Loblaws is officially moving into Kensington Market
The worst fears of Kensington Market’s cadre of anti-corporate activists are about to come true: Tribute Communities, a development company that’s in the process of building a 15-storey condo tower on the Market’s northern border, at 297 College Street, confirms that it has recently inked a deal with Loblaws that would give the supermarket chain a 20,000-square-foot toehold in the neighbourhood.
The new supermarket will likely open with the rest of the condo building toward the middle of 2016, on a site best known as the former home of a Zen Buddhist temple. Loblaws plans to occupy the second floor, plus a small alcove area on the main floor that will be devoted mainly to escalators. A second retail space in the building has yet to be leased.
Steve Deveaux, Tribute’s vice president of land development, knows that Kensington Market’s various community groups have been agitating against this exact outcome ever since the development application came to their attention in late 2011. Activists have said that a large grocery store would compete with Kensington Market’s many unique small grocers, possibly hastening the neighbourhood’s transformation into an expanse of trendy restaurants and clubs.
Deveaux pointed out that 20,000 square feet is relatively small, at least by Loblaws standards. (The Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws, for instance, is about 85,000 square feet.) “It’s not a big-box store like some people will attempt to categorize it,” he said. “It’s more of a community grocery store.”
“Kensington’s a very unique place that will still be relevant,” he added. “This offers a different shopping experience.”
A RioCan development proposal for another plot of land, on Kensington Market’s western border, calls for an even larger shopping centre, to be anchored by a Walmart. That plan has been temporarily stalled by a freeze on new retail development along Bathurst Street, imposed by city council in July. One way or another, though, it seems as though the area is in for some change.
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/loblaws-officially-moving-kensington-market/&title=Loblaws is officially moving into Kensington Market&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/loblaws-kensington-market-624x395.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_256862" align="alignnone" width="656"] (Image: JasonParis)[/caption]
The worst fears of Kensington Market’s cadre of anti-corporate activists are about to come true: Tribute Communities, a development company that’s in the process of building a 15-storey condo tower on the Market's northern border, at 297 College Street, confirms that it has recently inked a deal with Loblaws that would give the supermarket chain a 20,000-square-foot toehold in the neighbourhood.
The new supermarket will likely open with the rest of the condo building toward the middle of 2016, on a site best known as the former home of a Zen Buddhist temple. Loblaws plans to occupy the second floor, plus a small alcove area on the main floor that will be devoted mainly to escalators. A second retail space in the building has yet to be leased.
Steve Deveaux, Tribute's vice president of land development, knows that Kensington Market's various community groups have been agitating against this exact outcome ever since the development application came to their attention in late 2011. Activists have said that a large grocery store would compete with Kensington Market's many unique small grocers, possibly hastening the neighbourhood's transformation into an expanse of trendy restaurants and clubs.
Deveaux pointed out that 20,000 square feet is relatively small, at least by Loblaws standards. (The Maple Leaf Gardens Loblaws, for instance, is about 85,000 square feet.) "It's not a big-box store like some people will attempt to categorize it," he said. "It's more of a community grocery store."
"Kensington's a very unique place that will still be relevant," he added. "This offers a different shopping experience."
A RioCan development proposal for another plot of land, on Kensington Market's western border, calls for an even larger shopping centre, to be anchored by a Walmart. That plan has been temporarily stalled by a freeze on new retail development along Bathurst Street, imposed by city council in July. One way or another, though, it seems as though the area is in for some change.){kind=link}
If retailers in the market are innovative and bring value to their customers, I don’t think they’ll have a problem. The only shops I see this impacting are the Oxford Fruit Markets of the world and to be honest, I don’t think they’re bringing much to the market now anyways. Customers of Sanigan’s and Hooked, for example, aren’t going to suddenly stop shopping there just because there is a Loblaws within a stones throw…
Am I the only one who’s not too worried about this? As a Kensington local and someone who does 90% of my shopping in the market, I still go out of my way to go to Loblaws for the remaining 10% of items that aren’t available or are extremely expensive in the smaller shops. That ratio won’t change for me with a Kensington Loblaws in the neighbourhood, and I suspect the same will be true for other avid marketers. Not to mention the many customers who are in the opposite boat and actually go out of their way just to support the market.
If anything, I feel like the proximity of so many amazing local shops, cafes, and restaurants will be one of the major draws for people considering buying units in this condo which will actually amp up business for these places.
It will also be nice to finally have some (slightly more) affordable options for people who want to buy a home in this neighbourhood.
The proposed Wal-Mart on the other hand, is a whole different story…
I’m not entirely worried either. Kensington businesses are much cheaper than Loblaws. I’m not sure the market is the same. There won’t be no impact, but it’s not like an evil under cutter (cough…WalMart), is going there. Loblaws has been a pretty good corp to Toronto, they’ve earned some trust.
Oxford Fruit Market adds great value to the market! Those stores are owned by local families who’s kids go to local schools. I prefer shopping in community owned stores and I will continue to do so. If we want our downtown to remain livable then I hope you will all do the same.
What about Zimmerman’s Freshmart? They carry Loblaw’s products. I don’t see how they can survive this… I don’t often shop at that Freshmart but certainly it’s got to be bad for the owner of it who’s been a big supporter of Kensington Market .
Any time I’ve visited Oxford Fruit Market I’ve found spoiled fruit, and bad service. Like cwallace said, it’s up to retailers to be innovative and bring value to their customers.
On the other hand, small fruit shop across from Essence of Life on the north side on the has AMAZING fresh fruit at awesome prices, and an amazingly friendly staff. I’m sure they’ll continue to do fine.
I have not shopped in a Loblaw’s since they built a store on top of the Newfoundland memorial to the ww1 and ww2 war veterans.
Kensington has community stores and corporate Canada will never be a part of it…Loblaws can take the money from this store and compensate all the Bangledeshi workers killed in their Joe Fresh factories….do something good instead of trying to dissmantle the last decent fun neighborhood untouched by the insane corporate redevelopment of Toronto into a glass skyslum circus…..
lol your attack on Oxford is off topic and your opinion on Loblaws is off base too…i suspect you have some kind of bias
Another side note….I live in Kensington…I know almost everyone that lives here….they are not agitators that kind of language is disgusting from a credible journalist (not saying this guy is) ….there is a consensus here that this store is unwelcome…unfortunately there is no process to vote loblaws out…nor is there the will to preserve or develop communities in a sustainable way…the tone of the article is inflammatory…if you came down here and asked the thousands of people who live here how they feel there is a general consensus..if you asked the hundreds of thousands who visit here every year there is a consensus…because this is a last preserve of culture in a city that allowed all its arts spaces and yuppies that allowed Yorkville to turn into corporate zoos….there is no need to be here and the Loblaws group is way off base to believe so….unfortunately there are no tools to stop it in spite of the fact everyone knows its just plain wrong
I love that place, too, but if you think they will do fine your delusional.
