British Home Children connected to Newmarket House of Hope

British Home Children were shipped in trunks

Recently I attended an event held in Newmarket commemorating the "British Home Children" who were children that were yanked from British families after WW1 from families of the poor workers" and such, uprooted and shipped to other countries within the commonwealth such as Canada and Australia for fresh air and farm work. Parents of these poor Brit families would sometimes arrive to pick up their kids to find they'd been shipped away.

And many of those kids were grossly mistreated - similar to the fate of aboriginal children - and there are documented cases of the kids being kept in chains in some Canadian farms. By 1924, social consciousness had changed somewhat and although it continued into the 70's in some places, the practice was strongly discouraged. 

"House of Hope" location serving area since 1910 originally under the Walter and Mary Haines family

Yet for some lucky ones placed to good care - such as in 1910 into a farm care home just outside Newmarket, in Sharon Ontario, run by the Haines'. Afterward, when the two charges in the Haine's care - including Herbert Blackall - were called to the 1st world war as teens, they wrote "home" to the couple, and returned after the war to settle here. They considered the Haines their parents.

And a house of care has continued in one form or another as a care facility to this day, now featuring 16 self contained units, all of which receive natural sunlight on acres of green. Who knows, maybe we'll implement some farming into the life there again but so far the region has claimed it has no funding.  Let's hope that changes because with support its a tough climb.

I know, because I've dubbed the place the "House of Hope" in the past when trying to garner interest to parties to run something there that can care for or provide housing and lodgings to those in need or those needing care - whether mental health or addictions help. My dream was to have supports and learning / training opportunities in addition to a living space and the property owner remembered this, calling me recently to help him in starting up a home doing just that.

Ironically, while waiting for the British Home Children display to open I wandered towards nearby Fairy Lake where I met a gentleman who looked rather peculiar wearing a hardhat over a winter hat, undersized coat, and carrying bags, but who was nevertheless , I found out, very articulate and well spoken and, I'd find out, knowledgeable on worldly issues.

Earl and I exchange use of pics and contact info. He needs a home, and maybe supports.

He'd been collecting empty beer cans along the railway tracks for money when 4 cruisers pulled up on him he said. He's used to the overkill he relayed, but told them if they wanted his name he'd give them his lawyers card.

Earl's's suffered a brain injury in the past including numerous concussions and told me he was a former Montreal Canadians first round draft pick and truck driver for Home Hardware for many years. But, as he says,

"I know my rights. The cops don't need to hassle me. And they always do"

Today he was also nursing a leg injury, and told me of being beaten up over his politics. I was surprised when he told me he was seventy something. And he still has dreams - like an idea of a type of affordable housing that included Home Hardware, and 3 or 4 people building it themselves.

Being from Barrie (but homeless), I think the new train service to only Aurora may have confused him a bit, and he'd had to seek shelter locally now, showing me his transit stub where all the destination change overs were listed from Waterloo to Barrie, some from train to over to bus.

House getting some roofing repairs finished up

I let him know that I was really glad to have met him and we exchanged numbers and when the "House Of Hope" is looking for residents maybe I'll give him a ding because he really seemed like the type of guy who'd fit the model - despite his age.

This home has a long history of providing a type of care - since 1910 - and with the same owner over the past 26, who now wants to be hands on, to help create a place that residents will want to live.

Myself and the property owner meet with the housing minister April 13 2017, "hoping" to get some "support" in opening up this great asset to the community once again.

Inn From The Cold passes dignity test

I stopped into a public building with restrooms recently on my travels and while there it sounded like a meeting or gathering was happening inside...but when a guy has to go he has to go. The distinct odour of alcohol could be smelled in the air (jeepers I'm sounding like a cop!) as the foursome chatted, quieting to respectful tones upon seeing me enter.

I used the stall even though I didn't have to go number two and almost immediately the chatter came back up a level, the one semi-level headed guy in the group shushing them, as I envisioned him motioning to his lips whilst nodding towards the stall I occupied. He stopped still another guy from lighting up a smoke inside the warm confines of the public bathroom. I'd ascertained by then the group was likely homeless, their clothes and disposition helping somewhat in that assumption.


As I walked outside, the four stood smoking, one in a cast, all ranging in ages from 20,s to fifty. They were a ragtag group that watched out for one another while staying at the Inn from the Cold where they emphasized the volunteers there are great. They didn't like staying there or having to, but that those that man the place, treated them with dignity and respect - not so at Porter House (York Region's only full time men's shelter) though they almost angrily declared in unison. And at least one had camped near it when refused a spot there.

