PCED Learning Series – On Community Benefits

Come learn about how to gain greater community control over development in Parkdale!

On Community Benefits is a two-part learning series organized by the Parkdale Community Economic Development (PCED) Planning Project. The neighbourhoodwide planning initiative has been led by over 30 community-based organizations to build Decent Work, Shared Wealth, and Equitable Development in Parkdale. Through a series of community-based consultations, the Parkdale Community Planning Study identified the establishment of a Community Benefits Framework as a key direction for advancing equitable development in the neighbourhood.

Our first panel, Development 101, will provide an introductory overview of the existing development and planning processes in the neighbourhood. Our second panel, Community Benefits 101, will provide an in-depth look into Community Benefits Agreements as a tool for advancing equitable neighbourhood change.

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On Community Benefits: Development 101
Tuesday, June 20^th, 2017 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM
Anglican Church of the Epiphany St Mark – 201 Cowan Avenue

The Panel:

• Benjamin Hoff, Urban Strategies
• Clara Stewart-Robertson, Jane-Finch Community Centre
• Claire-Helen Heese-Boutin, Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust

Moderated by Emily Paradis, University of Toronto

Please RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/on-community-benefits-development-101-tickets-35020864348

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On Community Benefits: Community Benefits 101
Thursday, June 29^th, 2017 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM
Parkdale Library – 1303 Queen Street West

The Panel:

• Rosemarie Powell, Toronto Community Benefit Network
• Mariam Paul, East Scarborough Storefront
• Michelle Francis, Community Action Planning Group – York West

Moderated by Jenn Miller, Atkinson Foundation

Please RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/on-community-benefits-community-benefits-101-tickets-35022228428

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The learning series will lead into action-oriented community-based workshops throughout the summer to collectively develop demands for community benefits in Parkdale.

 

 

PCED Solidarity Statement with the Parkdale Rent Strike

As members of the Parkdale Community Economic Development (PCED) Steering Committee, we would like to voice our support for the 200 tenants on rent strike against MetCap. We call upon Metcap to withdraw their rent increases, cease their campaign of tenant harassment and eviction, and address the structural repairs necessary to allow for a decent, healthy, and affordable quality of life in their buildings. We call upon AIMCo to freeze their investments in MetCap until they comply to meet the demands of tenants.  We also call upon the municipal, provincial, and federal government to address the rising pressures on high-rise rental apartments by developing policies and enacting regulations that protect the long-term affordability and preservation of rental units that house our City’s equity-seeking populations.

Increasing pressures from gentrification and real estate reinvestment have endangered local community assets. These assets have kept Parkdale affordable, and accessible to diverse community members, particularly low-income and marginalized community members. The pressures of gentrification-driven displacement have coincided with the rise of corporate landlords, who have been leading a campaign of harassment and displacement by evicting residents to increase rents above provincial rent guidelines. Currently three major corporate landlords in Parkdale – Metcap, Akelius and Wynn – own and/or manage around 2,000 units within 27 properties in South Parkdale, controlling close to 30% of total primary private rental units.

With the lack of secure long-term affordable housing, low-income residents have expressed mounting concern over their ability to stay in Parkdale. During our 18-month community planning study, many tenants who live in high-rise buildings owned by corporate landlords expressed feelings of stress and precarity brought upon by the systemic lack of repairs and harassment. What is important to note is that MetCap’s apartment buildings were originally built under the Federal Limited Dividend program, which provided public subsidies to private rental apartments for low-and moderate income people. If the government is aligned with protecting its renters – nearly half of the City’s population – then it is in the public interest to uphold the legacy of government investment in tower apartments by mandating landlords to conduct repairs and maintenance while sustaining units as deeply affordable.

What is at stake is the future of Parkdale. We stand in solidarity with Parkdale Organize in shaping that future into one that is more equitable, diverse, inclusive, and affordable.

Sincerely,

Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre (PARC)
Sistering – A Woman’s Place
West Neighbourhood House
Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre
The Centre for Mindfulness Studies
Making Room Community Arts
The Jeremiah Community
West End Food Co-op

We are hiring! Workforce Planning Coordinator for decent work

We are hiring Workforce Planning Coordinator, who will help coordinate efforts for Parkdale’s decent work vision that has emerged from the Parkdale Community Economic Development (PCED) Planning project.

