Jane's Walk Connect. Observe. Bridge. Walk. Jane's Walk 2010 - May 1 & 2 » Participating Cities » Participating Cities

The Annex neighbourhood of Toronto originated in the late 1880s as the City’s first planned urban suburb. It is home to a unique architectural style, small urban parks that are maintained by local residents, and neighbourhood pubs, restaurants and other small businesses that are popular with residents throughout the city. It is also home to Toronto’s oldest and one of city’s most active residents’ associations. Join Sandra Shaul, chair of the Annex Residents’ Association Heritage Committee, for a walk through a special part of the East Annex to visit the places and meet the people that contribute to the character of this neighbourhood.

As we follow our route, you’ll meet Bobbi Speck, the Annex leader of the fight against the Spadina Expressway, who organized our efforts with Jane Jacobs and many others. You’ll visit Madison Avenue, the other potential victim of the proposed expressway, to see its unique architecture, and learn how it has been so well preserved through adaptive re-use. While touring the street, you will also meet our Ecology Park volunteers, during their spring clean up, and learn about the origins of the park, an Annex Residents’ Association project. Some of the local business owners will be out to welcome you too.

We’ll continue along Bloor to see the contrasting architecture of our past and present, arriving at the site of One Bedford (Bloor and Bedford), the condo tower development, which once again raised questions about how planning is carried out in our city. We will conclude the tour by heading north on Bedford to see Taddle Creek Park, another Annex Residents’ Association project, and then head east along Prince Arthur, to numbers 10 and 14, where activism in the Annex began, and is focused again. The tour ends here and will give participants the perfect opportunity to have lunch in the neighbourhood and visits to the ROM, Gardiner Museum, and Bata Shoe Museum.

Meeting Place: Outside the entrance to the Spadina Subway, east side of Bloor Street, just north of Bloor

Tour guide(s): Sandra Shaul

End Location: Prince Arthur and Avenue Road (Bloor and Avenue Road)

Neighbourhood East Annex

Public Transit Directions: Take the Bloor Subway to Spadina Station and exit on the east side of Spadina Road at Bloor (not the northern Kendal Avenue Exit). Take the Spadina streetcar to its northern terminus at the Spadina Station.

Accessible

None. The entire walk is along sidewalks.

Parking Available

There is street parking on Spadina Road. There are city parking lots at Bedford and Bloor, Huron and Bloor, Spadina Road north of the subway station.

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So impressive were Toronto’s 1920’s art deco skyscrapers that Toronto born Joe Shuster, the co-creator of Superman used the early Toronto skyline as a blueprint for Metropolis after his family had relocated to Cleveland. In an interview he gave to the Star before his death in 1992 Joe said…. ``Cleveland was not nearly as metropolitan as Toronto was, and it was not as big or as beautiful. Whatever buildings I saw in Toronto remained in my mind and came out in the form of Metropolis.'' Portions of the Toronto skyline that inspired a young Joe Shuster are still around, through tucked away like blades of grass surrounded by mighty oaks.

Meeting Place: People holding reservations were sent email reminders with the meeting location on Sunday april. Inquiries: bruce.bell2@sympatico.ca

Tour guide(s): Bruce Bell

End Location: -

Neighbourhood Financial Core / Bay Street

Public Transit Directions: -

Reservation Required

Limit: 50

Accessible

Please phone or email me and let me know what mobility issues you may have and I will plan accordingly.

Parking Available

Eaton Centre Parking Garage and New City Hall Park garage

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This walk is limited to the first 10 people arriving for breakie and a chat. This is by no means exclusive, just small and manageable for me, my vocal chords, and the neighbhourhood art galleries. We'll tour the galleries, discuss the rapid changes in the neighbourhood emerging from community-based cultural, social and economic interventions over the past two years, and imagine the future of sites poised for redevelopment.

Meeting Place: The Dale Restaurant, 1285 Bloor Street West (SE corner of Lansdowne & Bloor; one door in)

Tour guide(s): Ann Homan

End Location: Same as start location

Neighbourhood Lansdowne & Bloor, Wallace Emerson

Public Transit Directions: Lansdowne Subway, Lansdowne Exit

Accessible

One small step up

Parking Available

On street; Green P

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Explore one of Toronto’s most beautiful Ravine Wetlands in a 2.5K groomed trail and paved walk.

Chris Chopik is a neighbourhood resident who has lived on the raving for 13 years. He purchased his home from the City of Toronto twenty five years after expropriation.

41 years after the first Cedarvale homes were expropriated for the purpose of building the Spadina Expressway, enjoy a retrospective of a neighbourhood that would not exist without Jane Jacobs, and myriad community and public policy leaders.

Pints of conversation include historic Glenn Cedar Bridge, Cedarvale Children’s Garden, a rich Natural Ecosystem, discussion about Graffiti as public art or vandalism, and active dialogue about the nature of public spaces and their diverse user-interests.

Meeting Place: Ava and Everden Eglinton West Station

Tour guide(s): Chris Chopik, Additional Guides and Subject matter experts welcome. Please contact Chris.

End Location: Spadina Village St. Clair West Station

Neighbourhood Cedarvale

Public Transit Directions: Go to Eglinton West Station Walk South to Ava on Everden

Reservation Required

Limit: 50

Parking Available

Street Parking Available

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East of the Don River - From Gerrard to Queen and Broadview to the Railway Tracks

A rich and diverse community continues to evolve in this part of the east end, between the east bank of the Don River and the CN railway line bordering Degrassi. We will walk along some of these streets and explore the history and community of this area including the Don Jail, China Town, Degrassi Street, the Railway and that most walkable of grand downtown arterials, Queen Street East.

Meeting Place: Public Library Gerrard Street and Broadview

Tour guide(s): Ron Fletcher

End Location: Queen Street East and Broadview

Neighbourhood Leslieville

Public Transit Directions: Broadview Station, and 505 Dundas streetcar route operates between Dundas West Station and Broadview Station, 504 King streetcar route operates between Dundas West Station and Broadview Station

Accessible

Parking Available

Limited

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TOUR FULL. After the high level bridge was constructed over the Humber River. the owner of all the land north of Bloor in Etobicoke. Mr. R. Home Smith, laid out a community and placed strict controls on the type and style of homes his clients could build on the land he had sold them. It was known as a little bit of England. A forceful man, Smith convinced over 600 families in the depth of the depression to do things his way. And we are the lucky beneficiaries. Truly one of the most beautiful communities in the nation.

Meeting Place: -

Tour guide(s): Mary Ito, CBC, Alec Keefer, Architectural Conservancy

End Location: -

Neighbourhood Etobicoke - Kingsway

Public Transit Directions: -

Reservation Required

Limit: 80

Parking Available

There is meter parking along Bloor and on side streets around Royal York Station, as well as Green P parking lots north of Bloor.

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Toronto’s intricate network of laneways gives cyclists a chance to escape the hectic, polluted, often dangerous pace of our major arteries. As familiar landmarks disappear, linking destinations through back alleys feels like a trip through a magical wormhole - we zip from Kensington Market to Little Italy to Queen West to Parkdale while passing through Manila, New Delhi, Nairobi and Sao Paulo! No traffic lights, no door prizes, no road rage – instead, an old man smiles and winks while making wine, a dishwasher takes a much deserved smoke break, kids play stick-ball and smells from a bakery fill your nostrils as we peek behind-the-myriad-scenes of a buzzing metropolis.

Pick up tips on linking parks, parking lots, empty schoolyards and other landscape into new routes while avoiding major streets as you start building your own psychogeography of the cityscape. As an added bonus, we’ll take a quick pit stop to learn & play a round of bacci ball!

Meeting Place: Outside La Palette, Kensington Market, 256 Augusta Ave.

Tour guide(s): Shamez Amlani of Streets are for People!

End Location: Pedestrian Bridge to Lakeshore and Martin Goodman Trail, foot of Roncesvalles

Neighbourhood West end

Public Transit Directions: Tour participants must arrive by bicycle. Nearest subway is Spadina, ride SW to College & Augusta.

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Join us for 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.

Meeting Place: MacDonald Restaurant’s parking in Flemingdon Park Plaza, 747 Don Mills Road, South of Eglinton, Across from Ontario Science Centre

Tour guide(s): Lolita Perry, Mohamed Dhanani, Ali Baigare, Three community activists and residents of Flemingdon Park, will be joined by host Kathleen Wynne, MPP for Don Valley West and Ontario Minister of Education

End Location: Ontario Science Centre

Neighbourhood Flemingdon Park

Public Transit Directions: Bus # 25 from Pape subway station

Parking Available

Ample parking available on site

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Few technologies have produced such enthusiasm, encouraged such expectations or promoted change in so many varied areas. The bicycle has influenced the social, political and economic life of Toronto residents for more than 135 years. It revolutionized transportation in the city and contributed to improved commercial production processes, better roads, women’s emancipation and the growth of consumerism, tourism and professional sport. And that was before the turn of the 20th century. Since then it has remained a remarkably compelling and adaptable machine, continuing as a mainstay of transportation, business, professional athletics and recreation and a model for healthy and sustainable community living - all despite few substantive technical improvements in design. Join Steve Brearton for a walk through Toronto’s old city centre to illuminate the role cyclists and the bike in popularizing new and progressive ideas in our city.

Steve Brearton is a Toronto cycling activist who curated From Scorchers to Alley Cat Scrambles: The Amazing History of the Bicycle in Toronto at the Market Gallery in 2006 and writes the cycling column for Spacing magazine. When he's not riding, he's walking.

Meeting Place: Corner of Yonge Street and Temperance Street (one street south of Richmond St. W.)

Tour guide(s): Steve Brearton

End Location: Yonge and Temperance

Neighbourhood St. Lawrence Market and adjacent area

Public Transit Directions: Take Queen Street streetcar or Yonge St. Subway to Queen Street and Yonge and walk two blocks south.

Accessible

No

Parking Available

Bike (and some car) parking available on Temperance St.

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Located in Toronto's east end just across the Don River, some would deem our neighbourhood, Riverside/Leslieville as "transitional" and ripe for redevelopment - including suburban big box development. But our neighbourhood has a history of being daring, provocative and trend-setting.

Learn more about our "edgy-ness" as we weave our way through stories of successful community activism "against" car dependent development and "for" building a healthier, mixed, walkable and cyclable community.

Some of the important edges to be touched include:

1) the Don River/Don Valley Parkway,

2) the old Lake Ontario shoreline and industrial lands along Lakeshore Boulevard and

3) Eastern Avenue and the proposed big box site (former Toronto Film Studios).

Join us after the tour for lunch at a neighbourhood hot spot to continue the conversation.

Neluka Leanage is a planner who promotes development and design based on health. She has worked in policy and research in Canada and overseas. She sits on the steering committee of the Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation.

Paul Young is a landscape architect and planner. He works with community groups and on planning for active transportation (A.K.A. walking and cycling).

Meeting Place: F’Coffee, 641 Queen St E

Tour guide(s): Neluka Leanage & Paul Young

End Location: Tango Palace (or Stratengers restaurant), 1156 Queen St E

Neighbourhood Queen Street East

Public Transit Directions: 501 Queen and 504 King streetcars. The 504 King connects to the Broadview subway station. Get off at the Carroll Street stop. The starting point, F’Coffee, is located on the south side of Queen Street.

Accessible

3km total distance by wheels and feet.

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Some of you who went on last year's Jane Walk through Kensington Market with me, know that I had just arrived in Toronto from Seattle and as a newcomer I found a particular connection in the history of this neighborhood. Now I am "landed," but the draw to Kensington Market still is strong. Maybe we are always immigrants.

We walk through the Market, across Spadina and up and down the D'Arcy, Baldwin, Henry Streets and back up Cecil. When I do this walk I continue to notice new things and ask myself: "Was that always there?" And new narratives reveal themselves to me about life within those streets - stories about chickens and eggs - that bring me back to look once again.

Jane Jaocbs taught us to open our eyes and, when necessary, question what we see. Jacobs looked at sidewalks and storefronts and the daily hum of vibrant neighborhoods to see what made them come alive.

Join me in the spirit of Jane Jacobs in a meander through the Market...down the street and around the block. For where else but in Kensington Market can we begin to discern what makes a neighborhood come alive and explore the universal question of "the chicken or the egg," as we trace the place and story of Jewish life in this city?

Meeting Place: Al Waxman Statue at the corner of Bellevue and Denison across from the Kiever Synagogue.

Tour guide(s): Miriam Greenbaum

End Location: Cecil Street Community Centre formerly the Ostrovitze Synagogue 58 Cecil Street

Neighbourhood Kensington Market

Public Transit Directions: Spadina trolley has a Kensington Market stop (Nassau Street). See also: http://www.kensington-market.ca/Default.asp?id=10&l=1

Accessible

Crowded sidewalks, uneven pavement.

Parking Available

See:http://www.kensington-market.ca/Default.asp?id=10&l=1

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Join me as I share my experience with TheStoreFront Community project and meet the neighbours that I connected with through this community building initiative. Lets walk and talk about the neighbourhood, the local shops, the vision, the changes, the projects, the diversity, the history, the incredible energy that makes this area who we are...from the Pits to Lansdowne, we're gonna get down to business!

Meeting Place: Christie Pits Park across Montrose Avenue which is a couple steps from coming out of Christie Station

Tour guide(s): Ghazaleh Etezal , TheStoreFront Community Network

End Location: Lansdowne Ave.

Neighbourhood Bloorcourt and Bloordale (Dufferin Grove/Dovercourt-Wallace Emerson-Junction)

Public Transit Directions: Christie Station

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Can Front Street’s well worn architecture and heritage interpretation be further animated? Can any tour compete with “Places to Bonk”? Well, walking with the spirit of Jane Jacobs, oh yes we can!

Our tour is a splendid melange of world-class academic heritage and archaeology, culture, cuisine and distillation. What of our Region’s natural history and first environmental jokes. Who were Toronto’s first inhabitants (a prize to the person who can say where the first village site to be commemorated by the City lies). Have you ever held a pipe effigy or arrow point from the Middle-Iroquian renaissance of north shore culture? Parliament Buildings and Block Houses lie underfoot. Thrill to an insider’s tour of the outside of the Flatiron Building. Learn of Toronto’s first stirrings of love for seafood at the long forgotten Turkish Coffee and Oyster Depot – did you know lobsters once travelled the Erie Canal destined for the dinner tables of York? Toronto’s musical beginnings did not originate with hippies at the River Boat! We will explore Toronto’s barrelhouse past with a traditional tune or two and visit a barrelhouse, no less.

Essential preparation: “Toronto: An Illustrated History of Its First 12,000 Years” ed Dr. Ron Williamson, James Lorimer & Co Ltd.; “I Am a Mountain”, Sarah Harmer, Rounder Records.

David Donnelly is one of Canada’s foremost environmental lawyer’s and advocates. He practised law in the Flatiron Building for five years and is a former Toronto Historical Board Tour Guide. He is NOW Magazine’s “Best of TO 2008” Green Activist, and recipient of Earth Day Canada’s Hometown Hero Award for 2008.

