Ahmed and his wife came to Canada from Bangladesh in 2006 under the Foreign-born professionals program. Both were doctors back home — young, successful and surrounded by family. But like many people who come to Canada seeking a better education for their kids, they now face a harsh reality of long hours and low paid work, high rise living, and the stress of trying to keep it together while struggling with poverty and social isolation.
Two neighbourhoods on Toronto’s East side bear the unfortunate ranking of highest rates of mental health visits in the city: Oakridge & Taylor-Massey. This video portrait is the first in an ongoing series investigating the issue of mental health from the perspective of the communities who live there.
More from this issue
The Vaccine Rollout is Leaving Toronto’s Hardest-Hit Postal Codes Behind
New data reveals that Ontario’s vaccine strategy is missing the most vulnerable areas of Toronto.
Plenty of Pharmacies, but No Vaccines in Toronto’s Northwest
There are 25 pharmacies in the five Toronto neighbourhoods worst-hit by COVID. Why weren’t any of them chosen to administer vaccines?
Guest Editor, Indigenous Toronto Issue
Join our editorial team as we put together an issue covering a range of important and under-reported urban Indigenous topics in Toronto.
Bubble Tea, Dollar Stores, and Dialysis?
When Target closed in Canada, it left a crater in many suburban malls. In Thorncliffe Park, a group of health care providers stepped in.
Collision Course
In inner suburbs like Mount Dennis, the convenience of commuters zooming through often takes precedence over the wellbeing of locals.
Shedding Light on the Shadow
How a drop-in program for youth is changing the nature of mental health recovery on Toronto’s west side.
Hunger in a City of Plenty
In virtually every culture, people connect over food. To be deprived of food is to be alienated from social life.