Action for Neighbourhood Change at work
Annual Jane's Walk, a celebration of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs, brings neighbours together in some of Toronto's priority neighbourhoods
These Dorset Park residents came together at their local Action for Neighbourhood Change group and are now leading the Jane's Walk Dorset Park Discovery Walk on Saturday May 2 at noon.
Watch a slideshow from 2008 Jane's Walk in Toronto.
Toronto's rich and diverse cultures are featured in over 90 Jane’s Walks, a series of free neighbourhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with their environment and with each other, by bridging social and geographic gaps and creating a space for residents to discover themselves. Many of the walks are being held in Toronto's 13 priority neighbourhoods, areas identified in the United Way Toronto Building Strong Neighbourhood Strategy that require focused investment to strengthen neighbourhood supports. This year, 10 walks have been organized by local residents and members of the Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC) groups within these communities.
There have been major population changes over the last two decades, with growing levels of poverty in the inner suburbs and few services to meet the needs of residents. ANC creates opportunities that enable local residents to play a central role in shaping their neighbourhoods. Meet some of the previously isolated neighbours who now call each other friends, and see the pride that they have in their neighbourhoods, and the dreams that they have for its future. All of the walks featured below were created by residents working together with the goal of making their neighbourhood a better place to live.
East Eglinton: Pedestrians, cars and neighbourhood
This walk will explore the area around East Eglinton Avenue and Brimley Road in Scarborough where the local neighbourhood shopping street is also a wide, high-volume arterial road. The guides discuss how the area expresses the ideals of traffic engineers and city planners in Metropolitan Toronto in the 1960’s 1970’s. Together, planners and engineers sought to create modern neighbourhoods protected from traffic along with an efficient, safe roadway network for moving traffic across the city. The guides examine how these ideas were worked out on the ground and the current challenges they pose for residents as they carry out regular, everyday activities by walking in this neighbourhood.
Two Watersheds Walk (Eglington East)
Explore tributaries of the Don River and Highland Creek, railways and a section of Eglinton Avenue East, all in one walk! These small creeks and this street have been neglected and deserve some remediation. Those interested in public transit, urban planning, local retail, housing and green spaces would enjoy this walk.
Be prepared for some mud and 2+ hours of walking in a variety of terrain. Expect a few hidden surprises that passersby on Eglinton seldom notice. Towards the end, the tour will stop for some refreshments with a local senior's social club. Please bring a reusable mug to minimize waste.
Download a flyer: Two Watersheds (pdf)
Victoria Village Adventure Walk
Spring is here and what better way to celebrate than to get to know your neighbours and explore the neighbourhood. Victoria Village is home to the Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve, has been generous to many small businesses and has been attracting faith groups from all over the world.
Residents, friends, and families of Victoria Village are invited to join in the 2nd Annual Jane's Walk and learn about the history of the land and share the stories of the people who live here. Light Refreshments will be served.
Download a flyer: Victoria Village Adventure Walk (pdf)
Flemingdon Park: From Farmland to Wonderland of Diversity
Join a journey of discovery through historic Flemingdon Park! Witness the transformation from a family farmland that belonged to Toronto Mayor Fleming’s family in 1925 and today is a vibrant multicultural community where over 50 languages are spoken. Built beside the Don River, it is surrounded by valleys, and is home to many social service agencies, the Ontario Science Centre, Paradise Playground, a Community Garden, three elementary schools, and one of the most integrated community recreation centres in Toronto.
See some photos from the 2008 Flemingdon Park walk
Dorset Park Discovery Walk
The tour is lead by women who have arrived in the heart of Scarborough from many ancient cities - Cairo, Tripoli, Beirut, Kabul, Damascus - and one local lifetime resident who remembers when the neighbourhood was still a dairy farm! On this tour you'll learn what its like to live in a dense high-rise neighbourhood, how community and connection thrives, and about the pleasures and tribulations of carting home groceries for young families. You'll explore the school and parks where everyone loves to gather and hear about the important community spaces like the Kennedy Commons mall and Highland Farms. You'll also meet some youth from the neighbourhood who will share their perspective on the places they like to go, schools they attend and people they know. Don't miss this chance to meet the amazing people who make Dorset Park a wonderful place to live and make a new home.
Download a flyer: Dorset Park Adventure Walk (pdf)
Jane-Finch Neighbourhood Tour
Come take a walking tour with Jane/Finch youth who know their neighborhood better than anyone else! Tour includes chill out spots, short cuts, interviews with grandmothers and mothers who cook for many of the teens, conversations about the lack of green space and more! This diverse neighborhood is bursting with stories, imagination and ideas. Tour ends in celebration with music, food and more time for questions and answers! Come experience one of the most important yet overlooked neighborhoods in Toronto.
