What if there were community-led groups that actively managed land, fought displacement and created affordable housing? Well, there are.
Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are a strategy in Toronto for fighting gentrification-driven displacement and rising costs. They’re non-profit corporations that steward land, which means they take care of and manage properties which contain housing units, community gardens, artists’ studios and more.
They can be supported financially through membership subscriptions, government funding or grants. Housing on the land is legally bound to stay affordable for extended periods of time, which is usually about a 100-year lease.
The first land trust in the city was created in Parkdale in 2014 out of the residents’ need to protect the social, cultural and economic diversity that exists in the neighbourhood.
From there, land trusts in Toronto began sprouting — inspiring one another and making space for collaboration. You can learn more about how a land trust can use land stewardship to fight gentrification-driven displacement through Toronto Chinatown’s Land Trust (TCLT) and their partnership with a local family association.
We’ve rounded up a list of some established, neighbourhood-specific land trusts in the city that are quite active for you to learn about and follow.
Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust
The Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT) paved the way for other stewarding groups in the city. It’s the largest and oldest land trust in Toronto and has since expanded from just Parkdale to housing projects across the West End.
The PNLT currently has 86 community-owned properties, 241 affordable housing units, 226 units in planning or construction and 500 tenants.
The Neighbourhood Land Trust (NLT), which is the charitable arm of the PNLT, began implementing a capital repair and improvement program for aged properties in NLT’s existing portfolio. It has over $25 million in funding and financing.
Today, Parkdale is home to many diverse ethnic groups like Roma people and Tibetans. The PNLT is dedicated to preserving affordability and the cultural diversity of its residents.
Kensington Market Community Land Trust
The Kensington Market Community Land Trust (KMCLT) was incorporated in 2020. It’s an initiative led by Friends of Kensington Market, which is a grassroots community organization, and the PNLT.
In 2025, the KMCLT acquired two buildings on Spadina Avenue and raised over $1 million to support the acquisition of one of the two buildings.
Our Documenters have covered many public meetings involving the KMCLT. You can learn what happened when a student rental tower was proposed in the neighbourhood and how the land trust prevents Kensington from becoming condo central through our Documenters’ notes.
Toronto Chinatown Land Trust
The Toronto Chinatown Land Trust (TCLT) was created in 2023 by Friends of Chinatown Market, with help from KMCLT AND PNLT. It’s since become a model for preserving cultural neighbourhoods using deep-rooted anti-displacement strategies to fight erasure.
The Green Line produced a short docu-series looking at how Toronto’s Chinatown is an ecosystem for fighting gentrification-driven displacement. From cultural preservation traditions like Mahjong to property management, Chinatown does it all. Watch and read the first part, which features the TCLT and family associations, to dive deep. You can also learn more about the land trust’s origin story through some of our older coverage.
Most recently, the TCLT has partnered up with the Hainan Family Association — a not-for-profit community organization special to Chinatown to fight the head tax — to create a seniors daycare with affordable housing.
Little Jamaica Community Land Trust
The Little Jamaica Community Land Trust (LJCLT) has been operating since 2024. It’s the city’s very first Black-led community land trust. The LJCLT has been fighting the displacement caused by the Eglinton Crosstown construction. You can learn more about the land trust’s initiatives by checking out TGL’s coverage on the LJCLT’s cultural preservation tactics.
The Mount Dennis Community Land Trust
The Mount Dennis Community Land Trust (MDCLT) is the newest addition to the Toronto land trust family. It was created to provide affordable housing to residents in Mount Dennis who are at risk of displacement due to gentrification because of the newly opened Mount Dennis Station.
The MDCLT is still very new, but you can keep up with all they do through their Instagram account and website.
Emerging neighbourhood and Toronto-wide land trusts
These five land trusts aren’t the only existing stewarding groups in the city. There are a few more listed by the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts.
- The Eglinton Vaughan Community Land Trust
- The Davenport Perth Community Ministry/Gete-onigaming Community Land Trust
- Community and Cultural Space Land Trust
- Toronto Islands Residential Community Trust Corporation
- Circle Community Land Trust
- South Etobicoke Community Land Trust
At The Green Line, we love highlighting the work and innovations of organizations in the city. We created this piece after attendees at our Chinatown community screening event asked for a comprehensive list of land trusts in Toronto.
Got more land trust-related story ideas or questions? Feel free to reach out to aia@thegreenline.to.
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