SDP Reviews Budgets and World Urban Pavilion

By Adonis Huggins  “SDP Reviews Budgets”
By Ema Asler Kaiser & Partners “World Urban Pavilion"

We present news that impacts on Regent Park and the surrounding areas.
In this episode we present the following news for the week of April 22nd to April 28th, 2022.
* Grand Opening of the World Urban Pavilion in Regent Park
* The Regent Park Executive Directors Network receives an update on Phases 4 & 5 of the Regent Park Redevelopment
* Daniels Corporation announces Creative Work-Live for Regent Park artists and an Entrepreneurial Hub

* Federal Budget 2022 promises $4.3 billion to improve Indigenous housing in Canada
* Toronto police unveil largest single day illicit drug seizure in force’s history near Yonge St and The Esplanade
* City of Toronto expands eligibility of the Fair Pass Transit Discount Program to make transit more affordable for more low-income residents
* Ontario NDP promise to cover prescription birth control under OHIP if elected in June
* Covid-19 and Vaccination Update
* Events and Jobs in Regent Park Community

These are the leading stories.

SDP Reviews Budgets

The Regent Park Social Development Plan is a community wide initiative aimed at building social cohesion and inclusion. The plan revolves around 4 priority areas each represented by a working committee. The four working groups are Communication, Safety, Community Building and Employment and Economic Development. The body tasked with coordinating the 4 working groups is the SDP Planning Committee.  The committee comprises of all the other members of the working groups.

The April 21, 2022, meeting of the SDP Planning Committee was chaired by Walied Khogali. The first issue that was discussed was the reconciliation of the $50,000 operating funds from the 2020 year.  Denise Soueidan-O’Leary, representing CSI and the trustee for the Capacity Building funds, Regent Park Social and Barrier Reduction fund, reported that 5 different capacity building workshops were carried out and there is a balance of $2,190.00 remaining in that fund. Michael Rosenberg reminded the committee that the only reason why the capacity building workshops was not spent was because the instructor has not sent an invoice. Denise also reported that the $7500 budget for Regent Park Social was fully paid and that all the funds in the Barrier Reduction for child care was spent.  The remaining $5039 in the barrier reduction fund was for the purchase of technology.  These funds have not been spent because they are waiting to build lockable cabinets in the community living room for holding the equipment.  If the City is requiring the technology funds to be spent immediately, then Denise indicated that CSI could buy the items and store them until the storage is built. Ismail Afrah felt this is a good idea to purchase the items now.

For 2021, Diana Mavunduse from Dixon Hall, reported on the resident engagement funds that Dixon Hall is administrating.  According to Diana a disability steering committee was struck and Lloyd Pike is working on it. Diana suggested that funds could be used for a youth engagement activity related to engaging youth in the SDP. The remaining funds is allocated to engagement of seniors and the delay is related to change over of TCHC staff.  The other fund that Dixon Hall is administrating is for Bridge Builders.  Diana reported that the Bridge Builder partners have been lined up and we are working on language ambassadors.  The group asked if Diana can present the financials for the projects that Dixon Hall is administrating at the next meeting. Diana agreed saying they were presented at the last meeting but she could present them again.  Richard Kirwan, a City staff, wondered why the 2021 was allocated when the 2020 budget was not fully spent.  Richard encouraged that all the 2021 funds should be fully spent before any operating funds for 2022 should be allocated. Diana reminded everyone that the delay for spending was because of challenges related to Covid when activities was delay.  Diana indicated that only funding remaining from Dixon Hall projects is from the Bridge Builder.  All operation funding for 2021 budgets should be spent by the end of December 2022.

It was reminded by Richard that there should also be measurable tangibles connected to the operating funds. Diana responded that the Evaluation and Bench Mark committee is working on this.

The next issue that was discussed was the 4 residents and 2 organisation SDP representatives to the Community Benefits Oversite Committee.    Richard Kirwan indicated that there had been 5 organisations who have applied to the 2 organisation positions. Richard is still awaiting the resident nomination -one from each working group. According to Joel Klassen of the community working group, the working groups are still in a process of recruiting residents to seek nomination.
Walied suggested that each nominee (resident and organisation) write a blurb indicating why they should be on the Community Benefits Oversite Committee representing the SDP.  Others suggested it should be an oral presentation.  The group agreed that it should be a blurb and that the SDP Planning Committee should select the representatives at the next meeting.

World Urban Pavilion

Grand Opening of the World Urban Pavilion in Regent Park
The doors opened last week to the world's first hub for in-person and virtual knowledge exchange on matters of accessible housing, green construction, urban equity and sustainable urban growth. Nestled in the heart of Toronto's Regent Park, the World Urban Pavilion (the Pavilion) is a 4,000 square foot hub for innovation, exhibition and demonstration of the world of possibilities that places cities and towns at the heart of the Sustainable Development agenda.

The Pavilion is the culmination of a multi-year partnership between the Urban Economy Forum (UEF), UN-Habitat, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and The Daniels Corporation (Daniels).

During the opening, Daniels announced a contribution of $3 million over five years to support the Pavilion. The Pavilion is now known as the World Urban Pavilion in Regent Park – Powered by Daniels. This commitment ensures the Pavilion remains an accessible and free resource for both local residents and the world’s champions of sustainable urbanization.
 
The World Urban Pavilion has been designed as a knowledge exchange hub where stakeholders from around the world can come together to share learnings and best practices on sustainable urban development. The Pavilion is located in Daniels' DuEast mixed-use development on Dundas Street East, within a fully-accessible building in an open, gallery inspired space. Its unique design and multifunctional space provide opportunities for collaboration and ideas to blossom.

Visitors to the grand opening were treated to a viewing of the inaugural exhibition of the Pavilion, titled Canada Home. This is a multi-phase exhibition that will bring attention to Canadian innovation related to housing, communities, and sustainability. University of Toronto's Infrastructure Institute at the School of Cities combined both conceptual and practical installations in this exhibition that depict models and approaches to mixed-use buildings.

The opening of the Pavilion also marks the launch of a global hub for UN-Habitat's signature SDG Cities Initiative: a global endeavor to set more than 1,000 cities worldwide on track to achieve the 17 Global Goals that leave no one behind in the fight to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

Offering personalized consultations and a sheaf of planning and data collection tools to mayors, city managers, civil society networks and urban citizens, the SDG Cities Global Hub will also serve as a knowledge repository for cost-considering, contextually relevant sustainability-oriented initiatives to power equitable and inclusive urban regeneration and development. (https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220421006127/en/)