CENTRAL ETOBICOKE HUB FEASIBILITY STUDY Final Report November 2017 2 | CENTRAL ETOBICOKE HUB FEASIBILITY STUDY ABOUT SOCIAL PLANNING TORONTO Social Planning Toronto is a nonprofit, charitable community organization that works to improve equity, social justice and quality of life in Toronto through community capacity building, community education and advocacy, policy research and analysis, and social reporting. Social Planning Toronto is committed to building a “Civic Society” one in which diversity, equity, social and economic justice, interdependence and active civic participation are central to all aspects of our lives - in our families, neighbourhoods, voluntary and recreational activities and in our politics. To find this report and learn more about Social Planning Toronto, visit socialplanningtoronto.org. CENTRAL ETOBICOKE HUB FEASIBILITY STUDY ISBN: 978-1-894199-45-2 Published in Toronto November, 2017 Social Planning Toronto 2 Carlton St., Suite 1001 Toronto, ON M5B 1J3 SOCIAL PLANNING TORONTO | 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS REPORT AUTHOR SPECIAL THANKS TO Talisha Ramsaroop, Social Planning Toronto All of the residents of Central Etobicoke who hosted, organized and facilitated focus groups, RESEARCH SUPPORT and recruited participants for the research. Beth Wilson All of the residents who shared their experiences. GIS SUPPORT Dahab Ibrahim We also want to extend our gratitude to Jackie Tanner the City of Toronto, Social Policy, Analysis & Research; Martin Prosperity Institute; CENTRAL ETOBICOKE HUB Neighbourhood Change Research Partnership FEASIBILITY/COORDINATING and University of Toronto for providing maps. COMMITTEE Brian McIntosh OUR CORE FUNDERS Bozena Michalik Hugh Williams Our thanks to the City of Toronto for the Maria Mikelanas-McLoughlin project funding and support that made this Anne Wood work possible. We are also grateful for the Angela Thomas ongoing financial support of our key funders, Lesley Oduro United Way Toronto & York Region and the Julia Barnett City of Toronto. Richard DeGaetano Colin Mang Julia Dearing-Vollett REPORT LAYOUT AND DESIGN Ravi Joshi 2 | CENTRAL ETOBICOKE HUB FEASIBILITY STUDY SOCIAL PLANNING TORONTO | 3 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY home to a large population of seniors, who make up one in five of all residents. Children Using multiple sources of data, the Central under age 15 and youth, aged 15-24, also Etobicoke Hub Feasibility Study provides comprise large proportions of the Central an in-depth understanding of the current Etobicoke population, representing 15.3% deficits in community services and and 12.3% of all residents, respectively.3 community spaces in Central Etobicoke Central Etobicoke also supports a new and accesses the feasibility of a community population of Syrian government-assisted hub as an important step to addressing refugees.4 These demographics underscore some of these deficits. The report identifies, the urgent need for renewed investment assesses, and prioritizes community needs; in community resources and infrastructure identifies community assets and resources; to support residents in this evolving identifies walkability and transit issues community. However, Wards 3 and 4 that affect access; outlines demographic combined lack the necessary quantity of information; captures the unique needs community services and community spaces. of the area; identifies accessible locations for community space; records specific To better understand the needs of the areas of interest and programming needs; community, this research engaged a broad establishes potential partnerships and range of stakeholders, including residents, identifies potential governance models. service providers, community leaders, The study builds on the preliminary work of community workers, elected officials and various community groups, with members their staff. Based on the 206 surveys, who have been raising awareness around 17 focus groups and 14 key-informant the lack of services and the deficits in interviews, participants identified the community spaces in Central Etobicoke following direct service needs: since the 1990s. • Increased recreational services for seniors Specifically, this study sheds light on • Access to community-based health community demographics such as the care services for seniors and other multiple concentrated pockets of poverty, marginalized populations where low-income rates are as high as • More youth programming, specifically 26.7%1 and child poverty rates reach 39.5%2 drop-in youth spaces in Central Etobicoke. In addition to these • Services which centralize community pockets of poverty, Central Etobicoke is 1 Statistics Canada, 2017a 2 ibid. 3 ibid. 4 City of Toronto, Social Policy, Analysis & Research, 2017 4 | CENTRAL ETOBICOKE HUB