The 40th Beaches Lion’s Easter Parade

Elicar: 17th Apr 2006 - 16:10 GMT

Thanks GGP. I took over a hundred pictures. I am glad I went. It's the first time that I ventured to the parade. It's only 10-15 minutes away from my place on foot, but I kept thinking it's for kids. It is, but it's fun!

Get out of your car, buddy: 17th Apr 2006 - 17:55 GMT

Gotta love "The Beach". I take my kids to this parade every year, and it is amazing how much candy they get!! Looks like most of these pictures are taken in the staging area (in front of RC Harris?). As you move along the route, it gets quite packed with people. Apparently, this is the largest Easter Parade in North America (if you can trust that sort of statement). There were two highlights for me. First was the beauty queens, and how people laughed at them (I couldn't beleive that they let them down Queen St. in "The Beach" -- having two daughters, I was not impressed). Second was this little band of clowns that would run around shouting "who needs a song?" and then stop and play in front of the kids. It was a fun time. And today my feet are killing me!

Amazingly, when that float with the cross on it went by, it felt totally out of place among all the bunnies and such. Toronto sure has changed.

Also, I was impressed with the reception that David Miller got. All the other politicians went unnoticed. He got lots of cheers. That was encouraging. I've always been lukewarm on Miller, but need to give him credit for walking the route instead of sitting in the back of a car like the rest of those bums!

Elicar: 17th Apr 2006 - 19:35 GMT

You mean this one, buddy?

Yes, I thought it was tacky, but blame BMW or whatever dealership who sponsored them. I cropped the chunky one! One of them on the car appeared to not want to be in there because she never smiled. It was funny seeing those on foot going down the slope in their high heels by the water filtration pump.

And yes, I was at Nelville Park. I thought it would be the best place to be when taking pictures. I was there at 1:30 PM. I ventured west a little bit, to get to the front of the line, but definitely, I did not go to the heart of the Beaches (or is it the Beach already? They have put it to a vote. There are several beaches, so I prefer The Beaches.)

Perhaps, the reason why David Miller was cheered on was, he was the least pretentious? I saw him before the parade started way out east and I asked if I could take his picture. He said, "Why don't we have our picture taken?" One of his assistants took the picture. Y

ou forgot to mention that the cars the others were on were black Mercedes convertibles.

Even adults get candies. I got several.

It's amazing how people can get so nice to someone who is holding a camera. Or is it just me? ;)

Elicar: 17th Apr 2006 - 19:38 GMT

Opps, wrong second picture. Those are all the BMW's...

I meant this one!

Get out of your car, buddy: 18th Apr 2006 - 11:51 GMT

LOL! Those are the ones! Everybody was mocking them by doing that cheesy little wave. Watching from Neville Park was a good move. Not as packed, and you can get away before the rest of the crowd.

The results of this "democratic" vote are out today (my money is on Beaches with much angst). I find it funny that people who prefer "The Beaches" are non commital about it. Whereas people on "The Beach" side are very staunch about it. To me it is frustrating (living in The Beach) having people trying to change the name. They say that The Beaches is more inclusive, and since there are several beaches, it's true. Others say that The Beach is snobby, and excludes people from neighbouring areas. With that logic, we should rename Yorkville to Yorkvillages, Cabbagetown to Cabbagetowns, and Toronto to Torontoes.

All the historians agree that the area is The Beach, so I'm going with that.

If the BIA wants it to be The Beaches, then they should represent all the businesses in the area that they have defined as The Beaches (Coxwell to Vic Park, Gerrard to the lake). By this, I am referring to Kingston Rd (which has more useful stores than Queen IMO), Gerrard&Main, Coxwell etc. But that will never happen, and we all know why. Because they are more exclusive than the people in The Beach!!

And while I am complaining, the stores on Queen are pretty much useless unless what you really need is a coffee. There is no good restaurant to speak of (because the rent is too high, all the good restaurants are in Leslieville, or is it Leslievillages). Try finding a bakery. And where are the fresh fruit stands that the rest of the city is famous for? They need to focus on their stores, not street signs.

See, I told you that people who live in The Beach are staunch about it.

jack: 18th Apr 2006 - 12:14 GMT

oh how i love a parade. in 1947 and 48 we had parades in brooklyn and the soldiers would march by. i always enjoyed seeing the soldiers. guess thats why i became one. i love bands playing and the kids having fun. your parade is a hit with me and i thank you for sharing it. but koko the clown was a little frightening. i always wonder whats behind those big smiles maybe big teeth. and that big bulbious red nose, a drunk if you ask me. now the beauty queens, that is enjoyable to watch!

Elicar: 18th Apr 2006 - 16:46 GMT

Buddy, you forgot the bars... I said in one of my comments that I am not much of a drinker, but from time to time, it's nice to go out and let loose (two drinks is more than plenty!). At any rate, a friend and I went to Lion on the Beach one Valentine's Day (ugh!) to discover all the patrons are locals. I felt so out of place (my friend is from the area, literally rolls out of bed and he is at the bar!) Everyone knows everyone. Yup, you Beachers are very exclusive! (Although I did not realize I AM from the Beaches by your new delineation. I have always thought I am from the Upper Beaches, the poor neighbour!)

