Jane Jacobs stood up to Robert Moses. When she moved to Toronto in 1968 to keep her sons from being killed in Vietnam she learned the City of Toronto was going to gut the city with The Spadina Expressway.
She was my friend. Her kids tell me, “Our mother loved you.”
Jane would not like what has happened to my friend, this city’s friend, Martin Heath.
Martin got evicted from his long time CineCycle. This is wrong.
Join me Saturday in honouring this man who has done a lot for the culture of Toronto.
Unfortunately this city has stood by in silence while Martin has gotten the boot.–Reg Hartt
Martin Heath created CineCycle. The Canadian Film Makers Distribution Centre did not. They have taken over the space. The cycles are gone. Martin Heath is gone. The “CineCycle” name was Martin’s. Martin is now repairing bicycles with MikeTheBike on Dundas just East of Bathurst. These people have taken a long standing and vital piece of this city’s culture they had no part in building up. Ausma Malik needs to talk with Martin Heath. Martin has been treated shabbily. He has been treated as shabbily as it gets. Maybe Ausma Malik is cool with that. I am not.
Martin Heath was told by 401 Richmond to get his bikes out of CineCycle. Then Martin was told to get out. In the pre-digital era Martin Heath prepared for exhibition all the physical motion picture prints used during TIFF. It is safe to say without Martin Heath TIFF would not have been able to show a single film. What right does the Canadian Film Makers Distribution Center have to take the name “CINECYCLE?” Go ask Martin Heath. This is as rotten as it gets.
« The young man asked, “Will you support Olivia Chow?” I asked him to check my record with her.