The Loblaws on Queen and Portland has already had a negative affect on Kensington. Once you’re in there for some staples you tend to go ahead and do your whole shop. I do it and I’m an avid supporter of Kensington.
The food that is sold in the market is the same or worse quality than what Loblaws provides. The natural food markets wont be as affected. The overpopulation of restaurants/coffee shops will probably benefit from the increased traffic, along with the nick-nacky stores that Kensington is really known for.
I’d be more worried about the Wal-Mart that is planned at the west end of Baldwin. That has been in the works a lot long but no one seems to be protesting that.
oh and they are the corporation that is a community lol tribute communities…and the community of kensington market are a cadre of agitators wtf
I work for the Big Carrot, which is pretty much against the grain of Loblaws – and have lived in Kensington for years. The fruit markets sell generic food terminal products – they don’t really do anything for the community besides drive some low quality fruit from one part of Toronto to another – if they disappear, you can just walk a block over to Chinatown and get literally the exact same produce. At least Loblaws deals directly with the growers/supports local agriculture where possible – they even have access to Fair Trade certified bananas if you want them. The more specialty grocery stores like the Hispanic markets or House of Spice cater to a group that Loblaws doesn’t.
What Kensington was known for was it grass roots and unique character – but over the last 15-20 years it has become much more generic and gentrified. I think what cwallace was saying is true. The creative and cultural aspects of the market will still remain and hopefully the pressure of corporate proximity will force those things to flourish again.
how about someone asks ppl who actually live there if they need a “community” grocery store!! Oh wait? no one cares? they are agitated? oh don’t worry, it’s ok, they can’t fly in a Brockovich like the retired executives at Oakville did for the gas plant “in their back yard”.
Well…you are certainly…entitled to your opinion…but don’t put words in the mouths of “hundreds of thousands” of people you have not canvassed.
If you don’t like Loblaws…just don’t shop there. Money talks and money walks.
Your loss! It was actually a hockey arena that they dedicated to the veterans when they rebuilt it after it burned to the ground, it wasn’t a war memorial or any kind of sacred ground. The best grocery store in Toronto is in Maple Leaf Gardens, some people won’t shop their either… oh well!
Loblaws did compensate all of the workers. They even compensated people who weren’t even working on their brand because they were so disgusted that so many companies weren’t going to do it for them. Corporate Canada? The pay a decent wage and people from all walks of life work and shop in it, you’re the elitist snob with your cute little corner of the city you want all to yourself so you can feel better than the rest of the city… the majority of corporations make life better for everyone, I manage to have fun in all neighborhoods in the city somehow…
lol ok buddy bring your ass down to kensington for even one day and start asking people randomly…ive lived here and run a business here for 23 years…somehow i am more qualified then you….it is not that loblaws is evil (other then the joe fresh killing people thing) but that there is no place for corporate stores in the kensington area if that is too much for you to swallow just stay in north york or wherever the hell you live which I am sure is dehumanizing and unconnected…mocking someone for knowing their community is exactly the value system that I destest and would seem incredulous to those that dont experience the pleasure of knowing thousands of their neighbors and their opinions…
actually that is a complete misrepresentation of what happened, workers in the plant asked for long term changes, increased wages and an educational fund to be set up so their future would be better…instead a pittance of money was offered that will barely cover the devastating losses that families experienced there…what a heartless interpretation of what happened in Bangladesh ….most companies have refused to sign on to any meaningful changes and lives have been destroyed I can send you some links if you would like to educate yourself Monkey
lol do you get paid for these responses or are you just bored and trolling
Good one, himelator, good one!
It’s really unfortunate that, not only do you present something as fact that is completely lacking REAL facts, but you also have to resort to personal attacks, namecalling and putting words in people’s mouths. The closest thing to a fact you stated was “Loblaws compensated’. Barely. As for him being en elistist snob-you base that on nothing other than trolling and nowhere did anyone say they wanted Kensington all to themselves. Most people from there WANT other people to come and enjoy it for what it is and they’d like it to retain what has made it so original and special for so long. Loblaws coming in, which will be the beginning of many other businesses pushing their way in means the end of that. It won’t be long before it’s a Subway, beside a Starbucks, beside a Tim Hortons, beside a McDonals, beside a Rogers, beside a Shopper’s Drug Mart, beside another Subway. And condos! Lots and lots of condos!
Yeah, there is something oddly disingenuous and hollow about his ‘opinions’. I think monkey has an agenda, or is working an angle as opposed to being in any kind of real discussion.
St. Clair and Yonge used to be a beautiful place. Two movie theatres, side by side, four book stores, including Lichtman’s (my favourite), a video-game shop, two movie rental outlets, a bar, and a whole slew of fashion dens. That was twenty years ago. Today? Condos. Replace all the green and blues of the normal ugly condo with beige and tan, and you’ve got the same locale as anywhere else in the city.
Yorkville? We all know what happened. People, who bought into the image of a locale, seemed unable to detect the irony that their very presence would destroy that image forever afterwards. Or perhaps they just didn’t give a hoot about the actual neighbourhood and just wanted to create more boxes closest to the centralized hub of other boxes.
Now it’s Kensington’s turn. Long considered weird and distinct enough that business was just guessed not to flourish there for the “norms” – the land value on this ever increasingly condo’d city has made its approximation to the core valuable enough to earn the dedicated efforts of the relentless corporate machine’s finest. It may be just “one building” – but that “one building” will forever change the landscape of anyone who visits that part of town (not to mention it’s still one of the last low-rise places in the city). What will people see every time they look up? This guaranteed to be horrendous condo. That will be the new face of the neighbourhood.
I don’t care how awesome you can braid hair, make funky designs, lay down sick beats, or sell natural medicine. When the very face of your neighbourhood changes – when it’s biggest marker becomes the very thing you stand against – it’s just a matter of time before it’s gone.
Like St. Clair and Yorkville before it.
Game over Kensington. It was a pleasure living inside thee for half a decade. You will be sorely, sorely missed.
I can’t afford to shop at Sanagan’s, Hooked or the organic produce store (who’s produce never seeems to be Canadian let alone Ontario) for my everyday groceries. I live over on the other side of Bathurst and all our corner produce stores are gone, replaced by coffee shops. I NEED the Kensington produce shops or I will have to shop at Loblaws for everything. So what if they buy from the food terminal. That’s what small independants have to do, they don’t do enough volume to deal directly with farmers. I used to do 100% of my grocery shopping in the market when European Meats was still open. Little by little I am being forced to shop at Loblaws.
It is no loss to me whatsoever. The Memorial Stadium was built as a family skating arena and dedicated to the WW1 and the WW2 war veterans. The land was purchased by the donations made by citizens and the building was built by citizens.
The National War Memorial in Ottawa was build by an artist who was paid for his work, and the Prime Minister then dedicated it to the Veterans: is that not a war memorial either?
Neither were built upon sacred ground but both were built as Memorials to the war veterans and dedicated as such.
