The First PAL Place Opens its Doors

In 1993, PAL Canada opened its first Lodge, PAL Place in Toronto, now filled to capacity with a vibrant population of artists from every discipline of the performing arts community. It is a nine-storey building, right in the heart of the city, with 203 self-contained rental apartments, seventy percent of which are rent-geared-to-income.  Its completion was the culmination of seven years hard work by a dedicated band of people associated with the performing arts, led by the indefatigable Roy Wordsworth, the then Founding President, and represented a tremendous achievement.  Indeed the programs, life-style, and sense of community the Performing Arts Lodge in Toronto provides to its residents have been justly celebrated in the documentary film "Glitter Palace" which has been broadcast on Canadian television on several occasions. 

A second documentary about PAL Toronto and its residents was completed in 2007 and is scheduled to appear on Global Television Network.

There were many who worked and fought hard to make PAL a reality. Vac Kuchar, the architect of PAL Place shepherded the project through at City Hall. Norman Griesdorf, Barb Hamilton, Peggy Mahon and Don Cullen, among others, were on the first volunteer Board as well as Patty Gail, who also spear-headed Supporting Cast, a support group of volunteers who offer assistance to our senior artists.

Once PAL Toronto was completed, PAL Canada's volunteer Board of Directors concentrated initially on the complexities of owning and running a large facility under the provisions of The Ontario Social Housing Act.  Nevertheless, it quickly identified the necessity of looking beyond the walls of the existing building and thinking about how the organization could serve as a catalyst for the development of similar facilities elsewhere in the country.