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Digital Archiving Completed by the Ethnography Lab, A University of Toronto Anthropology Initiative<br />

and Produced in Collaboration with David Perlman/Wholenote Media Inc between July-December 2015.<br />

The Kensington Market Drum, <strong>Nov</strong>ember <strong>1990</strong> KENSINGTON COMMON 11<br />

Downtown Coalition _Going Strong<br />

Peter Baxter<br />

The Downtown Coalition<br />

for Social Justice, D.C.S.J.<br />

(formerly Downtown Coalition<br />

Against the G.S.T.) is<br />

an ad hoc group of individual<br />

citizens who oppose the<br />

current conservative/corporate<br />

agenda and who favour<br />

a more equitable distribution<br />

of wealth and resources.<br />

The Downtown Coalition is<br />

one of 45 working groups of<br />

the Ontario Coalition for<br />

Social Justice, the organizing<br />

body of Pro-Canada Network<br />

of Ontario.<br />

The Downtown Coalition<br />

organized a successful<br />

demonstration against the<br />

G.S.T. through Kensington<br />

Market in March <strong>1990</strong>. It<br />

also organized locally during<br />

the nation-wide "Campaign<br />

For Fair Taxes " balloting,<br />

April 6, 7, and 8, <strong>1990</strong>. The<br />

Coalition gathered over<br />

5,000 ballots opposing the<br />

G .S.T. at its Kensington ,<br />

Chinatown and Homeshow<br />

locations. Nationally, over 2<br />

million ballots protesting this<br />

regressive tax were filled out<br />

during the April week<br />

alone!!!!<br />

The Downtown Coalition<br />

was delighted with, and<br />

encouraged by the community<br />

support for these actions.<br />

Give Animals a Brake<br />

Jack Gewarter<br />

While Animal Health Day ­<br />

at Kensington Market on<br />

Wednesday, October 17,<br />

went over with a bit of a<br />

whimper this year due to a<br />

pathetically small turnout, it<br />

was not a complete loss.<br />

There is an increasingly<br />

gr~ater interest and awareness<br />

in animal issues and the<br />

beautiful Indian summer day<br />

was enjoyed by all who participated<br />

in the open forum<br />

with the Bloorcourt Veterinary<br />

Clinic staff. Perhaps<br />

next year with more extensive<br />

advertising we will be<br />

able to provide more information<br />

to a broader group<br />

during Animal Health Week.<br />

One positive thing that<br />

came out of the day was the<br />

accumulation of several signatures<br />

on a very important<br />

petition. A local volunteer<br />

organization known as<br />

Zoocheck Canada is presently<br />

lobbying the provincial<br />

government to pass a law<br />

implementing a zoo licensing<br />

system which would regulate<br />

and establish minimum standards<br />

for zoos and wildlife<br />

collections throughout<br />

Ontario. The atrocities<br />

incurred at inadequate roadside<br />

menageries and private<br />

wild animal prisons throughout<br />

the country are heartbreaking.<br />

Unfortunately, all wild animals<br />

have not been allowed<br />

to-exist in their natural environments.<br />

Zoocheck is<br />

actively doing something<br />

about the plight of wildlife in<br />

dwind11ing habitats and in<br />

captivity. They have hosted a:<br />

variety of fundraising and<br />

consciousness-raising benefits<br />

and have provided aid to<br />

the elephants and ctiimpanzees<br />

of the world through<br />

such special guests as<br />

Richard Leakey and Jane<br />

Goodall. A whales benefit is<br />

planned for next year and on<br />

this <strong>Nov</strong>ember 16, at Convocation<br />

Hall, polar<br />

explorer/environmentalist<br />

Will Steger will be their<br />

geust speaker on the plight<br />

of Antarctica and the ramification<br />

this has for the global<br />

environment. For more<br />

information call Zoocheck at<br />

(416) 872-1111 or (416) 696-<br />

0241.<br />

In discussing animal concerns<br />

I want also address the<br />

issue of blatant carnage on<br />

our local roadways. Increasingly<br />

it seems that household<br />

pets are being maimed, crippled<br />

and painfully killed on<br />

residential streets. I have<br />

witnessed cold-hearted<br />

motorists accelerate to purposely<br />

nail defenseless,<br />

stunned or terrified animals.<br />

One elderly man· brought ·in<br />

his dog with a crushed leg<br />

after it had been injured by a<br />

hit-and-run driver while he<br />

was walking it on a leash, on<br />

the sidewalk!<br />

This blood-sport of the<br />

roads must stop. Drivers<br />

have no business racing hormonally<br />

charged monsters<br />

down the streets with a legal<br />

speed limit of 40 krnlhr. The<br />

obvious disrespect for live<br />

reflects sadly on our materi~<br />

alistic society. The only<br />

impression made by those<br />

macho 'mag' wheels is the<br />

treadmark across the body of<br />

a dead cat.<br />

Bloorcourt<br />

Veterinary<br />

Clinic<br />

Consultation By Appointment Monday to Saturday<br />

Health Care, Surgery and Acupuncture<br />

1079 Bloor Street West<br />

(416) 537-9677<br />

Dr. Jack Gewarter -1 ~<br />

We welcome more ideas and<br />

