That's one perspective, anyway
I consider myself extremely lucky to live in the heart of midtown Toronto. It’s an area that’s bustling with life 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Kitty-corner to where we live is a small parkette, frequently occupied by people on the fringes of the city’s existence. While there have been no encampments as there have been in other downtown communities, it can get quite sketchy, especially at night. On the other hand, it’s also a gathering spot for spontaneous musical and dance performances and the occasional protest. On September 15, 2021, I decided to undertake my ethnographic research on this particular corner. I focused mostly on the people who stopped and stayed for a time in the parkette, since the pedestrian population was quite transient. It turns out that the characters who populated the park during my 45-minute visit offered plenty of material worth observing. I genuinely love talking to people and learning their stories. It comes from a time earlier in my life when I worked...
