Little Portugal Toronto BIA is an amalgamation of two former BIAs: ‘Dundas West BIA’ and ‘Little Portugal BIA’. The two communities have been working in tandem for decades, and on March 28, 2019 the merger was enacted and passed by Toronto City Council- from here we became one unified BIA under the name ‘Little Portugal on Dundas BIA’.
Since our amalgamation- light has been shed on the fact that the namesake for Dundas Street (Henry Dundas) was an 18th-century politician who delayed Britain’s abolition of slavery by fifteen years. He also aided in the continued subjugation of Indigenous peoples in Canada in his role as British Home Secretary. Although the city of Toronto is still in the process of deciding the new street name, we feel it is exceptionally important to accurately display our values as a BIA, by removing the ‘Dundas’ from our BIA promptly. Our BIA, as of February 2, 2022, is officially named ‘Little Portugal Toronto BIA’.
This change is significant to us as it marks a new chapter for the neighbourhood, of combined efforts in improving the area with business and true community spirit in mind.