Catch da Flava Online

By Gabriel Meissner Gabriel is a Community Journalist at Focus Media Arts Centre Premier Doug Ford’s government has announced plans to close 10 of Ontario’s 23 supervised drug consumption sites by March 2025, targeting those located near schools and childcare centers. Ford asserts that the closures are necessary to protect children from exposure to drug use and the potential dangers of discarded needles in public spaces. Additionally, he argues that these sites have not demonstrated a significant impact on improving addiction outcomes and may contribute to issues in surrounding neighbourhoods. As an alternative, the government will introduce 19 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs, which aim to provide a broader spectrum of addiction and homelessness services but will not include supervised drug consumption. The government’s decision has sparked widespread debate, with public health advocates, community leaders, and harm reduction workers voicing ...

From Allan Gardens to Regent Park: Moise Discusses Town Hall Outcomes, Encampment Solutions, and the Future of Sankofa Square.  In this RPTV interview, Gabriel Meissner speaks with Councillor Chris Moise to tackle the crucial issues facing Toronto Centre’s neighborhoods, including Regent Park, St. Jamestown, and Moss Park. Moise recently held a series of Community Town Halls across the area, aiming to bridge communication between city officials and residents. He explains some tangible initiatives that have resulted from these discussions, such as increased safety measures and urban improvements, and shares how ongoing feedback will influence decisions about housing, public safety, and local services. The interview also covers the recent clearings of encampments in Allan Gardens, with Moise updating on the progress for those connected to shelters and explaining the city’s approach to Indigenous cultural practices within the park, such as sacred fires. Another critical topic is the i...

 With the Ontario government's looming plan to shut down five supervised drug consumption sites in Toronto, communities in the Downtown East gathered on August 31st for International Overdose Awareness Day, underscoring the vital role these sites play in saving lives. RPTV’s Gabriel Meissner covered three powerful events where harm reduction advocates and community members came together to honor those lost and demand action. The 519, Street Health, and partner organizations hosted the 'Together We Can End Overdose' event at Barbara Hall Park, which featured sacred fire, Indigenous drumming, powerful speakers, and a community BBQ. The event highlighted the importance of harm reduction strategies, including naloxone training, to empower community members to respond effectively to overdoses and save lives. At the Moss Park CTS (Consumption and Treatment Services), located under the South Riverdale Community Health Centre on Sherbourne Street, participants gathered for similar ...

 By Fred Alvarado Fred is a community journalist with FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CENTRE On July 27, 2024, the Neighbourhood Information Post hosted the Moss Park Summer Festival, a vibrant community event held at the green space at the intersection of Queen St East and Ontario St. The festival, themed "I Love Moss Park," aimed to strengthen social ties and foster mutual support among residents. This free event featured food, a DJ, an ice cream truck, a bouncy castle, games, face painting, and a raffle, creating a lively atmosphere for all attendees. The festival brought together residents and a range of service providers, including MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, City Councilor for Ward 13 Chris Moise, representatives from Toronto Community Housing, 51 Division Neighborhood Community Officers, Toronto Fire, and various community organizations such as Street Haven, Street Health, and Building Roots. These organizations provided valuable resources and information to help residents navigate their d...

In the heart of Moss Park, Toronto, Carol Mark stands as a beacon of community spirit and artistic innovation. As the curator and owner of the Amazing Boss Park Collective and 183 Gallery, Carol has dedicated over 20 years to fostering an inclusive art space that not only showcases diverse talents but also actively contributes to grassroots organizations. "My journey began with the realization that there was a void in the community—people needed a platform to exhibit their art," Carol shares. Unlike conventional galleries, 183 Gallery operates on a unique model where proceeds from sales are donated back to the community, supporting minority artists and initiatives like the first hospice at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. Carol's deep-rooted connection to the city is evident. Growing up near the vibrant Girard Street village, she was inspired by its artistic energy. "Moss Park reminds me of those days—full of history and potential," she says. Her gallery not only hos...

The Moss Park Coalition works specifically within the Toronto Downtown East community of Moss Park. The aim of this community-led program is to provide residents and stakeholders in the Moss Park Community with important information on social issues which may impact their daily lives. Currently, the Coalition is working to bring light to the many developments being planned in both the public and private sectors which will bring to change to Toronto’s historic Downtown East. Some of these developments include the Moss Park Subway Station, condo development and changes to green space. The goal of our coalition is to ensure the voices of the community are heard and these voices can help guide developments of their own community to better address the needs of their neighbours.

In Regent Park, a community that is in the process of a massive transformation, from Canada's largest social housing complex to a mixed income/mixed use neighbourhood, the outcome of elections, be they Municipal, Provincial, or Federal is of profound interest to area residents. The Community Civic Engagement Collaborative (CCEC) is a grassroots collective of agencies and residents in Regent Park, Moss Park, St. James Town and Corktown neighbourhoods, working to increase civic engagement in elections and beyond, through non-partisan community organizing. On Wednesday May 18, 2022, the CCEC organized and hosted an all-candidates meeting (held at the Daniels Spectrum, 585 Dundas St E, Toronto) and invited candidates to share their respective party's platforms regarding the key issues facing the Toronto Centre riding, which includes Moss Park, Regent Park, Cabbage Town, Church Wellesley Village, and St. Jamestown.  The meeting was moderated by Ina Labuschgne and Walied Khogali. ...

