#9102 - Mar 1991

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.
8
NEWS & VIEWS II
The Kensington Market Drum, March 1991
Grange Housing Work Group, Meeting: February 21
Hoine, Home on the Grange
by Drum Staff
A meeting of close to thirty
people February 21 heard
presentations and discussion
of several issues affecting life
around Grange.
TTC KING /QUEEN
Ed Wright announced that
there would be a meeting held
at Ogden School on March 5,
1991 at 7:00 p.m. The
Department of Public Works
would be giving an update to
the community regarding the
King and Queen Streets
Transit Priority Initiatives,
and that those that have any
concerns or questions in this
regard should come to the
meeting. NOTE: This date
was subsequently changed to
Tuesday March 12, 1991, at
Council Chamber, City Hall.
MUSIC, U/S
Annette Sanger, the new Coordinator
of the U.S.H. Music
School came to introduce
herself, and outlined the
events and activities planned
for Spring of 1991 and future
plans of the Music School.
PRINCESS
MARGARET HOSPITAL:
Doug Hum explained that
Karl J affary, legal counsel for
the Princess Margaret
Hospital, has brought the case
to the O.M.B. with a hearing
date set for February 18,1991.
The Orde Street School
parents wrote an appeal to
the O.M.B. on the grounds of
unfairness in that the parents
had no chance up against Mr.
J affary, unless they had more
time to retain legal counsel.
The appeal was granted, and
the new date set for the
O.M.B. hearing is April 29,
1991. Doug appealed for our
support at the O.M.B. as well
as financially. A meeting is
being held at Orde Street
School with a presentation by
the Atomic Energy Board on
Wednesday April17, 1991 at
7:30p.m.
1 06 BEVERLY STREET
(ST. RAPHAEL'S LODGE)
David Perlman of the
Kensington Drum, ·sean
Goetz-Gadon from the
Labour Council Development
Foundation, Mr. John
Metson of the Christian Resource
Centre and Alice
Heap, who are all from Deep
Quang Non-Profit Homes
Inc., came to explain that
since the Deep Quang Housing
Project planned for 25
Cecil Street has not worked
out, they are looking for other
sites for nonprofit housing in
the area. In this regard the
Deep Quang group wanted
the housing work group to
know that Deep Quang
Homes is interested in 106
Beverley as an alternative
project.
The housing work group
agreed that there is a need for
singles housing accommodation
in the Grange area and
that provided there are no
changes to the footprint and
outside appearance of the
building, the housing work
group would be interested in
discussing this project further.
Three members of the housing
work group agreed to
form a subcommittee with ·
members of the Deep Quang
board. Next Deep Quang
board meeting is· scheduled
for March 21.
BASEMENT APARTMENTS:
Mr. David Spence from the
Planning and Development
Dept. and Mr. David DeLuca
The Grange Historical Society of Toronto
presents
UPDATING THE VICTORIAN GARDEN
A free slide presentation and workshop by
. Pleasance Crawford
Saturday, April 6, 1991, 1:30 • 4:30 p.m.
at the Sesquicentennial Museum
263 McCaul Street
Pleasance Crawford holds · a BA in Art History from
Oberlin College as well as. a BA in Landscape
Architecture from the University of Toronto. Pleasance
researches and writes on Canadian landscape and garden
history and is the editor of Landscape
Architectural Review.
_This. presentation will explore the componep.ts
of a Vtctonan Garden, modern sources of Vtctonan
P.lants, and ways the modern gardener can achieve a
'greener" garden by using the enviromentally friendly
methods of the past. .
Refreshments will be provided.
For more information please call 977-0681
We hope you are able to attend. ·
from the Housing Dept.,
came to the housing work
group to explain the
proposed Bylaw, and the
city's reasoning behind the
change. The Bylaw would
exempt basement apartments
from the Gross Floor
Area calculation for all
single family dwellings.
Planning department's attitude
seemed to be that the
committee of adjustment
seems to be approving these
anyway, no matter what the
city thinks. But there was
strong disa greement from
the Housing,.. W ark Group.