Dr. Ron Williamson is a world renowned archaeologist with over thirty-five years of field and research experience. In 1980 he founded Archaeological Services Inc., now the largest archaeological consulting firm in Canada. He is one of the featured experts on the acclaimed History Channel documentary, “Death or Canada”. Dr. Williamson is the Director of the multi-year Master Plan of Archaeological Resources for the City of Toronto. He also served on the board of Heritage Toronto for seven years.

Sarah Harmer is a Co-Founder of Protecting Escarpment Rural Land (PERL) and a well known Canadian environmental activist. She was the inaugural winner of the Greenbelt Award for her work protecting the Niagara Escarpment. Sarah is also known as highly acclaimed Canadian musician. In February 2007, Harmer received three Juno Award nominations. I'm a Mountain was up for Best Adult Alternative Album, her DVD Escarpment Blues was up for Best Music DVD. Sarah herself was also up for Songwriter of the Year for her work on "I Am Aglow", "Oleander" and "Escarpment Blues". Her acclaimed CD, “You Were Here”, was deemed by Rolling Stone "marvellously compelling" and Time voted “Best Debut CD” of 2000.

Rodney Clark is affectionately known as Canada’s “Oysterman”. As proprietor of the famed Rodney’s Oyster House in Toronto, Rodney’s has stewarded the Oyster’s for over 30 years in the GTA, uncovering the Oyster’s history and many secrets. Poised to debut Prince Edward Island’s first sustainable Oyster Depot in June 2009, using the force of the earth, sun, and wind to stewardship the ocean’s harvest, Rodney is an active environmentalist and a leader of Toronto’s Solar City movement in his neighbourhood. Rodney will be joined by Lawrence David, an Oyster aficionado and a bit of a great Oyster Buff from the Starfish Oyster Bed and Grill. They together will unveil Toronto’s beginnings in Oyster consumption, and there might be a bit of a tasting.

Meeting Place: Berczy Park, west side of Gooderham Building (the "Flatiron") at 49 Wellington St East

Tour guide(s): David Donnelly, Dr. Ron Williamson, Special guests Sarah Harmer, Rodney 'the Oysterman' Clark, Andrew Stewart and Lawrence David

End Location: Somewhere in the Distillery for a drink

Neighbourhood Front Street East

Public Transit Directions: Public Transit Directions: Union Station, walk east along Front Street (or King streetcar to Church Street, walk one block south).

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Much of the former City of York developed in the early 20th century as a working-class community, where inexpensive land offered tradespeople and new Canadians the opportunity to build their own homes. Discover charming neighbourhood topography, local parks, historical architecture and roadways that evoke the stories of the early residents who, with their own hands, shaped the neighbourhoods we know today.

Meeting Place: York Museum (inside the Centennial Recreation Centre) 2694 Eglinton Avenue West

Tour guide(s): Lori Zuppinger

End Location: York Museum 2694 Eglinton Avenue West

Neighbourhood Silverthorn

Public Transit Directions: From Keele subway station: 41 Keele bus north to Eglinton and walk one short block west. From Eglinton West subway station: 32A, 32B or 32D Eglinton West bus to Municipal Drive (first stop west of Keele).

Accessible

Walk uses sidewalks and park paths, including some hills.

Parking Available

Parking lot entrance off Municipal Drive.

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The bulk of Toronto's sculpture and public art is relatively new -
within the last 30 years - and there is lot we can see strolling through
the downtown core. Starting at Toronto's most famous sculpture, "The
Archer" by Henry Moore we will make our way past and around and under
25+ pieces, depending on our pace, and end up at Toronto's "best
monument" to the Chinese laborers who built our railroads located close
to the Dome. Other opinions are welcome! Some pieces may be familiar but
much is not.

Charles Campbell is a Toronto lawyer and sculpture hawk with a special
interest in the politics of public art.

Meeting Place: The Archer sculpture on Nathan Phillips Square, City Hall, 100 Queen Street West

Tour guide(s): Charles Campbell

End Location: Front and Spadina

Neighbourhood Downtown core

Public Transit Directions: Queen or Osgoode Subway station, Queen West streetcar

Accessible

Curb cuts, crowded sidewalks expected

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The Garment District is a very old neighbourhood that has been constantly evolving over the years through many different uses. It started as a military reserve for Fort York, became a thriving residential neighbourhood centred around one of the oldest markets in Toronto, St. Andrew's Market, then after the railways came it evolved into an industrial area and a centre for the garment industry. Now it is once again evolving, into a mixed residential, business and entertainment district, with a newly-emerging sense of community, revitalized parks, and an eclectic mix of old and new buildings.

The walk begins at the sculpture “Uniform Measure/Stack”, aka "The Thimble", and stops along the walk are planned to include Rush Lane, a.k.a "graffiti alley"; the Alex Wilson Community Garden; St. Andrew's Park, site of one of Toronto's first markets; historic Wellington St.; charming Draper Ave.; and Victoria Memorial Square, the site of Toronto's oldest cemetery.

Meeting Place: "The Thimble" sculpture at the North-West corner of Richmond St. West and Spadina Avenue

Tour guide(s): Dylan Reid, Doug Taylor, and Guests

End Location: Victoria Memorial Square, Wellington St. and Portland St.

Neighbourhood The Garment District

Public Transit Directions: 510 Spadina Streetcar southbound - get off at Queen and walk a block south; northbound, get off at Richmond. 501 Queen streetcar - get off at Spadina and walk a block south.

Accessible

The walk will mostly be along sidewalks, but there may be one or two crossing points where there is not a sidewalk cut.

Parking Available

Some commercial parking lots nearby, and also limited street parking along Richmond and side-streets.

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The walk will profile the residential development of this model railway town that was incorporated in 1913 and was a thriving community with its own Mayor,Council and School Board until amalgamation with East York in 1967.The tour will include the fascinating stories of the Lea family, historic homes, heritage buildings and schools and churches. At Laird Drive the rich history of the Industrial Area/Business Park will be provided starting with The Leaside Munitions Company, The Aerodrome, Durant Motors and Canada Wire and Cable and discussion will include the changing mix of business and the its' future.

Meeting Place: In front of The Second Cup east side of Bayview between Fleming Cres. and Millwood Rd.

Tour guide(s): Jane Pitfield, Some surprise noteworthy guests will join us along the route!

End Location: Corner of Bayview Ave. and Millwood Rd.

Neighbourhood Leaside

Public Transit Directions: Subway to Davisville or Eglinton and bus via Davisville or Eglinton to Bayview Avenue.

Accessible

yes, just sidewalks to navigate

Parking Available

There is Green P parking at Millwood and Bayview and on Bayview Avenue

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This will be a historical tour of the 19th century patient built asylum boundary walls located at the present-day Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), 1001 Queen Street West.

The purpose of this tour is to remember the contributions of the women and men who lived, worked, and died in the Toronto Insane Asylum, as is represented by the boundary walls that they built which stand as an enduring testament to their abilities, and to use the past to challenge discrimination experienced today by people who have a psychiatric history.

A sneak preview of the wall tour can be seen in this two minute film made by York University students in a project organized by the York Institute of Health Research.

Meeting Place: Meet just outside the FRONT DOORS of CAMH, 1001 Queen Street West, which faces onto the corner of Queen and Ossington. If you arrive late and the tour has already started, go along the length of the wall (east-south-west) and look for the tour as it proceeds along the boundary wall.

Tour guide(s): Geoffrey Reaume

End Location: Back to start location

Neighbourhood Queen West

Public Transit Directions: It can be reached by taking the Queen Street streetcar WEST from the OSGOODE Subway Station to the corner of Queen and Ossington. The OSSINGTON 63 bus can also be taken SOUTH from the Ossington station to Queen Street, right across the street from CAMH.

Accessible

Parking Available

Pay parking is available in a parking lot on-site and on surrounding streets.

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Dawlish Avenue was first laid out in W. S. Dinnick's plan for the Lawrence Park Estates in the early 1900s. Bordered by a park, it curved south eastward away from Yonge but was still close to transit and shopping. After World War II, the eastern end was developed quickly and with a focus toward car owners. Come along and see a this interesting street with a gal who grew up there.

Meeting Place: Parking lot at the south west corner of Bayview Avenue and Dawlish Avenue.

Tour guide(s): Janet Langdon

End Location: St Edmunds Drive and Yonge Street. Not a circular route.

Neighbourhood Lawrence Park

Public Transit Directions: From Lawrence Station, take the Sunnybrook 124 bus to the Dawlish Avenue stop.

Accessible

Gentle hills along the walk. Rough pavement with no sidewalks for the first 40% of the walk.

Parking Available

Some street parking. Note, this is a non-circular walk and the walk back to your car may take 20-25 minutes.

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Brief Walk Description:
Jane Jacobs In Dark Age Ahead, identified five pillars of our culture that we depend on but which are in serious decline:

Community and Family
Higher Education
The Effective Practice of Science
Taxation and Government
Self-policing by Learned Professions

The decay of these pillars, Jacobs contended, was behind such ills as environmental crisis, racism and the growing gulf between rich and poor; their continued degradation could lead us into a new Dark Age, a period of cultural collapse in which all that keeps a society alive and vibrant is forgotten.

This walk will tie in ideas discussed in Jane's last book she published before she died, Dark Age Ahead as seen through the lens of the Ossington Avenue, Garrison Creek, and the AfriVillage and Christie Pits Neighbourhoods.

See the Leaning Houses of Shaw Street aka the crookedest houses in Toronto
Learn about Lost Rivers - Garrison Creek
Discover The City of Labyrinths Project and walk any of the four neighbourhood examples
...and maybe Meet The Wizard of Ossington

Meeting Place: In front of Ossington Station

Tour guide(s): HiMY SYeD

End Location: Christie Pits Park

Neighbourhood Christie Pits, Ossington Avenue north of Bloor Street West

Public Transit Directions: Ossington Subway Station

Accessible

Sidewalks mostly

Parking Available

Street parking, and Green P Parking lot

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"

12,000 years ago meltwater from retreating glaciers formed Lake Iroquois,
covering parts of Ontario and New York State. The ancient shore remains as
an escarpment overlooking the plain on which Toronto is built. Native peoples
beat a path at the base of this ridge to use as an overland route between
the Humber and Don rivers. French explorers and missionaries followed the trail
to and from Huronia. After the founding of York in 1793, the trail began to
appear on maps of the area. The name commemorates the first house to be
built on top of the ridge in 1797, John Mcgill's "Davenport". One of several
routes developed along an extended aboriginal trail, Davenport Road is considered
one of Toronto’s oldest roads."
http://www.heritagetoronto.org/discover-toronto/map/plaque/davenport-road

Come join Leehe Lev of Whole Self Fitness as she leads a fitness walk
along the bluffs of the old Lake Iroqouis. We will walk up and/or down the seven staircases between Spadina to Dufferin. The route will pass through 4 neighbourhoods including parks with some stunning views of Toronto. Participants can walk each staircase at their own pace, according to their fitness levels.

Meeting Place: Davenport and Spadina: Bottom of the Baldwin (Casa Loma) Stairs

Tour guide(s): Leehe Lev

End Location: Davenport and Dufferin: Bottom of the stairs from Regal Road Public School

Neighbourhood Casa Loma, Hillcrest, Wychwood Park and Regal Heights

Public Transit Directions: Dupont Station, walk north on Spadina two blocks to Davenport

Parking Available

Meter parking is available on Davenport or Dupont.

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Queers often recall and recount stories about the first time we went to Church and Wellesley? Imagine how it would feel to do that if you had just moved to Canada or were facing persecution for being queer back home?

Hosted by members of Supporting Our Youth Express (a youth group for queer immigrants and refugees) you will see Toronto's Gay Village in a way you've never seen it before. How do you find the Village? Where is a good place to hang out? How does the village compare to the gay life in Brazil or Azerbaijan? What reminds you of home?

This walk will show you the ins and outs of being a young queer newcomer and give you a sense of what it means to see the Village through totally new eyes...

Meeting Place: 333 Sherbourne (Sherbourne Health Centre), just north of Gerrard St

Tour guide(s): Supporting Our Youth Express

End Location: Wellesley Subway Station

Neighbourhood Gay Village

Public Transit Directions: Take the College/Carlton streetcar east from College Station - once at Sherbourne, walk south about a half-block.

Accessible

This is a walk along sidewalks - there are no stairs or rough terrain.

Parking Available

There is on-street parking on Sherbourne

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Greenwood-Coxwell is a neighbourhood claimed as home by many; it's called Little India, East Riverdale, Leslieville, Gerrard-India Bazaar, Upper Beach, and even Gaytown East. It is an area where no one group is truly dominant. It is a neighbourhood where people live with difference on a daily basis: restaurants that serve Pakistani, Afghani, Chinese, East Indian, and "Canadian" food are near the "Kick-n-Stab" restaurant and the Ulster Arms. Its historical development has led to diversity in its architecture, appearance, and use by newly arriving groups. Homes were intensively built on what had been farmland and clayfields for the brickworks once the Don River was crossed by the streetcar in the early twentieth century. Streams and undrained land were left alone until the 1950s which led to new developments of the standard "East York" style bungalow. Facing many of these are more recent walk-up triplexes.

Officially named the Greenwood-Coxwell Corridor by the City, it is a neighbourhood of contrasts. It is an “ethnic business enclave” catering to every South Asian cultural taste, but where Chinese is the most commonly spoken home language after English. Formerly, a working-class neighbourhood, it now has pockets of poverty, side-by-side with gentrified homes. Religious centres of 7 different faiths are spread through the neighbourhood. It's a social mix that makes a great community. On this walk we will explore the elements that create a space where everyone belongs.

Facilitated by local residents, and neighbours, Diane Dyson and Doug Fyfe, this walk invites discussion of what makes neighbourhoods strong. The tour begins where early twentieth century homes meets 1970s social housing, continues to Bollywood beats along the commercial strip and ends at one of the community parks.

Meeting Place: Northeast corner of Greenwood and Walpole Avenues

Tour guide(s): Diane Dyson, Doug Fyfe

End Location: Greenwood Park

Neighbourhood Greenwood-Coxwell

Public Transit Directions: 506 streetcar to Greenwood and walk north; or alternately, take Greenwood bus north from Queen (exit at Walpole) or south from Greenwood subway station (exit at Ivy and cross the road).

Accessible

Neighbourhood is on a slight incline.

Parking Available

Street

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In the 1850's, the emergence of a working class and a large homeless population coincided with the industrialization of the city. Walk through East Downtown Toronto, one of Toronto's oldest neighbourhoods and discover the local history of poverty. Find out about Toronto's poor hosues and the slums of Cabbagetown. Learn how a wealthy church at Dundas and Sherbourne became a church of the poor in the heart of Toronto's skid row in the 1960's. Hear stories of how the unemployed organized during the depression to stop evictions in Cabagetown. Find out about how Allan Gardens,a playgorund for the rich in the 1880's, became a gathering place for some of Toronto's most militant anti-poverty demonstrations.

Meeting Place: Parliament Street and Front St. E (North West Corner - Across from 51 Division Station)

Tour guide(s): Gaetan Heroux

End Location: Allan Gardens (Sherbourne Street and Gerard St. E.)

