Developers, Toronto artists partner to build creative hubs

Two developers are taking empty lots, and sites awaiting development approvals, and transforming them into vibrant canvases for local artists. The goal is turning otherwise vacant land into cultural hotspots.

At the former Bombardier hangar at Downsview Airport, artist Jacquie Comrie is creating one of Toronto's largest murals. 

"Colour is the centre and the focus of my life and everything I make," Comrie told CBC Toronto. "Colour has been proven to help with our overall wellness."

The 370-acre development will become an entirely new community, said Alana Mercury, director of programming and placemaking at Northcrest Developments, including housing, schools and libraries. The development is slated to take 30 years to complete.

"In the meanwhile we're creating a space for people to gather, to experience events and for artists to offer their own insights into what they want this space to be," Mercury said. "We're really trying to create a community and a place in advance of the development."

Comrie says the opportunity gives creators like herself a chance to make an impact through their work.

"These projects, working in the public realm, I don't take it lightly." she said. "It's not just about creating a mural, but creating an experience of healing."

At 355 Adelaide St. W, the future site of downtown housing, Fengate Asset Management has partnered with LiUNA and the Black Artists' Network in Dialogue to create BAND Offsite, transforming a former glass box sales centre downtown.

This space now hosts Leone McComas's interactive light piece, Everything will fade, these three remain. Other works are scheduled for later this year.  McComas says her installation pays homage to the Entertainment District's history as a hub of nightclubs and reflects her own experience in Toronto's changing nightlife eras.

"It was funny to think back on those days and think about the things that drew me.  A lot of it was community and finding people with similar interests," she said, adding the piece was also inspired by a passage in the Bible that discusses the idea of eternal love.

"The most important thing in everything we do is the love that drives it, and I'd like for that to be the centre of this piece," she said.

Fengate Asset Management bought the property back in 2022, said Jaime McKenna, president of real estate at Fengate.

"Our intention is to redevelop this to deliver much needed housing downtown, but in the meantime, because planning takes a long time, the site often sits quiet," McKenna said. "We thought why not partner with local artists and beautify the site? The feedback from the community has been off the charts positive."

In a statement, the City of Toronto said it recognizes that a lack of affordable, sustainable space to live and work is one of the top issues facing Toronto's artists and cultural organizations.