Jane’s Walk honours the legacy and ideas of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs who resided in the Annex neighbourhood in Toronto for much of her adult life. Jane's Walk began in Toronto five years ago and has expanded to 36 cities in Canada, 18 cities in the United States and 15 countries in total around the world.
Jane’s Walk is a series of free neighbourhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with where they live, work and play by exploring the subtle nuances past, present, and future that make each neighbourhood unique and special.
This year there were 170 walks held in neighbourhoods across Toronto on the weekend of May 7th and 8th. Some of these walks included: exploring the Rosedale Valley, discovering the Toronto Islands, a look back at the rural history of Willowdale, a retrospective on Downsview Park, the proposed revitalization of Lawrence Heights and an interpretive look at the rare oak savannah forest in High Park.
With so many walks to choose from, and they all sounded great, I ultimately chose to go on the Aggie’s Wildflowers Heritage Nature Walk along the Humber River. This walk started at the historic Lambton House. Our guide was Madeleine McDowell a legendary historian in Toronto’s west end.
This 2-hour walk along the banks of the Humber River – a Canadian Heritage River – was based on the book “Canadian Wildflowers” published in 1867. A highlight was the pathway in the Magwood Sanctuary a small remnant Old Growth Forest and rare woodland marsh where we stopped to admire the proliferation of trilliums on the forest floor next to the river.
A complimentary tea at the Lambton House capped off the walk in a nice fashion. This was my second Jane’s Walk. I encourage all residents to get out and enjoy this event next year. For more information see the website www.janeswalk.net
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