MoveIn Status:
Praying for a team.

Firsthand:
Namaste Radio is a radio station broadcasting in Nepalese out of the Roche Court patch. The FM station, which began in 2005, broadcasts news, talk shows, interviews, educational programs, and music to its approximately 3000 listeners. The purpose of the station is to “preserve and promote Nepalese music, language and culture and to ease the process for people of Nepalese origin to associate with the Canadian mainstream.”¹

The Landscape:
This patch is located northeast of Erinmills Parkway and the QEW. The buildings are lowrise and midrise. It is close to Sheridan Centre mall, the subway, and the GO train.

There is lots of grass in this patch, and playgrounds. Children can be observed playing cricket and soccer.

The People:
There are many people from Pakistan living in the patch. There are a smaller number of Sri Lankans who are Tamil Hindus.

In the wider neighbourhood that the Roche Court patch belongs to:²

• In 2006, 26% of the population was 14 or under, compared to Toronto average of 16%.
• Married couples lead 83% of families, as compared to the Toronto average of 75%.
• Of the residents, 60% have a mother tongue other than English or French.
• Immigrants make up 58% of the population, and of them, 37% arrived between 2001 and 2006.
• Around 62% of residents have a degree.
• The 2006 unemployment rate was 10.9% compared to the Toronto average of 6.7%.
• Visible minorities make up 65% of residents, the largest group - by a wide margin - was South Asian.
• In 2006, 34% of residents were considered to have low before-tax incomes, as compared to 18% in the rest of Toronto.

Elementary students from the Roche Court patch are bussed out of their neighbourhood to Thorn Lodge Public School. The rest of the kids in their neighbourhood attend Oakridge Public School.³ Thorn Lodge has about 320 students and offers a Parent and Family Literacy Centre.⁴

The History:
The Roche Court patch lies in what used to be the village of Erindale. In 1822, Thomas Racey, a land speculator, bought land to build a sawmill and establish a village on the east bank of the Credit River. Racey sold the land to settlers in 1827 and a thriving village called “Toronto” soon developed around mills, farms, a post office, a chair factory, a brewery, and taverns. Unfortunately the village was not on the Great Western Railway so it did not prosper as quickly as villages to the south. The village became known as Springfield and, in 1890, was renamed Erindale after the estate of Rev. James McGrath, the first minister of St. Peter’s Anglican Church who helped settle the area. St. Peter’s Anglican Church, which began in 1828, is on a hill overlooking the Erindale community.⁵ The church has a strong history of being involved in their community which today includes a food bank, ministry to refugees, and a parish nurse.⁶

The Challenge:
God has had his eye on this neighbourhood from the beginning, will you be part of bringing His kingdom to the Roche Court patch? Will you consider moving in?

Sources:
¹ http://www.yenamaste.com/
² Statistics Canada 2006 Census tract profile 0514.02 (CT), Toronto (CMA) and Ontario
³ http://www.peelschools.org/schools/documents_family/ERINDALE.pdf
⁴ http://qps.peelschools.org/QuickPlace/thornlodgeps/Main.nsf/h_Toc/FB79D3E0B1C24D688525756D005EDA59/?OpenDocument
⁵ Heritage Mississauga
⁶ St. Peter’s Anglican Church