The name of the Skating Arena was Memorial Stadium which might give you a hint as to what it was.
P.S. Also, check your story on the Memorial Stadium having previously burnt down.
What a bunch of conspiracy theorist kooks, yes, I get paid to mock idiots on the internet…
Three months of wages for all workers is a “pittance” to you? I’m sure you would send me some opinions and ranting from some kooks but go ahead… I guess you’ll only be happy when Loblaws overthrows the government and makes it as fair as Canada? Wait but no you wouldn’t be happy because Canada is run by the corporations… Loblaws did right by those people you’re just a whiner with an axe to grind.
Do you think the government did 9/11 too? Wow you give yourself a lot of credit, as if someone would consider paying someone to mock the opinions of kooks on comment boards…
Anything is better than the worst retailer on this earth. Walmart is a symbol of a community in decline.
Sure it is, if you’re at college and bay you have to avoid the best grocery store in the city and get less selection… oh well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Stadium_%28St._John%27s%29
So they replaced their burnt down arena and decided to name it after the vets, they didn’t decide to build a memorial and decide to make it a hockey arena, that is a major distinction. They couldn’t even figure out how to monetize it or keep it, what would you have done, donated the money yourself to keep it in the hands of the city?
Ohhh the heartless corporations have no respect for our veterans! Give me a break buddy! Cry me a river…
Did you bother to read the write up you posted a link too? You spew comments like they were facts when the reality is otherwise and even your Wikipedia link which is hardly fact based shows your wrong assumptions.
It is obvious that truth and reality mean nothing to you so I will end the conversation here. People can easily review my comments and verify them whereas you will continue to spew assumptions.
Have a great day
I grew up alongside the Memorial Stadium and my parents funded and took part in the actual construction of the building and it did not burn down at any point. My parent’s home still stands on Kingsbridge Road.
The “Prince’s Rink” which your Wikipedia link refers to did burn down and was later rebuilt on Pennywell Road just off Golf Avenue. It is called the Prince of Wale’s Arena.
The Memorial Stadium was built for the sole purpose of being a dedication to the vets. I suspect Shawn is correct and any facts will be lost on your bullshit, I mean assumptions.
I think beyond the fact that you are wrong on the statements you make you are just being an ass. Otherwise there would be some common sense in your comments.
I vote that you are a troll.
Just your argument that this man is affected by his decision not to shop at Loblaw’s is a lost to him says a lot about your mentality. What does it matter if he chooses to walk an extra block to shop at a store he chooses to support? how can you decide that this is a burden on him or that he is missing out on a greater selection lol
I don’t know about trolls but I do know that big business hires weak minded men like yourself to come online and argue. And your statements are nonsense by the way and just because you say it or you read it on the internet does not mean it is true. The MEMORIAL STADIUM was a Memorial but I can see how that would be hard for you to grasp as it would require common sense, something which you are so blatantly in need of.
@David Church
I am confused by your comment that there are “hundreds of thousands of people” who were not canvassed. Are there hundreds of thousands of people in Kensington?
Mind sharing what 3 months wages for a worker in Bangladesh is Money? It is $38.00 US per month. That adds up to $114.00 US for three months work in a Joe Fresh Garment factory. I do not think that $38.00 US per month has even impacted Loblaw’s as they would simply write it off as a business expense.
The workers are fighting for a raise but it is still not settled. Read a competent paper and not Wikipedia .
Can’t speak to the topic Monkey? No one is talking 911 or other conspiracy but it is a good way of moving the attention away from people speaking truth.
I love how people with nothing invested into the community feel they have the right to decide for another community. I think we should build a condo building in David’s backyard, why should he be able to flaunt his garden in the face of progress anyway.
I live on Pennywell Road and you are correct that the Prince’s rink was rebuilt after the original Prince’s rink burnt down in the 40’s. It was originally the Prince’s arena dedicated to the brothers but when it was rebuilt it was dedicated specifically to the Prince of Wales. One only has to read the bronze plague outside the rink. There is also a bronze plaque outside the Loblaw’s noting that the Memorial Stadium was built by the citizens as a dedication to the war veterans of both world wars.
Loblaws argued legally that a dedication to war vets was not a memorial to war vets. They lost that argument but created a ghost company to purchase the building saying they were going to use it as part of a “Memorial Park”. Once purchased, they sold the building to themselves and rebuilt it as a grocery store. These are all well known facts to the people of Newfoundland
Today, in “People who can’t grasp the concept that they can still shop wherever they want”…
Loblaws bullies their suppliers to get prices that are lower than what the merchants of Kensington pay. These guys get up early before they send off their kids to school to go to the Food Terminal to pick the fruit and veggies they sell. The prices Loblaws charges are still way higher than the competitively priced ones in the market for produce. I prefer to shop local.
Wow, reading these comments, I see a Loblaws employee.
Are you in their marketing department, Monkey33? Do they have a phishing department?
I am all for it because Loblaw’s is a Canadian family owned business …but Wal-Mart and target could take their cheap junk out…don’t bother building there because true Canadians wont ever shop there first……I am still going to shop at the market and now also at Loblaw’s…..
Wal-Mart is trash….
they(Loblaw’s) did but did Wal-Mart and others ? no they didn’t……so don’t say anything about our Canadian company and blame walmart and the other American money hungry places that didn’t….and if you don’t know Wal-Mart is under investigation from the feds for employee mistreatment…..
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDIQFjAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnewswire%2F2014%2F01%2F15-3&ei=POXnUr7dN6H4yQGc4IGYCQ&usg=AFQjCNGBzJsDrKVDy6oDIkc0NBclbN1stw&sig2=QS9q9lAMkh3BGQjerelseA&bvm=bv.60157871,d.aWc
this is great and everyone will shop at the market and Loblaw’s its all Canadian to me…..here’s some news for you to read on well some of you who like Wal-Mart ,which many think is cheap trash like I do….
Feds: Walmart Broke the Law
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDIQFjAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnewswire%2F2014%2F01%2F15-3&ei=POXnUr7dN6H4yQGc4IGYCQ&usg=AFQjCNGBzJsDrKVDy6oDIkc0NBclbN1stw&sig2=QS9q9lAMkh3BGQjerelseA&bvm=bv.60157871,d.aWc
Look around, all areas in Toronto have changed throughout the years and it will continue to change. Lots of new development, new stores, more food options, etc. If you are loyal to Kensington market and their many diverse shops and have been shopping there for many years, why would a Loblaws store change that or attitudes towards this one
-of-a-kind market. I plan to shop at both.
I used to shop at Kensington a lot 20-25 years ago until I found out most of the stores were using deceptive scales. Dishonesty was so rampant among the stores during those days and I have never been back to Kensington market ever since. I hope they have cleaned up their act now (the association should do some due diligence) and it’s still difficult for me to bring myself back especially during that time I was so poor and do not have enough by the end of each month.
