Community
Toronto (and the Greater Toronto Area), Ontario, Canada
About 19,800 people of Somali origin lived in Toronto at the 2021 Census, the largest Somali community in Canada, with about half in Etobicoke. In March 2025 the federal government committed $20 million to a Somali culture and recreation centre, after about 40 years of community effort.
Who lives there
The 2021 Census counted about 19,810 people of Somali origin in Toronto, 41,640 in Ontario and 65,555 in Canada (CTSomali). Census counts of ethnic origin are likely to be low.
- Where: about half of Toronto's Somalis live in Etobicoke, notably in the Dixon Road towers. Others live in North York, York, Scarborough and Malton in Mississauga. Many rent in high-rise flats.
- Age: a young community. A federal minister called it "young and dynamic" (Government of Canada, Mar 2025).
Work and money
We have not found checked figures for Somali jobs or incomes in Toronto. Money goes home through licensed money-transfer businesses.
Who serves the community
The Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto. Ahmed Hussen, MP for York South–Weston, was Minister of International Development in March 2025 (Government of Canada). Community groups include the Somali Centre for Culture and Recreation, which is building Wadnaha Dhexe, and the Somali-Canadian Association of Etobicoke (CTSomali).
What the community faces now
- A centre of its own: on 1 March 2025 the federal government committed $20 million towards Wadnaha Dhexe ("the heart in the middle"), a culture and recreation centre of more than 100,000 square feet (Government of Canada).
- Long-running grief: since 2000, more than 50 young Somali men have been killed in Ontario and Alberta. In Toronto, 45% of such cases from 2004 to 2014 were unsolved, against about 30% overall. Poverty, discrimination and gaps in housing and jobs are among the causes cited (CBC).
Top needs
- A trusted, open channel for money home.
- Remote paid work for people in Somalia, through Toronto's Somali firms and professionals.
- A counted, organised community with a voice in Ottawa.
- A place for grief: young men lost here and families lost at home.
- A shared national story for a young generation raised in Canada.
What we don't know yet
Jobs and incomes, minority communities within the city, and figures for 2025 and 2026. If you know, use "Fix this page".
Sources
- CTSomali · ctsomali.ca
- Government of Canada, Mar 2025 · canada.ca
- CBC · newsinteractives.cbc.ca
Gathered in our research record “Community profiles”. Wikipedia is used only as a backup.
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