#9006 - Nov 1990

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Digital Archiving Completed by the Ethnography Lab, A University of Toronto Anthropology Initiative and Produced in Collaboration with David Perlman/Wholenote Media Inc between July-December 2015. 4 TALKiNG - ·RvM. ··~··· I Last month, in this space, DRUM said no to City Council renewing the' mandate of the Kensington Market Area Task Force, until the residents' and business men's associations have renewed their own mandate in the community. And at a subsequent emergency meeting of community task force members, we got raked over , the coals for our remarks. So here's some clarification of what we meant: DRUM agrees with the task force that much of the important business raised by the task force is unfinished. And this city council now has less than a year left to act on task force recommendations. So this is the time you'd expect · City staff, and politicians, to start "damage control"- m~ki _n g s u r e t h e r e ' s no - o n e around to blow the whistle on unkept promises. This version of the task foree should be around for as long as this version of city council. It's up to the next council to ·decide whether there should be a renewed task force. (And in making that decision we hope that they take our comments in the previous DRUM into account.) Drum is a publication of Kensington Market Drum, 72A Kensington Avenue, Toronto M5T 2Kl. · Drum is published monthly. Phone or fOx (416) 599-DRUM for information on deadlines Drum is distributed free, door to door, in the Kensinglc?n Market Area (see map p.S-9) and further afield. And it is available at the commercial oudets listed on the map, as well as at selected oudets across Metro. For schools and study groups, up lo 1 00 copies of Drum are available, free of charge if you collect. Drum is available by subscripiton, outside our door lo doOr distribution arrea. The cost is $15P.er eight issues. Back issues are avialabe. liems in Drum credited lo individuals are in the COj:)yright of those individuals. Points of view in such items are those of the writer, not necessar- . ilyDrum's. . TALKING DRUM The Kensington Market Drum, November 1990 '\l\~ CARD v.~t r I "'' ,._ "{"(t; 1 '4 > \'\;;/' \ U 1 \1 mation service operating through the Talking Yellow Pages: a shaky start, but we're there. Phone 283-1010, 1 then, when prompted, 3786 (DRUM). Then, contact us with yourideas for the service; • that a save-the-canopies deal is definitely in the works: November 13, 7pm, committee room 1, city hall, task force meeting, we'll hope to hear what urban design has in mind; • that time io; running out on the restaurant control by-law -(set to expire in January), and that the no-parking-fornew-housing by-law being proposed to replace it is running into opposition from Public Works: watch the agenda for December 11 City Land Use Committee. That's where we could get our first glimpse of the new by-law; • that there's a new "big fish" on Augusta (Osler Fi"h Co.):one happy spin-off, so far, is more people are find~ ing out about the laneway to the Bellevue parking lot, right at Osler's back door; - 0 • that someonc's garbage is 't" ~ l • cf" som~one. else's gold, and that noth1'hg •s wasted when soyf ft\ beans are made into tofu and l__l_~ ~IN soy milk: it's going to take T\ 1 ~ that kind of thinking to stop p~ v\ t ·~ the Metro (and Market) rot; ••••••••••••••••••••• LAST TIME WE REPORTED • that the Toronto Western Hospital's Leonard St. garage is doomed, and prospects for hoao;ing on the site appear poor: Next meeting of the Hospital's liaison committee (November 8) comes too early for us to announce, and too late for us to report here. More in December; • that the public will have a say Nov 19 when the OMB hearing into Precinct 9 of the · Railway Lands resumes: Not any more. Resumption of the hearing has been postponed to January 15, while City and CN try to hammer out a deal behind closed doors; • that our new MPP, Rosario Marchese, is now Ontario's Minister of Culture and Communications:Which no doubt made easier his early · ---= • that there arc families in Alexandra Park who feel under siege (drugs and housing projects, you know): as do all of us when the lawbreakers know we know; endorsement of the Bay Street Ballet Opera House in our riding. See Letters; • that the program coordinator at Cecil Centre, Madeline Yakimchuk, had been suspended and then fired by the executive director, Julia Goldstein, as part of a "showdown" at the Centre: since writing, the firing and suspension have been rev~rsed. The Centre has accepted a letter of resignation from Ms.Yakimchuk. The settlement also includes 3 months severance pay and withdrawal of a union (CUPE) grievance against the Centre. There's no gag clause, so Ms. Yakimchuk can continue to speak