Try Bow Thai. I went there in the summer last year. The have this promotion where you'll get a gift on your birthday. I am a sucker for freebies, so I completed the form. On my birthday, on my front porch, I found a card, the envelop was addressed to me and my then dinner companion. (I had been estranged from this dinner companion not long after that dinner.) Imagine my surprise to receive a correspondence adressed to the two of us. Even the card itself was addressed to the two of us. Too much care, eh?

You are welcome Jack!

Get out of your car, buddy: 18th Apr 2006 - 17:14 GMT

Well, starting today, you are a new member of The Beach. Welcome to the club!

I think the bars suck in The Beach too. Again, they are much better on Kingston Rd. You can't beat Paddy O'Farrels for its atmosphere, or The Feathers for its scotch selection. Even the Copper Pipe deserves some credit (but has slow service).

On your recommendation, I will give Bow Thai a shot.

There are three entities on Queen St. to which I must pay hommage. I call them The Beach Trinity. These are The Fox Cinema, Ed's Ice Cream, and "The Goof" (OK, the food is nothing to sneeze at, but this is vintage stuff, and my kids are hooked on the milkshakes). And they are all at the same intersection!!

Life is good.

With this

Elicar: 18th Apr 2006 - 17:46 GMT

Is that a reason for celebration? I am now from "The Beach". I can be a snob now! ;)

I have some memories at Paddy's. You forgot Gabby's. At least they make a decent frozen Marguarita!

I love ice cream but I vowed not to patronize Ben and Jerry's again. I spent close to $4.00 for a tiny little scoop. I would rather buy that brand from the grocery or go to St. Clair's at the Danforth where a $2.25 gets you a big cone that would make you swear off ice cream the rest of the year.

Get out of your car, buddy: 18th Apr 2006 - 23:17 GMT

I don't find The Beach to be a snobby place, at least not more than the norm for this city. All income levels are represented, there is social housing, and close to 10% of the population is on social assistance of one form or another. Heck, the place is an NDP stronghold.

For those that own houses, yes, it takes some extra coin. I find that most of them are dual professionals with stressful jobs. They move to The Beach and pretend they are laid back.

Note that the history of the area is very working class. It is only recently (70s) that this place has become popular. Right around the time that this Beaches thing started.

So, where is this St. Clair's place? Does it make you swear off ice cream because it tastes bad? The snob in me atracted to the price.

BTW, I heard that a Starbucks is coming to Kingston Rd. For shame. There goes the neighbourhood. Oh well, can you say "Remarkable Bean"?

Elicar: 18th Apr 2006 - 23:34 GMT

Nope, it makes you swear off ice cream because of the size. The kid's size ($2.00) is humonguous and they used to sell it to kids at heart. They have changed their policy as everyone is buying the kid's size. Just to give you an idea, the kid's size is equivalent to 3 scoops from Ben and Jerry's or Baskin and Robbin's. You can just imagine the size of the regular cone. I am still trying to lose the pounds packed by my weekly cones last summer! ;)It is located between Dawes and Victoria Park, right across Leon's.

I was informed by a "historical" friend of mine that those nice beachfront homes near the filtration front are social housing? Can you confirm that?

Starbucks! Ugh! Jet-fuel.

Get out of your car, buddy: 19th Apr 2006 - 12:56 GMT

Thanks for the tip. I'm heading to "The Danforthes" this weekend!

Most of the social housing is where the old amusement park used to be. South of Queen along Glen Manor and some of the nearby streets. You would never notice them as such. It is brilliant, and something that Toronto is famous for (espcially brilliant that the affordable housing is closer to the lake, and then there are the mansions that Glen Manor is famous for north of Queen). There are also many co-op housing arrangements in the Queen and Lee area. I don't know about the houses on Nursewood. I thought they were private, but there could be social mixed in there as well.

yuppies will burn: 19th Apr 2006 - 14:43 GMT

The BEACH used to be working class for all wonderful place to live but the rich people have turned it into an area for them only and with market value assement(legal government robbery) the rich are pushing all of the rest out family's lose thier homes here and all those BMW's in the parade spewing out toxic fumes yuppy bullshit I was born here and lived 42 years in the BEACH there is no upper beachs southern beachs all that crap that's another rich yuppy bull shit this is the BEACH it used to be AWESOME the parades were better back in the day's before the yuppies which by the way have a bad habbit of destroying old classic homes (tearing down )and building mega houses in thier place which look like shit they also cut down BEAUTIFUL HUGE oak tree's maples and Beach tree's just so they can get a wider driveway( two to three feet more ) which the city say's you cannot cut the tree's down but the yuppies got the bucks so the city turns it's eye's while they are cut down, imagen a beautiful 100+ year old tree in perfect health but it gets destroyed cause some rich fuck wants TWO extra feet in the driveway, , REVELATIONS has started and and the yuppies will pay

Elicar: 19th Apr 2006 - 19:51 GMT

They are open only in the summer, Buddy!

