Canadian rapper Cadence Weapon moved to Toronto about five years ago, he wrote a song called High Rise. The tune is about the lack of affordable housing, and the negative effects of gentrification, especially when it comes to racialized neighbourhoods, like  Little Jamaica. We discuss what can be done to help protect the cultural and musical history along the stretch of Eglinton West, as well as the people who have lived and worked there for decades.

Little Jamaica in Toronto at risk from transit-based gentrification

Toronto is home, but how well do you really know it? Host Dani Stover brings you in-depth interviews and stories about the wild, random, important, and under-appreciated places, people and things that shape the city. Regular episodes shine a light on the corners of Toronto you never knew existed and the ones you've always wanted to know more about.

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Rod Cohen has been the Executive Director of the Blake Boultbee Youth Outreach Service on Blake Street for over 30 years. The small, hidden street played a big part in the development of Toronto, and has a mysterious charm. However, there are some unique challenges faced by the community of state-of-the-art public housing, as it is sandwiched between more affluent neighbourhoods like Leslieville and Riverdale, who according to Cohen, have refused to asknowledge its existence.

This is the story behind Blake Street in Toronto

Adam Bunch is the host of the Canadiana web series, and the author of both the Toronto Book of the Dead, and the forthcoming  Toronto Book of Love. We explore a few different stories of love, jealousy, divorce, scandal, and dedication, like that time Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton got engaged at the King Edward hotel, or when Sandford Fleming broke up with his girlfriend over a sunset.

Exploring Toronto's sexy past from Sir Sandford Fleming to Elizabeth Taylor

Julian Ganton has found himself back living on the Toronto Islands where he and his family grew up. He also runs Toronto Island SUP, and is passionate about preserving and documenting the unique wetlands. As a full-time Islander, Julian talks about what it was like having to swim home after missing the last ferry, the cool wildlife, the trash problem, and the healing power of connecting with nature.

This is what it's really like to live on the Toronto Islands

Sook-Yin Lee recalls her time at MuchMusic in the 90s and early 2000s, including the unexpected job offer from Moses Znaimer that started it all. She talks about the move to Toronto, her memorable first day, celebrities, Speaker's Corner, and having the freedom to be experimental on television. Lee also touches on her current project, a feature film called Death and Sickness, made entirely at home during lockdown.

This is how Sook-Yin Lee became a VJ at MuchMusic and what she's up to now

Nina Keogh talks about working in children's television in the 70s, 80s and 90s, on shows like The Friendly Giant, Polka Dot Door, and Today's Special, where she took on the role of the rhyming mouse, Muffy. She also discusses growing up with a family of puppeteers, the logistics behind operating one for TV, and getting freaked out by mannequins while filming after-hours at the old Simpsons department store.

Little Jamaica in Toronto at risk from transit-based gentrification

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