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The federal government announces funding to the Black Community On August 4, 2021, Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre Marci Ien, and Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development, Ahmed Hussen, held a press conference just outside the Daniels Spectrum Arts Centre in Regent Park, to announce a 96 million dollar grant i to support Black Canadian community organizations. According to Marci Ien, “Covid 19 has highlighted the inequities linked to anti-black racism not only in Toronto but right across the country. What this has meant is that many Black Canadian communities are increasingly vulnerable to economic hardships and this represents an opportunity for government, organizations and individuals to change the status quo. This is what our government is focusing its efforts on – to support Black communities right across the country.” In his remarks, Minister Ahmed Hussen reminded attendees that he was once a resident of Regent Park and that the community is close...

A youth reporter leads you on a tour of the St. James Town Community. St. James Town is one of the most underrated neighborhoods of Toronto, Ontario. It is home to over 25,000 residents and is one of the most multicultural neighborhoods in all of Toronto. It lies northeast of the downtown area covering Jarvis Street to the west, Bloor Street East to the north, Parliament Street to the east, and Wellesley Street East to the south. St. James Town is like traveling the entire globe within one block. St. James Town has a sea of multicultural restaurants from all over the globe. There are just not enough neighborhoods in the world where you can go out and taste foods from all around the world in a matter of blocks. St. James Town is one of the areas St. James Town has astonishing murals. In a community where there is very little green and lots of lots of buildings, murals bring color and creativity to the community. St. James Town has one of the tallest murals in the world at 200 We...

Indigenous artist talks about her performance art – the first in a new Regent Park TV series aimed at collaborating with Indigenous partners and individuals to present Indigenous issues, individuals and stories to the general public. Regent Park is located on the traditional territory of the Anishinabek and the Huron-Wendat. According to Canada's 2016 Census Metropolitan Area statistics, the Indigenous population in Toronto is 46,315. Many of these habitants reside in the down town, low-income neighbourhoods of Regent Park, Moss Park and St. James Town. However, far too often Indigenous residents are invisible and only reflected in issues related to homelessness. In an effort to change this – we present the art of Yoland Bonnell. Yolanda Bonnell (pronoun they/them/theirs) is an Indigenous artist based in Toronto who expresses her identity, ideology, and issues faced by their community in their art. “ I introduce myself in my language because someone once told me that it...

Yael explains why St. James Town is a perfect habitat for the St. James Town pigeon. The St. James Town pigeon is well known to area residents. They can be found in the neighbourhood mornings to night. One of the favorite places where the St. James Town pigeon calls home is at Food Basics. Food Basics is an area which is densely populated, and where there is people – there is food. More precisely people willing to provide feed. And even more precise seniors! The pigeons in this vicinity are commonly referred to as the Food Basic Pigeons. Food Basic Pigeons differ from most other St. James Town Pigeons by their lack of fear for not only people but for cars. In fact, when not focused on cosying up to seniors, pooping on cars is one of the favorite past-times of the Food Basic Pigeons. The competing Rose Ave School pigeons, find begging for bread crumbs from seniors a little below them. Considered far more educated than their peers, the St. James Town Rose Avenue School Pi...

The 519 Community Pop-Up Vaccine Clinic shows why the strategy of Community Pop-Up Vaccines work. On June 29, 2021, a community Covid-19 Pop-Up Vaccine Clinic was held at 519 Church Street, located in the down town east side of Toronto in the Wellesley-Church corridor. 519 Church Street is the home of 519 Org, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advocacy and inclusion of LGBT communities. The aim of the 519 Covid-19 Pop-Up Vaccine Clinic was to create a barrier free space for members of the LGBTQ2S community and their allies to receive a first or second vaccine dose. Increasingly, as more people get vaccinated, the City of Toronto is shifting away from mass immunization health clinics to a strategy of community pop-ups and mobile clinics. The strategy is based on the belief that people feel more comfortable and more likely to get vaccinated when there is a community environment, where people are familiar with the places they know and where they have a chance to be with...

