[URBAN NOTE] "Moss Park development sparks gentrification concerns"

[rfmcdonald]

The Toronto Star's Gregory Vendeville reports on the latest in Moss Park's gentrification wars.

Ray LoVerde spent his Saturday glued to his smartphone, photographing the many faces of Moss Park.

The 37-year-old, who lives in a homeless men’s shelter across the street, was one of eight artists hired by the city and The 519, a community organization that advocates on behalf of LGBTQ people, to portray locals and listen to their thoughts on a proposed transformation of the park and John Innes community centre.

The portrait series is one of the ways the backers of the redevelopment have sought the public’s input, along with standard community meetings and a survey of nearby businesses.

Although in its early stages, the plan — which comes at an estimated $80-100 million cost — has critics saying it will speed up the gentrification of the area.

[. . .]

On the weekend, he went out in search of subjects around 7:30 a.m. and didn’t discriminate, taking pictures of a couple walking their dogs, a gardener tending to a community plot and down-and-out people like himself, lounging at the corners of Queen St. E. and Sherbourne St.

The Chicago native ended up on the street for the first time in 2013. He struggled with drug addiction and was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, a condition that hampered his ability to work and cost him his job at a café, he said.