Nothing says new and improved more than Regent Park. Fresh, clean, and vibrant with a phenomenal sense of community as redevelopment puts in place cross streets, amenities, housing, and businesses for an engaging way of life. Still, in the growing stages, former residents and families are eager to return, while newcomers long to ride the wave of growth that has begun.
History:
Regent Park rose from the rubble of what was once the south part of the Cabbagetown neighborhood. During the 1930s, South Cabbagetown was one of Toronto’s worst slums and as such was targeted by Toronto city planners for a grand urban renewal scheme called Regent Park.
Built-in 1949 Regent Park holds the distinction of being Canada’s first public housing project. Regent Park was expanded in the 1950s to include the area south of Gerrard Street, which came to be known as Regent Park South.
Overview:
Regent Park, one of the most culturally diverse neighborhoods in Toronto.
Regent Park residents come from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds including many new Canadians from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. There are more than sixty different first languages spoken here making Regent Park one of Toronto’s most culturally diverse neighborhoods.
A promising new chapter in the history of Regent Park is well underway with a revitalization project projected to cost $1 billion and take 15 years to complete. The new Regent Park consists of a mix of market condos, affordable housing units, and vibrant new retail and community space.
The new Regent Park Community Centre is the hub of this community. In addition to recreational facilities, this center includes an employment center, a teaching kitchen, a community hall, meeting rooms, and a rooftop garden. The center is attached to the Nelson Mandela Park Public School and the Nelson Mandela Child Care Centre.
Homes:
The housing stock in Regent Park North Ü Gerrard Street to Dundas Street, and Parliament Street to River Street Ü consists of low-rise walk-up apartment buildings and townhouses.
Regent Park South Ü Gerrard Street to Shuter Street and Parliament Street to River Street Ü features low and high-rise apartment buildings, in addition to row-houses.
The rents in Regent Park are geared towards the income of each resident.
Lifestyle:
A limited amount of shops and services are located along with Gerrard, River, and Parliament Streets. There is also a community health center and a handful of local convenience-type stores, located in the middle of Regent Park on Belshaw Place.
Recreation:
The new Regent Park Aquatic Centre located at 640 Dundas Street East (east of Parliament St.) is now open. The high-tech, fully accessible aquatic facility was constructed with input from the local community. It features a lap pool, leisure pool, therapy pool, Tarzan rope, diving board, waterslide, and large sliding glass doors that open onto a sun terrace.
The Regent Park Community Centre, at 203 Sackville Green, has a gymnasium, a games room, an arts and crafts room, and a weight room. The Regent Park Recreation Centre, at 415 Gerrard Street East, includes a small gymnasium, a meeting room, and an outdoor pool.
There are two outdoor artificial ice rinks in Regent Park. The Regent North rink is located north of Dundas Street East, and west of River Street. The Regent South rink is located at Shuter and Sumach Streets. These two single surface rinks have allotted times for pleasure skating, permit hockey, shinny hockey, learn to skate and hockey school programs.
Regent Park also has a baseball diamond, a swimming pool, and many small parks, some of which contain a children’s playground and a wading pool.
The Parliament Street Public Library on Gerrard Street East offers a variety of programs for children and adults.
Transportation:
The Gerrard bus and the Dundas streetcar connect passengers to the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line. The Parliament streetcar connects to Castle Frank station on the Bloor-Danforth subway line.
The Gardiner Expressway, Lake Shore Boulevard, and Don Valley Expressway are just minutes away.
