Conrad Black
Senior Member
Corner of contrasts at Queen and Sherbourne
http://www.thestar.com/article/294436
TARA WALTON/TORONTO STAR
Dog-walker and opera singer Andrea Wiltzius, above, walks through Moss Park yesterday.
At this intersection, homeless mingle with millionaires, prostitutes parade in front of posh boutiques and kids skate at the local arena
Jan 16, 2008 04:30 AM
Robyn Doolittle
Staff Reporter
To many, it's known as Skid Row; a downtown slum that's a stone's throw away from million-dollar condos, exclusive restaurants and fancy boutiques.
Three of the city's largest homeless shelters are found nearby, meaning on any given night, as many as 1,000 homeless gravitate toward the corner of Sherbourne St. and Queen St. E.
The building on the southwest corner is boarded up. It's vacant, like many of the commercial shops in the area, and has been for some time. There are alleys behind those buildings that don't look like the kind of place you should walk alone.
On the northwest side, there's Moss Park. Police are in a constant battle to curb street crime around here: drugs, prostitution, theft, fighting. Last week, the owner of the local Coffee Time was charged with selling crack.
The corner is an area of opposites. In 2006, seven people working at a Dollarama there became millionaires after winning the 6/49 lottery. Drug dealers and prostitutes may call Moss Park home, but Yorkville-worthy boutiques dot the area as well. The local rink, Moss Park Arena, has one of the only free hockey leagues in the country. And the baseball diamond is one of the few downtown. When the lights are on in the summer, it's as pretty as any park in an Iowa cornfield.
"Yeah, it's quite the neighbourhood. I saw someone getting mugged on the way here," said dog-walker by day, opera-singer by night Andrea Wiltzius.
The muggers were well-dressed twentysomethings, she said. Wiltzius was on her way to the park with dogs Kanop and Benny – it's one of their favourite spots – when she saw a woman getting robbed while waiting for the Queen streetcar.
"She had a rolling bag and put it down and was getting her Metropass when two guys came by and just grabbed it. It was great: she freaked out and attacked them. At one point, she had one by the neck. She was screaming for help. One guy jumped in, but then they pounded him. No one was stopping to help," Wiltzius said. "But I was proud of her."
Many of Wiltzius' clients live in nearby luxury condos. "Except there's prostitutes outside," she said. Still, Wiltzius said she never feels unsafe in the area – at least not around the homeless people.
"I normally see the same homeless people every time. They're nice and always friendly," she said.
Yesterday, Paul Creaner brought students from his Grades 6-8 class at Lord Dufferin school to a free skate session at Moss Park Arena.
"They love it. It's a lot of fun," said the teacher, whose school is a few blocks east.
Toronto designer Shernett Swaby, who you may recognize from Project Runway Canada, set up a boutique across from the arena about
8 months ago. Poshly dressed mannequins wearing thousand-dollar garments adorn the small shop.
"I was on the Danforth for six years and I had a shop in Yorkville, but I realized it really doesn't matter. My clients will follow me here. And we're going to New York and I'd rather save the overhead costs," she said. "Some mornings, I look out and see a limousine. Sometimes, I see a bum."
Over at the nearby Good Neighbours' Club, a day centre for homeless men, a room full of guys gathers around the television, while others sit and play poker.
"They come here because it's safe," said support worker Gary McCrimmon. "Here, they can keep away from the younger ones – the crack heads. They don't have to deal with the intimidation they have to face at the centres."
The club was established in 1933 and was largely used by WWII veterans until the last few decades.
"These are all good guys. They just like to keep to themselves."
While the local residents may get a bad rap, they're the ones saving the community, police said. "It was a resident who called in about the Coffee Time," said Staff. Sgt. Frank Bergen. "We work very closely with the community. The fact is, it's a very engaged community that's quite concerned about making a better partnership with police."
http://www.thestar.com/article/294436
TARA WALTON/TORONTO STAR
Dog-walker and opera singer Andrea Wiltzius, above, walks through Moss Park yesterday.
At this intersection, homeless mingle with millionaires, prostitutes parade in front of posh boutiques and kids skate at the local arena
Jan 16, 2008 04:30 AM
Robyn Doolittle
Staff Reporter
To many, it's known as Skid Row; a downtown slum that's a stone's throw away from million-dollar condos, exclusive restaurants and fancy boutiques.
Three of the city's largest homeless shelters are found nearby, meaning on any given night, as many as 1,000 homeless gravitate toward the corner of Sherbourne St. and Queen St. E.
The building on the southwest corner is boarded up. It's vacant, like many of the commercial shops in the area, and has been for some time. There are alleys behind those buildings that don't look like the kind of place you should walk alone.
On the northwest side, there's Moss Park. Police are in a constant battle to curb street crime around here: drugs, prostitution, theft, fighting. Last week, the owner of the local Coffee Time was charged with selling crack.
The corner is an area of opposites. In 2006, seven people working at a Dollarama there became millionaires after winning the 6/49 lottery. Drug dealers and prostitutes may call Moss Park home, but Yorkville-worthy boutiques dot the area as well. The local rink, Moss Park Arena, has one of the only free hockey leagues in the country. And the baseball diamond is one of the few downtown. When the lights are on in the summer, it's as pretty as any park in an Iowa cornfield.
"Yeah, it's quite the neighbourhood. I saw someone getting mugged on the way here," said dog-walker by day, opera-singer by night Andrea Wiltzius.
The muggers were well-dressed twentysomethings, she said. Wiltzius was on her way to the park with dogs Kanop and Benny – it's one of their favourite spots – when she saw a woman getting robbed while waiting for the Queen streetcar.
"She had a rolling bag and put it down and was getting her Metropass when two guys came by and just grabbed it. It was great: she freaked out and attacked them. At one point, she had one by the neck. She was screaming for help. One guy jumped in, but then they pounded him. No one was stopping to help," Wiltzius said. "But I was proud of her."
Many of Wiltzius' clients live in nearby luxury condos. "Except there's prostitutes outside," she said. Still, Wiltzius said she never feels unsafe in the area – at least not around the homeless people.
"I normally see the same homeless people every time. They're nice and always friendly," she said.
Yesterday, Paul Creaner brought students from his Grades 6-8 class at Lord Dufferin school to a free skate session at Moss Park Arena.
"They love it. It's a lot of fun," said the teacher, whose school is a few blocks east.
Toronto designer Shernett Swaby, who you may recognize from Project Runway Canada, set up a boutique across from the arena about
8 months ago. Poshly dressed mannequins wearing thousand-dollar garments adorn the small shop.
"I was on the Danforth for six years and I had a shop in Yorkville, but I realized it really doesn't matter. My clients will follow me here. And we're going to New York and I'd rather save the overhead costs," she said. "Some mornings, I look out and see a limousine. Sometimes, I see a bum."
Over at the nearby Good Neighbours' Club, a day centre for homeless men, a room full of guys gathers around the television, while others sit and play poker.
"They come here because it's safe," said support worker Gary McCrimmon. "Here, they can keep away from the younger ones – the crack heads. They don't have to deal with the intimidation they have to face at the centres."
The club was established in 1933 and was largely used by WWII veterans until the last few decades.
"These are all good guys. They just like to keep to themselves."
While the local residents may get a bad rap, they're the ones saving the community, police said. "It was a resident who called in about the Coffee Time," said Staff. Sgt. Frank Bergen. "We work very closely with the community. The fact is, it's a very engaged community that's quite concerned about making a better partnership with police."
The college kids and now I'm sorry I mentioned it.
