Jamaican and Caribbean immigrants began settling in the area in the late 1950s in response to the West Indian Domestic Scheme.

[7] The area increasingly consists of different immigrant groups including people of Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Hungarian, and Filipino descent.

Reports suggest 40 to 45 per cent of businesses from Marlee Avenue to Dufferin Street have closed down or relocated since construction began on the transit project.

[7][8] In April 2021, Toronto City Council voted unanimously to designate Little Jamaica as a "heritage conservation district understudy".

This allows the city's planning department to study and survey the area in order to preserve it under the Ontario Heritage Act.