out about the Centre; • that we have launched DRUM TALKING, an infor- Drum Goes Monthly Our next 5 publication dates are; • Dec 8 • Jan 3 • Feb 1 • March 1 -• April4 For information regarding deadlines please call Drum at 599-DRUM. If you are inquiring about deadlines for the Dec. edition, you should call soon . • that survivors of assault here . had taken aid to Mohawk survivors: and will not believe, as CTV told us to, that "it's all over now, folks"; • that 'our mid-Drum map was being renovated, so pardon the mess: a new style, a new deal, and still these Market businesses are the backbone of our support. See page 8-9; • that it was pumpkin time, that it was harvest time ••• : and now it's only five more Sunday shopping days to Christmas; • that a major wager delayed the last Drum (we said the police wouldn't tow a front end loader illegally parked, if dared): As our · readers know, they did. No more bets on there being method to the madnej;s of parking by-law enforcement in the Market. (See Augusta Hijinks, page 7); • that on October 20, the Toronto Disarmament Net~ work and Greenpcace would be holding a rally for peace and the environment: see photo and report, page 11; • that_ the Toronto Board of Education is planning a _conference for April 1991 where parents will have a say in their children~s education: in the meantime contact Trustees Chow (591-8065) and Doiron (591-8044). It's what they're there for.
Digital Archiving Completed by the Ethnography Lab, A University of Toronto Anthropology Initiative and Produced in Collaboration with David Perlman/Wholenote Media Inc between July-December 2015. The Kensington Market Drum, November 1990 TALKING DRUM 5 ••••••••••••••••••••••••• letters to DRUM Letters . /'"" Canada Needs Treatment To the Editorial Collective, The "crisis" of land claims in P.O. this summer teaches us many things. For example, CBC news broadcasters are able to say words like Kanesa take and Kahnawake. They are even able to pronounce them correctly, if forced to repeat them over and over. Non-native and non-white alike learned this summer that we must accept the social, political, economic, and military realities of racism. The fairly new European, patriarchal concept of ownership of people and property prevails. The war against native people in P .Q. led by a drunken P.M. and a provincial military dictatorship may be posted of hand delivered to Kensington Market Drum, Letters. 72A Kensington Avenue, Toronto Ontaro MST 2Kl. Or you can fax your letters (but you have to phone ahead to 599-DRUM. Letters will be published in full where space permits. Letters edited for length willl be noted. shocked the world. Right now, political prisoners are being held, tortured, tried and convicted as criminals. And few cry out against this violation of human rights. How quickly the horror of "Oka" fades. How innocently the "progressive" community speaks of defense fund and legal justice system. In these "reces·sivc" economic times how tightly we hold on to what we've got. I live in T.O. and do not travel very often to other parts of Canada. My participation as a member of several national social justice groups leads me to perceive a sense of shame clouding the "Canadian identity"; after the events near Chateauguay this summer. Seasons Tickets for Mar~hese Dear Drum re: Ballet Opera House The new 2,000 seat Ballet Opera House will cost $300 - $400 million. That's $150,000 to $200,000 per seat! Rosario Marchese is in favour of it! Contruction cost $273 million. Land evaluated at $75 million. (Globe & Mail 1988). Plus cost overruns a Ia SKYDOME. QUESTION: who is going to pay for it'J Answer: The same people who are paying for Sky Dome. DECISION DAY Bob Rae & Co. have indicated to the City that they will make a decision on the Bally Opera House by Nov. 20. Perhaps you could get a story ready for the Dec. issue in case the project gets the green light on Nov. 20. Robert L. Olsen Houses of the Rainbow Drum, I suggest that Kensington Market building owners paint up their premises in varied rainbow colours. Let's end this sameness and drabness. Have no premises in the same colour. How interesting and spectacular it would be. Also, many newcomers do not know that there are two Spadinas, named Road and A venue. Once I got stuck in an • elevator on Spadina Road. The police called the mechanics who lived in Mississauga who arrived at the same number on Spadina Avenue. Over an hour elapsed with me pent up. You can help, Drum. Do so. Sam Stevens [Editors' Note: Dear Sam- evidently Jeff Stinson agrees with you. Drabness begone! How about one of these on the Western Hospital's Smokestack? j ,. ... As a country, we are like a drunk coming off a 300 year binge - waking up too sick and disgusted to clean up our, own shitty mess. Perhaps we should