Regent Park TV Weekly News Episode Four

By Fred Alvarado, Murphy Browne & Humaira Rahman
(Fred, Murphy and Humaira are journalists with the Focus Media Arts Centre.

Welcome to RPTV Weekly News Show. In this weekly news show hosted by RPTV reporters, Fred Alvarado, Murphy Browne and Humaira Rahman, we present news that impacts on Regent Park and other surrounding communities located in the Down Town East communities of Toronto. Episode four for the week of September 21st, 2021 features: youth worker murdered in Regent Park; Canadians have re-elected a Liberal minority government; Liberals toughest promises to keep in the new government; Liberal Marci Ien has won the riding of Toronto Centre; Green Leader Annamie Paul loses third bid for Toronto Centre; the City of Toronto spent nearly $2 million to clear homeless encampments; X University, formerly Ryerson University, unveils new Indigenous monument; subway station is coming to Moss Park; Changes in Pathways To Education is impacting Regent Park youth. Events in Regent Park Area.

See following for the details of some of the featured reports.  

Youth worker, Thane Murray, murdered in Regent Park

Toronto police have identified the man killed when four suspects opened fire in Regent Park Saturday evening. Officers were called to a shooting in the area of Oak and Sumach street just before 9 p.m. When they arrived, they located three men suffering from gunshot wounds. One of the men was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Sunday, police identified him as 27-year-old Thane Murray from Toronto. The other two victims were transported to the hospital – a 29-year-old man with critical injuries and a 27-year-old man with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Police said on Sunday that the 29-year-old is now in stable condition. Homicide investigators continue to search for four suspects, who they said approached the victims and shot them. "It's a highly-populated area. There's a playground just to the south of us. It was still 8:50 when this took place, so probably lots of people around -- very, very dangerous," Insp. Michael Williams said Saturday evening. He noted that approximately 50 shell casings, "a ridiculous amount of gunfire," were discovered at the scene.

The suspects, police said, were wearing dark-coloured clothing and masks that concealed their faces. No other descriptions have been released. The four suspects fled the area and were last seen heading north, police said. Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact them at 416-808-7400 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477). Murray is Toronto's 61st homicide victim of 2021.

Thane Murray is being remembered as someone who was deeply caring and passionate about youth empowerment. Toronto councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam took to Twitter on Monday to share her thoughts on the shooting, as well as personal details about who Murray was. "With heavy hearts we mourn the sudden death of Thane Murray, a well-known youth worker in the community and a City of Toronto employee at the Regent Park Community Centre. He was a valuable member of the Toronto Public Service and will be missed by many who knew and loved him," Wong-Tam wrote. "In particular, it's the youth and recreation workers and the incredible kids who knew firsthand of Thane's hard work and deep passion for youth empowerment that are feeling this tragic loss the hardest. "Thane Murray cared deeply about his family, friend[s], community and work." Wong-Tam went on to highlight the area in which the incident took place, saying if the shooting took place in Rosedale, "no expense would be spared to provide mental health/grief counselling and programs to address roots of violence. But it happened in Regent Park, in Alexander Park and Lawrence Heights where majority of families are poor and racialized."

The City of Toronto released a media statement on the shooting of Thane Murray, offering its deepest condolences to the family and friends of City employee, Thane Murray, who has tragically died following a shooting in Regent Park on September 18.

Thane worked in recreation programs at several recreation facilities in the City’s east end with the City’s Parks, Forestry & Recreation division. Thane was a well-regarded member of the Toronto Public Service and a much-loved community member who will be deeply missed.
Mayor John Tory twitted:
My thoughts go out to the family, friends and colleagues of Thane Murray. We know he touched many lives through his work at recreation facilities in the City’s east end and his death has shocked so many in our Parks, Forestry and Recreation division. This is a tragedy for the Regent Park community and our entire city. I know Toronto Police are working to solve this murder and bring those responsible to justice.”

Canada Elections Results 2021:
Liberal Marci Ien has won the riding of Toronto Centre

Marci Ien has won the  riding of Toronto Centre  for the Liberals.

Ien held the riding she first won in a byelection last year after former Liberal finance minister Bill Morneau resigned. After decades as a broadcast journalist at CTV, Ien — who was born in St. James Town — says she was inspired to run for office after George Floyd’s murder and other events of 2020. Her main competitor in this race was Green leader Annamie Paul, who has now lost her third bid to represent Toronto Centre. Also in the running were NDP’s Brian Chang, Conservative candidate Ryan Lester, and People’s Party candidate Syed Jaffery.
Ien, a mother of two and graduate of Ryerson University, has also served on the school’s board of governors and worked as a mentor with an Etobicoke-based afterschool program.

