Farewell Oak Street 

I grew up south of where this was filmed, 7 years later, and we had it slightly better, but not by much, it was a very tough area and upbringing, we never got to move into regent park, my mother tried for years to get us housing there and we eventually moved to another housing project in Riverdale which was new and a vast improvement in our lives, (or was it) ironically I preferred the old cold water flat on Ashby place, but I was just a kid and what did I know, this film won doc of the year "wow" the NFB was a funny entity, anyway it brought back a lot of good and bad memories, would I change it if I had the choice, absolutely, no young family should go through that sort of lifestyle.

It's a little amazing that this was Canada's film of the year in 1953, winning top prize at the 6th Canadian Film Awards. It seems competently produced but pretty unremarkable. It wasn't long before Regent Park was filthy, chaotic and crime-ridden. Drugs, violence, prostitution and cockroaches became its hallmarks, all these things getting much worse when crack arrived in the 1980s. By 2005 its demolition began, welcomed by all, and is just now wrapping up. Now nearly the whole area is totally rebuilt with gleaming high-rises and low-rises (as well as a small number of townhouses) built to high standards of design with expensive materials. The austere prison-camp architectural uniformity in this film is gone. Each block, and each building or pair of buildings, looks different. There are new banks, a large grocery store and some restaurants. Streets and sidewalks are new and landscaping is solidly attractive. No one would guess to drive or walk around it that it's home to thousands of people with no income, or next to none. The poor have remained (or rather, have returned, as most were rusticated for some years to outer suburbs during redevelopment) but are distinctly a minority now, as most of the great increase in density is accounted for by higher-income people who rent or own the new condos. The area has largely lost its notoriousness and makes the news far less often for murders and shootings. It was formerly the worst downtown neighbourhood, but that honour now probably goes to Moss Park or St. James Town. Still, they aren't thought of as poorly as Regent Park was. In this film people said farewell to Oak Street. In time they said a hearty _good riddance_ to the old Regent which replaced it. (There was never any actual park anyway, despite the name.)

Narrated by Lorne Greene - later of "Bonanza" fame

Very interesting upload...a Nation is judge by how they treat their most vulnerable citizens (elderly, sick, children, poor, etc).

By the 2000's the Regent Park projects were more than a half-century old, were aging rapidly and in need of costly repairs The city government developed a plan to demolish and rebuild Regent Park with the first buildings being demolish in 2005

"Not quite a slum" That's how I remember it.

My father was raised at 67 Oak St but he never made it sound like this. Granddad died in 1952 so must have been just before it was leveled. Just before that he invited a homeless family he ran into on a streetcar to move in with him. Wonder what happened to them.

At 2:51 the 🏠 there look like Shuter st. Where I lived.

If only Jim brown knew how good he had it….

This is one of the reasons Toronto used to be called "the Belfast of N America"

They got a brand new place and didn't even bother to take off their boots before they entered. Now the floors are all tracked up with mud.

Farewell Oak Street (1953)

When that girl was being sexually harrassed on Oak Street, It reminded me of spending time with friends in their Regent Park Apartment back in the '80s and their 17 year old daughter coming home more than once after being harrassed at the front door there saying "... those effen jamaicans!!!...)

I was born there in 1971 and loved it! I have fond memories. It was real, raw, but also rough. I guess it is was it was... I will never forget it.

why would you rebuild a slum ? this title reminds me of my ex , when her dog died and she goes , she wants another one just like it and i was like , why the hell would anyone want two dead dogs for ? people are weird

and it only took a couple decades until this turned into another slum, and even worse in terms of crime and violence. Why is that?

Regent park? Time didn't do it any good...

Wish there was a date on this film. Couldn't see the Latin date at the end!

Y am I crying

Heavy. Is it really a documentary though some of it seems a lot like acting

I live on Oak Street and a friend sent me this link.

Is this dramatized?

Nice

Jheez, this almost sounds like 2023 Canada under the Trudeau Regime…..