Read my story below, I hope Kensington market has changed for the better. As for Loblaws, I have no opinion on this subject.
Walmart is a negative to the community.
The negative spin offs from Walmart outweigh any benefits.
It’s up to Loblaws to not stock items that compete directly with the shops in Kensington: that is, they can choose NOT to carry the kinds of items that make Kensington a draw, and stick to the ‘north american staples’. I don’t expect they’ll not carry produce etc., so it’ll be up to the produce vendors in Kensington to up their game a bit.
Lablaws already has a sizable store on the corner of Queen and Portland which is less than a ten minute walk away from their new location. Why the hell do they need two stores so bloody close to each other? They’re literally surrounding market. Unnecessary. Completely unnecessary.
Lablaws IS a box store. They’re a chain. You cannot compare a company like Lablaws with local independent grocers who earn their livelihood with one small local shop. Lablaws is not local, they are not independent and they are not here to benefit the community. Companies like Lablaws see a thriving area like Kensinton Market and simply want to profit off of it.
The thing that they do not see, however, is that the reason Kensinton is so popular and “hip” is due to all of the one-off independent shops you cannot find anywhere else in town. Lablaws is everything Kensinton is not and if the city continues to allow these large companies to trample over the locals then they will see Kensinton turn into another dull part of town that draws zero attention. No tourist or local will travel to Kensinton to check out the lablaws or walmart. Does the city even realize how much tourism they will loose if they continue to treat local gems like this?
I do hope they’ve taken into account the amount of bricks that will be consistently thrown through their windows. Regularly.
exactly ,Wal-Mart is junk and everyone should support our Canadian stores first and everyone else second…..
What country are you writing from? Loblaws is not spelled Lablaws.
You must be some undercover American writer.
and keep in mind there has been no workers protection, people have been maimed and crippled try being a one armed sewer in Bang. some have lost their entire families…that one factory was producing 2 billion dollars of product a year (cost) meaning at a mutiple of 20x profit for clothing companies…compensation…pathetic blood money, the Westons should not have gotten involved in such affairs…and this is fact…not every company should have the right to open whereever they want…business should fit into the character and nature of the communities they come to…Kensington market is unique…it will not be swallowed up by greedy …yes greedy developers trying to up property values and buy up the last bit of downtown realestate for ruination…here is a nice image of your lovely compensation..compensate that….
http://lightbox.time.com/2013/05/08/a-final-embrace-the-most-haunting-photograph-from-bangladesh/#1
lol no one has to be paid …it is clear that most are against this development…its also clear that someone here related in the primate family has an unnatural ability to regurgitate propaganda, and disseminate half truths thus likely being a paid member of team “community” ….while us “agitators” are busy trying to save our neighborhood for the good of all of Toronto….It is not about freedom to shop…yes I can go to a Loblaws..its about freedom to build…in a community which is not the same thing….and developers know it…so they also know the impact of their stores and their predatory pricing, and that is plain old wrong…feel free to open up on dupont, queen etc….their is no need here, the market does not need a starbucks, a kfc, an h and m, urban outfitters, baskin robbins, and while were at it Phil Pick and all the suburbanites that stand to profit by destroying the neighborhood for their own personal gain…Deveaux is using the language of a bully when he calls people agitators because they stand in the way of his fake “community”…Toronto will be a city of skyslums…towers with faulty glass and a sad souless place…we have let the lunatics take over the asylum for tax assessments and that my friend is the consensus of all the poor suckers who live downtown and finance the dull commuting suburban lifestyle with our aging infrastructure, high tax base and green living….
No, I just misspelled it. I live in Kensinton Market.
Predatory pricing? lol! What a bunch of ranting loons! OMG go live on a commune you will be safe from the skyslums there..
Yes, you got me, I’m being paid by Loblaws to come on here and mock you in a way that is intentionally stupid because that would actually help their cause… What a bunch of kooks! You really take your opinions so seriously you think they are that afraid of you? They’re gonna open the store whether you like it or not because they aren’t afraid of a bunch of whiners claiming they own a certain part of the city. They are going to make better money than other stores because they are smarter and better at what they do and more people will shop there because it’s quality.
I think there is a difference between needing to build an arena and then dedicating it as a memorial, and just building a memorial, but hey, I’m just a paid shill what do I know? kooks…
This is awful! Stop Loblaws!
Hey the major of the city called the opponents a bunch of kooks as well, well worse actually… was he a troll? Maybe paid by Loblaws? Some people just have different opinions than you, I think what you really should be calling me is an insensitive prick, troll is your fantasy…
Actually the only time people accuse me of being a paid commenter is when I debate 9/11 kooks, I thought that was an obvious dig but you can’t expect agitators not to be agitated I guess…
LOL so what, should we pay them all Canadian minimum wage? Hey I’m fighting for a raise too, maybe I should call Human Rights Watch?
You don’t own the city, if you can’t compete and keep your hood the way you like it, maybe people just want something else? Why are you having such a hard time selling your vision of the neighborhood to the public? Why do you have to resort to petitioning people to ignore business opportunities? Do you really think that there are these big, evil corporations and just a bunch of brainwashed sheep too dumb to know what’s good for them? No in reality people like stores like Loblaws better, and no amount of begging or insulting is going to convince people that there shouldnt be the store they clearly vote with their feet to go to…
Isn’t that his fault for not developing his store to the point where Loblaws would be too scared to move into the neighborhood?
Once upon a time, we lived in tents, caves, and teepees. Condos are nicer than those trashy apartments in crappy old houses and above stores all of the place there. When was the last time you were in a recently renovated apt in the market? I suppose I have grimey friends but still…
You’re a kook, you think Loblaws pays people to be rude and abrasive to commenters on the internet? Wow wake up dude they are already going to build the store they clearly do not care what you think…
So if they were building it for the sole purpose of it being a memorial, why did they build a stadium instead of an actual war memorial? Hey by the way, the mayor of the city said way worse things about the opponents than I have…
Sure I did, we disagree, the mayor of the city said way worse things about the opponents than I have here… Oh your moral superiority just blew me away buddy I feel so ashamed now!
Congratulations on saying things not as bad as the alcoholic, crack Mayor. Do you troll for attention on many other message boards?
You started the day posting as though you only wanted to get reaction. Now you’re sounding like a petulant child and drunken fratboy at the same time… ‘buddy’.
I doubt you’re actually being paid by Loblaws. It’s more likely you’re getting restitution in gift cards that you can use to buy all of those great products and service that you keep shamelessly plugging for on here. I worked for HBC and that company paid many people to act and sound exactly as you are now-in order to make the company come off as a ‘hip place to shop for yong people’. If you’re not getting something for the shamelss arguing you’re doing then you’re simply an idiot with nothing better to do than troll.
