No One is an Island | Shift Happens | TVO Today

In the 1970s a community of young hippies established a natural island paradise just minutes from downtown Toronto. They fought the government for the right to live there. They established their own land trust to run the place. They built their own homes. There was just one thing they didnt plan for: getting old. The Toronto Islands are home to approximately 700 people. Its a stubbornly self-reliant community that has lived in this quiet haven for more than five decades. One of the younger residents, an 82-year-old retired nurse named Bruce, has embraced the role of caregiver for his neighbours. But something needs to shift as the population ages. Bruce has taken on a 23-year-old student named Austin as a roommate. In exchange for reasonable rent, Austin assists Bruce in biking across the islands checking in on residents he now considers friends. But how long can the duo care for a community with increasingly complex needs?