The lack of free time and organized leisure activities encouraged the proliferation of the only meeting places the workers had: the taverns and inns. These establishments were particularly numerous in working-class neighbourhoods. This is Joe Beef's Canteen in the old port of MontrÄal, a well-known meeting place in the late nineteenth century for sailors, longshoremen, and workingmen in the district. This inn was more than just a drinking establishment; it was a breeding ground for worker solidarity because of the owner's sympathy for workingmen who needed help.
