Kensington Market’s new heritage status aims to protect its ‘sense of anarchy, inclusivity’

February 8, 2025 Canuck

Toronto’s Kensington Market is getting some protection: A decade after the city first started looking into it, Toronto city council has now officially designated the neighbourhood a heritage conservation district.

A push from some residents to get the designation was sparked by fears of a Walmart potentially coming to the neighbourhood. The developer ultimately backed away from that plan in 2014.

“[The conservation designation] was one of the things that presented itself as an option of something that we could do to try to maintain the character of Kensington Market,” said Sylvia Lassam, with the Kensington Market Historical Society.

But the protection is not just about physical characteristics. The city’s plan highlights an “intangible heritage, including its sense of anarchy, inclusivity, and a history of experimentation.”

Dominique Russell, with the Kensington Market Community Land Trust, notes there is a “certain irony in having a set of rules to maintain the anarchy of Kensington Market.”

Still, she says she’s happy to see the designation many of her neighbours have worked hard for – though she says more needs to be done to protect the affordability and character of the area.

History of diversity

The heritage plan from city staff outlines the history of Kensington Market, which emerged as a Jewish market between the 1910s and 1930s.

There was an influx of Hungarian and Portuguese immigrants in the mid-century, followed by Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean communities, starting in the 1960s.

The report notes that the geographical proximity of these communities was not coincidental, “as Jewish property owners were more likely to rent to Black, Asian, and other non-white and immigrant populations.”

Subsequent groups that came to the neighbourhood included Latin American, Southeast Asian, African, and Jamaican communities.

The report notes the neighbourhood also has been welcoming to those “outside mainstream society,” including the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

Waves of people have left their mark on the neighbourhood, including through “visible layering” of building additions, it adds.

Sylvia Lassam stands on a street in Kensington market, with a blurred background. — Sylvia Lassam, member of the Kensington Market Historical Society, began advocating a decade ago to have the neighbourhood designated as a heritage conservation district. (Lisa Xing/CBC)

More than 400 properties in Kensington Market have been identified as directly contributing to the character of the district. Under the heritage designations, there are now restrictions to what changes can be made to those properties.

“You have to leave evidence of the way that it has developed over the years,” Lassam explained.

“You can’t tear it down and just put in a concrete block. You have to work with what’s there.”

There are also guidelines around new developments, to ensure they are compatible with the character of the neighbourhood.

Other neighbourhood priorities

Despite being happy to see the designation, Lassam notes that in the past decade, other issues have become more pressing in Kensington Market, including growing homelessness in a neighbourhood that was historically affordable.

“That actually is probably more important than anything else at this moment in time,” Lassam said.

Dominique Russell, wearing a colourful scarf, smiles. — Dominique Russell says she welcomes the heritage designation, but says there are bigger issues facing Kensington Market. (Sarah MacMillan/CBC)

Affordability concerns are also front of mind for Russell. The Kensington Market Community Land Trust exists to buy buildings for community use – in an effort to provide affordable housing, and affordable leases for small businesses.

Russell says efforts to preserve and improve Kensington Market should centre around those who live there, noting that small grocers and other businesses that serve people’s daily needs are disappearing.

She argues small businesses are a key part of what makes Kensington Market special, and preserving the area’s physical characteristics must not come at the cost of preserving its sense of community.

“It’s not worth preserving the physical feeling so that tourists can come and go, ‘Oh, you know, this used to be a cool place.'”

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