The first pairs of skates are taking to the recently opened ice rink on nahan Philippsohn square. From youngsters to couples, it's obvious that no one can skate quite like the canadians

    Stepping onto the Bessarion Subway Station platform, you will notice that compared to Dundas Station, it’s sparkling clean. The floor under your feet is not covered with dirt and the escalator handles are smooth rather than rough. But unlike Dundas, there is practically no one in sight.

            The Sheppard line was open to the public in November 2002 and was one of the first steps in revitalizing the community of Willowdale.

            Since then, many plots of land surrounding the subway line have become locations for building projects. Those with something already standing were most likely renovated.

            One of the biggest projects that have sprouted from Willowdale’s facelift, is something currently taking place along Hwy. 401 and Sheppard Avenue.

            This land used to be home to a large Canadian Tire distribution centre and retail store. Both were built in the 1960’s on old farmland and in 1999, Canadian Tire wanted to move to a better location. They finally sold the land to Concord Adex, a company based in Vancouver.

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            The project currently in place is called Concord Park Place. The group behind it all is the same one building the CityPlace project down by the Lakeshore. This project is worth approximately $2 billion, the most investment one in North York history.

            In 2007, they began demolishing the centre and retail store. By the next year, they had already begun constructing the first four buildings ranging from 12-28 floors. There are still 24 towers that are still being proposed. When all construction is complete, the 45-acre of land will be home to 5000 units.

            If each unit had families of two to four people, that is 10,000 to 20,000 individuals moving into a neighbourhood of 16,000. This neighbourhood being Bayview Village.

            “I’ve been here my whole life and it’s definitely changed. It’s gotten a lot nosier, I’ll tell you that,” says Mary Smithson, a 59 year-old native to the Village.

            This project is supposed to create a community of it’s own but it is hard to see it as one when it takes up Bayview Village’s lower half. By doing this, they are disrupting a community that frankly, wants to be left alone.

            “Redevelopment is one of this community’s biggest concerns…With the recent Sheppard line, it’s only gotten worse,” says Jane Kerper, an ex-president of the Bayview Village Association.

            The residents in the Bayview Village area are a close knit group. They share what is on their minds and are open to each other about practically everything.

            At an all-candidates meeting in October, many residents came together and spoke out about what they saw as a concern. The Park Place project was brought up twice and during those times, the audience seemed to shout in agreement.

            Peter, who would not give his last name, posed the question first and referred to it as “a very serious problem”. He even heard a rumour that every suite would be given a monthly Metropass.

            George Smitherman and Joe Pantalone, then candidates in the Toronto 2010 mayoral election, were not sure but both said that it is near impossible; there were just way too many people.

            David Shiner, the city councillor of Ward 24 for the past 19 years, is perfectly in step with the residents. This could be why he has remained undefeated.

            “I will oppose any unnecessary developments…I cut that [Sheppard] development in half and had the new road by Ikea paid for by the developer’s expense,” Shiner says referring to the total amount that the company received from the government.

            It seems as if the whole community is in full agreement on this matter but the meeting consisted of 90 per cent of the attendees being 50 and over. What about the rest of the community that was not present? The young ones with families and people of the generation X?

          “They’re going to have a new community centre, two new schools and definitely put up a few trains to help with the traffic congestions…We’ve got the new Sheppard line that will be much more utilized once the condos are up,” says Eugene Loo, a man in his mid-twenties who has lived in Willowdale for 17 years.

            Loo does not think it is a problem at all. In fact, he thinks the increase of residents will bring attention to a lot of problems and things that they lack.

            “I don’t remember the last time I was at a community centre. They don’t have Wi-Fi, they don’t have couches, they don’t have good food there,” says Loo.

            Willowdale only has two community centres that support the surrounding area, Cummer Park Community Centre being one of them.; so this development project may work in their favour. But there are some who say solving one problem does not take care of the others.

            “Having one more community centre won’t solve anything. It really just gives more people a reason to move up here. I’m retiring soon, I want to retire in peace,” says Smithson.

            Although a part of the problem seems to be the actual project, it seems there is another problem in the community of Willowdale, a disconnect between the old and the young.

            “I’d say we respect each other but we both have different views. It would depend on the community but I moved here not too long ago and wouldn’t call it home just yet,” says 18 year-old Terry Jung who likes the project.

            When asked about the traffic, Jung says it’s normal because the population is going to keep going up and couples are always going to start families.

            “Willowdale is a prosperous community so it has nothing to do with the finances. I think they want to maintain what they have and they’re afraid with so many people coming in, that might disappear,” says Jung.

