RPTV WEEKLY NEWS (EP-60) Artscape Enters Receivership; The 519 Back to School Bash; Freedom Fest.

By Fred Alvarado and Dimitrije Martinovic
Fred and Dimitrije are community journalists with FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CENTRE

Welcome to RPTV Weekly News Show Episode 60 (Aug. 29th to Sept. 8th). In this weekly news show hosted by RPTV reporters Fred Alvarado, Kedar Ahmed, and Jabin Haque, we present news that impacts on Toronto's Regent Park and the surrounding areas.

Episode 60 features segments on:

• Toronto artists unsure what lies ahead as Artscape enters receivership (01:24 min);
• THCH YouthWorx program celebrates 10-Year Anniversary in Regent Park (07:22 min);
• Daniels Spectrum Summer Series presents Regent Park Fashion Show and Basketball Tournament (12:18 min);
• St James Town community celebrates Freedom Fest with Zero Hunger campaign (18:01 min); The 519 celebrates Back to School Bash with Free Backpack & School Supplies Giveaway (27:28 min);
• Mayor Olivia Chow's executive committee supports new revenue-generating-measures (32:04 min);
• 3 injured in stabbing in Moss Park neighbourhood on Monday Sept. 4 (35:41 min);
• City of Toronto proclaims Overdose Awareness Day (36:15 min);
• Events and Jobs in Regent Park Community (40:16 min).

This week’s lead story: Toronto artists unsure what lies ahead as Artscape enters receivership

Artscape, a Toronto not-for-profit organization that has provided affordable housing and studio space for artists for decades has been placed into receivership, potentially threatening the homes and workspaces of hundreds of artists in the city.

In a series of communications to tenants that began on Monday August 28, 2023, Kelly Rintoul, Chief Operating Officer for Artscape delivered the shocking revelations that Artscape had become insolvent, and that Toronto Artscape Inc would be placed in receivership.

Tenants have been informed that they will continue to have access to their spaces and the Receiver will determine the path forward for all existing Artscape contracts.

Head leases and operating agreements will likely be assigned to a new operating entity in time. The Receiver will also assume ownership of Toronto Artscape Inc. owned units and second mortgages.
 
Artscape is currently operating: Artscape Youngplace, Artscape Wycwood Barns, Artscape Gibraltar Point, Artscape Daniels Launchpad, Artscape Weston Common, Artscape Sandbox, Artscape Distillery, Artscape West Queen West, Parkdale Arts and Cultural Centre, Artscape Lofts and PACE, Artscape Lofts at 210 Simcoe, Artscape Triangle Lofts, Artscape Bayside Lofts, Artscape Lofts at Waterworks, and of course the Daniels Spectrum where RPTV is located.

In Regent Park, Artscape was launched in 2012 as a partnership between the Regent Park Arts Non-Profit Development Corporation, Toronto Community Housing, and Daniels Corporation.

Artscape’s statement said the organization took on debt over the years and stretched even further during the pandemic with event spaces shuttered. The plan was to sell the Artscape Daniels Launchpad property at 130 Queens Quay East, a hub for creative entrepreneurs, to repay debt to its primary lender, but it did not happen.

The launchpad is owned and operated by Artscape, and the Daniels Corporation does not have any financial ownership or control of it, the company said, noting it is named in recognition of financial and collaborative support.

In a statement, Daniels president and CEO Mitchell Cohen called the news “a profound loss to the arts and cultural landscape.”

“Artscape has inspired city-builders in Toronto and around the world. Their commitment to supporting artists and creating vibrant communities has left an enduring mark on our city,” he said.

Mitchel Cohen added that what’s “surprising is that the bank, the city and Artscape were unable to chart a path to restructure one of the most important cultural organizations in the country.”