Residents, friends and neighbours of Regent Park celebrated the historic opening of the community’s first new street in 50 years on Saturday. The unveiling of Cole Street and the reopening of Oak, Sackville and Regent Streets marked the opening of the Regent Park Revitalization. The reintroduction of cross streets in the area will allow the neighbourhood to integrate with the rest of Toronto’s downtown core.

With the support of Toronto Community Housing and The Daniels Corporation, the afternoon included a dramatic street display of dance, music and visual art featuring a performance designed for the occasion by Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie (CLC), a professional dance organization and Regent Park’s resident dance company.

Present to mark the occasion were Donna Cansfield, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Glen Murray, MPP, Toronto Centre; Pam McConnell, Toronto City Councillor, Ward 28; Keiko Nakamura, CEO, Toronto Community Housing; and Martin Blake, Vice President, The Daniels Corporation. Daniels is partnering with Toronto Community Housing as the builder/developer for the entire six-phase, $1 billion project – the largest re-visioning of a city core in North America.

The event drew enthusiastic crowds from all over the city, including residents from Regent Park, Cabbagetown and other surrounding neighbourhoods. The day started with a performance by Jackie Richardson, Canada’s leading gospel, blues and jazz singer, and musician and actor Sterling Jarvis (We Will Rock You) who were backed by Regent Park’s own Tynes Family Singers. Together they performed a song called ‘Dancing Down the Avenue’ written for the occasion by Daniels’ President Mitchell Cohen. Also performing at the celebration were the musical group the Regent Park Focus Youngstas.

CLC choreographed an interactive performance featuring famed Canadian countertenor Daniel Taylor. Guests enjoyed a series of surprising live outdoor performances including dance, music and visual arts throughout the first phase of the Regent Park Revitalization - an enchanting encounter with the unexpected. It culminated in a ceremonial demolition of one of the remaining walls of an old Regent Park apartment building.

When completed, the new Regent Park will house 12,500 people in 5,115 units. Phase One includes a mix of commercial tenants including Sobeys, RBC Royal Bank, Tim Hortons and Rogers. With Phase Two well underway, more than 50% of the Regent Park revitalization is rebuilt, under construction or under demolition. This phase encompasses market condominiums and affordable housing, and state-of-the-art facilities for residents, community groups and neighbours including a new community centre, an aquatic centre, a large central park in the heart of the community, and a broad range of retail services along Dundas Street East that will contribute to the reintegration with the rest of the city.