A OVERVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT IN
JANE-FINCH – 1950S TO PRESENT
ACT for Youth CBR Presentation
WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES JANE-FINCH
“JANE-FINCH”?
“FACTS” COMMONLY TOLD ABOUT JANE
AND FINCH
…is one of the largest communities in Toronto
with approximately 140,000 residents
 …is a major destination for new immigrants to
Canada
 …has the highest density of public housing in
Canada
 …has among the highest concentrations of
children and youth in Toronto
 …has large number of single-parent families

“FACTS” COMMONLY TOLD ABOUT JANE
AND FINCH
…has among the highest rates of poverty in
Toronto
 …is the focus of nation-wide media and public
attention, often framed in negative discourses
about violence, urban decline and social
dysfunction
 These negative facts are often used to frame
the area as a social/political problem in need
of reform
 When people say that Toronto is one of the
World‟s most multicultural cities, they are
usually not thinking of neighbourhoods like
Jane and Finch but they should be!

JANE-FINCH INTERSECTION IN THE 1950S
Finch Avenue West looking
west from Jane Street, 1957
Jane Street looking north from
Finch Avenue West, 1957
JANE-FINCH INTERSECTION IN 1962
JANE-FINCH INTERSECTION IN 2008
THE POLITICAL ORIGINS OF JANE-FINCH –
1950S-1960S
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In 1954, the Federal and
Provincial governments
expropriated 600 acres of
farmland in the area with the
intention of developing 3,000
low cost homes
Later, the majority of the land
(about 400 acres) was
transferred to the newly
established York University for
its campus
The remaining land was set
aside for mostly residential
development as well as
commercial, industrial and
recreational land use
1962 IN DISTRICT 10 – CITY PLANNERS DREAM OF A
MODERN URBAN COMMUNITY
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In 1962, the area we now know as Jane-Finch was called “District 10” – a
planning unit in that period‟s urban planners‟ vision of good suburban
development
The plan was to develop the existing farm lots into a modern community with a
balance of low-, medium-, and high-density housing, employment,
commercial and social services
1962 District 10 Master Plan
Natural (Green)
Residential (Blue)
Commercial (Red)
Industrial (Grey)
Institutional (Yellow)
Number of Housing Units in Jane-Finch, Selected Years
23,535
24,325
1990
2006
21,085
13,990
4105
810
1946
1960
1970
1980
RE-FRAMING YORK U – LATE 1980S
RE-FRAMING YORK U – LATE 1980S
HIGH MODERNISM AT YORK – VIEWS OF THE
ROSS BUILDING

The 1960s were a peak moment in High
Modernism – an architectural and urban
design movement whose raw ingredients
were order, division of space, and loads of
concrete
MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE AT JANESHOREHAM
MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE AT JANESHOREHAM
MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE AT JANESHOREHAM
THE POLITICAL ORIGINS OF JANE-FINCH,
CONTINUED
“Its situation adjacent to the suggested industrial
area and what will probably be the „noisier‟
portion of the university campus suggests that
low come housing is particularly appropriate
here.”
North York Planning Department (1960) York University Site.
Federal-Provincial Housing lands Jane Street and Steeles
Avenue. pg. 13
THE POLITICAL ORIGINS OF JANE-FINCH,
CONTINUED
 In
Ontario until the mid-1990s, public
housing for families was developed,
owned and administered by the Ontario
Housing Corporation (Ontario Housing).
 In 1967, only 3% of rental units in North
York were public housing
 However, by 1975 in Jane-Finch 22.5% of
all dwellings were public housing units –
“This was the highest concentration of
O.H.C. family units in Metropolitan
Toronto” according to a report by a
planning firm
EARLY POLITICAL DISCOURSE OF JANE-FINCH AS
A “SOCIAL PROBLEM” AND PLANNING FAILURE
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In 1975, a study by a planning consulting firm identified
the following problems resulting from the rapid growth of
the community and large concentrations of low-income
families:
Overcrowded schools
Disconnected social services
Inadequate recreation facilities
A “serious problem” of youth crime, especially near
Jane-Finch Mall
“The rate of growth, the high concentration of low
income households and the lack of community facilities
have contributed to a sense of instability in the
community.”
They also wrote that youth felt a “general
malaise…about living in the Jane-Finch area” and that
the area had a “poor self-image”
POLITICAL REFORM AND THE FUTURE OF JANE-FINCH:
ONTARIO HOUSING BECOME TORONTO HOUSING
 In 2001, the Province “downloaded” public housing
to municipalities
 Previously, the development and maintenance of
public housing was the responsible of federal,
provincial and municipal governments
 Overnight, cities like Toronto were financially
responsible for the maintenance and repair of an
aging housing stock
POLITICAL REFORM AND THE FUTURE OF JANE-FINCH:
ONTARIO HOUSING BECOME TORONTO HOUSING
 Because funding for new social housing has largely
ended in 1996, there is now total reliance on the
market for the provision of new housing
 There is increasingly pressure on public officials to
sell-off public housing to be re-developed by private
developers
 Do you think that the city should privatize public
housing?
 What are some of the implications of doing this?
RE-BRANDING JANE-FINCH

In October 2009, banners were raised across Jane-Finch as
part of Councillor Anthony Perruzza‟s strategy to rebrand the
neighbourhood as “University Heights”
DO YOU THINK JANE-FINCH SHOULD BE “REBRANDED”?
What do you think about renaming the
community?
 Why do you think rebranding the community
has become an issue at this point in JaneFinch’s history?

TWO DIFFERENT VIEWS ABOUT RE-BRANDING
JANE-FINCH
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"A lot people feel (the rebranding) is a kind of rejection
of how far we've come," she said. "A lot of people are
actually proud of Jane and Finch, so they look at it as
saying we're not supposed to be proud and we have to
hide from the name.”
"It's a good thing ... because the current name has
negative connotations. When you say University Heights,
it's going to sound much better," he said. "It's not about
trying to hide the location – you can't – but what is
important is it gives (people) additional information that
this neighbourhood is really close to the university.“
What do you think about renaming the community?
Why do you think rebranding the community has
become an issue at this point in Jane-Finch’s history?