On November 5, 2025, we celebrated the launch of Metcalf Fellow Kuni Kamizaki’s report on community land trusts (CLTs) at Alliance Francaise Toronto.
In his two-part report, From the Ground Up: History of the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust and Grounding Transformation: Possibilities for Community Land Trusts, Kuni Kamizaki draws on more than a decade of involvement with the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT) to tell the story of its origins and evolution, and to explore the broader transformative potential of the CLT model. These reports offer both inspiration and critical reflection at a moment when CLTs are expanding in Toronto and beyond.
The launch featured a presentation by Kuni and a panel discussion with community leaders on what lessons PNLT’s journey holds for organizers, communities, and policymakers committed to advancing housing justice and broader social transformation. Panelists included Chiyi Tam, Managing Director, Toronto Chinatown Land Trust, Keisha St. Louis McBurnie, Board Member, Little Jamaica Community Land Trust, and Tendon Dongtotsang, Director of Community Development, NLT Co-Director, Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust.

