#9103 - Apr 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.
'on Market
~Q"'-
~
0 tut1'
Ta111bor
MAP & GUIDE
see pages 6 & 7
Regularly:
photo by Tom Kane
Neighbourhood Kids Drop (fake) Dead at the Eaton Centre. Taking children and
world hunger seriously. Sec For The Sake of the Children ... page 9.
· "Maybe" To Midweek Mall
National Book Week
Talkin Drum, Editorial, Letters ........... 2
Kensingtoo·n ..............•........................ 2
News & Views ....•.......•........................ 3
Market Matters .......•...••....................... 4
Mutterings .............................................. s
Kensington Place ............................... s
The Drum Directory ......................... 6,7
Kensington Common.~ ....................... B
Market Gourmet ................................. B
Learning With You .............................. 9
Arts and E~tertainment... ............ 10,11
Dates To Watch
Drum Hum(community ads) ............ 12
Some merchants think the idea of a
kensington pedestrian mall is dumb -as
dumb as using kensington to teach police
cadets how to write parking tickets.
Thousands of market shoppers said yes to
the idea of a mall about two or three years
ago when Gus Fisher stood in the street
with a petition for people to sign. But the
market merchants voted it down by a
better than two to one count.
Their reasoning was "you want to make
the market a pedestrian mall on a Saturday
for the tourists who don't buy anyway.
My customers aren't going to carry 50lbs
of rice two blocks to ride the Spadina bus
Saturday is now more than 75% of IllY
business." So they said no.
continued on page 4
In this media-wild world if it isn't some­
J!l thing week itl s something else week:· food
bank week or earth week or whatever.
Cop Talk
see page 3
Well there's another one right around
the corner- and we're hoping you'll take
note. National Book Weekcomesourway '-------------­
April 22-28.
An~alsorightaround thec?r,n~r,a way Tender But ...
to celebrate the week by vtsttmg your B C ,
eware the hoke.
see Market Gourmet
Sanderson celebrat~ s Book_ Week as it page 8
has for many years wtth readmgs by Ca-'-------------­
riadian writers. And this year's mix is a.-------------....
local branch (Sanderson) of the Toronto
·Public Library.
real treat: first on Monday April 22nd,
Nino RicCi, from 7·9:30, and then
Howard Engel the following night.
continued on page 9
(416) 599-DRUM, at the heart of the Downtown West!
Muzak
I
For
Fartz
see p~_ge 11

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.
2
TALKiNG
.. ·RvM
TALKING DRUM
•••••••••••••••••
_ LAST TIME
WE REPORTED
The Kensington Market Drum, April1991
ftt'··
•• y .. ........ ..
Getting Through
We are still young enough as a paper to
think that the paper itself is still news.
And the news is that we're ~ow almost set
to do the job we dreamed of when we
started .
• This issue puts us squarely on a monthly
path so we'll be able to offer our loyal
advertisers and contributors a greater .
measure of predictability.
Also this issue welcomes the people from
throughout our distribution area (Queen to
Harbord, Euclid to McCaul) who are helping
to carry this DRUM to their own neighbours.
We're feeling good. about getting through
the winter, proud that our little "4x4" (4
pages by 4 thousand copies) is close to a
ste.ady "16x16 ".
And feeling better still because of how
many people in our area are getti1/g
interested in using DRUM.
Images of KENSINGTON MARKET in the
media: in these recessionary ti~es, we see
Kensington represented as a place where
food is cheap and plentiful. But recently
in one of the daily papers it was a place
where people go hungry while good food,
deemed unfit for sale, rots on the stands
and is th.:rovm away. Oh the shame.
It wasn't a fair picture.
Food· banks d~ly take s~all quaniities of ~
perishable fodd. And Kensington pitch~s in
willingly. We know merchants in Kensington
who offer people having a hard time
cheaper or just plain free stuff. And we
know that there are brigades of low-income
(or just plain savvy) folk who descend on
Kensington with buckets and rubber gloves
and shopping carts, and walk away with
large quantities of carefully 3elected food
free for the price of their ~ffort.
But some Kensington people, homeless
people, fall through the cracks of this
haphazard safety net. So, here's an idea.
There are quite a few places around that
offer pre-made sandwiches and cold food
item"> for homeless ·people. But these meals
are not usually very nutritious. So, what
if they came to participating market
stores to collect perishables that end up
unsold? Day-old whole grain bread, cut
cheese portions the wrong size for picky
customers, cold meat in slightly damaged
packaging, tuna in dented cans (either it's
ok or its not), lettuce, avocados, fruit.
Anything that can be made into a sandwich
' or sc~ubbed, cut into pieces and eaten raw.
They wouldn't need cooking facilities,
just room for people to make for
themselves and each other nutrit~ous snacks
to eat there, or to carry with them.
Better nourished people can better help
themselves. Making your own food is good
for self-esteem. ,
So, Kensington, who would participate? And
before that, how's the idea?
Drum is a publication .of KensinQton Market IJrum,
2A Bellevue Avenue, Toronto, MST 2NA
Drum is published monthly.
Phone or fax (416) 599-DRUM
for information on deadlines.
Drum is distributed free door to door
between Queen and College, Bever~ and Euclid;
from College north to Harbord between Spodina
and Bathurst. And it is available at the commercial
outlets listed in the map guide, as well as at
selected outlets across Metro. For schools and
study groups, up to l 00 copies of Drum are
available, free of charge if you collect.
Drum is available by subscription, outside
our door to door distribution area. lhe cost is
$18 a year. Back issues are available.
hems in Drum credHed to individuals are in
the copyright of those individuals. Points of
view in such Hems are those of the writer, not
necessarily Drum's.
a new garbage pickup schedule
underway
PUBLIC WORKS has something
to say, see ad pg. 4.
a meeting to try to organize a
Downtown West Network (of
social services)
not much doing since that meeting
but another one coming up in
May.
a public meeting at Western
Hospital, April17, 6:15pm
see ad next page. We hear 5000
flyers are going out too. Will
people be there?
the city saying no to expansion
of the chicken packers' plant at
54112 Kensington.
No word on what the packers will
do. Their plant sits on a site that
the ·city and community would
love to discuss.
a benefit for I) RUM upstairs at
the Santa Fe May 16
Yes indeed. 'See pg. 11.
that DRUM as a collective
· sometimes disagree with things
people say in our pages.
Do we have a responsibilty to say
when we disagree?
that some people were outraged
by Cisco's stereotypes.
And this time some will think we
censored .him.
that a community based group
Deep Quong Nonprofit Homes
was interested in 106 Beverly
street).- the St. Rafael Lodge.
A spdkesperson for the· Deep
Quong Board said April 3 that
there were happy to announce
funding is forthcoming for 106
Beverly.
· that the TTC is battling to get
priority for streetcars on King
and Queen Streets. ·
But they still refuse to ask the
province to revise the law that is
blocking their efforts.
that Anne Mason Epps had been
honoured after her death with a
Constance Hamilton Award,
Immersion
What?
21 March, 1991
Dear Editor:
Regarding Chris Melo' s report on
the "Outward Bound" wilderness
school: I too participated in an
Outward Bound course, the summer
of 1981, but my experiences
were quite different from Chris's.
In four days, I was nearly killed, a
friend was nearly killed, I left the
course crippled by "immersion
foot", and my clothes and other
belongings were stolen.
Yours truly,
Paul Cerar
Princess Margaret
Hospital Proposal
Disentitles Children
The Princess Margaret Hospital,
a radiation therapy treatment
centre, proposes to move from its
present location near Sherbourne
and Wellesley Streets to a new
site in downtown Toronto near
University A venue and College
Street adjacent to the Ontario
Hydro Building. The new site
places the rear of the hospital immediately
diagonally aGross the
street from Orde Street Public
School. The proposed hospital will
given by the city to people significantly
improving the status
of women in this city.
And now an attempt will be made
to bring some of her unfinished
research and writing to fruition.
Contact Kay Parsons at 598-5850.
that ACT for Disarmament had
opened a military counselling
hotline.
(416) 531-5850
• I I
ttt~A~ CL'} (JJ \
that some children from around
here would "drop fake dead"
Sat. April6 at 3:00pm to draw
attention to daily child deaths
wordwide. ·
And so they did. See pg. 9
that some young girl should
know that no-one has the right
to hurt her.
