The small joys of sleeping rough on the streets of Toronto
- Text by Ashley Manning
Toronto is a metropolis of modern culture – a vibrant hub of business, art and creativity. But there’s a dark side to the city of towering skyscrapers: very few places in Canada reflect the divide between the rich and the poor quite like Toronto.
Toronto’s homeless population is around 5,000 people – and that number is steadily increasing. High rental prices and low wages are too often forcing people into shelters or worse, onto the streets.
Yet amid this bleak reality, a more positive sentiment is felt by one member of the homeless community. Beneath a busy underpass sits 58-year-old Alex, an ‘urban camper’ as he refers to himself. He smiles at passersby, who admire the growing book collection perched beside him.


The former submariner was the inspiration for Parisian filmmaker Gladys Peltier’s documentary Alex, which explores a new perspective on sleeping rough. “He was reading, surrounded by books, it appeared that he was living there,” says Peltier, “he was so at peace. He was magnetic.”
After an initial introduction, Alex accepted Peltier’s invitation to take his portrait. “I simply couldn’t stop staring at him,” Peltier admits, “I wanted to know him, listen and learn more about him, understand him, watch him, photograph him and film him.”
Alex features a soundtrack by wordsmith and beatmaker duo Ed Scissor & Lamplighter from Brighton indie hip hop label High Focus, who collaborated on the film with Peltier.


Peltier’s eight-minute film documents a day in the life of a man who, at least outwardly, has found contentment living on the streets. His fate was his own doing, choosing a simpler life that allowed him to feel more immersed in Toronto society. “I’m a lucky guy,” he confesses in the film. “I’ve had a lot of good opportunities in my life.”
No one can deny the struggles faced by those sleeping rough, but a love for people resonates from Alex and his outlook on living on the streets is one to be admired. “If I’m not happy doing it, I’m not doing it,” he says. “I’m not here to be sad or miserable.”


Ed Scissor & Lamplighter’s Tell Them It’s Winter is out now on High Focus records.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like

Remembering Holly Woodlawn, Andy Warhol muse and trans trailblazer
Love You Madly — A new book explores the actress’s rollercoaster life and story, who helped inspire Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’.
Written by: Miss Rosen

A new documentary spotlights Ecuador’s women surfers fighting climate change
Ceibo — Co-directed by Maddie Meddings and Lucy Small, the film focuses on the work and story of Pacha Light, a wave rider who lived off-grid before reconnecting with her country’s activist heritage.
Written by: Hannah Bentley

In 1971, Pink Narcissus redefined queer eroticism
Camp classic — A new restoration of James Bidgood’s cult film is showing in US theatres this spring. We revisit its boundary pushing aesthetics, as well as its enduring legacy.
Written by: Miss Rosen

The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth
Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.
Written by: Isaac Muk

The forgotten women’s football film banned in Brazil
Onda Nova — With cross-dressing footballers, lesbian sex and the dawn of women’s football, the cult movie was first released in 1983, before being censored by the country’s military dictatorship. Now restored and re-released, it’s being shown in London at this year’s BFI Flare film festival.
Written by: Jake Hall

A new documentary explores Japan’s radical post-war photography and arts scene
Avant-Garde Pioneers — Focusing on the likes of Daidō Moriyama, Nobuyoshi Araki, Eikoh Hosoe and many more, the film highlights the swell of creativity in the ’60s, at a time of huge economic change coupled with cultural tensions.
Written by: Isaac Muk