January
18, 2007
Presenting: Michael Prue, A Working Class
Success Story: From Regent Park to Queens Park
One person who has been extremely supportive of my
“Celebrate Toronto” project is Provincial Member
of Parliament, Michael Prue. He and his staff have connected me
with various individuals in the Beach who are good candidates for
my first Toronto neighbourhood portrait. Way back in November I
was invited to come out to lunch with him and his team and Michael
and I even recorded a joint Rogers television show together. He
came across as a very open and friendly individual with a bright
smile and a boyish charm, and I thought Michael himself might be
a good candidate for an interview so people in his riding, “Beaches
- East York”, could get to know him from a more personal point
of view. So we arranged to meet at the Boardwalk Café on
Toronto’s waterfront, in the Woodbine Beach area. For a few
hours I had a chance to pick his brain and ask away while Michael
freely opened up to me.
Michael is one of those rare Torontonians whose family tree is
anchored for several generations in the Toronto area. Toronto is
one of the few cities where the majority of people were born somewhere
else (myself included) and immigrated here. Not so with Michael.
Both his parents were born in Toronto, six out of eight of his great
grandparents were from Toronto. He traces his roots back to Irish
/ English / Scottish immigrants generations ago and some of his
relatives have a bible with Laura Secord’s name in it. (Laura
Secord warned the British Army of the advancing Americans during
the War of 1812.). Another side of his family is related to the
Thompson family in Scarbourough - David and Mary Thompson were some
of the pioneers who opened up land to the east of today’s
metropolis. A grandfather on his mother’s side was actually
from Montreal of Irish and French background. His paternal great
grandfather’s name was Proulx and that name was later anglicized
to Prue.
Michael was born at Women’s College Hospital and grew up
in a tenement building on Oak Street. That’s where Michael
spent the first four years of his life before the tenements were
torn down and Regent Park, Toronto’s most (in)famous public
housing project was built. Families who were living in the area
before the housing project was built had first dibs on some of the
apartments that were going up in the new housing complex.
Michael Prue’s father was born in 1921 and had a very difficult
time finding work during the Depression. He quit school in 1936
to work in various odd jobs. In 1939, when World War II started,
he was one of the first to volunteer for the Canadian Army and was
sent to the battlefields of Europe. His father often talked about
his experiences in Europe and the places he had seen: North Africa,
Italy (he fought at Montecassino), Germany, Holland, Denmark, and
England/Scotland/Wales. Michael recalls his father talking often
about the places, but very rarely about the war itself. He still
remembers one of the highlights: a story of his father finding a
secret stash of wine in Italy.
After the war Michael’s father worked on Queen Street at
a factory that produced rubber components. His job as a regular
factory worker was later followed up by a position as a janitor
which he held until retirement. Michael’s mother stayed home
with her children until Michael was about 12 years old and then
started to work as a part-time bookkeeper.
Growing up in a working-class family in Regent Park shaped Michael’s
outlook on life a great deal. His family was doing better than average
in this neighbourhood considering that many families in Regent Park
were single-parent low-income households. Once he entered high school,
things started to change. Michael attended Jarvis Collegiate which
at the time was attended largely by children from Toronto’s
affluent Rosedale neighbourhood.
Michael was one of the few people who attended an academic high
school, most of the boys he grew up with ended up at Central Tech
while the girls attended Central Commerce, preparing them for work
in the trades or in lower-level administrative jobs. Only 8 or 10
of Michael’s colleagues went to Jarvis Collegiate, but Michael
said the class differences during his high school years were almost
insurmountable. Despite the fact that he was on student council,
he never got invited to dances or special events, and that experience
of being excluded on the basis of his social class made him feel
“a little bitter towards rich people”. He admits that
he still works on overcoming this feeling to this day.
Michael Prue and Mary Abbinante from Ups and Downs Swimwear in the
Beach
This is also what attracted him to the ideology of the NDP, a party
whose constitution states "we will invite the co-operation
of all persons who are dedicated to the extension of freedom, the
abolition of poverty and the elimination of exploitation".
