We have to stop the attacks on building owners and developers who want to do something else with their building or tear it down to make way for new development.
There was an article on the Toronto Star’s website on Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 about The Real Jerk, which is a Jamaican restaurant that has been operating for 28 years at its present location at Queen St E and Broadview, about to close at the end of the month.
The Real Jerk’s owners, Ed and Lily Pottinger, were given notice by the building owner to vacate because it was sold to a developer, Buckingham Properties, who wants to use it for a different purpose, whether this is new strip mall or condos. The owner should have a right to sell his building and the new owner should be able to do as they want with the property that they bought.
It is always too easy for a lot of people who are talking activists to point fingers and say “You can do this, but you can’t do that…” , but not be willing to put their money to their causes.
Most of the time, these talkers do nothing, but talk and make the building owners and developers lives problematic with their non-constructive actions.
The building looks ugly and should be torn down to make way for the new, this is the natural order of nature — out with old and in with the new. (We are talking about building here, not people) Most people love change, it is inevitable and change can create jobs and opportunities for so many others in its own right.
We should not hold on to something that is not truly a heritage building otherwise we will be trying to save everything we feel that needs saving, but really should not be saved.
The Real Jerk is a good restaurant, they will survive in another location, just as we have seen when the Empress Hotel burned down at Yonge and Gould, another restaurant that was and is still extremely popular moved and located across the street and rebuild. That restaurant is Salad King and their new location is more spacious and vibrant and is probably doing a lot better business than they did at their old location. The new kitchen and other areas are also a big hit with the employees too, that’s for sure.
So until these activists are willing to make the hard sacrifice of being building owners or developers then they can make suggestions, but they should not try to impose their wills on others who have to bear the financial and time burden of being a building owner or developer.
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With reference from The Toronto Star
