Review: On Winston LaRose and the Mr. Jane and Finch documentary

The story of an 80-year-old Black candidate with community in his heart who ran for Toronto’s City Council

By: Hadiqah Khalil

Group of passionate individuals protesting on the street in Jane and Finch with red banners that say, “No one is illegal, stop the deportations”.

(Kevin Konnyu via Creative Commons)

Content Warning: Ant-Blackness, Police Brutality, Anti-Black Stereotypes


If you search up “Jane and Finch” on Google, the results received are the typical stereotypes against the “Jane and Finch” community—essentially written by someone guided by systemic biases and the historical impacts of white supremacy. However, as one elderly activist fought to challenge the stigma against Jane and Finch, the documentary of his efforts sheds new light on the community he loves.

In the 1960s, Jane and Finch grew from a small hub of 1,300 residents to 33,000 in 1971. Amid a bustling city gentrified by white homeowners, Jane and Finch, a contrastingly racialized neighborhood, was failed by a government unwilling to provide its growing community with the social infrastructure it needed to survive. Social services and economic opportunities were seldom proportionately funneled to community members as organized police presence made the area one of the most state-surveilled in Toronto. But what a power-laden media apparatus that routinely paints Jane and Finch as a “catch-all name” for crime and violence in the city fails to show, Jane and Finch has long been an emblem of cultural richness, collectivity and care. And one of the activists at the heart of this community: Winston LaRose.

In a CBC documentary that captures the heartening journey of the 80-year-old activist,  Torontonians get a 44-minute glimpse into the life of Mr. Jane and Finch himself as he  advocates for the rights of the Jane and Finch community while bringing the lack of Black representation in Canadian politics to the fore.

The story is unpredictable yet invigoratingly moving — it encouraged me to actually get out of bed and dissect flaws in my life and inspire my surrounding communities. Thematic elements of racial injustice are present in the film as it highlights the corrupt Canadian political system, that leaves very little room for genuine change in the Jane and Finch area. Despite the uncertainty, the central figure of this documentary deeply encourages the audience to continue to revolutionize and rise up against all odds.

The story, directed and produced by Canadian film directors Ngardy Conteh George and Alison Duke, first premiered at the Toronto Black Film Festival in 2019. After Mr. Jane and Finch’s official airing on CBCDocsPOV on Feb. 22, 2019, the film won the Donald Brittain Award the following year. In addition, the documentary won an award for Best Writing in a Documentary Program at the eighth Canadian Screen Awards in 2020. It is currently available to stream on CBC Gem.

It’s safe to say the 2018 Municipal election was a controversial one in the books (as the council was reduced from 47 wards to just 25), but LaRose did not fail to challenge the stereotypes towards his community against other politicians. LaRose is not just a community member, an advocate or even a running candidate—he’s a proud citizen known by all as Mr. Jane and Finch. 

“Jane and Finch is a community that is close to my heart. It is a richly diverse community north of Downtown Toronto, a place where new immigrants come to settle,” LaRose said in the documentary. “I have been grassroots in the community. I represent people in every kind of advocacy situation.” 

So, where does his political journey begin? Viewers are taken back to the 2018 Municipal Election when LaRose ran for councillor of Ward 7—passionate about representing the Jane and Finch community. He believes in assisting the general population with immigration difficulties, housing concerns, police brutality and the lack of safety for youth in local schools.

The film’s ability to capture such live and pivotal moments during the election is truly an eye-opener to those who fail to understand the undeniable existence of racism in Canada’s foundations, history and present. The film implores viewers to reconsider and reflect on the powerful voices we choose to give platforms to, and who we allow to dictate how our communities exist.

The documentary showcases the presence of LaRose’s competition: Giorgio Mammoliti and mentions the racist remarks presented by Mammoliti when he referred to the representatives of the Jane and Finch community as "cockroaches." Respectfully, someone, please educate me on why Mammoliti came in second place while LaRose came in seventh in the 2018 Municipal election. These results alone say enough about our political system.

