"I like communicating with people— getting to talk to them, and them getting to know me. I used to panhandle and no one would talk to me. Now people are coming up to me and asking me questions. Now we’re on a first name basis. Once they put a name to you, you’re not just a bum on the corner, you’re a person: you’ve got a name.

"I was raised on a tobacco farm in Ontario. I travelled for over 35 years. I went all over the States and Canada. I hurt my back working in Victoria. I had three back surgeries. Vancouver was the first stop off the ferries, so here I am. I was on the street for a while, but I’ve got a room now.

"I think I’ll stay in Vancouver now. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got another back surgery coming up. Hopefully my leg will be better after that. Hopefully it will get rid of some of the pain I’m in; I’m in constant pain.

"I’ve got great customers. They help me out. If I don’t have any papers and I’m just walking down the street, they’ll give me money to go get started. I’ve had people pay for me to go get a shave and a haircut. People are great.

"I want to thank the people on the corner—the people who see that I’m doing something, that I’m putting in an effort and that I treat it like a job. I’m out there eight hours a day. When they go to work I’m there, and when they go home from work I’m there. "I like working.”

Kris sells Megaphone at the corner of Dunsmuir and Seymour.