declare Kanesatake and Kahnawake as Canada and make the rest of the country a "treatment" centre. D. Sharpe 3 Heavies Ruin Market Saturday On the pleasant' Indian summer morning of November 3, three . men were observed having confrontations with local merchants throughout Kensington Market streets. They were a city inspector and 2 Metro Police officers who told many merchants that tickets would be mailed to them for placing products for sale on city sidewalks. It was obvious that the new inspector, was informed by his superiors to anticipate conflict. Two uniformed police officers were assigned to accompany him. The trio were verbally accosted by merchants, employees and customers alike as the tickets were casually handed out. On several occasions some people were warned to cease voicing their outrage or they would be arrested. Large displays of products for sale, even on sidewalks, (especially fruits and vegetables) have been a common sight to Kensington's Saturday shoppers for as long· as most can remember. In the past inspectors and police would overlook these displays or ask merchants to remove them. It seems City Hall must be looking to Market merchants to help generate cash to refill their piggy banks. Its hard to understand why these men left the Marke t with broad smiles on their faces. Sincerely Roberto Agricola Hi, I'm Kate and I'm an alcoholic. OHIP just paid approximately $40,000 ($1 ,500 a day) for me to go thru a rehabilitation program for the chemically addicted. Arriving at Tampa airport on Sept. 24, we were picked up and driven in a Lincoln limo to the sprawling Heritage facility lying in serene surroundings more than a hundred miles east of Tampa. The middle of nowhere, near Crystal Springs. For the next 28 days I would experience an immersion course in A.A. "One ought to make a rigorously honest searching and fearless written moral inventory at least once in a lifetime. And then tell another ... ."The owner of Heritage, an impeccably dressed, tanned and tall., white haired gentleman, is a recovering alcoholic, as are his publicity and promotion marketing person and much of the staff of professional and lay persons. Even the limo driver was twelve years clean and sober. HERITAGE · IN THE MAKING During our stay we learned that the facility was only recently purchased and taken over by Heritage. There were therefore not surprisingly one or two "problems" still being ironed out. The old psychiatric facility sign still welcomes all the newly arrived. (Only one wing of the facility served psychiatric patients. Two other wings arc for the chemically dependent (C.D.U) and for food addicts (FF.A. U)- the grossly fat and the grossly thin. Rumblings are that this OHIP/US Treatment centre connection is about to come to an end. Ques.Hons have been raised. Nevertheless I am grateful to. 0 HIP and Heritage for giving me an opportunity to come to terms with my alcoholism. At last, after two previous 28 day treatme nt progra ms in Toronto (with which I had a few problems), I have the chance to learn to live in sobriety, one day at a time. I'm back 7 pounds lighter and several shades darker. Happy and healthy, ready to once more do battle in Kensington Market. Kate McNeil October30 A young man of ever-shifting balance threatened to sacrifice a nursing mother's baby in a witchcraft ceremony "to save the world". She sat in the dark for three days, then finally in terror called the police. They came and took her to Queen Street where she is being held because of " personal hygiene". The baby was taken by children's aid. Several women in the community are meeting, angered at the way the matter was handled by the police, the Children's Aid Society and at Queen Street. Meanwhile the young man is out, and awar.:!, and holds himself responsible. The baby's mother is still held at Queen St., without her baby. Pain of pains. And for the baby? Novembcr2 In a past issue I reported that a survey would be done, to determine the nature of tenancies in the Market. Expect questions like these: -who do you pay rent to? - do you share kitchen and bathroom facilities? - would you be willing to provide info on the rent you are paying to a Kensington Market Tenants registry? - would you join a tenants group? - would you like to receive a tenants newsletter? November6 By the way, the Last Temptation a nd I have struck a deal. Beginning around the middle of November, when the back room renovation is completed, I will take it over, and host a jazz- and-other-things jam Thursday through Sunday, 6 to 11. It's been a dream of mine ever since I ran a similar room in New York, 3 blocks up from Lincoln Center, influenced by the older black singer Ethel Waters who entertained a small number of people in an intimate r
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