#9204 - Jun 1992

d 

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. 

"A Kensington People's Paper" June 25 1992 

INSIDE: 

Saturday June 27 

The First Annual 

-Harbord Fringe Event, 

"n~ori to nine, 

rain or shine. "- 

BIA + Fringe = 

' 

PARTY!! 

Neighbourhood entertainment 

Free. 

Let's. hope it's annual. 

See DRUM SALUTES, page 9. 

BACK THEN-IT -wAS NOTHING BUT BANANAS: 

FARMER BOB TALKS TO FRANCES BORG: · page Dl 1 

D4 

ALSO -INSIDE 

STACK SPAT 

• victory for AHI at board of 

- health and 

big strides at council; 

see Major motions passed, page 2 

- • $100,00 incinerator repair: 

"dramatic illiprovemt>lt'' u. 

"cosmetic retrofit"? 

see Six week shutdown, page 2 

• Taking to the streets: Action 

on Hospital Inciner~tion to start 

"information picket". 

See Join the action, page 8 

above: 1928 - 

the Pitoscia 

family, . 

Palmerston 

Avenue. Photo 

Courtesy Mel- 

0-Ripe Banana 

Brands 

left: 1960 - 

Anne and 

Antonia Sanci, 

Kensington 

Marke,t. Photo 

courtesy , 

Frances Borg 

AND 

REGULARLY 

NEWS, VIEWS I 2,3,5 

KENSINGTON PLACE I 3 

LAST TIME WE REPORTED I 4 

EDITORIAL, LETTERS I 4 

ENVIRONMENTAL, LIVING I 6, 7 

SCRAPBOOK I 8,9 

DIRECTORY I D1-D4 

MEET THE MERCHANTS I D 1, D4 

COM¥UNITY,ARTS I 10-14 

TEEN BEAT I 10 

LEARNING WITH YOU I 11 

PAGAN WAY I 12 

POET'S CORNER I 13 

ENTERTAINMENT I 14,15 

COUPONS, BRICKS I 16 

J11~}1J~IliUil 

•u•t;'-hb• 

~ 

tt . ~0~ 

~ 

- 

276 Augusta Avenue At the Heart of the Downtown West (416) 363 DRUM (phone/fax) 

~ 

- ot\1"' 

-Tambor



Page Two/June 25 1992 NEWS Kensington Market DRUM 

Major motions passed at Board of Health and Council 

please opponents of Toronto Hospital incinerator 

'14t their June 4 meeting the Toronto Board of Health heard deputations .from AHI(Kensington) 

(Action on Hospital Incineration) and from various environmental groups and a 

spokesperson .from the Toronto Hospital CounCil. After hearing speakers, the Board of 

Health adopted the follmving motions regarding the Toronto Western Hospital incinerator. 

The vote at the Board of Health was wzarzimous. · 

BIOMEDICAL WASTE DISPOSAL AND EMISSIONS 

FROM HOSPITAL WASTE INCINERATORS 

The Board of Health recommends: 

1. That the Board of Health ehdorse the following recommendations, as amended, of the 

Action on Hospital Incineration- Kensington (AHI): 

We urgently request: 

* (a) That the Toronto Hospital immediately implement the new Ministry definition of 

biomedical waste which will reduce the incineration waste stream from the hospital by 

30%. 

(b) That a freez~ be placed on the Toronto Hospital's licence to import waste so that no 

new contracts can be taken on and quotas -from present customers cannot be 

increased. , 

(c) That the Toronto Hospital stop burning for any other inst'itutions, thus placing the 

imperative to find acceptable disposal methods back upon the institution which 

produces the waste. 

* (d) That the incinerator be replaced with a safe, effective, -non-incineration technology for 

the disposal of infectious waste with all due haste. 

(e) The Medical Officer of Health be asked to work with the Ministry of the Environment 

to formulate a feasible timetable for the implementation of the above recommendations. 

(t) That the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Health be urged tu provide 

incentives to all hospitals to act proactively in implementing the above recommendations. 

* (g) That the Ministry of Health be urged to provide additional financing for the Toronto 

Hospital to implement safe non-incineration technologies for the disposnl of their 

biomedical waste. 

2. That the Board of Health request a status report from the Toronto Hospital before the 

Hospital implements the proposed cosmetic retrofit of the Toronto Western- Hospital 

incinerator. 

1 

* 3. That £he Board of Health demand the Toronto Hospital and other Toronto hospitals 

practise waste separation so that they burn only waste for which incineration is the only 

option. 

4. That the Medical Officer of Health request an inventory of quantity and source of all 

waste burned at the Toronto Western Hospital. 

5. That the Minister of Health be requested to release funds to the Toronto Hospital and 

other hospitals, as quickly as possible, in order that hospitals may implement changes to their 

waste management stream. - 

6. That the MediCal Ofticer of Health be requested to write to the Hospital ·Council of 

Metropolitan Toronto to obtain more information on the Booth Street Laundry pilot program 

and any environm~ntal programs the hospital council is currently undertaking. 

7. That the Medical Officer of Health be requested to obtain information on the terms of 

reference of the Hospital Council of Metropolitan Toronto. 

8. That the Medical Ofticer of Health be requested to write to the Ontario Medical Association 

and the Canadian Medical Association to request details of any activities designed to 

increase p~ysicians' awareness and knowledge of appropriate biomedical waste disposal. 

These motions then went to City Council June 15 and 16, because the Board is a committee 

of City Council. City Council adopted all of the Board of Health's motions except the 

ones with asterisks--i.e. numbers 1 (a), 1 (d), I (g), and 3. These four were referred back to 

the Board of Health, at the instigation of Ward' 3 Councillor Tony 0 'Donohue. The Board 

will hear further deputations on these either July 16 or August 20. At this second meeting the 

remaining AH1 recommendations will be measured head-to-head against the recommendations 

of the City's Medical Offic;er of Health (MOH) whose own report on biomedical inci~:~eration 

came to the Board June 25 and was held over for deputations. The same time. The MOH is 

also sharply critical of existing standards for medical incinerators and specifically critical of 

the Western incinerator. But he argues for one state-of-the-art "regional" incinerator at some 

Toronto hospital. Members of AHI (Kensington) fear that Western will put itself in the running 

for this "regional" facility. . 

David Allen of the Toronto Hospital reacted somewhat favourably to the MOHs report, 

saying that the hospital is "looking forward to the debate" over that report. But he was 

critical of the motions passed by the Board of Health and City Council. "They do not 

understand the issue facing all hospitals in Toronto" he said "that we need an alternative to 

incineration and there is no alternative. They do not recognize that there needs to be a 

solution in place before adopting motions like these. " . . 

"There are solutions" responded John Wilbur of AH1. "But can you see the hospital 

giving any of them a chance while they can make money burning biomedical waste for other 

hospitals? Without political actions like those taken by council and the board of he,alth, the 

hospital will drag its heels forever. Even the MOH's report states clearly that there are 

effective safe alternatives to incineration. ' · 

Report by David Per.lman!DRUM Staff 

DRUM DATES AND DEADLINES 

PUBLICATION DATES: PUBLICATION DATES* DEADLINES: 

FALL/WINTER 1992 SPRING/SUMMER 1993 Usually 10 days prior to 

AUGUST 20 JANUARY 28 - publication. 

OCTOBER 1 MARCH 11 lrtquire to 

NOVEMBER 5 APRIL 29, JUNE 3 363-DRUM 

I 

DECEMBER 10 

*projected 

phone or fax 

' 

' 

25 Augusta Avenue, site of 

rezoning application to put 

housing in the rear. See 

notice of J1leeting, next page. 

NEWSNEWSNEWSNEWS~~SNEWSNEWSNEWSNEWS 

ROUNDUPROUNDUPROUNDUPROUNDUPROUNDU 

I 

SIX WEEK SHUTDOWN 

PLANNED FOR OLD SMOKEY, 

IF PROVINCE COMES 

THROUGH WITH CASH 

THE TORONTO HOSPITAL IS SEEKING 

ABOUT $100,000 TO REPAIR THE 

WESTERN HOSPITAL INCINERATOR. IF 

THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH GIVES 

THEM THE MONEY, THE INCINER 

ATOR WOULD CLOSE FOR ABOUT SIX 

WEEKS. 

BUT THE REPAIR Is CONTROVER 

SIAL. 

THE CONSULTANT WHO WROTE 

THE REPORT RECOMMENDING THE 

REPAIR SAYS IT WILL RESULT IN A 

"DRAMATIC REDUCTION IN POLLU 

TION AS WELL AS VISUAL POLLU 

TION" FROM THE STACK. THE CON 

SULTANT DESCRIBED THE WORK AS 

BEING SIMILAR TO GIVING A CAR A 

TUNE-UP. 

CITY COUNCIL AND THE BOARD 

OF HEALTH HAVE BOTH PASSED 

MOTIONS DESCRIBING THE PROPOSED 

REPAIR AS "COSMETIC" A VIEW 

- SHARED BY MEMBERS OF AHI (KEN 

SINGTON) WHO POINT OUT THAT 

EVEN WITH THESE REPAIRS, THE 

INCINERATOR WILL NOT MEET STAN 

DARDS FOR AN INCINERATOR BUILT . 

AFTER 1986. 

LEONARD AVENUE GARAGE 

CLOSED FOR REPAIRS 

PEOPLE USED TO WEEKEND PARKING 

IN THE HOSPITAL GARAGE AT 

LEONARD AND NASSAU WILL HAVE 

TO GO ONE BLOCK FURTHER WEST. 

!HE GARAGE IS CLOSED FOR 

REPAiRS. SEE AD, NEXT PAGE. 

THE GARAGE SITE. THIS REPAIR, HE 

SAID, HAD TO BE DONE NOW 

BECAUSE THE GARAGE - IS BADLY 

CORRODED BY SALT AND" IS STKUC 

.TURALL Y UNSAFE. 

87 BELLEVUE: "SLIMY" REAL 

ESTATE RUMOUR 

SCARING UP SALES 

SOME PEOPLE LIVING IN KENSING 

TON NEAR 87 BELLEVUE AVENUE 

(SEE ARTICLE NEXT PAGE) ARE 

BEING PANICKED INTO PUTTING 

THEIR HOMES UP FOR SALE. 

AGENTS FOR AT LEAST ONE 

LOCAL REAL ESTATE COMf'ANY 

HAVE BEEN KNOCKING ON DOORS 

GIVING FALSE INFbRMATION ABOUT 

THE PLAN FOR 87 BELLEVUE. ONE 

VERSION OF THE RUMOUR IS THAT 

THE BUILDING WILL BE A "GOVERN 

MENT HOUSING PROJECT WITH 42 

APARTMENTS, WHICH WILL ADD A 

LOT OF TRAFFIC TO THE STREET." 

IN FACT THE PROJECT WILL BE PRI 

VATE NONPROFIT HOUSING, SUPER 

VISED BY THE HOMES FIRST 

SOCIETY. THERE WILL BE 28 APART 

MENTS. HALF OF THESE WILL BE 

FOR PEOPLE REFERRED BY SiSTER/NO 

AT 181 BATHURST (SEE ARTICLE 

PAGE 8-9). THE 9THER HALF WILL 

BE PEOPLE RECOMMENDED AND 

SUPPORTED BY THE CORNER DROP 

IN, THE ST. STEPHEN'S-UNJTED 

WAY AGENCY AT 203 AUGUSTA 

AVENUE. 

THE VAST MAJORITY OF RESI 

DENTS WILL NOT OWN MOTOR 

VEHICLES. 

NEIGHBOURHOOD PEOPLE WANT 

ING ACCURATE INFORMATION ABOUT 

THE PROJECT CAN CONTACT GRACE 

OLLERHEAD, HOMES FIRST SOCIETY 

AT 362-2827. 

ST ANDREW WIDENING STILL 

STIRRING UP FEELINGS 

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS 

PROCEEDING WITH TENDERS FOR 

THE WIDENING OF ST ANDREW 

STREET WHILE RESIDENTS AND 

BUSAINESSES ON THE SOUTH SIDE 

TRY TO GET SUPPORT FOR WIDENING 

A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE HOSPI- LESS ON BOTH SIDES. THE WIDENING 

TAL SAID THE REPAIR HAS NOTHING HAS BEEN DECLARED NECESSARY BY 

TO DO WITH EARLIER PLANS TO THE PARKING AUTHORITY AS A 

EXPAND THE GARAGE. HE REFUSED PRECONDITION FOR EXPANDING THE 

TO COMMENT ON THE "HYPOTHETI- KENSINGTON GARAGE, AND WAS 

CAL QUESTION" WHETHER THE ALSO IDENTIFIED AS NECESSARY 

WORK BEING DONE NOW WOULD DURING SPADINA LRT ENGINEERING 

HELP OR HINDER FUTURE PLANS FOR STUDIES.



Kensington Market DRUM 

NEWS 

June 25 1992/Page Three 

LRT=Long Rows of Trees? 

Nope--Last Round of Talks· 

by David Perhnan 

The Spadina streetscape design goes public in late July. 

TIC/Metro have officially received the Minister of the Environment's conditions for 

approval of a Spadina streetcar and Du Toit, Allsopp, Hillier, the TIC's streetscape 

design consultants, hired last fall, are back on the job. They are developing a "preliminary 

concept" for the street (i.e.- the general design and layout of pedestrian amenities, 

street furnishings, trees, lights, etcetera, as well as platform design and access). 

Word has it that they are including trees wherever possible 1 although at this stage they 

are not looking at the specific location of every tree. That will be done by them or 

another consultant in late fall. Rather, they will show general locations for trees given 

the constraints (pedestrian movement, underground utilities, road salt, etc.). 

