Toronto’s Little Jamaica is Starting a Land Trust

The construction has devastated businesses...

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon when members of the Little Jamaica community in Toronto, along with several housing organizations, met in North Etobicoke to discuss a new initiative by Black Urbanism TO (BUTO).

This local nonprofit strives to enhance Black community engagement around urban issues in the city. Established in 2018, BUTO was created in response to the negative impacts of the Eglinton LRT construction.

While the LRT will be helpful, the construction has devastated businesses, forcing many of them to close, including the iconic Randy’s Patty Shop.

Little Jamaica residents, while hopeful the LRT will bring new business and ease commuters, have complaints about how Metrolinx has approached its construction in the community. Pipes left on roads, barricades blocking businesses, and clouds of dust are just some of the issues residents were forced to face. For all this chaos, the community just hopes they can benefit from the increased accessibility, but there is a real chance that Little Jamaica could be torn apart by gentrification through density.

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