The KIDS HELP number, again,
1-800-668-6868.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••
letters to DRUM
24 Bellevue Avenue, Toronto, M5T 2N4
be nineteen storeys with seventeen
storeys of the building cantilevering
over Murray Street as
the existing site cannot accommodate
all of the proposed building
design. -
There are presently some 400
children located in the immediate
area of the new site. The children
are enrolled either in the school,
the school's child care programme
or in the day care centre across the
street. The numbers of children
will coQtinue to grow as a new
day care centre at George Brown
College Nightingale Campus located
a short distance away on
Murray Street, will soon open.
The hospital will bring with it
to the school environment and
that of the adjacent child care
centres, tremendous increase in
traffic in an area that is already
congested; · the movement, storage
and use of radioactive and
other hazardous materials; dominating
parking structures; degradation
of air quality both in and
outside the school; loss of a well
used and only park in the area;
disruption of school classes during
construction; and the effects
of shadowing and wind. The
present increase in traffic has al-­
ready resulted in three accidents,
one very serious involving young
children attending Orde School.
The hospttal has deemed the
level of risk to the children from
radioactive and other hazardous
materials as acceptable. As parents
of vulnerable children, we
are concerned about any level of
risk.
Our children are our future and
are our most valued assets. Children
are one of the most vulnerable
groups in our society and
children must be afforded every
protection that not only governments
but all of us can .provide.
The principles of this protection
are embodied in the United Nations
Declaration of the Rights of
the Child, an accompanying
document to the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights. These
rights are intended to be
inclusionary and speak to the entitlements
of children.
These entitlements include
"opportunities to develop physically,
mentally, morally, spiritually
and socially in a healthy and
continued on page 9

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, April 1991
NEWS & VIEWS
3
Task Force Report
Conflict Guidelines Mean
Change of Approach ·
by David Perlman
City administrator Frances
Pritchard was greeted with frustrated
amusement when she advised
the task force what the city
solicitor had said. Underthe City's
strict conflict of interest rules task
force members would qot be able
to make any recommendations on
any matter where they stood to
benefit financially.
"But we were brought together
to make recommendations for the
health of the market" was one
bewildered reaction.
The Solicitor will provide more
details atthe next meeting (April
24) but already task force members
are reading the writing on the
wall and looking for ways to comply
with a rule which seems designed
to ensure that people who
make their living as lobbyists will
have an easier time of it.
There's agreement among task
force members that it will be next
to impossible to achieve the things
they're pursuing without the active
assistance of the local councillor.
Now only the councillor
will have the right to tum task
force opinions into motions and
recommendations that council
must consider.
Never On A Tourist?
The sorry story goes on. The task
force has been trying to find out
what it takes to get tourist status
(ie the right to be open on a Sunday).
So Metro sent back a reply
which ammounted to "Don't
worry about being a tourist area,
anyone can open on a Sunday."
The only problem? That very day
the Sunday shopping law was
upheld.
So Metro won't be able to duck
the question. What kind of clout
do you have to have to be called a
"tourist area"?
Dollars and Cents
Also coming up at the April 24
task force meeting the city finance
departrn\nt is actually going
to try to answer the question
as to whether Kensington is a
generator or consumer of city
revenues. ·
The smart money says it depends
if you exclude services that
are in the community but not altogether
of the community. If you
do it's no contest.
Objectoftheexercise?Tomake
an argument for the city paying
for some of the things the task
force wants to recommend.
East Market Report
"Praised but how to do it's the
question" is how one task force
member described reaction to the
East Market Report. They agreed
that what needs to happen is for
the various city commissioners to
· see it and for the councillor to
arrange a meeting between those
commissioners and the task force
- so the commissioners can explain
how they'd take an unscientific
community document and
tum it into a plan of action.
At time of press task force
members were hoping to convey
continued next page
••••••••••••••
COP TALK
by Colin Puffer
Merchants
Under Pressure
Lately, Market area merchants
have been feeling pressure from
many directions: a generally poor
economic climate; the GST's effect
on increasing consumer's
resitance to spending; and the difc
ficulty customers are having in
finding a space to park where they
won't be ticketed.
The recent spate of shootings
can only compound these problems.
There is a growing impression
throughout Metro that
Kensington is a dangerous placeto
shop. .
The response from 14 Division
has been to increase police presence
on the streets. The foot patrols
and spot checks reported in
the last Drum have continued.
Supt. Clark Winter of 14 Division
says that the higher visibility is
designed to convince people that
Kensington is safe because "every
place you look there is a policeman".Somemarketmerchants
have wondered if this approach
might not be counterproductive,
as it gives the impression that an
area needing this high a police
profile must truly be dangerous.
There is evidently a need for
greater cooperation and communication
between the police department
and the community that
it serves.
Community
Based Policing
Two issues ago the Drum reported
on a move)o implement, in 14
Divison,
something called "community
based policing". Initially there
were 2 groups looking for a way
to bring cops and community
closer together-Dne headed by
Supt. Winter and one that developed
out of a meeting of concerned
14 Division residents.
These two groups converged at
a meeting held at Alexandra Park
Community Centre on January
30. At that time a sub commit.tee
(headed by Kevin Lee from St.
Stephen's) was selected to draw
up the terms of reference for a
community/police liaison committee.
A draft report of this sub
committee was drawn up and presented
at a meeting at St. Stephen's
House on Wednesday, April 10.
The report recommended dividing
14 Div. into 4 geographic areas
with 5 members who represented
the· demographic of each zone
sitting on the main committee.
Lee's sub committee also recommended
that 10 police officers,
representing what Supt. Winter
calls a "vertical slice" of the department,
should sit on the committee.
This over all group will be
chaired by Kingsley Roby.
Roby is a ware that "some things
transcend geography~' and hopes
to rely on a combination of public
meetings and committee meetings
to transcend any barriers that
may result from what is a necessarily
arbitrary division of the area
-into the 4 geographic zones. He
stresses that above all no one wants
the group to operate "out of the
public eye".
The Drum will make every effort
to keep Kensingtonians informed
about what could be an
important step forward toward
getting the type of policing the
community desires.
~ ~ .
Support Your Community:
Become a Member of
St. Stephen's Community House
The Toronto Hospital Invites You
to attend a . Community Meeting
to discuss the Future of Your Hospital
What Is St. Stephen's?
St. Stephen's is a multiservice
social agency operating out of six
locations in the Kensington area.
'Programs address the needs of
new immigrants and refugees and
are provided in Chinese, Portuguese,
Spanish, English and other
·languages.
Programs include The Comer (for
homeless men); The Drug-Free
Arcade(drugpreventionforyouth
under 18 and their families); English-As-A-Second
Language &
Citizenship classes; Conflict
Resolution Program (a
neighbourhood mediation program);
seniors and adults programs,
Youth Employment
Counselling Centre, two daycares,
March Break and Summer Day
Camps, A.I.D.E.S. prevention/
education and Chinese Chapter
For Bereaved Families.
What Does Becoming A
Member Entitle Me To?
As a member of St. Stephen's
Community House you will receive
an Annual Report and
newsletter. If you are over 16,
membership allows you to vote at
the Annual Meeting. The cost of
membership is only $2.50 per
person or $5.00 for the whole
family. If you become a member
before May 6th, 1991 you may
vote at our Annual General Meeting
to be held in conjunction with
our Volunteer Recognition night
on Thursday, June 6th, 1991.
Call JoAnne or George now at
925-2103 fora membership form
and join usat91 Bellevue Avenue
on June 6th at 6:00p.m.
THE
TORONTO
HOSPITAL
Wednesday, April17, 1991
6:15p.m.- Open House
7:00p.m.- Presentation
The Atrium, Fourth Floor
Fraser M. Fell Pavilion
399 Bathurst St.
Subject:
• The Redevelopment of the
Toronto Western Division
• Plans for the Leonard Avenue
Parking Garage
Refreshments will be served.
We look forward to seeing you on April 1 7.
For more information please call369-5444.

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
MARKET MATTERS ·
The Kensington Market Drum, April 1991
;I ·- I
I
Task Force
continued from page 3
Ticked Off
At Ticketing
A group of Kensington task force
members agreed Wednesday
April 2 to ask the local Metro
Councillor Dale Martin to arrange
a meeting with the chief of police
to convey community concerns.
The meeting Wednesday April2
was to discuss how the task force
would react to the east market
report. One section of that report
deals with policing. It calls among
other things for ticketing in the
market to be based on whether or
not an infraction impedes the flow
of people. And the report calls for
police to know a neighbourhood,
and the neighbourhood to be able
to recognize its police.