The consultants are planning a Community Workshop in late July to show the plan and 

get community input. Invited to the workshop will be all the people who participated in 

their "working groups," (North, Central and South). The workshop is tentatively 

, scheduled for University Settlement House, on July 23. · 

Other interested residents and business people are free to attend. But the consultants 

want very specific community input at this stage and so prefer to work with people who 

have followed the process to date. They are not equipped to deal with large crowds in 

a public meeting format: rather they wish to discuss local issues with small groups of 

Spadina residents and business people. ··· . 

Nev~rtheless, interested people can call Peter Dean or Riz Ibrahim or Lawler/Dean 

Research at 362-4800 for further information about the Community Workshop. 

Next Steps: After this workshop, the consultants will prepare a draft report incorporating 

community input, and present this concept back to the same group in late September. 

They will submit a final report to both Metro and City councils in October. 

87 Bellevue A venue 

A DIFFERENT KIND OF RENOVATIONS PROJECT 

~ . 

· · · ·••9Y: t••'XiJt~ ·····'"·~~ ····ll~N:~~~. ···· 

KENSINGTON PLACE IS KATE'S PLACE 

WHEN SHE'S HERE BUT .SHE ISN'T. 

WATCH FOR ART-FOR-ARTSAKE IN 

. I 

AUGUST, UNLESS YOU KNOW WHEN 

KATE'S ELECTIVE BIRTHDAY IS, IN 

WHICH CASE, SAYS KATE, 

SEE YOU JULY l ... FOR AN ENCORE 

You are Invited to Attend a 

Planning Advisory Committee 

PUBLIC MEETING 

Wednesday, July, 8, 1992, at 7:00p.m. 

at Ryerson Public School, 96 Denison Avenue 

Notice of a proposal to Amend Official Plan and Zoning 

By-Law Re: 25 Augusta Avenue 

The Site 

The site is located on the east side of Augusta A venue, 

north of Queen Street West. 

The Proposal 

To construct a five-storey, 41-unit social housing project 

at 25 Augusta A venue. The project will be connected 

to the existing historically designated house, and 

will replace the existing vacant two-storey building at 

the rear of the site. 

Purp·ose of the meeting 

The Public Meeting will provide ari opportunity for 

members of the public to review, ask questions and 

make comments on the proposal. 

Ifyou cannot attend, you can still make your views 

known by writing to the Chairperson, City of Toronto 

Planning Advisory Committee, 2nd. floor, City Hall, 

Toronto, Ontq.rio, . M5H 2N2. 

Further Information 

If you would like further information 

or a copy of the Preliminary Report which describes 

the proposal in more detail, please contact 

SUSANNE PR}NGLE at 392-7740, · 

City of Toronto Planning and Development. 

by Thierry Le Brun 

There is a renovation project currently going on at 

87 Bellevue A venue. This is a large, aging structure 

at the edge of the market which has gone 

through several incarnations during its extensive 

life time, the latest as , the headquarters of the 

Church of Unification. Right now, it is owned by 

the Homes First Society which is redoing it for 

non-profit housing in conjunction with St. Step_hen's 

Community House. 

What is remarkable about the project' is the 

work crew. Most of the men working on the 

renovations were not recruited from lists of 

workers kept by general contractors. They were 

hired straight out of "the Corner," St. Stephen's 

Community House's drop-in centre for people 

with little or no income, at 203 Augusta Avenue. 

These were men with skill and experience, mostly 

in constru



Page Four/June 25 1992 

EDITORIAL/LETTERS 


DRUM 

Talking 

DRUM 

note from the publishers 

We're going into our fourth year now: 

the summer is always an anniversary ofsorts 

for us. In some ways it's hard to 

believe that it's been that long. In 

· other ways it's impossible to believe 

it's been that little. 

Big changes ahead for our community 

and DRUM, we think, in the years 

ahead. 

To the people helping carry DRUM to 

the areas we're new to, our thanks. To 

those new readers, welcome. One big 

challenge we face in the coming year is 

trying to reach more people with the 

same number of papers, rather than 

simply printing more copies. (So ifyou 

live somewhere where two DRUMS go 

where one would do, please let us 

know. By the same token, if one is too 

many, tell us) ' 

This month sees fifteen new members 

in DRUM's directory, surely a record 

since our very early days. This month 

sees too the adven(of five new 

sustaining members--organizations or 

concerns that use DRUM regularly 

enough that they have an interest in 

reserving blocks of space on a yearly 

basis. More about sustaining membership 

next time. 

For now, happy holidays, eh. Ifwe 

keep our little worlds strong and 

connected, maybe the larger ones will 

also stick. 

