I am not too sure I mentioned this, but I grew up in one of the projects of Toronto. I am not ashamed of this. On the contrary, I am proud to have been raised there. They were great times.
The people of the projects may not have had much, but we had the essentials: We had a roof over our heads, we had clothes on our backs, and we had food on the table. We, also, had each other.
Those days were great: They were carefree and joyous days. The project in the nineteen seventies was a lot different than what it became later. We never locked our doors, and the welcome mat was always out. Growing up in the project, I watched their back, and they had my back. My neighbours looked out after each other. We hung out with their kids and their kids with us. They were my friends.
What I lacked in extras, I gained in friends and I believe, for the most part, it was the same with my friends. The little cash that we earned, or that was given to us, was used to go see a movie, go bowling, or to hit the corner store. We hung out at the park, or at the mall when we got older. These were simpler times, but they were great times.
—Robert Confiant 10 September 2016
