Our Beginnings
The inception of our land trust coincides with the unprecedented urban transformation occurring in Mount Dennis, driven by major transit investment at and surrounding Mount Dennis Station, which includes GO, UP Express, and Eglinton Crosstown lines; it is projected to become one of Toronto’s busiest transit hubs. The scale and pace of development have generated serious concerns regarding displacement of long-term residents and small businesses, and the risk that existing community members will not share equitably in the benefits of new transit and economic opportunities
In response, community stakeholders led by the Learning Enrichment Foundation and supported by Toronto City Council convened the Mount Dennis For All People's Summit on April 5, 2025 and subsequent Mount Dennis For All Action Plan. One of four key strategies emerging from the Summit was the formation of the Mount Dennis Community Land Trust. Our mandate is to remove existing purpose-built rental housing from the speculative market, secure long-term affordability, and empower marginalized residents.
Mount Dennis For All Summit
The Mount Dennis For All Summit in April 2025 was an anti-displacement summit led by members of the Mount Dennis community; the Summit brought together residents, community advocates, business owners, government officials, and many more to build on the City of Toronto's existing plans for the neighbourhood, discuss pressing challenges to Mount Dennis, and generate comprehensive, community-led ideas to ensure an affordable, sustainable, and culturally vibrant future for Mount Dennis — with community members at the centre of it.
Mount Dennis For All Community Action Plan
The Mount Dennis For All Community Action Plan was established in April 2024 and, following the Summit and in collaboration with Toronto's City Council, transformed ideas from the Summit (and working off of the City's pre-existing plan) and turned them into comprehensive actions, strategies, and quantifiable targets to confront numerous challenges facing Mount Dennis — focusing in on housing affordability and anti-displacement measures. Other key aims included improved community and social services, vibrant and accessible public spaces, and local economic development.
The MDCLT came out of Action Area 1: Preserving Housing and Commercial Affordability. The first goal of this action item was to establish a community land trust "to ensure long-term affordability and flexibility in housing options and commercial space." And, thus, the MDCLT was born.
Foundation of the Action Plan:
Neighbourhood Change: Significant private and public investments and transformation.
Secondary Plan: Adoption of Official Plan Amendment 571 in July 2022.
City Collaboration: Deep collaboration with an interdivisional working group.
Community Voices: Engagement is led by community and for community.
Community Co-Creation: The plan is created in close consultation with community.
Equity: Reconciliation and equity strategies are embedded as a priority.
Integrated Policy Design: Leverages existing, emerging, and new policies and programs.
Source: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/ec/bgrd/backgroundfile-260773.pdf
Our Journey*
*(start here)
Summit: April 2025
First Volunteer Meeting: September 2025
MDCLT's journey starts at the Mount Dennis For All Summit, a community-led summit focused on anti-displacement. The Summit convened community members and other key stakeholders to build of the City's plans for the neighbourhood and discuss pathways to ensure a sustainable and equitable future in Mount Dennis.
The Action Plan took the ideas of the Summit and the City's first Mount Dennis Action Plan and turned them into actionable policy recommendations. The Plan proposes actions, strategies, and targets to create greater economic opportunities, preserve and build affordable housing, improved infrastructure, upgraded social services, and more.
We convened a number of Mount Dennis community members for our first volunteer meeting. Here, we discussed initial ideas for the land trust and gained knowledge from different land trusts across Canada by hosting a virtual watch party for the annual Canadian Network of Community Land Trust Summit.
Action Plan: December 2025
*(end here (for now!))
MUCP Program: May 2026
MURA Application: February 2026
Incorporation:
February 2026
The Mount Dennis Community Land Trust was officially incorporated as a non-profit under the Ontario Business Registry.
MDCLT is accepted to be a community partner for the Multi-Disciplinary Urban Capstone Project through the University of Toronto and the School of Cities, starting in Fall 2026.
MDCLT applies for it's first Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition Program grant through the City of Toronto. We applied to fund the acquisition a 14-unit residential building in Mount Dennis.
MDCLT advocates for a more equitable Affordable Housing Access System in the Toronto. We advocated to make sure that anti-displacement measures are actually put in place in this new system.
Affordable Housing Access System Advocacy: May 2026