cu)._\)~~"' 

~~~4_3u~~ 

DRUM is a publication of Kensington Market Drum, 

P.O. Box 67590, 576 Dundas Street West Toronto M5T 3B8 

Material lvith a DRUM by-line may be reprinted with acknowledgment. 

Material with an individual by-line or credit, 

is in the copyright of that individual. 

Points of view in such items are those of the individual. 

DRUM is multipartisan rather than non~partisan. 

We have the right to reject items. 

For deadlines see page 16. 

For rates and infonnation, 363-DRUM. 

DRUMMERS, May 1992 

Sally Stollmeyer, Allan Schwam, Angelo Pimentel, Amina Miller, 

Josh Smith, Robert Lives, Mike Milando, Shelly Stringer, Colin 

Puffer., Masha Buell, Nina Ewing, Angie Choly, Leon Kaplan, 

Derek Rogers, Sophia Perlman, Luca Perlman, Martin Smith, 

John Stollmeyer, Jack Gewarter, Mary Fish, Robert Boucher, 

Buzz Burza, David Perlman, SN Bianca, Kate Burt McNeil, 

Karen Pang, The Wilburs, Elizabeth Melo, Mabuti Seabe, Stan 

Mazur, Lany Walker, Jim M_uggah, Chris Lowry, Jeff Stinson, 

Carol Branning, Doug Hum, Pamela Brown, Janice Runge, 

Anthony Seaburg, Bernie Buehl, Deborah Cowman, Mark 

Kajouji, B. Glenn, Pat Bisset, Maisela Kekana, 

Bread & Roses Credit Union 

Drum by Matyas, layout by KF Editorial 

printing by Weller 

Letters to DRUM 

Box 67590 

57 6 Dundas Street West 

Toronto MST 3B8 

published. Unless stated here, lettet·s are published in their entirety. 

HELP CREATE 

A CITY FOR 

CIDLDREN 

(Safe City Play Space) 

Dear DRUM: 

Gradually over the last several 

decades we have given over more 

and more of the city to cars - now 

up to 50% of Toronto's space is 

largely devoted to this major cause 

of urban pollution (air, space, 

noise). Toronto now has the distinction 

of being the most polluted 

of cities of its size in North 

America. 

At the end of May, I participated 

in the second International Auto 

Free Cities' Conference which 

took place at the Board of Education 

(we also used City · Hall, 

Metro Archives and, of course, the 

Island - one of North America's 

few auto-free spaces.) 

We focussed a lot on children as 

the biggest losers in the struggle to 

limit cars. Dr. John Adams, a 

U.K. writer and geographer, spoke 

at the "Children First'' workshop 

and other forums about how the 

unchecked spread of the car has 

driven children off the streets into 

their homes where young imaginations 

are shaped by often violent 

television rather than direct experience 

(See One False Move, A 

Study of Children's Indepemlent 

Mobility.) 

Our ' concern in downtown 

Toronto, is that few steps are 

being taken to limit car use, despite 

City Council's wish to dramatically 

reduce emissions in the 

next few years. Children are most 

hurt - asthma, bronchial and lung 

disorders particularly hurt them ~ 

but also children are ignored as 

City space is converted, not to 

parks and playgrounds, but rather 

to parking lots and increasingly 

congested and dangerous roads. 

Children in North Jarvis (30-35 

Charles) got a five-storey parking 

lot instead of a park; Sussex-Ulster 

children are still waiting for a 

traffic plan to make their streets 

safer; on the Waterfront, with too 

many roads, the City still has not 

dedicated a bicycle lane on 

Queen's Quay to serve young 

citizens; St. Lawrence children 

will suffer from the failure to close 

a small section of the Esplanade so 

that they will have direct surface 

access to the playground for the 

new Market Lane School. 

This sad list of the failure to 

serve Toronto children goes on 

and on. At the Board we are hoping 

. to make some real changes in 

putting young children first in 

determining use of City space. 

Recently we passed a motion at the 

Environmental Issues Committee 

asking that the Board work with 

the City to create play streets for 

children (particularly in park-deficient 

areas). As well, we will be 

meeting this summer to plan how 

local community schools may be 

reinforced th_rough developing safe 

cycling and walking routes to 

school for children. 

At the end of his book, John 

Adams reminds us of the United 

Nations Convention on the Rights 

of the ChiJd (1990) which requires 

that children be given first call on 

society's concerns and capacities. · 

Wf? have a long way to go to 

realize this in downtown Toronto. 

Let me know if you would like to 

help in this struggle. 591-8044 

Ward 5, 6 Trustee Joan Doiron 

( 

PANHANDLERS HARASSING US, MERCHANT SAYS 

Dear DRUM - 

There has always been the odd homeless 

pe11son walking the streets of Kensington 

Market. But things are definitely getting out of 

hand. Make no mistake, these people do need 

help but bringing them to Kensington to hang 

out on the streets and get readily available 

cooking wine from the Baldwin St. grocer is 

not the answer. The police have gone some 

way in handling the complaints and clearing 

them from back alleys and other places they 

find themselves, but this is not a solution. I'm 

sure the fire dept. are tired of being called in 

with medics to handle the reports of intoxicated 

individuals requiring assistance. 

Market shoppers are constantly being harassed 

by panhandlers. On just one walk along 

. Baldwin Street I was asked for money four 

times. Other people were also repeatedly 

approached for cash. I am sure that market 

shoppers do not enjoy being harassed this way 

-who would. The worry is these people won't 

return. People come here to save money and 

enjoy the market. All that I'm saying is all of 

this is not good for Kensington. I'm tired of 

1M JUSf 5AYIN~ 

BE 'f!AU Of 

WHAT YOU ijAVf 

AT T»E MOMENT 

walking over drunken bodies while coming 

and going through the stairwells of St. Andrew 

parking lot So are a lot of people. 

I'd like to take this opportunity to ask the 

drop-in centre on Augusta A venue run by St. 

Stephens to help alleviate this problem. 

The centre should take some responsibility 

to find a remedy. Let them start by asking 

these unfortunates who use their facility to stop 

harassing the public [while drunk and 

panhandJing], in Kensington. 

We in Kensington Market are a tolerant 

bunch, but when business starts to suffer and 

customers complain something has to be done. 

In order to curb the panhandling and drunken- 

- ness in the neighbourhood, I want to ask the 

public to refrain from contributing their money 

to what is a larger social problem. I feel this 

would ultimately help everyone to address the 

larger picture and would go a long way to 

support prosperity in a struggling marketplace. 

a concerned merchant 

Roberto Agricola 

/; 

OOo lbaW~® 

)




Stan~ 

by Allan Schwam 

The Bad Old Days? 

~oint 

(WHEN WAGES WERE $1200 A YEAR 

--AND A HOUSE COST $2800) 

What will things be like when times get better and the current recession 

ends? 

Will there be a return to tax-underwritten corporate mergers cmd 

leveraged buy-outs? Will inflation come roaring back and the foundation for 

new credit and banking frauds be laid? 

Will real estate a/l(J housing prices zoom up by 30% a year and wage and 

salary increases in selected industries and professions rise by 10% per 

annum and will government tax revenues once again soar? 

For many people this was "normalcy" in the 1970s and especially in the 

1980s. · 

In 1968, my colleague Ken Wright and I engaged in discussions and 

correspondence with the Economic Council of Canada in which _We 

challenged their conclusion that the economy was producing increasing 

wealth for the majority of Canadians. 

"You folks are measuring inflation and calling it prosperity," we charged. 

"Oh no. Oh Canada, everything is really for the best, in the best of all 

possible worlds" they assured us. · 

(I think they may have changed their minds this year. The Federal 

government abolished the Economic Council on the grounds that not only 

had they not defined prosperity accurately, they had failed to predict the 

recession and didn't know what to do about it when it happened. " 

One would think that over time it would be relatively easy to know if 

you and your family were financially better or worse off. 

Well, over time you will of course know. But it takes a lot of discipline and 

hard reasoning to do so. 

' 

Let me cite the case of my dad, a factory garment worker on Spadina 

Avenue 50 years ago. When war broke out in 1939 work in clothing factories 

became more plentiful. 

Even though wage increases were banned by law (as were price increases) 

the fact that garment workers could earn wages on a 10-12 month basis 

instead of the previous 6-8 month period meant that real incomes went up. 

Instead of making $10-/2.50 a week median wage before 1939 

(assuming you could find work) median wages increased to $25 a week - 

just under $1200 a year. 

These numbers will likely sound ridiculously low to most readers, but 

look at what that small amount of cash income could buy. 

By 1942, less than three years after the better pay started to come in, my 

parents were able to save $600 (on a single income, because my mother did 

not work) and that became the down payment for the house on Oxford Street 

that /live in today. Total cost of that house in July 1942? $2,800. 

Forget the actual numbers; they mean little. The meaningful question 

is, can a single income family in 1992 save enough money in three years to 

afford the down payment· oti a six room 2-storey detached house in downtown 

Toronto? Could a t}vo-income family do it? And could they afford the 

carrying charges necessary to pay for the full cost of the house, over 25 or 

30 years? 

If the answers to these questions for the majority of people today is 

in the negative, then we must seriously question in what way and to what 

degree people are really better off than they were generations ago. 

As I mentioned at the outset, it is not a simple task. 

In physics and astronomy for example, scientists have a technique for 

determining whether an object, even though it be billions of miles away, is . 

moving closer to the earth or whether it is receding away from us. 

No such determination appears to be available in economics. Since 

all governments must claim that they are making life better for the people 

than their predecessors did, one wonders if the failure to develop such an 

important determinant is fundamental and technical or if it really isn't 

political. 

And.now let me project the example of my father to a more 

generalized and frightening level, based on my own experience. 

In 1958, I was taken on as an apprentice management traiizee with one of 

the largest land development companies in Canada, headquartered in 

Toronto. 

At that time over 60% of the people in Toronto owned their homes 

and about 40% rented. Today those figures are reversed. Fewer than 40% of 

the people in Toronto own their own homes and more than 60% rent. 

Those figures represent a shift in the distribution of wealth of 

trillions of dollars -- a shift away from the general population and towards a 

much smaller base ofprivate landlords, trust companies, banks, insurance 

companies and other investment holding groups, including government 

agencies who are today the largest single owners of housing stock in the · 

country. 

If you visit the natural wonder of the Florida Everglades in the 

United States, naturalists will tell you that a ONE INCH DIFFERENCE in 

the topography determines what kind of trees and vegetation can grow. 

. Can you imagine what a 20% shift in the economic environment 

means for the wealth ownership and more importantly, the wealth 

distribution of the people? 

Well, it means little good for ordinary folk today and even less good 

for [heir children . 

..... NEXT COLUMN: MORE ON WEALTH, HOMES AND WHAT THE 

GOVERNMENT SHOULD DO WITH ITS PUBLIC HOUSING STOCK. 

VIEWS 

June 25 1992/Page Five 

At Cine Cycle 

we handle 

more· 

breali.downs 

ina day than 

Freud did in 

a Jifetinte.



Page Six/June 25 1992 

ENVIRONMENT 

Kensington l\farket DRUM 

FROM 

BLEACHED 

AND 

lJNRECYCLED 

by FRANK SCHERER 

SUNNYSIDE 

Although fully aware of the serious· 

recession we · are undergoing, 

he is not too pessimistic. He 

smiled, when the conversation 

came to economic matters. Ozone 

depletion? In a way, he Jis already 

prepared, having extended his 

commercial activities to the sundeck 

business, which means 

umbrellas and so on. His laughter, 

when: he asked me, if I had heard 

about the gardeners of the park 

around the corner. No? T1wy have '- 

been handed out a sun cap each 

for this summer, for the sunny . 

side. And the ozone, .he explained, 

you make it. Every time you wash 

your hands and you dry them, you 

are generating ozone. That simple. 

He suggests to send a space shuttle 

up there, like the Columbia, producing 

the needed quantity in the 

depleted spot. And there you go. 

Think. 

Frank Scherer was born in Germany 

in 1956. After leaving school 

at an early age he travelled extensively 

through Europe, Africa and 

both Americas. He is living and 

working now in Toronto, expressing 

in this booklet a first literary 

effort in English. · 

For information on how to 

obtain a copy of Bleached and 

Unrecycled, call or write Marty 

c/o DRUM. 

:::=~~~if.{ff;~'-~~~;:.~~i~~i~1:t~~~it.~f.~~~.~i~iilil;l;~~~::J 

OTHER PEOPLE'S MAIL , The most cost effective and efticient use of the 

Editors' note. Merchants and 0thers in the market are 

1 Duffer in site would be for Metro to compost clean 

looking forward to the, we hope, not-too-distant day source separated organic matter, collected from stores 

when we have effective separation of cardboard and and restaurants. Metro's pilot project, collecting waste 

compostable matter in the Kensington Market. 

from households, is by comparison both less efticient 

Anyone interested inthe idea should note, and take and cost effective. 

heart from, the following exchange of letters between Could you please let us know by Wednesday June 

members of the IT'S NOT GARBAGE COALITION and lOth whether or not the materials we delivered were or 

the Metro Commissioner of Works. 

will be composted at the Dufferin Composting Facil- 

.. ity. 

Letter 1 

Monday June 8, 1992 

Yours Sincerely, 

Commissioner R. F,erguson 

. Metropolitan Works Department 

19th floor, 439 University Ave. 

Toronto, ON M5G 1 Y8 

Dear Commissioner Ferguson, 

On Friday June 5, It's Not Garbage delivered six 

clear bags full of thirty pounds of clean fo.od scraps to 

the Dufferin Composting facility in Downsview. In an 

accompanying letter the Metro Works Department was 

requested to compost the materials. Material delivered 

to Dufferin was . clean, SOl!rce separated vegetables and 

bones from a fundraiser at Toronto City Hall which 

attracted over 5,000 people. Other material was collected 

from a food market on Queen St. West and was 

comprised of carrot, corn and fruit peelings and rinds. 

It's Not Garbage believes that composting discarded 

·commercial food and oth~r organic materials should be 

a top priority in Metro Toronto's Waste Management 

Program. Responding to Metro's Garbage Cris'is, 

Councillors have adopted, in principle, an action 

agenda to begin broad-based materials diversion pro~ 

grams. Mandatory source separation and community 

, based siting for composting plants were two key points 

· leading to an increased role from Metro in composting 

commercial and industrial food materials. 

' Debbie Field 

cc: 

Brooke Bell 

Works Committee Members 

Director, Dufferin Composting Facility 

Letter 2 

12 June 1992 

IT'S NOT GARBAGE 

401 Richmond Street West 

Suite 104 

Toronto, Ontario 

M5V 3A8 

Attention: Debbie Field · 

Brooke Bell 

Re: Composting Program 

We are in receipt of your letter dated June 8, 1992, 

requesting confirmation that the organic waste collected 

on June 6, 1992 was processed. 

In answer to your qtiestion, the material deli'vered to 

our Dufferin Composting Facility was processed at 

that facility. 

R.G. Ferguson, P. Eng. 

Commissioner 

/ww 

ODE TO MR. REW 

Leaning over the fence, 

He watered my garden, 

Caring as though it were his. 

With a smile he shared his wisdom: · 

Introduced me to the potato world, 

Told me when to plarit my sweet peas. 

We grew together, 

With our garden .. 

His grin always greeted my dogs, 

Even when they upturned the soil. 

Unfailingly, he was a friend, 

More reliable than the S\.Jn. 

Except this one time. 

This time he didn't return. 

By Liisa Lahtinen 

OAC II 

Lawrence Park C.!. 

scad ding 

says 

NEW! 

Early Morning Swim 

Mon/Wed/Fri 

7:00-8:30am, fee $35 

For information call 

Mari Creal at 363-5392 

Forsummer ESL, literacy, 

recreation and child 

care programs call Mari 

Creal 363-5392 or pick 

up the sc;hedule at 

Scadding Court, 

south-east corner, 

Ready set grow 

Bathurst and Dundas 

second year in a row 

community gardening in Alexandra Park 

l 

The choice is yours. 

~ \'r Y 0 ~ Why spend time and energy looking for alternative 

~~ ,(' 0 products and services if it means supporting 

. ~ ~.0 corporate interests? Make a complete switch! 

CJ 0 

',lj 

' 

For alternative products, consultations and 

. :=; referrals for the social change community, call us 

0 • · /:tJ or Visit our new recycling depot at 14 Markham St 

~~.l'> (one block West of Queen and Bathurst) · 

~# ~"V 

, O.R G?.~ Mon.-Fri. 9am to Spm, Sat 12pm-4pm 

Wise Alternatives 

641 St. CLair Ave. W. #3, Toronto, 

Ontario, M6C 1A7. Tel: (416)778-4449 

BULK NUT Blltr:E.RS PND HONE..'( • .TYlLe. 

i ~.lfrrc.r TUf.,~· ~ 

~ RA1URAL.f00~ CENTRE K 

~ JIX)WOP£Nf fDb ~iNA.AV£. ~ 

s FRESH ORGANIC PRODUCE. N 

• · MN:ROBi6tlC.. ::EriON ~ 

~ ·~'




~ o n {,j o Cr ·nr~ee +-al 

~.,~a~g'~\~u~~~~.~~~' vvtt;~.~ n~ 

~:v w~ 'w Utl w Lll1\ ~ G:nnmumty Health Centres 

A bv. M. 11 Health: a community base 

mma a er - . 

West Central Community Health Ce~tres 

held its AGM recently. Our topic for the 

evening was on issues around mental 

health. I could not help but ponder how 

many of our social issues are related to 

mental health and, how many mental 

health issues are precipitated by social 

situations, and how increasingly 

important community based support 

services are. 

Homelessness is a case in hand. It 

may not take much to lose a home. A job 

lost due to Frye Trade or the recession, 

could quickly lead to the family home 

having to be sold, and in this market it 

would likely sell at a loss. For many 

women escaping an abusive relationship 

has been the beginning of a slippery 

slope. After the refuge of a shelter time 

comes to find a place of one's own. It is 

difficult to rent with children, and 

sometimes a mother may lose her 

children to CAS because she cannot 

provide a home for them . Even without 

children it is difficult. The landlord wants 

references from previous landlords, and 

if you have not rented before you don't 

have references. When she does find a 

place to rent there is the problem of tirst 

and last month's rent. 

A common problem for women is 

sexual harassment by landlords. If she 

exercises her right to press charges she 

may be further victimised until she 

leaves, or she may just leave to avoid the 

situation. Because of the cost of moving 

or storage, each move means leaving 

behind furniture and many belongings 

that were hard to come by and starting 

over again. It does not take too long for 

a person's energy and motivation to be 

depleted. Remember that she came into 

this downward spiral already eroded and 

with damaged self esteem, and her 

energy was already largely spent in 

LIVING 

getting out of the initial unhealthy 

situation. 

The constant stress and insecurity do 

their work on her mental health. It takes 

an inordinately strong person not to be 

effected by such forces. Here, social 

issues are the cause of th~ mental health 

problems. The woman functioned well 

until she had to leave her original home. 

However, once the mental health 

problems manifest the chances of 

returning to a "normal" secure life are 

indeed slim, life as a marginalised person 

on the street is a more likely outcome. 

For such people adequate housing wilr go 

a long way towards restoring their 

balance and function. 

During the sixties and seventies 

there was a movement to deinstitutionalize 

p~ychiatric services. The 

concept was admirable, patients in 

insti'tutions would return and be 

integrated into the community and lead 

more normal lives. History recalls that 

the transition was far from successful 

because sufficient community based 

mental health services were not in place 

before patients were released. Many of 

these ex-psychiatric patients are still with 

us and swell the ranks of the homeless. 

Far from benefitting from the change 

many were unable to take care of 

themselves, and witho'ut the support and 

help they needed, they soon became 

casualties in society. Their mental health 

problems did not go away but became 

worse. For such. a homeless population 

adequate housing alone is only one part 

of the solution. Community supports 

around life skills, work _skills, 

appropriate health care etc. must also be 

in place to help sustain independent 

living. 

See cqMMUNITY LIVING, page I2 

PUBUCLY SPEAKING: A COLUMN FOR POUTlCAL PEOPU! PUBUC'LY SPEAKING: A COLUMN FOR POUTICAL PEOPLE PUBUCLY SPEAKING: A COLUMN 

NDP MAKING ONTARIO A BETTER 

PLACE TO WORK 

Rosario Marchese £ 

MPP, Fort York ~ 

The reform of our labour laws constitutes the centrepiece of the NDP government's ~ 

agendafor economic justice, equality, and workers rights. I am happy to report ill 

d that after one of the most extensive consultations in Olltario 's history, on June 4, ~ 

~ the government unveiled its blueprint for an updated Labour Relations Act. 

~ 

~ What is the gist of the reform and who will benefit from it? Essentially, the c 

E proposed changes to the Act aim to make it easier for workers .in the service, 

~ 

j financial, and retail sector to organize. These changes are not forcing or inducing ~ 

5 people to join a union. Under the old Act, many workers simply could not exercise i!i 

~ this freedom because of the many legal requirements that practically, though not .. > 

~ always technically; impeded unionization. 

~ Here are some of the highlights of the reform: ~ 

~ • Part time workers can n;ore easily organize together with full time employees to ~ 

~ make stronger, more effective bargaining units. . ~ 

~ • Employees in small workplaces can organize and bargain more effectively ~ 

~ through consolidation of two or more separate bargaining units represented by the ill 

;J same union. ' ~ 

iii • Building cleaners, cafeteria workers and security guards are better protected in 1! 

~ their jobs, wages, benefits, and bargaining rights when their employer changes !: 

E (i.e. the contractor), but they continue to work at the same location. e ~ 

j • Low-skill employees can organize more effectively because of new restrictions on ~ 

5 the use of replacement workers during work stoppages. ~ 

~ • Domestics are finally allowed to organize, and security guards can join the union ~ 

~ of their choice. , ~ 

~ •Newly organized employees have increased access to first-contact arbitration to ~ 

~ facilitate collective bargaining. , ' £ 

~ • All employees receive stronger legal protection against arbitrary discipline and ~ 

~ discharge following official recognirion of a union or lawful participation in an g 

~ organizing campaign (fast-rrack hearings at the Labour Relations Board). ill 

d Because a substantial part of rhis reform affects workers in the !service, financial ~ 

~ and retail sector where mosrly women, immigrants and part-time workers are 1! 

employed, the reform will have a fantastic impact on the lives of many Fort York 

§ residents. Our constituency has some of rhe largest immigrant communities in the " 

~ province and is the home to the largest employers in the sectors in question. 

In the long run, improved organizing rights will result in higher wages and 

~ better benefits for many workers, in less conflict and confrontation at the 

workplace, and in more cooperarion between unions and employers on workplace 

issues. 

It was time Ontario caughr up with Western Europe, Scandinavia and Japan, 

where legal provisions similar 10 those we just illlroduced have existed for at least 

two decades. The high standard of living and the economic success of these 

countries prove that srronger workers' rights we not antirherical to wealrh 

creation, but can actually increase economic performance. 

~0!1 NYI!Il'lO:J V :nNDIV3dS A[;)nHild 3Kf03d IV.:JUnOd UO.i NJ!Ilfl,O;) V :oNDIV3dS A,:JnHnd 3KJ03d '1V;)UI10d HO.i NWfl'lO;) V :oNDfVBdS 1 

§ 

S 

June 25 1992/Page Seven 

Got a screw loose? How about a flat tire? 

At Cine Cycle~ Toronto's only Bicycle store 

& Film Theatre~ we rtnderstand that bike 

troubles can be a traumatic experience. 

Which is precisely why we suggest you 

bring your troubles to us 

From re-alignments to faulty gears~ we've 

treated it all. 

So the next time you have a · breakdown~ 

bring it to Cine Cycle. We'll have you back 

on the saddle in no time at all. 

Colletre 

Cine Cycle 

en 

'~ 

~ 

31iSpadina. Ave ~ Baldwin 

In the laneway 

Dundas 

S'= 

D'arcv 

Cine Cycle 317 Spadina. Ave (REAR) 

Weekdays 10:00 to 7:00 

Saturday 9:00 to 5:00 

Closed Wednesday & Sunday 

Cine Cycle 

(416) 596-7125



. Page Eight/June 25 1992 

JOIN THE ACTION 

JOIN THE ACTION JOIN THE ACTION 

JJ (Q) ~ 1TIHIJE A CCilii (Q)N 

-I 

I 

SCR 

SISTERING: safety, sup] 

•JOIN THE ACTION 

INFORMATION PICKET 

IAT TORONTO WESTERN HOSPITAL 

~Main Bathurst Street Entrance 

Tuesday, June 30, 

11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

HELP US EDUCATE 

THE DOCTORS, STAFF AND PATIENTS ABOUT 

HOW THE HOSPITAL INCINERATOR IS 

POISONING THEM AND OUR COMMUNITY. 

Toronto Board of He.alth 

says: 

Shut It Down Now. 

You can Help! 

Bring your family - young and old - we 

all need cleaner air! 

Information Sheets, signs, balloons, 

music, and friends will be supplied 

Free! 

We will continue to picket the Toronto 

Hospital until the incinerator is shut 

down. 

DID YOU KNOW? •• 

• that the maximum a single woman on welfare can 

receive is $7, 146 a year. 

• that an adult working full-time at minimum wage 

only makes $10,080 a year. 

• that 60% of single. elderly women are poor 

• that 40% of women are physically abused by their 

. male partners 

• that 90% of all sexual assault victims are women 

SISTERING'S MISSION STATEMENT 

Sistering is a women's organization that offers practical 

and emotional support to women through programs 

which enable them to take greater control over their 

lives. Sistering works to change social conditions 

which endanger women's welfare. 

Every woman deserves a place Hihere she can feel safe 

and be respected. · 

That's where Sistering comes in, through programs 

such as the Drop-In Centre, Outreach Program, and 

Sistering's Board, committees and special reports. 

Sistering helps and advocates for women traditionally 

forgotten by society: women who are homeless or live 

in poor housing conditions, older women, women who 

have low incomes, or are socially isolated. 

RUN BY WOMEN FOR WOMEN 

Sistering is a non-profit organization which is tinancially 

supported by government agencies, the United 

Way, and private contributions. 

Sisterlng's Drop-In Centre provides a refuge for homeless 

women who survive solely on the streets or have 

nowhere else to go during the day when the emergency 

shelters are closed. Located in the Scadding 

Court Community Centre at the corner of Bathurst and 

Dundas, the Drop-In Centre is a hub of activity seven 

days a week. At any given time you may see women 

playing cards, getting information, having a hot meal, 

or talking with each other. 

· Besides being a place where women's basic needs 

,such as food and clothing can be met, the Drop-In 

Centre is a place where women can also receive informal 

counselling and companionship in a nonjudgmental 

environment. Qualitied staff are also available 

in crisis situations to help women who are suicidal 

or severely depressed. All women are welcome! 

The Drop-In Centre is open every clay (weekends too!) 

from 9:00 - 3:30 (except on Thursday when it opens at 

10:30). \ 

THE WOMEN WHO ATTEND SISTERlNG'S 

OUTREACH PROGRAM live in boarding/rooming 

houses or nursing homes~ have low incomes, and are · , 

