The Community Social Planning Council of Toronto has a new resource library thanks to the generosity of many donors and the family of late CSPC-T Executive Director Ed Pennington. Pennington was Executive Director of the Council from 1976 to 1987, and a firm believer in the need to share information as broadly as possible and maintain an engaged membership.

The Edward J Pennington Resource Library was dedicated at a small gathering on Wednesday, April 22nd where Friends of the Council, past staff members and members of the Board of Directors, along with members of the Pennington family, gathered to look back on our achievements and forward to our opportunities.

Speakers that evening included current Executive Director John Campey, former Chair of the Board Larry Hebb, current Board member Mary Elspeth Milosh, and past staff Robert Doyle and Marvyn Novick. The evening celebrated the life of Ed Pennington and the contributions he made not only to the Council, but to the community.

"It is very fitting that CSPC-T’s new Resource Room will be named after Ed Pennington," said Doyle. "Ed leaves a legacy for all of us associated with the Council for his professional dedication to realize the goals of this organization, to always take account of the membership, to work well with volunteers and staff, as well as to preserve the CSPC’s research and publications."

It was with Ed Pennington's leadership at the Council that it transformed from being what Novick referred to as "a coordinator of community agencies" to becoming Toronto's leader in research and planning, bringing in a social-justice focused approach to supporting communities and challenging policy makers.

The evening itself provided a great opportunity for people new to the Council to learn more of its history.

Maria Serrano, Director of Operations, remarked "I think a lot of people don't really know what the Council was like before the amalgamation, so it was great to have a really fun gathering of friends from past and present and to hear these stories. They really speak to our history and are really relevant as we continue to move forward."

The library, which contains thousands of reports, publications and letters from the Council's 50 year history, is accessible to the public by contacting Mary Micallef at [email protected].