            Betty Shelley grew up in Willowdale, raised her family there and she plans to die there. She has seen the community go through a lot over the years but not all of it has been bad.

            “We used to be much smaller…Change isn’t always a bad thing but I know how some of my neighbours feel. They’re used to things the way they are but time doesn’t stand still so why should we?” says Shelley.

            If Shelley had her way, she would probably join Smithson in her rants but she is realistic.

With the construction comes facilities that the community has always lacked and this can be seen as a compromise. But Bob Nihiddi, who grew up in the ward, says it does not solve anything.

            “If the community in the ward is already lacking in community centres, who are we to put another 5000 families there…There is a community centre being built there but does that help the existing people?...It doesn’t improve the current situation,” says Nihiddi.

            Jason Hackworth, an urban planning professor at the University of Toronto, is not surprised with the dispute.

            I think with almost all proposed developments, there has always been some disagreement,” says Hackworth. But while a large group is against the project, it’s no use if the community does not agree on one thing.

            “What’ll happen to their kids when they want to move out?...The condo’s right there so everyone should be happy,” says Jung.

            With the condo’s being constructed, this would mean everyone is still together and parents do not have to worry about their children moving to another district. But they seem to be stuck in the present.

            “I’m worried about what’s going to happen now. None of us thought it would turn out so big but you’ve got to admit, 5000 families? That’s just too much,” says Smithson.

            Hackworth compares Toronto to what happened in New York City a few years ago. The “Big Apple” started expanding but did not realize they had over built. Before they knew it, there were more buildings than the population could fill and more being approved. But the secret is to find a balance.

            “As intrusive as a building is, it’s still more housing per capita…Houses take more energy and are more spread out,” says Hackworth.

            He believes that condominiums are a great option but it is up to the developers to incorporate it properly into suburban living. In other words, there is a right and wrong way to do it.

            “Many condo’s that are going up are isolated from commercial buildings. The problem is that they usually aren’t linked…There has to be a better use of diversity like a grocery downstairs, transit, etc,” says Hackworth.

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           The developers have thought of this but instead of incorporating it into the buildings, they have decided to build around it. There is already a McDonalds, Starbucks, Canadian Tire, banks and an Ikea. But this is not what condo living is about.

            “Big developments like Ikea are surrounded by a box parking lot, they aren’t that great for walking,” says Hackworth. “Box” is a term used to describe large spaces devoted to parking. Sometimes, it even takes 10 minutes to walk through one of them to get from your car to the destination. So won’t walking from your condo be further?

            “They probably will have to drive because it isn’t integrated, increasing traffic,” says Hackworth.

            Although the professor does not live anywhere near Willowdale, he seems to have found a solution. Whether or not the developers and Shiner have though of it, we will have to wait and see.

            Giving a fitting example, Hackworth pointed out the condominiums around the Bay and Yonge Street area. Many of them have grocery stores, coffee shops and other essentials right on the ground floor; or at least an underground path.

            As of right now, the project seems to be going full swing. As time passes, the towers will be even closer to being finished. It looks like the residents nearby will have to adjust to what is in store. The most they can do is reach out to the developers on using the ground space of the proposed towers to be used as commercials space so the traffic will be more controlled.

Extras:

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Willowdale Traffic Video

By Claire Penhorwood 

Children laughing. Dogs barking while chasing balls across the grassy terrain. Neighbours greeting each other with a familiar smile. People chatting happily. Leaves falling in the wind creating a picturesque autumn background to the small park. There is a loud drilling noise. Followed by the repetitive thump, slam, bang sound of hammers. The park goers continue about their business, trying to enjoying the beautiful fall day in October. Most of them are used to the construction soundtrack going on in the background. They have been told to wait and it will all be completed soon, and will make their park that much better for the community. Some community members are getting tired of waiting. 

  Oriole Park is a green haven amongst high-rise condominium buildings and the long-standing residential streets that surround it. Right next to the hustle and bustle of Toronto’s Yonge and Davisville area, this green gem represents more than just a place to go for an afternoon stroll. For the residents and community members, this park is a play-date destination, a morning coffee rendezvous, a sports field, and most of all a place to feel part of the community.

  Ulli Rath, a resident of near-by Killbary Avenue is a frequent user of the park and one of the leaders of the community group ‘Friends of Oriole Park. A geologist by background, after having lived all over the world for his job, he and his wife have lived in the community near Oriole Park for the past 8 years. “It really has been a big part of our lives, whenever we have had a house we have tried to be close to a park because a park adds a lot to your quality of life,” says Rath.

