Toronto: the Colourful City

Welcome to Toronto in Colour.  This is a virtual community dedicated to Toronto’s diverse population.  Our goal is to offer a virtual space to the different racialized, cultural, immigrant and refugee groups that live in Toronto. Collaboration and empowerment of communities through knowledge exchange is our priority.

We live in the most diverse city in the world.  People born outside of Canada make up 52% of our population.  If we add first and second generation groups together this figure rises to nearly 80%. According to the 2006 Canadian Census, there are over 200 distinct ethnic origins, and 140 different languages and dialects spoken in the Greater Toronto Area.

We are a cultural mosaic.  And there are many local initiatives that support this mosaic, striving to enhance the quality of life and social experience for immigrants and newcomers to the city.  But they are not always that easy to find.

Working towards change

Toronto’s multicultural community can face significant barriers to social resources, such as employment, education and housing.  York University professor Michael Ornstein, Director of the Institute for Social Research, has authored a number of reports on the socioeconomic conditions and demographics of the Toronto ethno-cultural population.

There is a lot going on though: striving to achieve social equity, COSTI Immigrant Services is a community-based multicultural agency providing employment, education, settlement and social services to all immigrant communities, new Canadians and individuals in need of assistance. The Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants also advocates for equality, determined to increase access, and to achieve full participation of immigrants and refugees in every aspect of Canadian life.

In addition, the Colour of Poverty Campaign is a province-wide coalition of individuals and community organizations striving for racial equity and racial justice.  It is the goal of this coalition to build community-based capacity to address racialization, the growing racialization of poverty and the resulting increased levels of social exclusion and marginalization of racialized communities in Ontario.

Building on social equity campaigns, the following organizations initiate change from the top, to create sufficient leaders that reflect all the residents of Toronto.

DiverseCity is a 3-year initiative to change the face of Toronto’s leaders that works to expand professional and community networks, and advance and share knowledge on the role of diversity in leadership.  Complimentary to this organization, the Maytree Foundation invests in leaders to build a Canada that can benefit from the skills, experiences and energy of every one of its people.

Public institutions in Toronto have to meet the challenge of offering services to a multicultural community.  They have to maintain a system that works for all groups equally which requires a shared understanding of the specific needs and characteristics of each group.  Health services may be particularly important.

A number of ethno-cultural-focused agencies are advocates for culturally competent health services and change. Access Alliance provides a wide range of programs and services for immigrants and refugees living in Toronto.  Working through partnerships, they help develop innovative responses to newcomer issues specifically.  The Wellesley Institute and the Health Equity Council also engage in research and advocate for community and organizational solutions to create equitable change in all areas of health and wellness throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

Specific to the needs of women from diverse backgrounds, Women’s Health in Women’s Hands is a community health centre serving the Greater Toronto area. Their services include primary medical care for all women from the age of 16, mental health support programs with individual and group counseling, self advocacy programs, health promotion and education programs, pre and post natal care programs, HIV-AIDS prevention, support and care, healthy living activities, support groups, supportive self-care activities and a resource information centre.

Mental health

But there is no health without mental health.

This website has been conceived and set up by CAMH, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. This is because community is good for your mental health. Knowledge, social support and linking with other people can be beneficial.

CAMH recognizes the need for specialized care, dependent on cultural traditions and values.  The focus of this organization is on client-centred care, with the recognition that each client has individual social, physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological needs. 

There are other organizations, also working towards improving the health of Toronto’s diverse community that recognize that diverse groups are among the highest risk for mental illness and traumatic distress.

Across Boundaries is a mental health centre that provides a range of support and services to people of colour in the Greater Toronto Area, who are experiencing severe mental health problems/serious mental illness.  They employ a holistic approach to mental health care and operate within an anti-racism framework.

And there are many more, including Access Alliance, Sistering, Women’s Health in Women’s Hands, and Taibu.

There are two main components to our site: a Community Wiki and a Community Networking space.

The Community Wiki provides an easy-to-use portal to information, research and resources, specifically geared to each of the many cultural groups in the city.  Any of our users can add to this portal, update and/or refine posts.  This is a free space where your input and expertise is welcome and encouraged.

Our Community Network is a social media site where users can join any one of our many cultural groups, interact with people going through similar challenges and life experiences, and exchange important resources and tips.

Thank you for visiting Toronto in Colour, and for participating in this important cultural initiative.