Neighbourhood East Downtown Toronto

Public Transit Directions: King Street Car E. to Parliament - then 1 minute walk south to start location.

Accessible

TTC might be a problem because need to take a street car to Parliament.

Parking Available

There is meter parking along King Street E.

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The neighbouhood surrounding Ossington Avenue is more than meets the eye. It is home to a diversity of languages and origins. Join the Portuguese and Vietnamese seniors from Ossington Avenue as we explore Trinity Bellwoods Park and its monuments, the changing make-up of the neighbourhood, the leafy streets around Dovercourt and theatre at St Christopher House. The tour begins at St Christopher House and will end with a look at the spot that is home to the Portuguese Women 55+ group.

Meeting Place: St Christopher House, 248 Ossington Avenue, corner of Ossington and Dundas

Tour guide(s): St Christopher House

End Location: Trinity Bellwoods Park

Neighbourhood Dundas and Ossington

Public Transit Directions: Take the Dundas 505 streetcar to Ossington Ave, or take the Ossington bus south to Dundas

Accessible

There are no accessibility limitations

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Youth from the Falstaff community will introduce walkers to the places in the neighbourhood that make their community so special to them. They will showcase these places by performing skits, poems, and songs that reflect the experiences that they have had with these various community spaces. They will also explore community spaces that they haven’t explored in the past. Join us for a day of fun and exploration!

Meeting Place: Falstaff Neighbourhood Centre at 50 Falstaff.

Tour guide(s): Doorsteps Community Organization

End Location: Corner of Jane Street and Giltspur Drive.

Neighbourhood Jane and Wilson

Public Transit Directions: From Wilson Subway Station, take Bus 96 Wilson traveling west along Wilson Avenue. Other buses serving Jane and Wilson: 35, 165, 319, 313.

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Explore the intriguing past of a typical Toronto streetcar neighbourhood developed in the late 19th and early 20th Century.

Highlights include a discussion of the area's classic planning template which includes a park at the centre, a commercial strip at Dovercourt/Hallam, and corner stores that interact with the sidewalk. We'll also talk about the history of place names like Dovercourt and Hallam and find out about some interesting people that have come from the neighbourhood including Marilyn Bell.

Meeting Place: On the pathway beside the tennis courts in Dovercourt Park (corner Salem and Fernbank Avenues).

Tour guide(s): Lewis Poplak

End Location: Same as start location

Neighbourhood Dovercourt Village

Public Transit Directions: Exit Dufferin Subway station, walk north on Dufferin, east (right) on Shanly, and north (left) on Salem into the park; Or exit Ossington Subway Station at west (Delaware) exit, walk north on Delaware, west (left) on Shanly, and north (right) on Salem into the park. It is an easy ten minute walk from either subway station to tour start.

Accessible

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Come visit a neighbourhood where barbershops are bustling, kids and youth fill the sidewalks and art is used to bring a community together. Tour includes a visit to a local barbershop, several community art installations and plenty of stories and performances along the way. We’ll show you what we like and what we are working to change in our community.

Meeting Place: Montage Support Services - Community Room 504 Oakwood Avenue

Tour guide(s): Local residents and agencies, 5 Points Community Action Art Starts Montage Support Services Eglinton Community Initiative Maria Shchuka Library Macaulay Child Development Centre, York Eglinton BIA

End Location: Maria Shchuka Library - 1745 Eglinton Avenue West

Neighbourhood Eglinton West/Oakwood Village

Public Transit Directions: From Eglinton West Station: Take #32 bus west to Oakwood. Take #63 bus south on Oakwood to Vaughan stop. From Ossinton Station: Take #63 bus north to Oakwood and Vaughan. From St. Clair West Station: Take #90 bus northwest to Oakwood and Vaughan.

Accessible

Parking Available

Municipal parking available at 406 Oakwood Avenue. Limited parking available on nearby residential streets.

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Fort York Historic District Walking Tours in association with Jane’s Walks

" 200 years of Lakefront Development"

1:00pm-2:30pm

Explore the history and evolution of Fort York, the Garrison Common and the nearby Lake Ontario shoreline from the early British colonial era to the present day. Hear about the origins of the Fort, the fortification of the harbour, and the subsequent transportation, industrial and recreational development of this vital but often forgotten area of the city.

Free admission to Fort York following tour.

Free Parking.

LEADER: René Malagón - Fort York Staff

START POINT: Main (west) entrance of Historic Fort York, 100 Garrison Rd just N of Fort York Blvd.,

meet outside of the canteen (gift shop)

FINISH POINT: Inside Fort York

LENGTH: Approx. 1 ½ hours

FOCUS: Historical, natural, architectural

DIFFICULTY: Some stairs, hills and rough ground

Meeting Place: Main (west) entrance of Historic Fort York, 100 Garrison Rd just N of Fort York Blvd. Meet outside of the canteen (gift shop) by west entrance Ask for Rene Malagon and walking tour

Tour guide(s): Rene Malagon, N.A.

End Location: Inside Fort York by east entrance

Neighbourhood Fort York Heritage Area-See Map

Public Transit Directions: "Bathurst 511" street car coming south on Bathurst Ave. stops at Fort York Blvd. close to the east enterance of the Fort. East gate open to pedestrians only

Parking Available

Free Parking (for those on walking tour) Parking lot,by west entrance of Fort, can be found by taking Fort York Blvd. and then turing north on to entrance driveway. Look for signs. See map

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Pick up a bun at Yung Sing Pastry shop and join us for a stroll. You'll hear about the newest Grange community campaigns from revitalization of Grange Park to sites of zoning and other violations.

The tour will be completely organic in its structure and content. We might drop into a local gallery, bounce a basketball at HeydonPark, scrape some posters, clean up graffiti and point out transgressions. Or, we can just tell you what we're doing about all of these.

The tour will wind up in Grange Park, another of Jane's parks. There'll still be time to visit the AGO at the end of the walk. A more detailed Grange Park "stand" is offered by Max Allen on Saturday and later on Sunday.

Grange Park bio: Grange Park, a gift from Harriette Boulton to the people of Toronto, is a focal point for the Grange neighbourhood. The park is the former front yard of Grange House residence. The evolving history of Grange House, Grange Park and the Grange neighbourhood is a lesson in the ideas of Jane Jacobs. Patterns of use illustrate a "street ballet," the re-use of old buildings, the intensification of residential uses and the expansion of institutions. Behind each pattern is a story of neighbourhood engagement.

Grange Park has evolved from its original role as the front yard to historic Grange House into a dynamic public space. The Park was originally gifted to provide a place for contemplation in a "wilderness- like" setting. Now this 5-acre oasis is a beehive of activity, as well as the object of competing visions for its future. It acts as a back yard for many residents, a place for seniors to practice Tai Chi every morning, a playground for students at the Ontario College of Art and Design and for children at day-care and summer camp programs at the University Settlement House, and a waiting room for participants in the Out of the Cold program. Visitors to the Art Gallery of Ontario and other pedestrians often walk through Grange Park on their way to Queen Street, the financial district and clubland.

Meeting Place: Yung Sing Pastry Shop, 22 Baldwin Street (west of McCaul Street)

Tour guide(s): Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, Nick Schefter, Debbie McGuinness (Grange residents). Bev Carret (AGO)

End Location: Grange Park

Neighbourhood Grange

Public Transit Directions: Walk north from - Dundas Street Car (505), McCaul or Beverley Street stops, or Walk south from - College Street Car (506), McCaul or Beverley Stops

Accessible

Outdoor walk only. Should be accessible.

Parking Available

Available at Village by the Grange or U of T at McCaul and College

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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 we'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. We'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.

Meeting Place: Glamorgan Jr. PS, 51 Antrim Crescent, first street south of Hwy 401, just west of Kennedy - across from Kennedy Commons Mall

Tour guide(s): Dorset Park residents, Action for Neighbourhood Change - Dorset Park

End Location: Dorset Park

Neighbourhood Scarborough - Kennedy and Ellesmere

Public Transit Directions: Kennedy Subway Station: Take 43 to Kennedy and Antrim

Parking Available

Parking available on school property. Glamorgan Jr. PS, 51 Antrim Crescent, first street south of Hwy 401, just west of Kennedy - across from Kennedy Commons Mall

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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!

Meeting Place: Gosford Public School parking lot (30 Gosford)

Tour guide(s): The Spot Youth group of Jane/Finch Centre

End Location: Oakdale Community Centre

Neighbourhood Jane/Finch

Public Transit Directions: Board the Yonge-University-Spadina Subway departing from Dupont Station at and travel to Downsview Station. Board the 108A Downsview departing from Westbound on Sheppard at Tuscan and get off at Jane St corner of Driftwood Ave. Walk west on Driftwood 1 block to Gosford Blvd and turn left (walk south) on Gosford until you reach 30 Gosford Blvd, Gosford Public School and meet in parking lot. Short walk once you get off the bus.

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The objective of the Green Tour of Davenport is to educate people about the urban forest and forestry issues, why we need trees in the city and how trees affect the people and the environment within the city.

The tour will focus on the Davenport neighbourhood and the industrial, residential and park areas within the CNR/CPR tracks to Dufferin St. Bloor St. to St. Clair Ave. Throughout the tour we will weave in and out the industrial parts of the area to the green spaces, while discussing the history of the neighbourhood, the trees/ green space and the work done to date by GreenHere and other local community, and environmental groups.

Meeting Place: 1900 Davenport Road Toronto, Ontario M6N 1B7

Tour guide(s): Green Here volunteers and staff, Andrea Dawber

End Location: St. Clair Ave West and Lansdowne Ave (Earlscourt Park)

Neighbourhood Davenport West

Public Transit Directions: Dundas West station take the 168 Symington bus and get off at Davenport Road (5-7min bus ride) and walk west to 1900 Davenport.

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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. We will 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. We will 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.

Meeting Place: Southwest corner of Brimley and Eglinton, beside beer store.

Tour guide(s): Paul Hess and others

End Location: TBA

Neighbourhood Eglinton East

Public Transit Directions: Take the 21 Brimley or the 34 Eglinton East bus from Kennedy Station.

Reservation Required

Limit: 35

Accessible

The sidewalks are bumpy and the arterials have 6 lanes and lots of fast cars - not ideal conditions.

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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!

Meeting Place: ANC Lotherton Caledonia - 109 Lotherton Pathway

Tour guide(s): Lotheron Community Residents, Ziggy Miller

End Location: ANC Lotherton Caledonia - 109 Lotherton Pathway

Neighbourhood Lawrence West - Lotherton

Public Transit Directions: Take the TTC to Lawrence West Station, then take the 52 Lawrence West. Get off at Caledonia and walk south four blocks to Lotherton Pathway.

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In 1996 a very innovative zoning change was introduced to two historic manufacturing districts on the edge of Toronto’s downtown core. They were dubbed “The Two Kings” – King and Parliament; and King and Spadina. The Two Kings are a unique Toronto success story. Jane Jacobs worked with then-Mayor Barbara Hall to establish these “Reinvestment Areas”. In the case of King-Spadina the area took on new life – almost immediately. Formerly vacant warehouses and factory buildings were filled with new uses within just a couple of years after the new zoning was implemented and the area has never looked back. Now, a decade later, there is enormous real estate pressure from condominium developers (often aided and abetted by the OMB) who are keen to maximize real estate values which requires the demolition of the historic fabric of the neighbourhood. Will the area be killed by its own success, or will the planners and politicians make sure that the vision that created this lively and vibrant neighbourhood – so essential to the City’s economy - is protected? On this walk we will, in part, explore one of Jacobs’ precepts in Death and Life of Great American Cities – that “new ideas must use old buildings”. Inside the historic buildings of this neighbourhood (and others like it) – the new ideas, that will fuel our city’s economy long into the future, are percolating. These types of spaces (“a good lot of plain, ordinary, low-value old buildings, including some rundown old buildings”)* are essential and precious to any vibrant urban economy.

This walk will commence at the Roastery – the café at the entrance to 401 Richmond. 401 was definitely inspired by Jane’s thinking. We will do a quick tour of parts of the building (taking in the 10 foot square portrait of her created by artists John Scott and Deborah Waddington and roof garden – which Jane loved and wrote about in the New York Times magazine). We will then proceed through the streets of King Spadina and discuss the history of the zoning changes that occurred in ’97 and the impact it had on the area, the buildings and people.

*Death and Life of Great American Cities - Jane Jacobs; Random House; 1961. Chapter 10: The need for aged buildings.

Paul Bedford was Toronto's Chief City Planner from 1996-2004 and the original architect of the Kings experiment. He is currently the only non-elected municipal member of the Metrolinx Board of Directors, serves on the Waterfront Toronto Design Review Panel, the National Capital Commission Planning Advisory Committee and teaches urban planning at both Ryerson and the UofT. He is a frequent speaker and writer on urban affairs is passionate about his native city.

Margie Zeidler is a developer and board member of the Centre For City Ecology. She won the Jane Jacobs Prize in 2003. Her projects are 401 Richmond and 215 Spadina (Centre for Social Innovation). Both illustrate Jane’s dictum that “new ideas must use old buildings”.

Meeting Place: 401 Richmond St. W., at the Roastery Cafe on ground floor, this building is just east of Spadina Ave

Tour guide(s): Paul Bedford, Margie Zeidler

End Location: - TBA

Neighbourhood King/Spadina

Public Transit Directions: Queen or King Car to Spadina, or Spadina streetcar

Accessible

wheelchair accessible

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Watch out David Miller!!! (With all due respect, of course) There are some new sheriffs in town!

The young participants from the Centre for Opportunities, Respect, and Empowerment may have their unique challenges, but they also have piles of innovative ideas for how to make this city better. Come join them on their tour of the rapidly changing King-Spadina neighbourhood. See this area’s latent potential through the imaginative eyes of a group too often neglected in the planning process and in community consultations. These folks have exceptional expertise in this area. They also have a voice to share, and maybe even a song or dance. Learn about CORE at: www.core-toronto.ca

Meeting Place: 11 Charlotte Street

Tour guide(s): CORE's Lifestyle Strategies Program Participants

End Location: 11 Charlotte Street. Join us at CORE for coffee!

Neighbourhood King/Spadina

Public Transit Directions: Spadina street car is one block west of Charlotte

Accessible

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Students of Sir Sanford Fleming speak to the paths, patterns and people of the Lawrence Heights community named 'Jungle'. From community gardens, townhouse courtyards, waterparks, malls, shortcuts and secret hangouts, the student guides will open your eyes to the warm welcoming people who call this neighbourhood home. Performers and contributors frrom the award-winninng play "Jungle Baby", featured in this years Sears Drama Festival, will be on hand to reprise some of their provocative and engaging material about growing up here.

Meeting Place: Take the Ranee exit of the Yorkdale subway station and head to the small park just east of the exit and up a small hill.

Tour guide(s): Students of Sir Sanford Fleming Academy

End Location: TBA

Neighbourhood Lawrence Heights

Public Transit Directions: Yorkdale Subway Station.

