Firsthand
A low-budget rap video, shot in this Flemingdon Park neighbourhood, flashes images of money, basketball, girls dancing, guys looking tough, and cool cars as the rapper sings “Tell me whatcha need.” ¹

The Landscape
The Flemingdon Park H-Block patch occurs in the area east of Don Mills Road, south of Rochefort Drive, west of Deauville Lane, and north of the park. This patch contains a strip of high-rise apartments and government-subsidized townhouse complexes. H-Block is home to a considerable amount of high-density housing with ethnically diverse residents, in addition to a large community centre and - of course - a mall.

There is a large plaza mall in the H-Block patch that serves the whole Flemingdon Park neighbourhood. There are many restaurants, serving food from India, the Caribbean, China, the Philippines, and Afghanistan. However, there is no bank branch, nor is there a grocery store. Area churches and a store-front ministry run by the Anglican church are located in this patch. Other than the park to the south, there is almost no greenspace in this part of the community, except for a former creek bed which has been landscaped by the city and a school yard.

The wider Flemingdon Park neighbourhood, located in the former city of North York, has an abundance of parkland including centrally located sports fields. The community is bounded by ravines on three sides—unfortunately this cuts them off from surrounding neighbourhoods. More than half of the households don’t own a car in this densely populated area. Due to poor planning, it is not convenient to walk in this community because it is broken by a hydro zone, ravines, the Don Valley Parkway and erratic street layouts. A frustrating intersection at Don Mills Road and Overlea Boulevard makes it difficult for pedestrians coming from Flemingdon Park to access the community’s high school and middle schools. ²

The People
In the census strip that is most closely aligned to H-Block: ³

• Population in 2006 was 3,873.
• The population density is 21,095 people per square kilometre compared with Toronto’s 866/km² average.
• 19% of families are lone-parent families - 89% of those are led by women.
• The 2005 median income for all private households was $32,383, compared with a median of $64,128 for the rest of Toronto.
• 84% of residents’ mother tongues are something other than English or French.
• 70% of the population are immigrants.
• 56% of residents over age 15 have a post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree.
• 2006 unemployment rate was 17.8%, compared with 6.7% in the rest of Toronto.
• 76% of residents are visible minorities - the largest group is South Asian, followed by Chinese.

In the wider Flemingdon Park neighbourhood: ⁴

• In 2006, 22% of the population was age 14 or under, compared with the Toronto average of 16%.
• The top five languages spoken (in order): Chinese, Urdu, Tamil, Persian (Farsi), and Gujarati
• Following a housing expansion in the community in 2000, the percentage of the population below the poverty line dropped from 47% (in 1996) to 36% (in 2001)
• In 2006, 37% of economic families in this neighbourhood had low, before-tax incomes

The History
The Flemingdon Park neighbourhood is built on farmland formerly owned by R.J. Fleming, who was mayor of Toronto in the late 1800s. Flemingdon Park was Canada’s first completely planned “apartment city.” It was modeled after similar projects in Europe and Scandinavia and was created to make room for the wave of immigrants coming to Canada after the second world war. When the project was proposed in 1958, residents of North York and politicians had concerns about the high density of the neighbourhood and wondered how the city would adequately service the area. The project was approved in 1959 and completed in the early 1970s.⁵

The Challenge
Would you be willing to help the people of H-Block to see their need for Jesus — the One who longs to give them real life? Would you be willing to move in?

Sources:
¹ You Tube Clip, JB- Whatcha Need.
²Blog post by Dylan Reid, May 7th, 2008 Walking Flemingdon Park
³ All statistics in the section taken from Census tract profile for 0260.04 (CT), Toronto (CMA) and Ontario.
⁴ All statistics in the section taken from Flemingdon Park neighbourhood profile.
⁵ With information from Toronto Neighbourhoods