LaRose showcases just the opposite. For over 25 years, he and his team served the public through their local office located in Yorkgate Mall, while creating The Jane-Finch Concerned Citizens Organization (JFCCO). This organization actively develops to provide deserved rights to the disadvantaged, which includes opportunities and services available for youth as well as battling against social and economic injustices.

The Jane and Finch community continued to face attacks through controversial comments, according to Ontario’s Minister of Community Safety Michael Tibollo in the documentary. As he entered the Jane and Finch area — of which Black Canadians make up almost 30 per cent — he further propagated and enabled racist ideologies by referring to the community’s history with gang violence: "I went out to Jane and Finch, put on a bulletproof vest, and spent 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. in the morning visiting sites that had previously had bullet-ridden people killed in the middle of the night," Tibollo said.

I stand with LaRose on the behavioral effects severe underemployment, poverty and police brutality has on the community. One can only take action once educated on the causes of the problem: displacement, discrimination and colonialism.

“Our politicians are not dealing with the fundamental root causes of what's causing crime. It's always about bringing in more police officers, putting police officers in our schools, they'll bring them in our churches next,” said LaRose during his campaign. ”If we restructure our [government] approach to how we create societies and communities, we will not have the crime problem.”

The documentary was definitely worth the watch if one would like to educate themselves on what went down in the 2018 municipal election from the eyes of LaRose himself, although I felt it lacked further discussion on Black Canadians and the colonial undercurrents and beliefs still held today against the Jane and Finch community. I hoped the film would have had a 50/50 discussion of LaRose’s campaign, yet also providing much needed context of Black Canadian history, to those who are uneducated on the sole issues they encounter.

After watching this film, I feel inspired, yet vastly humiliated, as I see a man who is driven to make his voice be heard while many individuals—shamefully including myself prior to viewing the film—hold unconscious biases towards a community without self-educating on the root of the problem. Mr. Jane and Finch represents the many members of a community who have been suppressed by the rest of Torontonians as the rising stereotypes overtake them. Let’s continue to slam down racist remarks and degrading stereotypes on a community that grounds the city and makes space for its community members to exist and thrive unapologetically.

Rating: 3.5/5

Films and TV shows shot in each Canadian province and territory

Canada can be transformed into almost any other city — when filming, that is. 

By: Daniella Lopez

While most films and television shows take place in the United States, many are filmed and set in Canada. Whether it be for cheaper production costs, better scenery or historically accurate locations, here is a list of films and television shows shot in Canada from every province and territory.

British Columbia

Midnight Mass

When a young, charismatic priest comes to an isolated island community miracles and mysteries occur. The fictional town of Crockett Island was shot all over British Columbia. Garry Point Park, B.C., was used to film beach scenes and exterior house scenes. The 6th and 7th Avenue piers in Richmond, B.C., were used to film the in-show marina. Anderlini Farms in Aldergrove, B.C., was used to shoot the school, general store and church.

Jennifer’s Body

While initially criticized for its premise, Jennifer’s Body has become a cult classic. The film follows Jennifer, a demonically possessed high schooler who kills her male classmates while her best friend Anita tries to stop her. A majority of the film was shot in Vancouver with the high school scenes shot at Langley Secondary School and University Hill Secondary School. The hospital scenes were shot at Riverview Hospital in Coquitlam, B.C.

Embed from Getty Images

Alberta

Guilty Party

Guilty Party follows Beth Burgess, a shunned journalist trying to reinvent her career. While the show takes place in Denver, Colorado, it's filmed in Calgary. Scenes of the Rocky Mountains are shown throughout the series.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

A sequel to the original Ghostbusters, this film is shot in Beiseker, Alta. Many locations are used in the film including a local Walmart, Highway 570 and 848, Horsethief Canyon and Apple Pie Cafe, but the latter, unfortunately, is permanently closed.

Saskatchewan

Corner Gas 

A sitcom that ran for six seasons, the fictional gas station was the only one for 60 kilometres in any direction. Corner Gas was filmed entirely in Saskatchewan. All interior shots were filmed at The Canada Saskatchewan Production Studios in Regina. The exterior shots, namely the gas station, were filmed in Rouleau, Sask. In November 2016, the gas station was demolished due to sinking foundations.