For Ulli and other residents, their park has been taken away for the past seven months due to construction of Toronto’s first disabled-accessible playground, Neshama Playground. The community was open to the idea in the beginning- 5 years ago when the project first got its start- but over time, they have become worn down due to lack of communication and empty promises. “There is a lingering concern in the community as to how our park was chosen for the construction. On top of that, the actual construction itself has been very poorly managed, so the two combined has left a very bitter taste among the community members,” says Rath.

After much litigation and negotiating, after many fundraising attempts and letters written, after meeting upon meeting and set back after set back, the new addition to Oriole Park has started to be constructed.

The project started and was proposed by a group in 2004, and is set to make Oriole Park even more accessible to all people in its surrounding neighbourhoods. Neshama Playground is being erected inside Oriole Park and is the first disabled accessible playground in the city of Toronto.  It is being constructed where the old playground used to be, and will be more extensive and user friendly. According to Rath, this playground was first set to be a ‘destination’ playground for the city of Toronto. The original idea for this park was set in motion by a group of people, or more accurately a group of men, calling themselves ‘a bunch of guys’.

The group is comprised of investment bankers, lawyers and estate agents that have come together to form a committee for the construction of the playground. In 2004, on a plane from Toronto to New York, Steven Skurka, a criminal defence lawyer, shared a magazine article about Hadley's Park- a playground and park equipment company- with investment manager, Thomas Caldwell. Together, they agreed that Toronto should have playgrounds that meet the needs of children with challenges and that integrate their early-year playtimes with non-disabled children. So they formed 'A Bunch of Guys', the steering committee leading the Neshama Playground initiative, aspiring to bring an accessible playground to Toronto.

Brendan Caldwell, son of one of the founding members, Thomas Caldwell, explained how his father and Skurka had an idea for change that they wanted to see through to fruition. “There was a magazine article about Hadley's Park which described how a disabled girl in the US, and her mother, did not really appreciate the social and psychological impact of her disabilities until she went to a playground. They found that she could not play on the equipment with the other kids. She broke down and cried. Her mother went on a campaign to build accessible parks- there are now several in the US- but nothing equivalent in Canada. Steve and my father thought that should change,” says Caldwell.

  The story and the long awaited construction of Neshama Playground has been one of many negotiations and frustrations among the community. Neshama Playground- meaning ‘glorious soul’ in Hebrew- was first proposed by ‘A bunch of Guys’ in July of 2004. Thomas Caldwell, Skurka and a group of others went to the City of Toronto to discuss how a park, where children of all abilities could play together, might be possible. “When asked whether they represented a community group and what that group it was called, they replied that they were just a bunch of guys. That is how the name was born,” explained Caldwell.

This private donor group proposed to raise 1 million dollars of the funds that would be used for this new playground. The City of Toronto did not back this project at first. It was not until a year later in July of 2005 that the City came on board. After the city was supportive of the project, a community donations fund was set up and ‘a bunch of guys’ attended many city council meetings to attain contracts with the city for this project.

  It was not until Sunday. June. 8^th, 2008 that an official opening ceremony took place for the construction of Neshama Playground. Mayor David Miller, Councillor Michael Walker, Lieutenant Governor David Onley and HRH Prince Edward attended the ceremony and planted a royal tree to dedicate the land to Neshama Playground. Children in wheelchairs played on the tennis courts and signs were erected to mark the playground as the first inclusive park in Toronto.

Thomas Caldwell and his sons along with the rest of the ‘bunch of guys’ had a hopeful image of a playground in their mind, but it seems they did not do enough- according to residents of the area- to consider the opinions of the community members

For Ulli Rath and his friends and community members, there was confusion as to why the playground was being constructed in their park. “There are so many parks available that are bigger than Oriole where this could have been done. The city was never forced to do a study about what would be a suitable park for the playground,” explained Rath. As he shifted in his armchair in his living room lit by the late morning sun, he continued with a sigh. “We have asked for any pre-existing technical report selecting Oriole Park, and we are still waiting to hear from them. We really just wanted to know why our park was the best fit, because it was going to be our lives that were going to be disrupted; not the rich men of Forest Hill and their rich neighbours,” says Rath.

The city reviewed 16 different park sites including the downtown area, little Norway, Christie, Trinidad and Eglinton. Afterwards, they came up with five sites that they felt were suitable for the playground and they met with the donors and ‘a bunch of guys’. Rath and the other community members were sent a letter stating, ‘It became clear to staff, that if the partnership funding from (a bunch of guys) for this important project was to be realised, that Oriole Park would be the chosen site for construction.’ “Basically, they were telling us that the guys with the money wanted to put it in Oriole, and if the city didn’t choose our park, then they wouldn’t get the raised money,” said Rath.

