RPTV WEEKLY NEWS (EP-66) - SDP Community Building Working Group elects New Co-Chair

By Fred Alvarado Fred is a community journalist with FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CENTRE

In this weekly news show hosted by RPTV reporters Fred Alvarado, Kedar Ahmed, and Gabriel Meissner we present news that impacts on Toronto's Regent Park and the surrounding areas. Episode 66 features segments on:

* 0:00 Intro
* 01:36 Community Building Working Group elects new co-chair;
* 07:29 ArtHubs Toronto Inc. to assume operations of all Artscape-operated community cultural hubs including Daniels Spectrum;
* 08:54 Regent Park TV visits the Fitness, Dance and Meditation program for Seniors and People with disabilities at 252 Sackville St;
* 17:19 Neigbourhood Community Officers Farzad Ghotbi and Mircea Biga speak to Regent Park community on key issues;
* 38:42 Councillor Chris Moise office launches Downtown East Safe & Inclusive Neighbourhoods Survey 2023;
* 39:20 Toronto receives funding from the Federal Government to create 43 new deeply affordable and supportive homes;
* 42:00 Ontario to receive $162-million in federal funding for gender-based violence plan;
* 43:17 Ontario to ban Canadian work experience requirement in job postings;
* 44:17 1 in 10 Toronto residents rely on a food bank, Who’s Hungry Report 2023 finds;
* 47:15 Events in Regent Park community.

This week’s lead story:
The SDP Community Building Working Group is one of the four working groups of the Regent Park Social Development Plan, a community wide initiative aimed at fostering unity among all the different resident groups and stakeholders in the community.

The goal of the Community Building Working Group is to create accessible informal and formal spaces, events and groups that bring residents together by removing social and physical barriers, build bridges between market and TCHC residents, as well as between residents and institutions and other agencies.

On Monday November 13th, the Community Building Working Group held their monthly meeting at the World Urban Pavilion in Regent Park 666 Dundas St East to choose their next TCHC Co-chair and thank their outgoing Co-Chair Walied Khogali Ali.

The hybrid meeting was co-chaired by Regent Park Residents Rabia Alsabaie and Walied Khogali Ali, and Joel Klassen, the agency representative of Yonge Street Mission.
At the meeting, members of the Community Building Working Group voted for a new co-chair in which Regent Park resident Fardowsa Mohamed was elected as the new TCHC Co-Chair among two other candidates after Joel Klassen revealed the election results.
 
Outgoing Co-Chair Walied Khogali acknowledged all the members of the Community Building Working group for their support in their achievements such as Sunday in the Park Festival, Black history month celebration, Regent Park Space Needs report elaboration, and food insecurity programs collaboration.

Finally, Co-chairs Rabia Alsabaie and Joel Klassen thanked Walied for his valuable contributions and leadership, wishing him all the best.