 2023, SDP Planning Committee took place over Zoom from 5 pm to 7 pm. The meeting was chaired by Marlene DeGenova, the market resident chair of the SDP.  The first item on the agenda was a report back from the Funding Task Group which was formed by the SDP Planning Group on January 17, 2023, initially in response to the City Community Funding Units failure to inform the SDP abo...

 NO!!! HE SHOULD HAVE STAYED I feel that Mayor John Tory’s extramarital affair and issues of consent are a private matter and should not affect his position and profession. Yes, it is true that he engaged sexually with a fellow staffer. This staffer, with whom he engaged, is rightfully shrouded in mystery. I understand and respect that the media did not "out" this woman and reveal her identity. Such an action could be unsafe and have long-term consequences against her, as culture tends to demonize women in such situations. Nevertheless these are personal matters for both parties. People speak of an abuse of power, but the woman he engaged with was a willing participant. She knowingly engaged with Mr. Tory, and we do not have all the details and may never have them. There is a possibility that the young woman used her own power to her advantage.   If ex-mayor Tory, in some way, coerced the fellow worker into having sex to gain money, power, or position, then that is another ma...

The Regent Park soccer house league for kids that has been a free Saturday program at Nelson Mandela soccer field for the past 10 years, announced their disappointment with the City Community Funding Unit for turning down their 2022 Regent Park Social Development Plan Grant Application funding.   T’ai James Simm-Smith, Director of Operations of Regent Park United soccer club, released the following statement on Facebook.  “It’s sad, but the Regent Park United Soccer Club did not get funding needed to sustain our growing program. Some of our coaches feel that the community let them down and will be moving on to helping other communities who also need a soccer program like the one we ran for ten years. It’s a sad day when bureaucrats cannot provide organizations who actually do great work with the proper funding. We will be lucky if we have our U16 rep team and another younger rep team playing, as we want to continue our Friday night practises at Regent Park Athletic Grounds. Ve...

MPP for Toronto Centre discusses a broad range of urgent issues facing area residents. In a wide-ranging interview Kristyn Wong Tam, Member of Provincial Parliament of Ontario (MPP) for Toronto Centre representing the New Democratic Party, sat down with Focus reporter, Allanis Inguillo, to discuss some of the key concerns that residents in the Downtown East neighbourhoods are facing. Allanis: As the new MPP Toronto Centre we would like to speak with you about some of the key issues that people in this neighbourhood are facing in the early part of 2023, and we were hoping to get your thoughts on some the most pressing issues currently grabbing the spotlight. For example, the long-proposed Moss Park Revitalization was planned to begin, however with Metrolinks moving in with their own plans to develop the new subway station, what is the status of the revitalization? Kristyn: That’s a great question and it’s one that I’m also very curious about and I present a member of the Provincial Parl...

On February 2nd 2023, Denise Soueidan-O’Leary, the Director of Projects and Partnerships with the Centre for Social Innovations (CSI) announced the end of the year-long CSI Community Living Room project located on the first floor of the Daniels Spectrum Arts Centre. This represents the end of CSI’s long-time presence in the Daniels Spectrum Arts Centre as previously they managed the third floor, CSI coworking space. The first floor Community Living Room, initiated by CSI with the support of Artscape, was a barrier-free lounge area that was comfortably furnished and allowed community members free access to relax, read, work and play. For example, residents could use the Community Living Room to hang out, to eat, to use the free internet to do homework, to read any of the books provided, to chat with friends, hold birthday parties and meetings, organize events, or for childcare. Just like your living room at home - the space was a community living room for residents and groups to use how...

Regent Park resident, Miguel Avila-Velarde, who was arrested following his participation in the removal and destruction of the Sir John A. Macdonald statue from Gore Park in Hamilton, has had his charges dropped. In August of 2021, Miguel Avila-Velarde was one of approximately 200 demonstrators who had gathered in Hamilton’s Gore Park to protest the Hamilton City council’s decision not to remove the statue of Sir  John A. Macdonald. Protestors pulled the statue down using ropes tied to the statues neck. The statue was further vandalized by a grinder, hammer, red paint and finally was beheaded.   John A. Macdonald, was Canada’s inaugural Prime Minister, and considered by many to be a key architect in the creation of the residential school system. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2007), has since declared that residential schools were a form of “cultural genocide” against First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. Following the release of his photo and a warrant ...

Written by Murphy Browne February is African History Month/African Heritage Month/Black History Month in Canada. During this month, schools, business places and community organizations usually plan at least one activity to acknowledge the history and culture of Africans. Often these events are used as an excuse to display African attire, sample African food, music and dance. However more should be done to ensure that Black history events are more than just entertainment but a way of educating Canadians about the history and contributions of Blacks/Africans in Canada. Black/African history in Canada did not begin with slavery. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, Mathieu DaCosta is recognized as the first African to arrive in Canada (1607). He was an interpreter for the French with the Mi’kmaq people. He was as part of the expedition of Pierre Dugua, the Sieur de Monts, and Samuel de Champlain that travelled from France. Most Africans in the Diaspora, however, are the descendants of ...

 The Regent Park Executive Directors Network, commonly referred as the ED Network, is a network consisting of senior decision-makers of organizations serving the Regent Park neighbourhood. Generally, the network meets monthly to share information, advocate on issues and coordinate delivery service to the Regent Park area.  The ED network is also an opportunity to invite guests and hear from speakers that can help better inform the network of the issues they are concerned about. On Monday February 13, 2023, the Executive Directors Network held their first meeting of the year.  The meeting was facilitated by Greg Gary, the chair of the network representing Kiwanis K-Club and Leah Katerberg, co-chair representing Young Street Mission. The guest speakers for the meeting were City of Toronto staff members, Richard Kirwan, the Community Development Officer for the Downtown East and Daniella Castello, the City’s Community Development Worker serving the SDP and the Regent Park Ne...

Despite an open letter to City Council sent by the Health Providers Against Poverty and Shelter Housing Justice Network and a Board of Health motion urging city council to provide around the clock access to warming centres for people living on the street,  Toronto City Councillors still voted (15-11) to reject a call for council to declare a public health crisis and to open warming centres 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Coun. Michael Thompson, introduced amendments rejecting the motion from the Board of Health arguing that it will cost an estimated $400,000 to run a single 24/7 warming centre for one month. Coun. Alejandra Bravo, was among those opposing Coun Thompson’s amendments countering that the issue is one of priorities, not funds, given the city came up with the money to deploy 80 Toronto Police Services officers a day to patrol the transit system last month. As a result of twhe vote, warming centres will continue only to open when the city’s Medical Officer of Health i...

Disseminating information residents to underemployed residents of Regent Park The Regent Park Social Development Plan, also known as the SDP, is a community- wide initiative aimed at fostering unity and togetherness among all the different residents and stakeholder groups in the community. The Employment and Economic Development Working Group, known as the EED Working Group, is one the four working groups of the SDP. The working group is made up of residents, grassroots groups and organizations serving Regent Park. The goal of the EED committee is to increase employment rates and entrepreneurial opportunities for residents of Regent Park. Considered among the lowest income neighbourhoods in Toronto, antidotal evidence suggests that many Regent Park households are struggling with employment barriers related to language, lack of skills, lack of accreditation, mental health, Islamophobia, systemic racism and more. On Tuesday, January 17th ,2023, the EED Working Group held a hybrid...