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About LJCLT

Grounding our work in community

LJCLT'S KEY PRIORITIES

Born out of the necessity to combat displacement from transit-oriented developments, LJCLT is explicitly dedicated to safeguarding Little Jamaica’s Black cultural heritage and fostering economic growth and self-determination, with five key priorities guiding our strategic direction moving forward. 

Creating home away from home

HISTORY OF LITTLE JAMAICA

​For those in the know, particularly within Toronto's Black community, the thoroughfare simply known as "Eglinton" has long served as something more profound than a mere street. For over half a century, it has been a vital cultural and ethnic heartland for generations of Caribbean and African immigrants. Their lives, woven into the city's fabric, have created an enduring presence.

Securing our legacy

Rich in Afro-Caribbean culture, Little Jamaica on Eglinton Avenue West has been home to hundreds of local Black-owned businesses over several decades. However, it must be said that Little Jamaica came to be because of systemic anti-Black racism and the intense hate Black people experienced migrating to the City of Toronto. At the core of Little Jamaica’s inception is belonging, safety and community. Eglinton Wests Little Jamaica is not the only neighbourhood that Black people have created in the city, but it is one that is disappearing at an alarming rate. 

 

The Little Jamaica Community Land Trust is designed to stabilize our cultural leaders, provide long-term succession of mixed-use properties and the intangible cultural heritage of Little Jamaica. LJCLT is not just a housing entity, it is not just a steward of commercial space: it is a vehicle for self-determination in a historic Black community and will provide it all: housing, retail, community space and more. 

 

LJCLT aims to keep this community growing strong and sustainable for decades to come.

Our main areas of focus

  • Acquire mixed-use developments to preserve the vibrant cultural and historical Black business corridor.

  • Transform commercial spaces into mixed-use properties fostering a sustainable environment.

  • Increase affordable housing volume for residents of Little Jamaica to address housing insecurity and curtail displacement.

  • Create stewardship opportunities and community control of commercial spaces in new developments.​

  • Introduce wealth building opportunities to Black community members through collective ownership models.

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© 2025 Little Jamaica Community Land Trust

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