Jane and Finch is a neighbourhood located in the northwest end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the district of North York. Centred at the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue West, the area is roughly bounded by Highway 400 to the west, Black Creek to the east, Sheppard Avenue to the south, and Steeles Avenue to the north. Two city neighbourhoods cover the area commonly known as Jane and Finch. From Finch north to Steeles is considered part of the Black Creek community while from Finch south to Sheppard is called Glenfield-Jane Heights.
The Joseph Crossan House in Elia, on the northwest corner of present-day Jane St. and Finch Ave. in 1878.
Jane-Finch was originally the rural community of Elia. The area was developed as a model suburb in the 1960s in response to the rapid urban growth of Toronto. The community was planned to accommodate a socially diverse population and included a substantial amount of public housing, but insufficient thought was given to the social infrastructure needed to sustain community life.[2]
The 1960s development plans spearheaded by the Ontario Housing Corporation (OHC) coincided with North York Planning Department's goal of creating a more urban-looking suburb. Known for its series of high-rise buildings and, concomitantly, its above average population density, Jane-Finch experienced astronomical growth from 1961 to 1971 when the population went from 1,300 to 33,000, thereby accounting for more than 40% of the growth in North York.[3] In general, urban planners, local politicians, residents of Jane-Finch, and others today are of the opinion that the OHC and North York erred seriously, contributing to rapid population growth in the area without anticipating its negative consequences.
By 1967, 22.5% of all residential dwellings in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood were designated public housing. Meanwhile, just 3% of North York was designated public housing at the same time.[4] Throughout the 1960s, many of the private and public housing buildings were constructed in the modern architectural style.[4] The high concentration of public housing units, transformed the area into a high-poverty neighbourhood.
Throughout the 1960s, a number of buildings in the neighbourhood were built in a modern architectural style.
In 1973, a group of dedicated residents, politicians and community workers started identifying ways to address community problems. They concentrated their efforts on improving their neighbourhood's negative image and creating a sense of community pride. Since then the neighbourhood has developed over 30 grassroots associations, including social and health service organizations, based on principles of mutual aid. Jane-Finch residents managed to create the infrastructure that their community needed to become healthy and sustainable. They succeeded in bringing together various sectors to address a wide range of economic, social and recreational needs.[5] Still, a 1975 study by a planning consulting firm identified the following problems resulting from the rapid growth of the community: overcrowded schools, disconnected social services, inadequate recreation facilities, and a serious issue with youth crime.[4]
In 1983 Jennifer Hodge de Silva, a pioneering filmmaker of the 1970s and 1980s produced the film, Home Feeling: Struggle for a Community[6] which revealed tensions between police and area residents.[7]
Between 1981 and 2001, the total population of North York grew by 8.7%; higher economic families by 9%, but poor economic families by 80.5%. Poverty intensified in 5 main areas. The most prominent is the Jane-Finch area, where four poor neighbourhoods turned into regions of very high poverty, and a region that previously had low to moderate poverty became classified as having high levels of poverty. By 2001, a major shift had taken place, with the immigrant family population now accounting for 62.4% of the total family population in these communities, and Canadian born families making up the remaining 37.6%. Between 1981 and 2001, the number of racialized individuals also increased by 219%.