Deflect, deflect, deflect. By the way, it’s only mocking when you state facts. You’re the only one who has yet to state any facts.
you’d never last in a real debate. ranting and expressing sloppy opinions and presenting them as fact is a far cry from actually having thoughtful and intelligent debate.
you’re clearly here for attention.
i wish cliches walked.
wow, you have a really narrow view of life. or, i guess it’s that you’re playing up that you have a narrow view. it would be interesting to know what your genuine thoughts are instead of this shtick that you’re clearly doing for reaction.
No need to feel ashamed Monkey, it is not like it is your fault for your low intelligence. Now based on your logic regarding the Mayor of St. John’s having said worst things about his opponents…. Does this mean it is acceptable to you if I say worst things about you than others on here have said?
I take it your question is “why build a stadium instead of a sculpture”? The fact is, they built a war memorial and it was in the form of a stadium. A war memorial does not need to be a sculpture it can be a functional memorial.
You really should review your comments and arguments Monkey or does it really matter what you say if your purpose is to simply cause confusion of the facts.
You’ve got to be kidding me. What culture is being preserved in Kensington? Hipster culture? Take a look around you next time you’re buying your fair trade coffee or sustainably sourced fish or designer sausages. The “culture” of Kensington changed a long time ago. I grew up in the area when it was a real multicultural mecca; I still love it and go there for fancy tacos or designer clothes, but I definitely see way more yuppie hipsters with more money than sense then I do any punks or recent immigrants to Toronto – the people who really made Kensington a destination.
Oh it’s quite hilarious to me that because I find people’s moral outrage over this issue quite silly and easy to mock, it’s assume by so many that I’m the payroll of loblaws or that I don’t care one way or the other I’m just trying to piss people off for fun! Is that what people think of the Mayor of St. Johns? No he just called them stupid to their faces because he believed it! Does it make you feel better to call me stupid to my face? hahaha…
I was talking about the mayor of st. johns who came out against the opponents of the loblaws store with far more vitriol and condescension than I have bothered with… it was pretty obvious you just thought you had a zinger there didn’t you! lol
Someone thought that Loblaws never helped out the people affected in Bangledesh. I pointed out that they not only compensated everyone, they also compensated people who didn’t even work for them because those companies never showed up to the table. Apparently even that’s not good enough for some people. Apparently the fact that some employees want more is evidence enough for some that they are profiteers on human suffering or some crap. I don’t know these are comment boards buddy not the united nations. Are you so shocked someone holds a different opinion than you?
They built an arena because they didn’t have one. They couldn’t afford one after it burned down in 1941, they started the idea in 1948. When was the Prince of Wales arena started? That was your big point right, no they started the idea because they needed one and dedicated it to the heroes. You make it sound like they built over a cenotaph and have the thing still standing in the building near the apples and pears.
And you sound like a really boring, bitchy tone troll!
People holding different opinions seldom shock me in fact, I quite enjoy meeting others with differing opinions as it provides a chance for me to review my own beliefs and opinions. More than once I have had cause to change my stand on an issue because I learned something new from others of different beliefs. I am always grateful for that. However ignorance baffles me in a society where we have ample opportunity to educate ourselves yet choose to remain ignorant.
$38.00 Us per month salary for a worker in a garment factory is indeed a pittance for a corporation like Loblaw’s. In fact, most of us spend much more on coffee’s per month.
Your argument was that this is “not a pittance for Loblaw’s” to which many of us disagreed.
No, that was not my argument, it seems your brains are a little too focused on big bad rich Loblaws to think clearly when someone is defending them? I’m clearly saying that three months wages and 38.00 is not a “pittance” to someone working and living in Bangladesh. Which it certainly is not. And they didn’t neglect them or refuse to do anything at all, in fact they have quite publicly admonished other companies for not coming to the table. What more do you want? Honestly what should they do… lead a people’s revolution and overthrow the government of Bangladesh? You tell me what would make you happy. I’m sure those people don’t want them to take their business elsewhere…
Based on your comments your belief is that to be a Memorial to the veterans it has to be built on sacred ground and have no useful purpose other than be a sculpture. Newfoundlander’s who paid for, built and dedicated it…. disagree with your requirements.
Curiously, Loblaw’s had the same beliefs on requirements as you are pushing.
Plenty of Newfoundlanders agreed, clearly the majority seeing as the elected government and mayor made it happen and they vote with their feet keeping it in business. I see people are trying to claim the moral majority here but it’s just not the case. Same with Kensington, the loblaws is on college street you don’t own that entire area what is wrong with you people?
Mr. Ferrie claimed they built on a war memorial, that’s not the whole story. They didn’t have an arena, couldn’t afford one because of the war, then after the war dedicated the new one to the vets. You make it sound like they were sitting around going, man we need a memorial to the vets and someone went” I know, we’ll build a hockey arena!” No it was the other way around…
Why?
Again it was not a hockey arena and never was a hockey arena. It was a family skating rink dedicated to the War veterans of WW1 and WW2. It was paid for, built and dedicated to by the local residents. The people of the day did not see a lot of use putting their hard earned cash into a sculpture to be dedicated. It did make perfect sense to build a skating rink which people could use and enjoy which and dedicate it to the veterans.
You would not be satisfied unless God himself had come down and made the dedication and even then I suspect you would argue the semantics.
My question to you is what does it matter if the peoples thinking was one of wanting a rink that could be dedicated to vets or wanting to create a dedication to vets and building a rink. How does that change the fact that it was dedicated to the war vets of WW1 and WW2?
Kensington Market died ten years ago . There are no shops were you can get a deal on fruit and veg or meat It is all restaurants and dollar stores. Sad but true.We need cheap place to buy groceries So why is it OK for Loblaws to open right in area but Walmart is not?
You can build one in my backyard …. just pay me the commercial rate for the density and I’ll gladly let you have at ‘er.
won’t the kids of the loblaws employees go to local schools?
They are less likely to live in the area.
so … you’re an expert on the subject
why?
The guy below from Big Carrot lives in Kensington and his kids presumably go to local schools …. should he have to move to the Danforth?
They could live in the area, you’re right. I’m going by the staff in the Queen Street Loblaws and they look too young to have school aged children. The bottom line is more of the money spent in locally owned businesses stays in the neighbourhood.
Well, if they don’t have kids, they’re probably going out for a drink at a local bar after work … or maybe a piece of pie!
My point is, the school someone’s kid goes to is not a reason to shop at their store. Should the people of the Danforth stop shopping at Big Carrot because their employees live in Kensington?
No, of course not. But Kensington School, where many Kensington kids attend, will probably be closed in the next few years when all the little Mom & Pop stores in Kensington go out of business. That makes me sad.
No it won’t. There are lots of kids there. They house an arts program that draws kids as well as a community centre and a pool. Loblaws doesn’t threaten any of that.
There are less than 100 kids! My son went to Kensington. Horizon, the alternative school, has moved out. By the board’s (flawed) calculations it is way under-enrolled.
Yea.. I’m a fucking expert. That’s why I’ve listed off all of my fucking credentials. And clearly, seeing how I spelt the name with an A rather than an O, I don’t know what I’m talking about. Right?
