Community in Toronto planning Muslim Neighborhood

03/26/2018

It seems like the 4-year story around The Islamic Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat (ISIJ) goal to rezone and develop the property around the Jaffari Community Centre mosque at 9000 Bathurst St continues to explode as inside Vaughan City Hall on Tuesday night, hundreds of concerned residents and mosque supporters were forced into overflow rooms as the council chambers were packed wall-to-wall.

Dubbed the "Jaffari Village," the initial 2014 plan proposed two 17-storey residential towers, a retail space and 61 townhouses in the low-density neighbourhood.

Then, both religious tensions and concerns about density surfaced in community discussions, with more than 3,250 people signing a petition against it at the time.

Now supporters and opponents feel that their voices are not being heard.

In a recent Toronto Star article, one individual stated that they would move if the project started as "Why would I want to be next to a refugee community?."

It seems like this is a disagreement that will continue to plague the development of the project.

What is your thought on this? Let us know below!

Important Note: The units would not be exclusive to Muslims, but the ISIJ expects the proximity to the mosque will attract primarily residents of the Islamic faith.

Background: Projects like this have been growing in Canada in recent years. A similar project was put on hold in Montreal as within the community "drinking alcohol would only be allowed inside homes and women would not be allowed to walk around "half-naked."