~~~l~@~~~~w 

advertising • editorial • industrial 

portrait • still life • location 

MikiToma 

340-6312 

socially isolated in some way. 171e 

is located in the Masaryk-Cowan Com11 

Parkdale and provides a relatively stru ~ 

of activities such as day trips, arts and 

recreation. It is very useful for immigli 

who, for example, may stay at home a 

of limited English skills. Older women 

have lost the support of family and frie 

from loneliness and would welcome th 

meet other people and participate in en 

ities. 

A unique feature of the Outreach pre 

transportation is available to and from 

women who would otherwise not be a6 

trip because of limited mobility or the I 

public transit. Sistering staff pick the 

morning in a van each morning and dr( 

their homes at the end of the day. Call 

Program at 588-3939 if you're interest~ 

MUCH BEHIND-THE SCENES AD 

WORK AT SISTERING takes place i 

committees, which are small groups th ~ 

meet about once a month and take part 

projects. 

The Social Action Committee, for exam 

• 

held a two-day advocacy workshop whe 

together to discuss ideas on how· to bri ~ 

change. It regularly writes letters to go 

agencies urging them to act on issues si 

reform and safety for women. The Co 

Committee puts together a newsletter e 

If you don't know why, please ask us. 

For more information call 

Action on Hospital Incineration 

(Kensington): 

368-9190 or 368-0407. 

-- 0 . ~ 

RONSON 

COMPUTING 

0 

hanson 

289 COLLEGE 

quality 

STREET 

967-9333 

..... ~-= 

486DX- 

33C 

from $1999 

* 386DX- 

33C 

~67-4608 

systems from 

(fax) 

$1680 

PEROLA 

SUPERMARKI 

·' ALTA OUALIDADE DE PROJ 

·DE MERCEARIA NACION] 

ESTRANGEIROS- FRUTAS E 

MANUEL SIOONIO FREITAS 

Proprietario , 

247 Augusta Avenue 

Toronto, Ontario M5T2L8 Tel.: (416) 

- ---........-----·-··--- 

A.~ ·: 'C ~· I



, refuge, respect 

DRUM SALUTJES 

~~ 

June 25 1992/Page Nine 

~(GJ'& 

~ 

' 

$'*.-.. ·§~~ 

.~'\:~~ -r' ~ --~'\"t~ . ..... ~. 

;~ ~\~ t,11l '· • . .. 

fall on issues such as welfare, sexual abuse, and men 

·tal health. Other committees recruit staff and volunteers 

or plan fundraising activities. 

SISTERING HAS TAKEN PART IN SOME 

SPECIAL PROJECTS which have made a difference. 

The recent Sexual Abuse Project, for example, was an 

suffer in-depth study of the impact of sexual abuse in the 

-~ lives of the women who participate at Sistering and 

how Sistering is responding to their needs. Due for 

publication this summer is Sistering Celebrates 

Women, a special tribute book being put together to 

honour unique and extraordinary women, both wellknown 

and not well-known. 

VOLUNTEERS 

who work under the guidance and expertise of qualified 

staff members, are an important part of Sistering. 

They play a role in every aspect of the organization, 

from helping to ,prepare lunch at the Drop-In Cel)tre to 

contributing ideas at a committee meeting. -- 

CALL SISTERING AT 861-1954 

or visit the oftice at 181 Bathurst (near Queen) if 

you're interested in becoming a volunteer, making a 

donation, dropping off articles such as clothing or 

household items or if you need more information. 

Story is by a Sister,ing volunteer 

Photo by Anne Levenson 

~·~ 

tt· 

.. , 

~~' 

ic .. ~~-:~_:_"·:·; 

.. ·~,., .. 

~~,1 ·· -~fan. 

::::t1~ 

;:J -., .. ,:. .. ,.;:~,, " 

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~~~,~~ ' :-~~~ 

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.·THE 

• -.. 't 

23~ 



Page Ten/June 25 1992 

COMMUNITY 


~ . ~~ 

A\~ ~A\ 

by Shelley Stringer 

FORGIVE AND FORGET 

You've probably heard the saying Forgive and Forget, but 

it doesn, 't always work. Sometimes it's berrer to just start 

over. 

It's been close to a year since I left home. The time 

I was there I resented my real parents and even after I was 

gone I hated them, but after a while I realiseq they are still 

my parents and I really love them. 

(I did a lot of stuff to them after I left, and in return they 

got me back.) But for a while I have been trying to get 

along with them. I don't want to moveback there,J just 

want them as friends. I know they are mad for what I did 

and put them through, but a lot of rime has passed since 

then. I don't regret doing the stuff I did. At the time I was 

upset at them but now I wish that my parents and I could 

get along. 

Who knows, maybe some day we will, maybe we 

won't. I'm not going to pressure them but I am going to 

try. I won't forgive and forget because I can't and I won't 

say I'm sorry for anything but I (im willing to start over 

with them slowly and ny to get'along, and maybe with luck 

we'll get along. 

Sometimes starting over is be!fer than forgiving and 

forgetting because pain and heartache all your life can't be 

forgiven or forgotten. All you can do sometimes is to let 

time pass and start over. 

Want to upgrade your 

English and Math 

skills? 

lt'sfree and we even 

provide child care. 

with your 

neighbour 

we 

can 

help 

"a convenient 

and 

confidential 

alternative 

to the 

court" 

Attention all those on V.I. 

Are you 

having a 

dispute? 

with a 

co 

~worker 

we 

can help 

CALL US: 

ST .STEPHEN'S 

CONFLICT 

RESOLUTION 

SERVICES 

926-8221 

our service 

is 

free of 

charge ... 

Alexandra Park 

Neighbourhood Learning 

Centre 

Call us at 591-7384. 

e 

Unit;edWay 

ti Urutt;J Wd~· ~r~ernU~r aaency 

with a · 

landlord 

or 

tenant 

we 

can 

help 

Trained 

mediators, 

assist 

parties in 

finding 

solutions 

to the 

dispute. 

Flying level with KYTES: a chance to learn, earn and prepare 

by CURTIS B. MERCURY 

April 15, 1992 was the day I 

was released from Maplehurst 

Correctional Centre. The clay 

had finally come when I was 

walking the streets again. A 

few days of hanging out with 

my boys again made me start 

to think about what I was 

going to do before I ended 

back into jail. That's when I 

remembered about this .program 

called K ytes. You see a 

former troupe member told me 

about this program and it 

sound~d all right so ! gave 

them a call to set up my interview. 

I spoke with two people, 

Ned, who is our theatre director,. 

and Shar, who is our 

issues and barriers counsellor, 

they explained to me what the 

program is about and what 

they expected from ·me. 

May 4, 1992, tirst day of 

work, a real job. My tirst real 

job in two years. Yes, two 

years. At Kytes we learn many 

different things, me~t different 

people, make new 

friends. We are sort of a family. 

The skills that I would 

learn at Kytes are great things 

such as theatre skills, basicjob 

skills, get some high schooj 

credits towards your diploma, 

carpentry experience. 

At the end of the program we 

put the skills that we've 

learned on stage into an acting 

production. Myself, I have 

learned ·how to listen to people . 

more. It sounds lame, ,but if 

you listen to Ned, our theatre 

director talk, you would know 

what I'm talking about. (He 

gets his point across to you 

very well.) He tells it straight 

up, no bull shit. 

September 25 1992 the program 

will be tinjshecl. By that 

time we ~houlcl have developed 

enough skills to tincl our own 

job placement. Kytes is not for 

everybody. A few people have 

already left the program, 

maybe they felt it was not the 

right place for them. There is 

a long list of people who 

would like to be involved in 

Kytes, but the program is 

already full. Sorry! 

Myself, I will be here until the 

end of the program, because I 

enjoy what I'm doing. When I 

wake up every morning I want 

to go to work. Sometimes I am 

at Kytes before any of our 

staff or troupe members are 

there. I am very happy that I 

have been given the opportunity 

to gain the skills to find 

and keep a job. When I finish 

the Kytes program, I would 

like to get a position in recreation, 

but in the long run I am 

going to get into the Toronto 

Fire Department. 

There should be more 

programs such as Kytes. From 

what I have seen of people in 

the same situation as myself, 

out of school-out of work. 

Most of us do not really know 

what we want to do and programs 

such as Kytes point us 

in the right direction. 

Toronto Public Library Reading Club geared up 

and ready to transport kids 

- 

The long warm months of summer 

have long been considered the perfect 

time to dive into books of all kinds - 

especially for kids enjoying a break 

from the regular reading required during 

the rest of the school year. 

Supporting that idea -- and the notion 

that reading is one ·of the most enjoyable 

summer pastimes imaginable, Toronto 

Public Library annually sponsors a 

Summer Reading Club and this year the 

theme is time travel. 