Of his schoolmates Michael was the only one to go on to postsecondary
education, and many people ask him today why he is so determined
to fight for underprivileged individuals if he himself has done
well. To that he responds that he has seen how so many people have
gotten shafted based on their economic (or ethnic or racial) background,
and that’s why he continues to fight on their behalf to this
day.
His university career includes an Honours Bachelors degree in Political
Science and Anthropology from the University of Toronto and a Masters
degree in Canadian Studies and Political Science/Anthropology from
Carlton University in Ottawa. When I asked Michael what “Canadian
Studies” is he explained that it encompasses Canadian literature,
geography and history. Although he was accepted by various other
universities for his masters program he liked Carlton because he
wanted a broader education than just political science. At this
Ottawa university Michael also had the opportunity to improve his
French language skills.
After completing university he got two job offers on the same day:
he was offered a one-year contract position as chief lobbyist with
the Independent Publishers Association where he would have been
supervising a staff of 5 people. Not bad for a 25-year old straight
out of university.
His second job opportunity was as an immigration officer, and after
consulting with his future wife he ended up accepting the job with
Immigration Canada, particularly since it was a long-term opportunity
with the Federal Government. Over his 20 year career with the Immigration
Department Michael accumulated numerous interesting stories and
anecdotes. He initially worked as an immigration officer at the
airport and in 1973 – 1974 there was a lot of illegal immigration
from various third world countries. People would arrive pretending
to come here as tourists and then disappear and work illegally,
jumping ahead of the queue of immigrants who had followed the proper
procedures.
Joe and Mary Abbinante, merchants in the Beach, and Michael Prue
Often the job of an immigration officer is quite sad, because by
definition it involves splitting families apart. Immigration officers
have to assess cases in the family reunification category, and Michael
recalls one story where a woman tried to bring in her elderly father
who had cancer. Michael declined the application due to the certain
costs for the Canadian health care system, knowing that this woman
would never see her father again. He compares it to being a doctor,
having to make tough decisions that affect people’s lives,
but needing to remain emotionally detached.
His university studies in anthropology came in handy several times
when he was dealing with refugee claimants from various third world
countries. Michael asked some probing questions as to the kinship
system in the refugee claimant’s family. Which side of the
family, the mother’s side or the father’s side, would
be responsible for looking after off-spring if the parents died?
His extensive knowledge of matrilineal, patrilineal and other kinship
systems of different societies around the world made one lawyer
withdraw a refugee claim on behalf of his client. Michael simply
knew too much about local family structures and lineages for his
client to get away with bogus claims.
Michael also explained that deportations happen to Canadian immigrants
from other countries when they commit serious crimes in their new
home country. He indicated that anecdotally, along with his colleagues
they thought that about half of them were from Jamaica. They were
not allowed to keep stastistics. According to Michael, there is
actually a sociological reason behind some of the crime problems
in the Jamaican-Canadian community: during the 1960s Canada imported
a large number of female immigrants from Jamaica to work as domestic
servants and nannies. These women had to be single, have a grade
9 education, speak English and have “no issue”, i.e.
they were not allowed to have children to qualify for this program.
View of some merchants on Queen Street East
Many hundreds of Jamaican woman arrived in the 1960s, seeking a
better life in Canada. In the 1970s, after they had become Canadian
citizens, they started to send for their children, since so many
of these women indeed had one or even more children who had actually
been raised by aunts, cousins or other family members. As a result
of the missing parental attachment, many of these children had grown
up without much discipline and little education. In Caribbean families
it is often the mother that holds the family together, and once
she is gone the family falls apart.
So when these young Jamaican people arrived in Canada to be reunited
with their mothers they saw all this wealth around them, they realized
their lack of opportunities as new immigrants with few immediate
job prospects, and they became resentful. In the end it was Canada’s
immigration policy that caused this problem which continues to cast
its shadows today.
