“I’ve been a vendor for eight years. I became a vendor because I was doing the Salvation Army Kettle and that’s only at Christmas time and there was a girl there who was selling the paper, and I watched what she did over the Christmas season. I got curious. I said, 'I like doing the Sally Ann Kettle and it’s the same kind of work.' I asked her how I could become involved, and said I would be very interested for the new year. And that’s how I got started, on January 4, eight years ago.

“My wishes for 2017 are for the weather to be a lot nicer. It hasn’t been very nice over Christmas, there’s been lots of black ice. I hope it gets nicer so I’m able to get out!

“I’ve had some medical problems in 2016, so I also hope for good health in the year 2017.

“I also hope to continue enjoying interacting with the readers as much as I have in the past, and I hope they continue to support me. I want to thank them very much for supporting me—they’re wonderful people.

“To tackle homelessness, the government should open up some new housing for homelessness, there needs to be more housing for the homeless.

“My only fear is more bad weather in 2017. This time next year I would like to be in Hawaii, for the warm weather.

“The thing I enjoy most about being a vendor is the readers and the public, they make me laugh and I make them laugh. I have repeat customers. I wish them all well and that 2017 is a better year than 2016!

“If it’s new readers, I say let me know what you think. I enjoy putting that out to the people, and then they come back and tell me what they think, I enjoy it, the compliments, the comments, good or bad or otherwise.

“To all the Megaphone readers, for the new year, I wish them all the best!”

Evelyn Baron sells Megaphone at the Cook Street Village, on the corner of Cook and Oxford streets. Photo by Priyanka Roy. Interview by Rosemary Newton.