Junction Meatpacking District on new year eve

Both meat plants on Ryding Ave had some activity on December 31 2009, during the mid evening.

It was just 12 years ago that people began talking about the transformation of the Junction into a trendy community.   At the same time most of the meatpacking district along St Clair disappeared. The Meat plants, replaced by townhouses on the north side and the  Maple Leaf/ Canada Packers meats research labs on the south side of St Clair Ave were taken down and retail stores built (Parts source &  Phamra Plus). Home depots front facing the  Canadian Tire  store was a swine unloading area with the pens being where the store interior is now.

In one of the surest signs of successful gentrification, debate more recently has surged over what to call the area located north of CPR tracks is too be called, with the traditional appellation of the area being the “Stock Yards District”  being discarded by the new residential residents, but not the retail interests such the The Home depot company which named their Junction store “stockyards store”

One name which may become common place because of the Toronto Parks department renaming on a local parkette  is “Upper Junction park”  the name they propose for the park. as a substitute for “the Stockyards  District” parkette. The Staff person at the city propsoing this name – Brenda Patterson, General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, maybe? has not visited the Junction to gain some understanding of  our culture both north and south of tracks – it’s much the same.

Did Toronto Parks miss the thriving current meat packing industry, with Maple Leaf Foods back on the lot just south of their old research facility, the reuse for packing operations of the old Canadian dressed meats plant.

Shallow thoughts on what the Junction is and the allowing degeneration of the history and the benefits of that history to the present will surely destroy what the Junction is and  why the the revitalization is  occurring.

have an opinion on this  the parks contact person is…

Andrew Koropeski, Director, Parks, Tel: 416-392-7911, Fax: 416-397-4007,

Email: akoropes@toronto.ca

and “the Meat Market”.