Some of the evidence of poor management that Rath and his community group have comes from social theorist and geographer David Harvey. Harvey has written a report about Toronto’s parks called “Fertile Ground for New Thinking: Improving Toronto’s Parks”. He advocated a new model of more community involvement in the development of parks, and says “Oriole Park is one of the worst examples of breakdown in city planning.” He states in the report that he is not aware of any other park that has this degree of complexity in the planning stages. Harvey places a lot of the fault regarding the unhappiness of the community at the foot of the current city council and at the parks department. According to Rath, after amalgamation, the parks department and ‘a bunch of guys’ lost a lot of their vision and it was more of a mechanical process; there was no real emotional vision like Harvey states is crucial in a project of this nature.

The money to finance this unique undertaking came from numerous different donors. Caldwell explains that when his brother, Theo, joined the effort, fund-raising began to seriously accelerate. “Theo worked with a fund-raiser, Melony Jamieson, to connect with several of Canada's banks, specifically the TD, BMO and CIBC, for significant gifts. With this money in hand, my father was able to go back to the Royal Bank who partnered with us as well,” said Caldwell. In total, Caldwell, his brother and father, and the other members of ‘a bunch of guys’ raised about $800,000 of the $1 million they had hoped to for this project. “This is far more than the City had ever seen come from a community group, so it was a great accomplishment,” Caldwell continued.

With the two sides of this story of construction and disturbances, there is a middle ground. The man in charge of the construction is Trevor Schmidt. Schmidt works for the city in the Parks & Recreation sector, in a specific department called ‘Capital Projects’. A landscape architect by trade, he was assigned to the construction of Neshama when the project was put on his desk. “It was in early planning stages in 2005 when the fundraisers approached the city and said they would like to do a project like this. It went to Parks planning department and they determined the logistics before it was brought back to me,” said Schmidt.

  He has been working directly with the community in order to bring this project to fruition. However, Schmidt admits that this was a unique project because of the high community involvement and he took that into account during the planning stages. “We knew there was some kind of concern within the community about changes within the park. It is an old established community and some people don’t like change or they are afraid of it; the idea was to go to them and get some feedback about what they want, and then also talk about what we are proposing,” said Schmidt. Schmidt realized that because this park is so integral to the community and its entire goings on, the construction and the changes were going to ruffle some feathers; regardless of their efforts to appease the community. “We have tried to find a happy medium, and I think we have achieved that,” said Schmidt.

  The nature of this kind of construction is difficult because there is not that much area to store materials and machines, so the major pedestrian pathway has had to be closed down, according to Schmidt. “It is unfortunate that it has had to happen but we have had to divert some people around to a longer route on their daily commute to and from work and home,” he says. Schmidt confirms that they are asking for the public’s patience, and that they are trying to address the concerns as best they can while keeping with the projects timeline.

Rath admits that the city have done their part to fix a broken streetlight fairly quickly in the park and open up the paved path again so that disabled people could get by. But, there is still a resigning sense of exclusion that he can’t shake. “I think the real driver continues to be the feeling that we, as residents, were never properly consulted about Oriole Park being the park for this new playground. We are not against disabled children, and the majority of us are open to change. We just feel as though this has been imposed on us and we have the proof, we have the documents and we have the evidence,” says Rath.

Brendan Caldwell, his father, and brother Theo also believe that they are achieving the best possible goal for such a unique project. Recognizing the concerns of the community, like those from Rath and his fellow local residents and friends, he believes that most of the opposition is behind them now that the community can see that construction has started. “The opposition was tempered by a series of workshops that the City held to give local residents the opportunity to help design the new park. My brother, father and I, Steve and several of the Bunch of Guys took turns attending these and the discussion meetings also,” explained Caldwell.

The park area where the playground is being constructed now consists of boarded off trees, fences and caution tape. Bulldozed dirt, the concrete foundation of the new washroom building and a few pieces of playground equipment is all that stands representing Neshama Playground. Even though the project is underway, the construction is causing problems for the existing park and its many daily visitors. This project is for the greater good of the community, but at the heart of the concern right now is allowing the main part of Oriole Park to still be a safe, user-friendly community destination.

Rath and his neighbours are looking forward to the future and are hoping that the short term disruption, will be worth it in the long term for their park. Like Rath, Caldwell hopes the construction will be finished on time in early 2011. He is hopeful and looks forward to the completion of the project. “The final product should be brilliant. The important part for us is that children of all abilities can play together, and the principles used in the design of Neshama are then incorporated and refined in the design of other playgrounds in Canada,” he says.