Schools, Colleges and Universities:
PUBLIC SCHOOL
Address: 495 Jarvis St, Toronto, ON M4Y 2G8, Canada | Telephone: (416) 393-0140 | Fax: (416) 393-0184 | Email: Jarvis@tdsb.on.ca
“Founded in 1807, Jarvis C.I. is the first public high school in Toronto and has a long tradition of academic excellence and student involvement. Jarvis is committed to providing a rich and varied program encouraging higher order thinking as well as research and communication skills. Over 90% of our graduates attend university, including top schools like U of T, Waterloo, Dalhousie and Queens. Over 53% of graduates are Ontario Scholars and 60% receive scholarships / bursaries. Situated in the ‘heart of the city’ at Jarvis and Wellesley, our school has a rich mix of students from over 100 countries of origin, integrated into one unified, vibrant community in which diversity is our strength!” As originally published by Jarvis Collegiate Institute
Nelson Mandela Park Public School
Address: 440 Shuter St, Toronto, ON M5A 1X6, Canada | Telephone: (416) 393-1620 | Fax: (416) 393-1616 | Email: nelsonmandelapark@tdsb.on.ca
“Nelson Mandela Park Public School is an inner city school offering JK to Grade 8 programs. We are located in the heart of Regent Park in a recently rebuilt state of the art building that is bright, beautiful, and filled with lots of amazing spaces for learning. We have a student body of just over 500 students that is incredibly diverse with over 30 different home languages represented at our school. Nelson Mandela Park PS has a dedicated staff who work their utmost to serve the needs of our school community. We are focussed on building a “Culture of Caring” at our school that addresses the social and emotional well-being of students, but also extends to caring about ensuring high quality teaching and learning for all of our students.“ As originally published by Nelson Mandela Park Public School
Address: 100 Carlton St, Toronto, ON M5B 1M3, Canada | Telephone: 416 393-0175
“Le Collège français sera un milieu de vie stimulant pour tes amis et toi. Toute une équipe est là, chaque jour, pour t’aider à découvrir de nouveaux horizons et à mieux comprendre le monde qui t’entoure.” As originally published by Collège français secondaire
Address: 14 Pembroke St, Toronto, ON M5A 1Z8, Canada | Telephone: 416 393-1360
“L’école est composée d’une équipe dévouée, compétente et engagée dans la réussite et le bien-être des élèves. Le personnel de l’école travaille tout en comptant sur votre appui, votre soutien et votre engagement comme parents partenaires dans l’éducation de vos enfants. Ce sont des éléments essentiels pour la réussite de tous et de chacun. Pour y arriver, la communication ouverte, continue et positive, entre l’école et la maison, est encouragée et soutenue car c’est le moyen le plus efficace pour assurer le développement et les progrès de vos enfants.” As originally published by É Élém Gabrielle-Roy
Lord Dufferin Junior and Senior Public School
Address: 350 Parliament St, Toronto, ON M5A 2Z7, Canada | Telephone: (416) 393-1760 | Fax: (416) 393-0132 | Email: LordDufferin@tdsb.on.ca
“Lord Dufferin P.S. is a downtown inner-city school serving families in the Regent Park community. The old building was built in the 1920’s with additions in the late 1940’s. A new school building was completed in January, 2000. In the fall of 2003, the school yard was landscaped with the addition of a baseball diamond, soccer field, walkway to Berkeley Street and new fencing. In May, 2008, a new play structure was donated and built by the Kids Around the World Organization and the Million Dollar Round Table Foundation.” As originally published by Lord Dufferin Junior and Senior Public School
Address: 70 Spruce St, Toronto, ON M5A 2J1, Canada | Telephone: (416) 393-1522 | Fax: (416) 393-9992 | Email: Sprucecourt@tdsb.on.ca
“Sprucecourt Public School is a Kindergarten to Grade Eight school in the Cabbagetown area of Toronto. The school population averages around 330 students, many of whom are second and third language learners. The largest language groups other than English are Bengali, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, and Somali. We strive to make all children and families feel welcomed at Sprucecourt.” As originally published by Sprucecourt Public School
CATHOLIC AND PRIVATE
Address: 330 Lansdowne Ave, Toronto, ON M6H 3Y1, Canada
“L’école secondaire Saint-Frère-André est une école accueillant les élèves de la 7e à la 12e année. Notre but premier en tant qu’établissement d’éducation est avant tout l’apprentissage et le développement de votre enfant dans un milieu francophone catholique stimulant. En vue d’offrir un enseignement de qualité et un choix intéressant d’options à nos élèves, nous offrons toute une panoplie d’activités parascolaires, ainsi que des programmes d’enseignement. «Offrir à l’élève une éducation de qualité dans un milieu de vie catholique et francophone où le respect de la personne, le sens d’appartenance à la collectivité franco-ontarienne, la promotion de l’excellence et enfin l’équité sont des valeurs visibles et essentielles à son épanouissement ». C’est non seulement la mission du conseil scolaire mais aussi celle des enseignants.” As originally published by ÉSC Saint-Frère-André
Address: 25 Linden St, Toronto, ON M4Y 1V5, Canada
“L’école élémentaire catholique du Sacré-Cœur a 125 ans d’histoire! C’est avec enthousiasme que travaille une équipe dynamique. L’école accueille plus de 150 élèves de la maternelle à la 6e année. La langue française et la catholicité sont des priorités chez nous. Aux niveaux académique et personnel, nous rassemblons nos efforts en vue de permettre aux élèves d’atteindre leur plein potentiel.” As originally published by ÉÉC du Sacré-Coeur-Toronto
Address: 80 Sackville St, Toronto, ON M5A 3E5, Canada | Telephone: 416-393-5204 | Fax: 416-397-6586
“Our mission is to ensure that all our students are valued equally and their unique strengths and needs are recognized and met.” As originally published by St. Paul Catholic School
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