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Just like Jane, the Iranian community is new to Toronto. The Iranian Women’s Organization of Ontario (IWOO) is delighted to follow Jane Jacob’s steps in exploring communities and getting to know our neighbours in Don Valley East and host a Jane’s Walk. Councillor Shelley Carroll, the budget Chief for the city of Toronto and the Councillor for Ward 33 will be co-hosting the event.

Together, we will learn about how Forest Manor Community is being reshaped, how Peanut Plaza’s name came about, who the local high school was named after, land marks of the community and significant historical events that have played a major role in the life of Don Valley East. 11 Square kilometers in the heart of North York will be a community that we are inviting you to explore, enjoy and come back to.

A ready to go snack is available before the tour.

Meeting Place: Oriole Community Centre, 2975 Don Mills Road, Main entrance in the parking lot

Tour guide(s): The Iranian Women’s Organization of Ontario, City Councillor Shelley Carroll, & Bob Pletch

End Location: Forest Manor School

Neighbourhood Don Valley East

Public Transit Directions: Bus # 25 from Pape Station through Don Mills Road & Steeles Ave. or Don Mills subway station

Parking Available

Ample parking on site

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Long Branch was founded as a summer resort in the mid-1880's.

This walk will look at the area of the original resort and the neighbourhood adjacent to it.

Meeting Place: Long Branch Library; northwest corner, Lake Shore Blvd. West and Thirty-Second St.

Tour guide(s): Paul Chomik

End Location: Foot of Brown's Line

Neighbourhood Village of Long Branch

Public Transit Directions: TTC 501 Queen streetcar to 30th Street stop

Accessible

This walk will be conducted along City streets

Parking Available

Adjacent streets

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Join Toronto Cyclists Union volunteers Rick Conroy and Hannah Evans to wind your way on your bike through the hidden glories of the Taylor (Massey) Creek ravine system in Toronto's east end. It is a friendly ride - primarily on paved recreational paths and some roads - through beautiful forested terrain that meanders through the city. The ride starts at Warden station and ends at Riverdale Park. (Note: there are some hills and the route may pose a challenge for beginner cyclists and younger children).

Meeting Place: Warden subway station. Look for the Warden Street exit from the station just south of St. Clair. Bring a bike.

Tour guide(s): Rick Conroy, Hannah Evans

End Location: Riverdale Park

Neighbourhood Scarborough and East York

Public Transit Directions: Bloor Street subway line eastbound to Warden Station. Once inside Warden Station, look for the Warden Street exit, which is down a long hallway. The group will meet outside that exit. Alternative meeting is on the corner of St. Clair and Warden.

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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.

Meeting Place: Cougar Court (north of Eglinton, east of Markham)

Tour guide(s): Scarborough Village Neighbourhood Association, Janet Fitzsimmons

End Location: Scarborough Village Community Centre (Markham Road/Kingston Road)

Neighbourhood Scarborough Village

Public Transit Directions: From Kennedy Station, take any Scarborough 86 bus to Markham and Eglinton; the walk starts one short block north of Eglinton, on the west side of Markham Road

Reservation Required

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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 wind up where we began, back at our local meeting place, Coffee Time, for light refreshments and a chance for further conversation.

Meeting Place: Coffee Time (corner of Weston Rd. & Ray Ave.)

Tour guide(s): Mount Dennis Walking Club, Resident Stewards of Eglinton Flats

End Location: Coffee Time (corner of Weston Rd. & Ray Ave.)

Neighbourhood Weston - Mount Dennis

Public Transit Directions: Take the # 89 Weston Rd Bus from Keele Station to Ray Ave bus stop (Coffee Time), 2 stops north of Eglinton.

Accessible

One section of “The Secret Garden and Riverbank Tour” is not accessible for wheelchairs, strollers & those with mobility issues (due to steep incline on trail to river valley). But an alternate route by-passing this section has been arranged.

Parking Available

At Coffee Time and street parking on Weston Road.

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We asked Jane's Walk participant Lawrence David of of Starfish Oyster Bed and Grill to sign Patrick McMurray's wonderful book Consider the Oyster with an inscription that recognizes Jane's Walks. Here's what Lawrence wrote:

"In great admiration of Jane and with high regard to those who disobey the edict 'walk don't run' "

Join a group of local runners for an easy 8 kilometre jog through the southeast downtown. You'll stop at some community gardens along The Esplanade and listen to local celebrity gardener Dan O'Leary as he speaks passionately about the Childrens' Garden. W'll run through the historic Distillery District and speak to Julie Beddoes, President of the Gooderham & Worts Neighbourhood Association about living in their unique community. You'll get a close look at the Don River and the future West Don Lands Community. You'll see that a lot of work has been done to prepare these lands for housing, parks and employment uses.

We'll stop at Councillor Pam McConnell's house in Cabbagetown to hear her thoughts on the different types of home ownership in her neighbourhood, including the new construction at Regent Park. We'll run past 51 Division on Parliament Street, past the design stores on King East, and finish up at the Market.

There are some stairs to climb coming from the Don River trail at Riverdale Farm, but it will be a relaxed running commentary with plenty of stops. Running shoes are highly recommended and some basic running skill is essential.

Required reading: Run/Walk/Roll - St. Lawrence Market, Distillery District, Corktown

This free self-directed guide, created by the St. Lawrence Running Group, is available here or at these local businesses: Lettieri, Hot House Café, Starfish Restaurant, Second Cup, C'est What, Wellington Chiropractic and Massage, and the St. Lawrence Market BIA Office.

The second map by the running group Runners' Guide to Southeast Downtown by Toronto artist Marlena Zuber has not yet been released. All participants on Jane's Jog will receive a copy of the first draft of the map.

Meeting Place: St. Lawrence Market; Southwest corner Front Street East and Jarvis Street

Tour guide(s): St. Lawrence Runners

End Location: St. Lawrence Market; Southwest corner Front Street and Jarvis Street

Neighbourhood Cabbagetown & St Lawrence

Public Transit Directions: King Street Subway; walk or take King Street car to Jarvis, walk south to St Lawrence Market at Front Street

Parking Available

There is plenty of street parking and off-street parking nearby

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This historic walk of the "Beach" will wander down side streets, focusing on some heritage areas of the neighbourhood. Highlights include Kew-Williams Cottage - the last dwelling of the original settlers who started Kew Gardens, and Inglenook - one of the original cottages built by architect C.F. Wagner as his summer home (and the home where director Norman Jewison was born and raised). These are just some of the historic areas we will see on our tour. Tour guide Gene Domagala has conducted close to 300 historic walks in Toronto over the past thirty years.

Meeting Place: Beaches Public Library at Queen St. E. and Lee Ave.

Tour guide(s): Gene Domagala

End Location: -

Neighbourhood Queen and Woodbine

Public Transit Directions: Queen Streetcar to Lee Avenue

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This is one of two Mount Dennis tours that will showcase one of Toronto’s most diverse communities – with 30 ethnic groups represented at the local public school – and many hidden treasures, past and present. 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, 'Walk the Talk', beginning at 3pm, you will get a unique birds-eye view of what remains of the former Kodak factory (once employing 4,000 people), now the subject of passionate public discussion regarding possible redevelopment of these 50-plus acres. We will walk along Eglinton Ave. and Weston Road and there will be opportunities to discuss the ins and outs of land redevelopment, and to share neighbourhood legends, struggles and stories. Be prepared for an encounter with a paparazzi buffoon armed with a Brownie camera and local residents performing as former Kodak employees, circa 1970.

Take your pick of these Mount Dennis tours (the other is Mount Dennis: The Secret Garden and Riverbank tour - 3 PM Sunday), or for the enthusiastic walker, join us for both. In either case, long-time residents will be stationed along the way to bring these special places to life. And be prepared for a couple of dramatic surprises!

Both tours will wind up where we began, back at our local meeting place, Coffee Time, for light refreshments and a chance for further conversation.

Meeting Place: Coffee Time (corner of Weston Rd. & Ray Ave.)

Tour guide(s): Mount Dennis residents, Mount Dennis Walking Club, Mount Dennis Community Association, Mount Dennis Weston Network and the Mount Dennis Community Play Project

End Location: Coffee Time (corner of Weston Rd. & Ray Ave.)

Neighbourhood Weston - Mount Dennis

Public Transit Directions: Take the # 89 Weston Rd Bus from Keele Station to Ray Ave bus stop (Coffee Time), 2 stops north of Eglinton.

Accessible

wheelchair accessible

Parking Available

At Coffee Time and street parking on Weston Road

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Discover the story-filled history of North Rosedale, a secluded residential neighbourhood in midtown Toronto. The site of a golf course and lacrosse grounds in the late 1800s, the area became home to Lieutenant Governors and other luminaries, living in houses built in a mix of architectural styles.

Meeting Place: Beaumont Rd and Glen Rd, NE corner

Tour guide(s): Heritage Toronto, Kim Moritsugu, Ed Freeman

End Location: Highland Ave and Glen Rd

Neighbourhood Rosedale

Public Transit Directions: Take TTC to Rosedale Station. Exit and walk east along Crescent Road (past Mount Pleasant) to South Drive. Walk along South Drive to Glen Road, and head north to the northeast corner of Beaumont Road.

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Join resident Chris Lowry (local bioregionalist and founder/Director of Green Enterprise Toronto), and Toronto field naturalist Roger Powley for a poetic and informative ramble from the neighborhood of Moore Park, down into Mud Creek ravine under the favorite walking bridge of Atwood’s childhood (Cat’s Cradle), into the wild haunts of Ernest Thompson Seton (Wild Animals I Have Known), into the Brickworks Park by a secret path, and up Toronto’s best toboggan hill to Chorley Park in Rosedale, former grounds of the colonial governor’s mansion.

Meeting Place: TTC stop at Chorley Park on Douglas Drive

Tour guide(s): Chris Lowry, Roger Powley

End Location: Rose Park Drive in Moore Park (bus #88 goes to St. Clair subway station)

Neighbourhood Moore Park, Mud Creek, Rosedale

Public Transit Directions: Take the subway to Rosedale Station, and catch the Rosedale bus (Route 82). Take the bus to the stop at Chorley Park, which is on Douglas Drive. More detailed info: www.evergreen.ca/rethinkspace/?p=124

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This historic walk of the "Beach" will wander down side streets, focusing on some heritage areas of the neighbourhood. Highlights include Kew-Williams Cottage - the last dwelling of the original settlers who started Kew Gardens, and Inglenook - one of the original cottages built by architect C.F. Wagner as his summer home (and the home where director Norman Jewison was born and raised). These are just some of the historic areas we will see on our tour. Tour guide Gene Domagala has conducted close to 300 historic walks in Toronto over the past thirty years.

Meeting Place: Beaches Public Library at Queen St. E. and Lee Ave.

Tour guide(s): Gene Domagala

End Location: -

Neighbourhood Queen and Woodbine

Public Transit Directions: Queen Streetcar to Lee Avenue

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The unique stretch of ravine along the West Don River below industrial Leaside presents a fascinating juxtaposition of elements that tell a story about the relationship between the tableland above the ravine and the urban ecology in the river’s floodplain below. From industry and monumental CP train bridges overhead to bioengineering and hidden habitat gems at your feet, this area is rich with history. We’ll visit a surprisingly secluded spot and consider the safety issues such a space raises. Author and native plant expert Lorraine Johnson will introduce you to edible weeds and together with landscape architect Nancy Chater will explore the multiple traces of water on this very walkable ravine landscape. Don’t miss the Garlic Mustard Bruschetta and Sumac Lemonade! Bring a cup and napkin.

Terrain includes one steep flight of stairs, firm asphalt path, low-lying grassy surfaces which may still be damp or muddy.

Meeting Place: Bottom of staircase leading into ET Seton Park, at the southwest corner of Eglinton and Leslie, behind and below the TTC bus shelter.

Tour guide(s): Nancy Chater & Lorraine Johnson

End Location: Walk ends where it begins, at entrance to ET Seton Park

Neighbourhood Eglinton and Leslie

Public Transit Directions: Arrive by TTC: Take bus East on Eglinton, get off at south west corner of Eglinton and Leslie. Walk down stairs to the parking lot. Arrive by bike: Cycle through the ravine system to ET Seton Park. Arrive by car: Free public parking available in “Wilket Creek Park” lot. Enter parking lot from Leslie, just north of Eglinton. Walk or drive south through park to sign for entrance to ET Seton Park near low concrete bridge and near the long staircase that leads up the hill to Eglinton.

Accessible

Not accessible - Terrain includes one steep flight of stairs, firm asphalt path, forest paths, low-lying grassy surfaces which may still be damp and muddy.

Parking Available

Free public parking available in “Wilket Creek Park” lot. Enter parking lot from Leslie, just north of Eglinton. Drive south through park to the sign for entrance to ET Seton Park near low concrete bridge. We meet at the bottom of the long stairs.

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We'll start at the site of Mimico's first church - Christ Church Anglican. Then, with a combination of walks through the side streets to see some of Mimico's historical sites, we'll have a chance to experience our new boardwalk along the lakefront, and finish at Superior and Lakeshore Blvd - "Greater Downtown Mimico".

Meeting Place: Former site of Christ Church (Anglican) - just north of Mimico GO Station on Royal York Road.

Tour guide(s): Patricia Smiley, John Fletcher

End Location: Corner of Lakeshore Blvd. West and Superior Ave.

Neighbourhood Mimico

Public Transit Directions: Start of walk: Newcastle stop on Royal York (76) bus, or exit from Mimico GO Station - one block north on Royal York Rd.

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See a majestic White Oak that has a living memory of Frobisher, Simcoe, and Peter Jones. Visit one of the largest Dry Stone Walls in the GTA. See the Site of a Seneca Village and the French Trading Forte of 1720 amidst remnant aboriginal forest. Walk the Western Beltline Railway. Listen to the Toronto River aka The Humber – Canada’s 26th Heritage River and maybe see a Heron or a Great White Egret. Walk in the footsteps of Jacques (James) Baby, Upper Canada Minister of Finance and Sir William P Howland, Canada’s only American born Father of Confederation. All this while treading the bottom of a glacial lake. Finish with a visit to the Lambton House, a 150-year-old Stage Coach stop and then catch the Lambton Bus back to the subway.

This walk is supported with visual material in the form of some historic photographs of the neighbourhood.

Meeting Place: The fountain on north west corner of Bloor and Jane

Tour guide(s): Madeline McDowell

End Location: Lambton House, Old Dundas Street by Humber River (near bus back to Jane Station)

Neighbourhood Humber River, Baby Point

Public Transit Directions: Jane subway stop

Accessible

Not accessible, stairs, uneven walkways, hills

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The West Bend is one of the original neighbourhoods of the former City of West Toronto Junction, which this year celebrates its merger in 1909 with the then-bankrupt City of Toronto. Ecologically the area is an extension of High Park's Carolinian Forest and historically it is part of the Junction's commercial and industrial strip. The West Bend is one Toronto's lesser known neighbourhoods but extremely rich in social and visual history --- site of the first TTC route, 19th and 20th c. vernacular architecture, the Riwoche Tibetan Buddhist Temple, the 1923 Mechanics Institute, as well as turn-of-the-century Edwardian and Victorian houses.