Four years ago, Dorran Grant got into a fight with another Toronto teen. But unlike most schoolyard spews, this one led to gun violence, and ultimately the victim’s passing. Grant was left horrified and in a pool of remorse. Now 22, and a student at Centennial College, Grant is planning a career in teaching, hoping that his experience can help enlighten youth in his community. And aside from academics, Grant is also an accomplished basketball player – having travelled to places like Washington and Boston for various tournaments.
“I really didn’t see any other option. I figured I might as well do what I was going to do before everything else happened, and better my life,” he says.
But he didn’t do it all by himself.
Like a number of street-involved youth, Grant used local community centers and the services and people provided by them to turn his life around. Helping in ways sometimes the government fails to, a few of these centers pave the path for success and change among Toronto street-youth. But looking at the bigger picture, how can Toronto still be facing issues like public housing and education when they have supposedly been on the political agenda for generations?
Since he was young enough to throw a ball around a court, Grant can remember visiting Yonge Street Mission (YSM) for afterschool snacks, movie nights, and sporting events. This non-for-profit Christian community center has been welcoming in Torontonians since 1896. YSM aims to improve the lives of the less fortunate by providing things like food banks, meal programs, employment and computer training, school readiness programs, counselling, and daycare. In the last year, YSM has opened its doors to over 18,000 people, regardless of ethnicity, religions, gender, or sexual orientation. With a team of 130 staff members, and over 3500 volunteers, they have a long history of reaching out to local families who could use some extra help.
YSM prides itself on its 100 programs and services that help to improve the lives of street-involved youth, lonely seniors, and families of recent immigrants. And one of its programs is the Bright Lights goes Ballroom Gala – an annual fundraiser that helps to support 30 Toronto youth go to college or university. And this year, Dorran Grant was one of them.
In 2009, Grant’s younger sister Domanique was a recipient of the bursary. Her smile stretched ear to ear at this year’s Bright Lights for Ballroom Gala which took place on October 27 at the Carlu in College Park, as she watched her brother take the spotlight as he mingled with sponsors, other students, and organizers.
The night was filled with heartwarming festivities including performances by Join the Dance Canada and The Toronto All-Star Big Band. Guests sipped wine and munched on appetizers, as a few selected awards recipients gave speeches, and shared their story. Jazz was playing in the foyer, as sponsors were invited to bid in a silent auction for a number of items including art pieces, sports jerseys, and gift baskets. The swanky event collected enough cash to support yet another year of schooling for Grant and 29 other students.
The sounds of glasses clinking, and people laughing and supporting Dorran might have seemed like all fine and dandy, but he had to work very hard to get to where he is today.
“I had to put in a lot to get these opportunities,” says Grant. Having lived in the Alexandra Park community for over 13 years, he has been involved with helping youth for the past three years, which also made him eligible for the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto (CHFT) Diversity Scholarship. The award requires the recipients to be living in low income housing and promote diversity in their community. This scholarship program has collected over 30 businesses and sponsors in the community to ensure that the city’s brain drain will hopefully come to a stop. Even institutions like Ryerson University, University of Toronto, York University, and George Brown College have agreed to match the financial support for students given by the CHFT bursary. The CHFT reports that to date, half a million dollars have been awarded to their recipients.
Grant agrees that the without the support of such programs in the community, his current enrollment in college may not have been possible.
But Grant is not alone.
Chesarahmia Dojo Soeandy has also battled high education costs for post-secondary schooling in the central Toronto community. After arriving in Canada four short years ago, Soeandy’s parents found out that their international degrees are unrecognized in Canada. They were both qualified accountants, but are now working a string of shift jobs to accommodate their basic needs. And they’re not the only ones – an alarming 45 per cent of families in the central Toronto area have an annual income of under $20,000 per year.
Soeandy, now entering her third year of university, dreams of attending medical school upon graduation.
She says that her mentor at YSM has been an active part of the outgoing and hardworking person she is today. “She told me to enjoy the other experiences of university; so far I’m involved in the karate club!”
Many experts agree with YSM’s approach – that the all-rounded aspect of university is essential to character building and in fact directly co-related to academic success. The 2010 book, Improving What is Learned at University says, “There are differences in the student experience that are internally generated within the university and which determine both the level and nature of the student’s engagement with his or her studies and the level and nature of the student’s engagement with other aspects of university life, for example, clubs, sport, drink, etc…these social factors set limits to and provide opportunities for learning.”
There are 18 ministry-funded universities in Ontario, as well as 25 colleges with applied art and technology classes. Getting accepted into any one of these 43 institutions is one thing. But paying for it is another.
Some students are fortunate enough to have parents that planned ahead, using government arranged programs like a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) to save for their child’s future education needs. But for first generation Canadian families, it is sometimes far too late.
Some of these students resort to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), which gives people who wish to pursue post-secondary education interest-free loans while they are enrolled in their school.
The flaw in this program, however is that OSAP fails to cater to those students who can only afford to be enrolled in part-time programs since they may have other priorities like family commitments or secondary jobs. This is often the case with street youth or poverty-stricken families.
The average student debt has increased by 350 per cent over the past 15 years in Ontario. And since OSAP policies have yet to be changed, students that wish to achieve a post-secondary education are running low on options. The Canadian Federation of Students in Ontario (CFSO) is an organization comprised of more than 300,000 members in 37 different student’s unions across the province. Established in 1981, it voices the issues of students in post-secondary institutions in Ontario, including those in undergraduate, graduate, full, or part-time programs.
A 2009 poll by the CFSH found that 82 per cent of students believe that the primary reason qualified people do not go to college or university is due to the high cost. And since more than 70 per cent of jobs now require a post-secondary education, there is a serious need for political will to make a difference on this issue.
Now being one of the most expensive provinces to study in the country, it is clear that the provincial government will need to reform policies like tuition fees, student-faculty ratio, and financial assistance if they want to avoid a brain drain.
Places like Yonge Street Mission are not only serving as a platform that may be helping in ways the government isn’t, but it is also inspiring Toronto youth to take a path they might not have chose otherwise. And there are many non-for-profit organizations in Toronto that are following suit.
The average schooling completed by street-involved youth in Toronto is grade 9. But being involved with YSM meant that Dorran Grant could beat those odds. He says, “Maybe five years from now I could be a mentor for someone else.”