The Parkdale Community Economic Development (PCED) Planning project is a multi-year community-based economic planning and development project in Parkdale. Led by Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre (PARC) in partnership with over 26 community partners, the PCED project started in 2015 in order to develop a Parkdale Neighbourhood Plan for decent work, shared wealth, and equitable development. Through the first round of the PCED project, the project has identified the following seven priority areas for community action and policy options: 1) social infrastructure; 2) affordable housing and land use; 3) decent work; 4) food security; 5) community financing; 6) participatory local democracy; and 7) cultural development.

The successful candidate will join the second round of the PCED project and take a lead in advancing two key initiatives within the Parkdale’s neighbourhood planning framework: Parkdale Community Benefits Framework development and the Anchor Institutions Roundtable for social procurement and local hiring opportunities.

Please see more details and application process here. Application deadline is February 1st 2017.

Special thanks to Atkinson Foundation’s Decent Work fund for generous support for the project.

Full Parkdale Planning Study Report

The PCED project launched the Full Parkdale Planning Study report along with the Parkdale Neighbourhood Plan. Please download the full report from here or by clicking the image below.

The Full Parkdale Planning Study report can be read in relation to the summary report published earlier. The Full report details data analysis, needs & assets mapping results, key issues and opportunities for the seven areas of community action and policy options. The Full report also provides detailed descriptions of each direction, their rationales and inspiring examples from other neighbourhoods and cities.

Detailed action steps and implementation strategies are detailed in the Parkdale Neighbourhood Plan.

Parkdale Neighbourhood PLAN launch event!

 

 

Join us Saturday October 29th at 1:30pm for a:
– Neighbourhood Plan Launch @ Bonar Presbyterian Church
– Jane’s Walk to explore proposed actions across the neighbourhood
– Celebration & Mural Launch (3:00pm Queen & Callender)

Come learn more about how gentrification is impacting affordability and diversity in Parkdale; 7 key Parkdale wellbeing indicators; and 37 directions for community action and policy option!

In the last 18 months we’ve gathered community members, agency staff, friends, academics and you. Together through the Parkdale Community Economic Development (PCED) planning project we’ve built a vision for Parkdale that emphasizes four overarching values: Inclusiveness, Affordability, Diversity and Equity. The risk of untamed gentrification in the area puts these values at risk.

Please join us in celebration as we share The Parkdale Neighbourhood Plan – a new story for Parkdale that offers strategies and actions to protect our shared values and promotes collective action, equitable development, participatory democracy, decent work, food security and shared wealth building.

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/parkdale-neighbourhood-plan-launch-tickets-28538453282

PNLT & GC Milky Way Garden Fundraiser

Since its establishment in 2012 and the incorporation in 2014, Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust has been working on its organizational capacity building initiative, partnership development and business planning.

This year 2016 is going to be a critical milestone for PNLT, as currently, PNLT in collaboration with Greenest City is acquiring the very first land, the Milky Way Garden, in Parkdale, thanks to a generous offer from local residents. The story behind this garden has been featured in the recent Toronto Star article.

For this first acquisition, PNLT and GC have launched the fundraising campaign!

 

Parkdale Wellbeing Indicators

As part of the Parkdale Community Economic Development (PCED) Planning project, we developed Parkdale Neighbourhood Wellbeing Indicators.

How do we know the local economy serves community needs and enhances community wellbeing? Conventional economic measurements such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are limited for this purpose as they tend to focus on economic growth. They also fail to consider complex social, cultural and ecological aspects that matter equally to the health of the economy and people’s daily life. This gap prompted us to develop a set of neighbourhood-based indicators to assess what matters to Parkdale as a starting point of community visioning for the PCED Planning project.

We conducted 8 separate workshops from May to June 2015. We engaged diverse community members – including PARC members, tenants, newcomers, immigrants, agency staff, cooperative members, residents in general and steering committee members – with a total of 97 participants. Based on the extensive community engagement and research, the 7 domains of Parkdale Neighbourhood Wellbeing Indicators (PNWI) were developed as shown above.

Each domain includes a set of indicators. Below is an example of Housing & Land Use.

A full list of indicators can be downloaded from here.

**Special thanks to Catalyst Centre and Sally Miller for workshop design, as well as to Daniel Liadsky for finalizing the draft indicators and identifying data compatibility and data collection strategies.