Daniels Community Commercial Program
Over the past thirteen years, Regent Park has welcomed a whole host of new businesses and commercial uses adding to the vitality of the community. From a grocery store and coffee shops to a family health centre and barbershop, the commercial offerings have continued to evolve to meet the needs of local residents. As a result of community feedback and the desire to support small, locally-owned and operated businesses that offer a diverse range of products and services within Regent Park, Daniels created the Community Commercial Program. The program aims to cultivate social entrepreneurship, support small businesses, and creates capacity-building and employment opportunities for local residents.
In addition to providing deeply subsidized prime retail space in Regent Park and tenant inducements to support fit out costs, Daniels’ Community Commercial Program partners with Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Business Management (TRSM) to provide undergraduates from the TRSM Microbiz Consulting Program with opportunities to support the small businesses that will find their homes in the community commercial space — from startup through to grand opening.
In early 2018, Daniels issued its first Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) to aspiring, locally-based entrepreneurs and businesses to submit their vision for the ‘community commercial’ space. A second RFEOI process was launched in 2020. Additional opportunities will be launched over the course of Phase 3 of the Regent Park revitalization.