The Parkdale Intercultural Association (PIA), formerly Parkdale Intercultural Council (PIC) grew out of the outreach initiatives of the Parkdale Branch of the Toronto Public Library (‘70s), under the leadership of Branch head, Rita Cox. These initiatives included the Community Information Centre and Project Read, an adult literacy programme. PIA has since emerged from the library and is housed in two locations on Queen Street West encompassing 12000 square feet and providing services in 14 different languages with more than 30 staff members working to serve the community’s needs.