It’s the early 80s; the 519 community centre on Church St. just north of Wellesley St. is a fairly new neighbourhood facility. It’s unique because it’s one of the only community centres in the city of Toronto that is operated by community members elected by their peers on a board of directors.
On this night in particular, the board is meeting to vote on a sensitive issue; giving an organization called Gay Youth Toronto space in their building. At the time, the Church-Wellesley village was very much a gay area, but this was not common knowledge.

Half the board was straight and the other half was closeted gays. Before the vote, the straight argued tirelessly to keep Gay Youth Toronto out of the 519. They sat around a large table making comments like “How can a 14-year-old know they’re gay?” or “This is an awful idea”. While the other half of the board said “Well some people might” and “Maybe this isn’t such a bad idea after all”, without revealing too much personal information.
There was one man at the meeting that night, who had a wife and daughter at home and a secret male lover at the same time. No one knew this until after the vote. He voted for the space to be given to Gay Youth Toronto, then went home and came out to his family. His daughter was about 5 years old at the time. The couple split following his confession. He later told coworkers the reason he finally decided to come out was because if he didn’t vote for this space, gay youth would have to grow up in the same world he did and he wanted better for them.

Approximately 10 years after he came out, he died of AIDS. His daughter, who inherited his estate nearby moved home and sent her daughter to similar day camps and programs she attended as a child at the 519. The difference is, now the 519 is a community centre which prides itself on providing services for everyone including a large population of the LGBTQ community. At the corner of Church and Alexander Sts. two men stand holding hands, waiting to cross once the light turns green. Half a block north of that corner two women sit together as one drapes her arm over the other outside Second Cup on a sunny but brisk fall day. Next door there is a gay bar, across the street a sex shop and another block up the 519 Community centre with an AIDs memorial in the backyard.

“I think it’s interesting when you give people freedom to choose what they will have in their community, people will choose what they’re going to have and it’s not necessarily what the city thought it was going to be.”

Helen Rykens, office manager at the 519 community centre observes. She’s been a part of the 519 for over 20 years and watched the Church-Wellesley village transform over time.

This major transformation is owed to a gentrification by the LGBT community in the 1980s after the bathhouse raids in the area. “The human rights movement really took effect after the bath raids in the 80s. We helped with advocacy work for freedom to privacy,” says Rykens.
The area became a safe-haven for the LGBT community as institutions for support and community building began to pop up and Pride moved to the area from Alexander Park.

The LGBT not only created their personal safe-haven, but they also took a low-income, worn down part of the city and turned it into a hip and upcoming area. This is referred to as gentrification.

