There is a seven acre parcel of land at the South-West corner of Cherry Street and Lakeshor Boulevard, at the mouth of the Don River, in Toronto. This parcel was centred around two large complexes of grain elevators. But in the 1970s the leaseholder abandoned the property.

Unknown to its neighbour a community of squatters started to live there. At a certain point adventurous squatters scaled one elevator and painted a 20-30 meter mural of a rooster on the side one elevator.

When Toronto was an applicant for the 2008 Olympics the site was to be part of the Athlete's village. The grain elevators were to be demolished.

It is cool to watch building implode on TV. In this particular case the owners didn't warn the neighbours. The explosions were scheduled for 8am on Sunday mornings.

Advocates for the homeless hosted a dinner, and invited us neighbours to meet our homeless neighbours.

Touring the site was extremely interesting. But i didn't have a camera. Several dozen homeless people were living there -- mainly young -- mainly supporting themselves by squeegeeing commuters car windows on the nearby expressway on-ramps.

Eventually ahundred or more homeless people set up a tent city on the site -- lived there for several years. The site then provided considerable privacy because after decades the site had become overgrown with scrubs and small trees.

One day a combined force of Police, private security guards and construction workers secured the squatters, and bulldozed the vegetation. A surprising amount has grown back in the last half dozen or so years.

Ironically, the developers of the site who kicked out the homeless? Home Depot.

Tags:   Don River Toronto Harbour Rooster squat homelessness

© All Rights Reserved

There is a seven acre parcel of land at the South-West corner of Cherry Street and Lakeshor Boulevard, at the mouth of the Don River, in Toronto. This parcel was centred around two large complexes of grain elevators. But in the 1970s the leaseholder abandoned the property.

Unknown to its neighbour a community of squatters started to live there. At a certain point adventurous squatters scaled one elevator and painted a 20-30 meter mural of a rooster on the side one elevator.

When Toronto was an applicant for the 2008 Olympics the site was to be part of the Athlete's village. The grain elevators were to be demolished.

It is cool to watch building implode on TV. In this particular case the owners didn't warn the neighbours. The explosions were scheduled for 8am on Sunday mornings.

Advocates for the homeless hosted a dinner, and invited us neighbours to meet our homeless neighbours.

Touring the site was extremely interesting. But i didn't have a camera. Several dozen homeless people were living there -- mainly young -- mainly supporting themselves by squeegeeing commuters car windows on the nearby expressway on-ramps.

Eventually ahundred or more homeless people set up a tent city on the site -- lived there for several years. The site then provided considerable privacy because after decades the site had become overgrown with scrubs and small trees.

One day a combined force of Police, private security guards and construction workers secured the squatters, and bulldozed the vegetation. A surprising amount has grown back in the last half dozen or so years.

Ironically, the developers of the site who kicked out the homeless? Home Depot.

Tags:   Don River Toronto Harbour Rooster squat homelessness

© All Rights Reserved

There is a seven acre parcel of land at the South-West corner of Cherry Street and Lakeshor Boulevard, at the mouth of the Don River, in Toronto. This parcel was centred around two large complexes of grain elevators. But in the 1970s the leaseholder abandoned the property.

Unknown to its neighbour a community of squatters started to live there. At a certain point adventurous squatters scaled one elevator and painted a 20-30 meter mural of a rooster on the side one elevator.

When Toronto was an applicant for the 2008 Olympics the site was to be part of the Athlete's village. The grain elevators were to be demolished.

It is cool to watch building implode on TV. In this particular case the owners didn't warn the neighbours. The explosions were scheduled for 8am on Sunday mornings.

Advocates for the homeless hosted a dinner, and invited us neighbours to meet our homeless neighbours.

Touring the site was extremely interesting. But i didn't have a camera. Several dozen homeless people were living there -- mainly young -- mainly supporting themselves by squeegeeing commuters car windows on the nearby expressway on-ramps.

Eventually ahundred or more homeless people set up a tent city on the site -- lived there for several years. The site then provided considerable privacy because after decades the site had become overgrown with scrubs and small trees.

One day a combined force of Police, private security guards and construction workers secured the squatters, and bulldozed the vegetation. A surprising amount has grown back in the last half dozen or so years.

Ironically, the developers of the site who kicked out the homeless? Home Depot.

Tags:   Don River Toronto Harbour Rooster squat homelessness

© All Rights Reserved

There is a seven acre parcel of land at the South-West corner of Cherry Street and Lakeshor Boulevard, at the mouth of the Don River, in Toronto. This parcel was centred around two large complexes of grain elevators. But in the 1970s the leaseholder abandoned the property.

Unknown to its neighbour a community of squatters started to live there. At a certain point adventurous squatters scaled one elevator and painted a 20-30 meter mural of a rooster on the side one elevator.

When Toronto was an applicant for the 2008 Olympics the site was to be part of the Athlete's village. The grain elevators were to be demolished.

It is cool to watch building implode on TV. In this particular case the owners didn't warn the neighbours. The explosions were scheduled for 8am on Sunday mornings.

Advocates for the homeless hosted a dinner, and invited us neighbours to meet our homeless neighbours.

Touring the site was extremely interesting. But i didn't have a camera. Several dozen homeless people were living there -- mainly young -- mainly supporting themselves by squeegeeing commuters car windows on the nearby expressway on-ramps.

Eventually ahundred or more homeless people set up a tent city on the site -- lived there for several years. The site then provided considerable privacy because after decades the site had become overgrown with scrubs and small trees.

One day a combined force of Police, private security guards and construction workers secured the squatters, and bulldozed the vegetation. A surprising amount has grown back in the last half dozen or so years.

Ironically, the developers of the site who kicked out the homeless? Home Depot.

Tags:   Don River Toronto Harbour Rooster squat homelessness

© All Rights Reserved

There is a seven acre parcel of land at the South-West corner of Cherry Street and Lakeshor Boulevard, at the mouth of the Don River, in Toronto. This parcel was centred around two large complexes of grain elevators. But in the 1970s the leaseholder abandoned the property.

Unknown to its neighbours a community of squatters started to live there. At a certain point adventurous squatters scaled one elevator and painted a 20-30 meter mural of a rooster on the side one elevator.

When Toronto was an applicant for the 2008 Olympics the site was to be part of the Athlete's village. The grain elevators were to be demolished.

It is cool to watch building implode on TV. In this particular case the owners didn't warn the neighbours. The explosions were scheduled for 8am on Sunday mornings.

Advocates for the homeless hosted a dinner, and invited us neighbours to meet our homeless neighbours.

Touring the site was extremely interesting. But i didn't have a camera. Several dozen homeless people were living there -- mainly young -- mainly supporting themselves by squeegeeing commuters car windows on the nearby expressway on-ramps.

Eventually ahundred or more homeless people set up a tent city on the site -- lived there for several years. The site then provided considerable privacy because after decades the site had become overgrown with scrubs and small trees.

One day a combined force of Police, private security guards and construction workers secured the squatters, and bulldozed the vegetation. A surprising amount has grown back in the last half dozen or so years.

Ironically, the developers of the site who kicked out the homeless? Home Depot.

Tags:   Don River Toronto Harbour Rooster squat homelessness

© All Rights Reserved