Five Years Forward: BUTO and the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust

The Little Jamaica neighbourhood, nestled on Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto, is seen as a cultural cornerstone and a powerful symbol of Black resilience. Caribbean immigration grew rapidly throughout the decades following the reforms to Canada’s immigration policy in the 1960s which aimed to end explicit racial discrimination. These reforms came as a result of political organizing and advocacy on the part of Canada’s Black communities and laid the foundation for Toronto’s thriving Caribbean community. By the time the ‘70s rolled around, “Eglinton” stood out as a community that centred Black businesses and Caribbean expression, turning the neighbourhood into a thriving network of entrepreneurs and the epicentre of one of the largest Jamaican diasporas in the world. Even today, as you walk down the street, you see bustling barbershops and hair salons, one-stop Caribbean grocers, and long line-ups waiting for the perfect Jerk meal.

Overnight in Little Jamaica, an informal night economy flourishes with many vendors selling coconut water, mangos, and sugar cane right out of vans along the main street. Some of our favourite restaurants like RAPS and Hot Pot integrate this nightlife into their business models, opening from 7pm and closing early hours of the morning Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays. Twenty-four hours a day, Little Jamaica is dynamic and buzzing with community. Over the years, the neighbourhood has grown and evolved into what we know today as Little Jamaica. New challenges have taken root in all Toronto communities, from gentrification to redevelopment pressures. Little Jamaica feels these impacts firsthand with rising rents, disruption from the Eglinton Crosstown LRT construction, and lingering effects of the pandemic leading to business closures and the displacement of long-time residents.

It’s been five years since the Black Business Conversation Report (2020) has been released.

This report analyzed the compounding issues facing the Little Jamaica community while outlining opportunities to empower the community and overcome these barriers. The vibrant Little Jamaica neighbourhood has deep roots as a cultural and business hub for Black people, and this report identifies threats to the community, such as new development, transit infrastructure, and displacement.

From Reporting to Action 

The Black Business Conversation Report developed in collaboration with allied organizations, community members, business owners and local activists captures the foundational work of grassroots organizing in Little Jamaica. This comprehensive report outlines key recommendations aimed at preserving and revitalizing the cultural and economic heritage of the community. Serving as a catalyst for municipal engagement, the report has played a pivotal role in sparking interest and action toward safeguarding the legacy and vibrancy of Little Jamaica.

Additionally, Black-owned businesses face specific challenges when it comes to entrepreneurship including but not limited to invisibility in city planning, lack of promotion from local Business Improvement Areas (BIAs), and reduced access to property ownership.

The Place-keeping in Little Jamaica: Commercial Displacement Prevention Strategies report, produced in partnership by U of T’s Department of Geography and Planning, builds on previous recommendations and concerns, detailing the exact ways in which the neighborhood would suffer from rising gentrification rates, inflation, and real estate pressures for maintaining Black-owned businesses. This report introduced the idea of establishing a community land trust as a long-term solution, a solution rooted in community equity, retaining local ownership, and protecting Little Jamaica’s cultural identity.

This crucial work then set the stage for the Pathways to Community Ownership report that advanced the possibility of establishing a Little Jamaica Community Land Trust. Through extensive community conversations and consultations, BUTO created the blueprints for the land trust, validating local interest in moving forward with Black-led, community-driven ownership.

The key takeaway from all three reports is clear: an absolute need for community-controlled land and economic power, especially for Black communities.

BUTO has turned their report’s ideas into impact through the incubation of the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust, which is a powerful step toward community ownership. By owning land and commercial spaces specifically for Black entrepreneurs and residents, the Community Land Trust aims to secure Little Jamaica’s future and re-affirm its place as an important part of Toronto’s identity. 

From the report’s recommendation that Black-owned businesses must gain access to commercial and land ownership to the formal launching of the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust, BUTO is moving from listening to building and transforming these ideas into tangible outcomes for progress.

Incubating the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust

Since 2017, BUTO has laid the framework down to reclaim land and commercial spaces on Eglinton Avenue West, ensuring that Black people remain at the forefront of this neighbourhood’s story.

The creation of the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust is groundbreaking, establishing Toronto’s first ever Black-led land trust. Born out of the necessity to combat displacement from transit-oriented developments, Little Jamaica Community Land Trust is explicitly dedicated to safeguarding Little Jamaica’s Black cultural heritage, fostering economic growth and self-determination.

For the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust (LJCLT) to work, the land trust acquires and holds land “in trust” on behalf of its membership, guaranteeing that the land is removed from the speculative market and stewarded by the organization to uphold community interests. This ensures that Black people maintain a lasting and meaningful stake in Little Jamaica in the face of development pressures and other impacts. It also helps to make certain that the neighbourhood’s development is community-led, that the local community benefits from development, and that there’s thoughtfulness in the use of  community owned or stewarded spaces.

“We are really set on prioritizing Black folks, that they are the leaders, they are the Board of Directors, that they are the voting membership, so that they really are the people making the power and decision in their neighbourhoods, in their community, and for their people as well,” says Anyika Mark, BUTO’s Director of Communications and the Community Land Trust Coordinator for the LJCLT.

Black-led, Black-focused, Black-serving

Great progress has been made over the past year in establishing the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust as an important anchor institution in the neighbourhood. From appointing an interim board and hosting their first interim board meeting, to assessing potential properties for acquisition, the LJCLT is reshaping conversations around community ownership and Black entrepreneurship.

“You can’t have a place called ‘Little Jamaica’ without owning anything. This area is being gentrified right now, with the subways and the properties for sale, so it’s good to have us come together as a group to buy properties. [By] owning properties on Eglinton, we’re keeping our history alive,” says Masani Montague, owner of Studio M, which is a cultural institution that preserves and celebrates the neighbourhood’s Caribbean heritage through film, music, and community storytelling.

Looking Ahead: What’s Next for BUTO

Since its inception, BUTO has been deeply rooted in community organizing within Little Jamaica, working block by block to build the trust, relationships and public momentum needed to bring the Little Jamaica Community Land Trust to life.

Through years of engagement, supportive funding partners and collaboration with like-minded organizations, BUTO has helped transform a vision of community ownership into a tangible movement for self-preservation. As The Little Jamaica Community Land Trust prepares to function independently, BUTO is turning its focus toward a new five-year strategic plan that will reimagine how the organization will continue to support community-led development, cultural preservation, and Black economic empowerment across Toronto.

Five years later Little Jamaica has hope for a brighter future. One that is resilient, thriving, and led by the people.