Thorncliffe Park thriving despite challenges

DANIELLE MILLEY

January 13, 2010

It is home to more immigrants, more young people and more underemployed people than the rest of Toronto, but despite its challenges those with the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office say the community is thriving.

The neighbourhood agency released Understanding Thorncliffe Park on Monday, Jan. 11; the needs assessment report builds on a 2003 report done by TNO and helps lay out the future priorities.

Executive director Jehad Aliweiwi said the findings of the report were not surprising.

"Because we were on the ground it confirms a lot of what we've seen," he said.

The report was prepared for TNO by consultant Tony Boston using interviews, reports and studies from other sources and Census data from 2006.

The report showed the population in the neighbourhood is younger than it's ever been; 25 per cent of the population is 14 or younger compared with 22 per cent in 2001 and 19 per cent city-wide. This creates challenges for a school that is bursting at the seems (though an expansion is in the works) and mothers who are unable to work because they can't find adequate child care.

Thorncliffe Park is also home to an educated population with two thirds of residents older than 25 having received post-secondary qualifications from outside Canada, "yet the number of low-income families is triple the city's average," Boston said.

City-wide it is 14 per cent compared with 47 per cent in Thorncliffe Park, an increase of seven per cent from 2001.

That means doctors are delivering pizzas and engineers are driving cabs. "That's the reality for so many people and they do it with grace and dignity," Boston said.

The average household income has declined by four per cent since 2001, and with statistics from 2006, pre-recession, Aliweiwi said the current situation is likely much worse.

But, he wants people to know Thorncliffe Park is also a thriving community full of diversity.

"This remains to be a safe neighbourhood and a place where people want to live," he said. "It's one of the most unique neighbourhoods."

Large populations of people from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and the Philippines call the area home. In total, 68 per cent of the population are immigrants.

Aliweiwi said there have been changes in the make-up of the population in recent years. From the 2003 study to the current report, there has been an increase of 300 per cent in the Urdu speaking population, the Afghan population has doubled, and the Chinese and Filipino populations have decreased.

The community remains a first point of contact for many people new to Canada, though it's also a place that many long-standing residents call home. Some people in the neighbourhood have lived there for 20 or 30 years.

Using the report, there are many areas for TNO to focus its services on, including income and employment, lack of child care, youth issues, housing, mental health and settlement services. It intends to work with residents and other partners to move forward.

It has made progress since the release of the 2003 study. In fact, the youth centre where the report unveiling event was held is a testament to the expansion of TNO's services as it was opened after that study said there needed to be a greater focus on youth. TNO has also expanded employment supports, doubled settlement services, expanded its program dealing with violence against women, and started a wellness centre in the past six years.

While the staff and board of TNO know more progress needs to be made, Aliweiwi wants to get the word out to the rest of the city about all Thorncliffe Park has to offer. It has a large park and commercial area within walking distance and the diversity of its residents translates to diversity in restaurants and places of worship.

"We really want the city to know this is a model community," Aliweiwi said. "It is vibrant and thriving with great diversity."