Adam Vaughan proposes a Parkdale-style bar ban on Kensington Market

Adam Vaughan proposes a Parkdale-style bar ban on Kensington Market

Adam Vaughan
(Image: BriYYZ)

Once quaint and charmingly grungy Kensington is rapidly gentrifying. New gourmet food shops, including Thomas Lavers, Hooked and the refurbished Sanagan’s, are bringing in an artisanal ethos; new indie coffee houses are popping up alongside neighbourhood spots; and trendy new bars and restaurants, like Via Mercanti, Thirsty and Miserable and Cold Tea, are bringing with them a boozy evening social scene that’s troubling residents, and Adam Vaughan. His objection: the influx of watering holes could drive up rents and force out the market’s mom-and-pop food stands. The city councillor is currently advocating for a staff report on the feasibility of restricting the number of new food-and-drink spaces, something similar to the restaurant moratorium in Parkdale, which could soon become permanent. Of course, Vaughan had to make the point with his standard rhetorical swagger: he equated evil bars to evil Walmart and dubbed the transforming market the “Kensington Entertainment District.” [CBC]