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THE EAST

STEELES NEXUS Understanding and explaining poverty in Northern Scarborough and Southern Markham

John Stapleton

Open Policy

February 2018 – Draft 2

Acknowledgements

• This slide show would not be possible without the strong

assistance of:

• J. David Hulchanski (Neighbourhood Change CURA)

• Richard Maaranen (Neighbourhood Change CURA

• Harvey Low: City of Toronto

• Jordan Raghunandan: USTC student

• Mimi Lau: Scarborough Community Renewal

Organization

• Tim Frakes: York Region

The East Steeles Nexus 2

WHAT AND WHERE IS THE

EAST STEELES NEXUS? Part 1


What is the ‘East Steeles Nexus’?

• The ‘East Steeles nexus is an area of the Toronto Region

defined by its high rate of poverty. Only north Rexdale

whose centre is ‘Jane Finch’ has a similar level of poverty

in the Toronto Region.

• Poverty in the East Steeles Nexus is growing

• The following 2015 census map from the Neighbourhood

Change Community University Research Alliance (CURA)

shows the East Steeles Nexus in comparison to the

communities that surround it.


Where is the ‘East Steeles Nexus’?

• Steeles Avenue is a multi-lane road that defines the

northern border of the City of Toronto and the southern

borders of Markham and Vaughan.

• The northern border along Steeles stretches

approximately 40 km. from the Scarborough Durham town

line to Albion Road in North Rexdale

• The east Steeles nexus is bordered by Victoria Park

Avenue on the West, Scarborough Pickering Town line on

the east, Highway 401 on the south, and Highway 407 on

the north.


A Closer look


An even closer look


Why an East Steeles Nexus of Poverty?

Are there forgotten areas where many things are nearby but not THERE?

• No university or colleges

• No Subway there OR planned

• No LRT

• Continuous deep poverty but no NIA

• No north South 400 series

But North Rexdale area with similar poverty has

• York University

• A Seneca College campus

• 4 subway stops

• Airport LRT stops

• Continuous deep poverty but several NIA's

• Highway 400 north south


November 1, 2017 10

East Steeles Nexus in Scarborough


• Of 30 census tracts, only 3 have very low poverty rates

• 7 census tracts have high or very high levels of poverty

East Steeles Nexus in Markham


• Only three census tracts in Markham between Steeles

Avenue and the 407 have very low poverty rates.

407

404 Pickering

Steeles Avenue

Working Poverty in Markham is in south

perched on Steeles


Highest concentration of

working poor in York

Region is in the East

Steeles Nexus

Working Poverty in Scarborough is

concentrated in Northern Scarborough


• Working poverty in the

East Steeles Nexus is

unbroken from the 404

to Scarborough

Pickering Town Line

Poverty (2015) vs. Working Poverty

(2012) in the East Steeles Nexus

• Poverty (Census) 2015

• Working Poor 2012


WHY AN EAST STEELES

NEXUS OF POVERTY Part 2


The East Steeles Nexus is a puzzle

• Ever growing house prices and rents since 2007

• More luxury cars in driveways

• Area has abundance of single detached homes

• New home buyers must have ever higher incomes to be

eligible to buy (see next slide)

• Rental affordability moves ever lower

• Yet Poverty and inequality continue to grow in the East

Steeles nexus. This slide deck attempts to explain the

phenomenon of growing poverty in an ever more

expensive area of the City of Toronto and York Region.


House price increases in the centre of the

East Steeles Nexus (Milliken)


Why is there an East Steeles Nexus of

poverty? • New Immigrants and refugees

• High immigrant and refugee settlement area

• More non official language speakers

• High south Asian immigration and visitor population with no social security agreements with Canada

• Higher household size (more dependants)

• Transportation issues

• Poorer transit

• No overnight parking (also in North York)

• Scarborough only district with no North/south 400 series highway

• Shelter Costs

• Lower shelter costs

• Many families in larger homes

• Rooming houses illegal


Why is there an East Steeles Nexus of

poverty? • Taxes and Services

• Property tax lowest in Toronto Region

• Correspondingly lower level of services

• Lower level of neighbourhood beautification

Income levels

Income levels generally below median

• Toronto Settlement Patterns

• High influx of new settlement in GTA

• East Steeles nexus has least expensive homes and lowest rents

• Higher family sizes


NEW IMMIGRANTS &

REFUGEES Part 3


Visible Minorities

Toronto East Steeles Nexus

(Scarborough only)


