CCST Partners with Inspirit Foundation and City of Toronto to Secure Canada's First Cultural Space for a Land Trust

Dear Community Members,

On behalf of the Community and Cultural Spaces Trust (CCST) Board of Directors, I am

excited to announce a new partnership that has successfully preserved two artist production

spaces in Toronto, bringing hope and optimism to our local arts community.

Artists need places to be creative and make art.

Board site visit, January 2025

In early January, with support from the City of Toronto, the Inspirit Foundation purchased two tenanted units in the Youngplace building located at 180 Shaw Street. Inspirit is transferring these units to the Community & Cultural Spaces Trust for community use. This purchase marks the first community space acquisition by a cultural land trust in Canada. This is huge. This partnership represents a genuine community-led initiative to combat displacement caused by the affordability crisis within Toronto's arts and culture sector. Artscape handed over the units to a receiver after declaring bankruptcy in 2023. Inspirit, as owners in Youngplace themselves, worked for over a year to help all tenants stay in place by assisting them in applying for grants and securing other funding sources to purchase their units from the receiver. Two units, tenanted by Paperhouse Studios and the Toronto Potters' Guild for many years, remained available. Inspirit has helped CCST to acquire these properties, ensuring tenants can continue to occupy them at affordable rent rates. The City of Toronto has made a generous deposit toward the acquisition, provided CCST agrees to maintain affordability for arts organizations in these units.

This exciting opportunity brought together the right stakeholders at the right time. CCST's efforts over the past two years—developing our board, building relationships, developing our governance, and establishing a strategic direction—enabled us to seize this opportunity. It's important to note that CCST's original asset, secured by community members as a Section 37 settlement from the Bloor and Dufferin condo development, was not utilized for this acquisition as 180 Shaw St. is outside Ward 9. Instead, CCST will use rental income from the units to cover the mortgage and any associated fees. We are honoured that Inspirit has entrusted CCST with the stewardship of these properties. We are also grateful for Inspirit's willingness to structure the deal to maintain the units' affordability. The purchase of these properties ensures that the Youngplace building remains a vibrant downtown space for the arts. 

This huge achievement would not have been possible without the strong support of residents and community organizations in Ward 9 and across Toronto.

We are excited about what is in store for CCST in the coming year. We expect to receive our full settlement in November 2025 and will begin searching for properties in Ward 9. In the meantime, we are gathering insights to guide our actions. If you have not yet completed our Community Needs Assessment Survey, please do so and share it with any local arts and community organizations you know.

Yours sincerely,

Hannah Fleisher

Chair

Community and Cultural Spaces Trust Board of Directors

Media Release - Purchase of Youngplace Units Feb 2025.pdf

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CCST Welcomes Candidate New Board Members

The Community and Cultural Spaces Trust (CCST) is pleased to welcome four new candidates to join the Board of Directors on a trial period of four months. Their expertise will help steer the organization to full operational readiness by the end of 2025. 

We thank all who applied to our latest recruitment cycle. We intend to form a Steering Committee in the coming months and will continue reviewing applications we received and interviewees we engaged for these purposes. We also thank you for your patience with our recruitment process! CCST is an entirely volunteer-run organization and genuinely appreciates the time all applicants put into connecting with us.

Meet our new candidate members:

Chris Wilson

Chris is a passionate cultural leader with a wealth of experience in the arts & culture, as well as in the non-profit sector. With a Master of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation, he is dedicated to fostering communities that are not only more connected but also better equipped to navigate the obstacles and possibilities of the future. Approaching his work through the lens of a futures design strategist, he specializes in designing innovative systems that drive collaboration, engagement, and transformative change. Guided by curiosity, Chris is deeply committed to reimagining the past and present as pathways to inspired future possibilities, particularly through a Black cultural lens. His work reflects a profound dedication to exploring how we envision and utilize our collective futures to build stronger, more meaningful communities.

Why did you want to join the CCST?

Much of the work that I do is within the area of community and cultural spaces. I am wrapping a MDes in Strategic Foresight and Innovation where I've gotten the chance to explore conversations around this topic. I also have gotten the chance through my previous work experience as a strategist to work alongside individuals and organizations that are passionate about this topic and through this have gained insights to help support the trust. I also live within the Ward and that is extremely important to me. 

Danielle Singer

Danielle is a Recruitment Lead with TalentLift. She previously practiced as a lawyer with a real estate law firm and later as VP of Commercial and Hospitality at a real estate development company based in Toronto. Her experience in steering complex real estate projects, building and maintaining tenant relationships and managing marketing strategies has equipped her with a unique perspective on team dynamics and the ability to connect skilled individuals with transformative opportunities. Danielle also holds a Master’s of Comparative Politics and Human Rights and a Bachelor of International Development and History.

