Jane’s Walks set for numerous East Toronto locations this weekend
A number of Jane’s Walks are planned for this weekend in the East Toronto area.
The walks are in honour of urbanist, activist and longtime Toronto resident Jane Jacobs, and celebrate the communities that make up Toronto. This year’s Jane’s Walks are slated for Friday, May 1; Saturday, May 2; and Sunday, May 3.
Some of the East Toronto walks taking place this weekend are:
Contested Streetscapes: Designing public streets for community outcomes – Saturday, May 2, 11:30 a.m. This walk travels along Gerrard Street East between Coxwell and Greenwood avenues, exploring how culture and design shape everyday experiences in this area known as Little India. This area is known for its South Asian heritage, immigrant entrepreneurship, restaurants, grocers, and community institutions that have helped define the neighbourhood for decades. Along the way, walk participants will look closely at the street itself: concrete pavements, limited tree canopy, transit infrastructure, storefront setbacks, and the experience of walking during hotter summers. How do sidewalks, shade and seating affect how streets develop and who can use them? And what can this corridor teach us about inclusive planning, climate resilience, and how the Desi diaspora grew in Toronto? Walk participants are asked to meet at Coxwell Avenue and Gerrard Street East at 11:30 a.m., and the walk will take about one hour.
Between the New River and the Movies: Meet the Port Lands McCleary District – Saturday, May 2, 2:30 p.m. Participants will learn how the mouth of the Don River has been renaturalized and the area is now protected from floods, ushering in a new complete community. The McCleary District will evolve into an area housing thousands of residents and will feature a new park, school and other community services. Walkers will learn about the Indigenous and natural history of the mouth of the Don which was once marshland; the development plans for the McLeary District in the Port Lands; and the impact and importance of the film industry to the area. Participants are asked to meet at the southwest corner of the Don Roadway and Lake Shore Boulevard East, by the river. The walk will take about two hours and will end at 400 Commissioners St.
Biidaasige Park Wetland Walk with Turtle Protectors – Saturday, May 2, 10 a.m. Participants will learn about the turtle habitat created in the new Biidaasige Park as par of the Port Lands redevelopment and re-routing of the mouth of the Don River. The walk starts at the Old Fire Hall, 39 Commissioners St. It will take about 90 minutes and will end at the starting point.
Infrastructure of the Don Valley – Past, Present and Future – Saturday, May 2, 10 a.m. This walk will examine the infrastructure (both working and remnant) within the Don Valley. Along with the ongoing construction site for the Ontario Line subway bridge, walkers will also learn about past industries, and natural areas, within the valley lands. Participants are asked to meet at 44 Beechwood Dr., in the Pape and O’Connor area. The starting point is in the valley by the police canine training centre. The walk will take about one hour and 45 minutes and will end where it started.
Public Art in Ward 19 – Saturday, May 2. Walks are slated for 2 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. The Public Art on Danforth Ward 19 walks start at 2 p.m. at Coxwell Subway Station, Danforth and Coxwell avenues, and ends at Main Street Subway Station, Main Street and Danforth Avenue. The walk will take about one hour. The Public Art on Kingston Road Ward 19 walk starts at 3:30 p.m. at 1 Hannaford St., just north of Kingston Road, and will end at Victoria Park Avenue and Kingston Road. It will take about 30 minutes. The Public Art on Queen Street East walk starts at 4:15 p.m. at Neville Park Boulevard and Queen Street East and ends at Queen Street East and Woodbine Avenue. It will take about one hour.
The Beaches: Toronto’s Summer Playground from then Until Now – Sunday, May 3, 10:30 a.m. This walk looks at how the Beach has been a playground for Torontonians for well over 100 years. Participants will visit the sites of Toronto’s “earliest summer escape, and learn about the neighbourhood’s long history as a seasonal tourist destination and how that has shaped the community’s relationship with the rest of the city. Walkers will meet at the Beaches Branch Library, Queen Street East just west of Lee Avenue, by the owl sculpture at the front entrance. The walk will take about 90 minutes and end at Ivan Forrest Gardens (Queen Street East and Glen Manor Drive.