Refugees since 1980


(Scarborough only)


Non –official mother tongue


(Scarborough only)


No knowledge of French or English


(Scarborough only)


High Incidence of Chinese & Black in East

Steeles Nexus


(Scarborough only)


Why nationality and race matters

• The East Steeles Nexus is largely Chinese (western

portion) and Black (eastern portion)

• The Philippines is the only south Asian nation with a

social security agreement with Canada. The two most

populous nations in the world (China and India) do not

have an agreement.

• Morocco is the only one of almost 60 African countries

with a social security agreement

• This means that almost all new permanent residents in

the East Steeles Nexus must wait 10 years for Old Age

Security



• Almost all new family class immigrants are subject to

sponsorship agreements

• New sponsorship agreements are for 20 years meaning

no GIS for older adults arriving –some will wait till they are

very elderly

• No Ontario Drug Benefits are provided to sponsored

immigrants

• Others on Super Visas get nothing in Canada.

• Filipinos on the other hand can receive OAS after one

year once they turn 65



• While house prices have increased considerably more

than inflation since 2007, poverty in the East Steeles

Nexus is growing at the same time.

• Many reports of multiple families living in single family

dwelling in Scarborough and Markham have been made


TRANSPORTATION Part 4


Getting to work takes longer: percentage of

commutes taking longer than 45 minutes

Mid Toronto East Steeles Nexus

(Scarborough only)


High and Low Percentages of 45 minute

commute times


(Scarborough only)


Leaving earlier…

Commute by Departure Time

Mid Toronto

Leaves later – travels less

East Steeles Nexus

(Scarborough Only)


Average Travel times in minutes:

Public Transit

Toronto Scarborough

No data for East Steeles Nexus


Map of average travel time in minutes

Public transit


(Scarborough only)


Subway Lines (noted in red)

Toronto

East Steeles Nexus

(Scarborough map but includes Markham)

The East Steeles Nexus area has no subway or

LRT service

The Stouffville GO train has three stops in the Nexus:

Milliken, Agincourt and Unionville


North-South 400 Series Highways GTA

and East Steeles Nexus

GTA (6) East Steeles Nexus (0)


SERVICES AND HOUSING Part 5


Neighbourhood improvement areas

noted in light blue –Toronto only


(None)


Housing Affordability:

Paying more than 30% for rent


(Scarborough Only)


Higher Household size in East Steeles

Nexus

Toronto by Household Size East Steeles Nexus

(Scarborough only)


Housing suitability


(Scarborough only)


ROOMING HOUSES Part 6


Rooming houses are illegal in

Scarborough & Markham

Toronto’s Legal Rooming houses Rooming house pilot in East

Steeles Nexus (Scarborough only


Rooming Houses illegal in Scarborough

and Markham • Rooming house illegality may be contributing to the

proliferation of rooming houses

• With housing and rental demand at all time highs, illegal rooming houses can act freely as tenants encouraged to stay quiet.

• Illegal operators don’t report their rental for taxation periods and have greater control over tenants who face eviction if they raise issues

• Many Illegal operators prefer illegal status as they are not required to make needed repairs or report income.

• Those found to be illegally operating see it as the price of doing business in a highly lucrative market

• 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. parking bans have little or no effect in Scarborough and increase poverty by forcing working families out of Scarborough.


INCOMES &RELATED

DATA Part 7


Income levels are lower


(Scarborough only)


Food Bank visits are rising

Toronto Scarborough

(No data for East Scarborough nexus)


The surge in Food Bank Visits in

Scarborough


1970-2015:

CHANGE OVER TIME From Neighbourhood Change CURA


1980: One lower income tract


1990: Six lower income tracts


1995: East Steeles Nexus forms


2000: East Steeles Nexus deepens


2005: Very low poverty for 1st time


2007: almost half of tracts in deep poverty


2010: Only 5 tracts not in poverty


2012: Unbroken line of poverty on east Steeles


2015: Deep Poverty defines the ESN


THANK YOU Questions?


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