Upcoming Events

We are delighted to announce the upcoming Jane’s Walk 2019, taking place May 3-5th in Toronto on the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and Petun First Nations, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River.

Toronto Walks: Jane’s Walks Toronto

FRIDAY, MAY 3

Walk as Workout: 7:30 pm – 9:45 pm | Meet in Etienne Brule Park, 2 Catherine Street

Do you love walking? Would you like to get more fit from walking? Come out to this vigorous fresh air walking session with Lee Scott, international fitness presenter and co-author of the The Walking Solution.

SATURDAY, MAY 4

Downsview Park – More Than Just Concerts! 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm | Meet at 70 Canuck Ave, North York, ON
Led by Rosanna Seca-Iaboni & Jonny Deshman with the Downsview Lands Community Association.

It’s not every day that a huge metropolis gets handed a vast open area, yet that’s exactly what happened when CFB Downsview was decommissioned in 1994. Unfortunately, a park doesn’t get built in a day. Transforming 572 acres of military land is not a simple task; there are a number of different perspectives to think about. What is a healthy balance between recreational, residential and commercial land use? How does an active railroad and a future subway station affect neighbourhood traffic patterns? The Canadian Forces Supply Depot was built to withstand a bomb! How does one begin to repurpose that?

Kindness and Joy in the Financial District: 10:00 am – 11:30 am | Meet at HTO Park | 339 Queens Quay W
Led by Alia Scanlon, who will be by the big pink Waterfront TO sign and holding a Jane’s Walk sign.

Our environment has a HUGE impact on our emotional well-being and social behavior. How does living in a city make us feel and act towards one another? We’ll wander Toronto’s downtown South Core District to explore what about our city makes us feel (or not feel) kind, joyful, and content as residents of a dense urban community. Walk ends at Union Station.

Discover West End Hidden Gem! Mural Artwalk: 10:00 – 11:30 am | Meet at 4709 Dundas St W.
Led by the Village of Islington BIA. Walk leaders will be in the Montgomery’s Inn parking lot holding a big blue sign.

Come explore the art and history of Toronto’s Village of Murals. You’ll see 28 amazing building-sized artworks and hear the fascinating stories behind them. Learn how pioneers lived, settlers played, battles were fought and disasters were overcome in this Etobicoke neighbourhood. Fun and popular tour since 2012! Walk ends in Montgomery’s Inn parking lot 4709 Dundas W.

Churches & Dragons: Stories of Old Agincourt: 1:00 pm – 2:45 pm | Meet at 4200 Sheppard Av E @ Midland (Tim Hortons). Led by Howard Tam (Howard will be wearing a pink shirt).

Come for a fascinating walk around old Agincourt in Scarborough! We’ll explore a place where the 19th century meets modernism and the heart of “Asiancourt” – one of the most diverse communities in Toronto. We’ll touch on early Scarborough settlers, development of a suburb & the lessons of planning & racial tension around the Dragon Centre. We’ll stop to discuss the Agincourt Recreation Centre, its tragic recent fire and what we’d hope to see as it rebuilds. Then we’ll finish with a meal at one of the best restaurants in the city!

This is meant to be an interactive walk – please bring your stories of Agincourt to share and we’ll try to capture them to build a oral history! The walk ends at Agincourt Collegiate Institute.

Farmers, Rebels & a Princess: People of Willowdale: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm | Meet in the Atrium of the North York Centre Library (5120 Yonge St). 
Led Sam Sharp, Meredyth Schofield of the Gibson House Museum. Walk leaders will be in the atrium of the library, holding an orange Jane’s Walk sign.

Farmers, rebels, a princess, a hockey player, and your neighbours. It can be difficult to imagine what might unite them all, but community spaces do just that. These community spaces have in turn been shaped by some of Willowdale’s prominent members. We will explore today’s community spaces as well as ones that shaped early Willowdale and along the way we learn about some of the characters that have animated and shaped this community and Canada. Walk ends at Gibson House Museum (5172 Yonge St).

Going Up | Architecture, History and Elevators: 11:30 am – 1:00 pm | Meet in front of Union Station
Led by Joshua Nelson of the Elevator Scene Studio.

Explore elevators and their indispensable role in cities and architecture across Toronto from the turn of the century to the latest advances in the vertical transportation industry.

This Walk will explore exemplary historical elevators dating as far back as 1894 at the Flat Iron building to panoramic glass elevators overlooking 14 storeys at the Atrium on Bay. Along the way, learn about the role elevators play in modern cities, how we can better think the vertical commute and the technological advances that allow people to live and work closer than ever before. Walk ends at Yonge & Dundas Square

Dupont 2050: 2:00 pm – 3:10 pm | Meet at Yorkdale Subway Station, in front of the fare gates.
Led by Daniel Rotsztain, The Urban Geographer. The walk leader will be holding a sign.