I asked Michael why he made a move into politics. He explained
that politics had always been in his blood and recalls an incident
that happened when he was about six years of age. He had gone on
an outing with his parents to Riverdale Park, which at that time
was the location of the Toronto Zoo. All of a sudden Michael had
disappeared and his parents were frantically searching for him in
the crowd of people. His father finally found him, admiring a man
on a soap box who was sharing his philosophies in front of many
onlookers.
Not only does Michael enjoy public speaking, but he also wants
to make a sincere difference, particularly for the less fortunate
people in society. During his last few years with the Immigration
Department he ran six times for politics and won twice and became
a Councillor in the former Borough of East York, which since our
municipal amalgamation on January 1, 1998 is part of the City of
Toronto.
Licks - Good eats in the Beach
All East York Councillors were part-timers who would attend committee
meetings on various evenings and afternoons, and Michael would simply
take unpaid time off work to mind his civic duties as a Councillor.
From 1993 to late 1997 Michael was the Mayor of the Borough of East
York, a time of a major economic slowdown. Michael is indeed the
first person that I heard refer to this era as a “depression”.
And by any economic definitions this time was indeed a depression
since it was a period of more than six quarters of negative growth
in a row.
This was a time when no new major commercial or industrial projects
were undertaken at all in Toronto. As a matter of fact, Michael
indicates that the new Dorothea Knitting Mills factory in East York
was the only new commercial / industrial project in all of Toronto,
and his borough was able to attract this new investment due to their
favourable licensing program that would give new entrepreneurs all
necessary permits within a 90-day period, unheard of in any other
part of the city.
Michael loved being Mayor since he could really effect change and
make a difference in people’s lives. Being a provincial Member
of Parliament in opposition is a different story. Since Michael
is a member of the New Democratic Party’s caucus he is not
part of the ruling Liberal government. As a result his role is limited
to being a critic, something that he finds frustrating. He has,
however, been able to make some changes.
One example was the case of a woman on welfare who found a $25,000
bundle of money on the streets. She correctly assumed that these
funds were the property of the local bank, and it was indeed confirmed
that this large bundle of money had been dropped by armoured car
employees. The bank gave her a $3000 reward for her honesty, however,
because she was on welfare the provincial authorities clawed back
the $3000 from her welfare payments, in effect punishing her for
her honesty. This honest citizen would have seen none of her reward
if Michael Prue had not intervened. He brought this case to the
attention of the Minister of Community and Social Services and after
persuasively arguing his case, the woman was allowed to keep her
reward without having the same amount clawed back from her welfare
payments.
Michael also went to bat for a man who is suffering from late-stage
diabetes. His disease is so serious that he is losing his vision
and will have one of his legs amputated in the next few days. This
man is receiving a regular disability support payment because he
is unable to work. The provincial government has cut his nutrition
subsidy in half, a supplementary payment that allowed him to pay
for a special diet which involved expensive items such as macrobiotic
yoghurts and protein shakes since he has a hard time digesting proteins
due to his condition.
Marquee of the Fox Cinema, the oldest continuously running cinema
in the Beach
Michael explained that the government was saving $10 a month in
nutrition supplements while incurring extra hospital costs of $600
a day for the leg amputation which happened it is believed primarily
due to the lower grade diet the man was forced to eat because of
the cut in his nutrition supplement. Sometimes governments’
decisions do not make sense from an economic point of view and they
can cause serious hardships to the individuals in question. Wherever
he can, Michael tries to point out these contradictions and tries
to help the people affected.
I questioned Michael about his Beaches-East York riding –
the electoral district that he represents. He explained that some
areas of his riding have a fair number of low income residents,
new immigrants and other people with social issues. A relatively
recent wave of Bangladeshi immigrants along Danforth Avenue has
caused a readjustment in the neighbourhood as they have started
to open stores and hold cultural events along this popular Toronto
thoroughfare. Michael has experienced the Bangladeshi immigrants
as a very adaptable and resourceful group of people who have adjusted
quite successfully to their new environment. Michael has found them
to be hard working and very interested in the local community. Individuals
from this community have gotten involved in political campaigns
of different candidates from all parties and they participate in
the democratic process.