Understanding the SDP’s Employment & Economic Development Committee’s Community Research Report. The Employment & Economic Development Committee (EED) is one of the four working groups of the Regent Park Social Development Plan (SDP). 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. To improve the employment and economic situation in Regent Park, the Employment & Economic Development Committee (EED), hired a Research Lead, Ayesha Amin, a resident of Regent Park, to prepare and design a report. The aim of this report is to provide a current employment and entrepreneurship overview of Regent Park, to form a better unde...

St. Jamestown is located on the northeast side of the downtown Toronto area, the high populated community is filled with high-rise buildings and constant construction. With so much city life in the neighborhood, do the people in the community take notice of the environment around them? Why is it so important to keep a sustainable environment around us, and what is St. Jamestown doing to help? Having a well-sustainable environment is very important to the community. Conserving natural resources can protect global and local ecosystems and contribute to ones’ health and well-being. In St. Jamestown, there are not many green spaces in the community. On top of that, streets are filled with litter and unwanted garbage. This litter, whether on sidewalks or near housing buildings, reflects on the community and gives a negative impression of the neighborhood. Environmental sustainability at the local level should focus on how residents should take care of their carbon footprint and what reso...

St. James Town is a community known notably for its high-rise buildings. However, few people realize that you can eat cuisines from around the world all within a few blocks. You can find restaurants specializing in Korean, Filipino, Caribbean, Indian foods and more - all in St. James Town. Here are three must-visit restaurants in St. James Town. Tinuno is a Filipino restaurant located at 31 Howard Street, located near Sherbourne Street & Howard Street. Tinuno means to cook on a grill or over a hot with extreme heat. They have a wide variety of Filipino cuisines like Tapsilog consisting of smoky beef tapa, garlic rice, 2 eggs + salad. Another interesting dish is Bangsilog. This dish consists of Bangus belly, garlic rice, 2 eggs + salad. To top it off, I recommend that you can end with a beautiful suman dessert. In the words of one dinner,“ the food here delicious, a perfect spot to bring your girl on national girlfriend day ha, ha..” At Tinuno, you can eat foods from all ove...

With an astonishing four playgrounds available for children and youth, St. James Town is really lacking in parks and playgrounds. St James Town has a sea of tall residential buildings like trees in Redwood National Park. Having 19 high rise buildings and 4 low rise buildings with a population of approximately 17,100 to 25,000 residents, St James Town is one of the most highly densely populated neighbourhoods in Toronto. With an immense population of youth and children, lack of playgrounds and parks can lead to negative impact on their health. In 2014, there was a plan to rejuvenate the tennis court beside 260 Wellesley St building and to replace the court with a massive playground. I remember the planning of the park. We had a party at our school organized by planners of the playground. At the party they presented the final designs of the playground being built that would replace the tennis court. Information was given to us to take home to our parents with petitions for them to si...

The Regent Park Social development plan is a plan that ensures that old and new residents alike would be engaged and feel part of the community. As anyone who has been living in and frequenting downtown Toronto over the past 15 to 20 years, you may have noticed that Regent Park has been going through a significant large-scale revitalization. Once entirely made up of social housing managed by Toronto Community Housing, the neighbourhood is now entering the final 4th and 5th phases of physical revitalization. The physical development plan seeks to transform Regent Park into a new, integrated and thriving mixed-income community boasting new Toronto Community Housing (TCH) buildings, multiple new market rent condos, state of the art sports and recreational facilities as well as new businesses and streets. The Regent Park Revitalization process is unmatched not only due to its large-scale build over multiple decades but also for its support for a social development plan that accompanies th...

Accessibility is a human right. Is the St. James Town community failing or passing, on making the area as accessible as possible to people who need it? St. James Town is a diverse and multi-faceted community located in the heart of Toronto, bordering Sherbourne Street to the west, Bloor St E to the north, Parliament Street to the east and Wellesley St E to the south. The community is made up of more than 17,000 residents and is comprised of many high-rises built in the 1960s. Many of the residents that live in St. James Town are senior citizens and require mobility devices and other supports needed to live, work and play independently. The problem is that the St. James Town community is severely lacking in the supports needed to make it a truly accessible community. For example, certain residential buildings like 240 Wellesley may have a ramp but, they have no automatic door push button at the entrance for people with mobility issues to enter or leave. Therefore, people wi...

