Riverside Toronto
45 Years Strong: Celebrating Riverside’s Ralph Thornton Community Centre
Located at 765 Queen St E, the Ralph Thornton Community Centre is a vital hub in Toronto’s Riverside neighbourhood. With its programs and resources, the centre “is where neighbours meet, events are celebrated, programs are enjoyed, and support is exchanged.”
This year, the RTCC turned 45 — on Valentine’s Day, to be exact! For almost five decades now, the centre has supported generations of East End residents through accessible programs, shared spaces and community initiatives.
In 1981, a former post office was transformed into the multi-purpose community space that the RTCC is now. Named after community activist Ralph Thornton, the centre honours a man who helped shape Riverdale into a more equitable and connected neighbourhood.
To commemorate its 45th anniversary, let’s take a look at the programming available at the Ralph Thornton Community Centre:
(Photo credits: Ralph Thornton Community Centre)
Youth Programs
From the After-School Program to mentorship and seasonal camps, the RTCC provides children and youth plenty of opportunities to learn, grow and connect. We’re doing a separate blog on childcare and youth services next month so stay tuned for that!
Seniors Programs
The Seniors Program, also called “Love at RTCC”, offers older adults workshops centered around a variety of hobbies such as yoga, gardening, cooking, crafts, just to name a few. Additional weekly telephone support is offered as well.
Exchange Loft
The Lewis Pearsall Exchange Loft is a welcoming drop-in space for those who need access to computers, internet and essential services like scanning and printing at a minimal cost. As of writing, the Exchange Loft is open daily from 9:30am-7pm.
Financial Literacy & Tax Clinics
For the past five years, the RTCC has offered free tax preparation and filing services to lower income people both in person or virtually through partnerships with the CRA’s Community Volunteer Income Tax Program. More details on their free tax clinics here.
Spaces for Rent
From the Jim Houston Community Room to the Riverdale Auditorium to the Betsy Swift Community Kitchen, the RTCC has a variety of affordable spaces for public use, whether it’s for a dance rehearsal or cooking demo. For more information about RTCC’s spaces, click here.
(A little fun fact: Did you know that last year, the annual Riverside Holiday Market was held indoors for the first time at the RTCC? It was such a hit, we’re having it again there this year!)
BLOG: A Holly Jolly Day: Riverside Holiday Market 2025 Highlights
Some exciting news — Ralph Thornton Community Centre is beating the summer heat with their free programming for Game On East End!
Game On East End: Pop Up Cool Zone
Starting June 11th until July 19th *on days above 30C*, drop by the Pop Up Cool Zone tent located at the east patio space outside RTCC for mist cooling, cold drinks, music and socializing. Visit the Game on East End page on our website for more details!
Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve been doing a series of blogs highlighting the community services in Riverside as a lead-up to our annual neighbourhood clean-up, Clean Queen East Together, happening on Friday, April 24th (11am-1pm)!
This is a joint effort by the Riverside BIA, Leslieville BIA, Ralph Thornton Community Centre and South Riverdale Community Health Centre. All supplies (and some post-cleanup treats!) will be provided. All you have to do is SIGN UP and show up on cleanup day! See you then?
If you want to support the RTCC, whether it’s through a donation or by volunteering, head over to their website. Don’t forget to follow @ralphthorntoncommunitycentre on Instagram too!
In the meantime, you can read our previous blog posts on community programming in Riverside linked below!
BLOG: Compassion in Action: How Fontbonne Ministries Supports Community
BLOG: A Riverside Cornerstone: Toronto Public Library Queen/Saulter Branch
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