21st century (2001–present)
By 2002, the area had "one of the highest proportions of youth, sole-supported families, refugees and immigrants, low-income earners and public housing tenants of any community in Toronto".[8] That year, only 70% of people in the neighbourhood had proper indoor plumbing (compared to 95% of Canadians), and brownouts were common.[8] Over half of the neighbourhood's residents lived below the poverty line.[9] The United Way's "Poverty by Postal Code-The Geography of Neighbourhood Poverty: 1981–2001" also highlighted poverty in the city.[10]
The area still grapples with youth crime, with the highest youth crime risk index score of any Toronto neighbourhood,[11] and elevated crime rates.[12] The Canadian government funded a youth program known as Positive Alternatives to Youth Gangs (PAYG) in the neighbourhood.[11] The Toronto City Summit Alliance's Strong Neighbourhoods Task Force identified the Black Creek Neighbourhood as one of the 13 Priority Neighbourhoods across the city, where there are not enough social services to address the growing needs of the community. Jane-Finch was one of three Toronto neighbourhoods to address community safety through the Prevention and Intervention Toronto (PIT) program funded by the National Crime Prevention Centre, focuses on youth between the ages of 13 and 24 that are already involved in gangs or at risk of becoming so.[13]
As part of a rebranding strategy in 2008, Toronto City Councillor Anthony Perruzza had banners attached to hundreds of hydro poles in Jane and Finch, calling the area University Heights, due to its proximity to York University, and referencing the existing name of the neighbourhood in municipal planning documents.[14]
In December 2017, an extension of the western branch of the Line 1 Yonge-University subway line was opened, with a station; Finch West, at Keele Street, about 1.5km east of the neighbourhood.
Major police raids targeting the neighbourhood's gangs have occurred in 2007, 2011 and 2017.[15][16][17][18][19] According to Toronto's police chief, area gangs "have infiltrated various communities" across the province and beyond.[20]
TCDSB currently does not operate a regular secondary school in the neighbourhood as of 2024, with TCDSB secondary school students residing in Jane and Finch attending institutions in adjacent neighbourhoods. However, the board previously operated Regina Pacis Catholic Secondary School, opened in 1980 until its closure in 2002. The building has been occupied by Monsignor Fraser College's Norfinch Campus is also situated in the neighbourhood. Monsignor Fraser College is a secondary education institution operated by TCDSB as a specialized dual-track alternative and adult secondary school.
The French first language public secular school board, Conseil scolaire Viamonde, and it separate counterpart, Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir also offer schooling to applicable residents of Jane and Finch, although they do not operate a school in the neighbourhood. CSCM and CSV students attend schools situated in other neighbourhoods in Toronto.
Several municipal parks are situated in Jane and Finch, including Fennimore Park, Driftwood Park, Edgeley Park, Hullmar Park, Oakdale Park, Remberto Navia Sports Field, Silvio Colella Park, and Topcliff Park. Several municipal parks are situated near the Black Creek, a tributary of the Humber River. The Black Creek, and its valleys, forms a part of the larger Toronto ravine system. Municipal parks in Jane and Finch are maintained by the Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division. The division also operates several community centres in the neighbourhood, including Driftwood Community Centre, Domenico DiLuca Community Recreation Centre, Northwood Community Centre, Oakdale Community Centre.
The Oakdale Golf & Country Club is a private, parkland-style golf and tennis club located in the neighborhood; Black Creek runs through the course..[26] It hosted the 2023 Canadian Open, and will host the tournament again in 2026.[27][28]
Two branches of the Toronto Public Library also operate from the neighbourhood, York Woods branch, and Jane/Sheppard branch.
Several major roadways bound the neighbourhood, including the two namesake streets that form its core; Jane Street and Finch Avenue. Other major thoroughfares that pass through the neighbourhood are Steeles Avenue to the north, Sheppard Avenue to the south, and Highway 400 to the west. Highway 400 is a controlled access highway that forms a part of the province's 400-series highways.
Construction of a light rail line through the neighbourhood, the Finch West LRT, is presently underway with the line expected to open in 2023.[29] In conjunction with the Finch West LRT, construction of a new community hub is planned to be built in the Jane and Finch area.[30]
^Trillium Foundation, Press Release, 1998 cited by MacNevin, Wanda, From the Edge: A Woman’s Evolution from Abuse to Activism, Picas and Points Publishing, 1999, p. 236-37
Italics indicate neighbourhoods now defunct. For information on the evolution of each neighbourhood in general, see History of neighbourhoods in Toronto.
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