"It is a waste of time to be angry about my disability. One has got to get on with life." - Stephen Hawking St. Jamestown- is my hometown of ten years. My family and I moved here for the sole reason that where I lived before was not very accessible. We thought Toronto in general would be better, and it was. After a short time of living in St. Jamestown, I was beginning to see that it had some serious accessibility concerns for its residents like me, who have a disability. Something so minor as the curbs on the sidewalks not being leveled, to more serious concerns - like, why every place of business doesn't have a ramp and a handicapped button on the outside. As a person with a disability, I shouldn't have to rely on others to hold doors or to help me get up sidewalk curbs or stairs. At the same time its a horrible feeling to realize that my independence costs the city money. A lot of money. Take the Dollar store on Wellesley and Yonge, for example. The store ...

With the revitalization of Regent Park, Sharleen wants to know when the nearby community of St. James Town will be revitalized. Eighteen years ago, the city of Toronto approved Regent Parks revitalization. Today, as of 2021, Regent Park is almost fully developed with attractive high-rise condos and apartment buildings, an amazing community centre, and a big serene park. A "Regent Parker's" life has substantially improved since the 80s or 90s when housing was substandard and crime was rampant. Today the area's social service providers are flooded with funding from the city and upscale businesses are flocking to the neighbourhood. Why would they not? It's the city's newest "it" spot. Whilst Regent Park basks in their newly found glory, here at St. James Town we hang in our overshadowed community. The St. James Town "Towers in the park," as they were once referred to, are now wasting away, poorly maintained by Toronto Community Housin...

Daiem believes the City of Toronto needs to step its game up when it comes to dealing with its housing crisis. Over the last few years, many homeless and unhoused people have been sleeping in tents and setting up large encampments in public parks around the city. An extremely large one at Trinity-Bellwoods Park, Lamport Stadium, Moss Park, Allan Gardens, and so many more. Earlier in the year, the city issued multiple eviction notices to these people citing that they were trespassing and making the park unsafe. A number of weeks ago, the city acted on their eviction notices and sent large numbers of police officers to evict the people staying at the encampment, forcefully if necessary. After a bit of a standoff with protestors, law enforcement put action to their words and began forcefully clearing the encampment. In the process, many protesters were maced, hit with batons, choked, and arrested. It’s a disgusting use of authority, and the city’s refusal to acknowledge t...

Mothers of Peace teams up with the Paint Box Bistro, Daniels, TCHC and United Way to present a weekly cultural bazaar in Regent Park. As more and more Canadians get vaccinated and Ontario begins to open up, many outdoor events are starting to happen. In Regent Park this summer, Mothers of Peace is teaming up with the Paint Box Bistro, Daniels, TCHC and United Way to present a weekly cultural bazaar. Mothers of Peace is an organization based out of Regent Park operated by family members and mothers of the community. The violence prevention group was form to strengthen families and address the mental stress that can come with the trauma of inner-city violence. Mothers of Peace actively organizes healing circles for the families of victims of gun violence. Healing circles exist as an outlet for family members to let up their emotions, oftentimes through crying. While the pandemic has forced these healing circles to go virtual, it does not minimize the impact on family members...

Over the past years, the murals and art in St. James Town kept expanding, making it easy to spot paintings and art everywhere.  But why should people care about the murals, and what makes them so important?  St. James Town is a highly dense population with many significant murals surrounding the community, but not many residents acknowledge the amazing art in the neighborhood and how much color and livelihood it gives. Community murals give light and positively to an urban neighborhood full of highrises and lacking in green spaces, like the St. James Town neighborhood. In St. James Town you can notice murals in different areas like around the schools as children pass by, the Wellesley buildings, the grocery stores, restaurants, and many more places. Just by observing the community closely you realize how much of an energetic and vibrant impact murals give off. The murals in St. James Town serve as a visual representation of the connections and stories expressed and told...

