CashMax officially opened its doors on Roncesvalles today. If you would like to contribute to the Roncesvalles community CashMax protest by joining the information picket or if you want to receive information via the official mailing list please send along an email to “CashMax protest”. All help is welcome; come and add your voice to shaping the future of Roncesvalles Avenue.

The following quote reproduces the text of the flyer being handed out at the CashMax Protest:

“SAY NO TO CASHMAX”
405 Roncesvalles Ave (R.I.P. Mad Gypsy)

Let’s say no to the entry of CashMax, an American multinational payday loan company, into our Roncesvalles neighbourhood.

In 2008 the Ontario government recognized the predatory nature of the payday loan industry by introducing legislation that somewhat limited payday loan interest rates and required payday loan companies to clearly state the real costs of their services. At the time, MPP for Parkdale-High Park, Cheri DiNovo, stated “payday loan operations in Ontario are unlicensed and unregulated loan sharks that charge criminal interest rates,” and that it was necessary to, “stop predatory lending practices that are detrimental for communities, because they attract some of the most vulnerable individuals to enter into a vicious cycle of debt.”

Payday loans are a tragic occurrence; they profit off of the credit shortcomings of individual consumers and lower income families. While legal, they are an unfortunate symptom of our debt-encouraging society. Payday loans do nothing to improve society; they are, in fact, a detriment to society.

Roncesvalles is currently experiencing the hardship of a prolonged municipal construction project that has negatively affected businesses on the street and our own everyday enjoyment of our once beautiful and thriving community. The arrival of CashMax serves as just another blow to the image of the Roncesvalles community.

Texas-based CashMax does not fit in to our community. We have proven in past that we can come to together and raise our voices for positive, neighbourhood-enhancing change. The saving of the Revue Cinema is one clear example of our common strength. Once again it is time to act and the moment is now to voice your opinion about how we envision our Roncesvalles community today and in the future.

North Roncesvalles is experiencing a renaissance. Over the past few years exciting new retail shops, bars and restaurants have opened up. The street is now a vibrant community marketplace that mixes the old and new. It is our belief that this mixed environment produces the most livable and interesting neighbourhoods.

This quote has been the introductory paragraph for NorthRonces.com since its inception in the summer of 2005. At the moment, however, its optimistic tone rings a bit hollow. This is, of course, because of the road construction that has been ongoing since the summer of 2009. Although this work is supposed to eventually lead to an improved and “beautified” Roncesvalles, while stuck here in the midst of the seemingly endless noise and dust it is hard to look that far ahead with a smile in our heart.

We all know that numerous businesses have ceased operations over the course of the construction. Old favourites such as Mad Gypsy, Boho-LiverBird, and The Silver Spoon, amongst others, have disappeared from our street and our everyday lives. Some of these closures have not been directly related to the disruption, but that it has been a supporting cause there can be little doubt. We cannot let pessimism and short-sightedness get the best of us, however. After all, a few of these businesses have already been replaced by interesting and community enhancing concerns.

It is NorthRonces.com’s argument that we must continue to fight for the good of Roncesvalles as the place where we live, shop and hang out. It is for this reason that we have decided to revive The NorthRonces Blog to play a role in observing and communicating the grassroots protest emerging against the opening of the payroll loan business, CashMax, located at 405 Roncesvalles Avenue on the eastside of the block between Howard Park Avenue and Marmaduke.

CashMax is an American-based payroll loan company, owned by EZCorp, opening up across Ontario hoping to take advantage of those underpaid and badly credited individuals and families in our communities. EZCorp also owns EZPawn and EZMoney in the US. Speaking to people on the street, the general consensus is that CashMax is not the type of business that benefits the Roncesvalles neighbourhood overall, and this is especially true at a time when Roncesvalles’s image is already suffering. The appearance of CashMax hurts even more knowing that Mad Gypsy recently closed its doors at the same location.

So stay tuned to The NorthRonces Blog for information and updates about the CashMax protest.

The following news release is from the Revue Film Society and is in support of their worthy fund raising efforts:

Realtor urges fellow agents to match his donation

Toronto, ON – July 9, 2007 – Realtor Matt Mysak has a challenge for fellow real estate agents in the High Park area: Match my donation. Mysak has contributed $2,000 to the campaign to save the Revue Cinema on Roncesvalles Ave. “I consider it a landmark building in our area,” said Mysak, just before taking off on vacation. “All of the real estate agents who enjoy movies and love the area we live in, I think all of them should contribute. It’s always nice to give and not just to take.” Mysak has worked in the real estate business in Bloor West Village for 35 years. His firm, Matt Mysak Inc., employs six, including his son Joe.

