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Would you like to sit with me and sort cookies into different cookie jars?

If so, let me know, and we’ll sort them by colour, and nothing more.
The browns with the browns.
The whites with the whites.
That’s all there is to it.
Doesn’t it feel so right?

Tempers have been flaring, and minds have been sent reeling, ever since politicians in the York/ Toronto region have allowed for private subsidized housing complexes to limit their residencies to immigrants belonging to specific racial and ethnic groups. These racially categorized tenants receive monetary assistance from the government on a monthly basis to prevent the likelihood of failing to pay their rent on time. The financial aid provided is a direct withdrawal from public funds, or in other words, taxpayers’ money.

The sequestered residencies in question include Friulli Benevolent Corp.: a 113 unit apartment building in Vaughan set aside for those of Italian descent, Somayach Residential Centre: a 125 unit building in Thornhill set aside for renters of Jewish descent, Jubilee Garden: a 100 unit building in Richmond Hill aimed towards the Ismaili Muslim community, and Ja’Fari Islamic Housing: a 170 unit apartment/ townhouse complex in Richmond Hill reserved for Muslims.

Those in favour of the policy state that the creation of these safe-starter-mini-communities acts as a cushion to newly immigrated families by offering them a taste of something familiar, and in the process, allows for a much smoother transition from their old lives to their new ones. On account of the fact that some of these ‘cultural specific’ housing complexes have been the result of numerous hours of fundraising and volunteering, supporters understandably state that the policy serves as a token of recognition for all of the work that these minority groups have put into their communities.

But what about the 6,700 other families in the York region that have been waiting on the subsidized housing list for a span of 2-10 years? What about the fact that everybody’s money is “going into a facility that isn’t open to everyone” (John Taylor, Newmarket Regional Councillor)? What kind of a message is being sent?

The city of Toronto, and its inhabitants in general, have been known for their recognition, acceptance, and appreciation of cultures from all around the globe. In a region as diverse and accepting as the one in which we live, segregating housing according to race and culture would prove to be contradictory to our standards and a retrogression indeed. Although homespun sights, sounds and smells seem to be a source of comfort, venturing into the unknown, interacting with the new and different, and learning to accept and understand differences proves to be valuable life experience. New faces, new races, and a pair of new laces… and that’s when we’ll be going places.

We as human beings, and as a community as a whole, need to learn how to foster an accepting environment while managing to hold onto our mores, beliefs, and conducts. Separating ourselves into different clans with different territories is not the way in which we do this. We need to wish for our neighbour that which we wish for ourselves regardless of their race, religion, or colour, and live cohesively and in harmony, in a majority made heterogeneous homogeny.  

Very much like assorted cookies, all in one cookie jar.
 
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