(…cont.)

Stabilization of Declining Areas
Some Portuguese respondents contend that the stabilization of declining areas by gentrification and the encouragement of further residential and commercial development in some streets of Little Portugal is a positive phenomenon. Despite the considerable work done by Portuguese homeowners over the last five decades in rehabilitating and renovating their houses, some respondents recognize that some areas, particularly those west of Dufferin Street, still need rehabilitation and investment. As some respondents noted, Little Portugal remains a vibrant, colourful, and well-preserved neighbourhood with a good housing stock, and they welcome the arrival of gentrifiers to the neighbourhood. The newcomers have money, many are politically savvy, and they know how to demand changes and ultimately beautify their houses and the neighbourhood. Urban professionals arrive in the area and they demand changes. Some would say positive ones …They know how to get around…how to get to the city councillors. They have the power …plus they have the time and the knowledge. Because of their complaining, for example, one-hour parking signs [were placed] in Little Portugal’s streets…. It limits the noise, the traffic…but you can get easily a ticket when visiting the family… now you think twice before you come to the Portuguese feasts/festivals.

 8. Resisting Gentrification
Some respondents argued that the Portuguese, particularly the homeowners, are to a certain degree resisting gentrification in Little Portugal. This argument is based on the fact that most first-generation Portuguese in the area own their own homes and some of them get extra income from their housing by renting part of it. Thus, this group seems to be more in control of their housing future than low-income Portuguese renters in the neighbourhood. In face of increasing property taxes and maintenance and utilities costs, many seniors cope by renting part of their houses, often informally, without written leases and contracts. This survival strategy seems to work for many Portuguese seniors as well as it did in the 1950s and 1960s, when they were trying to pay off a mortgage. Most of the renters are Portuguese-speaking immigrants, and the Portuguese language is a bridge in this informal rental market. When my father bought a house in the early 1960s we used to have five families in one house. We paid the mortgages fast. Like my father, a lot of Portuguese still have rooms to rent… The houses are still divided into apartments and some of those who rent it pay in cash. It’s easy for everybody….and it’s good for the Portuguese renters as well as for Toronto’s rental housing market. A lot of new Portuguese- speaking immigrants are arriving in Toronto – whether they are from Brazil, Angola or Mozambique… and are searching for affordable housing. Other first-generation Portuguese prefer not to rent space in their houses, often because of language problems or because they do not feel comfortable having strangers in their homes. Many first-generation Portuguese do not speak or understand English well (if at all). Others simply do not rent because they do not want the problems (potential rent arrears or property damage) that can come with renters. Since the demand for affordable rental housing in Little Portugal is likely to increase, it may be appropriate to provide more information to Portuguese seniors about the functioning of Toronto’s complex rental housing market and the rights of homeowners and renters. Respondents also noted that more needs to be done by the Portuguese community to accommodate the housing needs and preferences of the neighbourhood’s aging population. They recognized that the Portuguese community, which is well established, should take a more active role by building (with or without government support) affordable senior housing for its members. There is an urgent need for more seniors’ housing in which these seniors will feel at home.

9. Other Portuguese-Speaking Communities: Does Race Matter?

With regard to Portuguese-speaking immigrants from Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde Islands (all former Portuguese colonies), the question of how well they have been received in Little Portugal is controversial. Opinions differ greatly. It seems that Brazilians are more accepted than Black Africans from Angola or Mozambique. Some respondents suggest the difference might be linked to the different forms of colonization by the Portuguese on the two different continents, and to the colonial wars that often followed before these countries attained their independence. Respondents also agreed that Angolans and Mozambicans are less visible in Little Portugal than Brazilians, and have more barriers to integrating or participating in the life of the Portuguese community. The Brazilian group has gradually become established in the Portuguese community, first by renting housing, and more recently by buying housing from Portuguese homeowners and establishing their own infrastructure (e.g., businesses, institutions, media) in Little Portugal. The initiatives of new immigrants from the former Portuguese African colonies seem to be more limited and less visible. Their recent arrival in Canada and their immigration status (some arrived as refugees) may explain this difference. Some may also want to keep their social distance from their former colonizers. Racial tensions may also play a role. Nonetheless, Little Portugal remains a reference point for some Black Africans who come to Little Portugal in search of affordable rental housing, jobs, Portuguese businesses, and social services in their own language.

 10. The Future of Little Portugal

It is undeniable that Little Portugal is continuing to lose Portuguese residents, especially first-generation immigrants. In the absence of new waves of immigration from Portugal, this well-known ethnic neighbourhood will likely decrease in importance as an institutionally complete Portuguese enclave. Indeed, this decline would be even more marked today were it not for the arrival of Portuguese-speaking immigrants from former Portuguese colonies – such as Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique – who have settled in and around Little Portugal and offset the decline of the Portuguese population in the area to some degree. The future of Little Portugal will, however, be decided not only by those who move out, but also by those who move into the neighbourhood. The Portuguesespeaking immigrants from former Portuguese colonies have been joined by immigrants from Vietnam and China who are settling in the area because of its proximity to downtown Chinatown. However, as respondents agreed, the rising cost of housing in the area means that the days of Little Portugal as an immigrant reception area are in the past. New immigrants, much like the younger generations of Portuguese, are finding the neighbourhood too expensive. Indeed, almost all respondents agreed that gentrifiers are becoming the defining population in the neighbourhood. This group, mainly white and affluent, is regarded with mixed feelings by the Portuguese of Little Portugal. They are valued for how they have rejuvenated the housing stock in the neighbourhood and the fact that they shop at local businesses. On the other hand, their desire to live in a multicultural neighbourhood has driven up the cost of housing in Little Portugal so that fewer Portuguese can afford to live there. While Portuguese homeowners often benefit from healthy profits upon the sale of their homes, neighbourhood
residents have few illusions about the implications of gentrification for the long-term viability of their community. Some respondents pointed to the transitions in Little Italy on College Street, where gentrification contributed to the exodus of Italians decades ago, and suggested that Little Portugal will
follow the same course in the years to come. Little Portugal is still considered the “mother” community of all Portuguese communities. When you have things like the World Cup Soccer you have a lot of Portuguese coming from the suburbs to celebrate on Dundas St. or College St. These people are still attached sentimentally to downtown Little Portugal. But I agree that there is a lessening of the Portuguese presence in Little Portugal. What we see today is that Portuguese communities outside Toronto are also building their own infrastructure – churches, businesses, restaurants – so there is less attraction to come to Little Portugal. A few Portuguese respondents remain optimistic about the future of Little Portugal, and suggested that like Little Italy, Little Portugal will retain its Portuguese atmosphere and continue to be a magnet for Portuguese from across the GTA. In this vision, generations living in the suburbs will continue to visit the community on weekends to shop or visit friends and relatives. A symbolic Little Portugal, some hope, will be here forever.

Carlos Teixeira is Associate Professor of Human Geography (Community, Culture and Global Studies) at the University of British Columbia Okanagan.

Centre for Urban and Community Studies
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