participation in future<br />

events.<br />

The D.C.S.J. will participate<br />

in the National Re-Call<br />

and Sign-Up Day, part of the<br />

Action Program recently<br />

adopted by the Canadian<br />

Labour Congress, Pro-Canada<br />

Network and progressive<br />

community groups. On Saturday,<br />

<strong>Nov</strong>ember 10, <strong>1990</strong>,<br />

beginning at 11:00am, The<br />

Downtown Coalition will<br />

meet with others in front of<br />

the constituency office of<br />

David McDonald, P.C. member<br />

of parliament for<br />

Rosedale (465 Wellesley St.<br />

E.). More groups will join at<br />

the offices of other Tory<br />

M.P.s in Metro, York­<br />

Region and across Canada.<br />

We will be demonstrating<br />

to recall in peoples' minds<br />

the Tory legislative and governmental<br />

misdeeds arising<br />

out of the conservative/corporate<br />

agenda: like unfair<br />

taxes such as G.S.T.; like the<br />

Free Trade Agreement and<br />

its related mass plant shutdowns<br />

and job losses; like<br />

the destruction of universality<br />

of social programs; like<br />

cutbacks to children, women,<br />

senior citizens and native<br />

programs; and Mulroney's<br />

contempt for democracy in<br />

his refusal to recall Parlia-<br />

ment to deal with the crisis<br />

at Oka and the Persian Gulf;<br />

making 24 partisan appointments<br />

to the Senate in order<br />

to circumvent the will of the<br />

people, and invoking closure<br />

- the cutting off of debate -<br />

21 times in the House of<br />

Commons since 1984- more<br />

times than all governments<br />

between 1913 and 1984 (18<br />

times)!!!<br />

Also, during this symbolic<br />

Re-Call Day, we will invite<br />

people through a sign-up<br />

pledge card to join with us<br />

in future actions for positive<br />

alternatives.<br />

For information or sugges- ·<br />

tions for action call Peter,<br />

599-1874 or Nick or Nadine,<br />

923-4668.<br />

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••<br />

KENSINGTON ENVIRONMENTAL<br />

Premier Rae addresses the No Time To Waste rally as to his Governments plans<br />

and commitments.<br />

No Time to Waste Rally<br />

Brian Eng<br />

There is a plan afoot in Market will be canvassed to<br />

Kensington Market that will see how they wish to deal<br />

attempt to deal with the with our garbage crunch. A<br />

huge amounts of garbage questionnaire is presently<br />

(most of which isn't really<br />

garbage anyway) that is gen-<br />

being prepared. A draft of<br />

the proposed survey will be<br />

crated daily in the Market. available through the Drum<br />

Ideas floated so far range office. The commitee (so far<br />

from recycling and compost-<br />

it doesn't have a name)<br />

ing to simply adding an working on the project<br />

extra pickup.<br />

would appreciate any suggestions.<br />

Sometime during the next<br />

the sovereign rights of the month merchants in the I<br />

On Saturday, October 20,<br />

over 5000 people gathered in<br />

Toronto for a rally for peace<br />

and disarmament. The rally<br />

was organized by the Toronto<br />

Disarmament Network<br />

(TON) and Greenpeace.<br />

The rally began at Queen's<br />

Park where it heard Pre-mier<br />

Bob Rae re-affirm the<br />

NDP's commitment to a better<br />

future for the province in<br />

terms of environmental protection.<br />

Jay Paulter, of<br />

Greenpeace, emphasised the<br />

need to deal with the many<br />

poisons being pumped into<br />

the environment by polluting<br />

industries. He demanded<br />

that Rae adhere to his election<br />

pledges.<br />

Ann Rowan, from the<br />

TDN, pointed out that th.e<br />

conflict in the Middle Eas.tts<br />

mostly abou~ safeguardt!lg<br />

the flow of 011 that supplies<br />

polluting industries.<br />

As well, Chief Gary P?tts<br />

of the Teme-aguma Ftrst<br />

Nations s~oke of th.e. need<br />

for Canadtan recogmt10n of<br />

March to Grange Park<br />

The spirited group then<br />

proceeded to march to<br />

Grange Park, chanting "No<br />

time to waste" and "Shop<br />

next week/Join us now". At<br />

the park the marchers participated<br />

in an afternoon of<br />

events that included performances<br />

by The Dream Warriors,<br />

Fresh Water Drum,<br />

Siyakha and the Four Directions<br />

Drummers, and the<br />

chance to peruse over 100<br />

information tables and sample<br />

food and drinks.<br />

Garbage Plans Afoot .<br />

Photo: Karen Elliot<br />

What Did It Signify?<br />

According to organizers of<br />

the event, this rally represented<br />

an historic linking of<br />

the peace and environmental<br />

movements. Steve Smith of<br />

-the TON believes that "The<br />

issues-of peace and environment<br />

are now seen as the<br />

major issues that confront<br />

the most people in the world<br />

today". The rally was seen as<br />

a first attempt for two major<br />

organizations working in<br />

these areas to speak about<br />

these issues from a common<br />

n~at~iv~e _EPe~op~le~. ---- -----.,----------------------'<br />

?<br />

-~

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