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What is a Community Land Trust?


The Community Land Trust (CLT) model focuses on the acquisition of donated or purchased land within a defined geographical area of a city to serve the needs of community residents, with an emphasis on social justice.

CLTs are non-profit organizations that work with and on behalf of community residents to identify uses for the land based upon participatory planning exercises and collaborative decision-making.

Most often, the use of land is geared towards affordable housing provision as a commonly identified community need. Buildings on CLT land can be owned or rented by individuals and families.

A central aspect of the role of CLT organizations in countering gentrification is the emphasis on the de-commodification of land through its removal from the speculative property market.

The contemporary origins of the CLT lie in community organizing by Black tenant farmers in the southern United States as part of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

In Canada, several CLTs, such as Colandco in Toronto and Communauté Milton Parc in Montreal, have been in existence since the 1980s.

While land acquisition for affordable housing and other community uses remains a core part of CLT work, more recent CLTs in Canadian cities, such as the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust, Hogan’s Alley Society in Vancouver, and the Kensington Market Community Land Trust, reach beyond this to raise public awareness about the impacts of gentrification, affordable housing constraints, displacement and eviction.

Click here for the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts.

Watch our collaboration with About Here and Tapestry to learn more about CLTs.

Read & Watch KMCLT 


Here is a list of places KMCLT has been featured in news media:
December 18, 2023  CTV News︎︎︎ - Amid little short-term rental enorcement, Toronto community group books room for evidence
October 26, 2023 - The Breach︎︎︎ - This Airbnb alternative won’t destroy Canada’s housing market
October 14, 2023 - Global News︎︎︎ - Community Land Trusts: Can they be an answer to the housing crisis?
March 31, 2021 - BlogTO︎︎︎ - City of Toronto to decide whether Kensington Market residences stay affordable
March 30, 2021 - The Toronto Star︎︎︎ - ‘It’s got grit, it’s got life’: Kensington Market land trust steps up to rescue affordable housing in the heart of the market


We worked with  the University of Toronto to create this docuseries telling the story of how the KMCLT came to be through the University of Toronto’s School of Cities. The first part can be watched below, and the full playlist can be watched on YouTube here︎︎︎


We partnered with About Here Productions Inc. and Tapestry Community Capital to create a video explaining what Land Trusts are, and how they can be financed through Community Bonds. Watch the video below, and check out About Here︎︎︎ and Tapestry︎︎︎ as well!


Our Co-Chair Dominique Russell gave a presentation on the history of the KMCLT from the initial stages to its acquisition of 54-56 Kensington Avenue, focusing specifically on the community activism from which it originates.

Reports


The Community Land Trust as Place Keeper: Kensington Market, Small Business, Community and the Challenges of Affordability examines the state of Kensington Market’s commercial ecology. The result of months of consultations, data gathering, analysis and research, this report explores the particular factors for Kensington Market’s success, the risks it faces and solutions to secure its future.


Download the report

Community Resources


Kensington Market


Perlman’s List

Are you a landowner with space to rent? Are you a business owner looking for a space in Kensington Market? Are you a business owner in Kensington Market looking for a new space?

Join the Perlman list!

The Kensington Market Community Land Trust is facilitating conversations between small businesses and landlords who want to strengthen Kensington Market as a place to start for newcomers, a marketplace of new ideas and a lively, eclectic neighbourhood.

The Perlman list is a list of landlords and business tenants interested in joining the Kensington Market community. Sign up and a member of staff will contact you to discuss your needs and possibilities.

Housing Options

For those seeking housing in or near Kensington Market, we also recommend the following resources:

Housing Development

Neighbourhood Change Indicators


The KMCLT understands the boundaries of Kensington Market to be delineated by College Street to the north, Spadina Avenue to the east, Dundas Street to the south, and Bathurst Street to the west.

Data from the 2021 census shows that rental households make up the majority of dwelling occupancy within Kensington Market, and that when compared to Toronto Census Metropolitan Area the neighbourhood features an above-average percentage of renters in the neighbourhood. In addition to this, the median household income of $58,400 in Kensington Market-Chinatown was recorded to be significantly lower than the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area’s median household income of $97,000.

This information provides a snapshot of the prevalence of renters and low-income households in the neighbourhood.

While there is certainly variation, there is no doubt that pressures on housing security and tenure are keenly felt within our community. Kensington Market is made up of the following Dissemination Areas according to Statistics Canada:
35201437, 35200894, 35201436, 35200889, 35200890, 35200892, 35200893 


Average Gross Rent

Statistics Canada data sourced from Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population
  • 1996 Average Gross Rent: $598
  • 2006 Average Gross Rent: $840
  • 2016 Average Gross Rent: $1078
  • 2021 Average monthly shelter costs for rented dwellings: $1618

Occupancy Statistics

Year

1996
2006
2016
2021
Total*

1260
1590
1645
1725
Owned**

340
650
565
590
Rented***

920
940
1080
1060
% Rented

73%
59%
66%
64%
*Total number of occupied private dwellings
**Number of dwellings occupied by property owners
***Number of dwellings occupied by renters

Statistics Canada data sourced from The Canadian Socio-Economic Information Management System ​(CANSIM) and Statistics Canada (StatsCan)
Land AcknowledgementWe, as members of the Kensington Market Community Land Trust, are aware that we are a settler organization. Kensington Market sits in the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit (an Anishnaabe people), the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Wendat and Petun Nations, land which is now home to many First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

This land is covered by the Dish With One Spoon wampum belt covenant, an agreement by the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee to share resources equally and peaceably. It is also covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit. As a settler organization concerned with land ownership, we acknowledge that we have broken the treaties. Our work for the well-being of this land must include accountability to our relatives.

More Community Groups
Kensington-Bellwoods Legal Clinic
https://www.kbcls.org/
Toronto Chinatown Land Trust
https://chinatownlandtrust.ca/
Friends of Chinatown Toronto
www.instagram.com/friendsofchinatownto

Our Contact

Mailing Address:
103 Bellevue Avenue,
Toronto, ON, Canada

Email:
info@kmclt.ca