Why did you want to join the CCST?

I am deeply committed to fostering community development and believe strongly in the vital role that access to cultural and arts programs plays in both children's and broader community growth. These programs enrich our neighbourhoods, shaping them into vibrant, inclusive spaces where people of all ages can connect and thrive.

Eryn Maloney

Eryn is wrapping up a Masters in Urban Planning with a focus on arts and culture planning informed by experiences gained during a 15-year career in the music industry as a technician, technical director, tour manager, promoter, and musician. His focus is on how diversity and inequality in access to employment in music spaces and how informal training (job shadowing and DIY labour) alongside informal spaces (DIY venues and events) can affect the diversity of the music industry labour force and create more entrenched systems of inequality. Alongside creative industries research Eryn also studies active transportation and social planning and policy.

Why did you want to join the CCST?

While working and performing in a variety of music venues in Toronto I observed a continuous struggle with access to space for both performance and rehearsal opportunities. Music spaces are under threat from rising costs, development pressures, building codes, and noise complaints. Protecting and preserving cultural spaces is an integral component of my academic research and I am excited to work with CCST on creating a Toronto future that includes access to cultural space.

What are you most excited to work on or contribute to in the coming months and years?

In the near future I am most excited about working on the community needs assessment project while forging connections with other arts and culture organizations in Ward 9. In future years I am excited to use my expertise in venue/facility operations to support the design and fit up of community space. The objective of property acquisition for cultural preservation and community use is extremely exciting. 

James Roy

James began his career at the age of twenty-two when he founded the Blyth Festival.  This theatre in small town Ontario was one of the first to specialize in producing new Canadian works, and remains one of the most successful theatres in Canada today.  Between 1980 and 1986 James was Artistic Director of the Belfry Theatre in Victoria, British Columbia and the Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg. James joined CBC Radio Arts and Entertainment in 1990 and for two decades he was the Executive Producer of Network Radio Drama, as well as producing his own drama series. Following two years as Head of Radio A&E, he left to lead the CBC team that launched Radio One on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. From 2015 until 2023 James was Creative Director for Amazing Agency and its sister company, IT World Canada.

Why did you want to join the CCST?

Throughout my career I have seen artists’ spaces created and then disappear as they become too expensive. Through the CCST I am determined to help obtain new places and venues that will remain in perpetuity with our city’s artists. This will guarantee untold richness to our lives and our children’s lives.  That is the exciting opportunity that the CCST promises.

Eryn, James, Danielle, and Chris join the following Board Directors for 2025:

Chair - Hannah Fleisher

Vice-Chair - Maggie Hutcheson

Director - Erella Ganon

Director - Sean Fitzpatrick

Communications Lead - Julia Culpeper

Secretary - Liz Hysen 

Network Development Lead - Alycia Shanika Doering 

There will be additional opportunities to get involved in the coming months, including on a Steering Committee and as a General Member. We are also accepting donations to the CCST Operations Fund, which helps pay for the administrative costs of the CCST.

Reach out at any time to board@communityculturalspacestrust.ca with questions. 

First full Board meeting of 2025

Launching the CCST Space Needs Assessment

Community groups and arts organizations, we need your help! This year, the Community and Cultural Spaces Trust (CCST) is launching a survey to deepen our knowledge of the space challenges and needs that arts, community, and cultural organizations in Toronto face. The survey questions are focused on how your organization(s) has operated in your spaces, any space needs your organizations may have, and your outlook on CCST’s role in providing support. We hope that by completing the survey to the best of your ability, you will help us build long-term plans for community cultural space preservation. 

Fill in the survey now

The responses collected will only be seen by members of the CCST board and our volunteer-led student team from the University of Toronto who helped design this survey. Any findings presented in relevant settings will be de-identified, and your identities will be kept anonymous. We kindly ask for your support in completing the survey and our ongoing efforts as we fight to protect our community. We hope to continue engaging with the Ward 9 arts and cultural community as we develop and secure spaces.

We estimate that this survey will take between 30 and 60 minutes, depending on the level of detail you choose in the open-ended questions. While the survey will remain open beyond this date, we would appreciate it if you could fill out this survey if possible by February 20, 2025. If there are other organizations you think would like to participate in this survey, feel free to forward this to them.

Thank you for your participation. Please contact the us if you have any questions regarding CCST or the survey at board@communityculturalspacestrust.ca