Someone in a Toronto neighbourhood is accusing a prolific real estate agent of "destroy[ing] the fabric of [the] neighbourhood," in a note written on a vandalized "For Lease" sign.

Philip Pick, a realtor with Harvey Kalles Real Estate is known by several different names in Toronto. Some call him the new King of Kensington, while others call him a killer (of the neighbourhood, that is.)

For several years now, the independent shop owners of Kensington Market have been waging war against opportunistic commercial realtors who they say have been systematically buying small businesses out of the area.

In the latest act of guerilla warfare (albeit peaceful, this is Kensington Market, after all), someone wrote an extensive message over  one of Pick's "For Lease" signs in the neighbourhood, and definitely didn't pull any punches when it comes to expressing their feelings.

"Dude should be investigated," the message reads, continuing to suggest that "no single person has done more to destroy the fabric of [the] neighbourhood than [Pick]."

"Working in cahoots with developers he managed to turn every property into a cash cow for the owners, not a single tenant who signed a lease stayed for longer than a year," they write on the sign in front of the now-shuttered Jerk Box location at 198 Augusta Ave.

Prior to Jerk Box, the space was home to La Tortilleria, a taco restaurant and tortilleria that shut down their location in this neighbourhood in 2021.

Numerous charges have contributed to Pick becoming the big bad wolf of Kensington Market, according to residents, including claims that he  represented landlords who have pushed legacy businesses out of the neighbourhood by steep rent increases.

Some Kensington Market residents also fear that Pick hopes to gentrify the neighbourhood, replacing the independent, small businesses that make up the market with large chains like Starbucks.

"He's said he wants Kensington to be the new Yorkville," claims one Kensington resident. "I don't understand why he thinks he can make that decision for the entire community."

Others, though, argue that the anger is displaced, and that Pick isn't responsible for the decisions of landlords to raise rent on the properties he represents.

Whether Philip Pick really is killing Kensington or not, there's no arguing that the neighbourhood has undergone some significant changes over recent years, and with a huge redevelopment proposed for the neighbourhood, Kensington Market may never be the same.