Every single time I engage with any forum like this people prove time and time again why it’s pointless.
Am I an expert in business or city planning? No. I’m not. But I do know why people, like myself, move into or visit areas like Kensinton Market and it’s not for the stores they can find anywhere in Ontario. It’s for the stores they can’t find anywhere else. It’s for the atmosphere, the people, the community. Not for “low low prices”!
I also know that most people (and especially most businesses) do not understand how much any cities artist/bohemian culture is worth. Not just in charm and cultural appeal, but actual money. Artist/bohemian culture drives in a lot of tourism. Tourists come to a place like Kensington Market for its uniqueness, spend money on local goods and services which go back into the city because these shop owners pay local taxes, shop locally, rent and live locally, go to the local bars. The money STAYS in Toronto. No tourist or local will travel to or through a city to check out Kensinton Market (or any other area) for it’s local Walmart and Loblaws. The money generated in places like those will go to the CEOs. The locals will get cheap food, shitty paying jobs and loose part of what made the area great to visit and live in.
If anyone has an alternate opinion than express it to the best of your ability. Asking me an shallow sarcastic question like that with nothing behind it is not fucking good enough. It’ll piss me off and give me more reason to avoid forums like this but insinuating that someone is wrong is not the same as proving someone wrong.
GIVE SOME VALID FUCKING POINTS!
If you don’t know how to spell Loblaws, you probably don’t know much about the store. You can be pissed off as much as you want, and spew another rant, but it does speak volumes. I was quite happy to make my point with as few words as possible. But since we’re ranting, I’ll add a few more for you.
If the “artist/bohemian culture” is worth so much money, why doesn’t it rent the Loblaws space and flourish? Seems a simple solution.
To suggest that we’re attracting visitors to Toronto simply to visit Kensington is a stretch. A few will come through, but the tourist money is not driven by the culture of Kensington. Those tourists who do come specifically for Kensington are less likely to spend money on a hotel and will generally spend less on meals and transportation.
And to suggest that those same tourists you claim have travelled to Toronto just to visit Kensington will be less happy because they can no longer walk past 2 blocks of semi detached bricks and parking garages, just to stroll up Bathurst past an empty parking lot and the former Kromer radio is a stretch beyond any reasonableness.
I like Kensignton, and will be sad when it goes. I eat there, I drink there, I meditate there (used to until we moved) and I even bought a suit there. But that doesn’t give me the right to stop all progress. The culture of Kensington will spring up somewhere else. It’s already starting in many areas and in slightly different ways. That’s what’s so great about this city. It can grow and change while still having unending variety and diversity.
But yeah, your ranting and swearing certainly adds a lot to the conversation.
I have a friend who worked there. The building and community centre won’t disappear if it is used. If it is so close to the edge that a loblaws will mean it disappears, it’s not long for this world anyway.
What “community centre”? Are we talking about the same school?
A simple misspelling of the name of a grocery chain has absolutely nothing to do with any of the points I’ve been trying to make here. Me not being aware of the spelling does not mean I have no input or valid opinion on the matter.
I was not suggesting Kensington Market is the primary force behind Toronto tourism. I was simply saying that people go and visit other cities to experience the local culture.
Areas LIKE Kensington Market (which if you spend anytime there in the summer you will know exactly how much tourism and local activity goes on there) are why people will visit Toronto. Why would anyone visit a city to check out all the shit stores they have back home?
To suggest that the “bohemian/artist culture” simply buy up the lot and “flourish” is to say you have no idea of the difference between a company and a community. Kensington (And other unique areas) is full of independent designers, business owners, musicians and artists. It’s a community. A collection of the people who live there. Yes, maybe if multiple business owners in Kensington banded together they could afford to out bid Loblaws I guess but large companies have all the money they want to toss at something like this. If they flop, they take the loss and continue on with their other x-amount of location generating x-amount of income every year. If an independant designer/artist/deli owner/whatever fails at their business, they end up bankrupt and working a shitting paying job at the new Loblaws.
This isn’t about stopping progress or even being completely against anything corporate. This is about allowing locals communities to survive. Again, Loblaws already has a location just south of Kensinton. Now they’re building another one just North of it. Just because someone has the money doesn’t mean they should be allowed to try and gain a monopoly.
The idea of places like Kensington springing up somewhere else is completely true. But it doesn’t make it any less frustrating. I’ve seen the same thing happen in the alternative club scene in Toronto. An “edgy” club gets noticed by the tarts and hipsters, they show up thinking it’s the cool place to be then end up bitching about the music and people and sooner or later it tanks and the scene moves elsewhere. It’s frustrating and takes time to rebuild. The ironic thing is that companies like Walmart and Loblaws seem to want to be in Kensington because of the amount of activity there, but just like the king street twonks, they will end up killing every appealing aspect of the area and we’ll be left with shitty jobs, crappy food, zero culture. But, maybe it’s worth it to save a few bucks. Even if part of the reason your saving money is because of the practices of a business like that.
But what about all the unshaven pseudo-hippie hipsters who hang out in your backyard in their ‘re-purposed’ tie-dyed rags smoking pot and growing their own fruits and vegetables to sell to each other and debating philosophy and vinyl LPs on retro-grungy patios? HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT THEM? WHO WILL SUSTAIN THEM?!? WHO, DAMN YOU!?!?!
Better solution. GET RID OF KENSINGTON. It’s a filthy, rat-infested DUMP, just like most of the other wannabe “sustainable” shitholes down here. And it’ll only get worse with each passing generation of skinny-jeaned hipsters that moves in with visions of “community”, “sustainability” and pixie dust fluttering inside their precocious little heads.
Well said, although I’d argue that the ONLY people who made Kensington a “destination” did so in the 1960’s and early 1970’s. Hell, maybe even before that. Everybody since then has left the place exactly as they found it: a decrepit, rat-infested, hipster “paradise” DUMP. The “punks” were just a previous brand of hipster drawn there by ridiculous, inevitably short-lived delusions of “community”. I’d raze the whole place, preferably on the day that stupid hipster “parade” goes marching by.
Like our fuckin’ “Canadian” stores don’t acquire and sell stuff from the same places Walmart does. You Walmart haters have GOT to stop drinkin’ the Koolaid. Walmart does PLENTY for local communities and organizations where they locate, but some people can only point out the Big Lie® that everything they sell comes from places like China. Not true.
Kensington is a BLIGHT, and EYESORE and a SHITHOLE, as are most of the hipsters who live in it. It’s time to change it. Watery-eyed magic and dreams and pixie dust are NOT sustainable, although I’m certain the RATS are grateful to those who try.
“Loblaws coming in, which will be the beginning of many other businesses
pushing their way in means the end of that. It won’t be long before it’s
a Subway, beside a Starbucks, beside a Tim Hortons, beside a McDonals,
beside a Rogers, beside a Shopper’s Drug Mart, beside another Subway.