  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...

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...

People gathered at Moss Park in support of encampment residents, following trespass notices served by the City with possible criminal charges and evictions. The Moss Park community rallied together on April 3rd at an event organized by the Encampment Support Network (ESN) and Building Roots, to support encampment residents’ right to live in the park, pleading the City to “let them stay”. This action was taken following trespass notices served on March 19th and posted on tents, tiny shelters, trees and posts, expressing to enforce removal of encampments by April 6th. The event hosted speakers, music and dance performances, as well as featured free food and arts and crafts activities. By engaging the community on the issue, organizers and encampment residents looked to show that the park can indeed be shared by all, opposing one of the claims expressed in the trespass notices, that encampments are prohibited because they may “create nuisance” or “interfere with the use and enjoymen...

In the Moss Park community, located between Jarvis and Sherbourne Street, on 257 Dundas street, you will find a colourful rainbow accented building that The Friends of Ruby call “Home”. The Friends of Ruby Home was designed to appeal to youth, not just any youth, but LGBTQI2S youth between the ages of 16 - 29 years who are in need of transitional housing and support. Friends of Ruby was founded in 2014 by Egale Canada as Egale Youth Services to meet the needs of LGBTQI2S youth in the Greater Toronto Area. LGBTQI2S refers to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Two-Spirited. The catalyst for providing the home was Egale’s “Not under my roof” study that shone light on the crisis of LGBTQI2S youth homelessness due to disproportionately high rates of family rejection, violence and trauma. “Not under my roof” is a sentence that many LGBTQI2S youth hear at a sensitive age, growing up with their families. It's a repetitive message of rejection, harassment, and unaccept...

SEATON HOUSE GETS A MAKE OVER With the revitalization of Regent Park considered a success, the area west of Sherbourne Street, considered part of the Moss Park community, is witnessing a symphony of construction activity. George Street, once the privy of rooming houses, low-income housing and Toronto’s largest homeless shelter, is now getting a City of Toronto initiated makeover. It now appears that governments are embracing the notion that the continued wellbeing of our communities requires a certain level of fiscal investment, and that the social safety net needs to be expanded, not diminished. The center piece of this construction activity is the George Street Revitalization project, located west of Sherbourne Street on the northern part of George Street, in the Moss Park area. Initiated by the City of Toronto, the revitalization project prominently features the modernization of Seaton House, the City’s oldest and largest homeless shelter. Seaton House has operated as a ...

Transformational long-term care facility for some of Toronto’s most vulnerable populations being built in the Moss Park area. With the revitalization of Regent Park considered a success, the area west of Sherbourne Street, considered part of the Moss Park community, is witnessing a symphony of construction activity. George Street, once the privy of rooming houses, low-income housing and Toronto’s largest homeless shelter, is now getting a City of Toronto initiated makeover. It now appears that governments are embracing the notion that the continued wellbeing of our communities requires a certain level of fiscal investment, and that the social safety net needs to be expanded, not diminished. In addition to the redevelopment of Seaton House, the city oldest and largest men’s shelter, (see part one of the George Street Revitalization), the George Street Revitalization will feature a long -term care facility and senior support services. The goal of these new services in the commun...

Finding strength and solidarity in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc in every sector of society. However, it is in the closely-knit downtown core of large urban centers that fabric of daily life has become even more exacerbated. In Toronto’s downtown east side neighbourhood of Moss Park, a community typically described as occupying east of Jarvis Street to Parliament street, and south of Queen street to Dundas street, coping with the pandemic has been particularly challenging. This is because Moss Park not only comprises of public housing complexes, but also a number of low-income rental units, rooming houses and several homeless shelters all of which contribute to the housing needs of the city’s most vulnerable people, including a significant population of people struggling with poverty, addictions and mental health. For those living in poverty and struggling with mental health and addictions, finding the support to negotia...

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked unprecedented upheaval across the globe. Millions have tested positive, and hundreds of thousands have died. In more than the 200 countries in the world that coronavirus has taken hold, health systems have been devastated, unemployment is rampant, and populations have been in self-isolating lockdowns for months on end. And while our scientists desperately search for vaccines and improvements to testing, there is another dimension to the pandemic that is emerging; it is the staggering realization that disproportionately the most vulnerable are the hardest hit – the poor, the elderly, the marginalised, and those in low income but vital jobs. In Downtown Toronto East including the areas of Regent Park, Sherbourne-Dundas, Moss Park, Cabbagetown, St. Jamestown and the Church and Wellesley neighbourhood where many of the most vulnerable members of our society live, there is a crisis brewing. Homeless encampments are springing up everywhere leading to conflic...