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The vast majority of Canadians are against racism and acknowledge it as an issue in Canada, though about two-thirds of all non-white Canadians say they have experienced it themselves, according to a new poll. Those results come just ahead of the 2021 federal election -- an election with platforms that, according to some advocates, do not have a strong enough push against anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism as well as a commitment to police reform in Canada. Sandy Hudson, the co-founder of Black Lives Matter Canada, said that the lack of attention coming to these issues in terms of party policies and platforms was not only "extremely frustrating," but "telling" of parties' values. Though most of the major federal parties have included racism and discrimination in several sections of their platform, outlining some call to action to tackle the racial issues, Hudson says what they currently have is not nearly enough or substantive. The NDP's platform includ...

A Report of the English Federal Leaders Debate – Election 2021 The federal party leaders met Thursday night on September 9, 2021, for their only English-language debate, a two-hour event that they used to both attack their rivals and make a case for support ahead of the Sept. 20 election. The debate saw heated exchanges over five key issues: affordability, climate change, pandemic recovery, reconciliation, leadership and accountability. The opposition leaders criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for calling parliamentary elections during a pandemic. Trudeau called the vote last month hoping to win a majority of seats in Parliament, but polls indicate his Liberal party could lose power to the Conservatives in the day of the elections. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party Leader Annamie Paul tried to brand Trudeau as a failed prime minister who has long promised transformative progressive change but has failed to deliver. Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, who faced...

Daiem takes us through the platforms and challenges faced by all four of the major parties. Justin Trudeau has officially had Parliament dissolved, and is calling for an early election. The election will take place on September 20, 2021, allowing for just over a month for campaigning. So far, the Conservatives and NDP have officially released their platform. It’s sure to be an interesting race, as the leaders of all four major parties has come under fire for at least something or the other. Trudeau’s track record and missteps related to Brown Face, the Jody Wilson-Raybould affair and We Charity scandal is well documented. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has been criticized for being seen not following COVID guidelines. Conservative Erin O’Toole has had to deal with criticism from within his own party related to his stance on abortion, LGBT rights, carbon pricing and the environment which has put him at odds with his own party. And Green Leader Annamie Paul, the first Black Canadi...

Regent Park residents of Chinese origin represent the largest ethnic group in Regent Park - and Mandarin and Cantonese together represent the second largest non-English language groups in Regent Park after Bengali. Despite this large contingent of residents they remain relatively unseen in the cultural life of Regent Park. The exception is the Happy Dance Group. In Regent Park, every Wednesdays and Saturday evenings, between 6 pm – 8 pm, a group of twenty Chinese women from around the area gather to meet, talk and…dance. The Happy Dance Group, made up of mostly seniors meet in the courtyard behind the Daniel’s Spectrum Arts Centre to dance to popular Chinese music. The Happy dance group was founded by Miss XIANYAO TANG. “Dancing makes me feel friendly, happy and helps me get some exercise,” she said. The group has been dancing/practicing together for more than 5 years. According to Miss Tang, in China people dance in huge groups in the public square using similar routines, to keep fit,...

Healing Black Leaders Project holds a community graduation celebrating participants. On July 28, 2021, the Healing Black Leaders Project held a graduation ceremony outside the Daniels Spectrum Arts Centre in Regent Park. The graduation ceremony celebrated 23 leaders of African descent who completed the program. The leaders that attended the event, work in identified at-risk communities (commonly referred as Neighbourhood Investment Areas) across the City of Toronto, including several participating young leaders from Regent Park. In addition to handing out completion certificates and swag, the ceremony was also held to recognize the work of leaders in the communities they serve. The Healing the Black Leaders Project is a pilot project designed to provide Black leaders with the inspiration, support and additional skills they need to continue making a difference in their community. The project is part of on-going efforts to deal with anti-black racism and systemic barriers and w...

Regent Park residents are having trouble accessing amenities in their own neighborhood Regent Park is currently in it’s last phase of revitalization. The community, once entirely composed of social housing and lacking in proper facilities, is now a mixed-income and mixed- use neighbourhood that features a number of new state-of-the-art amenities, including a new community centre, soccer fields, parks, an aquatic centre, playgrounds, and skating rinks. The new spaces have created tremendous opportunities for Regent Presidents and their families to gather, socialize and engage with each other. Unfortunately, more and more Regent Park residents are voicing the opinion that the new amenities are not for them. Furthermore, some residents have even claimed that they have been denied access. Considering that Regent Park residents spent years advocated for new facilities and participated in numerous meetings related to the building and design on these facilities, why is it that th...

