ABOUT US
OUR MANDATE
To create and facilitate sustainable processes for acquiring and maintaining real property for use by community, cultural and arts organizations in the Bloor Dufferin neighbourhood.
OUR PURPOSE
In Toronto’s Ward 9, we are rapidly losing arts and culture spaces, as well as spaces for residents and community organizations to meet and work in. From Dovercourt House, to the Matador, St. Anne’s Parish Hall to the Bloor Collegiate Auditorium, these spaces have served as our community living rooms. They have offered sites of support, joy, meaning, mentorship and civic dialogue. Such spaces are integral to both liveable cities and connected communities. And they are more important than ever as residential spaces shrink.
The Community and Cultural Spaces Trust is committed to sustaining affordable spaces for community and culture using an assets-based approach. We will prioritize spaces that are already working for the people who create, work, organize and gather in them.
OUR ROADMAP
CCST incorporated in May 2022 after receiving the first of five installments of funds from the settlement that will be paid over a 4-year period.
While we wait to receive our entire settlement, the Board will:
​​
Thoughtfully consider opportunities for partnership and potential responses to urgent space needs in the community while we complete this foundational work.
Facilitate connections between non-profits, cultural organizations, and arts groups looking to secure space with private and public funders;
Conduct a community-informed needs assessment for cultural and community organizations in Ward 9;
Refine our foundational principles
Develop a robust business plan that protects and grows our assets;
Further establish our framework for decision-making and governance of our assets;
Build a supportive network of residents and organizations in Ward 9 and the wider community land trust sector;
Evaluate inaugural investment and/or space acquisition opportunities;
Secure operational funds to further our development as a trust;
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CCST's founding board is serving to establish the trust in its first year of development. Over that time the founding board will practice equity-driven board recruitment. Our goal is to establish and support a new board, with a diverse range of perspectives, skills, professional and lived experiences, to strategically guide the organization.
Julia Culpeper
Julia is a program manager and learning strategist specializing in helping arts organizations and technology companies upskill and thrive. She loves building community, making music, and helping people learn.
Sean Fitzpatrick
Sean is a partner at Cavalluzzo LLP, a Toronto law firm that specializes in labour and employment law acting solely on behalf of unions and employees. As a member of the Build a Better Bloor Dufferin neighbourhood group he participated in the founding of the Community Affordable Housing Trust. He also serves on the board of St. Clare’s Affordable Housing Society.
Hannah Fleisher
Hannah is an urban planner who specializes in community and strategic planning in Not-For Profit and charitable organizations in the social service and housing sectors. She is passionate about public engagement, equitable neighbourhoods, and inclusive decision making.
Erella Ganon
Erella Ganon is an artist, illustrator, publisher, and community activist. Her 18 years of work as the moderator of the Dufferin Grove listserv has been a kind of connector for the neighbourhood and her contributions to initiatives at the Dufferin Grove Park make it envied for the community it nurtures. She has worked as a broadcast announcer, writer for publications in Canada and in NYC, and as a New Media Designer until brain tumours and fighting them became the main challenge of her life. After four brain surgeries, radiation and all, the fighting spirit she honed in treatment is directed back to the neighbourhood.
Maggie Hutcheson
Maggie is a strategic arts and culture leader with extensive non-profit management, program development and fundraising experience. She is passionate about fostering and sustaining inclusive spaces where culture and community can thrive. Maggie was the co-Chair of Build A Better Bloor Dufferin until November 2020. She co-founded the Community and Cultural Spaces Trust in 2022.
Liz Hysen
Liz is an experienced archivist, librarian, and has been an active musician in Toronto for over 20 years. She is passionate about community archiving, creating sustainable spaces for artists of all disciplines, and bridging disparate communities to ensure the cultural contributions of independent musicians are preserved for future generations. As a member of TINI (Toronto Information Network for Independent Musicians), Liz strives to make music archiving accessible so artists can safeguard their creative legacies.