A Village Within the City: A Walk Through the Bain Co-op – Sunday, May 3, 3:30 p.m. Walkers will learn about the Bain Co-op, which was originally built as Riverdale Courts in 1913/14 and became one of Canada’s first housing co-operatives after being formed by residents in 1974. The area is one of the country’s earliest examples of social and affordable housing. The walk starts at the northwest corner of Bain and Logan avenues, and will finish one block north of there. The walk through the co-op area will take 90 minutes.
A City of Renters – Sunday, May 3, noon. This walk will discuss tenant issues, different types of housing and the “financialization” of housing as it visits buildings in East Toronto. The walk will make stops at Main Square, the Canadian Tire just to the east, the Dentonia Park Co-op, the Secord Co-op, 75 Eastdale Ave., 444 Lumsden Ave., and 2 Secord Ave. The walk starts at Main Square, southeast corner of Danforth Avenue and Main Street and will end at Main Street Subway Station. The walk will take about one hour and 15 minutes.
Ashbridges Bay, Then and Now – Sunday, May 3, 10:30 a.m. Participants will learn about the history of the Ashbridge family and the East Toronto area around the bay and the changes it has seen. The walk starts at the Ashbridge Estate, 1444 Queen St. E., east of Greenwood Avenue. The walk will take about one hour and 15 minutes.
What’s that? Why that? Exploring the 5Ws (and How?) of an east-end neighbourhood – Sunday, May 3, 12:15 p.m. This “slightly irreverent” walk will attempt to answer the 5Ws (who, what, where, when and why) of the Gerrard Steet East area from Coxwell to Greenwood avenues. Some of the questions to be asked and answered will be what was the Eureka Club, why does Craven Road only have one side, and what is that sign with the green ear on it. The walk starts on the northeast corner of Rhodes Avenue and Gerrard Street East and will end at Greenwood Avenue. The walk will take about one hour and 15 minutes.
Greektown along the Danforth: Elements of a Strong Town – Sunday, May 3, 2 p.m. Walkers will take a stroll along Danforth Avenue and nearby streets, highlighting transit, walkways, planning, new developments, history and green spaces. The walk starts at Chester Subway Station, Danforth Avenue and Chester Avenue, and will end in Greektown at Logan and Danforth avenues (or back at the subway station). The walk will take about two hours and 30 minutes.
Water, Industry and Restoration in the Don Valley – Sunday, May 3, 10 a.m. This walk explore the Don Valley’s connection to water and industry, and the efforts of civic activists to return the valley to more a natural state. The long history of First Nations settlements, industrial sites past and present, and the natural history of the lower Don Valley will be examined. The walk starts at Broadview Avenue and Pottery Road and will head down into the valley, ending at the Evergreen Brickworks on Bayview Avenue. The walk will take about two hours and 15 minutes.
Listening to water stories at Biidaasige Park – Sunday, May 3, 11 a.m. The water stories and histories of the lands of Biidaasage Park in the Port Lands will be the focus of this walk. The story begins with the Ice Age and lands under the Laurentide Glacier and ends with the revitalized and meandering mouth of the Don River. The one-hour walk starts at the Commissioner’s Street Bridge, 150 Commissioners St., and will end at the Cherry Street Bridge, 242 Cherry St.
The Making of Biidaasige Park – Sunday, May 3, 10 a.m. This walk will examine the new 50-acre Biidaasige Park in the Port Lands. The park’s critical role and creation as a work of “climate-resistant infrastructure” will be examined, along with its role in the redevelopment plans for the Port Lands. The walk starts and ends at the Old Fire Hall, 39 Commissioners St., and will take about 90 minutes.
Walk to Save the West Scarborough Rail Trail – Sunday, May 3, 10 a.m. Participants are invited to join on of four hikes in the area of the proposed West Scarborough Rail Trail. Walk organizers say plans for this trail are being threatened by a TTC proposal to build a two-train pocket track at the Warden Subway Station. The trail was first proposed more than 50 years ago and was affirmed by Toronto Council in 2005. The walk starts and ends at the Warden Hilltop Community Centre, 25 Mendelssohn St.
For more information, and a full list of this weekend’s Jane’s Walks, please go to https://www.janeswalkfestivalto.com/