Kids up to 12 years old, as well as 

young people older than that, are invited 

to Book a Trip Through Time to one of 

12 time/space destinations from ancient 

Greece, to early Canada, to the presentday 

adventures of astronaut Rober1a 

Bondar. 

The time travel theme was chosen 

because this is the 80th anniversary of 

service to boys a~d girls at the Toronto 

Public Library, and it was chosen 

Bloorco 

Veterin 

Clinic 

Consultation by appointment 

Monday to Saturday 

Health care, surgery, and acupuncture 

079 Bloor Street W _est 

block and a half east-of Dufferin) 

16) 537-9677 Dr. Jack 

as well because the whole country is 

celebrating 125 years of nationhood this 

year. 

Kids participating in the club receive 

a sturdy and attractive poster --which 

also doubles as a board game -- and 

they earn colourful stickers to paste on 

the poster as they read their way · 

through a certain number of books 

during the summer. Attracti-ve book 

marks listing suggested books for reading, 

as well as certificates also support 

the program. , · 

Most of the 33 branches of the 

Toronto Public Library system provide · 

club activities throughout the summer. 

Registrations are accepted in the latter 

part of June and throughout the summer, 

but posters and other materials are 

supplied on a first-come, first-served 

basis. Call or visit your local branch for 

details. For the local branch nearest 

you call 393-7565/67. 

scad ding 

says 

INTERACT 

Youth Theatre Trajning, 

Summer Camp '92, 

_ August 10-21 

2 weeks of intensive 

theatre training for 

youth, integrated with 

youth with df'velopmental 

disabilities 

ages 16-24 

Monday-Friday 

10:00-3:00 

For information call Gita 

at 363-5392 

Scadding Court, 

south-east corner, 

Bathurst and Dundas 

i'



Kensington Market DRUM COMMUNITY June 25 1992/Page Eleven 

RN\& W\t~~oV 

........ u ............. u oooooooooo o oooo .......................................................................................................... . 

l 

/earning With YOU is space in DRUM 

1 for co-operative life-long learning. 

1 Send ideas, articles, drawing etc. to 

l ALMA PENN, Kensington DRUM, P. 0. Box 67590 

· 576 Dundas Street West M5T 388. Or inquire by phone 

- or fax to (416) 363-DRUM. 

:................................................................................................................................................ 

Here's a game/toy you can make with little effort. 

But the challenge will really get you going. 

ODS. 

1. Cut out the game-board. 

. Now cut out nine game-pieces 

. Place the pieces on the board as shown: 

Rules 

1. All pieces have to stay on the board. 

2. You can move pieces up/down, or left/right. 

3. No diagonal moves. 

The challenge 

Get the big square from the top left hand corner to the bottom left hand corner. 

For example (and to get you started) the first three moves are as follows: 

1. Small square (SS) on 10 moves to 12. 

2. SS9 moves to 11. 

3. Large square (LS) on 1,2,5,6 moves to 5,6,9,10. 

4. Horizontal rectangle (HR) on 3,4 moves to 1 ,2. 

Solution in the August 20 paper. Have a happy summer! 

ST. STEPHEN'S 

~ 

ANNOUNCES 

1992 

SUMM-ER 

CAMP- 

BEST EVERst. 

Stephen's is once aga~n offering 

a summer day camp from July 

6 to August 28 in the heart of the 

market. The camp nins Monday to 

Friday ~:00 to 4:30 out of 293 

Augusta A venue and is open for 

all children aged 6 to 12 years old. 

The cost of attending the camp is 

$25 per week, but if a parent is 

unable to pay the full fee, subsidies 

are available. 

"This year's summer ca~p is the 

most innovative and exciting one 

to date," reports Allen Flaming, 

Community Services· Director. 

Unlike previous years, the camp 

will be run out of two store front 

sites on Augusta A venue, and not 

out of the Kensington Schoql gym. 

The staff are currently being hired 

and are busy preparing the summer 

schedule of day outings, arts 

and crafts, sports events and other 

recreational activities. Children 

)y ~~, 

( . . 

....:"~ ) 

will be rece1vmg a simple snack 

on a daily basis, but need to bring 

their own lunches. 

"Safety is a big concern for us 

and our extensive training schedule 

reflects our concerns," says Flaming. 

Every one of the staff will be 

certified in first aid and CPR as 

well as receiving extensive training 

in water safety, child development 

and anti-racism. 

Although the emphasis will be 

on having a safe time, fun, excitement, 

and learning are also big 

components of the camp. Trips are 

being planned to . go to Ontario 

Place, Centre Island, the Science 

Centre and the Zoo. The campers 

will be given a free hand at decorating 

the store fronts to make their 

space truly their own. A particularly 

creative staff will always 

have innovative ways to keep the 

children amused and challenged. 

For more information about the 

summer camp program, contact 

Teresa Emmanuel or Jessica Harrod 

at 920-8980 or drop in to talk 

with them at 293 Augusta A venue. 

Registration is Monday to Friday 

9~00 to 6:00, with a special registration 

time set up June 29 and 30 

at 4:00 to 6:30. They will be 

thrilled to let you in on this year;s 

great summer time experience. 

§lTil«JJwif1latlk:e 

child care centre 

SNOWFLAKE CHfLDCARE CENTRE 

full and part-time spaces now available for 

children 21/2 to 5 years. 

A small non-profit daycare. Whole foods 

menu. Individual and creative development. 

Call 368-9124 

39 Carr Street, Toronto, Ontario 

~. 

._ .... 

.,, '' '~ .. 

Make this a summer of fun and learning. The Toronto 

Board of Education has programs for everyone - 

elementary students, secondary students, and adults. 

• Sports 

• Swimming 

• New Credit Courses 

• Enrichment 

• Outdoor Activities 

• Parenting 

• English as a Second Language 

• Driver Education 

• Heritage languages 

• Literacy Classes 

• Seniors' Programs 

and more ... 

at the 

Toronto PublicLibrary this summer! 

Get a super n,ew poster, earn snazzy new 

stickers and join in fun activities in our 

Summer Reading Club. 

The fun begins in July! 

":• 

.., 

For details and the branch nearest you call 

393-7567/65. 

We have 33 branches to serve you. 

TJi Toronto 

Public 

Library



Page Twelve/June 25 1992 

COIVIMUNITY 


-·~ 

~ · 

PAG~N WAY 

by Pamela A. Brown , 

, F A!TH WITHIN 

Did you see the eclipse? It was a couple of weeks 

ago and the moon was full. How many of those do 

we get to see in our lifetime? How many comets have 

zoomed past the eartlYsince you were born? · 

Spacetime. Imagine these comets, our planet and 

moon from a different perspective. They might look 

like molecules. Or atoms. Spiralling around in some 

immense and complex configuration. If you look at 

a baby's head you can see how hair grows in a spiral. 

Like a galaxy or a seashell. Spacetime Spirals. 

************************ 

The women gathered. They came in twos and threes 

across the sand. Children ran around in the sun. 

The first to arrive was Uncertainty. She was a little 

anxious, maybe even nervous. But she wanted to be 

there. Reaching out with careful hands she touched 

each one of us. 

Diplomacy arrived with Connection and sat 

with us in a circle on the grass. We asked for 

blessings from the mothers of Turtle Island. We told 

stories about our names and traded wisdom. Closing 

the circle we moved in groups toward the directions 

of our birth. Air, Fire, Water and Earth. 

We built an East altar at the base of a tree 

with candles, earth and things cherished. In the 

South, on the beach, we used stones, more candles 

and coloured threads. The West hailed delicate twigs 

and Oak Leaves from last Fall. In the North we had 

at least three decks of Tarot cards and a beautiful 

knife. 

As our shadows stretched, Collection and 

Weaving brought out their yarn and joined us 

together as sisters. We spoke, of our blood and 

enjoyed the mystery of our wombs. 

The moon came up full and orange over the 

lake. The fire burned high and voices echoed down 

the beach. Dancing shadows; the fire chan! we wrote 

that afternoon tangled our tongues until we laughed in 

unison. Leaping over the tire we held hands and 

made wishes for freedom and health. Compassion 

and the end of oppression. The children jumped the 

most, daring the tlames and proclaiming their 

birthrite. Spacetime Spiral Rituals. ~ 

Uncertainty, Diplomacy, Connection, Collection and 

Weaving jumped the fire from tiye different 

directions and when they rejoined the circle there was 

a sixth woman among us. 

She didn' t have a name. She told stories 

with the children, beat the rhythms of the night on a 

drum and helped us decorate the tangled tree roots 

with candles. She brought us more sage and 

wormwood which we traded for with our jewellery: 

It was She who is Unnamed. 

We were there for the night. The kids were 

telling ghost stories with all their heads together,' 

their sleeping bags making a star on the ground. We 

gathered by the fire. Waves hit the beach, chuckling 

in the moonlight. We passed the sage and raised our 

voices till they vibrated in eachother's throats. 

Riding Her light we travelled. 

We didn't need brooms. The waves got 

· louder, the beach was not on the map anymore ami 

the moon had been full for millions of years. Every 

full moon for millions of years. Earth, Fire, Water 

and Air for MILLIONS OF YEARS. 

When I realize every full moon is connected to the 

last one, that every Spring brings buds on branches 

grown the year before, I learn a different way of 

living; tind alternate relationship with Time. It' s 

another strand in the Great Tapestry. An optional 

direction across Spacetime. 

After everyone had gone to their tents I sat with an 

old friend by the tire. The moon changed c·om;tantly. 

Dark clouds edged with silver drifted across the sky. 

The wind turned )Narmer, we got up and wandered 

down the beach looking for firewood to last us 'till 

dawn. Nightbirds slipped along the shore and the 

odd duck flapped across the moon. I heard voices in 

the waves. 

At dawn the most exquisite shade of 

turquoise graced the sky. A tlock of honking geese 

woke up the rest of the birds and the sun rose to their 

songs. Leaving the waking camp that morning I 

walked East down the beach. I found a branch that 

was white-yellow from the Sun and decided to take it 

home. 

I'm a Pagan apd this is all there is to me. Life. 

Knowing the ~ifeforce that tlows through everything. 

Taking as much responsibility for it as I can. If I'm 

sacred then I believe I have a conunitment to 

everything else that is sacred. You. Your brothers 

and sisters. That night, we all shared the · 

responsibility and the power within us was at least 

threefold more than our number. 

While sanding the branch, I found a rabbit's face -in 

the grain. I carved runes into it and polished it with 

bee's wax. I named her Dawnwatcher and I'm taking 

it to the next festival. 

Last issue I wrote about Faith. My grandmother was 

right about recognizing it within. Blessed Be. 

COMMUNITY LIVING NEEDS 

NETWORK OF SUPPORT 

continued from page 7 

The importance of having community 

supports well in place before 

dismantling present systems or 

institutions is particularly relevant again 

today: 

The Ontario Government is 

presently working towards changing the 

direction of long term care for the 

elderly and infirm. Again the concept is 

admirable, to keep the elderly, infirm 

and disabled in their own homes with 

support for as long as possible, and to 

establi:;h community based facilities to 

respond to their housing, social and 

health care needs. Only the more 

disabled and sick would need beds in a 

long term care facility. The consultation 

process with community and agency 

groups was recently completed, and the 

Ministry is summarizing the tindings. 

We hope that the lesson from the mental 

health field in the seventies has been 

well learned, and that the institutions 

that care for our elderly and infirm will 

continue to be funded until the new 

proposed community models are ti~mly 

established and functioning . 

..iToronto 

Public 

Ubrary 

News from your local library 

(S_anderson Branch, 327 Bathurst Street, 393-7653) 

Hours: 

Mon. to Thurs, 10 am to 8.30 pm 

Friday, 10-6, Saturday, 9-5 

Sunday 1.30-5 (through April). 

Did you know that ifyou step into our library, you will 

find books of susp~nse, . romance, westerns, science fiction, 

fantasy, historical fiction, children's books, how to parent, 

how to get by in this world, teen novels, cassette tapes, 

language tapes, newspapers, magazines, literacy 

learner/tutor books and tapes and lots, lots, more ..... to 

borrow and enjoy? 

BOYS AND GIRLS 

Tales for Twos 

Summer Session starts July 3 

Fn'days 10:45 am 

Summer Programs 

For infomwtion, please call 393-7653 

Wednesday, August 12 

Puppet Show. Hansel and Gretel. 2 pm. 

Thursdays at 2 pm 

Games and Puzzles. 

ADULTS 

Wednesday, July 8 

2 pm, Historias em Portuguese 

Thursday, July 23 

Chinese Film: 

GtJN-gun HONG CHEN/ A Life of Struggle 

In Mandarin with English subtitles 

6 pm 

COMMUNITY PROGRAM 

ESL & Citizenship classes are available. Please ask at the library 

for information. 

TERN II ART 

363 Spadina 

s 

u 

p 

p 

L 

I 

E 

s 

596-6543 

(tel) 

596-8513 

(tax) 

ON HARBORI) STREET - THE BEST IN USED BOOKS 

*In print books cheap 

*Out of print and unusual books you can't find new 

.; 

Between BATHURST and SPADINA ..... ~. 

em #203 

THE MUSIC BOOK STORE 

588-9415 

New & used books, song 

books, sheet music, 

posters & postcards. 

em #157 

THE CONSTANT READER 

972-0661 

New, used and scarce 

books · for children. 

em #89 

THE ABBEY BOOK SHOP 

960-9076 

• Medieval studies, general 

humanities. Second-hand 

and out-of-print. 

ttrJ #83 

ABOUT BOOKS 

975-2668 · 

Secondhand & antiquarian 

books in most subjects. 