FEASIBILITY STUDY information, such as wraparound Renforth Road. referrals The study finds that a community hub In addition, in response to the severe would address long-standing deficits shortage of community space in Central including local space needs and service Etobicoke, residents and other stakeholders gaps in Central Etobicoke. This essential identified spatial needs that would act as access point will support youth, seniors, the first step in beginning to address this newcomers, individuals living alone, and deficit in the area. These include: families, enabling them to interact and • Space to provide a range of programs become fully engaged, healthy, socially and services included, and active residents. A community • Common space for residents to meet, hub would support collaboration, provide socialize and connect opportunities for referral and coordination, • Track and gymnasium facilities and work to improve collective impact by • Surrounding green space for community breaking down service silos and creating gardening and active recreation integrated supports to address the needs of the community. Participants also identified a suitable governance model which would allow for 2. BACKGROUND a balance between community-based and City-sourced governance similar to the City/ Central Etobicoke is a large geographic community model. In addition, from the area composed primarily of Wards 3 and research it was concluded that the hub 4, located in the west-end of Toronto. should be located somewhere accessible via Figure 1 shows a map of the area used for the main transit route and close to Central this study.5 The boundaries stretch north Etobicoke communities with the greatest to Highway 401, south to Burnhamthorpe needs. Potential locations include spaces Road (with some parts reaching Dundas around the intersections of Dixon Road Street), west to include Centennial Park and and Kipling Avenue, Dixon Road and Martin east just beyond Royal York Road. The area Grove Road, Eglinton Avenue and Islington includes the following neighbourhoods: The Avenue to Eglinton Avenue and Martin West Mall, The East Mall, Markland Wood, Grove Road, Rathburn Road and Highway Eatonville, Richview, Kingsview Village, 427 to Rathburn Road and Renforth Road, Mabelle, Scarlettwood Court, Willowridge, and finally, from Burnhamthorpe Road and and Capri. The East Mall to Burnhamthorpe Road and 5 A few of the census tracts included in the map extend beyond the geographic boundaries of the Central Etobicoke area. We chose to use these geographies, despite this limitation, as they allow us to access the best available data for producing a socio- demographic profile of the area. SOCIAL PLANNING TORONTO | 5 HISTORY OF CENTRAL ETOBICOKE CONTEXT FOR A COMMUNITY HUB The community is one of the oldest in Despite population growth and Toronto, with neighbourhoods including demographic change in Central Etobicoke, Eatonville, Islington Village, and Richview the community infrastructure has not been that have existed as early as 1865, when expanded or enhanced to serve the needs the community made up its own township.6 of this evolving area. As a result, community In its early years, Central Etobicoke was an groups have long been fighting for more Anglo-Saxon, bedroom community. Many access to community of the homes were located on large plots of services and spaces. lands, and the population was made up of In January 1998, a working-class families. community action In 1998, Etobicoke was amalgamated into the new City of Toronto. In addition to the change of governance, the demographics of the community have changed quite significantly since the area’s formation. In addition to these historical communities, new neighbourhoods have formed, and there have been various waves of immigration in the community, including migrants from Eastern Europe and Somalia. In addition, the demographics of the population have shifted with population growth, the aging of the population, and a recent influx Figure 1 Boundaries of Central Etobicoke of Syrian refugees. The housing mix has also changed with the development of social housing units and high-rise towers, as group called the B427 Community Project well as an increase in urban sprawl. (sometimes known as Central Etobicoke 6 Harris, 2015 6 | CENTRAL ETOBICOKE HUB FEASIBILITY STUDY Multicultural Association/CEMA) was formed Project space was available and provided to address this gap in existing community after-school programs on weekdays, the services and spaces. The B427 Community consultation found that a single space could Project/CEMA wrote several reports which not sufficiently meet the demands of youth used census data to validate the need in both wards. Furthermore, the R.A.Y. for more community spaces in the area. Project space is located