Tour includes chill out spots, mall locations, short cuts, interviews with local residents, apartment buildings, laundry mats, conversations about green space or lack of it, and more!
See photos from the 2008 Jane/Finch walk.
Lawrence West: The Stories of Lotherton
Defined by high rise towers and wipe open spaces, Lotherton is a unique neighbourhood filled with a diverse and engaged community. The stories here speak of adaptation, from the rabbits and gophers that have made a home in the neighbourhood to the senior citizens who have begun climbing over a fence - complete with groceries in tow - to save a few minutes off their shopping commute! Come hear these and many other stories in this dynamic and exciting neighbourhood!
Scarborough Village: Proud and Resilient
Despite numerous recent challenges that have brought negative attention to Scarborough Village, residents remain strong and proud of their community. Come out and meet the amazing people who live in this vibrant, diverse neighbourhood, and learn from them the positive reality of living in Scarborough Village: a community in which neighbours help neighbours, where community based art has flourished, where an active Youth Council plays a key role and where community-led initiatives, including a new community garden, provide authentic support to residents.
Walking tour to be followed by food and entertainment.
Mount Dennis: Secret Garden and Riverbank Tour
This is one of two distinct Mount Dennis walks that loop through streets, parks and rail-way lands around Weston Road, north of Jane St or south towards Black Creek. On both walks (the other starts at 3 PM - 'Walk the Talk') you will experience one of Toronto’s most diverse communities – with 30 ethnic groups represented at the local public school – and see many hidden treasures, past and present, that make this area special. Walking through this neighbourhood, you can’t escape the contrast between highway-like through-streets, a commercial strip with a decidedly African/Caribbean/Korean flavour, and some of Toronto’s most idyllic parklands.
On this tour, beginning at 1pm, you will walk through one of Toronto’s oldest private cemeteries with a spectacular view of the Humber River, through to the peaceful riverbank and ponds below, including a visit to a secret garden built over the years by an anonymous newcomer. You may well encounter Ontario native species turtles and birds and meet residents who are active wildlife habitat stewards of Eglinton Flats and young members of an Urban Anglers Club at Topham Pond. Be prepared for a dramatic surprise involving talking turtles and featuring local kids in self-made turtle costumes.
The other tour "Walk the Talk" starts at 3 PM on Sunday. Both tours will return to the local meeting place, Coffee Time, for light refreshments and a chance for further conversation.
Thorncliffe Park : From Horseshoe to Cosmopolitan Community
Come and enjoy a stroll through one of Canada's first High Rise Developments and one of Toronto's most 'walkable' neighbourhoods. Once a horsetrack, it is today a colourful community that represents Toronto's rich diversity. For an intriguing peek, did you know that Thorncliffe Park is the home to the largest elementary school in Canada with close to 1900 students whose heritage is the representation of over 90 cultural backgrounds. Home to many faiths, Thorncliffe Park contains several places of worship. Here you can catch the aroma of the spices of life from across the globe.
See photos from the 2008 Thorncliffe walk.
Thorncliffe Park: Toronto's most vibrant neighbourhood
The route will start finding the site of the Olympic Ski Jump from the 1920's near The Thorncliffe Community Garden Club. Walkers will learn about the southern-style mansion which was once an extensive farm encompassing all of current Thorncliffe Park and the valleylands. The amazing stories of the 30 years of racing at the Track and streets still bearing the names such as Milepost Place and Grandstand Place and the Winners' Circle. Other points of interest will include Coca Cola, Iqbal Halal Foods, The Great Gatineau Power Station and the site of the old Leaside Train Station. Time will be spent learning of the apartment buildings built in the 1950's and 60's and the largest elementary school in North America with enrolment of JK to Grade 5 children reaching 1900! There are 80 languages spoken in this community and more PhD's than any other neighbourhood in Toronto.
Steeles - L’Amoreaux: Walking in our Neighbourhood
Have you ever wondered what it is like to live in one of Toronto's inner suburbs? This community led walk will provide insight and understanding into how people from the inner suburbs navigate their neighbourhood to conduct daily activities. Active and engaged, the members of this neighbourhood want to share their knowledge about their Scarborough.
Download a flyer: Steeles - L’Amoreaux (pdf)
Jane’s Walk honours the legacy and ideas of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs who championed the interests of local residents and pedestrians over a car-centered approach to planning. Jane’s Walk helps knit people together into a strong and resourceful community, instilling belonging and encouraging civic leadership. Since it’s inception in 2007, Jane’s Walk has taken place in twelve North American cities: Toronto, New York, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Halifax, Guelph, Charlottetown, Thornbury, and Salt Lake City. More partner cities and towns have been added in 2009 including Montreal, Regina, Boston, Chicago and New Orleans.
For more information about Jane's Walks, or to reserve a space, visit janeswalk.net.
