If you’re not the kind of person who cares much for their lawn and likes to party, Joe Wideski is your man.
Wideski is 87-years-old, the son of a Manitoba farmer, and his career has taken him from being part of the crew that built the George Massey Tunnel to his current gig as a parking valet.
Impark has nothing on Wideski.
More so, in a place he’s seen transform from a small town with a vast expanse of farms tilled mostly by Europeans and some Chinese to a farm-flanked city lived in mostly by Chinese and some Europeans, Wideski is willing to adapt.
It’s no sweat to Wideski, who has lived on Dover Road since 1974 and seen his backyard shrink over time as development encroached.
“They (Chinese neighbours) have their parties all over down there and when that happens, oh, there’s all sorts of problems,” said Wideski.
The problems? A lack of parking in Wideski’s Dover Road neighbourhood; the road is narrow and has no curbs, so navigating it on a weekend is often troublesome.
So, Wideski repaved his driveway one day, a few years ago, and painted in six diagonal parking stalls for his neighbour’s friends. Furthermore he allowed them to park on his front lawn (which can accommodate another four cars or so).
What about the tire tracks? He’s asked.
“Oh the grass, she comes back in three days. No problem,” he said.
Wideski said local businesswoman Elsa Wong, a past council candidate and a neighbour from across the street, helped him put up four multilingual (English/Chinese) signs at the front of his house that read: “Safety is no accident. Everyone must back in.”
Wideski said everyone abides to the back-in rule, but just in case there’s an accident he’s installed a row of tires along his neighbour’s fence.
Wideski said he loves his neighbours and they all have one another’s house keys, for if anything goes wrong.
Not to mention, Wideski’s house is often full of parties, as well.
Winters are usually highlighted by a big Super Bowl bash while summers are full of zip-lining fun in his big backyard, with his great grandchildren.