The April 2 meeting was most
interested in the section of the
report dealing with ticketing. All
the business owners at the meet:
_ ing spoke out heatedly against the
present wave ot ticketmg , agreeing
that it is now having a definite
impact on business. People come
to get food and clothing cheap in
hard times and find after paying
the bill that there's an extra $20 in
Metrotax on the windshield. And
they're just not coming back.
The group agreed to convey the
request to Councillor Martin at
the·next scheduled task force
meeting (City Hall, Wednesday
April24).
Be1ow: BaiJlU/L-t>t and Aicine.. Pulling
ihe "can" in canopy ( wii_h ihe
&1Lt:>-t>ing ot PuPJ!.ic UJo/lk-t>)
Special Assistant - Constituency
To work with and advise the Minister of Culture and
Communications on riding issues. Familiarity with Fort
York riding and experience in community development an
asset. For more information call 325-6200. Send resume
to: Attention: Adrianna Tetley, Minister's Office, Ministry
of Culture and Communications, 77 Bloor Street West,
6th floor, Toronto, Ontario. M7A 2R9.
Deadline for Applications: April19, 1991
CITY RESIDENTS URGED TO SAVE PAPER FOR
RECYCLING DURING EARTH WEEK
Most Toronto residents don't know how to go
about recycling fine paper. Well here's your
chance.
The Toronto Recycling Action Committee
(TRAC) otters residents an opportunity to
recycle their waste computer paper, white and '
coloured letter paper, and bond photocopy
paper. Bring it ·to ·city Hall, on Sunday, April
21 for recycling.
TRAC volunteers and staf-f will be on hand from
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to collect the paper in Blue ·
· Barrels. The paper will be manufactured int9
new paper products.
PLEASE NOTE: envelopes, magazines, brown
bags, wrapping pap.er, glossy pamphlets and
brochures CANNOT be recycled under this
program.
"By saving fine paper and bringing it to City
Hall during Earth Week, City residents will. help
keep this valuable· forest _resource out of
landfill sites, save trees, and reduce air and
water pollution," says TRAC chair, Paul
Jansen.
This message brought to you by the Kensington
Garbage Action Group
the request for the meeting with
the commissioners to Councillor
Amer at another meeting - the
Western Hospital public meeting
April 17, which both the councillor
and the task force members
were planning to attend.
And Finally Canopies
Seems like a ray of hope ... Gus
Fisher now has a copy of a letter
from Commissioner V ardin saying
that a canopy near Bathurst
and St. Clair meets his departments'
standards. "It's just like a
good Kensington canopy" Fisher
exults.
Merchant Support
For Mid Week Mall
continued from page 1
Sopro-mallpeopleshiftedplans
to supporting a few car-free
Sunday events in 1991, like the
Carnival and the Survivors of
Assault festival. Sunday pedestrian
days in 1991. Carnival in
particular, with vendors, buskers,
bands and lots of people opened a
few merchants' eyes as to the
potential of a car-free Kensington.
But the confusion over Sunday
shopping makes Sunday a very
marginal day for getting things
hopping in Kensington except for
. really special events. People who
don't like total car domination in
the Market are getting restless at
the lack of willingness among the
merchants to try anything new.
Now it seems the merchant tide
is turning. Many merchants say
that ticketing for parking viola-
-tions has reached an all time high,
and many customers are being
scared away for good. Business
has never been worse. So there's
a bit more willingness to look at
the mall option again. No one
wants to jeopardize Saturdaysit's
not the "war on automobiles"
lobby whose livelihood is being
threatened. But for the first time
there seems to be significant
support for the idea of car-_free
Wednesday-s. Stay tuned.
J£]1
City of Torontc-
RETAILERS, WE WANT
YOUR CARDBOARD BOXES
FOR RECYCLING
Instead of throwing your cardboard boxes out with your garbage, let us recycle
them into useful products.
Here's all you have to do:
1. Remove all plastic wrappings, metal and plastic straps, wood or liners
from boxes.
2. Flatten the boxes.
3. Tie and bundle them together.
4. Place the bundles at the curbside before 11 p.m. nightly, Monday
through Friday, for collection.
Remember, only corrugated cardboard boxes can be recycled in this programme.
Please do not include waxed or coated boxes; cereal or shoe boxes; glossy printed
cardboard; or cardboard stained with oil or food.
For more information, please call 392-1040.
Nicholas Vardin, P. Eng.,
City Engineer and Commissioner,
Department of Public Works and the Environment

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,
Aprill991
MUTTERINGS
5
by Kate Burt McNeil
A friend remembered ·and
reminded me of the time we'd
spent living in New York City,
"If I gave something to everyone
who had a hand out I'd be broke in
a block." It disturbs me to find I
can now say the same thing as I
walk a block in my community.
Most of the hands belong to
natives.
March 14. Heard today that my
friend D. Sharpe , author of the
letter to Bell ( see December
Drum ) was a little miffed that I
hadn't identified her other than
"an activist friend" Preferred to
err on the side of Non-Liability.
March 19, On my way to
Centennial College to talk for 15
minutes about '"Poverty and what
it means to me." to a group of
adult students mostly daycare
workers taking a course on early
childhood education. I was asked
yesterday and have done little
preparation beyond thinking
about it a lot. And telling a few
key friends .. those who are most
likely to, as my aunt May would
say "be severe" with me. Natalie
laughed and found it titillatingly
absurd that this "middle-class"
woman could possibly know
anything about real poverty.
True. I don't know yet what it's
like to be a bag lady. As an
American Embassy wife in
London.('68- '72) Ididn'tknow
yet what it was like to be on
welfare ('83 -present)
Accepted an opportunity to
play the "Poverty Game" last
Saturday. Somewhere in Don .
Mills . Developed by several
women in B.C. along the lines of
Monopoly. Each player assumes
the role of a welfare. recepient.
A throw of the die determines
how you will go through a month
on what you have been given .
Landing on "chance" can mean a
setback or a windfall.There was
not a shred of good humor in any
of it, excep£ among the players.
We chatted amicably as we sat
down, slapped the "role" name
tags on and were sharply
reminded by the two facilitators
assuming the role of social
service workers, "You don't
know each other, you cannot
communicate with anyone in the
room except the welfare
workers!" The game was on .....
All "roles'' were single mothers
in their thirties. I was Pamela . A
short description on a card told
me I was a thirtyish mother of a
profoundly hyperactive child. I
have a 1Oth grade education and
would work as a waitress except
that Danny, · 7 needed ongoing
supervision.·
Most of the players were
gainfully employed as lawyers
and social service clinicians. I
was the only player who was
actually on welfare. Two men
played the game. One of them in
the end when asked how "she"
felt about her circumstances,
proudly announced that it hadnt
been too bad and it was now time
to get off of welfare. Good for
him! .
Glaringly absent from the
game: alcohol and drugs (except
cigarettes), men, seniors.
Nevertheless a worthwhile
experience. And preparation for
the talk I give tonight.
And Speaking of
Stereotypes ...
k
/ , .· · 1 .· Candidates
~ ~ ;;.;;; · for any office
. / ,,\ ._.· '·affectingthisward
~ 1 f l ·· are invited to
)' . .; .
· ttrprovide photographs
~ \t1.. ···; to Drum "'
yt
j upon registration.
" . f
:&
fh
a local dyed in.the J.yoolliberal turned sarcastically to last months mutterings, and pointed to this space
(page 13 in 9102, March). Jack Layton was there, leaning on the railing of a bridge overlooking A BLURRY
railway lands. "You'll put Eggleton 's there I'll bet" he said.
SO WE'LL RI!PEAT WHAT WE SAID, TO TRY TO GET THROUGH THE WOOL:
THIS SPACE JS FOR CANDIDATES
(For a warning about that bridge and that blur, see Railway Lands Report elsewhere on this page.)
And Speaking of the .Railway Lands
by David Perlman
At a meeting April 10 at the St
Lawrence Town Hall the City was
to unveil its offer to the two railway
real estate giants that control
200 acres between downtown
Toronto and the waterfront. The
report is largely the brainchild of
the lawyer the City hired to battle
CN at the Ontario Municipal
Board, Richard Shibley, working
closely with a City-hired consultant,
architect/planner Michael
Kirkland. The two of them had
the very close cooperation of the
planning commissioner's second
in command, Eudora Pendergrast,
, 'who was largely responsible for
drafting the 1985 Railway Lands
Part II Plan in the first place.
But·the very thing that led to
this n'

6 The Kensington Market Drum, April 199
.,.-
Welcome
New Directory Members
Aprill991
Bahamian Kitchen
14 Baldwin, 595-0994
Hey mon!
