Part of the Jane’s Walks weekend, I did a walk in the St. James Town neighbourhood. It was led by two young girls who are part of the St. James Town Youth Council and live in the neighbourhood. With their list in hand and about 10 or so people, the two girls took us around their neighbourhood.
We were told about the good and bad things in the neighrbourhood. The girls told us stories of shootings they’ve heard about along Bleeker Street, pointed out the flea markets and places where the community get together for games, festivals and other events. I would have liked to hear a little more history about the apartment buildings and the population living in this part of the city. My impression was that there was a lot of diversity and that people who live in this area generally feel safe although there are some very bad parts that are best avoided.
Here’s a little history that I had to look up to supplement the the information was given to us in the walking tour.
St. James Town is in the northeast corner of the downtown Toronto area, bounded by Sherbourne Street to the west, Bloor Street to the north, Parliament Street to the east, and Wellesley Street East to the south. It’s the most densely populated neighbourhoods anywhere in North America housing 17,000 residents; although the residents think it’s closer to 25,000 people. It is the largest high-rise community in Canada with approximately 17, 000 people living in the area. There are 19 high-rise buildings (14 to 32 stories) and 4 low-rise buildings which were built in the 1960s. The buildings are all rentals and 4 low rise buildings are government owned to accommodate those on welfare or who really need housing. Also, each building is named after a city in Canada.
As this neighbourhood is a low-income neighourhood with an average income of $22,341 (2006 Census), it has attracted a large immigrant population mostly from South Asian community. It has been identified as one of 13 economically deprived neighborhoods within the city.
The City of Toronto, as part of some initiatives to improve the neighbourhood, had a new community centre built which also houses a public library. There are also small basketball courts and playgrounds scattered throughout the neighbourhood that have been revitalized.
The two girls who were taking us on the tour pointed out the grocery stores, access to transport, the schools available, and other areas of the neighbourhood which demonstartes how the community is evolving and diverse. They also pointed to areas nearby the community centre where they put on community shows and festivals.