Green Leader Annamie Paul loses third bid for Toronto Centre

The Green Party lost ground in Monday’s election, with Leader Annamie Paul losing her third bid for a seat even as the party elected its first candidate in Ontario.

Paul had seen a swell of support in last year’s byelection, when she drew 33 per cent of the vote and came in second behind Liberal Marci Ien. But that support appeared to deflate on Monday, with Paul falling far behind her main rivals.
“Certainly I am disappointed. It’s hard to lose, no one likes to lose,” Paul told a modest crowd of supporters early morning hours Tuesday.
“But I’m so proud of the effort, the creativity, the innovation that our team brought to this race.”

X University, formerly Ryerson University, unveils new Indigenous monument
Ryerson University  is installing a monument commemorating the institution’s commitment to reconciliation that will be revealed on Sept. 22, two days prior to the university’s  annual Pow Wow  held during Indigenous Education Week.
The university said in a statement that “This monument is a part of a multi-year project that emerged from the University’s Truth and Reconciliation Strategic Working Group and in collaboration with the University’s Indigenous community.”
The XU Pow Wow will be livestreamed on Sept. 24 and will include a live chat for community members to share the experience. According to their website, organizers are accepting video submissions that will be featured at the event as a digital message.
Ryerson University’s  Standing Strong  released its report with a list of recommendations for the university in late August. This report included the recommendation which lead to the decision for Ryerson University to  change its name.

Subway station is coming to Moss Park

Though the Moss Park Station is expected to be the Ontario Line’s sixth busiest, it has been brought to the community’s attention that Infrastructure Ontario has no plans to designate Moss Park a transit-oriented community, as stated in a Metrolinx info session hosted by Online Line coordinators.
Consequently, the area will be excluded from benefits that other Ontario Line stations will spur, including an increase in jobs and housing.

Metrolinx intends to tunnel north of Queen Street under the parkland to minimize road closure and interference with the Queen streetcar. The station location will be at the north-west corner of Queen and Sherbourne Street, beside the Moss Park Arena.

Historically the Moss Park neighbourhood has lacked an active community association. An obstacle for governments to consistently engage with residents and businesses. The subway station proposal “is really an opportunity for the community to share their voice and help shape the future of Moss Park,” he says.

Building Roots, a progressive grassroots social venture,   wants more community consultation on the Moss Park Station by different levels of government and Metrolinx. Building Roots has proposed a July 24 community meeting to include residents, business owners and unhoused neighbours.

Building Roots organized a community conversation and a guided neighborhood walk last Saturday September 11 at the Moss Park Market to learn more about the subway station planned for Moss Park and how it may affect his residents.

Changes in Pathways To Education is impacting Regent Park youth

Pathways To Education is a non-profit organization that provides support for students in high school with the hopes of ensuring youth successfully complete high school and continue into post-secondary. This program partners with parents, community agencies, volunteers, and staff within the high school in order to provide four main types of support. Academic, social, financial, and advocacy.

Pathways To Education came to Regent Park in 2001. Prior to the launch of the amazing program, high school dropout rates were at their peak within the neighborhood, at a whopping 56%. When the program first launched, P2E was at its peak. Providing a bursary of $4,000 to support those going to a public post-secondary program, group mentoring happening in a safe and secure space, TTC tickets were given bi-weekly to support attendance and extra-curricular activities that allowed students to explore academic, social, and career interests were happening daily.

However, Pathways To Education isn’t exactly what it once was, and residents of Regent Park have been struggling to get adjusted to the dramatic cuts in the budget, due to recent events.
Pathways is no longer providing students with the same financial supports. The $4,000 bursary has been cut in half and the bi-weekly bus tickets have been cut out and replaced with a $50 giftcard every semester. That totals to $150 a year. The cost of a Presto for ONE month is $143.

Saima Islam, a current student at Northern Secondary School, talks about how the lack of financial and academic support has taken a toll on her confidence as she enters her final year of high school. “The main reason I joined Pathways is that my school is 45 minutes and the TTC tickets help me get to school every day on time. Now that they aren’t offering that, I have to pay for my own Presto every single month. It’s adding to the pressures of my final year. In order to pay for my presto every month, I have to work a part-time job and I’m nervous about my time management skills. Usually, I would go to Pathways tutoring at the Spectrum but now that it’s online it’s not like it once was.”

All Welcome at the Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic at 40 Oak St.

Regent Park Community Health Centre is running a COVID Vaccination Clinic at  40 Oak St. The clinic is open every Tuesday from 2:45pm to 8pm.
The 40 Oak St. clinic uses Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
Anyone born in 2009 or earlier is  eligible  to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Find near you as well as walk-in vaccinations at  City-run clinics  for first or second doses, Tuesday to Saturday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.