Is your belly pickin'?
Amadeu's
1.82-4 Augusta, 591-
1245
Portuguese cuisine,
seafood specialists,
catering service
Peoples Fish Market
198 Baldwin, 979-8365
If we don't have it, it
doesn't swim
Casa Abril em
Portugal
159 Augusta, 593-0440
Fine Portuguese dining
ARTS ;
and LETTERS
Drum's Kensing
l•!ll$i'i•l . 1•:"'*''~•1
Three
I•K·b•l l•·l~ezs., llam,t>c·'l · I•@~••
liliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill•••••n••n••••••••••••••
Around Again
18 Baldwin, 979-2822
New & used records, tapes, COs
Buy, sell, trade.
College Books
321 College, 975-0849
A new bookstore serving
university and community
Checkerboard Gallery
204A Baldwiri_, 979-7254
Peter Matyas, Market Artist
Kensington Ariwear
Portuguese Book Store
86 Nassau, 364•7954
Jornais, Revistas, livros, Discos
Cookbooks iri English too!!!
Sanderson Library
327 Bathurst at Dundas,
Books, information, music -for
the whole family- 393-7653
BAKERIES
11111111111111111111111111111111111111111
Baldwin· Street Bakery
191 Baldwin, 598-3701
European-style bread & pastries,
Baked Fresh Daily
Micaelense Home Bakery
319 Augusta, 923-6266
Specializing in wedding cakes
Iberica Bakery
209 Augusta, 593-9321
Custard Tarts, Sponge Cake,
Bolo De Arroz, Ice Cream
Quality Bakery
370 1/2 College, 922-2595
Taste Quality . Open Sundays.
Bagel Special $1 :50/dz.
Dl\UM'S 1J~AT
f I I ' I
L---~~----L---~---L--~-~~ .• •
"T $ 'BLOOR
---..... ~,.;0;.;7..;.1 0
'N HOX St sa~ v; oa 0' v; ~ -. ·;ash in gtg;~ ~ I ~it --~
1l L~nnox 1.4.1,., ~a: ·..c
- . SUS SEX :e ~- Av o :X: ~
- :>(1) c
~HER RIC~ ) ~
~
S TER St Cl) ULSTER~ ~ St WIILL !COCK.!\ ST Ia: UofT e
ct 2:: . rv CO~'
c ~ ~ a: 1- ~ ~- l.!.!!.,;.. ~ ~ 'C
. t KouO,h~ t ·~· "'I~ RUSSEll · '!0 •
:~~. • ~ en "' J.J - ...J.- Cln
~! '~ ; ~ & ~ ' ~~~~~[[C)
Q. ~ ,_ Cl.j iOAL . I HD ~Q:;
St t..l,, ~ ">! [B}; /0, C 0 L L.! E t;
~ "" t , ~ ~ c:: ~ ~ , .. (/) ~ -J
~ :; 0
0.
~ 0 011 ,.~ ~ ., ~ ~ &v; (/) v; (!) g c
0 ,.. Q: l.l
X f 0 f d ~ ~r~ ~ ).. ~ ~
1- c ~0::."" ;I - i i:; "" ~ r-
(1) ~ " a. -~ . ~ N~ SSAU ~st! CECIL ...J St .-
a: :X:~~~ Q. < :::.. Q:: ).. II)
IU lie~" ftP-~ "" ~ 4PLOII 1 "" a::
~ a: :::: t-1~ 2~ j P,f;~ •,· ~ BALD WIN ~ ~ St
..J < o - .... Ill~ .!l.. ·o-s, ~
: :I ~ Cl) e ~ ~ ~ An.dtf •w sl, CZl :X: f
1- ct: .:. ~lal&l.;~q \ ""t~ Gleni D'AR CY St ~
:l (o~ •. e n:'R; m ,. ...J
AndruS". :z: ~ .. G1161.1...;i_.~.~
*
A ., 1- '-1"
........ i:ii.iii
· ~ifll]~~*W~·;i-!!...,iio+-•O•U.,N-+D•A•S-.ii·

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, April 1991 7
n Market Visitors Guide
l111:&miFblll
~
and
much much· more
Farmer Bob's·Tropical
Harvest
· 70 Kensington, 583-9279
The Market's Ita! Shop.
Nice Spice.
Fong On Foods
46 Kensington, 598-7828
Bean Cake, Soy Milk, Fresh
Rice Noodles,
Flying Monkey Natural Foods
314 College. 96-8-1515
Open 7 days a weekfrom
bulk food to crystals.
Great Horse Natural
Foods 'n Things
378 College, 964-1805
Organic meats, tofu, natural
cosmetics, etc.
House of Spice Importers
190 Augusta, 594-8724
or 182 Baldwin, 593-9804
Spice, Coffee, Fruits, Nuts.
International Food Market
55 Kensington, 596-6637 .
Fresh Fruit and Vegetables
Retail and Wholesale.
Kensington Fruit Market (
34 St Andrew, 593-9530
Fruits, vegetables, aloes too!!
Freshness·, a family business.
Mel.o's Food Centre
151 Augusta, 596-8344
Portuguese Style Sausages
lmpol't-sand,ExJOOrt-:···,..,;"
Perola's Supermarket
247 Augusta. 593-9728
All kinds of groceries
from South and Central
America.
Rebelo's
60 Kensington, 593-2784
The Market's Supermarket
Juice Bar Too.
Sanci Tropical
66 Kensington, 593-9625 _
Freshest Herbs, Avocadoes,
Mangoes,
Exotica, Since 1 !;}14.
Tutti Frutti
64 Kensington, 593-9281
Chinese & European Foods,
Under New Management.
Coffee, Cheese, Chocolate.
HOUSE
and HOME
......... .......... ....•.... .. .................... ..
CAAM United Hardware
160 Augusta & 564 Dundas
598-8195 or 596-8098
Two Locations!
Locksmith & Safemen
38 Baldwin, 597-1212
Builder's and locksmith
hardware.
Leading brands.
Parkly Gardens Florist
28 St Andrew, 585-2159
Fresh cut flowers and plants for
all occasions.
Reingewirtz Paint Stores Ltd.
107 Baldwin, 977-3502
Paints, varnishes and imported
wallpapers.
Places of Worship
College St. United Church
corner College and Bathurst,
929-3019.
A warm welcome awaits you.
St. Patricks Churc h
(Catholic}
141 McCaul, 598-3269
St. Stephen-In-the-Fields
(A nglican}
103 Bellevue, 921-6450
All are welcome
. •< .
....
not all under one roof
II
; u; . i .. .u; I I D I
D -~o~l ~ j . 1~ ~ o
Doctors' Hospital I ~o;~~.~ · & L____) ·-~ 1 ·
COLLEGE STREET
•
Kensing to n SL Stephen's :
Community No. 8 Anglicon Church · ..
School Hose Stolior · .,_
-onold
~~ . ~
.,_ and interesting St Stephen 5 ...
W , prdures . Communrty House Cl)
W ore on diSplay rnsode 3\:
~ .. 0
~ ~
1: OXFORD STREET • Cecil !J
U •n T oronlo was Cenlre
Z k,lled 1n o pprox1motely _
~ this spot ~ CECIL ST
~ .
w
w
:::)
w
z
0:: w
....
en
....
en
0::
:::»
:z:
....

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
KENSINGTON COMMON ·
The Kensington Market Drum, Aprill991
KILLING THE BEAST
PROJECT TO DEVELOP
A TENANTS'
ASSOCIATION
APRIL 14. SUNDAY.
3 P.M. AT
I
ST. STEPHEN S
COMMUNITY HOUSE
A musical theatre
production to .raise ·
consciousness
·regarding the rights
and responsibilities
of landlords and
tenants, and to
transcend the
language and culture
barriers that exist in
our community.
Come to our first
meeting! All creative
and/or interested
people welcome.
Young Women's Days
Making Young Women's
Recreation· a Priority
_ by Jan Borowy
On April 12 and 13, Toronto's
City Hall will become a community
centre organized by young
women and specifically devoted
to. their own concerns. This twoday
health and physical activity
event provides young women ages
13 to 19 with the opportunity to be
involved in and organize their own
activities. This is the first time
such an event has beef! organized
in the inner city and the program
has over 32 sessions ranging from
raps on health, sexism and racism,
sessions on creating videos to co~
operative games as well as more
traditional activities found at a
community centre like basketball
and roller skating.