On Canada Day 2021, many citizens marched in downtown Toronto in honour of the Indigenous Children who died in the residential schools across Canada.    Instead of regular Canada Day celebrations, thousands of Torontonians gathered in downtown Toronto to join the Every Child Matters Walk to honour Indigenous children who died in the residential school systems across Canada and show support, respect and solidarity for residential school survivors and Indigenous people. More than 150,000 First Nations children were taken from their families involuntary and forced into the church- and government-run residential schools in a bid to 'educate' them. The schools ran from the 19th century well into the 20th. The children often were mistreated and lost their languages and culture. Many of them never returned to their families and communities. The March began and was organized by the Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, located at Dundas and Parliament in Regent Park. Many of ...

How A Muslim artist is making a positive impact on youth in Regent Park and beyond.     Mustafa Ahmed, better known by his stage name, Mustafa the Poet, is a 24-year-old songwriter and singer who grew up in Toronto’s Regent Park. Mustafa is of Sudanese parentage. His early spoken word focused on themes of poverty both in Africa and Regent Park. Mustafa recently released an album on May 28, 2021, named, “When Smoke Rises.” Instead of glorifying violence, gangs and destructive behaviour, Mustafa chooses to use his music to promote healing and peace and to touch the lives of everyone. In the words of Mustafa, he says, “You think you’re escaping a war, but then you arrive at a new one” he refers to the ongoing violence happening in Regent Park and how he tries to escape it. In his song “Ali”, Mustafa sings about his friend who passed away from gun violence. In the song, paying tribute to his friend, he says, “Ali, there were no words to stop the bullets.” In his song “ ...

What Henna means in a neighbourhood of those who wear it. Photos and henna designs by Radhia Ali Henna (also known as Mehendi) is a paste that is made with a powdered form of the henna plant. The earliest use of henna goes back to around 9,000 years ago in Egypt. It has also been a part of many South Asian and Middle Eastern countries for centuries. Henna has cultural and spiritual uses, but it was also used in these countries due to its natural cooling properties to help regulate body temperature. Henna is ambiguous in its uses and can be used for cosmetology, medicine, religious purposes, celebration, spirituality, and more! It has been used as a natural hair dye that gives a rich and vibrant orange shade to one's hair. Nowadays in the beauty world, companies like LUSH Cosmetics have begun selling henna as hair dye and people have begun using it to create fake freckles. However, it is mainly used in celebration during special occasions such as weddings and holidays. Many peop...

On 19th July 2021, Toronto Police’s Mounted unit, was called in by the 51 Division of Toronto Police in Regent Park to assist in locating an 80-year old missing person. Sgt. Alan Spratt of the Toronto Police Mounted unit along with his unit was responding to call by the 51 division of Toronto Police to assist them in locating an 80-year old, missing person in Regent Park. As the Mounted Unit of Toronto Police reached the Regent Park community accompanied by four horses of the Mounted Unit, they received a communication from the 51 Division that the missing person has been located, so the Mounted unit decided to patrol the Regent Park Community. Regent Parkers, especially families with young kids were all amazed and fascinated by the horses patrolling around Regent Park. A crowd quickly gathered around the Mounted Unit of Toronto Police. Children and their parents were snapping pictures and making videos of the horses. The young children of Regent Park really enjoyed the spectacle. ...

With the Provincial Liberals rebuilding after a blowout loss, what do we know about their new Leader? Ontario’s three party system is in an interesting place. It seems everything Doug Ford says or does makes headlines, and Andrea Horwath has solidified herself as a household name but there seems to be a big red hole in our three-party system. Since Kathleen Wynne’s blowout loss in 2018, it seems the Liberals have been laying low and with a provincial election a year away and the intense criticism that Ford has come under due to his reactionary handling of the pandemic (and more), it begs the question - Who the heck is Steven Del Duca? Steven Del Duca is the current Provincial Liberal Leader. Elected as party leader on March 7th, 2020, he won the vote with 58.8% of the ballot, receiving 1258 delegate votes. The son of two immigrant parents, Del Duca is a proud Liberal. According to his official website, he’s been an active Liberal since he was 15, and has played various roles around th...