The first phase of gentrification can be seen as a positive one. For example, the first phase of gentrification in the Church-Wellesley village in Toronto, or the Castro in San Francisco in the ‘60s and ‘70s transformed a working class neighbourhood into a secure, safe space for sexual orientation minorities. They both became neighbourhoods that provide a sense of belonging for the community while giving the area a much needed face lift.
It is argued that the Church-Wellesley village is now experiencing the second phase of gentrification which tends to negatively affect the community. Rowland Atkinson, Reader in urban studies and sociology at the University of York in the UK believes gentrification can be dangerous.

“My own view is that you know, extensive gentrification is a threat to social diversity but it’s played out within a much broader context of social inequality. So you know the reason that we have gentrification and in a sense the same reason that we have segregation in our cities is because of significant inequality.” With rent hikes, gay businesses moving out and other high-end boutiques moving in and condominium proposals to replace historical buildings, the gay community is transforming at a quick pace. This is not the first gay village that has had to face possible displacement in the face of gentrification.
Castro in San Francisco, the West Village in Manhattan, Dupont Circle in Washington and Boystown in Chicago are just a few of the neighbourhoods that have experienced this gentrification and displacement. Most of these cities just handle this by smaller LGBT communities popping up all over the city rather than having one central hub.

Ian Tobin of DePaul University in Chicago has done extensive research into the gentrification of Boystown. He believes these pockets could be good for the LGBTQ community in Chicago.

“I think that it would be a good thing especially if we are seeing only one identity here. It would be beneficial if there were other ones, on the south side with the African American community or the latino community...” This seems to be the approach the Toronto LGBT community is taking with the emergence of Queer West Village.

“I think that’s all healthy. People used to think we wanted to be the only ones. I go, actually I want gays meeting anywhere they’re welcome. People should be able to meet in their own neighbourhoods,” says Rykens.

The Church-Wellesley Village is still important as a central hub for the institutions providing services within the LGBT community. “I think the unit like the David Kelley service has a long history and tradition and it’s been serving the LGBTQ community for some time so there’s knowledge and familiarity in this area around the type of service that David Kelley provides and for this to be in another location probably wouldn’t make as much sense,” says Brian Porter of Family Service Toronto.

The David Kelley Service is facilitated through Family Service Toronto and it provides a variety of services for the LGBT community from parenting information and therapy for same-sex couples to partner abuse response and individual counselling.
Chris Aboh, a volunteer at the 519 Community Centre feels it’s important to give the community a sense of belonging and says that’s what the 519 does for him and many others.

“You feel like you belong here and that’s very important. It’s hard to find.”

He goes on to explain the importance of a central hub like the Church-Wellesley village in a large city like Toronto and how it makes institutions more successful.

“Because it’s on Church Street I think they feel more welcome coming here,” Aboh says.

Atkinson owes gentrification in a sense to this idea of belonging.

“The imperative to find support and mutual identity with others can itself create territorial imperatives and can spur such gentrification activity.”
Chris Tindal, who ran for councillor in Ward 27 feels strongly about the importance of preserving the Church-Wellesley Village.
“And the same with the village and the importance that it’s played with the evolution of the community and how it wasn’t even very long ago that people didn’t feel safe here. Vans would pull up from the suburbs of homophobs with bats looking for trouble. And we have to remember that and stay vigilant,” Tindal says.
This is not the only cultural enclave in Toronto that is threatened by gentrification. This is something that is becoming more and more prevalent in not only Toronto but the country as a whole. It’s even gone global. Ian Tobin believes gentrification could be beneficial in places like the Church-Wellesley village, as well as worldwide if it was done properly.

“I see it’s important for cities to remake themselves and neighbourhoods to remakes themselves here and there especially in the post industrial economy. I believe that lots of cities are doing it rather recklessly. They are not preparing neighbourhoods in such a way that actually creates balanced development, where you’re not seeing affordable housing, you’re seeing a lot of residents that are being displaced and not actually benefitting from what benefits there could be and I think that’s a missed opportunity.”

 Normally, someone walking through St. James Town encounters a bouquet of scents from diverse residents' cooking. Two months ago, the acrid smell of smoke overwhelmed all else within blocks of the neighbourhood, in every direction. A six-alarm blaze spread to at least two apartments in 200 Wellesley on September 24, a high-rise managed by Toronto Community Housing.

 Authorities have still not determined the cause of the fire, but it was very difficult to put out because of a lot of “combustible debris” in the original apartment, according to audio of Fire Chief William Stewart posted online by Justin Kozuch. Crews spent about eight hours and five million gallons of water battling the 24th-floor blaze, as high winds fed the flames. "[Firefighters] that have been on the job three years [were] saying they've never seen a fire as hot," Stewart said. No one was seriously injured, but 14 people were taken to hospital, including three firefighters, mostly for smoke inhalation treatment.

