Classroom and/or Communities
Pick me up and turn me round
I feel numb, burn with a weak heart
I guess I must be having fun”
Munk Classes, to me, have sometimes felt relatively large and impersonal. Sure, I did my undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto where classes could run as high as 1000, but I was hoping for more intimacy at grad school. Our class is a perfect size to me — this is all I ever wanted, and a great way to end my masters degree on a high note. Learning about working outside of government also particularly interests me, and the field trip component is refreshing after being locked up for the last two years.
The readings for class tomorrow stuck out to me, as they discuss the development in the East End, focusing on the Broadview Hotel. Incidentally, I actually worked in the neighborhood as a barback for about two years. I grew up in a rural community in New Hampshire for the first eighteen years of my life, and due to the relative homogeneity of my town, was relatively ignorant of gentrification until moving to the city. Seeing the character of the “Riverside” neighbourhood change in real time while I prepped margarita mix and sliced limes was actually instrumental in pivoting my undergrad focus from English literature and poetry to public policy. No amount of vigorous hand-washing could wipe out the stench of Peroni (or gentrification) from the palms of my sweaty, delicate hands.
I think the question of “who” actually gets consulted in Toronto community consultations is an important issue to raise as well. Are the opinions of renters and low-income tenants given the same level of credibility as the property owners and public policy professionals? I hope we discuss this tomorrow.
I look forward to reexamining these issues through the lens of what got me excited about policy to begin with, and can’t wait to see everyone again tomorrow.
