So long and thanks for the fish Tom.

Because life isn’t always fair, we’re saying goodbye later this month to our friend and co-worker Juan-Tom Rochester. He isn’t dying or anything like that (although based on his luck this last little while, a trip to the doctor might not be a bad idea). Nope, Juan-Tom isn’t sick or retiring…he’s being deported…. back to England. Ya, that England… our mother country.

Juan-Tom arrived a couple of years back with a work visa, a toothbrush and a Canadian girlfriend (who had a fake Irish accent for no apparent reason…perhaps a sign in hindsight) and settled down to make Toronto his permanent home. Without getting into the details, Juan-Tom’s girlfriend bailed on the relationship last year about 6 weeks before his landed immigrant status would have been conveyed – and because he doesn’t fit into any of the other immigration categories – he ended up shit out of luck. So it’s back to the Midlands with he and his dog Blue, at a cost of about 2 grand and a bucket full of heartache.

The saddest thing about this affair remains that we all lose. Juan-Tom wanted to stay, but couldn’t. We wanted him to stay and would have sponsored him if that avenue had been available, but it wasn’t. He’s a bright, engaging, hard-working, zero-carbon-footprint guy that made Toronto just a little bit better and losing him back to England is their gain and our loss. Some rules in this stupid country don’t work and this is definitely one of them.

 So Tom… in spite of your ludicrous accent and crippling blondeness, you made our shops a better place to be – on both sides of the counter – and for that….thanks.

 We’re all going to miss you.