Catch da Flava Online

 Toronto City Council is calling for expanded supportive housing as the city continues to face rising homelessness, shelter pressures, and a growing demand for affordable housing — issues that continue to impact communities across Toronto, including Regent Park and surrounding neighbourhoods. At a recent council meeting, the Housing Rights Advisory Committee presented recommendations focused on increasing supportive housing options for people transitioning out of homelessness, particularly those experiencing complex mental health, substance use, and housing stability challenges. Established in 2023, the committee advises the city on policies and programs that advance the human right to adequate housing. Members highlighted that Toronto’s housing system remains under significant pressure, with shelter capacity stretched and demand for rent-geared-to-income housing continuing to exceed available supply. For communities like Regent Park, where a large number of residents rely on affor...

 For many residents of 200 Wellesley Street East, the concerns raised at a community safety town hall earlier this year remain unresolved. Three months after Toronto Community Housing pledged improvements to security, communication and fire safety, tenants say many of those commitments have yet to materialize. At a recent tenant meeting, residents gathered alongside members of the Toronto Tenants Union to discuss ongoing issues including repeated false fire alarms, pest infestations, broken laundry facilities, criminal trespassing and safety concerns in the building, which is home to more than 1,300 people. Long-time tenant Randy Alexander said residents continue to experience the same problems despite repeated appeals for action. "None of those promises have been delivered so far. They promised monthly meetings after our town hall, but that has never happened. We've only ever asked Toronto Community Housing to fulfill its legal obligations to provide a safe and secure place t...

 On June 26, Toronto City Council has voted to move forward with the recognition, restoration, and expansion of the AIDS Memorial at Barbara Hall Park, adopting a motion that recognizes the site as a place of national importance while supporting the Echoes project proposal as a guiding framework for its future. The decision followed a thoughtful debate at City Hall, where councillors discussed how the city should honour decades of community engagement while responding to calls from HIV/AIDS organizations and LGBTQ2S+ advocates seeking stronger commitments to protect the memorial's legacy. City staff told council that more than 2,000 community members and over 20 organizations participated in consultations over the past three and a half years. According to staff, residents consistently called for a park that is safer, more accessible, and respectful of both the AIDS Memorial and the Trans Memorial as places for reflection and remembrance. "We've undertaken extensive engagem...

 The Regent Park Social Development Plan (SDP) Network Planning Committee met on May 14 to advance its social development agenda. Facilitated by Tamanna Yeasmin, the productive session focused on immediate community recruitment, strategic grassroots partnerships, and expanding global recognition. The meeting kicked off with a major strategy session for the upcoming Stakeholder Table meeting. Addressing new recruitment  across its four main working groups—Community Building, Safety, Employment and Economic Development (EED), and Communications—the committee decided to pivot the upcoming event into a effective community recruitment drive. To maximize neighbourhood engagement, the team brainstormed several interactive components. The event will officially launch the Network’s new website and WhatsApp channels, alongside the distribution of printed brochures and copies of Catch Da Flava magazine. To keep the atmosphere lively and educational, neighbours can participate in an SDP-t...

 People with lived experience of homelessness took their concerns directly to Toronto's Housing Rights Advisory Committee, urging City officials to place dignity, housing and human rights at the centre of decisions affecting unhoused residents. Invited to present before the committee, the Toronto Underhoused and Homeless Union (TUHU) shared the experiences of more than 300 members who have faced homelessness or inadequate housing across the city. Through outreach in shelters, encampments and drop-ins, the member-led organization said it is witnessing growing displacement, increasing security enforcement around Union Station and worsening conditions for people with nowhere else to go. "As people with lived experience of homelessness and housing insecurity, we understand firsthand what is needed to improve our lives and create lasting solutions to homelessness," the organization told committee members. "Too often, however, our voices are overlooked and our experiences ...

 For Lynn Walker, Toronto's housing crisis is a daily reality shaped by survival, grief and an unwavering commitment to people living without housing. As a grandmother, survivor of the Allan Gardens encampment and founding member of the Toronto Underhoused and Homeless Union (TUHU), she has spent years fighting for people experiencing homelessness while mourning friends and community members who never made it off the streets. Regent Park TV first captured Walker on camera in 2023 during a housing justice rally in Toronto's Downtown East, where she reflected on spending more than two years living in a tent at Allan Gardens after losing her housing. "They spent four years trying to evict me," Walker said. "I ended up in Allan Gardens." Living in the encampment exposed her to both hardship and solidarity. "I've watched so many people die in the parks," she said. "They're human beings like everybody else. If they don't have a blood fam...

 Barbara Hall Park was at the centre of a wide-ranging discussion at Toronto's Economic and Community Development Committee on June 9, as residents, advocates, and health professionals shared their perspectives on safety, public access, and the future of one of downtown Toronto's most significant community spaces. The committee considered a proposal from Toronto Centre Councillor Chris Moise that would continue reviewing the community-led Echoes proposal for the Toronto AIDS Memorial and launch a public engagement process to assess local support for possible nighttime closures of the park. Located in the heart of the Church-Wellesley Village, Barbara Hall Park is home to the Toronto AIDS Memorial and the Trans Memorial, two sites that hold deep significance for the 2SLGBTQ+ community. The park also serves as an important gathering space for residents, visitors, and vulnerable community members. The meeting began with an update from city staff on the Barbara Hall Park revitaliza...

Catch: Tell us about your experience of growing up in the community. How long have you lived in Regent Park? Regent Park has been a consistent and formative presence in my life. My connection to the community began during my elementary years at Nelson Mandela Park Public School, and I have remained closely connected since then while continuing my education through high school and university. My academic work at the University of Toronto is in an HBSc program, with an interdisciplinary focus on the study of religion across diverse traditions, including Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and secular thought. This has shaped my approach to ethical reasoning, inclusive leadership, and thoughtful decision-making. I have gained research-focused experience within major public institutions, including The Hospital for Sick Children and the University Health Network, where professionalism, accountability, and discretion are essential. While these experiences have influenced my path, Regent Park cont...

 On March 16th 2026, planning committee members of the Regent Park Social Development Network and members of the Regent Park Neighbourhood Association,  joined the 22 other neighbourhood representatives from across the City of Toronto, to participate in discussions related to the new formation of a city wide advocacy group known as the Coalition for Responsible Community Development. The aim of this new coalition is to build a network of neighbourhood groups from across the City of Toronto dedicated to the funding and support of community-led Social Development Plans and Community Development Plans. The Coalition argues that every neighbourhood in Toronto should have the resources to plan and shape its future and through the development of community-led Social Development Plans (SDPs) and Community Development Plans (CDPs). Social Development Plans (SDPs) and Community Development Plans (CDPs) like the Regent Park Social Development Network, strengthen neighbourhood safety, ec...

 In 2003, when Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) began submitting plans to the City for the transformation of Regent Park, from 100% Public Housing to a mixed income and mixed-use community,  the approval from City Council required TCHC to work collaboratively with Regent Park residents and local agencies to develop and implement a Social Development Plan (SDP).  The Regent Park SDP would ensure that redevelopment would not just be about building new housing and facilities but would positively change the quality of life experienced by Regent Park residents - which at that time were exclusively socio-economically challenged TCHC Tenants living in rent geared to income (RGI) units. Regent Park would be the very first redeveloped TCHC community to have a SDP which would give community members a say in what they felt would improve the lives of residents in the new Regent Park.   To meet City Council’s requirement, the city’s community development staff wo...