The setting of Corner Gas in Saskatchewan (Paul Jerry/Wikimedia Commons)

Just Friends

This Christmas comedy follows Chris Brander, a formerly obese high school student trying to escape the friendzone in his adult life. While the movie takes place in New Jersey, the film was mainly shot in Regina and Moose Jaw, Sask.

Manitoba

Burden of Truth

A Canadian legal drama starring Canadian Kristin Kreuk, this show takes place in Manitoba. While originally set to be filmed in Eastern Canada, production moved to Manitoba due to cheaper production costs. Location shots were filmed in Selkirk, Sask. and Sanford, Sask.

Cult of Chucky

One of many films from the Chucky franchise, this movie follows Chucky as he haunts Nica, again. The entire film was shot in Winnipeg, the director Don Mancini even told CBC, “I wrote it with snow in mind.”

Ontario

Schitt’s Creek

A married couple goes bankrupt and their only asset left is the town of Schitt’s Creek. While the town isn’t real, most of the show was filmed in Goodwood, Ont. Some local spots include Romni Goodwood, Bob’s Garage and the town hall. Patrick’s proposal to David was filmed at Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area in Milton, Ont.

Mean Girls

Mean Girls, an iconic movie that defined the 2000s, takes place in Evanston, Ill. but was filmed in Toronto at the Etobicoke Collegiate Institute and the Malvern Collegiate Institute.

Quebec

The Bold Type

The Bold Type follows three women working at a New York City women’s magazine. While the pilot was shot in Toronto, the rest of the episodes and seasons were shot in Montreal. The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec building is often featured in the show as a lobby.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

This film, which follows Wolverine, takes place in Washington, D.C. Yet, it was actually filmed in Montreal, a first for the franchise. Quebec offers several filming incentives for productions shot in the province.

The cast of X-Men: Days of Future Past (William Tung/Wikimedia Commons)

Newfoundland and Labrador

Frontier

A historical drama that follows the North American fur trade in the 18th century, Frontier was filmed in numerous locations including Newfoundland. The Commissariat, one of the oldest buildings in St. John's, acted as the governor’s residence. The O’Brien farm in St. John’s was filmed for historically accurate exterior shots.

Closet Monster

This film centres a closeted gay teenager dealing with internalized homophobia. The film was shot in St. John’s, with additional filming on Fogo Island N.L. The film is inspired by the director’s own struggles as a gay teenager in St. John’s, he said in a video interview with Xtra Magazine.

Prince Edward Island

Emily of New Moon

Based on the books of the same name, Emily of New Moon follows an orphan girl sent to live with her aunts at New Moon Farm in P.E.I. The show was filmed fully on the Island and featured many local actors.

The book cover for Emily of New Moon, written by L.M. Montgomery (Wikimedia Commons)

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables is based on a novel of the same name. It follows an orphan girl who was mistakenly sent to P.E.I. While the film was shot in both Ontario and P.E.I., some of the most memorable locations were from the Island. Most notably is the Seacow Head lighthouse, one of the oldest structures in P.E.I.

Characters from Anne of Green Gables, shot in P.E.I. (Smudge 9000/Wikimedia Commons)

Nova Scotia

Haven

This supernatural drama takes place in Maine, in the fictional town of Haven, where strange events happen. The show was filmed on the south shore of Nova Scotia. The fictional town is derived from the town of Lunenburg, N.S., the main filming location. Chester, N.S. also provided exterior shots for the film.

The Lighthouse

This film, shot entirely in black and white, follows two lighthouse keepers who slowly lose their sanity when they get stranded on a remote island. While the film takes place in New England, it is filmed in Cape Forchu, N.S., a small fishing village. The lighthouse, the central point of the film, was constructed solely for the film.

New Brunswick

Race Against the Tide

This reality TV show follows sand sculptors who try to complete their work before the Bay of Fundy tide comes in. The Bay of Fundy, located between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, has the highest tide in the world.

