Facilities Bookings Procedures in Regent Park

By -

Regent Park Community groups work make the “Access to Space” project a working reality for area residents.


The Regent Park Revitalization has substantially altered the landscape of Regent park with new buildings and amenities, among them the Pam McConnell Aquatic Centre, Daniels Spectrum, the Regent Park Athletic Grounds and the Regent Park Community Centre.



The Regent Park Community Centre located at 402 Shuter Street, which is operated by the City of Toronto, is a multi-faceted recreational centre with an employment centre, child care centre, athletic field and connects to Nelson Mandela Park Public School. Additionally, it has an extensive array of arts programs, camps, fitness facilities, sports programs, and the centre has some youth-specific programming.



At a recent community meeting held on March 11, 2022, facilitated by representatives from The City of Toronto Recreational Services and members from the Social Development Plan(SDP) working groups, residents attended an informational session regarding access to the various facilities that are available to residents of Regent Park.



The meeting was kicked off by Leah Woldegiorgis, who is the Access to Space Coordinator for the Community Building Working Group, one of the four working groups of the SDP. Lea explained how she, through the Community Building Working Group, advocates for community members in their needs to have access to space for meetings, recreational activities and celebrations.



Following Leah, Ibrahim Afra and Joel Klassen also from the SDP Community Building Working Group, spoke about role of the SDP in the development of the “Access to Space” initiative. The scope of the project included City space as in the community centre, Toronto Community Housing (TCH) buildings and space availability in other agencies located in Regent Park.



From there Lissette Mejia, the City of Toronto Recreational Programmer, proceeded to unpack the various aspects and conditions that make-up accessing space at the community centre. Among the many points in the presentation covered were how bookings are made, who is eligible, and how the cost of spaces works. For example, bookings fit within certain category types:



  • Not for Profit Residents (Children, Adults, OA Adults)

  • Not For Profit Non Residents (Children, Adults, OA Adults)

  • Family (family gatherings, shower, holiday gatherings, picnics)

  • Not For Profit organizations who might have a budget of under $5,000.00


The meeting was attended by approximately 30 or more area residents who represented a broad range of interests, ages, and organizations, with Lucky Boothe, Recreational Supervisor with the City of Toronto and a well know figure in the community, giving the final remarks.



If you are a Regent Park resident, a not-for profit grassroots group or organization serving Regent Park who desires to book space City operated facilities in Regent Park,

the contact for space booking is Nefertiti.hernandez@toronto.ca



To learn more about space and booking procedures view this video about the Facilities Booking Procedure meeting held on.




Written by
Dimitrije Martinovic

Journalist
FOCUS Media Arts Centre



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

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 of
Read more

WHY RENAME DUNDAS STREET IN TORONTO – what’s in a name?

By -
Image
July 14th, 2021: After a lengthy debate on Wednesday, council voted 17 to 7 in favour of a motion put forward by Mayor John Tory and city staff to change the name of Dundas Street. Dundas Street cuts across an immense swath of neighbourhoods including the community of Regent Park, as it circumnavigates the eastern and western boundaries of Toronto. Beginning in the east end at Kingston Rd. and working its way westward, Dundas Street travels through The Beach, Leslieville, Riverside, Regent Park, Cabbagetown South, ChinaTown, Alexandra Park, Trinity Bellwoods, Little Portugal, Brockton Village, the Junction Triangle, Lambton, Chestnut Hills, Islington, Summerville, Appelwood Heights, Mississauga Valley, and to Erindale at its western edge where it becomes Hwy 5. Each of these neighbourhoods has a distinct cultural vibe and demographic make-up, urban, residential, commercial, suburban and in some case semi-industrial, each locale a mix of rich identities and histories that begs out to
Read more