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The Power of Us
45% of residents believe the city’s best days are behind it. But 83% are proud to be Torontonians. We love our city and suspect you do too.
The low point: Toronto named one of Canada’s loneliest cities
As recently as 2023 Toronto was one of the loneliest cities in Canada. As many as 300,000 Torontonians reported through our survey that they rarely or never felt they had someone to depend on when they really need it. That is a shocking number. That's a whole city within our city completely disconnected from their community.
And it wasn’t just individual social isolation we captured. Our research—first in 2018 and again in 2022—showed long-term declines in civic engagement. Fewer people are volunteering, donating, or even joining community groups. Trust in one another and in institutions is eroding. The social fabric that sustains democracy itself is wearing thin.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Join us: Let's build the city of our dreams
We’ve got a plan to build a more connected city. And we need partners to get there. Through 2026 we’ll be partnering with community groups, funders and philanthropists to spark community involvement and push this city to its potential.
Every Small Action Counts
Residents are lighting up corners of their community one small act at a time. We know this because in 2023 we partnered with Volunteer Toronto to run a microgrants program to help reconnect Torontonians to each other and their city. More than 275 applications poured in from Rexdale to South Parkdale to East Scarborough to Willowdale and neighbourhoods in between.
Check out those inspiring stories here and stay turned for the next round of applications.
