"The irony of the message is that I both do and don’t feel that everything is possible," says John, about this photo taken in a secluded oasis in the downtown core. "I think it speaks both to hopefulness and hopelessness, and how that changes for different people in different contexts."

After being introduced to MYTORONTO by friends at The 519, John, 40, wanted to photograph places that are accessible to him. "This is a spot I can go in the city and be calm and feel natural…like the city is a creative, natural place both with and without humans."

"Every bench in the city has a history and a story, and it always has at least one person experiencing homelessness associated with the story." John says the story is usually only known to that person and the people engaged with them. "This is a place I think someone could actually sleep in peace in safety, and this is important to me because so many places and people in the city are not safe."