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In this episode of St. James Town TV, we feature the Weathering the Storm Research Report. The report was prepared for The Corner and the St. James Town Service Providers Network by Lisa Kovalchuk, a professor of sociology at the University of Guelph. Lisa Kovalchuk’s team of researchers included community residents Priyal Goenka, Tanvir Kaukab, and Lovlyn Dsouza. The aim of the study was to determine how the Covid-19 pandemic played out in the highly diverse and densely populated community of St. James Town. The study focused on three demographics, youth, newcomers and other immigrants, and seniors. According to Lisa and her team, in the area of children and youth the study found that parents with infants and pre-teen children reported lockdown impacts that affected child development such as the lack of social interactions and gaining of learning experiences because of the disruption of day-care and the closure of recreational family outing options. Parents of special needs c...

In this Episode of the 4GetAboutIt TV, the Youth Collective discuss some of the Slang words used in Toronto, especially in the Regent Park neighbourhood. Toronto, or the 6ix is one of the most diverse cities in the world. The whole world lives in the 6ix. In Toronto, one can find folks from every ethnicity, race, region etc. This makes the 6ix a multicultural and multilingual society. This mix of different cultures brings a distinct swagger to Toronto. Toronto Pop icons, Drake and Lily Singh have been using 'the 6ix' (slang for Toronto) in mainstream media sparking a conversation on Toronto slang. But in a city that brands itself as multicultural and diverse, where does that Toronto slang actually come from? This language we’ve normalized and enjoy comes from Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana, Somalia and other specific communities within the Greater Toronto Area. Regent Park is one community in the east end of downtown Toronto. A huge number of immigrants live in this community, t...

4GetAboutIt Youth Collective discuss Mustafa The Poet, an Inspiring Regent Parker & the Astroworld Tragedy. The 4GetAboutIt, Regent Park Youth Collective are really excited about, Regent Park's own, Mustafa the Poet's upcoming concert. The concert will be held on 1st December 2021, at Massey Hall in Toronto. Born to Sudanese parents, Mustafa began mesmerizing audiences with awe-inspiring poetry as a mindful pre-teen. He created raw and hopeful poetry/songs inspired by his upbringing in North America's first public housing building. Despite his age, Mustafa was able to touch on the grave reality of his hometown, located in one of Toronto's Regent Park. In 7th grade, he performed an original piece, "A Single Rose", at Nelson Mandela Park Public school. The piece got a lot of attention and appreciation, earning him high praises at Toronto's Hot Docs Festival in 2009. In 2016, he connected with Toronto producer Frank Dukes with whom he he...

The Regent Park Revitalization Team commits to community wide consultations on the rezoning process. The Regent Park revitalization team is in the process of consulting with the community on the Regent Park phases 4 & 5 revitalization. The revitalization team is made up of a development team from Toronto community Housing (TCHC), and Tridel, and a consultation comprised of 9 different consultant groups including Karakusevic Carson Architects (KCA), Bousfields Inc, Monumental , ERA Architects, PFS Studio, BA Group, Transsolar KlimaEngineering, Counterpoint Engineering and RWDI Consulting. On October 26, 2021, an on-line engagement presentation was hosted by the revitalization team for Regent Park community members. The presentation is one of many engagement activities that have been held to date. The October 26 presentation provides an understanding of the rezoning application process, what is involved and the timelines. In past meetings, the rezoning process has been the...

Former Regent Park resident Ahmed Hussen becomes Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Former Regent Park resident Ahmed Hussen becomes Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, after previously serving as Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, where he struck child-care agreements with seven provinces and one territory, and rolled out a $1 billion “rapid housing” strategy to combat homelessness during COVID-19 that converted hotels and motels into housing units. “ Honoured to continue serving Canadians in Cabinet as Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion,” said Minister Hussen on his Facebook page. “With a dedicated Ministry for Housing, we will continue to make it easier for Canadians to find an affordable place to call home & ending chronic homelessness. Let's keep working!” After arriving as a Somali refugee, Hussen lived with his brother in a subsidized apartment in Regent Park, the neighbourhood that gave him a zeal for the ta...

Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society supports vulnerable Indigenous women In the downtown east area, Regent Park, Moss Park, and St. Jams Town constitute some of the most ethnically diverse communities, although, sometimes, the indigenous populations that also call these neighbourhoods home are not as well talked about. However, if we look a little bit closer the truth is that in fact the downtown east side has a considerable indigenous community that are supported by several community agencies that service this population. The most recent addition is the Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society, located at 413 Dundas St East. The Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society grew out of need to break the cycle of over-representation of Indigenous women in Canada’s prison system. The mandate of the organization is to provide a place where Frist Nation (Status and Non-Status) Inuit, and Metis 2SLGBTQIA+ women can heal and reclaim their positive cultural identity, and place for rehabilitation and we...

According to Canada’s 2016 Census, the Indigenous population in Toronto is 46,315, however agencies serving the indigenous community in Toronto estimate that there are 70,000 indigenous residents living in Toronto. Many indigenous habitants reside in the downtown east areas of Toronto, including the low- income neighbourhoods of Regent Park, Moss Park and St. James Town. Far to often, however, Indigenous residents are invisible. In an effort to change this, we at Regent Park Weekly News is committed to bringing you news and stories on Indigenous communities in the down town east and City of Toronto. On September 29, 2021, one day ahead of the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Ontario’s Education Minister, Stephen Lecce announced new funding and curriculum aimed at ‘strengthening Indigenous learning. The curriculum, which will be mandatory for all students, is being developed for grades 1-3. The announcement came after growing calls for the government to devote more of t...

People in Ontario who drive or deliver for apps such as Uber, Lyft and Skip the Dishes are calling on Premier Doug Ford's government to grant them basic workers' rights by classifying them as employees. It's an issue that directly affects hundreds of thousands of people who work in the province's gig economy, and could have implications for all workers across Ontario and in other provinces. The app companies are profiting from having a workforce at the ready, yet don't provide those workers the rights and benefits of employees, says Brice Sopher, who delivers for Uber Eats and serves as vice-president of the union-backed group Gig Workers United.   Since app-based workers are currently classified as independent contractors under Ontario's Employment Standards Act, they are not entitled to minimum wage, vacation days or statutory holiday pay. The companies they work for do not have to pay Employment Insurance premiums or Canada Pension Plan contr...

Executive Directors of Regent Park hold their monthly meeting. The monthly meeting of the Regent Park Executive Directors Network took place on Monday October 18th over Zoom. The Executive Directors Network is a network comprised of Executive Directors and senior decision makers representing agencies that serve the Regent Park Neighbourhood. The Network has been in existence since 2005. The current chairs are Paulos Gebreyesus, Executive Director from the Regent Park Community Health Centre and Adonis Huggins, Executive Director of the Focus Media Arts Centre. The October 18th, ED Network meeting was chaired by Adonis Huggins as Paulos was not able to attend. The meeting began with Covid 19 and Vaccine Updates. Much of the discussion related to staff participant vaccination policies that individual agencies have adopted to deal with unvaccinated staff. Following this Mercedes Watson, Executive Director from Dixon Hall led a discussion on Data Fusion related to sof...

People in Ontario who drive or deliver for apps such as Uber, Lyft and Skip the Dishes are calling on Premier Doug Ford's government to grant them basic workers' rights by classifying them as employees. It's an issue that directly affects hundreds of thousands of people who work in the province's gig economy, and could have implications for all workers across Ontario and in other provinces. The app companies are profiting from having a workforce at the ready, yet don't provide those workers the rights and benefits of employees, says Brice Sopher, who delivers for Uber Eats and serves as vice-president of the union-backed group Gig Workers United.   Since app-based workers are currently classified as independent contractors under Ontario's Employment Standards Act, they are not entitled to minimum wage, vacation days or statutory holiday pay. The companies they work for do not have to pay Employment Insurance premiums or Canada Pension Plan con...

The recent announcement on October 21, 2021 by the Ford Government to remove the work certification for immigrants comes as a much-welcomed move for many newcomers, and also various Ontario job sectors that have seen an increased demand for skilled workers. Currently there is a labour shortage in Ontario with 300,000 jobs unfilled - the consequences for the government mean billions of dollars in lost productivity. Canada as we know it is a land of immigrants. From the first European settlers who arrived here at the beginning of the seventeenth century to the most recent influx of immigrants from Afghanistan, newcomers have been the lifeblood of Canada’s development. Labour Minister Monte McNaughton framed the issue in terms of unnecessary bureaucratic red tape. He stated that the new legislation, if passed, would: Eliminate Canadian work experience requirements for professional registration and licensing unless an exemption is granted based on a demonstrated public health and...