And condos! Lots and lots of condos!”
This sounds SOOO right. At least I know the food I buy in those “evil” corporate behemoths won’t have rat piss in it once Kensington’s nothing but a hipster douchebag memory.
Still, the fact remains that you didn’t start spelling Loblaw’s and Kensington properly until someone from outside your little pixie community pointed it out to you. Your “community” is a dump, and if folks didn’t already question the IQ quotient of a lot of the people who live there, they sure do now.
It’s a DUMP. get out, and smarten up, while you still can.
GOOD! The sooner more people start thinking of you, the sooner the run-down DUMP that is Kensington will be but a fading hipster memory.
I hope you don’t get out much.
Wal-Mart is junk and that’s why they are losing money lololol
and the same with target…..and no our stores don’t buy all the same stuff as Wal-Mart……….and you say Wal-Mart does plenty hehehe funny one, tax write off and back to their pockets while the workers get nothing….now get to Wal-Mart lollll and buy your cheap trash….Wal gypsy mart does nothing for no one but themselves………..
I agree. In fact,I find those NO LOBLAWS signs inside shops like Sanagan’s and Hooked irritating. They assume I only shop in the market because I have no other choice when in fact I walk past a Loblaws to get there.
Out of fear, the local merchants are undervaluing both the quality of their offerings and service as well the customers they serve. Loblaws can’t compete when it comes to quality and variety on many specialty items. Having said that, Loblaws is a great place to pick up run of the mill items like paper towels and frozen veggies. I think that area greatly needs that sort of retailer.
… No economic argument? No political argument? No pointing out any advantages the area would have with this new store? No nothing? Just going back to a spelling error as if its the most relevant thing I’ve put out there. It’s good to know that I’m not wrong. Just surrounded by petty pricks who will jump on the slightest of errors in order to ignore every other aspect of what I was trying to say. Why do I suddenly feel like I’m arguing with conservative yuppies?
Lets pretend everything I’ve said has been rendered irrelevant due to a spelling error, how about focusing on all of the people, all across the GTA, have expressed their support for the market? How about the overflow of people who attended the meetings? So many, in fact, that they held a second one in order to hear as many as they could. But the opinions of the people who live in the area (and the people who visit the area from all across the GTA) clearly don’t matter because they’ve flat out ignored all of it.
This is the last and only point I’m going to make on this forum because this has shown exactly why I should not bother interacting with the poison. Loblaws has a location, which is only a few years old, on the corner of Queen and Portland. It’s literally less than a ten minute walk between the two sites. I’m not here trying to blindly push out corporate anything. I’m pissed off because the city allows companies like Loblaws to gain a monopoly in an area simply because they have the money to buy their way in. We do not need one chain surrounding a neighborhood just like Queen Street really shouldn’t have a Starbucks on every other fucking corner. If you want Starbucks, it’s easy to get. But why is it okay for them to buy out other stores fronts and choke the city with their brand simply because they can? Independent ANYTHING will never be able to get a foothold if that happens. It’s exactly why Queen Street, the fashion district, is now burger land. Chains can buy out landlords to jack the rent up and force out independent businesses. Money rules I guess and you all seem perfectly content with that.
Again, you are making unsupported statements and assumptions about other people – something I detest.
You assumed that I am unfamiliar with Kensington and that I don’t live in the area. You assumed wrong.
Your insults and mockery are not doing you any favours.
It would seem that your opposition to a small Loblaws store on College (not actually IN Kensington) is based largely on your very personal worries about your business.
I believe that the small businesses in Kensington which offer unique products and great customer service will continue to do just fine.
All you’ll have is another bland looking place no different from similar bland places in Scarborough, North York, East York, Etobicoke, York, and the city of Mississauga; all boring as fuck and no place for anybody to want to visit or experience. But hey, at least you’ll have low, low prices.
Hey Monkey Ass, mind telling me what education you have about labour issues and human rights issues other than what you’ve pulled out of your ass?
It’s not Wikipedia that’s to blame as much as it’s it Faux Noise and Sun News Channel which has got our boy Monkey Ass confused and spewing shit.
Out of curiosity, where do you shop, Shawn?
As much as I hate to agree, he’s right; you most likely are a paid troll-these people exist, and they come to stir up trouble whenever articles like these are published.
Your trolling is only getting you flagged, fool.
I generally shop Ocean’s and the St. Lawrence Market but I love any Farmer’s Market in season. Why?.
Just asking why. I admire that you do that; I have to start shopping at local small fruit markets myself (I did that a few months back when I brought fruit at a small fruit store in the Korea Town section of Toronto on Bloor Street.
I am in Brampton but we go into Toronto on the week ends to the Market. We have a lot of local supermarkets here as well. I just recently found an African market and wow… the foods and spices are amazing. I am originally from Newfoundland where we knew hard veggies like turnip, cabbage and carrots but here I am eating yams, zucchini and sweet bell peppers lol ( I am usually found in the day old bins section ) lol
What I meant to really ask is, what chain supermarkets do you shop at that aren’t Loblaws?
If I had to shop there I would shop there. I simply prefer not to support them based on their actions in my home city. So when I can, I shop elsewhere. Ocean’s is a chain I believe as there are several in the GTA. Gratefully there are enough community Supermarkets in Brampton that I need not ever step into a large chain if I choose not to. I think as a older married man there is a freedom I have that a young husband and father may not have in choosing to make a stand.
LOL, you just don’t get it do you? No one is bothering to reply to any points I made, just because I say it in a rude way, and use that as an excuse to try and destroy my reputation by seriously making the case that only someone who was getting paid would take the side of the company!?!? You sound like a conspiracy theorist! I would LOVE to see some evidence that HBC paid people to comment on the internet pretending to be an impartial customer… I would LOVE to see it…
I guess the mayor of St. Johns is just an idiot with nothing better to do than troll his constituents? I believe he called them “nimcompoops” when his side finally one and the store was created, which is a level above kook in my estimation. Why don’t you focus on the argument instead of the tone? If that’s all you have to bring to the table I guess that’s the problem we’re having here, you’re not really interested in debating the issue, you’re more interested in having a feeling of righteousness and will invent any kind of conspiracy theory to support your desire! hahahaha
You have to ask yourself something, if Loblaws was going to pay someone to go on the internet for them, why would they tell me to call people kooks? And generally be a prick? I’m definitely not winning any friends or converting anyone or helping their cause at all… I actually find the attitudes here hilarious and weak, and simply thought you all should know you’re being laughed at by certain sectors of the population. Look around, there are so many people who are well-spoken and considerate that got tons of upvotes, you should be suspecting THEM of being spokesmen, not me… you just have a fantasy because you’re a weak-minded conspiracy theorist! So sad and stupid…
Predatory pricing? What the #@$% does that even MEAN? Last I checked the dollar store and no frills and the cheap asian markets were still open for business. No one HAS to shop at Loblaws. They are free to buy old produce and has sat on the shelf until close to it’s expiry all they want!
