Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene on the Sam The Record Man sign:
October 4th, 2013
“Growing up in the suburbs, aka Ajax, coming to Toronto meant something very big to me: a city where anything was possible.
Getting off the Go train, walking up Yonge Street, past the Eaton Centre and past Dundas Street to the massive Sam the Record Man sign in all its illuminated glory. Sam’s was a place where I could wander and dream about what my future might have in store for me. A place of tremendous inspiration that played no small part in giving me what I have today: a successful career as a musician, film composer, songwriter and DJ. A career that has allowed me to travel the globe with my band Broken Social Scene, winner of two Juno Awards, and act as Canadian ambassadors where we sing the praises of what it means to be uniquely Canadian.
The Sam’s sign represents this uniqueness and the spirit of entrepreneurship where small ideas can grow into something much bigger and important. Losing the Sam’s sign would be akin to losing the Honest Ed’s sign at Bloor & Bathurst, another wonderful example of determination in this city and a real touchstone of how Toronto came to be what it is today.
Let’s not turn our back on the history that has made Toronto a world-class city. Please put the Sam the Record Man sign back on Yonge Street where it belongs.”
– Brendan Canning
co-founder of Broken Social Scene
Use our campaign tool to stand up for Toronto’s cultural heritage by emailing your city councillor and urging a solution that will ensure the sign is properly restored, maintained and mounted so that it can be enjoyed by the public.