The event's program has been
designed and co-ordinated by an
organizing committee of 15 young
women mainly from the Regent
Park area. One exciting aspect of
the event - a Video Speaker's
Comer is the idea of the Young
Women's group at the Drug-Free
Arcade, a St. Stephen's Hous~
project.
The Young Women's Days
event is co-ordinated by the Centre
for Women's Health and the
Central Neighbourhood Hou·se
sponsored Young Women's
Recreational Research project.
The re~earch project started in
Septembe!· 1990 and focuses on
Toronto's inner city. The researchers
are investigating the
barriers that keep low-income
young women of racially and
ethnically diverse backgrounds
from being equal prticipants. And
when placed in the context of
where government resources go,
an overview of policies at the
federal and provincial level reveals
that recreation activities and
programs receive far less funding
than Olympic sports.
As well as identifying the barriers,
the researchers found that
there was a large gap between
what the young women wanted
and what was being offered at the
centres including who had a say
over designing the programs. The
researchers have found that there
are few programs and opportunities
specifically devoted for young
women.
Overcoming these barriers and
making young women's recreational
interests a priority will be
the focus for the Young Women's
Days. The activities and discussion
groups are being facilitated
by young women or by facilitators
who will run workshops defined
by the young women's interests.
In order to overcome some barriers
identified by the young women,
transportation is being provided,
food is free and childcare is
available.
Butitsnotonlyatimeforyoung
women, on April 12 at 1:30 to
3:00p.m. a forum will be held for
teachers, youth workers, recreation
providers, communtty ac­
.tivist and others interested in
making young women '·s recreation
a priority. Parents issues and
concerns can beairedataParent's
forum April 17 at the Drug Free
Arcade, 293 Augusta Ave. at 7:00
p.m. .
Further information is available
by calling Jan Borowy, young
women's project researcher at
Central Neighbourhood House,
925-4363 or Kate Scowan from
the Drug-Free Arcade, 920-8980.
On-Going at
The·Arcade
by Kate Scowen
Since the Drug-Free Arcade
opened last June the program has
developed considerably. Aside
from the growing numbers of
multi-ethnic youth we serve each
month our program now includes
a young women's group. We meet
everyWednesdayfrom3:30-5:30
p.m. at the Arcade. Currently we
are organizing ourselves to participate
in the Young Women's
Days which will take place :lt City
Hall on April 12th and 13th. Our
group will be running a "speakers
corner" at the event and hope to
produce a final video by the end
of the summer.
During March Break we focussed
our attention on our 12 and
under group and offered a variety
of free activities; including Kite
making, t-shirt painting and an
outing to the ROM. Everyone had
a great time and we hope we can
offer similar programming this
summer.
We are also in the process. of
hiring one of the older youth who
is a regular at the Arcade to work
· with our 12 and under group. We
hope that by doing this we will
encourage the empowerment and
leadership skills of youth at The
Drug-Free Arcade. ·
To find out more about
the Arcade and the programs we
will be offering this Spring and
Summer, drop by or call us at
.920-8980.
Clases de ·ciudadania canadiense para personas de habla
hispana. Ofrecidos gratis en el Scadding Court Community
Centre. De 9:30 de Ia manana a las 12 der media dia.
Todos los sabados. Para mas informacion !lamar a Maria
Jones al numero 363-5392 del centro o venga a Ia aula
#2 guaderia .en el centro.
E.S.L. classes for newcomers of all languages. Basicintermediate
levels at Scadding Court Community Centre.
Every Tues., Thurs., Fri. from 10 am. to 2 pm. Day care
available for children 2 years and over. Contact Maria
Jones at 363-5392 at the centre or come and register in
room #2.
Clases de ingles ofrecidas gratis en el Scadding Court
Community Centre. Todos ,los martes, jueves y viernes
de 1 o de Ia manana a las 2 de Ia tarde. Guarderia infantii'
para ninos de 2 anos a edad escolar. Para mas
informacion !lamar a Maria Jones al numero 363-5392
del centro o presentarse en el aula #2 del mismo.
Scadding Court Community Certtre, 707 Dundas
St. West, esquina/corner Bathurst.
from participating in community / L-------------'---------------'
and recreation centre youth programs.
While there has been extensive
research on women and
leisure or recreation in Britain,
this · may be the first project in
Canada to focus exclusively on
low-income young women.
The interim research findings
reveal that young women are far
from equal participants at community
centres. Most centres find
that young women make up only
5 to 25% of the young people in
programs. To date, the research~
ers has found that safety, family
responsibilities, workathomeand
in the job force, peer pressure,
school and the nature of the programs
offered at centres all work
together to prevent young women
Bloorcourt
Veterinary
Clinic
Consultation By Appointment Monday to Saturday
Health Care, Surgery and Acupuncture
1079' Bloor Street West
(416) 537-9677 Dr. Jack
·····~·······················
MARKET GOURMET
by Pt>igi Rockwell
I
The Artichoke - Fancy but Fun
The most contradictory of vegetables is back in season. It's
pointy and it's soft. It's elegant and you eat it with your fingers. It's
refined enough for posh society but much more fun at a raucous ·
dinner party. It impresses adults and it's my two-and-a-half-yearold's
favourite vegetable. It's the artichoke-_tender but beware the
choke.
Spring is the artichoke's season but according to the Bal brothers
of Oxford Fruit Market it's available most of the year.
The simplest way to prepare the artichoke is to strip off the outer
layer of leaves, chop off the stem at the bottom and slice off the
prickly top. Rub half a lemon over the artichoke and then boil or
steam until a leaf comes out easily and the meaty portion at the
bottom is soft. Allow one artichoke per person. To eat, start peeling
off the leaves from the outside. Dip the edible bottom part into a
sauce (garlic butter, vinaigrette or mayonnaise) and then scrape off
this meaty part with your teeth. Yum. When you get to the centre
· there will be a soft light green cone which is edible. Underneath the
cone is the prickly centre or the choke. Scoop this out and you're
left with the delicious bottom part of the artichoke.
It's a gregarious vegetable which makes a meal a fun event and
who better to ask about this festive addition to a meal than
Kensington Carnival's Ida Carnevale. She gets this recipe from her
Italian-born mother.
Roasted Artichokes a Ia Ida
4 artichokes
1 cup bread crumbs
/
pepper
1/4 cup butter
I lemon
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 finely diced garlic buds
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/3 cup and 4 extra teaspoons olive oil
.
Slice bottom off stem and then again slice off stem from artichoke
and keep the stem. Slice off top of artichokes. Take off outside
leaves. Wash artichoke and rub with lemon and set aside. Combine
bread crumbs, cheese, parsley, garlic and pepper. Open artichokes
leaves and with a spoon stuff the bread crumb mixture between
I
leaves. In a heavy saucepan inelt 1/4 cup butter in 1/3 cup olive oil
and place artichokes, leaf side up, in oil. Place stems around
artichokes. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil into each artichoke. Cook on
medium high until saucepan sings (Ida's .term for just before the
vegetable starts burning, when the oil is good and hot). Lower heat
and add 1/2 cup of water or enough so the water is about 1" deep in
saucepan. Let steam and regularly spoon some of the oil and water
mixture over the.artichokes. They are ready when you can easily
pull a leaf out of the artichoke. Serve one per person and pour a little
of the sauce over each artichoke. Eat as above. You can subsitute
finely diced anchovies for the parmesan cheese in the bread crumb
mixture.
COLLEGE STREET
UNITED CHURCH
CORNER OF COLLEGE AND BATHURST STREETS
WORSHIP· SUNDAY 10:30 A.M.
:}.., •
'I ~l
A caring .christian
~-~ ' · ·:-- commum\y
-I .. , 1~· . - • -- [(• ill t • Bible-based preach.
-~.. t'f~ . . . ••. • ~ 1 I• Open to everyone
.)tl'r ·~'t: u1 ·» .. tur •. ,
.... ·~~=~ •. ~!,.; • ~~in _irlr~. l! ·· ::.J ,l'rl .\ meaning tn hfe
... 1
~~hJ.t: ~ff:f~1~J·i·Hl~j
~~~~~:.~~~~~~lltllJ
A warm.we/come
awa1ts you
~?.UY';rd-s;ie- -·May 11, 1991 9:00 A.M. ~

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, Aprill99l
Hospital Proposal
continued from page 2
normal manner and in conditions
of freedom and dignity." Children
must be entitled to an environment
that is safe; free from
pollutants and contaminants; is
designed from their perspective
and addresses their needs for open
and green space. The hospital's
proposal to relocate to University
A venue disentitles the children of
these rights.
