Panhandling in TO
by arthur Weinreb, associate Editor,No, we’re not talking about David Miller, Toronto’s mayor and chief panhandler. Miller has turned panhandling into a political art form by begging both the province and the federal governments for money while taking little responsibility for his own budget and the city’s finances. No, this article is about regular panhandlers who grace the streets of what was once known as "Toronto the Good."
Last month a homeless man, Loren Campbell, was seen by police officers to be riding a brand new bicycle. Believing the bike to be stolen, the cops confiscated it, despite Campbell’s insistence that he had purchased the bike at a Toronto Zeller’s store. Campbell produced what appeared to be a Zeller’s receipt by the print was faded and illegible.
Rod Stewart, a Toronto area realtor and one of Loren Campbell’s frequent fiscal contributors, became angered at the incident and went to the Zeller’s outlet in question. He persuaded employees to search their security videotapes, and lo and behold, there was Loren forking over the cash to purchase his shiny red bicycle.
There was a lot of criticism levelled at the police for how they handled the matter. Because Campbell was "just a street person", the cops just assumed that he had to have come into possession of the new bike by theft or other nefarious means. There is no doubt that this criticism was deserved. They should have known that Toronto is indeed a city of opportunity where determined panhandlers can afford new bicycles and other non necessary items.
What did not seem to be an issue at the time the tragic tale of Campbell and his bicycle hit the media was how relatively well some street people do. Many panhandlers, if they do not have addictions that see their money go out as fast as it comes in, can do quite well. Those of us in Toronto remember the case of the "Shaky Lady" who, in real life neither shook nor was not much of a lady. By resorting to her routine of sitting on street corners and appearing to shake uncontrollably, it was estimated that she raked in over $2,000 a week. at the end of her busy days, she wound her way home to her apartment where she lived with her husband and large screen television set. Her exposure by a reporter forced her to flee Toronto to La Belle Province, where, in an ironic twist of fate, she was discovered by the Toronto reporter who broke her story while he took a leisurely stroll down a Montreal street.
The Shaky Lady was not the usual run of the mill panhandler but there are probably more Loren Campbells out there than we realize. Toronto, because of the generosity of its citizens has always been regarded as a good place to beg for money. and that is not likely to change anytime soon.
We will never be successful in getting people like Loren Campbell off the streets as long as there are people like Rod Stewart to enable them. Stewart, and people like him, probably think that they are doing the right thing but all they are doing is allowing people like Campbell to survive on the streets but to do relatively well out there. In the long run, the Rod Stewarts of the world are doing no favours to the homeless. If Stewart and people like him want to do something to truly help those who are down and out there is no shortage of legitimate charities in which to accomplish this. Throwing loonies and twonies at those who live on the street is hardly helping them from getting off the street.
Toronto lacks the political will to do anything that would truly help the homeless. David Miller, his fellow lefties on council as well as those in the poverty industry such as the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee and the Ontario Coalition against Poverty all have a vested interest in keeping as many people as possible on the streets. The good news is, if they work hard and save their money, they too can buy the odd non essential luxury. Loren Campbell is living proof of that.
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