Some members said thatthey
wanted people to have to go
to committee of adjustment,
because at least the complicated
process was some kind
of control.
Still other group members
blasted City Hall's attitude
of accommodating the
overflow of people at any
cost.;I'hey felt the laws ought
to be stricter and enforced in
a proper manner, and expressed
concerns at what has
become of our city as a result
of leniencies towards the
law~. Many other members
of the group also expressed
their concerns on the outlook
at City Hall. A letter will be
submitted to City Council
outlining our concerns in this
issue.
The next meeting of the
housing action work group
was scheduled for March 20,
1991 at 7.30 pm.
Thoughts on Homeles~ness
by Kent Lee
Corner Drop In English Class
In Toronto there are many
ho.neless people. Some
people scorn them and kick
them out of places where they
go w get warm.
There is an old man who is
69 years old. He lives outside.
Sometimes he goes into 7/11
and gets a coffee and a donut
and he stands up inside or sits
down to drink and eat. He
goes there to get warm.
One time I asked him,
"Why don't you go to Seaton
House"?
But he said, "No. I'm scared
of Seaton House."
There is also an old woman
who sleeps outside the bank
on cardboard cartons. She
puts them on the ground and
slel~ )Son them. But when it's
'
Grange Activist
Anne Mason-Apps Honoured:
City Announces
Constance E. Hamilton Award Winners
by David Perlman
Grange Area tenant activist
Anne Mason-Apps who
passed away in January, was
one of three people selected
to receive this year's
Constance E. Hamilton
Award, part of the City's
Civic Honours Day celebration
on March 6, 1991. The
Constance E. Hamilton
Award, named after the first
woman member of City
Council, commemorates the
1929 Privy Council decision
by which women were
deemed persons within the
terms of the British North
America Act. A maximum
of three persons are chosen
annually by the women
members of City Council.
Recipients are persons who
have played a significant role
in improving the social, cultural
and economic status of
women in Toronto, but have
not previously been recognized
for their contributions.
HOUSING RE-
SEARCHER AND ADVO­
CATE
Ms. Mason-Apps worked for
over 20 years to secure
housing and decent living
conditions for women. A
researcher with Downtown
rai·ting and windy she gets
wet and cold.
I asked her, "Why don't
you go to Welfare?"
Every morning she goes for
shelter inside the library.
She lives anywhere on the
street.
One night I was walking
around City Hall and I saw
four people lying on the
heating grates.
The security guards asked
them, "What are you doing
here? Can I see your ID." "I
don't have it."
The security guard wrote
something in his book and
put the book in his pocket.
He had a walkie-talkie and
he called somebody, maybe
the police.
ActiOn, a land devtrlopment
and assembly organization,
her research helped preserve
housing and protect low-income
mothers from economic
disadvantage. She also created
a greater public consciousness
of the connections
between development and
hot;.:;ing loss.
Other recipients of the
award this year were Liz
Stimpson, advocate for
women with disablities, and
Jos~·phine Grey, co-founder
of Low Income Families
Together(LIFf).
~1s. Mason-Apps' award
was accepted by her daughter
Sarah Mason-Apps.
Act For
Disarmament
Opens Military Counselling
Hotline
In response to inquiry calls
from military personnel and
their families, ACT for Disarmament
has opened a 24-
hour military counselling
hotline, at 531-5850. This
hotline will be available to
provide advice and help for
people involved in the militarywhoarequestioning
their
role in the Gulf War (or any
other war) and would like to
know what their options are.
Says Maggie Helwig of ACT,
"Unfortunately options are
limited-there is not even
conscientious objector status
in Canadian law right now.
But we intend to offer as much
advice and help as we can."
ACT will be involved in
pressuring the government to
establish CO status in law, so
th_at Canadians who decide,
after signing up for a term in
the military, that they cannot
morally complete their term,
will have a legal option.
The counselling hotline is
supported by the local
Quakers and Mennonites, as
well as by ACT. Legal counsel
is available for those who
might need it, and other forms
of advice and assistance can
be obtained.
For more information, call
ACT at 531-6154, or the ·
hotline at 531-5850. ·