I Was Here

In 1977, when Greg was 17, he ended up working for Paddy Conklin, the man who ran the midway at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). The Ex was the biggest fair in Canada – home to the Flyer, Wild Mouse, and Tilt-a-Whirl. It had the Food Building, Whack-a-Mole, sideshows, and rock concerts that became part of music history. He is now Vice-President with North American Midway Entertainment – he’s still working at the Ex.

Cathy and Beric have been fighting for Toronto’s homeless for 30 years. With others, they started the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee to bring social justice and housing to the growing numbers of Toronto’s homeless. For almost a decade, they made headlines with their fight, culminating in Tent City, an encampment of outliers and activists on Toronto’s vacant waterfront.

Born in June 1915, Elva remembers coal fires on streetcars when she lived in Mount Dennis, mail delivery twice a day, and the thrill of hot water coming out of taps. Elva became a pioneer of the suburbs, forging friendships with other young stay-at-home moms, and lived in her two-storey home until she was 97, earning the title “The Wise Woman of Glenelia Avenue”.