We also talked about the Thorncliffe Park area, for which Michael
was responsible when he was Mayor of East York. This area has Canada’s
largest concentration of Muslim immigrants and many of these residents
are Ismaili Muslims, a Shia sect that celebrates the Aga Khan as
its spiritual leader. Michael characterizes this group of Muslims
as real immigrant success stories since they often arrive from other
countries without much money and a lack of English skills. He admits
that when he saw some of them arrive in winter in short sleeved
shirts and light cotton pants, just having landed from various places
in East Africa, he thought that they would never make it.
Within a few years the Ismaili Muslim immigrants had achieved substantial
economic success and virtually all their children were attending
university or college. Michael explained that their unique traditions
are key to their success: these immigrants pool their money and
dedicate themselves to helping one another achieve a better life.
But their generosity and community assistance is not limited to
members of their own group: they become involved in charitable activities
that help people of other communities and backgrounds. Their stated
goal is to become good citizens of the country they belong to and
they see it as a duty to make their home country a better place
for everyone. Michael admits that he truly underestimated the ability
of this group of immigrants and expressed his praise and admiration
to them during a recent public event.
Funky mural in the Beach
Another part of his riding is the Beach, also referred to as the
Beaches. I tried to clear up the confusion as to why some people
might call this area “the Beach” while others might
refer to it as the “Beaches”. Michael explained that
historically the area consisted of several beaches, including Woodbine
Beach, Kew Beach, Balmy Beach and Scarborough Beach, but the commercial
strip along Queen Street East from Woodbine to Victoria Park has
always been referred to as “the Beach”. The wider area
outside the Queen Street strip is still mostly referred to by many
as "the Beaches".
When Michael’s mother was growing up in Toronto’s East
End near Victoria Park and Danforth, the area was still very WASP
(white / Anglo-Saxon / Protestant), and especially leading up to
and during the second World War there was a lot of racism, not just
in the Beach, but in other parts of Toronto and Canada as well.
This era was not a proud moment in Canadian history. Michael refers
to an excellent book called “Sabbath Goy” written by
a Torontonian about his youth growing up in the Christie Pitts area
and being hired by Jewish families to complete light work on the
Sabbath.
The Beach neighbourhood generally presents very few concerns to
their provincial member of parliament. One thing residents are passionate
about is education, and when the provincial government cut funding
to schools, Michael received numerous letters from constituents
in the Beach, indicating their worries about this policy. At the
time when the provincial government passed a law outlawing pit bull
ownership due to many violent dog attacks, various residents of
the Beach also spoke out, both on the pro and con side. Overall,
he says the residents from the Beach are very easy to deal with.
He says he’s been having “a hoot” working in politics
and really enjoys interacting with the public.
Very recently there has been some controversy in the Beach: St.
Aidan’s Anglican Church has proposed to participate in
a city-wide drop-in program for the homeless called ”Come
in from the Cold”. Once a week homeless people would drop
in and have a place to stay at St. Aidan’s for the night while
other locations throughout the city would house the homeless on
other days of the week. Michael has received letters and faxes from
people who were opposed to the project. The project would have a
total of 12 homeless people spending one night a week at St. Aidan’s
Church. The referring agencies in downtown Toronto would have to
call ahead and make a reservation before the homeless people actually
receive a streetcar token to get to St. Aidan's.
Some of the local residents expressed concerns that the homeless
people might bring in diseases, or a criminal element into the neighbourhood.
