Exploring Moss Park: A Neighbourhood in Transformation

This walk will consist of a tour of the Moss Park neighbourhood in Toronto Centre, alongside an in-depth look at the community's history, unique demographics, and current positive features. We will explore how the neighbourhood is changing as new housing and transit is built, and how residents are involved in the urban planning & policy work being done to ensure that the development does not result in the displacement of marginalized community members. Participants will learn how people are responding to and being affected by the neighbourhood's development, and how communities like Moss Park can integrate a community-led perspective into urban planning, so that resident needs are prioritized and their rights are protected. As part of this tour, we will visit:

1. The Moss Park Arena, which is the neighbourhood's local hockey rink that hosts one of the only completely free youth hockey leagues in the country (140 Sherbourne St);
2. Moss Park Espresso, a locally owned coffee shop that sits alongside a garden centre (185 Queen St E);
3. Building Roots' PWYC Food Market, that occurs every Saturday and provides residents with deeply affordable groceries and other social supports (260 Queen St E);
4. The 183 Gallery, an artistic hub that hosts exhibitions of local artists' work (183 Queen St E);
5. The in-progress Moss Park Station, meant to be a major transit stop for the Ontario Line that is currently in development by Metrolinx (along Queen St);
7. Acadia Books, a local bookstore specializing in rare and antique pieces (232 Queen St E);
6. And the Moss Park Garden, a community agricultural site where fresh fruits and vegetables are grown by residents and then distributed amongst them (in the park area).

We will stop at each site, provide some contextual background to its history and discuss its importance to the community, either as a foundational local institution or as a future one in the case of the Moss Park Station. In addition, we’ll gain some insight into Moss Park's history as the original site of William Allen's estate in the 1800s, to becoming a public housing project in the 1960s, to its current context as a diverse neighbourhood of long-time residents alongside a wide bevy of immigrant communities. Through covering some details about Moss Park's relationship with its adjoining neighbourhoods, such as Regent Park, Church-Wellesley, St. James Town, Cabbagetown, Corktown and St. Lawrence, we will understand how these heterogeneous locales co-exist and impact one another.

Finally, we'll talk about the lived experience and personal lens that community members bring to Moss Park; whether its long-time residents or newcomers, so many people are engaged in incredible social, advocacy, and policy work to ensure that it continues to be a safe haven and a resilient neighbourhood. This tour will be an opportunity to shine light on some of the amazing cultural touchstones that exist in the neighbourhood and the numerous community leaders who make Moss Park feel like a home for so many.