Alternative sites for the hospital
doexistand these were deemed
suitalble in a provincial commissioned
study of four sites. The
study on the other hand paid no
attention whatsoever to the fact
that adjacent to the Hydro site,
· Orde Street School and a day care
centre across the street from the
school, existed. In fact, the health,
safety and environmental implications
for the children in the
school and the day care centre did
not even enter into discussion in ·
the study. This has deprived the
children in the area of basic rights
and entitlements and regarded
them as little more than nonentities
and even nonpersons. Clearly
the hospital is an incompatible
facility adjacent to a school full of
vl)lnerable children.
There will be a public meeting
and a hospital initiated Ontario
Municipal Board (OMB) hearing
on these issues. The Atomic En-:.
ergy Control Board (AECB) will
~}It~.
cc ~-
hold a Public Information Meeting
on April 17, Wednesday at
7:30 p.m. in the gymnasium of
OrdeStreetSchool, 180rdeStreet
with respect to the hospital's use
of cancer treatment facilities. This
will be followed by an AECB
hearing for the hospital's application
for licensing. the treatment
facilities on May the 1st in Elliot
Lake, Ontario. The Orde Street
parents are requestiongthe AECB
to hold this hearing in Toronto as
the cost for attending by parents is
prohibitive.
The OMB has set aside ten days
for hearings regarding the
hospital's application for proceeding
on the new site beginning
April29, Monday at 10:00 a.m. at
the OMB, 180 Dundas Street
West, 8th floor. Toronto City
Council had approved the University
Avenue site and the cantilevering
design against the best
advice of its planning staff. Consequently
Council has had to approve
the expenditures of$25,500
to hire a planning consultant to
explain its decision to the Board.
The Orde School Parent's
Council request your help and
support in protecting the interests
and rights of the children by opposing
the hospital's plans for
this site. If you wish to help, please
contact the Orde School Parent's
Council through theschoolat393-
1900.
Doug lium, 0 /ld.e S Lru! .. ei
School PaiU!.TLi
~)[})(]) w i10cTI[;:s,~
child care centre
COMMUNITY & ARTS
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
LEARNING WITH YOU
For The Sake of the Children
Drop Dead
by Alma Penn
_____:_________ would die. And Emily observed
that such an event would certain! y
When 9-year-old Emily Smith get lots of attention. And then she
told a bunch of her friends to drop wanted to know if that was about
dead, they took her pretty seriously.
in schools across Toronto. Be­
the same number of kids her age
On Saturday April6 at exactly cause if they all suddenly dropped
3:00 pm, perplexed shoppers at dead at once, people would notice.
the busy Eaton Centre stopped in And care: When Mary said that
mid-spree to find out why there there were probably about that
were fourteen children lying motionless
on the floor in front of a_ "well, they sh

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.
10
Bob The Waiter
Has ...
~ ·.-,J., --·.=--""..:-~./- _--g...... - r:rz:::_:::::;.;;;;;_~---------.r
_._ A?F...... 0 - •
6Dkf FtSIICN 1
SO instead · - . b-y -KI-Igo-re-Tr-out-Jr-. ----:-
The AI Within·
They acted out their little dance as
if they were the dueling projections
of Zen masters from another time and
space.
He shouted and flailed his arms inhis
-postured whiskey poses, only
sometimes making sense like an
empty booze bottle is only sometimes
visible as it rolls down a late night
street and is glimpsed in each dim
passing street light.
Mostly his tongue rolled noisily
along through the dark spots. F'n
bitch this ... and F'n bitch that.
In the local alcoholic dialect she
made wounded baby seal sounds.
If you could have seen! what I heard
!! you would have known!!!, that
somewhere on that grey, cardboard
smelling pile of cloths and bedding
that they were dragging along the
street the hot stained pajama bottoms
of jealousy had just been pulled out of
the laundry bag oflife and we were all
in for a show.
She came off really good at first.
Moving up over his blue line, hitting
him on his blind side with a barely
comprehensible tirade about how he
was responsible for them being tossed
out oftheir apartment. Seems he could
never find workandspentmostofhis
time hanging out a drunken window
dry heaving L.C.B.O. drool all over
the pigeons on the telephone wires.
He charged back on the offensive
(and folks I mean offensive) with a
gymnastically impossible description
of the time she screwed those engineering
students in the park for beer
money.
That was hitting her below the belt
wherethehurtinghandofmanseldom
sets foot' and just like a woman in a
Bob Dylan song her eyes started
bleeding big wet witch tears.
"I wuz jus try in to get that beer fer
your be ... be ... beer. .. birthday
party,"she sobbed.
"Yeah well... the only reason I
rented that bowling alley of an
apartment was cause you wanted· a
big place".
Well, that wasn't exactly like
selling your watch to buy her a hair
ribbon only to find out that she cut if
off and sold it to a wig maker in order
to buy you a new watch chain, but it
was common human ground.
ldon 'tknow what it is in a fell a that
makes him suddenly realize he's gone
too far. When that higher man within
pushes aside the mean outer little guy
'and that giant AI Waxman within
comes down the Augusta Ave. of life
and stops long enough from waving
at people to take your face between
his nationally syndicated hands and
says "Hey garnbino lighten up ...... be
happy".
That guy felt the palms of AI all
right.
He repositioned his toque, zipped
up his fly, nervously ajustedhis hand
paintedC.N. Tower tieandtuckedhis
polyester dinner jacket back into his
friendly goodwill corduroys.
"Lets go baby" he said tenderly,
"stop cryin ..... yer makin everybody
stare at us".
As if responding to an orchestra
leader's baton the hundred pairs of
eyes on Baldwin S t.that had paused in
their shopping to witness all this,
shifted back to their vegetables and
the shabby couple shuffled on along
the street.
Nobody really knew what Jamie
did for a living. He really wasn't too
sure himself.
Every day he'd go into his office
and move papers around his desk and
make phone calls,
Jamie made money. Lots of money.
You only had to ask him to find that
out.
Like a corpulent hippo -in a mud
hole of fmance it stuck to him. He
stank from it and he loved it.
At the end of each day he'd lumber
out of his wallow five minutes before
the human tide flushed itself down
the elevator shafts of the financial
district so he could snort a couple of
lines in the executive washroom.
He loved to stand in the stairwell
outside the exec john and lean against
the w·all so he could silently look up
the skirts of the secretaries using the
staircase to the ladies john above.
Somehow today felt alittledifferent
to Jamie.
Life was somehow losing its fun
and excitment.
He reflected back on those first
heady $55,000 per year days with the
company when the president entrusted
him with evictions ~d past due collections.
Life had meaning then. Then he
was like a giant regulator fine tuning
an economic system gone wrong. A
system where those shabby foul
smelling little people who lived in
those dumpy high rises the company
owned threatened chaos by withholding
rents and key money.
He'd heard ail the usual excuses.
"My husband deserted me, took all
the money, and left all the kids" or "I
can't pay these rents and my student
loan too".
Deadbeats, lesbian commies who
can't keep a real man.
KeymoneywasJamie'sspeciality.
Jamie waddled over to the theatre
district and stood ouL~ide the Yuppie
bar he usually got bombed in.
Maybe it was the blow or maybe it
was the time of year but he just didn't
feel like rubbing shoulders with all
the plebs who'd recently bee.n
crowding into what was once his
private domain.
Often after a long day of collections
and threats Jamie' d come here and
stand at the end of the bar in the
employee's service area dispensing
free drinks and witty stories about his
days' successes to all the sweet young
things who'd crowd around him.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
-Funny now that the recession was
ending they didn't crowd around him
as often, eagerly accepting his free
rounds.
No, today Jamie was going to take
a little walk on the wild side.
He lumbered along Queen West
. looking for new action.
The Horseshoe? no, not his style.
The Rivoli?, pass, the chicks in
there all look like lesbian single
mothers.
How about that place with all the
steel ants welded to the outside? No
way. That's where those bands that
sounded like car parts being ground
up in a blender played.
J Jamie .... was looking for some soul.
The club was down a flight of stairs.
It was dark. Kindareal dark for Jamie.
The brothers were lounging around
the far end of the bar and on a little
stage there was a drum kit, a piano
and a couple of amplifiers.
The brothers were obviously musicians,
two of them had electric guitars
slung over their shoulders and they
talked softly amongst themselves as
they drank their beer and looked down
the bar suspiciously at Jamie.