Bought & Sold. 

em #84 

· ATTICUS BOOKS 

922-6045 

Classics & Philosophy. 

Psychoanalysis, Medieval & 

Renaissance Studies.




COMMUNITY/ARTS 

' 

June 25 1992/Page Thirteen 

- c 

Pj01eltls 

r 

nlelrl 

(all welcome, call 363-DRUM) 

Poems in DRUM this month are from 

Writing Ecrits 92, the ninth annual anthology of 

poems in French and in English by young writers in 

Toronto Board of Education schools 

IF I COULD FLY 

If I could fly 

I would see everything 

small, like toys. 

I could see the whole world. 

I'd fly over my house 

and see my family. 

I would fly down 

and open the door 

and say "Hi!" to them. 

They didn't know I was flying 

so they took iny wings off me 

and it was bedtime. 

Maybe I'll fly tomorrow. 

By Kenneth Seta 

Grade 1 

Orde Street P.S. 

Bye-bye books, said the media prophets but 

PEOPLE ARE SMARTER THAN PUNDITS 

by Juan Libro 

Some 35 years ago, the death of 

the book was predicted: everyone 

would be glued to a screen. 

It has transpired that although 

many folk are indeed screen 

-bound, the percentage of 

readers has remained constant. 

Indeed, some recent statistics 

seem to indicate that an increasing 

number of people are turning 

to books for relaxation. In 

addition, a growing number of 

people now realize that an 

information retrieval system can 

supply answer~ to direct questions 

but not expand one's 

horizons and vision in the way 

that consulting and browsing in 

a book may do. 

Toronto, with its rich blend 

of intellectuals who have t1ed 

oppressive regimes, newcomers 

who are seeking knowledge and 

information to help them get 

established, and "free-thinkers" 

who are not content with the 

official. line handed out by the 

establishment nor the mindnumbing 

garbage - dispensed 

over the airwaves, is quite 

possible North America's most 

"bookish" city. Not surprisingly 

then, I have been told by many 

visitors from- the U.S. (and 

elsewhere) that Toronto is now 

the second best city for bookstores 

in North America. (I ,am 

not sure which is tirst - it certainly 

used to be New York but 

the focus many have moved to 

the West Coast. Or perhaps we 

are, indeed, best but no one 

wants to admit it!). 

Certainly, Toronto has more 

books available than the rest of 

Canada in toto if you count 

second-hand books, antiquarian 

books and new books. We have 

COLLEGE 

B 0 0 K S 

:For tlie 'Best in I aea.s 

Academic & Scholarly Books 

Fiction & General Interest 

Sale Books & Remainders 

Bargain Basement 

Special Orders Welcomed 

- 

SUMMER SALE'STARTS JULY 18 

Two Huge Book Sales in April & November 

We give Readers a 7% Discount to Offset 

the Tax-on-Reading (GST) 

Store Hours: ' 

Monday· Friday: 9:30 • 7 Saturday: 10-6 Sunday 11 • 5 

321 College Street, Just 1 block west of Spadina 

Phone: (416)975-0849 FAX: (416)975-0712 

. •VISA, ArnE~, MC~ 

here 10% of the population of 

the country and about 50% of 

the serious book resources. 

"Serious" in this context meaning 

second-hand and antiquarian 

shops where books from 500 

years of publishing are available 

and specialist new book shops 

where the stock has depth and 

doesn't merely feature the most 

recent bestsellers from major 

publishers. 

Interestingly enough, the area 

immediately north of Kensingtoq, 

i.e. College to Bloor, 

bordered by Spadina and Bathurst, 

contains no less than 15 

of these serious bookshops. A 

John Henry Nyenhuis, pianist: 

soundscapes for cinecycle silent screen sundays 

little extra jaunt to Dupont rp;;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-., 

includes two more booksellers 

of interest conveniently housed 

Cine Cvcle® 

in one location. It is coming to 

be known as the midtown bookquarter 

and here readers may TheF ·z Th --;;7 

not only tinct recent books at z m eatre 

modest prices, obscure scholarly 

titles that the chain stores Silent Sundavs Live oiano 

haven't even heard of, books , July's evenings of classic silent films 9:00pm- Sundays 

for courses at a fraction of new . accompanied by ... ]OHN HENRY NYENHUIS, PIANO 

price, scarce and collectible 

July 5 SIEGFRIED 

books in many fields and much 

GERMANY 1924 Di;. Fritz Lang 

more -- all available in shops 

which are blessedly free of the July 12 KREMHIWES REVENGE 

feel of a supermarket. 

GERMANY 1924 Dir. Fritz Lang 

On Harbord Street alone there July 19 THE GENERAL 

are eight such shops: a music 

bookshop, · a parenting 

bookshop, a children's 

bookshop, a psychology and 

therapy bookshop and a women's 

bookshop, together with 

three second-hand bookshops 

each with its individual character 

and strengths and depths 

from the latest Charles Bukowski 

to the most obscure scholarly 

texts, from $3 paperbacks to 

$3,000 antiquarian books: 

books in literature, philosophy, 

mountaineering, mathematics, 

gardening, cooking, religion, 

music medieval palaeography, 

paper airplanes and much,.much 

more. Of course, second-hand 

shops are also ready to buy or 

trade in those broad areas, 

thereby acting as one of socie- 

. ty's most useful recycling facilities 

so that books that are still 

in demand may be "recycled" to 

give you more room, a little 

cash or other books, and give 

pleasure to another reader. 

Downtown Toronto may have 

its problems, but good 

bookshops are one of the nice 

things about living here. 

I 

July 26 

U.S.A 

BE RUN 

ADMISSION $ 3.00 

Pleasure Dome 

June 26-27 7:30 & 10:00 

1926 Dir Buster Keaton 

GERMANY 1926 Dir Walter Ruttman 

Refreshments A vat/able 

THE EXQUISITE CORPSE 

The Body in Parts 

July 2 8.pm A VITA RONELL 

July 17 

July 29 

Aug 14 

8.pm 

\ 

8.pm 

8.pm 

Crack Wars 

BODIES IN SPACE 

Film and Video Aesthetics 

PERFUMED NIGHTMARE 

Mababangong Bangungot 

NORT!fERN THAW 

New Fnnish Work 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HOLD YOUR EVENT AT 

CINE CYCLE PLEASE CONTACT MARTIN AT 596-7733 

Cine Cycle 

317 Spadina. Ave (REAR) 

In the laneway between Darcy andBaldwin 

TEL 596-7125 - 596-7733



Page Fourteen/June 25 1992 ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT Kensington Market DRUM 

Relea.se relieF 

For real media freaks, here in no particular order is a semi-complete summary of the media · 

releases that came. in since May 21, o_ur last production date. 

• The City of Toronto Book Awards; Hearts of Flame by Katherine Govier wins the 1992 

Toronto Book Awards, For Info: Linda Ott: 392-7797 

• Du Toit, Allsopp, Hillier; Ruth Grier, Minister of the Environment expressed pleasure with 

their Spadina LRT Streetscape Design Study and said the TTC should "continue to give it 

the ... consideration it deserves." 

• City, Info. and Communication Services; St. Lawrence Mkt welcomes 8 new businesses 

• Exhibition of Glass Paintings by Beca Rind, Yorkville Library, 22 Yorkville Ave. Jul. 2- 31. 

• Toronto City Cycling Committee; steps to improve street traffic safety, May 21 at Police 

headquarters, 40 College Str. Info on CANBIKE on-road education courses: 392-7592 

• Les Goons Commedia Troupe, high school troupe at Centre Islan-d, July 4, and then 8 

tjmes a day, Wed. through Sun. until August 23. $1.25 children, students, seniors; $2 

adults. Info: John Glossop, 763-5997 

• Greenpeace Ozone Action Alert, postcard campaign to Arthur Sawchuk, CEO of Du Pont 

Canada, P.O. Box 2200, Streetsville, Mississauga, Ont., L5M 2H3 demanding end to 

production of ozone depleting substances. 

• City, Dept. of Public Works, Get rid of hazardous waste safely. Call Hotline 392-4330 

• Healthy City Week, June 15-19, Healthy City Office, City of Tor.onto. 

• Metro Planning Dept. A Waterfront Trail for Metro Toronto, Info: Tim Smith 392-9786 

• Meeting Ontario's Priorities, Budget 1992, Copies of guidebook or Budget: Publications. 

Ontario Bookstore 1-800-668-9938;' 0ntario Budget Hotline: 1-800c263-7965 (English). 

• Square in Motion, Entertainment at Nathan Phillips Square every day during "Spirit of , 

Canada" - Canada Week Monday, June 29 - Saturday, July 4, Hotline: 392-0458. 

• Square in Motion, Children Wanted for Canada Day parade. Info: Dina Graser, 362-3692. 

• Rosario Marchese, M.P.P. Fort York, Info. session about _Workers' Compensation Board, 

· June 23, 7-9.30 pm. College Street United Church, 502 Bathurst. Info: 363-9664 

• Board of Health, City of Toronto Health Unit, report on use of pesticides in the City of 

Toronto from the MOHealth and Commissioner of Parks and Rec. For copy call 392-7025. 

• City, City Council meeting May 25, adopted report from the City Solicitor on the 

Purchase of Spadina Marina Facilities by the Toronto Harbour Commissioners. 

• The Caribbean Cultural Committee, media conference, June 3; 

info, Joanne Smale Productions: 363-4051 

• Metro Toronto Police pamphlet You and Your Bicycle. 

• Toronto City Cycling Committee, Cyclometer, newsletter for cycling in Toronto, for free 

. subscription send name and address to Cyclometer, 20E, City Hall, Toronto, M5H 2N2. 

• Healthy City Week (June 15 - 19) and Toronto's Bicycle User Groups (BUGs), June 

BUGnight, June 16 at the Real Jerk Pit Restaurant, 240 Richmond Street. 

• United Way announces the allocation of $1 . 3 million through its Community Initiatives 

Funding Program (CIF) to help agencies meet urgent community needs. 

/ • United Way launches Corporate Campaign. 

• United Way, Helping Women to help themselves: an information session with Marci · 

Lipman, June 15, McGill Club, 21 McGill Street. Info: Marci Lipman 598-4055.· 

• Mariposa, the best music under the sun, June 19-21, Ontario Place. Info: 778-9063 

• ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Society of Metropolitan Toronto and Area), volunteers 

needed to help sell cornflowers, June 5 and 6. Info: 362-0447 

• The Phoenix presents the Rankin Family, May, 29, Trinity Centre, 427 Bloor Street West. 

• The Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, public education, The Facts about Prozac (Fiuoxetine), 

June 8, Convocation Hall, U ofT, 7-9 p.m. Info: Sherry Cecil, 979-6816. 

• (STEP) Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, brochure by City Cycling Committee. 

• Bloor 'Y' Branch, (Jewish Community Centre), sale of summer memberships, valid from 

May 1 -September 7, 1992, 750 Spadina Ave.924~6211. 

• Ministry of the Attorney General, Aboriginal justice project grant presented to Aboriginal 

Services of Toronto (ALST) during official opening at i 97 Spadina Avenue, June 16. Info: 

Rosemary Hnatiuk, Minister's Office, 326-4423. 

• U. ofT., Office of the Assistant VP (Planning), Daniel W. Lang, discussions on proposed 

closing St. George Street between Bloor and College, Info: Daniel Lang, 978-7116. 

• Sonya's Park, Oxford Str., aArt ·in the Park, Sat. only, 11 am- 6 pm, weather permitting. 

• Hospital Poisoning Community, Did you know the To. Hospital Incinerator at Dundas -and 

Bathurst burns medical waste without any pollution controls 16 hours a day,_ 7 days a 

week? The Board of Health says: Shut incinerator down. Info: 368-9190 or 368-0407. 

• The Cari.bbean Cultural Committee announces 1992 Board of Directors. 925-5435. 

g§ 

• City, Planning Advisory Committee, public meeting, proposal to amend Official Plan and 

Zoning By-Law re: 25 Augusta Avenue; Wednesday, July 8, 1992, Ryerson Public School, 

96 Denison Ave. 7 pm. Info or copy of preliminary report: Susanne Pringle, 392-7740. 

• Board of Education, "Toronto Public Schools Make the difference," Writing/Ecrits '92, a 

book of poems written by students. Info: Jeff Sprang, 591-8034. 

• Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition (TOAE), Nathan Phillips. Square, July 10, 11, 12, exhibitor 

info: TOAE, Chalmers Building, 35 McCaul Street, 408-2754. 

• St. Stephen's Youth Employment Centre, 799B College Street, 531-4631,· brochure to 

employers: How Much Time and Money did you Spend filling your last Vacancy? · 

• Centre 276, Sunday Jam Session, 3-10 pm., from May 3.1, 276 Augusta, Info 966-4059. 

• United Way and Cadet Cleaners, "Operation Overcoat." Drop off winter coats at any 

YMCA fitness facirity. Info: Wendy King or Diana Law;-ence, United Way, 777-2001. 

University Settlement Music School 

23 Grange Road (S. of Dundas, off McCaul) 

is now accepting registrations for 

FALL PROGRAMS 

Individual lessons (all ages, all times): 

piano, voice, violin, viola, cello, guitar, flute, recorder, 

clarinet, saxophone, Chinese bamboo flute, pipe organ, 

Persian dulcimer. 

