By Walied Khogali Ali

Walied is a Regent Park resident and Co-Chair of Community Benefits Oversight Working Group, Community Building Working Group of the Social Development Plan and Regent Park Neighbourhood Association (RPNA). 

As a resident of Regent Park, he says that he has been following the development plans for phases 4 and 5 of our community with great interest. While he appreciates the efforts of Toronto Community Housing Corporation and Tridel Builders to bring much-needed housing to the neighbourhood, he says that he has serious concerns about the current rezoning application.

First and foremost, he is worried about the lack of transparency and community input in the development process. Despite claims of robust consultation, many residents are left wondering where the input for additional affordable housing and TCH units has been expressed in the new zoning negotiations. Furthermore, the recent community consultation meeting raised many questions with no adequate answers to legitimate concerns.

Ali says that one major concern is the definition of affordable housing being considered in the new plan. We know that affordable housing must be based on an income-based definition, not a market-based definition, in order to truly address the needs of our community. He says that the community also needs to see more commitments to rent-geared-to-income subsidies for new houses in phases 4 and 5, as well as a clear strategy for community facilities and services to support the needs of the many organizations operating in Regent Park.

Another major issue is the lack of a central community space that is community-governed through an Association of Community Centres (AOCC). We learned from phases 1-3 of the Regent Park redevelopment that community-governed spaces are vital for achieving social cohesion and inclusion, and it is frustrating that there is no commitment yet to this approach in phases 4 and 5, according to Ali.

Moreover, he continues to say that the rezoning application fails to reference any community benefit contributions being considered to address the social costs of the proposed new density for Regent Park. It also leaves many critical questions unanswered, such as the requirements for family-sized units, units for aging residents, units designed to be wheel-friendly, and the number of parking spots reserved for TCH tenants.

As residents of Regent Park, we have been waiting for over a decade to return to our community. It is not fair to keep us waiting for another decade without clear commitments and transparent decision-making that prioritize our needs and interests.

Ali urges Toronto Community Housing Corporation and Tridel Builders to listen to the concerns of the Regent Park Neighbourhood Association and other community groups, and to prioritize community interests in their development plans. We need affordable housing, community-governed spaces, and transparent decision-making in order to achieve social cohesion and inclusion in our neighbourhood. For more information on the re-zoning application, please visit the Application Information Centre at www.toronto.ca/RegentPark4and5.