After a few minutes the tallest one
of them strode slowly along the bar
and sat down on the stool next to
Jamie. ·
Hebununed a cigarette from Jamie
and accepted his offer of a round of
beers for the band.
Jamie was being daring.
Wait till he told everyone about
how he spent an evening in the wierd
part of town hanging out with blues
black people.
"Jamie" thought Jamie, "You're a
rebel''
He looked over his shoulder into
the bar room mirror and imagined
himself in a black leather jacket..
The conversation came easy and
the empty bottles soon covered the
bar.
Jamie nervously rambled on about
nothing, namely his own. gluttonous
little life.
He judged himself to be readily
accepted amongst these strange,
friendly men as he watched them smile
and nod their heads as they seemed to
closely follow everything he said.
"Yeahman,"Jamieslylysnickered,
''I'm on a roll".
After a few more beers the musicians
got up ori stage and started to
jam the blues as Jamie tried to keep
time with his fingers.
In a break between numbers the
-drummer (the tall man) called out to
Jamie. "Hey brother, you don't happen
to play harp do you?"
Jamie immediately thought about
the Marx brothers and looked perplexed.
"No man, I mean do you blow?''
Jamie reached in his suit pocket
and pulled out his vial stash of cocaine
and held it up; being among friends.
Everyone laughed and Jamie felt
strange.
"No man" laughed the drummer.
"I see what your jones is, brother, "I
mean do you like .... play the harmonica".
Jamie flushed and felt embarrassed.
He'd fooled around on one of those
hohner harmonicas one summer at
camp but he certainly never considered!
Wait a second. Holy gambino if
Jamie didn't suddenly feel a tingling
in his fingers and toes.
It was as if some higher man within
took over Jamie and the mean little
guy Jamie watched as the big guy
within crossed Jamie's body over the
Augusta Ave. of life and stepped up
onto the stage.
He. involuntarily waved to the
bartender as he took a mean looking
little hohner D harp from the guitar
player. ·
One and two and "three and four, ..
Dum dum dum dum ... and Jamie
blew lustily into the hot metal reeds
of the harp and his notes flew out of
the harmonica and stuck to the wall
like Mississippi mud.
The guitar player shouted some
wierd stuff into the microphone about
a mannish boy and Jamie's captive
brain raced wildly behind whatever
had seized control of his body.
After the wave of panic subsided
Jamie relaxed and started listening to
his own playing.
He was great!!!
'The Kensington Market Drum, April1991
While Jamie blew a particularily
rude and nasty cat fight of a solo the
guitar player leaned over and shouted
in his ear.
"You may be white on the outside
man, but inside your soul is black".
Jamie's head snapped to the left
and he heard himself say. ·
"Lighten up gambino .... be happy
"!Then his head snapped. back to his
harp and he finished his solo in such
a way that his. mid-solo rest was rendered
significant with meaning and
wild blues innovation.
The song ended and Jamie stepped
heavily off the stage the D-harp literally
smoking blues steam in his
hand.
Jamie barely had time to feel the
ache on his sweat drenched chapped
lips and ask himself just what the hell
was going on before the drummer
was pounding his back and saying
"Shit man, tell me if you ain't James
Cotton in white face, where did you
Jearn that"!?
"Oh er at summer camp" Jamie
heard himself say.
Dreamily Jamie rolled his cocaine
on the bar and it soon disappeared up
everybody's noses.
Jamie was totally freaked. As the
coke raced through his veins like a
hungry ghost slashing nerve endings
with icy teeth Jamie couldn't decide
if what just happened really happened
or not.
Another image rose in his mind
that he at first suppresseq. For some
reason or another it kept coming back
stronger the harder Jamie tried to suppress
it. Almost as a vision, he saw it.
A man was walking up Augusta
Ave. andhewaswavingtoeverybody
and everybody was waving back at
him.
Only he wasn't waving at Jamie
because he had his back to him and he
couldn't see Jamie.
He was all the way up to Baldwin
when he turned and beckoned with a
longsweepofhisarmandthenhewas
gone.
Jesus H. Christ swooned Jamie
what the hell is happening to me?
First I'm playing harmonica like
James Cotton and now I'm seeing
visions of, of ..... .
"Hey Bro you wanna score some
more stuff?" chimed the drummer. .
"Yeah sure" said Jamie. "Lets get
out of here".
They hussled out on to the dark
rainy street into the band's cube van
and drove north. In a few minutes
they pulled off of Dundas Street and
turned up Augusta. .
Jamie started to get that wierd
dreamy feeling again.
"Hey man here's our money ... "
urged the drummer.
''Take all of your money and put it
all together in your hand"
"What now?" moaned Jamie.
The cube van slowed down opposite
an old wooden doorway.
"You see that door overthere man",
whispered the drummer.
"Well you go over there and put
your right hand in the hole on the right
side of the door and your left hand
with the money in it in the other hole
right beside it".
"But" sputtered Jamie.
"No buts man", growled the
drununer. "W ecalled before we drove
on up here. It's all set up, Just do it
man".-
Jamie rolled out of the van and
stuck both his hands into the darkness
of the door.
He felt a human hand snatch the
money from his left hand and as he
waited to feel the packet of coke drop
into his right hand he noticed a slight
tingling around his wrists.
"What" shouted Jamie.
'Tv been handcuffed!!!! Hey you
gotta help me", Jamie called back to
his new friends in the van.
They,were all smiles.
"Hey sucker. We told you it was all
set up. Nighty, night". ·
"No, come back, where are you
going? You can't just leave me here
handcuffed to this door"! cried Jamie.
Bu( they were gone. Howling and
laughing up the street.
Jamie had heard about this part of
town before.
Isn't it that part of town where that
scary motor blending rock band lives
and all those Oriental gang shottings
happened, thought Jamie. This was
serious and Jamie had to take a leak.
The street was deserted and it was
raining, this was the worst day of
Jamie's life.
Far off Jamie could hear a creaking
sound getting closer and closer.
Around the corner there came a
man and a woman pushing a shopping
cart piled with soggy clothes and
bedding. They slowed as they neared
the man with no hands leaning against
the door. ·
"Hey buddy", said the tall weirdly
dressed man.
"You in some kinda trouble"?
"Well",moaned Jamie, I was handcuffed
to this door. .. by ... some ... ah
robbers. Yeah robbers .... muggers:
Punk robber .... muggers".
"Punk robber muggers you say ?'l
wondered the man.
"Yeah, they're in ·a band, I think"
grimaced Jamie.
"Oh yeah, I read about them in the
newspaper I think?" the weirdly
dressed man replied.
"They fix sinks too".
"Yeah whatever Pop. Look ... Ah
Sir do you think you could find a
hacksaw or call a locksmith or something.
I gotta take a leak".
The woman who had been standing
in the shadows behind the shopping
cart walked slowly around and stood
beside Jamie.
She raised her arm and lit her bic
lighter in front of Jamie's face and let
out a piercing scream before falling
backward into the shabby mans arms,
her hand clawing theC.N. Tower hand
painted tie above his shabby heart.
"George", she hissed, "it's him.
That horrible little bugger who evicted
us from the apartment".
"Well what do ya know", smiled
shabby George.
Jamie didn't recognize them. All
those seedy, needy little people looked
the same to him:.
"Look mister, if ther,!! has been
some misunderstanding" whined
Jamie.
"No misunderstanding", said
shabby George.
It was then that Jamie noticed the
long scissors in shabby George's hand.
"Why did it have to end like this"!
thought Jamie.
"Just hold still", sneered shabby.
George.
George proceeded to cut Jamie'
jacket off.
"Hey fella that's a $500 jacket",
warned Jamie.
"That's O.K.", piped shabby
George.
"I'll just sew it back together".
"Hey wait a minute they're my
pants you're pullin off lady. Help!!
Police!!! yelled Jamie.
Shabby George and the woman
bundled Jamie's jacket, pants and shirt
up and put them on the cart and headed
off down the street.
"You can't just leave me!" im·
plored Jamie.
"We'llleave you your undies you
might catch cold", called back the
woman.
A few wheel squeaks and they were
gone.
111111111111 1111111 JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Sgt. Kennedy of Metro Police 14tl;
Division thought he'd seen everythin~
in his 20 years as a police officer.
He wasn't too fazed to see in th<
beam of his search light this fat gu)
wearing nothing but a pair of dayglo"'
yellow boxer shorts with "I'm Sexyj
printed all over them standing witl'
his hands stuck into two holes in l
.door.
The downtown twist was that then
was piss running down his legs.
I saw the whole thing.
