MoveIn Status
Praying for a team.

Firsthand
A visitor to Scarborough Village NE observed that there are many people from South Asian countries including India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Afghanistan in this community. There is a mosque across the street from the patch and many Halal meat shops.

People said they liked the reasonable rents and the proximity to schools and grocery stores that this neighbourhood offers. Though some complained about marijuana smoking, drug dealing, and noisy neighbours at night, others felt the place was generally secure. Some young men said they liked the close community of the ‘hood.

The Landscape
This MoveIn patch contains four buildings of about 20 floors each. They house approximately 4,800 people. Addresses include 25 Cougar Ct., 15 Cougar Ct., 215 Markham Rd. and 225 Markham Rd. (all market-rent buildings).

The People
In the wider Scarborough Village NE neighbourhood: ¹

• The population density is 10,335 people per square kilometre² 866/km² in the rest of Toronto and 13.4/ km² in the rest of Ontario

• 90% of the dwellings are apartments

• 65% of the people are immigrants

• 67% of the families in this area are led by married couples

• 80% of residents were considered visible minorities; the overwhelming majority were South Asian

• The 2006 unemployment rate was 12.9 % - more than double the 6.4% Toronto average ²

• This community has some pockets of very high poverty; it is a neighbourhood in distress¹

Two young men were murdered at 25 Cougar Court a few weeks apart in the spring of 2008. Residents met to talk about concerns about their neighbourhood in response to the deaths. Police appealed for information about the murder of one of the boys, a 16-year-old Somalian, on YouTube and encouraged his friends and family not to retaliate.

The History
The wider community of Scarborough Village, bounded by Scarborough Golf Club Road on the east, the CN Rail tracks on the north, Bellamy Road to the west and the Lake Ontario shoreline in the south, emerged in the early 1800s. The area gave settlers access to the lakeshore and was an invaluable thoroughfare for soldiers during the war of 1812. By 1930, Kingston Road was an important route between Toronto and Montreal.

Washington United Church, which was founded by Stephen Washington, was one of the first churches in the community.³

The Challenge
Might you be called to bring the hope of Christ to Scarborough Village NE as a loving neighbour?

Sources
¹ Statistics Canada 2006 Census tract profile 0331.03 (CT), Toronto (CMA) and Ontario
² Scarborough Village Community Needs Analysis, May 2008
³http://www.torontoneighbourhoods.net and http://www.beamccowan.com