Jane’s Walk

Walking Together: Reflections on Jane’s Walk with Vibrant Community Health

On Saturday, Vibrant Community Health was thrilled to host a Jane’s Walk through our neighbourhood—an inspiring opportunity to explore, reflect, and connect through the places we call home. This special event brought together community members, staff, volunteers, and local leaders to walk in the spirit of Jane Jacobs, whose legacy reminds us of the power of people-centred neighbourhoods, local knowledge, and civic engagement.

From the start of the walk to the final conversations at the end, we witnessed how powerful it can be when people come together with curiosity, care, and shared purpose. Whether you contributed stories, asked thoughtful questions, or simply walked or rolled alongside others, your participation helped make the experience meaningful.

This year’s walk focused on the barriers to care faced by many in our community—and how we can work together to create more accessible, inclusive systems and spaces. Along the way, we heard from people with lived experience, explored challenges in the built environment, and began important conversations about the work ahead. We know this walk was only the beginning of many more discussions and actions to come.

We’d like to extend heartfelt thanks to our Vibrant Community Council members who led the coordination of the event, the speakers who generously shared their stories and insights, and the many volunteers and staff who helped bring the walk to life.

We were also honoured to be joined by Councillor Rachel Chernos Lin, who walked with us and engaged in meaningful conversations with participants. Her presence and openness to hearing from the community was deeply appreciated, and we look forward to continuing our dialogue with her in the weeks and months ahead.

Finally, we are grateful to Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who sent a kind message in response to our invitation. Her words of encouragement and support were shared with participants.

As always, we welcome your reflections, feedback, and ideas. If the walk sparked a thought you’d like to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Together, we’ll keep walking, advocating, and building a more vibrant and healthy community for all. In the coming weeks, the Vibrant Community Council will share a report overviewing the discussion and insights that came from this year’s walk.

Thank you for rolling & walking with us.

– The Vibrant Community Health Team