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Building the Future at Regent Park:
Co-Creating Regent Park’s Community Benefits Agreement
In 2020, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) selected Tridel as its developer partner for Phases 4 and 5 of the Regent Park Revitalization following an open public procurement process.
One of the most important features of Tridel’s proposal was their commitment to a $26.8-million community benefits package that will benefit TCHC tenants and residents of Regent Park.
In April 2023, TCHC launched a community engagement process in Regent Park that was co-designed with the Community Benefits Oversight Working Group (CBOWG) and Tridel, facilitated by Monumental Consulting, specialists in equitable city-building and participatory design.
The Community Benefits engagement process (the “process”) will directly engage Regent Park TCHC tenants and market residents to identify their priorities, understand which community benefits are important to them, and help determine the allocation of $26.8 million in benefits made possible through phases 4 and 5 of the Regent Park revitalization.
The process prioritizes resident needs and wants, taking into account some of the earlier research and priority areas identified by the community as essential to improving the neighbourhood and contributing to social and economic cohesion and inclusion. This includes prioritization of employment and training opportunities, scholarships, investments in community programs and other social development-related initiatives.
Input received from the community will help to inform a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) that will create meaningful pathways for the socioeconomic transformation of Regent Park.
Thank you to all residents who participated in our engagement activities and had their say on how they would like to invest $26.8 million for the socioeconomic benefit of the Regent Park community over the next 10 to 15 years. We have assessed your feedback and package options will be brought back to the community for a vote in a process that is anticipated to launch in 2025.
The Community Engagement Process
CBA "Buckets"
Bucket 1: Employment — Wages for people employed in positions facilitated by Tridel through the Tridel Group of Companies and contractors on Tridel projects. Employment supports are also included here.
Bucket 2: Major Investments ($500K+) —Money to go to large investments, valued at $500,000 plus, in 1 to 3 priority areas. This could include but is not limited to Social Development Plan (SDP) initiatives, such as capital investments for new and existing Regent Park community space; support for micro-enterprises and local entrepreneurs; support for Regent Park community events; support for community safety initiatives; and other community initiatives, such as job training programs, scholarships and bursaries for all ages; construction skills training; a fund to support programs and staff at a new community space; an online jobs portal; tool library; social procurement from Regent Park resident businesses; and youth-focused space and programs.
Bucket 3: Ongoing Local Granting —Ongoing small and micro-grants that can be given out to different programs and organizations that range from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars. Every few years the community will be asked what the best areas are to focus on for the next few years. This could include, but is not limited to SDP initiatives, such as support for Regent Park community events; support for local organizations and groups; support for local micro-enterprises and local entrepreneurs; jobs and skills training; community health and safety initiatives prioritized by the SDP; other SDP priorities, and other community initiatives such as scholarships and bursaries, and social procurement from Regent Park resident businesses.
Feedback collected from TCHC tenants and market residents will be evaluated in summer 2023 and will inform different community benefits packages that will be brought back to the community for a vote in fall 2023. The results of the vote will be officially announced and celebrated at a public declaration later this year, and the selected package will be formalized in a legal agreement called a Community Benefits Agreement, signed by TCHC and Tridel and monitored and evaluated by CBOWG over the next decade through to the end of the revitalization.
Timeline
Spring/Summer 2023 – Listening to the Community
Over a 3-month period, Community Animators, TCHC staff and CBOWG members went door-to-door, held small group discussions, conducted interviews, visited buildings, and popped up at community events to ask residents to participate in a survey that will directly inform how the $26.8 million will be allocated.
Residents have their say – here’s a sample of what we heard from residents.
Summer 2023 – Analyzing Feedback and Creating Community Benefits Packages
TCHC, Tridel and CBOWG, with the help of a facilitator, have completed their evaluation of community feedback that was collected in over 1,700 touchpoints, including over 1,000 survey responses. This feedback is being used to inform community benefits packages that will be released to the community for a public vote.
2025 – Community Vote and Public Declaration
Regent Park TCHC tenants and market residents will vote on their preferred community benefits package. The package with the most votes will be selected. The results of the vote will be officially announced and celebrated at a public declaration and the selected package will be formalized in a legal agreement called a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) signed by TCHC and Tridel, guaranteeing the delivery of the agreed benefits. CBOWG will monitor and evaluate the CBA over the next decade through to the end of the revitalization and report back to the community through a reporting and evaluation framework.
Contact
If you have questions about CBOWG, the Community Benefits Agreement or other parts of Phase 4 and 5, please use the online form to connect with us or email TalkRegentPark@TorontoHousing.ca