Annette Simms
AUDIO INTERVIEW
SUMMARY
July 12, 2017
00:20 PERSONAL STORY / DOMESTIC LIFE: She moved to this neighbourhood in 1964, renting a home at 22 Humewood Drive. She provides a description of her home with its wall sconces and chandeliers. There was a button on the floor that had been used in the past to call for service. She talks a little about the beginnings of Humewood Park.
02:25 She Looked for a new home and found one in the area at 312 Rushton Rd. that had been converted into a duplex. Annette and her husband purchased it for $35,500 in 1968. They moved in and renovated, removing the wallpaper from bevelled glass doors. Beautiful features were revealed. The house was built from 1919-1920.
07:00 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE: The house next door, on the NW corner of Rushton Rd and Humewood Gardens, was an old Eaton’s summer residence. It was converted to a senior’s care facility and eventually became a rental property. The stonework is similar to Casa Loma’s. Recent owners have updated this house.
09:43 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE / SHOPS: There is a discussion of St. Clair W in earlier days – it was not up-scale. There were many Mom & Pop stores. There was a grocery store at Rushton – they provided personal service and deliveries. The owners worked 12 hours/day. They were proud of their children and what they were accomplishing.
11:15 SHOPS: She remembers Lily’s Variety Store where they sold cigarettes and cigars. You could test the tubes from TVs in her store, and if required she would sell you a new tube.
12:15 There was a lady who operated the little dry-cleaners who also did dressmaking.
13:05 RESTAURANTS: Annette doesn’t remember any restaurants of high quality in the area in the 1960s. She remembers some eateries around Oakwood but nothing of a non-European base – no pizza places or fast food chains.
13:59 SHOPS: There was a shoe repairman on the south side of St. Clair in the first block east of Christie. Items used to be fixed not replaced. There is a discussion of repairing and conserving items.
15:38 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE / DOMESTIC LIFE: Her neighbours to the north of her, at 314 Rushton Rd, were from Italy. The husband had come to Canada on his own, and set up a small contracting company. It took 11 years before he could bring all his family from Italy – this included his wife and 5 daughters. Annette enjoyed their cultural traditions and she and her husband became part of their “extended family.” She happily recalls their ritual of preserving tomatoes and eggplant over an open fire in the backyard.
18:40 IMMIGRATION: She reflects on how there was still a lot of negativity towards the Italian immigrants at the time of her neighbours’ arrival and notes the cultural difference in the caring of the family dog – it didn’t belong in the house.
19:32 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE / DEMOGRAPHICS: She relates stories of a couple of her neighbours who were Polish.
20:35 IMMIGRATION / RESTAURANTS: She describes a neighbourhood that was composed of immigrants from the 30s, 40s & 50s, where they raised their families. Their families then dispersed to surrounding areas where they could build their own new homes. This was a very “white” neighbourhood. If you wanted “ethnic” food you would have to go to other areas of the city for it. There was a Hungarian Deli which continues to exist on St. Clair, near Rushton (as of 2019).
22:16 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE / DOMESTIC LIFE: She talks about the large house across the street being renovated (now completed). She fondly recalls Tony, its former owner. He was originally from Portugal. She recalls him, in his ‘80s, getting up on a ladder to clean the gutters on the second story himself. She remembers that that a lot of the work to houses was done by the owners or with the help of their neighbours – to her this was “community.” The street was a community, especially among the women.
23:40 There was a sense of community amongst the women on the street. They belonged to committees. She refers to the Humewood Fair Committee and remembers Bridget Lynch, Lauretta Brooks and Susan Sussman.
25:18 ACTIVISM: They formed committees, to have some clout, to get political action for neighbourhood maintenance, such as cracked pavement. She mentions Ben Nobleman, who was on their committee. This was for the City of York. She also refers to her neighbour Michael Colle, who was her neighbour 3 doors up on Rushton Rd.
27:25 ACTIVISM / VOLUNTEERISM / YOUTH GROUPS: She talks about her involvement with Parks and Recreation’s St. Clair Community Youth Group in the late 1960s and 1970s. It was a group created to help at risk youth by providing sports activities: basketball at Oakwood Collegiate and weightlifting at Vaughan Collegiate. The participants were 80% male and 80% African Canadian. She describes her responsibilities as Treasurer, appearing at City Hall with requests for funding and applying for grants. She became involved in a summer program for children run from Humewood School. One year they received $500 from the Toronto Star for an off-site day trip.
30:45 Annette talks further about her volunteerism as being part of her lifestyle. She talks about representing the community. Parks and Rec didn’t want to be running the St. Clair Community Youth Group themselves. Ross Fair from Parks and Rec approached her to take on this work. They had a representative from the police department on their committee. She held the purse strings as the treasurer. She remarks on the lack of a community centre in the area.
32:20 She speaks of the time when she and others worked to get Humewood School opened up for basketball. To have schools opened to the community was considered a “radical thought.” She would go to the school at 10pm to close up because the custodial staff didn’t want to be extended and were fearful of the black kids. She speaks a little of the demographics of the area – there were African Canadians along the Vaughan corridor.
33:48 BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOUR / NEIGHBOURHOOD: She used to go the parent-teachers meetings for her neighbour because her neighbour didn’t speak English. Her neighbours’ family all scattered to much larger homes in the suburbs.
35:15 NEIGHBOURHOOD: She and her husband intended their house to be a start-up home – she’s still there 50 years later.
