Will Toronto become two cities?
Statistics Canada tells us that a demographic shift is happening,
that soon we will no longer speak of visible minorities. By 2031, 63% of Torontonians will have become visible majorities.
In the streets of Toronto, in the subway and buses, the shopping and strip malls of the city, this international, multicultural make-up of our residents is already a fact of life. Clearly, this will only intensify over the next 20 years. The question is whether we are doing the right things today to be ready for tomorrow.
Consider the following.
In the city of Toronto, close to half of our residents are visible minorities (43%). But you would be hard pressed to see any visible minority faces in the leadership profiles of our city - whether you looked at Bay Street, in Queen's Park, or at the city's largest voluntary sector organizations and its many agencies, boards and commissions. In Toronto City Hall, only four councillors are visible minorities.
Further, immigrants and visible minorities are disproportionately affected by trends that impact all of us. The recession, for instance, has left its mark on all of us, but more so on recent immigrants. While we all seem to be disengaged as an electorate, immigrants and visible minorities often find it difficult to even become engaged.
Have we then already become a new modern version of a “Tale of Two Cities”?
The residents of one city enjoy inherited privilege and natural social networks that help them in many ways. In the other city, residents are on the outside of this circle, wanting to get in, but not quite managing to do so. It is cold comfort to them to know that their children may well succeed where they now fail.
The future of a majority minority city is alluring for many reasons: An intensified, international outlook to the world, new markets, new talent, new customers, new ideas, new tourists – all this for the asking. But can we rely on these positives for tomorrow without addressing the economic, social and political gaps that exist today?
Here are a few things we can do today to be ready for tomorrow:
In the streets of Toronto, in the subway and buses, the shopping and strip malls of the city, this international, multicultural make-up of our residents is already a fact of life. Clearly, this will only intensify over the next 20 years. The question is whether we are doing the right things today to be ready for tomorrow.
Consider the following.
In the city of Toronto, close to half of our residents are visible minorities (43%). But you would be hard pressed to see any visible minority faces in the leadership profiles of our city - whether you looked at Bay Street, in Queen's Park, or at the city's largest voluntary sector organizations and its many agencies, boards and commissions. In Toronto City Hall, only four councillors are visible minorities.
Further, immigrants and visible minorities are disproportionately affected by trends that impact all of us. The recession, for instance, has left its mark on all of us, but more so on recent immigrants. While we all seem to be disengaged as an electorate, immigrants and visible minorities often find it difficult to even become engaged.
Have we then already become a new modern version of a “Tale of Two Cities”?
The residents of one city enjoy inherited privilege and natural social networks that help them in many ways. In the other city, residents are on the outside of this circle, wanting to get in, but not quite managing to do so. It is cold comfort to them to know that their children may well succeed where they now fail.
The future of a majority minority city is alluring for many reasons: An intensified, international outlook to the world, new markets, new talent, new customers, new ideas, new tourists – all this for the asking. But can we rely on these positives for tomorrow without addressing the economic, social and political gaps that exist today?
Here are a few things we can do today to be ready for tomorrow:
- Ensure that new voices are being heard at City Hall, including finding alternatives to the way we elect city councillors (Better Ballots);
- Allow landed immigrants to vote in local elections so they can learn and experience early on what it means to be a participating citizen (I Vote Toronto);
- Reward Toronto employers who hire skilled immigrants (Immigrant Success Awards);
- Ensure that city institutions are governed by qualified appointees who are more reflective of the people who live in the city (DiverseCity onBoard).
Many argue that time will take care of these issues. But time is what we don't have. We are less than two decades away from a new reality. We would be better advised to work at collapsing natural time frames so that we ready for the Toronto of tomorrow.
It would be more like the tale of 3 cities, economically!
The Noor Javed article was a bit sensational...
Statically, Toronto is about 48% visible minority when mixed origins are included. Usually about a third of those who can vote actually do where as one quarter of the visible minority category vote when you measure ethnically.
Posted by: Sonny Yeung | 03/22/2010 at 05:31 PM
The City of Toronto, Markham. Mississauga, Brampton, Richmond Hill are VISIBLE MAJORITY CITIES!. The GTA will be in 2012 or so. Two-Thirds is 20 years away for the GTA. The City of Toronto is fairly white and will not change too much. The suburbs will change a lot. Milton, Pickering, Ajax and Vaughan will also be Visible majority very soon.
Let's not forget the rest of the GTA. Mississauga has no non-white councillors. Markham has one Tamil and one Chinese Councillors.
TDSB 70% non-white. Catholic board a little more white but still racially diverse just a little less hindus and muslims.
Posted by: Ragu | 03/22/2010 at 11:03 PM
Actually according to the 2006 Census the city of Toronto's percentage of visible minorities is 47%(46.9), not 43% as you have quoted.
Posted by: Melanie | 03/23/2010 at 03:01 PM
Actually according to me it would be 48.14% by Election Day. From the data for Mayoral candidates; there is a spending limit of $1,229,234.75 which means as of January 2010 there are 1,437,335 eligle voters for a city of over 2.7 million and whoever takes possession of their new condos this year...
Posted by: Sonny Yeung | 03/23/2010 at 05:30 PM