Last December at the historic Palais Royale, at the 11th Annual TABIA and City of Toronto Awards Night, the Roncesvalles Village BIA was honoured with the Community Engagement Award for our collaborative efforts surrounding National Truth and Reconciliation Day, 2023.
The initiative:
Working with the Roncesvalles United Church and the Friends of Dundas Roncesvalles Peace Garden, as well as community volunteers, the RVBIA SJAR Committee funded, created awareness through signage and community engagement with the Moccasin Identifier Initiative, and participated in the 3rd annual Orange Shirt walk and event in observation of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
(Left to Right) Bryce Taylor-Vaisey – RVBIA Secretary & SJAR Committee Chair, Abby Bushby – Dundas Roncesvalles Peace Garden, Rev. Anne Hines – Roncesvalles United Church, Ausma Malik – Deputy Mayor of Toronto, Maureen Sirois – TABIA President, Andrew Chomentowski – RVBIA Vice-Chair. (Not pictured: Daniele Stoddard, RVBIA Manager).
Local Community Collaborators:
The Roncesvalles United Church, home of the first Indigenous mural (by Philip Cote) painted inside a church in Canada, as noted in Parliament by MP Arif Virani, is a community hub located at 240 Roncesvalles Ave.
Lead: Reverend Anne Hines.
The Dundas Roncesvalles Peace Garden, the first initiative of its kind between a BIA, the City of Toronto, and an Indigenous Group, is located at 2201 Dundas St West.
Lead: Friends of the Dundas Roncesvalles Peace Garden Chair, Abby Bushby.
Read more about the project here.
Established in the summer of 2020, the Roncesvalles Village BIA Social Justice & Anti-Racism Committee is focused on offering education to our members and amplifying community events which can help remove barriers to equity, diversity, and prosperity for marginalized groups in our neighbourhood. By providing these resources, the committee aims to bring our main street together with the community in the ongoing effort towards continuing to make Roncesvalles Village a welcoming and safe place to visit and live.