Come explore the Indian Roads (famous for lost pizza drivers), flourishing laneways and the equally famous Girls (Edna, Wanda, Annette) that form the interior of this scrappy little enclave north of Bloor, east of Keele and beside the great curve of Dundas Street West and the CPR-CNR Main lines.

The walk will be lead by Duncan Farnan, resident and dealer with an interest in unknown, unsigned and lost art. Birders and flaneurs welcome.

Meeting Place: West Toronto Lawn Bowling Club - Baird Park (Keele Street and Humberside Avenue)

Tour guide(s): Duncan Farnan

End Location: Returns to start

Neighbourhood High-Park Junction

Public Transit Directions: Get off at the Keele Subway Station, take Keele 41 or Weston Road bus north two traffic lights to Humberside.

Accessible

Just a light Spring stroll.

Parking Available

Lots of on-street parking.

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Kensington Market is one of the last bustling communities in North America without a single Starbucks in sight. But with so many stores up for lease, could this reign of independence soon come to an end? Perhaps not. Join optimist Mika Bareket, a longtime Market resident and new shop owner on a part real, part fantasy tour of the area. She’ll point out the current spots to best devour Kensington culture, where to buy groceries (including places where notable Toronto chefs do their shopping), and on the fantasy-side, will suggest what types of businesses might fill in the gaps to make the area Jane Jacobs-approved. No special goggles are required for the virtual element of the tour, but please bring your imagination and opinions. A sketch of the Dream Market will be drafted along the way and made available at a later date. Special guests have been invited, some may attend.

Meeting Place: Bellevue Square, by Al Waxman statue,that little parkette on Wales Avenue between Augusta and Bellevue Avenues

Tour guide(s): Mika Bareket, to be announced

End Location: to be announced

Neighbourhood Kensington Market

Public Transit Directions: Bathurst or Spadina streetcar to Nassau Street. Walk towards Augusta, turn south and continue for 2 blocks. Presto!

Accessible

Some stores may not be accessible.

Parking Available

Green P at 20 St. Andrews for $5 a day.

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Come and enjoy a stroll through one of Canada's first High Rise Develpments 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.

Meeting Place: TNO Youth Centre - 45 Overlea Blvd Unit 108, behind East York Town Centre The Mall on Overlea Boulevard

Tour guide(s): Aazam Hassim, Faiza Kaka, Yamo Said Ogho, Gord Johnson, Jehad Aliweiwi, , Longtime and lifetime residents of Thorncliffe Park, will be joined by host Kathleen Wynne, MPP Don Valley West and Ontario Minister of Education.

End Location: Iqbal Foods

Neighbourhood Thorncliffe Park

Public Transit Directions: Bus # 25 from Pape Subway Station

Parking Available

Ample parking on site

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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.

Meeting Place: In front of the main entrance to Zellers Store.(east side)at East York Town Center at Overlea Blvd. and Thorncliffe Park Drive.

Tour guide(s): Jane Pitfield, Surprise guests will join us along the route.

End Location: Same place.

Neighbourhood Thorncliffe Park

Public Transit Directions: Bus south along Don Mills to Overlea or from Pape Station.Bus from Davisville or Yonge and Eglinton Stations.

Accessible

just sidewalks to negotiate

Parking Available

The parking lot at East York Town Center.

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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.

Meeting Place: Sloane Public School, 110 Sloane Avenue, North York Sloane Avenue is located 2 blocks West of Victoria Park Avenue, between Lawrence Ave. East to North, and Eglinton Ave. East to the South. Sloane Avenue runs parallel to Victoria Park Avenue.

Tour guide(s): Victoria Village Residents

End Location: TBA

Neighbourhood Victoria Village

Public Transit Directions: To reach Sloane PS by TTC on Saturday May 2, 2009: Get off at Woodbine Station on the Bloor-Danforth line. Transfer to the 91 Woodbine N bus North. Exit the bus at Sloane Avenue & Wigmore Drive. Walk South one block to Sloane PS (110 Sloane Avenue). TTC INFO: Please note that this bus service is slower on Saturdays.

Accessible

Parking Available

-

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Before contact, the area that is now called Toronto sustained a very vibrant First Nations culture. Today, about 43% of the people who come to the Meeting Place drop-in at Queen and Bathurst are First Nations people. This tour of the immediate neighbourhood around the Meeting Place will explore what this neighbourhood means to First Nations people, both in a historical context and today. We will see how First Nations people lived and used various parts of what is now Toronto, for markets, ceremonies and gathering places. We will explore the ways we can work together to weave a range of resources and people to build a healthy community for and with, people who are extremely marginalized.

Meeting Place: The Meeting Place, 588 Queen St West, at Bathurst

Tour guide(s): Bridget Wabegijic, Leslie Saunders, The Meeting Place & St Christopher House

End Location: Trinity Bellwoods Park

Neighbourhood Queen West

Public Transit Directions: Bathurst or Queen streetcars to Queen and Bathurst

Accessible

Parking Available

Parking available on Augusta or Queen Streets

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Places to Bonk on Your Lunch Hour is led by Eye Weekly’s sex columnist and co-artistic director of the Scandelles, Sasha Van Bon Bon. Sasha brings her group to some of her favourite peep shows, sex bars, strip clubs and porn theatres, offering a positive, affectionate and occasionally political viewpoint of Toronto’s vibrant downtown core.

For adults of all orientations. Protocol observed in these places will be discussed beforehand.

SORRY - THIS TOUR IS FULL - NO MORE RESERVATIONS ARE AVAILABLE

Meeting Place: Sacha Van Bon Bon will get in touch with people holding valid reservations to tell them about the meeting location.

Tour guide(s): Sasha Van Bon Bon

End Location: tbd

Neighbourhood Downtown Core

Public Transit Directions: tbd

Reservation Required

Limit: 12

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Creating an Urban Estuary at the Mouth of the Don

Major world cities such as Toronto are in transition, needing to re-integrate strategically important post-industrial landscapes while reframing their interactions with the natural environment. Through a major initiative of WATERFRONToronto the long neglected area where the Don River enters Toronto Harbour is being transformed into a naturalized river mouth in a generous park setting as the centerpiece of vibrant new mixed-use riverfront and lakefront neighborhood that unifies the goals of ecological restoration and urban regeneration. A multi-disciplinary team led by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates of which I am part was selected through an international competition to guide this effort. The tour will explore the past, present and future of this remarkable site.

And as an added attraction the Toronto Region Conservation Authority is holding its Paddle the Don event that day. The Landing Party will be held in the Villiers Street Parkette at the corner of Villiers Street and Don Roadway where we will end up and it will be underway when the walk finishes. We will meet there with Adele Freeman, the Director of the Watershed Management Division of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority who will briefly explain the TRCA’s work in the Lower Don. There will be a BBQ as well as live music and displays including a Waterfront Toronto display.

Meeting Place: Keating Channel Pub - Cherry Street and Villiers

Tour guide(s): Ken Greenberg, Brenda Webster, Planning Project Manager for the Lower Don Lands and Waterfront Toronto; Adele Freeman, the Director of the Watershed Management Division of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

End Location: Keating Channel Pub and Grill, 2 Villiers Street at Cherry Street. And as an added attraction the Paddle the Don Landing Party will be happening simultaneously in the nearby Villiers Street Parkette neara where we will end up. That BBQ and wine tent party will be underway when the walk finishes.

Neighbourhood Toronto Waterfront

Public Transit Directions: The 72 Pape bus route passes by the starting point. It operates between Pape Station on the Bloor-Danforth Subway, the area of Pape Avenue and Eastern Avenue, and Union Station on the Yonge-University-Spadina Subway, generally in a north-south direction. Get off at Villiers Street, beside the Keating Channel Pub. Accessible service is provided on the route. Union Station is an accessible subway station.

Accessible

No vertical challenges. Note length and uneven sidewalks etc.

Parking Available

Parking lot at the starting point

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The area surrounding Geary Avenue is unique in central Toronto; a truly mixed-use neighbourhood. In some ways it is a hold-over from another time when planning and land-use controls were far more relaxed – when polluting industries, little houses, local bakeries and railways were placed cheek by jowl.
Unlike the rest of downtown Toronto, north Dovercourt does not hide its infrastructure: rail lines and hyrdo corridors divide the neighboourhood and create strange spaces in their wake. In the past the area was a centre of manufacturing and workers housing. Today, much of the employment has disappeared and the empty industrial spaces have been repurposed as studios spaces for artists and bands. Unlike other areas of the city that have made a full transition from industrial to creative, Geary Avenue retains pockets from each section of its history: shoelace factories, studio buildings, infill housing and train crossings all co-exist on the most unusual street in Toronto.

Meeting Place: Primrose Avenue Parkette at Davenport & St. Clarens one block east of Lansdowne Ave.

Tour guide(s): Netami Stuart, Edward Birnbaum

End Location: Bartlett Avenue and Dupont Ave. with a debrief at PM Toronto in the Galleria Mall

Neighbourhood North Dovercourt (Geary Avenue from Lansdowne to Bartlett)

Public Transit Directions: Bus 47 Lansdowne to Davenport from Lansdowne Subway.

Accessible

Parking Available

On-street parking only

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When Jen - founder of SheDoesTheCity.Com - and her sister Lizzie were in elementary school their parents split up. Their mom stayed in Lawrence Park and their dad moved to Rathnelly. Through this move, they discovered a treasured world of hidden playgrounds, rumbling railways, bistros and alley cats. A neighbourhood with a history as a colourful independent republic (ruled over by an elected queen, no less) that serves as home to many of Toronto's most celebrated artists. This walk will take aim at negative depictions of "broken homes", and reframe divorce as a valuable opportunity for children to expand their horizons and craft their identities. The idea that children experience communities differently when under the supervision of a slightly befuddled single dad will be explored through amusing personal anecdotes. In coming on this walk you will discover a gem of a neighbourhood and a refreshingly positive outlook on joint custody. Sites covered will include the Mabin School, George Brown College, the City Archives, Casa Loma, the Hare Krishna Temple, The Paper Bag Princess, Designers Walk, restaurants, back lanes, hidden parks and the ever present railway tracks.

Meeting Place: LCBO Summerhill, 10 Scrivener Square

Tour guide(s): Jen McNeely, Lizzie McNeely

End Location: LCBO Summerhill, 10 Scrivener Square

Neighbourhood Avenue & Davenport

Public Transit Directions: Summerhill Station, walk South on Yonge one block, under bridge to LCBO front entrance

Parking Available

Street Parking off Yonge

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Come and join in a walking conversation about the present and future of these one way streets that form the heart of this busy downtown neighbourhood where a mixture of uses, condos, houses, entertainment, retail, and office workers co-exist. It is a constant struggle to put residents first when understanding this neighbourhood. A great opportunity to steep yourself in planning and engineering concepts while engaging in community consultation, led by the local councillor Adam Vaughan.

Meeting Place: Four Seasons Opera House, corner of University and Queen

Tour guide(s): Adam Vaughan, City Councillor Ward 20

End Location: tba

Neighbourhood Richmond-Adelaide

Public Transit Directions: Queen Street car, Osgoode Subway stop

Accessible

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Join LEAF arborist Todd Irvine for a guided walk through the Vale of Avoca ravine. The walk begins at the St. Clair bridge spanning the ravine, first built by developer John T. Moore in 1891 to encourage home-buyers to cross the river. Once down in the ravine, participants will join the search for remnant old red oaks and white pines learning useful identification tips along the way. Also on display will be the damage to this natural ecosystem being wrought by exotic invasive plants and unrelenting soil erosion. A highlight of the walk will be a visit to a massive white ash standing nearly 100 feet tall.

Todd Irvine is a Certified Arborist and the Education Coordinator for LEAF, where he gives talks about the value of trees, leads tree care workshops, and takes people on guided tree tours of the city. He also works as a consulting arborist with Bruce Tree Experts specializing in tree preservation. Todd is a founding editor, and the Greenspace columnist, for Spacing Magazine, which covers urban issues in Toronto.

The Toronto Tree Tours are a project of LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) that tells the stories of our urban forest and the people and places it sustains.

Please note that at times the terrain is hilly and the paths are dirt and gravel so dress appropriately.

Meeting Place: Northwest corner of Avoca Avenue and St. Clair Avenue.

Tour guide(s): Todd Irvine

End Location: Rosedale Subway Station

Neighbourhood Yonge and Mount Pleasant

Public Transit Directions: Exit St. Clair Subway Station and walk 2 blocks east on St Clair

Parking Available

Street parking available

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Highlights - sacred buildings from Christian & other faiths, including St. James Cathedral, Metropolitan United Church, St. Michael's Cathedral, St. George's Greek Orthodox Church. Walk leaders discuss exterior architecture, history & stories connected with the buildings.

ROMwalks are in the 30th year of free walks and offer a selected number of over 20 walks in central Toronto, repeating several times in one season. The season runs from the beginning of May to early October. The walks take place, rain or shine, Wednesday evernings at 6 p.m. & Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. See ROM website, rom.on.ca/romwalks for more details.

Meeting Place: St. James Cathedral, NE corner, King & Church Sts.

Tour guide(s): Margaret Bush, ROMwalkers

End Location: Ryerson University, Bond St. & Gould Sts., 2 blocks east of Yonge St.

Neighbourhood King & Church St.

Public Transit Directions: King subway stop. King streetcar east to Church St.

Accessible

Sidewalk curbs

Parking Available

Some public parking lots in neighbourhood

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Service ghetto? Gentrifying strip? Arts-infused hipster hangout? Once wealthy suburb fallen into decline? Immigrant settlement area? Drug haven? Rooming house stronghold? The most diverse neighbourhood in North America?

Parkdale is a neighbourhood of conflicting and contested histories that together comprise the area's unique character. During this walk, members of the Parkdale Activity -- Recreation Centre will share their take on the neighbourhood by talking about local histories and visiting sites of importance to them and their communities.

Meeting Place: In Price Chopper Parking lot, behind Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W.

Tour guide(s): PARC volunteers, Katie Mazer and Stephanie Gris

End Location: Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre, 1499 Queen St. W

Neighbourhood Parkdale

Public Transit Directions: The Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre is easily accessible from both east and west by the Queen Street Streetcar line.

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Many experience Weston as a unique area in Toronto that has retained its small town feel, yet still reflects many characteristics of a big city, including a very diverse population. From heritage homes to high rises to the Humber River, come see the many sides of Weston and hear from different members of this diverse community about life in their neighbourhood. This walk will explore Weston's past, present as well as our hopes for its future.

Meeting Place: Weston GO Station 39 John Street

Tour guide(s): Weston Community Residents

End Location: Frontlines 1844 Weston Road

Neighbourhood Weston

Public Transit Directions: 52 Lawrence West bus to Station St (one stop west of Weston Rd.), then walk north on Station St to GO Station. 89 Weston to John St (one stop north of Lawrence Ave.), then walk east on John St to GO Station.

