WHOSE DALE IS IT ANYWAY?
Parkdale, Vegandale lock horns in battle over neighbourhood’s identity
A neighbourhood battle is pitting some Parkdale residents against an emerging vegan movement in the area.
This weekend, Vegandale, the branding used for a chain of vegan restaurants and retail businesses on a stretch of Queen St. between Dufferin and Brock, is holding a block party to celebrate the launch of new ventures.
But on Saturday, mere blocks away, a community gathering is being planned to discuss what people see as rebranding of the close-knit and diverse neighbourhood, which has been rapidly gentrifying over the last few years.
On a Facebook page for the counterevent, titled “Parkdale isn’t Vegandale,” organizers are calling for the removal of all Vegandale branding — as well as the cancellation of its block party — until consultations are done with the community.
The event is organized by Parkdale Life, an anonymous Instagram account with 37,000 followers, and the Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust, a community group that works to protect the area’s social, economic and cultural diversity.
“It’s obnoxious to come into a vibrant and diverse neighbourhood and to rebrand it for your corporation even if it is just for marketing purposes,” Parkdale Life wrote in an email to the Star.
“In addition to this, their abrasive signage about being morally superior to those who do not choose a vegan diet or lifestyle (is) off-putting and divisive.”
One of its new ventures is Vegandale Brewery, a 100-seat venue with signs touting “Morality on tap.”
Another sign at the Imperative vegan retail store says, “Sometimes you have to remodel your space in order to remodel society.”
But Vegandale restaurants owner Hellenic Vincent De Paul rejects the idea that his business is taking over the community’s identity.
“We don’t refer to any other businesses out here as Vegandale,” he said, adding the brand is simply about promoting the message of non-violence toward animals.
“This area has been Parkdale and will always be. We are just happy and proud to be a part of the fabric of Parkdale.”
De Paul, who organized the first Vegandale food and drink festival in 2015 and launched Doomie’s Toronto, his first vegan restaurant in Parkdale, a year later, said the community has been largely supportive of his businesses.
Vegandale has now grown to four restaurants, a vegan brew- ery and a vegan retail store that sells everything from vegan shoes and clothing to vegan body products, he said.
“We could not have done that without the community support,” he said.
Resident Renee Crawford, who’s lived in Parkdale for 20 years, said the issue isn’t about supporting vegan businesses, but rather choosing a brand that reclaims a neighbourhood.
“First of all, Vegandale is not even a real thing,” Crawford said.
She said Parkdale is an established community, built by Tibetan, Latino, Filipino and other landed immigrants who put a lot of effort into beautifying it and making it desirable.
Calling it Vegandale is an “unfair” move to change the community and take over its identity, she said.
“I have no opposition to people making food and lifestyle choices that work the best for them,” she said.
“We should embrace small and local businesses, but you have to endear yourself to a community, rather than impose your will and pretend you made it all happen.”
Longtime Parkdale resident George Carijutan agreed.
“Those new businesses don’t make Parkdale. The people who live here, and know each other and help each other in the community, that’s what makes it Parkdale,” he said.
Sonam Chokey, a 26-year-old Tibetan-Canadian who moved to Parkdale in the early 2000s, said there’s an element of affordability to the discussion about Vegandale.
She said the cost of a meal at Doomie’s may be out of the range of someone struggling with homelessness and poverty in the community.
“That shows you how Vegandale does not really reflect the values of our community,” she said.
Instead of promoting the Vegandale brand, Chokey said those businesses should donate to community organizations that are helping marginalized people.
Parkdale Village BIA executive director Anna Bartula said the Vegandale branding is a complex issue, but there’s nothing illegal or offensive about their marketing approach.
“Like most businesses who open up in Parkdale, we always encourage new shops to engage with a community, learn about its needs and consider supporting local initiatives,” she said, adding the BIA has heard from community members on both sides of the debate. “We work with members who do not approve of the (Vegandale) approach and members who do welcome the tourism.”