While some of us try to capture the "memorable" moments, there's always that someone who would spoil it for us!

me:): 20th Apr 2006 - 14:12 GMT

I live here too in the Beach and watching people lose their dreams thier homes that they broke thier backs for because of the rich people destroying the area is heartbreaking and and WE have many MEMORABLE easter parades from down here that were MAGIC for every one but that is now gone because the so called upper class have taken away the magic of easter parade too

Get out of your car, buddy: 20th Apr 2006 - 14:29 GMT

Can we all have a big hug? I don't understand the rich people thing? Why do people always blame rich people? Blaming those rich guys is a passive response that most people say when they can't be bothered to get off thier couch and march.

My neighbours cut down a tree because they wanted to put in pad parking, and they are not rich. And they didn't get their submission in before the freeze on all pads. I hold resentment for that.

We need to plant more trees. Over the next ten years, many of these grand old ones are going to die, and people are going to be very confused about how it happend so fast.

Elicar, thanks for saving me the trip to the Danforth with my kids having high expectations. It is off to Kensington instead. Cheers!

Elicar: 20th Apr 2006 - 15:50 GMT

Okay, what I can't understand is, how the rich make the regular folks lose their homes. Call me dense, but if they bought it awhile back, their mortgage will stay the same, or even paid off now. Granted, property taxes have increased, but still, if the love of the home prevails and greed does not come in the way, I don't think any of us would lose our homes.

Lemme qualify the greed part: A house bought 20 years ago for say, $150,000.00 maybe worth $500,000.00 to $600,000.00 now, maybe less, maybe a lot more. Some people may opt to sell, some may not. Those who lost their homes either had lots of cash in exchange for it, or the lost it because of poor financial planning on their part. They may have kept borrowing on their equity. Or perhaps, there was a downturn in luck, lost a job, divorce, etc. Where do the rich come in?

Perhaps it is time to look at our spending habits. We can't have champagne if our pockets can only afford beer. Perhaps, do away with the beer for sometime and treat yourself once in awhile with champagne.

Stop keeping up with the Jones'.

jeeff: 20th Apr 2006 - 16:18 GMT

elicar - the vast majority of poor people don't own their own homes outright, they're at the mercy of landlords. when an area starts to gentrify, it creates upward pressures on rents. landlords naturally want to realize maximum profits on their rental units, so rents begin to climb out of reach of most low-income residents. boarding houses and other single-occupancy flats disappear as old houses are renovated back into single-family dwellings. at the same time, neighbourhood services begin to be replaced by cafes & restaurants catering to the new flows of money brought by yuppies - mostly artists, public sector workers and small businesspeople. as the saying goes, "artists are the shocktroops of gentrification." as the process continues, low-income residents find that not only can they not afford their rent anymore, but there are no stores left that cater to their income bracket - eg. the old bargain supermarket becomes a fancy 24-hr loblaws with premium prices. at this point, banks start flooding the area with development funding and the real high rollers move in - doctors, lawyers, banking professionals. now even the artists and public sector workers may have to move on. the low income people are long gone. this is a well-observed pattern in urban geography, with decades worth of hard data to back it up. parkdale is going through the same thing right now. your argument - that poor people need to smarten up and live within their means - misses the point. regardless of why they are poor in the first place, gentrification is a force entirely outside of their control.

Elicar: 20th Apr 2006 - 17:45 GMT

Ahhh...Now, that puts things in perspective. When I saw people "lost their homes", I only thought of homeowners. Yup, I called my rental dwelling my home, not too long ago. My bad!

Awww S__t! Am I getting snotty? :(

Elicar: 20th Apr 2006 - 18:03 GMT

On the second thought, the landlord could only raise rent by so much because of rent control. When I was renting, my yearly increase was 2.8%. So, one could argue that, there is a rent increase everywhere, whether a yuppie neighbourhood, or a Jane and Finch neighbourhood.

The only time a landlord could really increase the rent is when a tenant leaves and a new tenant comes in. The rent of my 1 bedroom apartment almost doubled when I left. What areas like The Beach discourage therefore, are new tenants in the lower income bracket. Other areas may not have that same demand that landlords could only maintain the old rent.

But then....there are illegal rentals....

jeeff: 20th Apr 2006 - 19:33 GMT

the major mechanism in rental increases isn't the capped yearly increase that landlords get with current tenants, it's the unlimited increase landlords get by kicking out their tenants en masse to redevelop a property. this directly affects both current and prospective low-income tenants.

Get out of your car, buddy: 21st Apr 2006 - 15:33 GMT

All true, and healthy if we are able to maintain a stable supply of low income housing in each neighbourhood. Toronto is quite good at creating neighbourhoods that give people choices based on their income. This is good because it creates a core group of people who have lived in the neighbourhood for most of their adult lives. They move up or down based on what they are able to afford. When you have a group of people who feel ownership, you have succeeded because these people will rise up to fight for their corner of the city against internal and external forces. As people age, and have greater choice of where they live (if they have improved financial capacity), it is most healthy if they think that they already live in a great place, and decide to move up. Now picture Regent Park. If you had the choice to not live there, you would get out as soon as you could.