Accessible

Parking Available

Weston GO Station parking lot

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This year (2009) marks the centennial of the Midway Annex. Midway was largely a default name for the area between the City of Toronto (whose eastern boundary was just east of Greenwood) and the Town of East Toronto (whose western boundary crossed Danforth about a half kilometre east of Woodbine). In its entirety, Midway ran down almost to Queen. Upper Midway was north of the Grand Trunk Railway tracks.

Last year's walk, which exceeded all expectations by drawing more than 130 people, aimed to help us start rediscovering the lost history of Upper Midway's Danforth strip while exploring the potential of a great urban main street waiting to be reborn. It was a dusty rural road with small wooden bridges over swamps and creeks until pavement and streetcar tracks arrived in 1913. Its surrounding market gardens supplied fresh produce and dairy products to the nearby city, but gave way to a 1920s building boom that followed the close of World War One and the opening of the Bloor viaduct. The name Midway was largely forgotten as this hybrid streetcar/automobile suburb developed. Also largely forgotten is that for more than 40 years, people from four or five blocks north and south of Danforth walked daily to the Upper Midway strip -- for streetcars into the city core and for nearly every kind of shop and service imaginable. We had movie theatres, bowling alleys, several supermarkets, scores of independent food stores, lots of bank branches and a wide range of clothing and shoe stores. The sidewalks were often packed.

Things changed rapidly after the subway replaced streetcars in 1966. With transit stops suddenly much farther apart, with traffic speeding up in the absence of streetcars and with major retailers shifting to larger-scale car-dependent business models, Danforth as a pedestrian-friendly destination went into decline. But we still have some great restaurants and shops (some new since last year's walk) and we still have the bones of an urban strip that could rival Queen in the Beach(es), Roncesvalles in High Park or Greektown in north Riverdale. We can all benefit if we get back to investing in our community. Let's put our eyes on the street and our feet on the sidewalks. Last year, people brought along old pictures and tales of the past. We should encourage the same thing this year. It's also good to get people to talk about businesses really worthy of recommendation (I can't remember who suggested last year that I try Djerba, but thanks. What an excellent restaurant).

Stephen Wickens is an editor at the Toronto Star and has spent about 35 years in the newspaper business (not counting his boyhood Star, Tely and Globe routes). He's also a locally raised lifelong amateur urbanist.

Joe Cooper is a columnist with the East York-Riverdale Mirror. As a boy he worked in a butcher shop that his grandfather founded in 1927 near Woodbine and Danforth.

Meeting Place: TOUR FULL - if you have a reservation you will have been notified already, or will be in the next 24 hours about the starting location.

Tour guide(s): Joe Cooper

End Location: TBA

Neighbourhood Danforth - Greenwood to Woodbine

Public Transit Directions: Danforth Subway Line

Reservation Required

Limit: 35

Accessible

Curb cuts and crowded streets likely

Parking Available

Green P parking and side streets

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This year (2009) marks the centennial of the Midway Annex. Midway was largely a default name for the area between the City of Toronto (whose eastern boundary was just east of Greenwood) and the Town of East Toronto (whose western boundary crossed Danforth about a half kilometre east of Woodbine). In its entirety, Midway ran down almost to Queen. Upper Midway was north of the Grand Trunk Railway tracks.

Last year's walk, which exceeded all expectations by drawing more than 130 people, aimed to help us start rediscovering the lost history of Upper Midway's Danforth strip while exploring the potential of a great urban main street waiting to be reborn. It was a dusty rural road with small wooden bridges over swamps and creeks until pavement and streetcar tracks arrived in 1913. Its surrounding market gardens supplied fresh produce and dairy products to the nearby city, but gave way to a 1920s building boom that followed the close of World War One and the opening of the Bloor viaduct. The name Midway was largely forgotten as this hybrid streetcar/automobile suburb developed. Also largely forgotten is that for more than 40 years, people from four or five blocks north and south of Danforth walked daily to the Upper Midway strip -- for streetcars into the city core and for nearly every kind of shop and service imaginable. We had movie theatres, bowling alleys, several supermarkets, scores of independent food stores, lots of bank branches and a wide range of clothing and shoe stores. The sidewalks were often packed.

Things changed rapidly after the subway replaced streetcars in 1966. With transit stops suddenly much farther apart, with traffic speeding up in the absence of streetcars and with major retailers shifting to larger-scale car-dependent business models, Danforth as a pedestrian-friendly destination went into decline. But we still have some great restaurants and shops (some new since last year's walk) and we still have the bones of an urban strip that could rival Queen in the Beach(es), Roncesvalles in High Park or Greektown in north Riverdale. We can all benefit if we get back to investing in our community. Let's put our eyes on the street and our feet on the sidewalks. Last year, people brought along old pictures and tales of the past. We should encourage the same thing this year. It's also good to get people to talk about businesses really worthy of recommendation (I can't remember who suggested last year that I try Djerba, but thanks. What an excellent restaurant).

Stephen Wickens is an editor at the Toronto Star and has spent about 35 years in the newspaper business (not counting his boyhood Star, Tely and Globe routes). He's also a locally raised lifelong amateur urbanist.

Joe Cooper is a columnist with the East York-Riverdale Mirror. As a boy he worked in a butcher shop that his grandfather founded in 1927 near Woodbine and Danforth.

Meeting Place: TOUR FULL - if you have a reservation you will have been notified already, or will be in the next 24 hours about the starting location.

Tour guide(s): Joe Cooper

End Location: TBA

Neighbourhood Danforth - Greenwood to Woodbine

Public Transit Directions: Danforth Subway Line

Reservation Required

Limit: 35

Accessible

Curb cuts and crowded streets likely

Parking Available

Green P parking and side streets

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This year (2009) marks the centennial of the Midway Annex. Midway was largely a default name for the area between the City of Toronto (whose eastern boundary was just east of Greenwood) and the Town of East Toronto (whose western boundary crossed Danforth about a half kilometre east of Woodbine). In its entirety, Midway ran down almost to Queen. Upper Midway was north of the Grand Trunk Railway tracks.

Last year's walk, which exceeded all expectations by drawing more than 130 people, aimed to help us start rediscovering the lost history of Upper Midway's Danforth strip while exploring the potential of a great urban main street waiting to be reborn. It was a dusty rural road with small wooden bridges over swamps and creeks until pavement and streetcar tracks arrived in 1913. Its surrounding market gardens supplied fresh produce and dairy products to the nearby city, but gave way to a 1920s building boom that followed the close of World War One and the opening of the Bloor viaduct. The name Midway was largely forgotten as this hybrid streetcar/automobile suburb developed. Also largely forgotten is that for more than 40 years, people from four or five blocks north and south of Danforth walked daily to the Upper Midway strip -- for streetcars into the city core and for nearly every kind of shop and service imaginable. We had movie theatres, bowling alleys, several supermarkets, scores of independent food stores, lots of bank branches and a wide range of clothing and shoe stores. The sidewalks were often packed.

Things changed rapidly after the subway replaced streetcars in 1966. With transit stops suddenly much farther apart, with traffic speeding up in the absence of streetcars and with major retailers shifting to larger-scale car-dependent business models, Danforth as a pedestrian-friendly destination went into decline. But we still have some great restaurants and shops (some new since last year's walk) and we still have the bones of an urban strip that could rival Queen in the Beach(es), Roncesvalles in High Park or Greektown in north Riverdale. We can all benefit if we get back to investing in our community. Let's put our eyes on the street and our feet on the sidewalks. Last year, people brought along old pictures and tales of the past. We should encourage the same thing this year. It's also good to get people to talk about businesses really worthy of recommendation (I can't remember who suggested last year that I try Djerba, but thanks. What an excellent restaurant).

Stephen Wickens is an editor at the Toronto Star and has spent about 35 years in the newspaper business (not counting his boyhood Star, Tely and Globe routes). He's also a locally raised lifelong amateur urbanist.

Joe Cooper is a columnist with the East York-Riverdale Mirror. As a boy he worked in a butcher shop that his grandfather founded in 1927 near Woodbine and Danforth.

Meeting Place: TOUR FULL - if you have a reservation you will have been notified already, or will be in the next 24 hours about the starting location.

Tour guide(s): Joe Cooper

End Location: TBA

Neighbourhood Danforth - Greenwood to Woodbine

Public Transit Directions: Danforth Subway Line

Reservation Required

Limit: 35

Accessible

Curb cuts and crowded streets likely

Parking Available

Green P parking and side streets

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This year (2009) marks the centennial of the Midway Annex. Midway was largely a default name for the area between the City of Toronto (whose eastern boundary was just east of Greenwood) and the Town of East Toronto (whose western boundary crossed Danforth about a half kilometre east of Woodbine). In its entirety, Midway ran down almost to Queen. Upper Midway was north of the Grand Trunk Railway tracks.

Last year's walk, which exceeded all expectations by drawing more than 130 people, aimed to help us start rediscovering the lost history of Upper Midway's Danforth strip while exploring the potential of a great urban main street waiting to be reborn. It was a dusty rural road with small wooden bridges over swamps and creeks until pavement and streetcar tracks arrived in 1913. Its surrounding market gardens supplied fresh produce and dairy products to the nearby city, but gave way to a 1920s building boom that followed the close of World War One and the opening of the Bloor viaduct. The name Midway was largely forgotten as this hybrid streetcar/automobile suburb developed. Also largely forgotten is that for more than 40 years, people from four or five blocks north and south of Danforth walked daily to the Upper Midway strip -- for streetcars into the city core and for nearly every kind of shop and service imaginable. We had movie theatres, bowling alleys, several supermarkets, scores of independent food stores, lots of bank branches and a wide range of clothing and shoe stores. The sidewalks were often packed.

Things changed rapidly after the subway replaced streetcars in 1966. With transit stops suddenly much farther apart, with traffic speeding up in the absence of streetcars and with major retailers shifting to larger-scale car-dependent business models, Danforth as a pedestrian-friendly destination went into decline. But we still have some great restaurants and shops (some new since last year's walk) and we still have the bones of an urban strip that could rival Queen in the Beach(es), Roncesvalles in High Park or Greektown in north Riverdale. We can all benefit if we get back to investing in our community. Let's put our eyes on the street and our feet on the sidewalks. Last year, people brought along old pictures and tales of the past. We should encourage the same thing this year. It's also good to get people to talk about businesses really worthy of recommendation (I can't remember who suggested last year that I try Djerba, but thanks. What an excellent restaurant).

Stephen Wickens is an editor at the Toronto Star and has spent about 35 years in the newspaper business (not counting his boyhood Star, Tely and Globe routes). He's also a locally raised lifelong amateur urbanist.

Joe Cooper is a columnist with the East York-Riverdale Mirror. As a boy he worked in a butcher shop that his grandfather founded in 1927 near Woodbine and Danforth.

Meeting Place: TOUR FULL - if you have a reservation you will have been notified already, or will be in the next 24 hours about the starting location.

Tour guide(s): Joe Cooper

End Location: TBA

Neighbourhood Danforth - Greenwood to Woodbine

Public Transit Directions: Danforth Subway Line

Reservation Required

Limit: 35

Accessible

Curb cuts and crowded streets likely

Parking Available

Green P parking and side streets

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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 theirScarborough.

Meeting Place: In front of the Action for Neighbourhood Change (ANC), Steeles - L’Amoreaux office, 331 Glendower Circuit, unit 6

Tour guide(s): Michelle Grant, The residents of the north Scarborough neighbourhood of Steeles - L’Amoreaux.

End Location: 331 Glendower Circuit

Neighbourhood Scarborough: Steeles - L’Amoreaux

Public Transit Directions: Take the Finch bus eastbound from Finch Station to Birchmount Road. Walk one block south on Birchmount to Glendower Circuit.

Accessible

Wheelchair accessible

Parking Available

at the ANC

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New Toronto was founded in 1890 as a "new" industrial centre. Based on the attributes "Intelligence, Industry, Integrity", its development progressed over the decades from a rural agricultural setting to a fully self-sufficient municipality with an industrial base of national importance.

This walk will cover parts of the town's quiet residential area, waterfront, industrial area and mainstreet

Meeting Place: Southwest corner, Lake Shore Blvd. West and Seventh St./Islington Avenue

Tour guide(s): Paul Chomik

End Location: Lake Shore Blvd. West and Kipling Avenue

Neighbourhood Town of New Toronto

Public Transit Directions: TTC: 501 Queen streetcar to Islington Ave. stop, Islington 110 South bus from Islington Subway Station

Accessible

This walk will be conducted along City streets

Parking Available

Municipal lot south of Lakeshore Blvd. West between Sixth and Seventh Streets, adjacent streets

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Queen West is changing fast! Still we think it has managed to accommodate a great amount of diversity – from “marginalised” people and soup kitchens, to "the well-heeled” and doggy coat boutiques. All sorts of people play here, work here, heal here, live here, and die here. We’re interested in this mix of activities and identities, and in how this space has responded to this diversity through time. The coexistence of the old and contemporary on this strip tells an awful lot of stories – of community membership, but also of exclusion. We can’t help wondering if the new scales and rates of neighbourhood change are upsetting the collective vibe on Queen West and disempowering marginalised groups. This is our second year pounding the Queen West pavement asking these enduring questions and hoping you have the answers, or at least some of your own. Join us!

Meeting Place: in front of the Post Office at 1117 Queen Street West at Lisgar, one block west of Dovercourt

Tour guide(s): Mia Hunt, Michelle Drylie

End Location: Queen West and Bathurst, followed by bevies and chat at Java House at Queen and Augusta

Neighbourhood Queen West West

Public Transit Directions: Queen West street car

Accessible

We'll be on the public sidewalks, so curbs are the only obstacles

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Trace the past with us as we walk through the King/Parliament neighbourhoods. Re-live the development activity initiated by the 1996 Kings bylaw, which resulted in new opportunities for urban intensification and land conservation, and the restoration and modernization of previously underused spaces to attract new tenants such as start-up and incubator companies.

In addition, we now see many residential options in these neighbourhoods where a higher percentage of people choose eco-conscious, sustainable lifestyles.

The King-Parliament area comprises Corktown, Moss Park, St. Lawrence, West Don Lands, and the original Old City of Toronto, settled by John Simcoe in the 1700s. Many of the buildings in this area are designated heritage buildings or are of historic significance.

In this walk we will start with the Queen Richmond Centre, a linking and restoration of seven historic buildings with a new internal courtyard garden, a building that is now home to many including an exclusive women's club/spa, nanotechnology research facilities and the largest print and publishing company in Canada. From there we will take you through new urban solutions to small sites, a culinary school that connects to the neighbourhood visually and programmatically, SAS: a project that stands out in the green front, and many other buildings that have been creatively re-used.

Dermot Sweeny, founding principal at Sweeny Sterling Finlayson &Co Architects, is a Toronto-based architect that works with clients to push for further sustainability and healthier spaces. Dermot's work has been recognized through design awards and publications. He is an inspiring guest speaker on green architecture, creative urban spaces and sustainable real estate. John Gillanders is a principal at Sweeny Sterling Finlayson &Co Architects. John's design passion includes bringing sustainable options to work spaces through integrated design strategies. Dermot and John work often together on projects such as the new multi-use modern building at Richmond and Sherbourne, the Queen Richmond Centre (designed with Young + Wright Architects), and the Derby building.