They did not want their children exposed to communicable diseases
like tuberculosis. Various rather nasty articles were written in
different Toronto media about the lack of community spirit in the
Beach. Finally a meeting was held on January 16 which was attended
by hundreds of people. Details of the program were explained to
the residents and most of the fears were allayed. In Michael’s
view, 95% of the concerns were unfounded. Many of the residents
stood up at the meeting and said that they agree with this project
and feel ashamed about this fearful reaction. More than 100 people
volunteered to help out with the homeless program. Money was being
collected and one woman donated $1000, saying that she is a devout
atheist, but she supports the program and wants to put her money
where her mouth is.
Flowers on sale in the Beach
Michael adds that the police don’t see a problem with the
program. Homeless people generally do not present a large crime
issue, although they may get verbally abusive if they are asked
to move. Michael laughs and says that many police officers have
been told to get lost (Michael actually used more colourful terminology)
by a diverse group of residents, not just the homeless. He commented
"it’s amazing what 10 or 12 people can do with a fax
machine" and says it’s ironic because the Beach is really
a rather left-wing area that consistently votes for the NDP. So
the big controversy over the “Come in from the Cold”
program was rather surprising, and fortunately the residents' fears
have been addressed at the recent meeting.
Now it was time for the action-packed part of the interview. Michael
and I hopped into his car and we went for a drive along Queen Street
East. He pointed out the former Woodbine Race Track land, later
renamed Greenwood Race Track, which was converted into upscale subdivisions
in the early 1990s. Construction still continues today. Houses that
were originally sold for $399,000 are selling for closer to $1 million
today. Michael fondly recalls going to the race track with his father
once or twice a year. He still occasionally goes today to the new
racetrack in Toronto’s west end and says the food is magnificent.
He and his wife love coming down to the Beach themselves and they
take part in the Jazz Festival,
the annual Shakespeare in the Park theatre festival (which unfortunately
was not held last year), and various other special events in the
Beach. He enjoys watching the waterfront sports activities and likes
to spend time on Queen Street.
The famous Leuty Lifesaving Station
As we were driving, Michael pointed out a whole range of local
merchants that he likes to shop at. He loves Copperfield’s
Treasure House and enjoys buying tea at the Tea Leaf. He also shares
my passion for discount fashion from Ends. He pointed out merchants
such as JD Jewel of the Beach and Mr. Greek that he personally frequents.
Driving by the Beaches Library he mentioned that the building has
extensive history and is treasured by many local residents.
He also pointed out a homeless man in front of the local Scotiabank
who was selling pencils to passers-by. Michael still remembers this
individual from his youth in Regent Park although the man himself
does not recognize Michael any more. Further east we passed by Crystal
Beach Optical which also sells jewellery, often at 60% off. Michael’s
wife loves this place, as well as Totto Spa & Salon, which has
won the Best Spa in the City award.
Peppino’s is also a favourite restaurant of Michael’s
and just up the street on the north side is another centre of entertainment
in the Beach, anchored by Quigley’s, the "Goof"
(Garden Gate) Chinese Restaurant, and the historic Fox Cinema,
the longest continuously running movie theatre in Toronto. Ed’s
Icecream, a few steps west, is a popular destination in the summer,
and Michael mentioned that the Wholesome Market (“Nourishing
Our Community”) has some really interesting foods and unique
items for sale. Driving past Spiaggia’s,
a popular Italian restaurant we made it to the streetcar turnaround
and drove to the entrance of the R.C. Harris Filtration Plant, a
true Art Deco masterpiece of public architecture. The “waterworks”
is currently under heavy construction, and security measures have
increased since 911 so we were not able to enter the premises. But
nonetheless, this imposing public building remains an architectural
treasure in the Beach.
We turned around and made our way back west and stopped on the
north side, just opposite Kew Gardens, to visit some of Michael’s
personal friends: Mary and Joe Abbinante, owners of Ups and Downs
Swimwear, a designer swimwear store that has been in the Beach for
about 10 years. Mary designs many of the swimsuits herself and gets
them made in Italy, while Joe’s experience in the fashion
manufacturing business rounds out the skill set for this popular
business.