They were less than thrilled with the treatment they receive at Porter and the 'clientele" described as often abusing drugs, stealing their stuff or trying to rob them...and so they formed a little clique while now staying over at the Inn From the Cold shelter and challenged the evening before when someone tried to make off with their back packs in the pouring rain whilst taking shelter from it at the bridge, one breaking his hand in the ensuing chase while retrieving his dropped bundle.

" If I was you guys, I'd come out here to smoke otherwise what they'll do is clamp down on you. If you always come outside they won't bother you" I offered as I walked up to them.

" It's warm in there. We just go in there to get warm during the day sometimes, "Jim", said, " we wouldn't light up in there" forgetting likely I was inside when they almost did.

"I hear ya", I replied, " But that's just it, some people will just smell the smoke, not know who it was, and they'll start closing it up or stop you from using it. This way they won't ever bother you."

And it went from there as I chatted with them for some time whilst my order of fish and chips at nearby malt & chips shop where I'd ordered for my mom, awaited me.


Within no time these guys trusted me and were sharing personal stories. One who's mother'd died, which he really hadn't dealt with - you could feel as he spoke about it -  and had come to Newmarket to be near his father, two others who'd been raised in children's aid and who'd been abused...another I suspected had more mental health than addictions issues and much older than the others. The four amigos watching out for themselves, because they have no homes. And when Inn From The Cold closes for the season they will again be out in the cold at night.

I mentioned a documentary crew was nearby doing a piece on addictions and that I myself had done a documentary style series on a homeless father and son in Newmarket that had a happy ending and had generated a story about them in the papers that saw many show they wanted to help. The 2011 article generated more reaction than any in history I was told and in fact they revisited the article again in a discussion piece written in August 2015.

The guys went on to also tell me how, for example one being from Brampton, how they felt the people were special here as well as the town'

" When I came here (Newmarket) people actually say hi to you as you're walking down the street. I thought that was just great. The people are great here."

The 36 year old had worked 10 years for one company and worked up to forklift supervisor before things fell apart. when his mom died he seems he never recovered. another gave me his now tattered business card, holding out hope of restarting again.

They were very interested in what I had to say and engaging me, seeming to sense that I believed in these guys without judging them.And these guys all had good hearts, make no mistake. Semi-drunk or not. sure, they'd fallen perhaps, and far even but they need help - and not just for alcohol but for the abuse they've suffered and the other to get through losing his mom, possibly alone through it all but before ANY of that, they need a home, otherwise this desperate cycle of shelter to street to shelter to streets will surely, slowly, be killing them.

The contractor walked with me to the fish and chips place offering up himself if I needed a story to focus on these issues or for the newspaper, but I always take these offers at face value and wait and see if in their totally sober moments they still feel the same, as it's not an easy thing to have your face put to a homeless problem and I like to make sure they know that. also the newspapers don't always have their best interests in mind but rather the story. They don't often care about them but they care about a story.

This 30ish man just wants help is my thought and has no idea where to get it. I hope he hasn't pinned his hopes on me and the one happy ending I'd shared with him.

They're men. People. Human beings. And I swear to you they are salvageable, good people. Just like you! Click here to see TP's docu-piece on a homeless father and son.

TP out

Search for Missing Newmarket Man Turns Up Need

York Region Police circle area

With the recent episode of a 26 year old man going missing in Newmarket, Ontario recently, and subsequently found deceased and foul play not suspected - covered by YOURKnews & EVENTS - it brought back into my mind a fact I'd come across recently in an article stating that a new study found men are 3 times more likely to commit suicide than women in the U.K. and U.S..

With some quick research, I discovered the same study found that the suicide rate was ten times higher in men of lower socioeconomic status than in affluent men. These are staggering facts that should jump off the page at us. One has to wonder both why that is, and what can be done about it?

Local kid oblivious to searchers behind him

Some believe it's because of the added pressure men have of being masculine, strong. As one put it, girls and boys both cry evenly up until the age of 8 or 9 when boys are shamed to stop, resulting in boys to men holding in their emotions and not having adequate releases. In my day we called them wimps.

In York Region we have few supports for men and certainly we need to make the ones we have user friendly and easy to locate and approach. Men traditionally having a hard time admitting or seeking help may need family and friends to look out for the signs and offer encouragement towards them getting the help they need. In fact stats support their being more women diagnosed with depression and mental illness so how can men be killing themselves in such higher numbers?

Command Post, Jokers Hill, Newmarket

Unfortunately, in the case of the missing Newmarket man, although he had been possibly identified from bus cameras traveling to Union Station in Toronto, with the finding of his body near the area they'd been searching by a man walking his dog, there is no chance. let's not let his death be in vain as we need more for assisting men in crisis than 310 - C.O.P.E.

It showed one thing though, the police have their methodology through experience and stayed the course diligently while family and friends and indeed an entire community that cares stood by wanting to help. And one which if it really cares, will become proactive to minimize the needs for searches for distraught men in the future.