The non-profit Revue Film Society, which will lease the cinema from new owners, must raise $60,000 in addition to funds donated last year to meet working capital demands, make necessary repairs and upgrade technology before opening. So far this summer, the society has raised $22,000. “We’re about a third of the way towards our objective,” says Rose Scheler, the society’s treasurer and one of the chief fundraisers. “Businesses have been wonderfully supportive. They see the Revue as unique and a valuable part of our community.”

Businesses making generous contributions to the Revue campaign include High Park Paints & Wallpaper; the coffee shop Alternative Grounds, which matched customer donations with a $1,000 cheque; video store The Film Buff; the blended restaurant Sue’s Thai Food/Vicki’s Fish n Chips; clothing shop Frock; English-as-a-second-language bookstore The ESL Shop; new ice cream store Bravo! Gelato; Whelan’s Gate Irish Pub; Sunrise Grill; Another Story Bookshop; The Herbal Clinic & Dispensary; Phila Optical; retro soda fountain and cafe Daddy O’s; clothing and gift store Dressers; Jitterbug Boy Footwear; Envoy Business Services; efficiency expert Pace Productivity Inc.; and Adelaide Testing Machines Inc.

John Anderson, owner of Morningstar, the clothing and furniture store on Roncesvalles, is pledging 10 per cent of furniture sales to the Revue campaign, while brother and sister team Melissa and Rupert Sexton, who own the Local Pub next to the Revue, are planning an August fundraiser.

The Revue Film Society expects to start leasing the cinema later this month. The transfer of ownership to the purchasers, local residents Danny and Letty Mullin, has been delayed for technical reasons.

The Society, meanwhile, has been preparing business and programming plans for the theatre. The goal is to have a cinema that will provide “an experience as diverse and dynamic as our community.”

The Revue Film Society thanks all of its donors and hard-working volunteers. Without them, the beloved Roncesvalles Ave. cinema would remain dark. To find out more about the Revue campaign, visit www.revuecinema.ca.

For more information, contact:

Rose Scheler, 416-533-6190,
rosescheler@yahoo.com

Ellen Moorhouse, 416-574-4483,
e_moorhouse@sympatico.ca

New owners Danny & Letty Mullin with jubilant members of the Revue Film Society (Hi, Roy & Susan!).
—Photo by Boris Spremo. From The Revue Cinema web site.

Yesterday, on June 12, 2006, the Revue Film Society (RFS) held a media event announcing the signing of a lease for the newly (and locally) purchased Revue Cinema. Yes, the Revue Cinema will soon be up and running and once again showing movies for our North Ronces neighbourhood (and the rest of Toronto). The new Revue Cinema web site states that August is the target date for opening its doors once again.

With the revival of the theatre as a movie house, the RFS is also once again in fund-raising mode as they need to raise around $60,000 for essential start-up costs. While the RFS will now hire industry professionals to run the Revue as a non-profit corporation and fully expects the business to sustain itself, there is a still a lot of work to do before it is up and running. One project, dear to NorthRonces.com, is the rebuilding of the Revue marquee which collapsed this past winter.

Today, there are a number of news reports about yesterday’s announcement and most of them focus on the feel good story of the local couple, Danny and Letty Mullin, who purchased The Revue for $975,000 (negotiated down from the $1.275 million asking price) and are, in turn, leasing it to the RFS. The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail offer similar accounts of Mr. Mullin’s working class, rags-to-riches, community philanthropism.

Three cheers from NorthRonces.com for everyone involved, especially the community-minded new owners and our friends with The Revue Film society.

NorthRonces.com thought it appropriate to promote this letter from comment to full fledge post, as it expresses the most concrete hope for the Revue continuing as neighbourhood theatre as we have heard for a long time. This optimism, a result of the persistent work of the Revue Film Society, is especially welcome after the loss of the theatre’s marquee last week.

Yes it was a shock to lose the Revue Cinema marquee. Such nostalgia. But I’m just letting you know not to worry as we are well on ourway to re-activating the beautiful Revue Cinema. We *will* be seeing films there again! Please keep in touch through:

http://revuefilmsociety.org 

Daria Stermac
founding member of the Revue Film Society

While NorthRonces.com rushed out with digital camera in hand, due to technical difficulties the photos are still inside the camera. Luckily the Torontoist has linked to a number of shots of the poor old thing just before she was cut up and scooped into a bin.

[NB: By "cut up" I refer to the fact that the owners had the large "R" from the centre of the marquee, as well as the two neon "Revue" signs from either side, cut out of the wreckage and set aside for possible future restoration. Hopefully, these pieces will serve in the reconstruction of the marquee as a whole.]