Serving THE ANNEX, MIDTOWN, ROSEDALE, CABBAGETOWN and THE DOWNTOWN CORE
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INSIDE Boxing mentors looking for a home of their own / 3
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Free youth programs at risk
MAKING A SPLASH AT REGENT PARK
Edible tree tour and much more in our community calendar / 6
JUSTIN SKINNER jskinner@insidetoronto.com
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SUNDAY IN THE PARK: Elliott Shnier, 4, left, plays on the water pad during the celebration held Sunday marking the newly-renovated Regent Park. For more photos from this event, see page 6.
Food Forward fills gap for residents JUSTIN SKINNER jskinner@insidetoronto.com Though they’ve only had a storefront in the Cabbagetown area since late last year, food security agency Food Forward has plenty on the go in the downtown core.
The grassroots organization opened its community food hub on Homewood Avenue, near Carlton Street, last November and has been working to bring food education and awareness, economic opportunities and more to those both in the community and across the GTA.
PROBLEMS WITH RACCOONS, SQUIRRELS? SAFE & EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS Leaside 939 Eglinton Ave. East (At Brentcliff Rd.) 416-646-2439
Etobicoke 100 The East Mall (at North Queen St.) 416-491-1417
www.UrbanNatureStore.ca
It started four years ago due to the closure of a No Frills in St. James Town. “There are often issues of accessibility and affordability when it comes to getting quality food,” said Food Forward co-director Darcy Higgins. “You look at Regent Park and
the social development that’s gone on there, the residents identified the need for a grocery store. For so many people, the access isn’t there.” A lot of the group’s initiatives take place in dense communities where food access is limited. >>>PLANS, page 2
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Faced with a cut in City o f To ro n t o f u n d i n g , t h e Cabbagetown Youth Centre (CYC) is scrambling for ways to keep its programs intact. CYC executive director Spiros Papathanasakis said the city’s decision to lop off $100,000 in funding from the centre has left the organization in dire straits. “The last couple of years, we’ve been in serious trouble,” he said. “We’re going from week to week and there’s not a lot of money we bring in here.” The CYC’s financial situation is tied largely to its longstanding policy of not charging for its programming, a feature that has made it an invaluable part of the downtown community, where many families are strapped for money. “We’ve always tried to run our programs so as not to embarrass kids whose families might not be able to afford to send them to camp or to lessons,” Papathanasakis said. “We have to have barrier-free programs for these kids.” Some of the centre’s programs >>>SUMMER, page 13