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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 />
-~