Meeting Place: Yonge and Queen, south-east corner, under the clock

Tour guide(s): Dermot Sweeny, John Gillanders

End Location: Balzac’s Café in the Distillery

Neighbourhood King/Parliament

Public Transit Directions: Take the subway and exit Queen Street (on the Yonge line)

Parking Available

You can park in the Eaton Centre parking lot on Yonge off Shuter, or look for metered street parking along Victoria Street

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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 we'll stop for some refreshments with a local
senior's social club. Please bring a reusable mug to minimize waste.

Meeting Place: 2467 Eglinton Avenue East, North side of Don Montgomergy (formerly Mid-Scarborough) Recreation Centre

Tour guide(s): Andrew Schulz

End Location: 31 Gilder Drive (Refreshments)

Neighbourhood Scarborough - Eglinton East

Public Transit Directions: East side of Kennedy Station (exit via tunnel from fare collector level)

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In the 19th century the railways were the most important commercial industry in Toronto. Many of the city’s most important railway facilities and sites were located north of Front Street. For example, Queen and Yonge Streets, where our walk begins, was the site of the Toronto Locomotive Works, and the first steam locomotive manufactured in Canada was built there in 1853. We’ll hear about these sites, as well as some of the banks, hotels and office buildings with a railway connection, as we explore the downtown area looking at traces of Toronto’s railway heritage.

Meeting Place: Northwest corner of Queen and Victoria Streets.

Tour guide(s): Derek Boles

End Location: King & Yonge Streets

Neighbourhood Downtown

Public Transit Directions: Yonge Subway to Queen Station

Reservation Required

Limit: 30

Accessible

Walk is 2.8 kilometres on sidewalks and pavement.

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Our special guest tour guide this year is Marcia McVea - a longtime resident of Toronto who frequented the bars and restaurants of Yonge Street from the 1960’s onward. An out lesbian with stories of the thriving gay demimonde to tell.

Queer history moves up Yonge Street, from the smokey anonymity of swanky hotel piano bars of the 1950's to the grotty backrooms of the 70's and the revolutionary parades and marches of the 1980's. Join in a conversational Sunday stroll through the history of the bars, beverage rooms and clubs frequented by gays and lesbians on the Yonge Street strip from King to Wellesley Streets.

A lively gay demimonde has flourished in Toronto since the ’50s complete with drag shows, Queen Bee Beauty Contests, lesbian bank robbers, and same-sex slow dancing — doormen would flick the lights to tip off the clientele to the arrival of the morality squad, and the lesbians would quickly switch partners with their gay male friends. In 1964, Maclean’s magazine noted the increasing popularity of bars that catered to, or tacitly accepted, a queer clientele: “Homosexuals have no family, spend a lot of time in bars, drink steadily, tip generously and seldom smash the furniture.” As time passed, the bars moved up Yonge Street. Gays and lesbians transitioned from being simply tolerated in private spaces to claiming public space in their own clubs, like The Music Room and The Manatee, and demonstrations, like Gay Pride, International Women’s Day and the Dyke March.

Gerald Hannon is a writer, teacher and director of Pink Triangle Press.
Jane Farrow is a writer, broadcaster and the Executive Director of Jane’s Walk and the Centre for City Ecology.

Meeting Place: King Edward Hotel, King St, Just east of Yonge

Tour guide(s): Jane Farrow & Gerald Hannon, Special guest Marcia McVea.

End Location: Yonge and Wellesley neighbourhood

Neighbourhood Downtown core

Public Transit Directions: King subway station, or King streetcar

Accessible

Crowded sidewalks a strong possibility but no buildings will be entered.

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This year is Jane's Walk is debuting a self-guided tour that you can take at your own pace and on your own schedule. Just download the audio files (by right-clicking, and choosing 'save file as') to your ipod, zune, or other media player, and listen to them on the run!

Print out the itinerary and included map to follow along.

Intro : Introduction

Stop 1 : Church of the Holy Trinity (behind Eaton Centre)

Stop 2 : Outside the Eaton Centre

Stop 3 : Old City Hall

Stop 4 : Nathan Phillips Square

Stop 5 : Industry

Stop 6 : Baldwin Village (followed by Hydro Block)

Stop 7 : George Brown House

Stop 8 : Spadina Ave.

Stop 9 : Steps of Synagogue on St. Andrew Street

Meeting Place: Church of the Holy Trinity

Tour guide(s): Tim Groves, Self-Guided

End Location: Synagogue on St. Andrew Street

Neighbourhood A Demolished Neighbourhood

Public Transit Directions: Dundas TTC Subway Stop

Accessible

Parking Available

-

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Parkdale has a rich and unique history. From its time as a thriving beach front property for the 19th century upper class to the darker stories of drugs, arson and murder, Parkdale continues to be a vibrant and diverse neighbourhood.

Join MPP Cheri DiNovo as she walks with the diverse residents of the "real" Parkdale - from sex trade workers to university professors - Parkdale is clearly the hippest neighbourhood in the city.

Meeting Place: Queen Street West at Roncesvalles

Tour guide(s): Cheri DiNovo MPP

End Location: Queen Street West at Dufferin

Neighbourhood Parkdale

Public Transit Directions: Queen Streetcar as well as King Streetcar to Roncesvales and Queen.

Accessible

This walk is accessible.

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360 degrees - Grange Park as a time machine

This is the shortest Jane's Walk ever - about 10 meters from start to finish. Turning in a circle, we'll talk about the buildings visible on the perimeter of Grange Park and slightly beyond, and how they came to exist. The focus is on the invisible civic processes behind the visible architectural facades. The structures, built between 1817 and 2009, include The Grange (a Georgian manor house) and the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Anglican church of St. George the Martyr, the historic row houses of Beverley Street, University Settlement, the early RCMP headquarters, the concrete apartment tower at 50 Stephanie, two condominium complexes (Village by the Grange and the Phoebe, which was built on the site of one of Toronto's first Negro churches), the Ontario College of Art and Design, and the park's crowning glory: a vandalized public washroom. Grange Park is between McCaul and Beverley Streets, immediately south of the Art Gallery of Ontario, a four-minute walk west of the St. Patrick subway station. Tour guide: Max Allen.
Two versions: Saturday at 6, and Sunday at 3.

Meeting Place: Grange Park, on steps of Grange House at north end of park

Tour guide(s): Max Allen

End Location: Same as start location

Neighbourhood Downtown Toronto

Public Transit Directions: 3 blocks from St. Patrick subway, west across Dundas

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See this dense and diverse community from a fresh perspective - through the eyes of the engaged and enthusiastic St James Town Youth Council. Learn about the history of the neighbourhood and what was here before this densely populated and diverse high rise development, visit their favourite spots to hang out, travel the secret shortcuts, get spooked by the 'ghost houses' and weigh in on the raging debate about what's the best grocery store: No Frills or Food Basics. We might even meet some local legends along the way, like the Creepy Princess Man, The Carpet Guy, Dr Portugal and the amazing role models who have lived here and organized this community for decades. We'll also hear about hopes and plans for greening up the towers as part of the Mayor's Tower Renewal initiative. The inside scoop on St James Town will forever change the way you think of this thriving, friendly and fascinating high-rise neighbourhood.

The St James Town Youth Council are supported and facilitated by the Yonge Street Mission and Banyan Youth.

Meeting Place: Sherbourne subway station - Glen Road exit

Tour guide(s): St. James Town Youth Council

End Location: tba

Neighbourhood St James Town

Public Transit Directions: Sherbourne subway station - Glen Road exit

Accessible

some bumpy sidewalks, busy roads and crowded sidewalks will likely be encountered

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Join Roncesvalles residents Mary Weins, Philip Stern and Tonya Surman on a Jane Jacobs-inspired walk through the Roncesvalles neighbourhood ... from the trim eastern borders of High Park to the overwrought rococo of Macdonell Avenue's grandest homes. Be transported by the fare in our old-world delicatessens and visit the cafés that have made Toronto a world-leader in the Fair Trade coffee movement. Share the sights and stories of Roncesvalles.

Meeting Place: The Katyn Monument- south along King St, just south of the southwest corner of Queen St. and Roncesvalles Av. For more about the Katyn massacre go to tinyurl.com/d94ox9

Tour guide(s): Tonya Surman, Mary Weins, John Bowker, Philip Stern

End Location: Queen St. W.

Neighbourhood Roncesvalles

Public Transit Directions: 504 King St. or 501 Queen St. streetcars to the corner of Queen and Roncesvalles.

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How many secrets will you learn, and how many lies will you notice? I'll be leading a walk through the lovely Beaconsfield Village, weaving a tall tale of Napoleon's Illegitimate Daughter, and her complicated life here. Find out about "Toronto's Girl Problem" of 1890. Discuss the disappearing lake. Learn about the terrible pet porcupine problem. And hear about Captain John Denison's obsessive gardening... carving out an estate from virgin forest in 1815. Along the way, we'll weave the wonderful architecture and real history of the neighbourhood-including the now-demolished Parkdale Train Station, and how Benjamin Disraeli is linked to this area--into our surreal fictional tale. We'll start at the Gladstone Hotel, the oldest continuously operating hotel in Toronto. The walk will be at a comfortable pace and will include historical photographs of the neighbourhood.

Lisa Pasold has spent nearly a decade doing literary walking tours in Paris, exploring its rich and checkered history; she now divides her time between the City of Lights and Hogtown. A journalist and novelist, Lisa has been thrown off a train in Belarus, been cheated in the Venetian gambling halls of Ca' Vendramin Calergi, eaten the world's best pigeon pie in Marrakech, and mushed huskies in the Yukon. She is also adept at catching Toronto streetcars. Her work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, The National Post, The Chicago Tribune, New York Living, and Time Out. She has also counted money in the back room of a casino and worked as a correspondent for Billboard. She has two books of poetry, Weave and A Bad Year for Journalists, and a forthcoming novel, Rats of Las Vegas.

Meeting Place: In Price Chopper Parking lot, behind Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W.

Tour guide(s): Lisa Pasold

End Location: Back at the Gladstone Hotel.

Neighbourhood Beaconsfield Village

Public Transit Directions: Queen Streetcar, west to Gladstone Avenue

Accessible

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Este paseo urbano se realizará en Español, y se caracterizará por ser una caminata amigable sobre St. Clair West desde Dufferin hasta Oakwood. Tendremos así la oportunidad de hablar acerca de la cultura establecida y emergente del sector, de su historia, su música, su desarrollo artistíco y sus servicios comunitarios, que hacen de St. Clair West un lugar acogedor y agradable.

La caminata urbana iniciará frente a la Bibliotecta de Dufferin y St. Clair en donde conversaremos acerca de la restauración de la pintura mural en el salon de lectura central. Terminaremos a caminata con una visita al centro para refugiados en Oakwood.

Estaremos complacidos de recorrer este sector con residentes del area de muchos años, con habitantes recientes y con personas que simplemente tienen interés en esta emergente area de Toronto.

This Jane's Walk is given in Spanish only to help facilitate and foster neighbourhood connection and networking. All are welcome.

Meeting Place: frente a la Bibliotecta de Dufferin y St. Clair (1625 Dufferin Street) media cuadra al sur de St Clair.

Tour guide(s): Francisco Rico-Martinez, Tammara Soma, George Martin

End Location: Centro para Refugiados en Oakwood.

Neighbourhood St Clair West

Public Transit Directions: Bus número 512 hacia el Oeste (Poniente) desde la estación de transporte subterráneo St Clair West o el bus número 29+ desde la estación de transporte subterraneo Dufferin.

Accessible

Las actividades de construcción sobre St. Clair pueden generar demoras.

Parking Available

Limitado

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Sunday, May 3, 1 – 3 pm, Pedal the Don

Cycle the length of the connected trail in the Lower Don River, from Sunnybrook to the Waterfront. John Wilson, chair of the Task Force to Bring Back the Don, assisted by the U of T Mountain Biking Team and friends, will lead a bicycle tour, running parallel to the “Paddle the Don” event organized for the same day by the Toronto & Region Conservation Authority. This gentle bike hike will stop at various locations to view the high-points of Don River restoration efforts, to share stories and to look at how connected and accessible the Don trails are and could become. This event is in conjunction with Lost Rivers and Jane’s Walks.

Starting point – Yonge & Lawrence, southeast corner near library; finish at the Paddle the Don take-out event , Don Roadway & Villiers (near Lake Shore Blvd.). Refreshments are sold by TRCA at the take-out event.

Meeting Place: Yonge St. & Lawrence Ave., Southeast corner in front of Library (3083 Yonge St.)

Tour guide(s): John Wilson, David Wright U of T Mountain Biking Team

End Location: Don Roadway & Villiers St. (south of Lake Shore Blvd.)

Neighbourhood Don Valley

Public Transit Directions: Start: Yonge Subway to Lawrence station End (one block south at Commissioners St.): 72A Pape bus to Pape or Union station

Reservation Required

Limit: 200

Accessible

This is a 17 km. bike hike. Cycling will be primarily off-road, on paved trails, with a short section of residential street cycling.

Parking Available

Green P lots: Bedford Park Ave. one block north of Lawrence, just west of Yonge. Glenforest Rd. six blocks north of Lawrence, just east of Yonge.

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The St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood has been awarded the 2009 Landmark Award by the Ontario Association of Architects. Heralded for its design excellence and contribution to the community, it is also the most successful and ambitious downtown revitalization project ever undertaken by the City of Toronto. The area continues to be a leading example of community development and renewal, nurturing its historic past, while remaining flexible to respond to current and future needs. Frank Lewinberg, a founding partner of Urban Strategies Inc. will lead the walk. Nearly 30 years ago, he led the creation and implementation of the master plan for the St. Lawrence Neighbourhood. Join Frank on this tour and see first hand how his theories of quality urban design have blossomed into one of Canada’s most notable neighbourhood success stories.

Meeting Place: In front of St. Lawrence Market South Building, at the corner of Jarvis and Front Streets

Tour guide(s): Frank Lewinberg

End Location: Same as start

Neighbourhood St. Lawrence Neighbourhood

Public Transit Directions: Take the subway to either Union Station or King Street Station. From Union Station, turn right from the front entrance and walk east along Front Street for 3 blocks. From King Street subway station, the King streetcar runs along King Street and stops at the corner of Jarvis Street, in front of the St. Lawrence Hall.

Reservation Required

Limit: 25

Accessible

Parking Available

The Market is surrounded by meters and parking lots. The average two-hour stay costs between $2 and $6. View this map: http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/access/parking.html

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Explore the Don River starting at historic Todmorden Mills. We will meander along the river banks and watch as canoeists “Paddle the Don."

Meeting Place: Todmorden Mills, 67 Pottery Road

Tour guide(s): Tom Fiore, Alan Lavine, Jay Tabac

End Location: Finish at Starting place

Neighbourhood Todmorden Mills

Public Transit Directions: see website: www.ontariowalks.com

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Toronto is unique for many reasons.

