Commentaire 375 – commentaires et rétroaction

Francis Kung, Federal President
Jason Wagar, Provincial President
Parkdale-High Park New Democrats

October 28, 2022

Ms. Paula Puddy
Commission Secretary
Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario
PO Box 37018 Southdale
London, Ontario N6E 3T3
ON@redecoupage-federal-redistribution.ca

- by email -

Dear Ms. Puddy,

Thank you, and the Commission, for the opportunity to provide input on the proposed redistribution plan for Ontario.

For decades, the Parkdale—High Park New Democrats have been organizing with our neighbours to advance the interests of our communities, boost democratic engagement, and fight for progressive social change.

We wish to provide our feedback on the proposed changes to Parkdale—High Park.

Name

Include Taiaiako'n...

Our dedicated group of volunteers are pleased that the Commission proposes acknowledging the traditional keepers of this land by including Taiaiako'n as part of the electoral district's new name.

Taiaiako'n was a large Iroquois village on the east shore of the Humber River, on what is presently known as Baby Point in the western part of Parkdale—High Park.

With a population as high as 5,000 with as many as 50 longhouses, the village was a prominent community along the Carrying-Place portage route between Lake Simcoe and Lake Ontario.

We believe including a traditional Indigenous name in the electoral district's new name appropriately recognizes the history of this important site, and is a small, well-intentioned gesture towards the preservation, awareness, and revitalization of Indigenous peoples' history in our community.

However, we also wish to point out that there are many discussions about the history of Taiaiako'n (including differing perspectives on the name itself). Among the many Indigenous organizations and leadership that we've been able to connect with so far, they are unaware of how the name came to be in the Commission's proposal.

...and also include Parkdale

We are concerned, however, by the loss of Parkdale from the new name of the electoral district and instead propose the district be known as Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park.

Established as an independent municipality in 1879, the village of Parkdale was annexed by the City of Toronto in 1899. The federal electoral district of Parkdale was created in 1914, and merged with a neighbouring district into Parkdale—High Park in 1979.

We believe removing Parkdale from the district's name would be a mistake after more than 100 years of recognition.

Parkdale is a proud, spirited community with a strong identity and sense of place. This is reflected in the many non-profit, neighbourhood, business, and community associations with Parkdale in the name and serving the area. It is a community that has actively resisted gentrification more than many—a neighbourhood The Guardian suggested is "the last island of diversity" in an increasingly inequitable Toronto.

Among the many diasporic communities in Parkdale—Polish, Afro-Caribbean, Filipino, Vietnamese, and Roma—one of the most prevalent is the Tibetan-Canadian population. Parkdale's nickname is Little Tibet. The mid- and high-rise apartment buildings along Parkdale's Jameson Avenue—one of the neighbourhood's major thoroughfares—are known colloquially as "the landing strip" as it is often the first home to newcomers from all over the world.

This strong community identity must continue to be reflected in the name of its larger electoral district.

The name Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park would also better balance the geography of the district, with Taiaiako'n to the west, High Park at the centre, and Parkdale to the east. The proposed name of Taiaiako'n—High Park refers to approximately just one half of the district—those west of Keele Street, in the centre of the district. Communities east of Keele would not see themselves reflected in the name of their district, as proposed.

Boundaries

Parkdale—High Park New Democrats recognize the population changes and that the district needs to be redrawn to ensure more balanced representation.

We are concerned that the Commission's proposed boundaries would divide one neighbourhood and weaken its representation.

After research and consultations with neighbourhood organizations, we are proposing some adjustments that would better support communities of like interests and identities.

Keep Liberty Village intact...

Liberty Village has its own sense of place and is a discrete neighbourhood full of high-rise buildings and is densely populated.

The Commission's proposed boundaries would divide this neighbourhood—cleaving off the thousands of Liberty Villagers living east of Strachan along Ordinance. As they are bounded by railway lines to the north and south, and a historical park to the east, they would be a separated island in the proposed Spadina—Harbourfront district.

Additionally, the interests, needs, identities, and culture of Liberty Village have more in common with the residents of the proposed Spadina—Harbourfront than with Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park.

Liberty Village residents tend to be drawn eastward towards downtown than they do to the west. On the west, Dufferin Street, which divides and helps define Parkdale and Liberty Village, is very much a psychogeographic barrier, while on the east, Strachan Avenue is considerably less so—with large developments along Ordinance Street (including a large grocery store for the area) pulling the neighbourhood east.

For these reasons, we are proposing maintaining the eastern boundary as it is today, at Dufferin Street.

...and keep other communities intact by going north

We are suggesting the boundaries of the district be maintained as they are today in the southeast, following Dufferin from the railroad tracks down to the south along Dufferin Street, west along the F.W. Gardiner Expressway, and south along the southerly production of Spencer Avenue.

Instead, the northern boundary of the district should follow the southern border of the Lambton Golf & Country Club and along Lambton Street to the hydro corridor/greenbelt created by Marie Baldwin Park and the Lavender Creek.

A map of our proposal is attached.

Our proposal will help keep communities intact by officially bringing the small, connected neighbourhoods of Lambton, Syme, and The Stockyards into Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park.

Residents here tend to be drawn southward, south of St. Clair Avenue West toward The Junction in their day-to-day lives. They feel a stronger sense of connection to their neighbours to the south because of natural and built barriers (the Humber River to the west, the railroad tracks to the east, and the wide and sometimes hilly hydro corridor to the north).

These diverse neighbourhoods have similar needs to others in the district as we have proposed, which would improve the likelihood of stronger representation.

Notably, these areas are home to a number of newcomers—including a prominent Tibetan-Canadian population, which is well-connected to Parkdale. Sharing the same boundaries as Little Tibet in Parkdale would ensure this community of identity is together in the same electoral district, and has a louder voice. Many of the Tibetan community members in this area are connected to faith and cultural communities within the current boundaries of Parkdale—High Park.

Population wise, this shift northward would put the district much closer to the 2022 quota (a variation of just 1.14%). While we understand the Commission does not factor in expected population growth, we feel it is also worth including that there are many dense developments underway within the boundaries laid out in our proposal.

We appreciate the opportunity to make this submission, and for the hard work of the Commission, ensuring the necessary redistribution is as fair as possible.

Should you, or members of the Commission, have any questions about our proposal, or wish to learn more about Parkdale—High Park and our remarkable neighbourhoods, please contact us.

Sincerely,

Francis Kung, Federal President

Jason Wagar, Provincial President

Attachment: Boundary Proposal, Taiaiak'on—Parkdale—High Park