BLAC was born out of the needs of the Black community, specifically as it relates to the disproportionate and troubling ways in which Black people are mistreated, scrutinized and brutalized by legal institutions and systems of power. The experiences of Black Canadians today are rooted in our country’s history of colonialism, slavery and segregation.
Even after slavery was abolished, Black people have experienced segregation (both legal and de factor) in all facets of social life, including housing. The legacy of housing segregation has resulted in the racialized geography we see in many cities and neighbourhoods across this province. Given the racialization of poverty in this province, access to housing is also significantly racialized. Black Canadians for example, are over- represented in Toronto neighbourhoods most afflicted by poverty and other forms of disadvantage.1 It is within this context that we make the following submissions.