Bridgeland Avenue, just south of the 401 and west of Dufferin Street resembles the further south Dupont Street in many ways: handsome brick warehouses abut a high traffic transportation corridor. This walk will be an absurd and speculative imagining of what Bridgeland might look like in 30 years time, after waves of gentrification, densification, and economic transformation. Walk ends in the Yorkdale Shopping Centre

Internet Mysticism in Wychwood Park: 2:00 pm – 3:45 pm | Meet at 601 Christie St.
Led by Parker Kay with the Centre for Experimental Research. Parker will be at the intersection, wearing a white hat with a “P”on it, and while carrying a Jane’s Walk sign.

There is an oasis at the centre of Toronto. Near Davenport and Christie, Wychwood Park was designed in 1874 to be an artists’ haven. The neighborhood has many intriguing elements such as: the unique presence of Arts and Crafts architecture, suspicious deaths, residents like Marshall McLuhan, and traces of the now hidden Taddle Creek.

This walk will not only explore this unique piece of Toronto history but also how it has resisted the pull towards a digital existence. Because of its publicly accessible private land designation, Wychwood Park’s streets escapes the eyes of Google Maps and have developed an augmented allure due to an emerging term: Internet Mysticism. The walk ends at the intersection of Wychwood Park rd and Davenport rd.

SUNDAY, MAY 5

Discover West End Hidden Gem! Mural Artwalk: 10:00 – 11:30 am | Meet at 4709 Dundas St W.
Led by the Village of Islington BIA. Walk Leaders will be in the Montgomery’s Inn parking lot holding a big blue sign.

Come explore the art and history of Toronto’s Village of Murals. You’ll see 28 amazing building-sized artworks and hear the fascinating stories behind them. Learn how pioneers lived, settlers played, battles were fought and disasters were overcome in this Etobicoke neighbourhood. Fun and popular tour since 2012! Walk ends in Montgomery’s Inn parking lot 4709 Dundas W. or if you decide to wander away during the tour to explore area.

The Steps of Old Lake Iroquois: 1:00 pm – 2:45pm | Meet at the Baldwin Steps (in Spadina Park, by Davenport & Spadina Rd).
Led by Gary Shaul, who will be gathered with other walkers at the base of the Baldwin steps. Gary will be wearing an orange vest with a megaphone.

Enjoy dazzling city views with a little bit of a workout. We will explore historic and current land use along the ridge above Davenport Road between Spadina Road & Dufferin Street. What was Lake Iroquois? Who were the first peoples to live in this area? Who were some of the early Toronto movers and shakers? What was the origin of Wychwood Park and Tollkeeper’s Cottage? What’s the story behind Casa Loma and Spadina House? What are bad bricks? What is the origin of Wychwood Park and its pond? Where is Garrison Creek? Walkers are encouraged to add to our growing list of facts! Walk ends at Davenport & Glenholme Avenue at the top of the stairs (just east of Dufferin)

Stories of Spadina: 11:00 am – 12:30 pm | Meet in Bellevue Square Park.
Led by the Ontario Jewish Archives with the Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre. Walk leaders will be standing in front of the Al Waxman Statute and wearing name badges.

Travel back in time to an era when Kensington Market was a thriving Jewish village teeming with kosher bakeries, synagogues, and social clubs. On this tour, Jewish Toronto’s past—biographies of its former inhabitants; the sounds; the smells; Yiddish language; religious, social, and political attitudes—is brought to life. Visits to the architectural gems that remain in the area today are supplemented by photographs from the holdings of the OJA as vivid reminders of a once vibrant community. The walk ends in front of 10 St. Andrew Street.

Jane Jacobs called Toronto home, and so do we. We keep her legacy alive by walking together and making space for every person to observe, reflect, share, question and collectively re-imagine our city.

The 2019 Jane’s Walk Festival occurs May 3-5. If you are interested in hosting a Jane’s Walk – you can do it! Contact Cheryll.Case@Janeswalk.org if you have any questions. She’s happy to provide you the encoruagement you need to get walking. If you’re ready to go, register your walk here.

Lead a self-organized Jane’s Walk!

We are in search of passionate and engaged individuals who are looking to share their expertise in the places they live, work, and play in. By signing up as a walk leader, you are creating real change and helping bridge communities in our city, all while having fun and meeting new faces. Leading a walk requires little time and organization, and you don’t have to be an expert on anything, simply willing to share your story and the diverse ways in which you interact with your community on a daily basis. The best part? We’re here to help you along the way.

If you are interested in hosting a Jane’s Walk – you can do it! Contact: Cheryll.Case@Janeswalk.org if you have any questions. Learn how to lead a walk HERE.  See the Jane’s Walk Leader Kit.