Support Parkdale Legal! Community Meeting
Wednesday December 5, 6:30pm - 8:30pm at 1266 Queen St. West
In 1971, Parkdale Community Legal Services opened up as an anti-poverty law legal clinic. For decades, it's been a valuable resource for folks in Parkdale, working alongside grassroots organizations in the neighbourhood to provide accessible legal support and education to the community.
Parkdale is a vibrant neighbourhood—home to low-income people, newcomer and refugee groups, and Toronto's Tibetan, Tamil and Roma communities. But Parkdale's recent history tells a story of creeping gentrification: affordable rent and rooming houses are being replaced by large single-family homes and upscale condos; bargain and family-run groceries are being priced out, replaced by cafés and trendy shops.
CBRE Real Estate is marketing the current site, 1266 Queen West, towards creative professionals, framing Parkdale as a "vibrant strip on the rise," with a, "booming scene for creative groups." This language erases Parkdale's community and its past, and pits artists and designers against communitites facing displacement.
As artists and designers deeply invested in examining and reimagining our own role in gentrification (please see our zine, Art, Design and Gentrification: A Primer), we are disgusted by this attack on our community, and are in solidarity with Parkdale Legal.
Town Hall: Ford’s Attack on Social Assistance
Wednesday, December 5 at 6:00pm-8:00pm at St. Luke’s United Church
The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty is hosting a much needed town hall open to the public to discuss the Ford government’s plans to make social assistance significantly more restrictive and precarious while lower the quality of working conditions and access to affordable housing. Read more about what the proposed changes to social assistance will mean here, and find out more details on the town hall here!
Card Making for LGBTQ Prisoners
Saturday, December 15 at 1:00pm-5:00pm at Unit 2 (163 Sterling Road)
Every year, Black and Pink: Chicago organizes an international card making campaign for queer and trans people behind bars. Once again, Unit 2 will be hosting a holiday card making party in collaboration with Prisoner Correspondence Project Toronto. All supplies and refreshments will be provided. Find out all the details here!
Discussion: Queering Decolonization
Friday, January 25 at 6:30pm-8:30pm, location TBA
The RT Collective is seeking proposals for their project with Myseum Toronto, Past/Present/Future: Parkdale, a site specific screening program of short videos. Artists are invited to submit proposals for original short video works (4-5 minutes in length) in any format—narrative, documentary, animated, or experimental. Approaches can include exploring factual or imagined events from the past, present, or future, personal or collective reflections on the site, proposals for new ways of thinking about the space, or any other work that contemplates the region in unconventional ways. Find out more about submission details here!