People’s Elite holds a Peace and Unity event in Regent Park On August 20, 2021, a grassroot organization named ‘People’s Elite’ held a Peace and Unity in the Community event on the Regent Park’s Athletic Field. The four-day community event used basketball to engage youth in life skills, business and entrepreneurship and mental health. The activities included yoga, speakers and journaling. Co-founders, Foad Karimian and Duane Spencer, decided to hold this event so they could cater to the youth of Regent Park who have had a difficult year and a half due to the Coronavirus and spread unity since there has been some discordance among youth in the community. The organizers decided to use basketball as their teaching tool due to its inexpensive nature and its ability to integrate other learning lessons such as life and entrepreneurship skills. According to Karimian, youth in Regent Park don’t have opportunities to engage with professionals, “these youth have more opportunities to mingle ...

Miguel Avila-Valarde, a resident of Regent Park, is charged for the toppling statue. Regent Park and the surrounding neighbourhoods of Moss Park and St. James Town, are some of the most diverse neighbourhoods in Toronto. These neighbourhoods are also home to a significant population of indigenous residents. Toronto itself is situated on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Both locally and nationally there a is heightened awareness regarding the legacy of systemic racism perpetrated by White European settlers against the Native people during the period of colonization (1788 - 1901), and which even today persist in many facets of contemporary life, including the commemoration of key historical figures who contributed directly to various oppressive and discriminatory practices; such as the re...

A conversation with William Mendes, the Director of Program Delivery for TCHC Radio Regent is a 24-hour, public access radio station in the heart of the Regent Park community. The station is managed by the Focus Media Arts Centre. One of the weekly shows that is produced on Radio Regent is the 4GetAboutIt! Youth Collective. In this episode of Radio Regent’s 4GetAboutIt! The youth collective invited William Mendes, the Director of Program Delivery for Toronto Community Housing, to be a guest on their radio show to discuss and learn more about the 4th and 5th phases of the Regent Park redevelopment. As anyone who has been living in and frequenting the downtown east neighbourhood of 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 aging social housing managed by Toronto Community Housing (TCH), the neighbourhood is now entering the final 4th and 5th phases of p...

The St. James Town Food Co-op launches an emergency food Pop- Up On August 12, 2021, the St. James Town Co-op launched an outdoor emergency food distribution pop-up in an open space behind the swimming pool located at 275 Bleecker and Wellesley Street. Located in the middle of the neighborhood, this pop-up was a temporary substitute for the regular food distribution in the Wellesley Community Centre. The Wellesley Community Centre, located at 200 Wellesley Street is now been used as a vaccination clinic. The importance of the pop up was to distribute emergency food to residents struggling with food insecurity. Although the Co-op is struggling to secure a place for their food insecurity initiative, making sure that the needs of the community have been met is the Co-op first priority. Yasmine, the Food distribution department manager explains to us how the initiative tries to offer different kinds of food that is culturally appropriate and that would keep the community healthy an...

St. James Town is a neighborhood located in Toronto’s downtown core.Comprised of a diverse and resilient community, it represents the best of Toronto. Here are some facts you may not know about St. James Town: Fact 1 It’s one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in Canada. The population of St. Jamestown James Town is officially listed as approximately 17,000 residents but estimates say there could be more than 25,000 26,000 residents living here. Fact 2 St. James Town is one of the smallest neighborhoods in Toronto. With a land area of just 0.23 kilometres comprised of 19 high rises, explains why St. James Town is regarded as one of the smallest and most densely populated neighbourhoods! Fact 3 St. James Town was once known as the Homewood Estate. Yes, back then (in the 1800’s) it was occupied by upper middle-class residents and the homes and had more in common with Rosedale. Once the car became popular, most of the wealthy folks left for the suburbs. Fa...

“Speaking With Confidence” is a free, 6 week public speaking training that teaches Regent Park residents newcomers how to successfully express and advocate for themselves in public settings Part of Regent Park’s Revitalization plan includes significant City of Toronto funding for the Regent Park Social Development Plan (SDP). The SDP aims to foster Social Cohesion and Inclusion in the new Regent Park. This process includes identifying key areas and action projects that meet the goals of building Social Capital in a new mixed income neighbourhood. After a consultation process with the community, four key areas were identified, these were: Safety, Community Building, Communications and Employment and Economic Development. To implement action activities in each of these areas, working group committees were formed. The “Speaking with Confidence” training was an initiative developed by the Safety Working Group in collaboration with Regent Park’s Mother’s of Peace and TD’s Centre f...