The Peel District School Board passed an anti-Islamophobia strategy with approval from community groups. The motion, calling for an anti-Islamophobia strategy, was brought forward and passed at a Peel District School Board meeting on September 30, 2021, by trustee Nokha Dakroub. The plan is being put in place with the intention of making schools safer for Muslim staff and students. In a video posted to twitter, Nokha Dakroub said: “It is meant to include the delivery of mandatory anti-Islamophobia training to all staff, accountability measures, and regular communication with the broader community.” Many community groups are supportive of the plan. Aasiyah Khan, Manager of Education Programs at the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), said: “As for mandatory anti-Islamophobia training for staff, such education is a way to eradicate misunderstanding around Islam, to bring in "diverse narratives" about Muslim communities, and to make sure educators have the tools t...

Inglewood Arms rooming house residents facing eviction win their rights to treated as full tenants Residents of the Inglewood Arms, a rooming house in downtown Toronto, located at 295 Jarvis Street, are celebrating after the Landlord and Tenant Board found them to be tenants with full protection of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 and not hotel guests as their landlord asserted. The order dated October 7, 2021 came after three days of hearings. “ It is a horrible thing to live at the whim of a landlord who slowly erodes the tenant rights that so many fought so hard to attain: even the most diligent and compliant of tenants will feel vulnerable and abused. I’ve lived at the Inglewood Rooming House for over 12 years and know many tenants who’ve lived there many years as well. Despite this, the landlord asserted we were mere hotel guests with no rights. So adamant was the landlord and so important is this cause, I decided to challenge the landlord at the Landlord and Tenant Board ...

Ontario to offer help to temp workers Ontario is set to introduce legislation that would require temporary help agencies and recruiters to be licensed. If approved, the proposed legislation would require Temporary Help Agencies and recruiters to have a license to operate. It would also spell out penalties for unlicensed temp agencies and recruiters, as well as businesses who use unlicensed agencies. The province is looking at hiring a dedicated team of officers to crack down on Temporary help agencies and recruiters who are exploiting or trafficking workers. Labour Minister Monte McNaughton said there are more than 3,000 agencies in the province and the vast majority operate ethically, but not all. “Unfortunately, some are lawbreakers who exploit their workers,” he said. “This needs to change.” Ministry of Labour inspections have found multiple temporary help agencies that are paying workers below minimum wage and denying basic employment rights, McNaughton said. “The undergroun...

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is declining to apologize for comments he made about immigrants. After an unrelated announcement on Monday, October 18, in Tecumseh, Ontario, Ford launched into a familiar line about Ontario’s biggest problem being a shortage of workers, particularly in the trades and construction. He said people who want to come and work their “tail off” like every other new Canadian has done should come to Ontario, but people who want to “collect the dole and sit around” should go somewhere else. The term “collect the dole” which means accessing social assistance is a disparaging term used to describe the act of accessing “government programs that provide a minimum level of income support to individuals and households living in poverty.” New immigrants are often ineligible for many services shortly after immigrating, including being ineligible to receive social assistance. The Canadian immigration system favours the highly educated, highly skilled class of immigrants, yet ...

  A new subway station is coming to Moss Park neighborhood relatively soon as part of the Ontario Line, a twelve-billion-dollar rapid transit project that will run across 15.5 kilometers connecting the Ontario Science Centre to Exhibition/Ontario Place. Moss Park is one of the fifteen station locations as part of the Ontario Line and with the exception of the station’s entrance located on the northwest corner of Queen and Sherbourne, it will be built underground. Anything constructed above ground for the Moss Park Station will be developed by Infrastructure Ontario and anything built below ground will be developed in partnership with Metrolinx. T he Moss Park Ontario Line station will connect a dense and fast-growing area of the city to the subway network. An estimated 7,300 people are expected to use Moss Park station during the busiest travel hour. However, there are a number of questions and concerns that community members have. ”What are the benefits of this project for...