09/12/2025

RPTV News - Ontario First Nations Leaders Address Community Wellness and Policy Impacts at Toronto Media Event

RPTV’s Indigenous coverage continues with highlights from a recent media conference hosted by the Chiefs of Ontario during the 2nd Annual First Nations Community Wellness Conference in the heart of Toronto. The event brought together First Nations leadership, youth representatives, and community advocates to address urgent challenges affecting communities across Ontario — including those living in Toronto. Speakers discussed the social determinants of health impacting First Nations communities, such as housing, infrastructure, education, land-based connections, and economic stability. Leaders also raised serious concerns about the impacts of Bill 5 and Bill C-5, which they argue threaten Treaty rights and First Nations sovereignty. Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict was joined by Chief Shelly Moore-Frappier of Temagami First Nation, Chief R. Donald Maracle of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, and Kyra Willoughby from the Ontario First Nations Young Peoples Council. This…

09/09/2025

RPTV - Communities Face Growing Overdose Crisis as NDP-MPPs Demand Urgent Provincial Action

At Queen’s Park, NDP-MPPs and community advocates came together to demand immediate action on Ontario’s escalating overdose crisis. Among them was Toronto Centre MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, who joined Dr. Robin Lennox, Alexa Gilmour, community advocate Diana Chan McNally, and parent Heather Robinson, whose son David tragically died of an overdose at just 17. Last year, Ontario lost 2,244 people to drug overdoses. Since the onset of the poisoned drug supply, more Ontarians have died from overdoses than from COVID-19, yet the province still lacks a coordinated strategy to address this public health emergency. Speakers stressed that the closure of Safe Consumption Sites has worsened conditions across Ontario, forcing people into streets, parks, and alleyways, while increasing overdose risks and creating unsafe environments for entire communities. For Toronto’s Downtown East — including Regent Park and Moss Park — the crisis is deeply personal. These neighbourhoods are among the…

09/06/2025

RPTV News - Communities Face Growing Overdose Crisis as NDP-MPPs Demand Urgent Provincial Action

At Queen’s Park, NDP-MPPs and community advocates came together to demand immediate action on Ontario’s escalating overdose crisis. Among them was Toronto Centre MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, who joined Dr. Robin Lennox, Alexa Gilmour, community advocate Diana Chan McNally, and parent Heather Robinson, whose son David tragically died of an overdose at just 17. Last year, Ontario lost 2,244 people to drug overdoses. Since the onset of the poisoned drug supply, more Ontarians have died from overdoses than from COVID-19, yet the province still lacks a coordinated strategy to address this public health emergency. Speakers stressed that the closure of Safe Consumption Sites has worsened conditions across Ontario, forcing people into streets, parks, and alleyways, while increasing overdose risks and creating unsafe environments for entire communities. For Toronto’s Downtown East — including Regent Park and Moss Park — the crisis is deeply personal. These neighbourhoods are among the…

(Free) Documentary Film Workshops
 09/06/2025

(Free) Documentary Film Workshops

The Focus Media Arts program will be offering free documentary filmmaking workshops through September 30th to December 3rd 2025. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 5pm to 7pm Ages 15-30.

Indoor Temperature Standards - Share Your Feedback
 09/05/2025

Indoor Temperature Standards - Share Your Feedback

Toronto’s bylaws require landlords to maintain indoor temperatures of at least 21 °C from October 1 to May 15 and, for units with air conditioning, no more than 26 °C from June 1 to September 30.

08/05/2025

RPTV - Healing Our Inner Child: Indigenous Health Gathering Centers Culture, Community Care, and Renewal

Toronto’s Downtown East was home to an inspiring moment of Indigenous-led healing on July 23. Hosted by the Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, the 2025 Indigenous Health Gathering took place at the Spaces Building in Moss Park. Under the theme Healing Our Inner Child, the event welcomed community members into a day of ceremony, care, and connection. The Red Bear Singers—residential school survivors—opened the gathering with traditional songs and drums, grounding the space in cultural presence. Around the hall, Indigenous health organizations shared tools and knowledge, including Toronto Public Health, CAMH’s Shkaabe Makwa, and 2-Spirited People of the 1st Nations. RPTV’s Thunder Cloud interviewed First Nations participants and health advocates, spotlighting services rooted in Indigenous knowledge and addressing the needs of urban Indigenous communities. A powerful teaching came from Anishinaabe Grandmother Vivian Recollet, spirit name Bigasohn Kwe, who spoke on the…

