There are great advantages to writing about your own city. Many of the places that feature largely in my book are situated within a few kilometres of where I live — among them, the sites of Toronto’s three earliest jails, the Don Valley, Riverdale Park, and St. James Cemetery. The historic Don Jail itself is a brisk forty-minute walk from my home.
I undertook research trips to Ottawa and elsewhere in Canada, but, generally, the libraries and archives I haunted in the course of writing The Don are within extremely easy reach. Even the offices of Dundurn Press are just a short ride away.
And that is where my thank yous begin — with Kathryn Lane, Dundurn’s associate publisher, who responded with great enthusiasm to my proposal for a book about Toronto’s infamous jail. Thanks, too, to Elena Radic and the rest of the Dundurn team who shepherded The Don through the various stages of its production. And the book has benefitted immensely from the skill and professionalism of editors Dominic Farrell and Laurie Miller.
Writing is a very solitary pursuit, but I am most fortunate to be surrounded by a vibrant and supportive community of family, friends, fellow writers, and experts in a variety of disciplines. Present at every step of the way were Tuhin Giri and Cathy Landolt. I have Tuhin to thank for coming up with the book title and much, much more — he reviewed every chapter, pinpointing with great accuracy flaws in the logic and holes in the narrative. Cathy’s skills in both website design and social media and digital marketing management have been invaluable. Catherine Rondina and fellow members of the #9 writing group offered early feedback, and folks like Sheryl Danilowitz, Lin Judelman, and Ruthie Swartzman were always ready to lend an ear to my stories and offer helpful (or sympathetic) comment when needed. Leah Daniels, Greg Judelman, and Lewis Poplak helped out with excellent introductions, and Jane Cobden generously sent me the precious originals of a series of newspaper articles about Canadian prisons written in 1971 by her late husband, Michael.
On the research side, kudos to Alan Walker and the outstanding Special Collections Department at the Toronto Reference Library, who provided me with information and access to many of the evocative images from Toronto’s past that grace the pages of this book. Thanks, too, to the friendly and efficient staff at the City of Toronto Archives, the Archives of Ontario Library, and Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa, as well as to the Bank of Canada Museum and the Toronto Police Museum and Discovery Centre.
Patricia Petruga of Bridgepoint Health Science Library offered cheery and exceptionally efficient assistance, and the city and Bridgepoint Doors Open Toronto teams very kindly welcomed my participation in the event in 2019. I am also indebted to the people associated with the adaptive reuse of the heritage jail who gave so generously of their time and expertise, especially Frank Lewinberg and Amanda McCabe of Urban Strategies; Michael McClelland and Andrew Pruss of ERA Architects; and Bridgepoint’s former president and CEO Marian Walsh.
I was fortunate in being able to connect with many other individuals who have been active in one way or another in the evolving saga of the two Don jails. Prominent among them is Paul McMaster, the Don’s unofficial historian, who provided me with information, introductions, artifacts, and many outstanding photographs. Thanks to those who graciously agreed to speak with me, including Louie Aldaba, Lee Chapelle, the late Gail Desabrais, Edward Hertrich, Steven Green, Kelsi James, John Minarik, Kari Niemi, John Sewell, the late Ian Starkie, Evan Tsitsias, and Peter Vronsky. A number of those I interviewed did not wish to be identified, and I have, of course, respected their wishes.
I also extend my grateful appreciation to Carolyn Poplak, Richard Poplak, Keith Pownall, Victor Russell, and Morris Zbar, whose impressive range of expertise as first readers of the manuscript improved it immeasurably. Thanks, too, to Valda Poplak for her meticulous attention to the bibliography.
Finally, as always, my very special gratitude to my husband, Phillip Poplak. Not only did he provide support and encouragement but also, with great culinary flair, many delicious meals to sustain us both as I worked my way through the book.