Perhaps two of the most distinguishing features making Toronto unique is its heritage of nearly 1000 high-rise 'tower in the park' apartments found throughout the region, as well as its extensive ravine system. This tour will examine an area where these two features intersect - providing the uniquely Toronto phenomena of the Towers on the Ravine.

On Kipling Avenue, north of Finch, nineteen apartment towers are arranged along the Humber Valley. Home to over thirteen thousand people living in Towers on the Ravine, it is one of Toronto's most unique communities.

This tour focuses on this remarkable neighbourhood and its relationship to the Humber Valley. It will also discuss the potential evolution of this neighbourhood through the lens of the Mayor's Tower Renewal Project. It is an opportunity to talk about the possibly of urban agriculture, local markets, sustainable building upgrades, the introduction of a mix of uses, and creating more integrated public spaces.

About Tower Renewal:

www.towerrenewal.com

The Toronto area contains the second largest concentration of high-rise buildings in North America. The majority of these are modern concrete residential buildings, built during the City's post-war expansion. The Tower Renewal Project is an initiative to re-examine these buildings' remarkable heritage, neighbourhood histories, current place in our city, and future potential in a green and equitable Toronto.

Check out the Spacing article about the North Kipling Jane's Walk here.

Meeting Place: North Kipling Community Centre, at 2 Rowntree Rd, Kipling and Rowntree Rd, North of Finch.

Tour guide(s): Graeme Stewart, Vojka Miladinovic - Urban Forestry - City of Toronto, Ian Malczewski - Spacing Magazine, TBA

End Location: Albion Centre Food Court

Neighbourhood North Etobicoke

Public Transit Directions: From Kipling Station, take Kipling Bus north to Finch

Parking Available

Albion Centre, North Kipling Community Centre at Kipling and Rowntree Rd between Steeles and Finch.

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Join David Crombie for a stroll through his childhood neighborhood of Swansea. We will spend around two hours exploring the one square mile that once comprised the inner suburban village of Swansea, prior to its amalgamation with the city in 1969. Walking along today’s bustling Bloor West Village shopping area, David will refer to buildings of historical significance and sites that saw generations of activity, such as “the Minis” and the old Runnymede theatre. Heading south on Windermere and along Deforest to Lavinia, we will stop at the Swansea Fire Hall and visit the Swansea Town Hall and Community Centre, where the unique character of the Swansea community and its origins has been preserved by highlighting the contributions and legacy of past residents. Continuing down to Swansea Public School and then through Rennie Park, we will finish the walk at the edge of High Park’s Grenadier Pond, a bit of wild in the city.

David Crombie has served as Mayor of Toronto, Member of Parliament and Federal Cabinet Minister. He is the former President and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute and Founding Chair of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust. He has received honourary degrees from the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo and Seneca College.

David Crombie is President of David Crombie and Associates Inc. and currently serves as Chair of the Advisory Council for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) and Chair of the Toronto Lands Corporation.

David Crombie is Chancellor Emeritus of Ryerson University and an Honourary Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. He has been appointed as an Officer to the Order of Canada.

Meeting Place: High Park subway station, Quebec exit

Tour guide(s): David Crombie

End Location: at the edge of High Park's Grenadier Pond

Neighbourhood Swansea

Public Transit Directions: -

Accessible

Save descending some steep hills (not stairs), the walk is accessible

Parking Available

Street parking available

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360 degrees - Grange Park as a time machine

This is the shortest Jane's Walk ever - about 10 meters from start to finish. Turning in a circle, we'll talk about the buildings visible on the perimeter of Grange Park and slightly beyond, and how they came to exist. The focus is on the invisible civic processes behind the visible architectural facades. The structures, built between 1817 and 2009, include The Grange (a Georgian manor house) and the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Anglican church of St. George the Martyr, the historic row houses of Beverley Street, University Settlement, the early RCMP headquarters, the concrete apartment tower at 50 Stephanie, two condominium complexes (Village by the Grange and the Phoebe, which was built on the site of one of Toronto's first Negro churches), the Ontario College of Art and Design, and the park's crowning glory: a vandalized public washroom. Grange Park is between McCaul and Beverley Streets, immediately south of the Art Gallery of Ontario, a four-minute walk west of the St. Patrick subway station. Tour guide: Max Allen.
Two versions: Saturday at 6, and Sunday at 3.

Meeting Place: Grange Park, on steps of Grange House at north end of park

Tour guide(s): Max Allen

End Location: Same as start location

Neighbourhood Downtown Toronto

Public Transit Directions: 3 blocks from St. Patrick subway, west across Dundas

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We will follow the route of last year's popular walk but with a different theme. At The Distillery, Michael McClelland will talk about the history of the site, particularly the river -- Taddle Creek -- that once ran through it.

At the main gate to the West Don Lands Flood Protection Landform work site, Carla Guerrera and Dave Madeira will talk about the work visible from Cherry St.

We will stop briefly in historic Corktown and continue to the Queen St. bridge for a bird's eye view of the construction site with more explanation there from Carla and Dave.

We will go down the staircase from Queen St. to the trail along the Don River. As we walk south, we will be able to greet paddlers in the annual Paddle the Don event as they approach their destination. Mark Wilson will talk about the river, its history, the work that has been done on its restoration and plans for its future destination in a new naturalised estuary in the port lands.

Walkers are invited to watch paddlers arrive and disembark on the Keating Channel and to join them at the TRCA barbecue, enjoy the sunshine and share a glass with friends at the wine tent

Meeting Place: Beside Balzac's coffee shop in The Distillery

Tour guide(s): Michael McClelland, Carla Guerrera, Dave Madeira, Mark Wilson

End Location: The TRCA Paddle the Don barbecue at Don Roadway and Villiers St.

Neighbourhood Distillery, Corktown, Lower Don River

Public Transit Directions: To The Distillery: 72 and 172 buses to Trinity and Mill Sts; King streetcar (504) to Trinity and walk south At the end of the walk: 72 or 172 bus on Commissioners Street

Accessible

Steep staircase at one point. This was manageable for strollers last year. A guide will be prepared to take those who cannot manage the staircase by an alternate route but this would mean missing the main part of the walk along the riverbank.

Parking Available

City lots on Berkely and Parliament south of Front; limited Distillery parking; TTC advised

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This year's Retracing Stop Spadina is now in its 3rd year. This Jane's Walk begins where the Spadina Expressway was stopped, the three foot wide sidewalk that then Premier Bill Davis ceded to the Old City of Toronto to block Metro's desire to complete the expressway south of Eglinton Avenue West. The tour will then head south, winding our way through neighbourhoods which would have been drastically reduced if not removed had the Spadina Expressway been completed all the way to downtown.

New for this year's walk:

Murals, Graffiti, Tagging and Public Art along the way
The forgotten history of Toronto The Good's fight against allowing the first legal apartment building renting to single women
The Legacy of architech Uno Prii on The Annex Neighbourhood and by extension, the rest of the city.

Rest Stops along the way include:

Forest Hill Village - This is the half way point and in past years' walks, some people end here
Spadina House beside Casa Loma,
The park at the top of Albany Avenue at Barton - St. Alban's Square where we will see the little known "Jacobs Ladder" from Grassroots Albany.

Strolling through The Annex, we will arrive at 69 Albany Avenue, Jane Jacobs' House, where this Jane's Walk will end.

A history of the "Stop Spadina / Go Spadina" controversy will be presented throughout the walk, along with stories and archive photos of each of the neighbourhoods we will be walking through.

A limited number of printed materials will be available on a first come first served basis as keepsakes of this year's Jane's Walk.

Meeting Place: Main Entrance in Front of Eglinton West Station

Tour guide(s): HiMY SYeD

End Location: In Front of 69 Albany Avenue, Jane Jacob's House, in The Annex, just north of Bloor Street West

Neighbourhood Eglinton West, Upper Village, Forest Hill, Casa Loma Neighbourhood, and finally The Annex

Public Transit Directions: Eglinton West Subway Station

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A centre of industry and commerce linked to the Dundas Highway and the junction of several railway lines, this prosperous little town voted to ban the sale of alcohol in 1904. Find out why - and hear other stories of 'the Junction' - on this tour along Dundas Street West.

Meeting Place: NW corner of Runnymede Rd and Dundas St W

Tour guide(s): Heritage Toronto , Madeleine McDowell and West Toronto Junction Historical Society

End Location: Keele St and Dundas St W

Neighbourhood West Toronto Junction

Public Transit Directions: Take the TTC to Runnymede Station and the 71 Runnymede bus to Dundas Street.

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The Highland is an “urban creek” It has over 75 km of watercourses and drains an area of 102 km2. At 85 per cent urbanized, it’s the most developed watershed in the Toronto and Region Conservation’s jurisdiction. Community Groups, individuals and families are welcome to help plant trees before the walk with Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation and Friends of Highland Creek. Tree Planting will take place on the west side of the pond from 10am to noon.

Meeting Place: North of McNicoll, west of Kennedy in L’Amoreaux Park.

Tour guide(s): Lorna Weigand

End Location: -

Neighbourhood Stormwater Pond at Kennedy and McNicoll

Public Transit Directions: Take the Kennedy 43 bus from the Kennedy Station on the Bloor-Danforth line north to McNicoll Ave. Or take the 43B from Scarborough Town Centre.

Parking Available

Park at L’Amoreaux C. C. and walk around the pond.

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Join the Friends of Highland Creek for a guided walk through one of Toronto’s largest ecological restoration projects. The transformation of this 1.5 kilometer stretch of Highland Creek began in 1997, replacing a barren and lifeless concrete channel with naturalized valley features, trees, and thriving wetlands. 12 years later, this site is now a lush ribbon of green in the heart of Scarborough.

Meeting Place: Ground Floor of McCowan RT Station - walking to Markham and Ellesmere

Tour guide(s): Steve Joudrey

End Location: -

Neighbourhood Kennedy and McNicoll - L'Amoreaux Park

Public Transit Directions: RT to McCowan Station

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This Jane's Walk is titled, " Scarborough, Forgotten City of The Future- where Richard Florida meets Jane Jacobs. "

This Saturday May 2nd Evening Jane's Walk will reveal:

The Scarborough Civic Centre Neighbourhood
Oops - Why there is no Subway Station here
The Hillsborough Vertical Neighbourhood
Public Art in Public Space
Desired paths, and why people persist in criss-crossing the neighbourhood
Scarborough's equivalent to Chicago's Wacker Drive aka Wacky Drive - The street that goes east, south-east, south, east, north-east, north, east, north-east, north, north-east, west.
Memories of The Highland Creek Flood
Intersection Neighbourhoods
How small Scarborough retailers survive next door to the giant STC - Scarborough Town Centre - shopping mall
This Jane's walk ends at the little known Scarborough Walk of Fame

. . . Throughout the walk, you will learn why Scarborough is where Richard Florida meets Jane Jacobs.

NOTE: This Jane's Walk takes place on Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 7:00 P.M.

Meeting Place: Meet in front of Scarborough Centre RT Station main entrance/exit on the interstitial catwalk. Walk begins at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday Evening.

Tour guide(s): HiMY SYeD

End Location: The Scarborough Walk of Fame will be where this Jane's Walk will end.

Neighbourhood Scarborough City Centre, Hillsborough, Highland Creek

Public Transit Directions: Scarborough Centre RT Station, Main Entrance

Accessible

Stairs, and some walking on unpaved parkland.

Parking Available

Scarborough Town Centre has plenty of free parking during regular mall hours.

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Centre For City Ecology

Jane's Walk

Toronto

All tours go – Rain or Shine

This town is made for walking!

Toronto (all walks)

The Annex and Community Activism

Art Deco Skyscrapers of Downtown Toronto

Art & Urbanism at Lansdowne & Bloor

Cedarvale Ravine

Degrassi Street: Between the Riverside and the Railway

Kingsway Park

Back Alley Bike Tour : Downtown West

Flemingdon Park: From Farmland to Wonderland of Diversity

The Bicycle and Social Change in Toronto

Edgy-ness in East Toronto

The Chicken or the Egg: Jewish Life in Kensington Market

Bloor is Getting Down to Business: From the Pits Downe

Front Street East: Peoples' Palace, Oysters, and Ovations

The Changing Landscape of York

Downtown Sculpture Walk

Garment District and Wellington St.: Historic yet ever-changing

Leaside: There will always be a Leaside

CAMH : Toronto Asylum Boundary Walls

Dawlish Ave: Garden Suburb meets Automobile Suburb

Dark Age Ahead - The Wizard of Ossington Jane's Walk

Davenport: The Stairs Along Lake Iroquois

Gay Village: Queer is in the Eye of the Newcomer

Greenwood-Coxwell: A Neighbourhood of Many Names

History of skid row and working poor in East Downtown Toronto

Diversity of Ossington Avenue

Growing Up Around Jane & Wilson

Dovercourt Village

Eglinton & Oakwood: Barbershops, Activism, Art and so much more!

Fort York: 200 years of Lakefront Development

Imagine the Grange: Activism, Beauty and Community

Dorset Park Discovery Walk

Jane-Finch Neighbourhood Tour

A Green tour of Davenport

East Eglinton: Pedestrians, cars and neighbourhood

Lawrence West: The Stories of Lotherton

King-Spadina: One of 'The Two Kings'

King-Spadina: “If I were Mayor...”: the 'hood according to CORE

Jungle Jaunt: Lawrence Heights is Not What You Think

Peanut Plaza and Forest Manor Walk

Long Branch - Toronto's Favourite Summer Resort

Jane's East End Ravine Bike Ride

Scarborough Village: Proud and Resilient

Mount Dennis: Secret Garden and Riverbank Tour

Jane's Jog: Cabbagetown and St Lawrence

Kew Beach West

Mount Dennis: Walk the Talk

Hidden Treasures in North Rosedale

Moore Park: Wild Culture in Mud Creek Ravine

Kew Beach West

Seton Ravine: Urban Water & Edible Weeds

Mimico

Humber River: Heartbeats of History

Junction-High Park: West Bend Community Walk

Kensington Market Gastro-Fantasy

Thorncliffe Park : From Horseshoe to Cosmopolitan Community

Thorncliffe Park: Toronto's most vibrant neighbourhood.

Victoria Village Adventure Walk

The Meeting Place: First Nations on Queen

Places to Bonk on Your Lunch Hour

Lower Don Lands

North Dovercourt: Tracks, Wires, Homes and Industry

Republic of Rathnelly: A weekend at Dad's

Richmond-Adelaide: Two Ways to See Things

Mount Pleasant: Vale of Avoca Tree Tour

Sacred Stones and Steeples

Parkdale Activity Recreation Centre Walk

Weston: Heritage, High Rises and the Humber

The Other Danforth: Death and Life of Upper Midway (Sat @10:00)

The Other Danforth: Death and Life of Upper Midway (Sat @14:00)

The Other Danforth: Death and Life of Upper Midway (Sun @10:00)

The Other Danforth: Death and Life of Upper Midway (Sun @ 14:00)

Steeles - L’Amoreaux: Walking in our Neighbourhood

New Toronto: From Farmland to Industrial Powerhouse

Queen West: Marginal spaces and modish places