Little Jamaica, also known as Eglinton West, is an

ethnic enclave In sociology, an ethnic enclave is a geographic area with high ethnic concentration, characteristic cultural identity, and economic activity. The term is usually used to refer to either a residential area or a workspace with a high concentration ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. It is located along Eglinton Avenue West, from Marlee Avenue to

Keele Street Keele Street is a north–south road in Toronto and York Region in Ontario, Canada. It stretches , running from Bloor Street in Toronto to the Holland Marsh. It begins at Bloor Street, as a continuation of Parkside Drive, which was originally pa ...

, and is part of four neighbourhoods: Silverthorn, Briar Hill–Belgravia, Caledonia–Fairbank, and Oakwood–Vaughan. The commercial main street has been recognized to be of great cultural heritage significance to the city of Toronto, as a distinct ethnic and cultural hub for Afro-Caribbean immigrants for many decades.

Demographics

Little Jamaica has historically been an immigrant hub. Jamaican and

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

immigrants began settling in the area in the late 1950s in response to the West Indian Domestic Scheme. Between the 1970s and 1980s, as the number of Jamaicans migrating to Toronto increased to around 100,000, many settled in the Eglinton West area. This has made Little Jamaica one of the largest expatriate Jamaican communities in the world. However, the changing demographics of Little Jamaica have been noted by both locals and media. Reports show that between 2006 and 2016, the Black population along Eglinton West has declined 13 per cent, compared to an overall population decrease of five per cent. The area increasingly consists of different immigrant groups including people of Chinese,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, Portuguese, Hungarian, and Filipino descent. By 2021,

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

and redevelopment had been affecting demographics.

Economy

There are many

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

n businesses along this strip. There are also businesses of other Caribbean/West Indian communities, including

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The population of Trinidad is notably diverse, with approximately 35% Indo-Trinidadian, 34% ...

, Bajan, Grenadian and Guyanese among others. The businesses along Eglinton Avenue West are frequented by many in the

Greater Toronto Area The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the Toronto, City of Toronto and the regional municipality, regional municipalities of Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham, Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton, Regional ...

's 177,000-plus Jamaican community. The area overlaps the York–Eglinton Business Improvement Area, which stretches from Marlee Avenue in the east to Chamberlain Avenue in the west (just west of

Dufferin Street Dufferin Street is a major north–south street in Toronto, Vaughan and King, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, two concessions (4 km) west of Yonge Street. The street starts at Exhibition Place, continues north to Toronto's nor ...

). The laneway behind storefronts on the south side of Eglinton was officially named " Reggae Lane" in 2014, in honour of its heritage as a hot spot for

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

in the 1970s and 1980s.

Effects of Line 5 Eglinton construction

Amid the construction of the Eglinton Crosstown light-rail transit, Little Jamaica has seen decreasing traffic to the area. While it is anticipated that upon completion the line will result in more visitors to the area, many residents and businesses have been affected by the building. Reports suggest 40 to 45 per cent of businesses from Marlee Avenue to

have closed down or relocated since construction began on the transit project. Delays have extended the opening of the crosstown well into 2022. In addition to the LRT construction, the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

has a factor hurting business in the area.

Heritage status

In April 2021, Toronto City Council voted unanimously to designate Little Jamaica as a "heritage conservation district understudy". This allows the city's planning department to study and survey the area in order to preserve it under the Ontario Heritage Act. This would offer some protection from future development in the area from accelerating gentrification and displacing existing businesses and residents that give the area its character.

In popular culture

* The 2001 play '' Da Kink in My Hair'' and its 2007–09 television sitcom adaptation are set in the neighbourhood. * Jamaican reggae group Black Uhuru released a song about the neighbourhood called “Youth of Eglington” on their 1981 album

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

. * ''Elle'' Canada's September 2019 issue was shot in Little Jamaica, with cover stars Winnie Harlow and Stephan James. * Zalika Reid-Benta's award-winning novel, Frying Plantain is set in Little Jamaica. * The award-winning documentary, Tallawah Abroad: Remembering Little Jamaica, from writer-director Sharine Taylor, chronicles the history of Little Jamaica.

References

External links

*
York–Eglinton BIA
{{authority control Barbadian diaspora in Canada Black Canadian culture in Toronto Black Canadian settlements Caribbean-Canadian culture in Ontario Ethnic enclaves in Ontario Guyanese diaspora in Canada Jamaican diaspora in Canada Neighbourhoods in Toronto Trinidadian and Tobagonian diaspora in Canada