I was out putting up posters for th<
upcoming Kensington Drum News
paper Benefit.
They're great posters.
They say : MAY 16th, 8PM 3rd
floor party room of
SANTA FE
SOUTHWESTERN AMERICAJ\
RESTAURANT
129 PETE!
STREET - be there or be square -
The bands will be D-Squad anc
Culture Shock.
"Heycomeonnow",you'resaying
"did you tell us this whole shaggy do!
story just to plug your fundraiser"?
Well not exactly.
continued next page

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, April 1991
Muzak For Fartz
by Colin Puffer
In these days of MIDI, laser
light shows and hi-tech production
it's not often one gets
to hear a musician who bills
himself as an organist rather
than a keyboard player. So, it
was a special treat for Market
residents to be blessed with the
public debut of Dr. Shmaltz ath
the Greeks on Mon., April I.
Ayearago,JimboSyrett
alias Dr. Shmaltz, purchased a ·
fine old organ, vowing he'd
master it in only 365 days.
Sceptics began pouring into
Johnny's early Monday evening
to see ifJimbo could make good
on his promise. Dr. Shmaltz
rapidly put to rest any of the
doubters' scepticism. Backed
by a drummer and a plethora of
guests the band grooved
through the evening drawing
,, on a repretoire that can only be
described as, well, shmaltzy.
ll
Songs such as the Toby Swann
classic "Somewhere Over The
Rainbow", "Feelings", and
"Fun, Fun, Fun" wafted
throught the heady air of
;I Baldwin, filling the heads of
, the audience with sweet
· memories ofhighschool dances.
The band even found the right ·
touch to perform "A Whiter
11 Shade Of Pale" in as style that
would not have been out of
place in a Holiday Inn lounge.
And talk about sharp
dressers! Not since Julio
Iglesia's gig at the Greeks last
year has the stage been graced
by a musician in a tuxedo. Dr
Shmaltz'sbandboastednot

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.
12
The Kensington Market Drum, Aprill991
••••••••••••••••••••••••••
DATES TO WATCH
I
DRUM HUM * COMMUNITY ADS I
Sundays: beginning April 7 at
761 Queen St. An exploration of
theepistleofJarnes "faith without
works is dead". A book that is
ignored in theological colleges.
info: Brian Burch, United Church
of Canada 362-2004 or969-8468.
THERE IS LIFE BEFORE
DEATH! The New Intelligence
Lectures given by Jan Cox,
author of "The Death of
Gurdjieff in The Foothills of
Georgia" are screened Sundays
at 6:30 p.m. at 1044 Bathurst
Street. 652-0099
THlJRSDA YS: Scat Cabaret
at Scadding Court: free coffee,
free child care (under five),
starts at7 pm, pay what you can.
Music and a bit of theatre.
Phone 588-8580 for info.
April 13: 761 Queen St. (formerly
St. Christopher House) 7:30
pm . Writers, Justice and Faith.
Readings by Maggie Helwig,
Sharon Goodier and Brian Burch.
info 362-2004 or 969-8468
April15: Toronto Public Library
public meeting at City Hall. Find
out about plans for improvement
to library services over the next 5
years. Discuss tbe Five Year
Strategic Plan (a draft copy will
be avaiable at the meeting)
April 17: . noon- 3pm LIFT'S
FIRST ANNUAL INDOOR
PICNIC
(LIFT-Low Income Families Together)
519 Church Street (Church between
Bloor and Wellesley)
Food, Beverages, and TIC tickets
provided ·
Music by Cool Congress, Fun
Stuff for Kids
If your on Welfare or a Low Wage
Earner, come and celebrate!
Conta~t LIFT for more information
at 864-1634-
April17: 7:30pm at The Education
Centre, 155 College St. 1991
Lecture series for Women
Cyclists." Addressing Roadblocks
to Commuting". Sharon Elliot and
panel. Tips and ideas on cycling to
work.
April17: Western Hospital public
meeting. 6: 15 pm see ad p 3
TORONTO BOARD OF
EDUCATION PARENTS
CONFERENCE '91 takes
place Sunday April21 at Central
Technical School. Registration
is through your school and is
very limited. If you're interested
in the issues to be covered ( everything!
streaming and
destreaming, parent involvement,
dealing with violence,
computers, sexism,
environmental education... )
find out who from your school
is going to be there!
April 24: Sanderson Library.
Family films: "The Wild Swans"
7pm.
April24: 7:30pm at theEcucaiton
Centre, 155 College St. 1991
Lecture series for women cyclists.
"Purchasing Pedal Power" Liane
Gillies on buying a new bike.
April 27: CELEBRATE MAY
DAY, sponsored by Socialist
Challenge/Gauche Socialiste.
Latin American Rock, buffet
dinn~r. cash bar, speakers, literature
and craft displays, raffle,
labour songs and dancing. St.
Christopher House, 248 Ossington
A venue at Dundas, 7 pm. tickets
$12 (employed) $8 (non-waged)
, Concerts at
University Settlement
House
Faculty recital: Monday April15,
7:30pm
music for voice, guitar, piano,flute
and violin by Bach, Mozart, Faure
and others·. ·
Student recital: Wednesday April
24, 7:30 pm . A selection of our
:;tudents, and a guest performance
by the Scadding Court Steel Band
SNAP PANS.
New music and jazz: Friday May
17, 7:30pm. Experimantal compositions
performed by Jeff
Martin (violin), Roxane Hreha
(flute), and Doug Chase (piano).
everyone welcome
free of charge
Earth Week Calendar Sunday,
April21:
Project Indigenous Restor11tion.
Native speakers from the Arctic
to the Amazon, music, dance.
6arn-5pm. Queens Park
Sunday,April21: Earthday Festival
in Sherwood Ravine.
(Bayview and Eglinton)
Musicains, storytellers, jugglers,
tree planting, food and poetry -
all in the style of Robin Hood and
Maid Marion. Starts at 10 a.m.
Call 975-8205 for info.
Monday, April 22 (Earth Day):
Playwright's Union of Canada
presents An Evening with the
Perfect Piece, 94 7-0201
Tuesday, April 23: Public
Transint Leave-your -car.-at -home
Day.
Wednesday, April24: Litterless
Lunch Day. Make your lunch
disposible-food-container free.
Thursday, April 25: Tree Day.
Tree Planting around Metro.
Friday, April 26: Toront9 Hydro
urges you to save energy and
introduces the new brown plan to
putanukereactorinevery garage.
Saturday April27: Variety Club
Wheelchair Celebrity Challege,
Nathan Phillips Square.
For further Information call Earth
Week Ho_tline:392-1500
DRUM IS ALSO
photographers
advertising + editorial
industrial + portrait
still life + location
post production
videographers
inquire 416-599-drum
00 For Rent and Sale
For sale: $135,000.
Cute detached 2 storey 2 bedroom
house, near TIC, shopping
(Queen/Dovercourt) 922-8749.
Leave message.
KENSINGTON Upper Victorian
3-4 bedroom. Hardwood floors,
carpet, appliances, laundry.
$1595/mo. inc. utilities. 699-6156
ROOM FOR RENT: Brunswick
at College. Sublet May to September,
$350 inclusive call Amy
323-1078
01 Yard Sales
Planning the sale of the season?
. Tell your neighbours with a
/DRUM HUM ad!
02 Child Care
Catholic Settlement House Day
Nursery has spaces available for
children 2 1/2 to 9 yrs. old
Non-profit daycare, central
location - Call 977-0254
SNOWFLAKE CHILD CARE
CENTRE has spaces available for
children 2 1{2 to 5 years. Small,
non-profit day care in this area
(Carr Street). Individual approach,
whole foods menu. Phone
368-9124.
FAMILY DA YCARE SER.:'
VICES, a United Way Agency, is
looking for people in our community
to provide child-care. See ad
pg9.
03 Help Wanted
ADMINISTRATOR. Kensington
Carnival Arts Society will interview
candidates for the post of
theatre administrator Application
in writing with resume to 45
Bell

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.
,.
'
1 •;
l
HOME
DECORATING
}
~
J:/ffght
Chotee·
4 litre
only $27.95
4 litre
. only $29.95
(offer expires May 31)
.,, ~"'ENT-1{ All Benjamin Moore
.- 0 ('~ -
.. ~~.
.
%"'
Latex Paints
I">
~ ·
•
.• . ..I
· conform
.
to
~ . · f Environmental
'+ ~~ · ~~~-., Choice guidelines.
~-'lROl'i
-1!11