Children of a Lesser God

This romantic drama follows two employees at a school for the deaf. The movie is set in New England but is filmed in Saint John, N.B. The main location for filming was Rothesay Netherwood School.

Yukon

Northern Town

When a meteorite falls into a small northern Canadian town, Brian, the main character, searches for it. The one-season show was filmed around Whitehorse and Dawson City, Yukon.

The Spoilers

The Spoilers is an American-Western film dating back to 1942 during the era of the gold rush. This film takes place in Alaska but was partially shot in Yukon. 

Robert Service with Marlene Dietrich during the filming of The Spoilers (Universal Studios/Wikimedia Commons)

Northwest Territories

Ice Road Truckers

This reality TV show follows truckers who make deliveries on frozen lakes to remote areas. Seasons one and two covered truckers as they ventured through the Northwest Territories.

The Sun at Midnight

When a rebellious teen is forced to live with her grandmother in the Arctic Circle she makes a friend in a caribou hunter. The film was shot in Yellowknife and Fort McPherson, N.W.T.

Nunavut

Qanurli

Qanurli is a comedy broadcast that features Inuk Qablunaaq and Nipangi Huittuq who host the show from their tent in Iqaluit. The show focuses on skits and parodies while promoting Inuit languages.

The Grizzlies

This sports-drama film follows the lives of Inuit students who find comfort in the sport of lacrosse. This film is based on real-life events in the town of Kugluktuk, Nunavut, which had one of the highest rates of suicide before The Grizzlies, a lacrosse team, was formed. The film was shot all on location, in Iqaluit and Niaqunnguut, Nunavut.

Canadian horror movies to watch this Halloween

By Alya Stationwala

Spooky season is finally here! If you’re looking for something to watch in the dark, look no further. While Freddy Krueger and Michael Meyers may be wandering the streets of the U.S., here are some purely Canadian features that will have you begging for a Timmies Double Double to keep you from having nightmares. From getting lost in the snowy landscape of Banff National Park or getting mauled by a deranged miner, here are our top Canadian horror picks.

Summer of ‘84 (2018)

Image courtesy Summer of ‘84 Official Trailer via Move Trailers Source on YouTube

Image courtesy Summer of ‘84 Official Trailer via Move Trailers Source on YouTube

A serial killer story from the Montreal-based directorial trio RKSS (Francois Simrad, Anouk Whissell, Yoann-Karl Whissell), Summer of ’84 follows a Stranger Things season 2-esque cast in their attempt to uncover the person behind the mass killings in their area. Heavily vulgar, this coming-of-age story successfully leaves you in suspense, especially in the highly climactic third act. With a slower pace than most horror movies, this Canadian feature focuses in on the mystery more than the fear in a distorted and dirty Goonies -like homage.

Ghostkeeper (1981)

Vide courtesy PassionHorreur via YouTube

Essentially a Canadian tourism ad, Ghostkeeper follows stranded snowmobilers facing a mysterious creature found in the abandoned hotel they stay in to keep warm. Based on the Indigenous legend of the Wendigo, a flesh-eating monster, the movie promises a creature-feature but ends up being more of a suspenseful ‘lost in the snowy wilderness’ story like The Shining. Filmed in Banff with an ever-changing script, it’s a slow burner but nevertheless a truly Canadian suspense story featuring Hudson’s Bay coats and endless snowy landscapes.

Pontypool (2008)

Image courtesy Grant Mazzy’s Monologue via Joseph K on YouTube

Image courtesy Grant Mazzy’s Monologue via Joseph K on YouTube

Taking place almost entirely in the confined space of a radio studio, this Ontario zombie flick is definitely different. A normal work day for radio host Grant turns sour when he gets a call about a mass virus spreading across the downtown area in his small town. Turns out the cause is the English language. Possibly an Anglo-Saxon vs. French Canadian satire, this oddly funny zombie apocalypse never really shows the creatures but does show native English speakers struggling to remember the French language.