08/05/2025

RPTV - Louis March Park Renaming Celebrated

The City of Toronto officially renamed the Sumach-Shuter Parkette to Louis March Park, in honour of the late community leader and anti-gun violence advocate. A ceremony on July 20 brought together elected officials, community organizers, and residents to recognize March’s decades-long commitment to youth, justice, and healing. The event, held in Regent Park, featured a land acknowledgment, a libation ceremony, spoken word performances, and tributes from those who worked closely with March. Mayor Olivia Chow, Ward 13 Councillor Chris Moise, and MPP Chris Glover all delivered remarks highlighting March’s influence across Toronto, particularly in communities most impacted by violence. Louis March founded the Zero Gun Violence Movement and worked tirelessly to address the root causes of youth violence. His outreach extended to neighbourhoods like Regent Park, where he often collaborated with local organizations, supported grieving families, and organized events promoting peace and…

Shape the future of your community’s parks and recreation facilities
 07/29/2025

Shape the future of your community’s parks and recreation facilities

The City is seeking input from community members to help shape the future of Toronto’s recreation facilities and parks through updates to the Parks and Recreation Facilities Plan and Parkland Strategy, which guide growth and investment in recreation facilities and parks across the city.

07/23/2025

RPTV - Car Slams Into Café ZUZU in Regent Park — Driver Arrested for Impaired Driving

Early Saturday morning, a vehicle crashed into the front of Café ZUZU, a well-known café in Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood, near the corner of Dundas Street East and Sackville Street. Toronto Police say they responded to the single-vehicle collision just before 4:30 a.m. A 36-year-old woman was arrested at the scene for suspected impaired driving. Photos from the crash show shattered glass, twisted metal, and significant damage to the café’s front entrance. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, as Café ZUZU was closed when the crash occurred. Despite the destruction, Café ZUZU has already reopened. Staff, with the help of emergency responders and support from the local community, acted quickly to clean up and restore the space. For many in the area, the café is more than a restaurant — it's a key part of the neighbourhood and a place where people come together. RPTV reporters Jabin and Miguel visited the crash site and spoke with Tyler Rutherford, Director of…

07/23/2025

RPTV - Park Renaming Sparks Community Tensions

The recent renaming of the Sumach-Shuter Parkette to Louis March Park has ignited tensions in a neighbourhood. The change, passed at Toronto City Council in May and led by Councillor Chris Moise, is meant to honour the late community leader and founder of the Zero Gun Violence Movement. March, who passed away in 2024, was widely admired for his advocacy in youth empowerment, violence prevention, and justice reform. But for some residents of Trefann Court and the surrounding Corktown area — who live closest to the parkette — the renaming has raised questions not about the man being honoured, but about the process behind the decision. “This is our park — our choice — and that was taken away from us,” said Shane Omar, a resident of Regent Park for over 20 years. “The city says it wants to be transparent, but this wasn’t transparency.” The parkette, affectionately known by locals as “Stinky’s Park,” sits just east of Parliament Street, near Sumach and Shuter. It was…

07/23/2025

RPTV - TDSB Trustee Deborah Williams Speaks Out on Provincial Takeover and Bill 33

At a time of rising concern for public education in Toronto, Regent Park TV sat down with TDSB Trustee Deborah Williams for an important conversation about what’s happening behind the scenes. The interview, recorded at the Focus Media Arts Centre in Regent Park, comes days after the Ontario government placed the Toronto District School Board—and three other major boards—under provincial supervision. Trustee Williams, who represents Ward 10 (University–Rosedale and Toronto Centre), explains what this decision means for students, families, and communities like Regent Park in Toronto’s Downtown East. Since June 27, elected trustees have been stripped of their ability to make decisions, hold meetings, or connect with constituents using board resources. Williams challenges the province’s justification of “financial mismanagement,” pointing instead to chronic underfunding and a growing political agenda that includes Bill 33—a proposed law that would bring police back into…