Fairland proposal divides Kensington

MEGAN OGILVIE To some, a former grocery store’s transformation into an art maze/doughnut shop/music studio/craft beer-serving hipster hangout seems a perfect fit for Toronto’s eclectic Kensington Market.

For others, the soon-to-be converted store on Augusta Ave. has become the latest obstacle in the ongoing fight to preserve the beloved historic neighbourhood from overdevelopment.

Controversy surrounding Fairland Funhouse flared on social media after it was revealed the leaseholder applied for aliquor licence for a 622-person space — an Entertainment District-size venue many residents and businesses say will forever alter the community.

“It will signal a real shift from Kensington being a day market to Kensington being a night market,” said Dominique Russell, chair of the Friends of Kensington Market. LOUIE ROSELLA Less than six months into the role and shortly after sparking an integrity commissioner’s investigation into one of her council colleagues, Sue McFadden is out as chair of the Peel Regional Police Services Board (PSB).

The surprise move, announced last Thursday, shocked many in the political and policing communities, none more so than McFadden, who didn’t mince words in a statement Friday expressing her disapproval and frustration with the decision.

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