July 29
This article's description of what's going on along College St. misses some of the facts, particularly when it comes to Octapus Lounge owner Edney Hendrickson's "seethings" about how his "low-key hot spot" is being victimized by irate condo owners. Octapus (not Octopus) Lounge isn't on College St., it's on Palmerston Ave. – and far enough down the street to be a serious noise nuisance to residents since it opened.
I've lived on Palmerston since May 2005 – not in a condo – and just about the first thing I heard when I moved in were the complaints from long-time residents, who'd fought the granting of the liquor licence to Octapus and been victimized by the after-hours mayhem ever since. Customers get particularly rowdy and obscene around 3 a.m., which is when my 10-year-old daughter needs her sleep.
Your article portrayed the Octapus owners as beleaguered heroes being hassled by johnny-come-latelies. For years, the owners have sneered at repeated requests from Palmerston residents to curtail the late-night rantings of their drunk and occasionally violent patrons.
Brian Fawcett, Toronto
As a former resident of College St., I was subjected to painful levels of noise emanating from the clubs and lounges at all hours of the night, five or six nights a week. The walls of my apartment were vibrating, my nerves were frayed and my complaints ignored by 14 Division and especially by my councillor's office.
Finally someone is doing something to ensure that the law is respected on College St., and your paper prints an article focusing on the uncool exploits of overzealous bylaw-enforcement officers with a bad attitude. I have breaking news for you: The College area from Bathurst St. to Ossington Ave. was quite residential and reasonably quiet for generations before the trendy clubs and lounges arrived en masse in the past decade.
Mark Rubinoff, Toronto
Perhaps the writer of this article needs to ask the Italian and Portuguese families who have lived in the College St. area for decades what they think. The new residents of College St. are actually the clubs and not those living in the condominiums. Most residents live in the communities on the side streets. Most of us are owner/dwellers in single-family homes.
It is therefore great news that the law-enforcement teams and politicians are finally tightening up. Perhaps we will finally be able to sleep through a whole Friday and Saturday night without having to get up and comfort our children.
Vanita Jassal, Toronto
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