Cube (1997)

Video courtesy TheTrailersofHorror via YouTube

Now a cult classic with multiple sequels under the same name, Cube is an escape room set in a claustrophobic maze. Riddled with motion censored traps, several strangers are stuck in the confined spaces of a box, 26 rooms by 26 rooms, where they have to help each other and use their strengths to figure out what’s going on and how to get out. If you have a fear of tight spaces, you might want to stay away from this movie by American-Canadian director Vincenzo Natali.

My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Image courtesy My Bloody Valentine Trailer via Pyrkenstein on YouTube

Image courtesy My Bloody Valentine Trailer via Pyrkenstein on YouTube

This Canadian slasher by George Mihalka tells the story of the town of Valentine Bluff that faced a serial killer that murdered a mass group of young people during a Valentine’s Day dance 20 years prior to the film’s setting. Now, with a fresh batch of teenagers who only know that story as a local legend, another Valentine’s Day dance is underway, and the gas-masked killer is back. My Bloody Valentine is a classic small-town murder movie with police cover ups and rowdy teens, but where this movie earns its horror fame is in the killings: a guy getting cooked into hot dogs, and a woman becoming part of a shower system — this horror movie is shockingly inventive when it comes to gore.

Ginger Snaps (2000)

Video courtesy ScreamFactoryTV via YouTube

A coming of age, puberty metaphor shaped into a werewolf horror flick, this Canadian feature directed by John Fawcett did what Megan Fox did in Jennifer’s Body before she ever put on that short school-girl skirt. Pinning two very close siblings against each other when one starts kidnapping dogs and having unprotected sex, this sister-versus-sister creature feature has all the angry teenage fighting, paired with oblivious parents to the crazy shenanigans going on, to make a movie filled with screams, blood, and fun.

The Changeling (1980)

Image courtesy The Changeling Official Severin Films Trailer via SeverinFilmsOfficial on YouTube

Image courtesy The Changeling Official Severin Films Trailer via SeverinFilmsOfficial on YouTube

In this haunted house-poltergeist scenario mixed with Ghost Whisperer-like aspects, such as helping the dead move on, a widowed composer (John Russell) ends up in a secluded Victorian mansion to try and get his life back together after a car accident that killed his wife and daughter. When cupboards start opening and things start moving around by themselves, he discovers the ghost of a young boy that is seeking help to figure out how exactly he died in the house. John delves into an investigation on the boy, and the more he finds out, the darker things turn. If you’re looking for the origin of the famous horror scene of an object (usually a ball) bouncing slowly down the stairs only to land at the feet of the person watching, this is your movie.

Videodrome (1983)

Image courtesy Videodrome Original Theatrical Trailer (Universal Pictures)

Image courtesy Videodrome Original Theatrical Trailer (Universal Pictures)

Of course, you can’t have a top Canadian horror movies list without including famous Canadian director David Cronenberg. Three years before he made his famously disgusting The Fly starring Jeff Goldblum, he made Videodrome, a horror story that pushes the limits of reality television. When Max Renn (James Woods) finds a broadcast of pure sex and brutality, he begins to face a mind-altering reality created by the subliminal messages of the show, controlling hallucinations and the blending of what is real and what is not. Paired with Canadian Howard Shore’s unnerving score, the movie questions television viewership on a whole new level.

Les Affamés (2017)

Image courtesy Les Affamés Trailer via Cine maldito on YouTube

Image courtesy Les Affamés Trailer via Cine maldito on YouTube

Directed by Robin Aubert, this Quebecois horror film and TIFF selection in 2017 is a classic zombie apocalypse story with a slight twist. While still having the traditional unlikely group of survivors bonding and people-eating zombies caused by a virus plot, Aubert adds in a little mystery. His zombies gather mounds of toys, furniture, appliances and other pre-zombie items from their past to look at and feel pain when injured. How the virus spreads and why they do this weird ritual is never really explained. Rather than going into the build up of an outbreak, Les Affamés places viewers in the middle of the action to enjoy all the zombie goodness straight from the beginning.