I purposely have left the person's name out of this article as the need to know time has passed and so his families healing can begin. Townsfolk can still help and help all the other men out there that may be in need of help by lobbying the Region of York for more supports for men, whether through men's centres, programs, or proper medical support and we can minimize those odds. Let's give these men in silent crisis a chance to live.

This recent TPE Film suits the subject...and we can write the ending!

Later

TP

PLaYR Video Festival a short film stop for TPE Productions

Festival Debut May 13 2015 Rainbow Cinema

I'm always the procrastinator. The two entries TPE put forward to be in the York Region Film and Media Festival, now called the Playr Video Festival I believe, and which has movie house locations set up at various locales across Y.R. for the duration of the festival at which you can attend for free, are not my most recent! But they deserved a release despite their owners tardiness.

That's right...free! I was surprised when I heard that, but it makes good sense to try and get people in the seats for a newish festival still finding it's place, but this keeps the Y.R. version rather unique. It's not so rulesy as some and has enough categories to keep things interesting, from emerging to pro.

The first was a short drama called Shoots, Scores that has little to do with hockey, and more to do with youth and relationships and mental health with a fateful twist left to the imagination that acts as a turning point.

It was originally shot as part of The Quest for Youth organized yearly by the Y.R.D.S.B. and I'd been asked to write a piece for it which was themed " Mental health, coming out of the shadows", thus you see shadows imagery throughout.

Tom Pearson

Because it was originally shot to jump to live from live stage action to music to live art, I probably should have reworked the transitions or voice-overed a poem left out that was part of the original mix, but in the end it is what it is and stands alone as a short film. It still gives a message in its own unique way, leaving the ending and "interpretation' of what you see, up to the viewer.

TP asked everyday people their thoughts on the issue

 My Actors had no experience - some with special needs - and I had to act as Camera Operator, Lighting, Director and Actor during it as well as try and get an inexperienced but eager Editor to go faster... trying desperately to duplicate what i wanted with limied software..Even the music, if you want to call it that, I created on my keyboard at home. Ha..In the end it's a great job by the cast though, with my hope that in the end there could be seen no difference between kids. I think it works that way. At the end of the day its a short with some disturbing intimations that make the viewer think...and that's all I wanted to do with it with Jason Baulch and Mark Cardinelli's performances in particular an added bonus in my eyes. Creepy Guy played by Keith Campbell was also worth an honourable mention. Here's some Clips.

At Thin Pink Line

I decide to enter A Thin Pink Line because I was once hired to produce the world's first same sex wedding show, held in 1995 at Metro Toronto Convention Centre, when it was just becoming legal. Now in its 10th anniversary year of becoming legal in Canada coupled with the USA political landscape towards similar sentiment, I believe it very fitting, as A Thin Pink Line was a behind the scenes snapshot of that time period, including flying in couples from places where banned to marry legally. One contest winning couple came to marry here from Nebraska, where same sex marriage is still outlawed today. The couples appeared in the media and in tv shows drawing attention to the issue and TPE saw fit to capture it all and use a shadow documentary crew to follow me around.

As soon as I'd heard one well known tux and wedding apparel rental chain, bowed out because they'd heard of others getting death threats for  renting to a gay wedding, I knew this was worth documenting. At that point, whether I agreed with the marriage thing or not, it became personal. These people were corporate bullies and treating people with disrespect.

Even I myself had been on the fence admittedly at the time about the issue of same sex marriage or rather didn't really care until then, as were many. Hell our spokesperson and one of the performers for the event, Carole Pope, didn't believe in the institution of marriage! Even certain media channels were reluctant to take our wedding show ads or call back.

Carole Pope flanked by Canada's first legal gay couple

Protesters at Queens Park, to people on the street, were interviewed and asked their opinion and not all favourable, with some outlandish remarks uttered by some and captured by our crew, " These people have a sexual disorder", and on..So obviously at some point my Filmmaker mind kicked in and said - Hey I can produce this live show and capture the story too!"...And so that's what we did. This 10 minute short is but a miniscule portion of the feature length version which you can look forward to a a release from sometime in the future.

Are they the best I can do? Not yet but the best stories. And I've worked much bigger budgets for films like Hansel & Gretel with Taylor Mumsen or Miracle Dogs with Kate Jackson, Betty White etc. But it's not always about the Film Maker or even the Actors, it's the subject matter... and sometimes the subjects aren't pretty but that doesn't make the messages any less important.

Shoots scores teaches we've come a long ways in identifying mental health as a disease and recognizing the rights and treatment of  victims and sufferers and A Thin Pink Line reminds there was a fight for the rights for transgenders, gays and lesbians to marry, and so such films need be made. Lest we forget.