Mary explained that a life change was in order after working twelve
hours a day seven days a week. She wants to do things more on her
schedule. As a result, the colourful and eclectic store will close
its doors in the middle of February. However, Mary’s design
and fashion experience will not go unused: she will offer her services
as a personal shopper and will still continue her design fashion
swimwear “from a loft somewhere”. Joe is the President
of the Beaches Business and Professional Association and very involved
in local projects. After closing the store the couple will be heading
to Sicily for a few weeks.
While Michael had a chance to catch up with Joe, Mary showed me
a famous picture of hers in the back of the store: Mary, dressed
up in disco attire in the 1970s. She informed me that she is having
a store-closing sale where some items will go at 70% off and $10
door crasher specials will be offered. Just this week, several women
in their eighties came to shop at Ups and Downs and they each picked
up several fashionable pieces of swimwear at highly reduced prices.
As Michael’s parking meter was running out we had to leave,
but I had just spent about three hours that were really fun. Michael
Prue is a gregarious, outgoing and approachable individual, and
for a few hours he shared his world and his stories with me.
Related Articles:
Celebrate Toronto
- An article series to celebrate my chosen home town
Gene Domagala - A human convenience
store of charity and community involvement in Toronto's Beach
Arie Nerman & the Beach Hebrew Institute:
The People's Synagogue
Vivetha Bistro: A popular spot
with eclectic food
Glenn Cochrane - Media
personality, author and expert fundraiser – a champion of
the Beach for almost 40 years
Michelle Gebhart: A
true Renaissance woman: from army brat to expert renovator, biker
lady, successful restaurateur & dedicated youth volunteer
Michael Prue: A working class success
story - from Regent Park to Queens Park
Alex Winch & the
Beach Solar Laundromat – Unstoppable when it comes to championing
renewable energy & innovative entrepreneurship
Mary Lee: A restaurant owner with a heart
for the arts
Marie Perrotta from the Pegasus
Community Project reaches for the stars
Burgie and Benedetta from the Konditor
coffeehouse create Austrian delicacies in Toronto's Beach
Bob Murdoch from Community Centre
55 - 25 years of community service in the Beach
Steve and Paul from Accommodating
the Soul B&B: hospitality with a personal touch
John Dowding: A private lesson in
photography from a true master
Lucille Crighton: A textile
arts Hall of Famer in Toronto's Beach
Lido Chilelli: Founder
of the Toronto International Beaches Jazz Festival
Fire Station 227: History, heroism
and local connections in the Beach
The Green Eggplant: Healthy Mediterranean
food and big solid portions
The Balmy Beach Club - Legend
by the Lake & Toronto's best-kept secret
The Garden Gate Restaurant a.k.a. "The
Goof" - Good food in the Beach since 1952
Ralph Noble: Firefighter,
lifesaver and creator of the most famous mural in the Beach –
a noble man indeed
Sandra Bussin
- City Councillor and Deputy Mayor shows me her neighbourhood
The Toronto Beach Rotary Club:
Service above Self and the joys of volunteering
The Beaches Lions
Club: Charity and community projects in the Beach since 1935
The Beach Business
Improvement Area: A general overview of the Beach and the merchants
and activities on Queen Street East
Maria Minna:
An Italian-Canadian immigrant story and a life-long fight for social
justice
The Beach Metro Community
News: Much more than just the news
The Kingston Road Business Community:
A neighbourhood undergoing revitalization and an integral part of
the Beach
Andrew Smith and Rachel Howard:
Creative entrepreneurs and dedicated community builders
Nevada's Ristorante: Where
hospitality is a family affair
Maria Minna: Another neighbourhood
walk and talk and discoveries along Queen Street East
St. Aidan's Church:The spirit of charity
in the Beach comes full circle
Gene Domagala takes me on a history
tour of the eastern and northern part of the Beach - a perfect day
of discovery
The Beaches Library: A centre
of learning for all ages
A walk along Kingston Road:
A shopping district definitely worth a visit
55 Division: Serving and protecting
- community policing in action
|