Group Classes 

Children's Choir (8-12), Music Theatre (8-12), Pre 

School Music (3-5); Orff/Creative Music (5-8); Top 20s 

Dancing (8-12); Kathak Dance (8 & over); 

Balkan Choir (Teens and Adults); Steel Band (8 & over) 

Theory/Harmony/Composition (all ages) 

Eurhythmics (Teens & Adults); Madrigal Group (Teens 

& Adults); Solfeggio (9 years & over) 

Cantonese Opera (Seniors) 

For information & registration please contact Annette 

Sanger (Music Director) at 598-3444. 

aArt Fresh Start 

aArt in the Park, Sonya's Park that 

is, got off to a great start on Saturday, 

June 13, 1992. A steady 

stream of supportive people 

stopped by to view the oil pastels, 

oil and acrylic paintings, 

watercolours, batik, tapestry and 

photography on display. Eight 

members of the collective aArt 

were represented in the exhibition, 

with more to come. aArt will be in 

Sonya's Park every Saturday 

llam-6pm until Labour Day. We 

may expand to Friday evenings 5- 

9pm as well. Also look for children's 

painting classes on Saturday 

afternoons. Any visual artists 

INTERNATIONAL 

CONFERENCE 

FESTIVAL IN 

GRANGE PARK 

On-· Sunday, June 7, representatives 

from 16 countries and 

members of the Grange community 

enjoyed a Festival of Music at 

University Settlement House. 

Although the event had to be 

moved inside to the gym, hundreds 

of people were able to listen 

to local a!ld international performers. 

One of the highlights was 

a large Finnish delegation which 

included a Big Band, ballet and 

GRAHAM 

--· 

Shiatsu 

J~ 

TORONTO 

SHIATSU 

11[}{] [E []3 & @ ~ [1 

.., . 

285 College St. 

Toronto, Ont. 

M5T 1S2 

Restaurant L.L.B.O. 

Tels.: (416) 966-7555 

(416) 923-0171 

interested in exhibiting with aArt, 

please contact Heide 921-0738. So 

come relax and enjoy nature and 

art in a casual atmosphere -with 

aArt in the Park on Oxford Street 

(first block west of Spadina) in 

Kensington Market. 

Note: The name aArt evolved from 

the Oort Cloud. 171is is the source 

of comets and represents the 

retiwins of the primordial matter 

from which the sun and planets 

we reformed some 4. 6 billion years 

ago. 

folk dancing and singing. The 

Finnish group ranged in age from 

eight to 70. Also performing that 

afternoon were a local rap group, 

and choirs and music students 

from Settlement Music School. A 

local Malaysian restaurant catered 

the food ·and there were displays 

from local and Metro-wide interest 

groups. 

. All this activity was part 

of a conference sponsored by the 

International Federation of Settlement 

that was hosted by the 

Toronto Association of Neighbourhood 

Services during the first and 

second weeks of June. 

HADLEY B.S~ .. CST 

& Craniosacral Therapy 

ll 

JUICE BAR & WELL BEING EMPORIUM 

The Queen Street Market 

238 Queen Street West 

Toronto, Ontario 

MSV IZY 

408--3581 

19 Kensington Ave. 

Toronto, Ont., M51' 2-J8 

Tel: ( 416) 599-1737 

~.._... 

~ 

-~ 

1!9 

tfij 

Four 

Sea 

CHINESE RESTAURANT 

189 AUGUSTA AVENU7 

10% off on pick up order 

(over $10.00) 

TELEPHONE 

-971-9150 

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK




ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT 

·. June 25 1992/Page Fifteen 

DATES TO WATCH 

BROTHER Mann's Workshop Project presents 

A fundraising gig for BMWP featuring 

Brother Mann's Workshop Band 

and special guests DILIZA 

on Saturday, July 4, 6 pm. to llpm. 

at Centre 276, 276 Augusta Avenue 

(1 block west of Spadina south of College) 

Donation: $5 .00 

All the proceeds go towards BMWP 

for registration and the opening of an office. 

Refreshm~nts available. 

For information call: Mduduzi (Mdu) 539-8684; 

Mamie 778-9072 or Zoe 962-5979 

July 17 and August 14 

Swing Dance Workshop - presented by Bronco's, in the 

Gladstone Hotel. 1214 Queen Street West (E. of Dufferin), 

7:30-8:00 Beginners swing. 8:00-9:00 p.m. Intermediate/advanced 

swing. Followed by live Country & Western/Swing 

music. $1.00 for workshop. No cover; Info: 

593-0183. 

BLUES JAM NIGHT - presented by Bronco's, 1214 

Queen Street West. Every Wednesday night starting at 

9:00 p.m. Featuring Steve Grisbrook every Sunday open 

jam, hosted by Lance Bennett Dave 969-8775. 

At the Milk Festival: 

A Play . Called 

Something Fishy 

in Camp Wiganishe 

by Sophia Perlman 

Well there was a festival sponsored by the Milk 

Marketing Board. It's over now. But while it lasted my 

class went to it· and we saw a play it was called 

Something Fishy in Camp Wiganishe 

But it kind of (or mostly I'm not sure) was songs 

and a. song of It's Raining It's Pouring in a way I'd 

never heard it before ..... 

After the common thing he sang this. He couldn't 

get up in the morning, he couldn't get up in the night. 

Then he'd yell WAKE UP. Then again and again. We 

were out of breath and I had a lot of fun. 

The End 

Scadding Court Community Centre 

serves a culturally and socio-econ 

, omically diverse population in the 

area of Euclid-Lakeshore-College- 

Spadina. ~ 

We are in the process of organizing 

a community arts festival in 

the summer, to take place from 

August 19 to August 22. The 

major theme of the festival is 

multiculturalism and our goal is to 

bring together·artists and communities 

from all cultures and backgrounds 

for a four-day celebration 

of our uniqueness and our 

commonalities within thx larger 

Canadian society. 

We have spaces open for workshop 

facilities. The workshops 

ee8e•o•eee5e••••• 

:.;.~~~ 

MUSIC NOTES 

WILL RETURN 

WHEN COLIN PUFFER 

CHIPS HIMSELF OUT OF 

ALL . THE ICE UNDER 

THE SUN AT MARIPOSA. 

THANKS FOR THE P-P-P 

PRESS P-P-PASSES, BOB. 

WHEN OUR FINGERS UN 

THAW WE'LL WRITE 

ABO_DT IT. 

', 

ANNOUNCEMENT 

august 19 - 22, 1992 

people united through arts 

17, a brief one paragraph/page 

proposal on what they would like 

to offer in their workshop and its 

could be in any of the arts disci- relevance to our particular complines, 

and they could each include munity · . 

two 3-hour sessions per day over a . We would li~e to invite _all artthree-day 

stretch that would lead tsts and artisans, particularly 

into a final day of Arts Faire to w?men and artists from cultural 

be co-ordinated with the West mmontles, to participate in this 

Queen West Fest. Our budcret high-spirited fe.stival. We believe 

includes artists/facilitato;s' that by working together, artists 

honoraria. 

and community organizations could 

As for the theme of the work- make a big contribution to the 

sh~ps, we are open to input by-the quality of life in our society. ~ 

artists. A variety of suggestions Co~tact persons are Liz at the 

~ave been made, from song-writ- Meetmg Place 366-3571 and Gita 

mg and painting to Pottucruese at Scadding Court 363-5392. 

baking and History of Calyps~ and SC _ . 

Rap Music. Because of the lai:ge AT Community 

number of_proposals and options, Arts Festival 

we are aski~g the arti~ts to submit W t y y 

to the planrung commtttee, by July an s ou. 

Open 7 days from 7:30 

, AM 

to 1:30AM 

Entertainment every night 

10 PM to 1 AM 

• PERFORMING • 

51 

KENStN~TaN• 

~ M-..$td 1:1...11 PM 

' . 

~ M_. ~Ju,. 6-11 PM 

~at 6-ti:115PM 

595-5337 

' . 

512 QUEEN ST. WEST 

TORONI'O, MSV 282 

363-8942 

OPEN SEVEN DAYS 

11:30 AM TO 1 AM 

*the nationals* 

*the bonnevilles* 

~ull ci~cle* 

*busted blues band* 

*gary 17* 

~ugar plum croxen* - 

*duke amors * 

*dead boys* 

~ 

call for details * 597-8771 

I



Page Sbd:een/June 25 1992 

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~ Baldwin St 

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< 



THE DRUM DIRECTORY, JUNE 25 1992 

Page Dl i 

DR 

'S 

directory 

WELCOME TO OUR NEW DIRECTORY MEMBERS FOR JUNE 1992 

Morningstar Apple Tree · 

/ 

Pro son 

Toronto Natural Food Toronto Shiatsu 

"'Department Store 

- 

, ·· 

Toronto Board of 

Education 

(see FASHION) (see HEALTij) 

Centre 

(see SPORTS & RECREATION) (see COMMUNITY) 

(see FOOD STORES) 

- I 

·Brava Kay's Sushi Vena's Restaurant Epicure Cafe Tern II Art 

(see F AS HI ON) 

\ 

(see RESTAURANTS & (see RESTAURANTS & (see RESTAURANTS & Supplies 

ENTERTAINMENT) ENTERTAINMENT) ENTERTAINMENT) 

(s,ee ARTS & LETTERS) 

Grove Cycle W ringling Audio Four Sea Travel Cuts 

I 

Service (see RESTAURANTS & Toronto 

(see SPORTS & 

RECREATION) 

(see SERVICES) 

ENTERTAINMENT) 

' 

(see TRAVEL) 

Waki Wear 

(see FASHION) 

~Jjj 

.;:)Ul() Ji:::l'# 

', 

farmer bob invites 

you to meet the 

-merchants 

#4: BANANAS 

by Robert Boucher 

Imagine finding yourself on Kensington 

Avenue and it's about 1930. Enter 66 

Kensington Avenue. It's the Sanci 

banana shop and all you see are 

bananas--clusters of bananas hanging Sicily, arrived in Canada in 1912 but 

everywhere. From the ceiling', still on before setting up shop in Kensington 

the stalks they grew from. On the back in 1914 he had set up a shop 

counters, bananas, just t;>ananas, wall- with a partner on Queen Street West 

to-wall-bananas. If you were adventur- where the Sheraton Hotel now stands. 

ous you might purchase some red Here he ran what was a fruit and candy 

bananas that were available occasional- store selling tasty treats like freshly 

ly. Behind the counter you would meet dipped chocolate bananas and almonds. 

Salvatore Sanci and/or his wife Antonia It was about this time that Salvatore 

who would cheerfully sell you all the married Antonia the girl he knew from 

bananas you required. Bananas sold his hometown in Sicily. La(er Salvatore 

then at 15 cents a ':lozen for IC,~rge ones (who was known as Sam) set up shop 

or 10 cents for small. The Sancis' two with a partner at 487 Yonge Street 

daughters, Anne and Frances, who (where the Westbury Hotel now 

were just toddlers at: the time would stands). It was here· that he started 

probably be found playing somewhere wholesaling bananas from the basenear. 

ment of this fruit store. Finding himself 

Salvatore Sanci, an -Italian from faced with the problem of unloading 

over-ripe bananas on Yonge Street he 

brought the fruit to the streets of the 

Jewish Market. At reduced prices he 

quickly unloaded his bananas right off 

his truck to eager customers. So 

impressed was he that he decided he 

would set up his own shop here. 

During the late 1920s he opened 

shop at a location he rented at 54 

Kensington Avenue. Hefe he sold only 

ban~mas 

as was the way it was in 

those days when the shops in the Market 

were for the most part very specialized. 

Salvatore had his foot in Kensington 

alright but being Catholic in what 

was virtually a very Jewish market 

place he had a small problem. He 

wanted to buy his own property here. 

Continued on D4



Serving 

ntE 

KENSINGTON 

MARKET 

IW$1-JMU;I 

•u•;uul;t• 

~ 

,. •arts 

.:D... 

::uc; .!: 

·~.·K~~ 

~~ta·~ 

About Books 

83 Harbord Street, 975-2668 

Quality second-hand books in 

most subjects, especially 

literature. Bought and sold. 

Open every day 

Checkerboard Gallery 

204A Baldwin, 979-7254 

Peter Matyas, Market Artist 

Kensington Artwear 

College Books 

321 College, 975-0849 

A new bookstore serving 

university and community 

Parentbooks 

201 Harbord 

(j ust e. of Bathurst) 

531-8334 

Books onfamily issues 

for parents and professionals 

Portuguese Book Store 

36 Nassau, 364-7954 

lornais; Revistas, Livros, 

:Jiscos; Portuguese Cook 

Books in English 

Tern II Art Supplies 

TEL: (416) 596-6543 

· 63 Spadina Ave. 

rtist supplies for students 

11d professionals 

··~ --~aldwin 

Street Bakery . 

91 Baldwin, 598-3701 

uropean Style Breads and 

astries, Baked Fresh Daily 

Jerica Bakery 

)9 Augusta, 593-9321 

.Jstard Tarts, Sponge Cake, 

olo De Arroz, Ice Cream 

ensington Patty Palace 

2 Baldwin Street 

96-6667 

;;st Jamaican l,Jeef Patty 

Iicaelense Home Bakery 

J19 Augusta, 923-6266 

' ecializing in wedding 

rakes 

~ uality Bakery 

,70 l/2 College, 922-2595 

aste the difference quality 

·wkes! Bagel ,



-"'- 

Essence Natural Foods 

560 Kensington, 

597-2176 

For gifts of health. 

Farmer Bob's Tropic~l 

Harvest 

70 Kensington, 408-0791 

The Market's Ita/ Shop 

Nice Spice 

Fong On Foods' 


Bean Cake, Soy Milk, 

Fresh Rice Noodles, 

no preservatives 

International Food Market 


Fresh Fruit and 

Vegetables 

Kensington Fruit Market 

34 St Andrew, 593-9530 

Fruits, vegetables, aloes 

too!! 