35:47 TRANSIT / MEMORIES OF TORONTO: She recalls old the streetcars (in the 50s), running along Queen Street west from Yonge and how “sleezy” it was. She talks about the changes in downtown Toronto. She explains that people would go downtown at Christmas to see the Christmas windows at Eaton’s and Simpson’s and buy hot chestnuts.
37:30 ACTIVISM: She remembers when they were thinking about demolishing Old City Hall and there being a great outcry from the public. She believes that in those days “you could bring about change then if you got vocal – if you got a spokesperson.” Ross Fare gave her the opportunity to become a spokesperson for the St. Clair community.
39:48 She speaks of Bridget Lynch’s exceptional leadership qualities.
38:30 She describes her responsibilities with Parks and Rec’s St Clair Youth Group. This was a 2 days/week commitment. She had to supervise and make certain that the program ran smoothly. She provides an amusing anecdote about a class on birth control.
40:31 PERSONAL LIFE / FAMILY LIFE: She and her husband moved to Grande Prairie for a couple of years (1973-‘75) and rented out the house while they were away.
41:33 ENTERTAINMENT / THEATRES: She recalls a movie theatre (this would be the Vaughan Theatre) and its rat occupants. She briefly recalls the Maple Leaf Ballroom that eventually became a bingo palace.
42:00 She talks more about the Vaughan Theatre and memories of the rats. She remembers that it showed decent movies and it was a disappointment when it closed. It was nice to be able to take a casual walk over to see a movie.
43:15 TRANSIT / TRANSPORTATION: She often walked rather than taking the TTC. Instead of enduring the long wait for the streetcars, she preferred to walk over to Yonge and St. Clair. She observes that transit has improved since those earlier times.
44:05 SHOPS: There wasn’t a liquor store (LCBO) close by. The liquor wasn’t on display, just listed on boards.
44:55 ACTIVISM / YOUTH GROUPS: She talks more about the St. Clair Youth Group. Some of the young people were in their 20s. She left the program in favour of African American leadership. A young African American lawyer took it over.
46:46 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE / ACTIVISM: She talks about the changes to Rushton Rd and the implementation of the by-law to protect trees. There was an old Black Walnut Tree at the back of her property. The tree must be close to 100 years old. She remembers petitions to protect the enormous old tree on Humewood Dr. at Humewood Gdns.
48:48 ACTIVISM / DEMOGRAPHICS: There was a network of people who would “buzz the word around” about any issues. Most of the people on the committees were of European descent. There was one gentleman on their committee, John Mills who was from one of the Caribbean Islands, who was very much involved in community affairs. She canvassed with him when he ran for school trustee. She talks a bit about this experience.
50:00 NEIGHBOURHOOD / DEMOGRAPHICS: She talks about her couple of blocks and how they came to be composed primarily of “YUPPIES.” They are still there but are now in their 40s and 50s. In the Eaton home they had a musical celebrity. He bought it as an investment property. He was referred to as Master T. and was the only African American family she can remember living on the couple of blocks near her.
52:37 SPADINA EXPRESSWAY: She discusses the possible expropriation of her home and how the Expressway would have cut a huge swath through the city. The intent was for the Allen to go all the way downtown. It was to come down through Cedarvale ravine. They had it stopped but the expansion of the subway continued.
55:28 PERSONAL STORY: She talks about her husband Peter.
56:10 ACTIVISM / VOLUNTEERISM: She volunteered with a foundation for children with developmental disabilities; she helped to run a girls club for them. She also worked for the CNIB. She has been given several awards for her volunteer work from the province.
57:15 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE / HUMEWOOD PARK: She tells an amusing story about Humewood House and the shrubs in Humewood Park.
59:00 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE / MEMORABLE PEOPLE: A documentary called A Married Couple (1969) was filmed on Rushton Rd on the east side of the street, just a couple of houses north of Annette. Her neighbours, Billy and Antoinette Edwards, agreed to have their married life, which included their young son Bogart, documented by the Canadian director Allan King. She describes going to Bogart’s birthday party dressed as Big Bird.
1:03:24 MEMORABLE PEOPLE: She saw Margaret Laurence on Rushton Rd with neighbour Adele Wiseman. The two women were personal friends. Adele Wiseman lived north of her.
1:04:41 She mentions the big white house across the street north of her and its occupant – a political activist.
1:05:28 She fondly remembers her old neighbours, Michael Colle and his family.
1:06:33 She relates memories of Adele Wiseman’s family. People were mostly accepting of her unusual practices.
1:08:05 NEIGHBOURHOOD STREET LIFE: In earlier days, there was a rooming-house across the street that had an absentee landlord. There was some trouble then. It has been turned back into a single family home with young children.
1:09:18 MEMORABLE PEOPLE: The magician Doug Henning rented the old stone house next to her (the Eaton’s home). A lot of his magic props, with their secrets, were kept in the garage.
1:11:16-1:16:20 CEDARVALE RAVINE: Many of her memories around the ravine relate to walking her dog. Her first dog was a Saint Bernard (1969). That was prior to the work being done on the subway. She remembers the ravine as being lovely. She shares her feelings about the fines for walking her dog off leash. She shares stories and her thoughts about being a dog owner in the city. She enjoys the ravine’s wildlife, which includes little Northern Brown Snakes, rabbits, red foxes, and voles.
1:16:43 WYCHWOOD BARNS: She recalls her memories of the TTC Barns. She never envisioned the transformation. It was very rundown. There was nothing to draw a person there.
1:19:20 LANEWAYS: She notes that there is a “Lauretta Brooks laneway, named in honour of her neighbour and community activist.