“It was pretty clear to me that there was a huge hoarding issue in that apartment,” said Pam McConnell, Ward 28 Councillor, who said she was represented at the community centre every day for the first two weeks after the fire, either in person or by a staff member. While 200 Wellesley is a Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) building, its management was contracted out to Greenwin Property management, a relic of its previous ownership by the Metro Toronto Housing Authority before 2000.

Residents said Greenwin conducts yearly inspections, the last one as recently as three months ago. “That guy’s apartment didn’t clutter overnight,” said one resident. “[The fire] was preventable had the management done the inspection properly.” TCHC spokesperson Mitzie Hunter confirmed that the inspections take place, but said they happen in October, which means that this year’s rounds came too late to prevent the fire. She said they have now been carried out, smoke detectors have been replaced, and a new fire alarm system was installed Dec. 2. When asked about accusations that the building was not up to fire code and lacked sprinklers, she said the company has complied with all fire regulations and that sprinklers in the hallways and boiler rooms were functioning for the duration of the fire.

In what seemed like a response to Greenwin’s neglect, TCHC took over management of the building on October 2. That was a “huge message to tenants that TCHC is not going to put up with that kind of dismissal of people and their safety,” Councillor McConnell said. “In order for TCHC to move so quickly, they must have felt the contract had not been fulfilled and tenants were not being protected,” she explained.

When the fire started, residents were advised to stay in their apartments and block doors with wet towels, but as the well-fueled fire raged on, Fire Chief Stewart said the structure of the building was threatened, leading to a full evacuation. The population of the building’s 712 units is about 1,200 on paper, but “there is a hidden homelessness problem” which brought the total of displaced people up to about 1,700, according to Himy Syed, a mayoral candidate in the recently-passed municipal election who has volunteered in relief efforts and organized a fundraiser for the displaced residents.  

*Note: I am currently having difficulty uploading photos in this post. I will update with the complete set of photos as soon as possible. 

Warden-St. Clair Feature part 1.mp3

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Warden-St. Clair Feature part 1.mp3 (2.65 MB)

Script For Warden-St. Clair Feature Podcast:

Hello and welcome to the pilot podcast episode of Going Places. I'm Shane Mercer and I'll be the voice in your head during this show. Snd up- Construction Noise This week we take you to a community under construction.

The neighbourhood around the Warden Avenue and St. Clair Avenue intersection has changed a lot over the last few years. Debbie Visconti is the president of the Clairlea Regent Heights Neighbourhood Association and says the area wasn't very nice.

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Visconti says something needed to be done.

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That's where Mattamy Homes stepped in. The housing development company transformed an industrial area into a residential one. Senior Builder David Dekort says they they built hundreds of homes in the Warden-St. Clair community.

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The homes are built, and most have people living in them, but there's one final piece to this community that needs to open...It's the Warden Hilltop Community Centre.

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Adrian Heaps is the former city councilor for the area and helped upgrade the centre from 14-thousand square feet to 25-thousand.

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It'll have a gymnasium, a soccer field, an amphitheatre, 8 multi-purpose rooms, a playground and a splashpad. But it's the environmental aspects that Heaps and others are proud of. Peter Pastor is a project designer with CS&P Architects..he says they created a building that will fit in naturally and provide a shortcut.

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Solar Panels, a green roof, and geo-thermal heating will make the community centre environmentally sustainable. Dan Larson is a mechanical engineer installing the geo-thermal heating.

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And this earth-based heating and cooling system is cost-efficient. Clip

Pastor says although the community centre should already be open...the project is a little behind schedule. Clip Most of the residents have lived in the area for about 2 years...and many fo them are enjoying their new home. Clips

These people are eagerly awaiting the day their new community centre will open.

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It shouldn't be much longer before this community is complete. Visconti says creating communities can be tough, but she thinks all these newcomers will really feel at home once the centre opens.

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The completion of the Warden Hilltop Community Centre will be the finishing piece in one of Toronto's newest east end residential neighbourhoods.

For more information on the Warden Hilltop Community Centre or the Warden-St.Clair neighbourhoood please refer to the ryehereryenow posterous website for a list of contacts. Thank yous go out to all of the interviewees, to Ryerson's school of journalism and a special thank you to online reporting professor Wayne Macphail.

I'm Shane Mercer and I've been the voice in your head during this pilot podcast of Going Places. Hope you enjoyed the show.

Contact Links:
http://www.crhna.ca/

http://www.csparch.com/#section=1&category=0&page=1

http://www.smithandandersen.com/

http://www.adrianheaps.com/contact-us/

http://mattamyhomes.com/