..____ 

Freshness, a family 

business 

Kensington Mall 

60 Kensington Avenue 

Groceries, vegetables, 

clothing, restaurant, gift 

items 

Units available for rent. 

Come by and see. 

Kensington Patty Palace 

172 Baldwin Street 

596-6667 

Best Jamaican Beef Patty 

lusitania Grocery 


593-9495 

Portuguese grocery store 

Melo's Food Centre 

151 Augusta, 596-834-:1- 

Portuguese Style 

Sausages 

Import and. Export 

Oxford Fruit 

71 Oxford, 363-1833 

Vegetables, fruits, quality 

24-hour c;a/1 in orders 

Perola's Supermarket - 

247 Augusta, 593-9728 

All kinds of groceries 

f(om 

South a.nd Central 

America 

Portuguese Meat Mkt 

285 Augusta, 593-5518 

Fresh meat, fruit 

yegetables 

Queen Street Market 


591-FOOD 

•Heidi's Butcher Shop 

•Hillebrand Wines 

•Molisana Bakery 

• Vinetta Foods 

•Juice for Life 

• T. D. Fastcash Machine 

Sanci Tropical ' ' 


Freshest Herbs, 

A vocadoes, Mangoes, 

Exotica, Since 1914 

Tutti Frutti 

64 Kensington 593-9281 

Chinese and European 

. Foods. Coffee, Chocolate, 

4heese 

• NUlUntD.ts 

=It 

''rttertallnmtiRt 

51 Kensington 

595-6337 

Lunch Mo-Sat 12-4, 

Dinner Mon-Thurs 6-llpm 

Fri-Sat 6-11:45 

Amadeu's 

182-4 Augusta, 591-1245 

Portuguese cuisine, seafood 

specialists and catering 

Casa Abril em Portugal · 

159 Augusta A venue, 

593-0440 

Fine Portuguese Dining 

Chiu Yuen Dim Sum 

Restaurant 

2A Kensington, 598-1573 

Dim Sum and Cantonese 

Style Open Bam to 7pm .. 

LLBO 

CineCycle 596-7733 

317 Spadina Ave. (REAR) 

Silent Sunday Film Series 

Live Piano accompaniment 

by ... JOHN HENRY 

NYHENHUIS 

Epicure 'Cafe 

512 Queen St. West 

363-8942 

Open 7 Days !1:30am 

'till 1:00 am 

Four Sea 

Chinese Restaurant 


10% off on'pick up order 

(Over $10.00) 

Telephone: 971-9150 

Open 7 days a week. 

Grossman's Tavern 

379 Spadina, 977-7000 

Neighbourhood Bar. 

Nightly Entertainment 

Juice for Life 


408-3581. Juice Bar and 

Well-Being Emporium in the 

Queen St. Market 

Fresh vegetarian foods 

Kay's Sushi 

602 Dundas West 408-3414 

Sushi & Sushimi, Lunch 

sushi, special good price, 

take out. · 

Kwaogtung Dim Sum 

Restaurant 

10 Kensington A venue 

977-5165 . 

Luncheon Special, LLBO 

,-----·1 

~----~ 

Last Temptation 

12 Kensington 

II ' 

II 

II 

II 

599-2551 DRUM'S BEAT 

Sinful Food, Tempting · 

Times, Live Music. 

Le Uyen 

56C Kensington, 598-3328 

Authentic Vietnamese Food, 

LLBO, Major cards 

Karaoke after 8pm' 

Mars Food 

II 

432 College St 

921-6332 '- 

Out Of This World . 

Massimo's 

302 College, 967-0527 

Sit down, Pick-up~ Delivery 

Pizza and Pasta Beaven 

Pepper Restaurant 

69 Nassau 

340-9872 

Full licence 

assorted sandwiches 

"Patio open." 

Spadina Cafe 

401 Spadina, 340~6383 . 

A Pleasant Change. 

A Little of the Cominent 

in Chinatown: "catering" 

Spadina Garden Restaurant 

116 Dundas W. 977-341314 · 

Szechuan-Hunan & Peking 

Cuisine - 

Fully licensed, LLBO 

Spadina Garden Restaurant 

41 1 6 Spadina, 598-2734 

Szechuan-Nunan & Peking 

Cuisine 

Fully licensed, LLBO 

The Greeks (LLBO) 

197 1/2 Baldwin, 597-8771 

Greek and Canadian Food. 

The Original Special Coffee 

The Boat 

158 Augusta, 593-9218 

International Cuisine 

Specializing in 

Portuguese Food 

The Second Cup 

181 Baldwin, 597-8398 

P~try, coffee beans 

& the famous Bodum 

The Second Cup 

340 College, 323-3702 ' 

Tired of the same old grind? 

· Try ours. 

Vena's Restaurant 

646 Queen St. West 

365-6177 

"West Indian Roti" 

All Home Made Cooking 

Catering & Take out. 

=:.:k.tch.· 

TORONTO SHIATSU 

19 Kensington Ave. 

599-1737 

Experience relaxation and 

relief from headaches, 

niigraines, neck and back 

pains, whiplash and other 

nagging old injuries. Gift 

. Certificate available. 

.. ::·-. ·· ... . •:;::·.·· '· 

=• ... K~·~ ,:;!>;;,. 

·-... ) ;· ··v.-~ =:w. 

\ll•• 

CAAM United Hardware 

Two Locaiions! 

160 Augusta 598-8195 

564 Dundas 596-8098 

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 plams 

for all occasions. 

Reingewirtz Paint Stores 

Ltd. 

107 Baldwin, 977-3502 

Paints, varnishes and 

imported wallpapers. 

II 

II 

II· 

II 

II 

II, 

II 

II 

I 

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J 

I 

B 1oor11111111IIIIPnRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 

llarbordllllllllltl•······· 

College 

E B s H 

u a p c 

• 

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1 h d a 

i. u i u 



Page D4 

THE DRUM DIRECTORY, JUNE 25 1992 

II!: 

Continued from D 1 

Just up the street at number 66 there 

was shop that raised and sold chickens 

and came complete with horse stalls. 

For the exorbitant price of $6600 (remember 

this was 1 930 and a depression 

was on) he purchased this property. 

To give you an idea of how outrageous 

the price he paid was: the original 

lawyer putting the agreement together 

refiJsed to have anything to do with the 

deal and another lawye •. was hired to 

handle the purchase. For the amount he 

paid, Salvatore could easily have purchased 

a location on Yonge Street but 

he was determined to have a location 

on Kensington. 

The dilapidated building was torn 

down and a new building that would be 

a horne and business for Salvatore and 

his family was built. On the face of the 

.building in the brick there is a cross 

designed in the pattern. J ewish merchants 

always had a Star of David in 

their windows, so for Salvatore, being 

Catholic, this was his mark. At the far 

rear of the building four large cooler 

rooms were built. Bananas would hang 

here in storage until ready to be sold in 

the shop at the front, or delivered and 

sold wholesale to other stores. The 

garage area held two trucks that were 

used for deliveries. 

For the next two decades Salvatore 

Sanci and his wi-fe Antonia ran their 

business and raised their children AQne 

and Frances. Business ran nicely and it 

was only during the second world w ar 

that the business actually closed down, 

sometimes for up to two weeks, when 

banana stocks ran out and shipments 

were delayed. At the· time bananas 

were commonly used to treat patients 

(usually infants) who suffered an intestinal 

disorder called celiac (an inability 

to tolerate gluten). Doctor s from Sick 

Kids Hospital and mothers ordered 

banana flakes as a replacement. It is 

said that the banana saved the lives of 

many patients with this disease. - 

After the w ar the price of bananas 

had reached 14c a pound retail. Salvatore 

sanci died in 1 948 at the age of 

56 and the responsibility of running the 

family business fell in the hands of his 

16-year-old daughter, Frances. Frances, 

born in Toronto, learned to w alk by 

holding onto those stalks of bananas 

that hung in the cooler rooms at the 

rear. She attended St Patrick's School 

on McCaul Street and went to Central 

Tech. She ran the family business with 

sister Anne and their mother. They had 

two trucks and two drivers to make 

deliveries. Frances handled it all very 

well and proved to be an astute 

businesswoman. Remember this was 

before the times of women's lib. 

Frances married Tony Borg (a Maltese 

immigrant) in 1951 and _in the years to 

follow had three children (Salvatore, 

Vincent and Antoinette). Frances remembers 

the earlier years when a horse 

and buggy was a common sight making 

its rounds delivering ,milk bread or 

whatever. Sales people roamed' the 

streets carrying strings of small bagels 

that sold for 5c a baker's dozen ( 13). 

Shochets (supervisors of kosher slaughter) 

with blood-stained aprons walked 

the streets from the chicken slaughter 

houses that operated from the back 

alleys of the market. Many -Jewish 

mothers helped put their sons through 

medical school· cleaning chickens in 

these slaughter houses, Frances mentions. 

On Fridays at sundown · all the 

shops closed for - what is called 

Shabbos. J ewish families w ere home 

for the Sabbath which is sundown 

Friday to sundown Saturday. Saturdays 

were very quiet in the Market place 

here an'd shops did not open until sundown 

Saturday. Frances had the 

banana shop (as it was referred to 

then) open until 2 am on many Saturday 

nights. Sundays were also quiet 

here as virtually every shop was 

closed. 

In the 195,0s Sanci banana started 

stocking plantains and coconuts. Black 

people who came from Halifax started 

requesting these products. By the 

1960s' banana wholesale deliveries had 

ceased. It no longer made sense to 

- continue this with a profit of only 25c 

a case (40 lb box) and so other larger 

ba'nana wholesalers like Mei-0-Ripe 

Banana Brands with larger volumes 

took over the banana supply business 

(see photos). Sanci Banana started 

importing foods from Jamaica at this 

time.-Up until the 1920s most bananas 

arrived her·e from Jamaica but the 

problem of stem-rot brought an end to 

these imports and so bananas started 

arriving from central america. By 1960 

Panama disease attacked large numbers 

of banana plantations and diseaseresistant 

strains had to be developed. 

Today bananas are one of the largest 

cash crops in Central America; In' North 

America bananas are number two in 

popularity, second only to apples. Sanci 

Banana was the first to import produce 

from Jamaica to Canada. Throughout 

the 1960s products like mangoes, avocados, 

yams and even breadfruit 

started arriving by air freight. The shop 

started selling Jamaican groceries like 

ackees and. before long had the best 

selection of exotic groceries found 

anywhere. Sanci banana C!lid a brisk 

business as more and more West Indian 

immigrants started arriving in Toronto. 

Frances Borg's husband Tony died in 

1976. Tony had helped run the shop 

during the 25 years of their marriage. 

Frances still lives here,. with sister 

Anne, in the home ~md b'usiness their 

father built. Frances is retired riow 

taking it easy and enjoying being the 

grandmother of four. For those who 

know she is affectionately referred to 

as the true Queen of Kensington. The 

eldest of her three children, son Salvatore, 

took over the operation of Sanci 

banana in 1986 when his mother 

retired. Son Vince and daughter 

Antoinette as well as Sal grew up working 

part-time in the family business, 

earning their spending money. Vince 

got involved with the Liberal political 

party during his t eens and eventually 

ljecame the Principal Secretary and 

Senior Aide to former premier David 

Peterson. Today he is vice president of 

\ 

The photographs: 

DIRECTORY COVER: Carmine Pitoscia, 

founder of Mel-0-Ripe Banana Brands 

delivers bananas with horse and buggy, 1928 

(photo courtesy Mel-0-Ripe Banana Brands) 

TOP LEFT: Salvatore (Sal) Borg, 1985 

(photo:Mike Savage) 

BELOW: Salvatore and Antonia Sqnci, 

Empire Studio 

BOTTOM RIGHT: Frances Borg, 1985 

(photo: Mike Savage) 

American Barrick, a mineral exploration/investment 

company. Antoinette is 

a school teacher and mother of one. 

She -lives in Port Credit with husband 

Benjamin Da' Estrella Jr. (Kensington 

Market Fish Company). None of 

Frances Borg's children ever met their 

grandfather. 

Sal, who has his grandfather' s 

name, carries on t he family business. 

An important part of the business nowadays 

is supplying many of Toronto' s 

fine restaurants with a large selection 

of exotic fruits and vegetables. Sal 

remembers the days when he w as 

growing up in Kensington; by then his 

was one of the few families w ho still 

lived and did their business here. In the 

years earlier, before the 1960s, many 

of Kensington market 's merchants lived 

above the shops here and ran their 

businesses. As a youngster remembers 

earning fifty cent s unloading a 

truckload of bananas. In 1960 bananas 

retailed for 17 a pound for # 1, 15c a 

pound for #2 and 5-1 Oc a pound for 

overripes. This w as still very much like 

small town then, he says, but the ethnic 

makeup bf Ke'nsin'gton 'market W~ H 

changing although it was still referred 

to at the time as the Jewish Market. 

More and more Port uguese were moving 

in and Hungarians were _running 

clothing stores on Augusta Avenue. Sal 

, lives in East York w ith his wife Pamela 

and three children. It would not be 

surprising should one of his children 

continue the family business in t he 

future. Today the business is know n as 

Sanci Tropical Foods. Bananas sell for 

29c-59c a pound now, but considering 

- inflation over the years bananas are st ill 

an incredible bargain. The flavour and 

vibrancy of the market remains, even 

as Kensington continues its irreversible 

cMange.

#9204 - Jun 1992

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