Why should I care if some whiners flag my posts? Only a coward would flag an opinion they didn’t like, I don’t comment for an audience, I just like to have a debate without talking pretty… you’re a kook neville for calling me a paid shill you really need to get out of the house more,,,
Predatory pricing? What the #@$% does that even MEAN? Last I checked the
dollar store and no frills and the cheap asian markets were still open
for business. No one HAS to shop at Loblaws. They are free to buy old produce and dry goods that have sat on the shelf until close to it’s expiry all they want!
No, condos aren’t nicer than those “trashy apartments.”
Condos work like Lego pieces. Every unit is exactly the same. In fact, you can usually see where most of the incredibly cheap parts snap into one another. And I’m talking about doors and door frames – wall placements – and actual structural integrity here.
Not only that – but the space in most condos is unbelievably small. Built with the same mindset as most air-planes are. Who cares if people are uncomfortable in cramped and tiny abodes – what’s more important is that we can shove another five units onto every floor – and because the market dictates that this crap is “worth money” – investors will buy into it. No, not people who actually want to live in the unit – but those who see it as an investment. Nothing more.
Yes, the market may be dirty and grungy – but it’s literally the only place left like it in the whole city of Toronto. The entire city of Toronto has already been morphed into this faceless, blue-and-green glassed nightmare, out of some futuristic sci-fi world where the sky has been permanently torched.
Monkey, you proved yourself absolutely devoid of taste the minute you said “Condos are nicer . . .” It didn’t which words came after that. You had already proven yourself lacking heart, vision, or knowledge of what a decent way-of-life actually is.
Condo units are not all the same, there are usually several different layouts in the same building, plus, who cares? You’re only living in one of them do you really care that your neighbor has the same layout? What in the F?
You know nothing about construction or condos right? They install builder quality materials because a huge percentage are going to eventually renovate to their own tastes or before they sell to the next person. The front door and the sliding glass will be of quality, ever notice that? Structural integrity? What the things are going to fall over?
I have no respect for your belief that people buy small spaced condos and somehow are tricked into it… You should see what people are willing to pay for in Japan! People do want to work and live downtown and aren’t as spoiled rotten about space as you seem to be… Don’t live in the biggest city in the country then buddy!
I hope that smelly fish place gets put out of business by Loblaws fish section, which is always impeccable over at Maple Leaf Gardens.
“You had already proven yourself lacking heart, vision, or knowledge of what a decent way-of-life actually is.”
Poppycock. You know nothing about me and cannot possibly be serious about reading that much into me with a single sentence. Get a life buddy, go tell someone who cares, I know, start occupying some place like the courtyard of a condo development company, protesting glass and huge buildings.
All you’ve shown is that you think you’re better than the rest of the city because we’re happy with our glass buildings and corporate stores. Go start your own city somewhere or just try and compete! I’m pointing out that you’re just a bunch of whining losers who have accepted that you can’t compete with the mass decisions of the rest of the city so your only strategy left is to attack people as corrupt or sheep, same as every other conspiracy theorist loser!
Have a pleasant afternoon.
Let’s simplify this so you can achieve some perspective Monkey.
The entire city – over thousands and thousands of buildings – probably tens of thousands now – which all look the same – which all have their antique “gym” and tiny swimming pool – and are located next to your favourite Tim Horton’s, Walmart, or Shoppers.
Like, literally buddy. The whole city. North York? Condos. Downtown? Condos. Mid-town? Condos.
No different or more distinguishable from each other. Just thousands of monuments, forever paying respect to the triangle.
Contrast that with Kensington Market. There aren’t hundreds of Kensingtons around. Just one. And it is literally the only place left like it in the city. A collection of homes and businesses run by the people who live there.
So, I want you to stand in front of any person, any society, or any group that thinks or feels – and explain to them how it is within everyone’s best interests to destroy something which not only has history, but is a one-of-a-kind compared to everything around it. And the reason for this destruction? So you can put a mirror image of the very same thing you find everywhere else.
Those who appreciate space – life – art – the things that make life truly enjoyable never seem capable of talking to people such as yourself; those infatuated with money. It always comes down to the dollar sign for you. Even though you don’t see any of those dollars – and that money (for living space . . . in Canada . . . that has the world’s second largest land-mass . . . and only 35 million people to its name) is coming out of your pocket.
Your public space has been all bought up. It has been morphed into a colourless, bland, and unassuming drabness that manages to leak over its entire landscape. And here you are – everything just having been taken from you – telling us how we should cheer these people on.
Your desire to see unflinching sameness across everything speaks well to your culture and taste. In that you have none. Good thing it doesn’t prevent you from flinging your thought turds at people though, like only a true Monkey would.
You’re off you’re rocker and a joke to listen to. Before there were condos everywhere, there were houses everywhere. Almost all literally the same, with the same corner stores and laundrymat and supermarket and pharmacy nearby. You can see that still in the old neighborhoods. What is the difference? Oh right! Condos are owned by corporations which your belief system doesn’t support… LOL
So anyone who doesn’t support your version of reality doesn’t think or feel? Wow your poo must smell like fresh fruit! No one is going in to destroy Kensington… what a persecution fantasy. What paranoid delusions you have. Did you ever stop and think that perhaps you don’t own the area? If the people don’t want Loblaws it will go out of business. We all know it will do better than most and thrive there, so you need to attack people who support it as somehow less aware or feeling than you… that is truly pathetic.
You are really a joke to talk to… I don’t appreciate spart, or art, I’m infatuated with money… take a long walk off a short pier…
“Your desire to see unflinching sameness across everything speaks well to your culture and taste.”
You are truly a nut bar. No one wants to destroy kensington… we just enjoy mocking your horror at a Loblaws on College street! Get a life! Your moral posturing and hilarious condescending attitude have been a joy to make fun of!
Do you upvote your own posts? lol
Here’s my (belated, because I just don’t care) economic argument: it’s capitalism, a free MARKET, that’s how it works. It doesn’t OWE you anything because you want to save a bunch of kitschy junk shops that see more non-buying tourists (nearly all of whom already live in Toronto and the GTA (out-of-towners don’t flock to the city to see a dirty hovel like Kensington) instead of sustained, paying customers. The area has value, no question, but it’s not the fucking wannabe bohemians who live there who can afford to benefit from it anymore. Time. To. Move. On. That culture moved in there, made it something interesting … for a while .. and now it’s a dirty, rat-infested dump teeming with oh-so-precocious hipsters and pixies who really can’t afford to do anything but maintain the dirty status quo. Find another neighbourhood and make it a hipster paradise all over again, but know this: Kensington’s days, as you know them, ARE numbered. You’ll probably have a good run of several decades somewhere else before the corporations start eyeballing its potential, too. That’s the market, son.
I get out lots, including in to Kensington, but after a few minutes I very much want to get out.