Jane's Walk Victoria_YYJ 2023
Jane’s Walk is an annual festival of free, citizen-led walking conversations inspired by Jane Jacobs.
This is the official Jane's Walk page for Victoria, British Columbia, where volunteer walk leaders and participants can plan and promote their walks.
On the first weekend of May every year, Jane’s Walk festivals take place in hundreds of cities around the world. Jane’s Walks encourage people to share stories about their neighbourhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities, and use walking as a way to connect with their neighbours.
Lead a Jane's Walk
Do you have a favourite walk or something special about your neighbourhood you would like to share with others? It's up to you where you will lead your walk…
Consider participants mobility and use of public transit, getting around on foot, bicycle, or other wheeled conveyance.
Walks will be listed on the page below:
If you want to participate in a Jane's Walk and find out something about your city from someone who lives there, just show up at the starting location or meet along the way and enjoy the walk!
Love your city.
Meet a friend at Jane's Walk_YYJ 2023
Jane's Walks in Victoria 2023:
Victoria's Downtown – Fun Facts and Little Known Secrets
Saturday, May 6th, 2023
1 p.m.– 2:30 p.m.
1 p.m.– 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Fountain in Centennial Square
Route and Stops:
We will start at Centennial Square with some facts and discussion about Victoria's settler history, take a short walk through Canada's oldest Chinatown and highlight the contribution of Victoria's Chinese community, then down Pandora to Wharf to view Reeson Park, the Gold Rush buildings, Market Square and Swan's and highlight the mid-1970's revival of Old Town and the various actors' contributions, then onto Bastion Square and some reflections on the original Hudson's Bay Company Fort, down Government Street to the Causeway and learn how the natural environment was changed with the in-filling of James Bay. We will then head to the Emily Carr statue, through the Empress Rose Garden and stop at the Crystal Garden building and its role in Victoria's early forays into the tourist industry. As we head back down Douglas Street we will learn about the early Hawaiian settler community, and some facts about various of the post-WW2 buildings (the Court House, the BC Energy Building, the Sussex Building), chat about some of the new developments coming on-line, and view the oldest Synagogue in western Canada before heading back to Centennial Square to conclude our walk.
Duration: 90 minutes
Accessibility: curbs and steps, sidewalks, busy or noisy vehicle traffic, bicycle lock-up available
seniors welcome, children welcome, people with wheelchairs or walking aids welcome
Visit the Victoria Downtown Residents Association on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
https://www.victoriadra.ca/
Walk Leader: Dianne Flood
email: community.engagement@victoriadra.ca
Bowker Creek Connecting Communities
Saturday, May 6th, 2023
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Meet at Bowker Creek at Oak Bay High School
START – Bowker Creek at Oak Bay High School outdoor classroom
Bowker at Bee Street – Oak Bay Rec parking lot
Metal tree sculpture – Bowker Creek fountain feature
Trent Street rain gardens and riparian restoration at St. Patrick’s School
Riparian restoration at Kings Community Green Space
North Jubilee Spirit Garden – Bowker Creek Blueprint daylighting potential at Reach 8
END – Lansdowne South School field – Bring a picnic lunch, stay and chat
Accessibility: Curbs and steps, Sidewalks, Busy or noisy vehicle traffic, Dirt paths
Seniors welcome, Children welcome, People with bicycles welcome, People with wheelchairs or walking aids welcome
Duration: 90 minutes
Walk Leader: Soren Henrich
contact: friendsofbowkercreek+outreach@gmail.com
Fernwood Creek Walk and History of 1300-block Gladstone
Saturday, May 6th, 2023
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Meet at the gazebo in the square at Fernwood & Gladstone
Hints of our past remain in view. Let’s take a walk and share stories.
After introductions and some background we’ll saunter east on Gladstone, south on Stanley to Vining where an education sign describes the pond that used to fill this area, then return north on Stanley, west on Pembroke, north on Sayward along the old creek route, east on Denman, north on Oregon to Alexander Park…a former swamp with another education sign. We will then head over to Garden St…another former swamp, then up Cedar Hill to Princess and the site of the spring, Fort Victoria’s first water supply. We will then swing back to Gladstone with a stop at the new well in Stephenson Park.
Accessibility: sidewalks, busy or noisy vehicle traffic, wheelchair-accessible, bicycle lock-up available
Seniors welcome, Children welcome, People with bicycles welcome, People with wheelchairs or walking aids welcome
Duration: 90 minutes
Walk Leader: Dan Doherty
contact: d1doherty@gmail.com
Esquimalt: Learning about the past, walking toward the future
Saturday, May 6th, 2023 – rain or shine
1:00-2:30 p.m.
Meet at Esquimalt Town Square in front of the new library.
1:00-2:30 p.m.
Meet at Esquimalt Town Square in front of the new library.
Sponsored by Walk On, Victoria, the CRD’s pedestrian advocacy group
Partly a history walk, partly a walk to point out changes that are coming to this neighbourhood as new sidewalks and other features are constructed to improve pedestrian safety. An opportunity to meet neighbours and share stories about the community, past and present and to talk about walkability in the area.
Walk Route and Stops:
Esquimalt Town Square to Bullen Park. Learn who William Fitzherbert Bullen was and the role he and his family played in what became the British Columbia Marine Railway Company and later Yarrows Ltd. Shipyard.
Swinford to Kinver, where we’ll re-imagine late 19th century picnics on the lawn at Fleming Beach and learn about the founding of the Macaulay Golf Club in 1893.
Kinver to Munro and past Plaskett Place (formerly Armit Road), where Dr. John Stanley Plaskett, who helped design and build instruments for the Dominion Observatory, lived. On Munro we’ll view an example of the Beaux Art home named Stonehenge, designed in 1909 by architect P. Leonard James and designated a heritage home in 1998.
From Munro we’ll walk to Fraser Street and to Saxe Point Park, observing historical landmarks along the way and discussing historical figures who played key roles in building early Esquimalt.
Return to Esquimalt Town Square, where the walk began.
Accessibility: Curbs and steps, Sidewalks, Busy or noisy vehicle traffic
Seniors welcome, Children welcome, People with bicycles welcome, People with wheelchairs or walking aids welcome, Friendly dogs on leashes also welcome.
Duration: 90 minutes
Walk Leader: Jean Newton
contact: 19bjeannewton45@gmail.com
Oaklands Photowalk
Saturday, May 6th
1 p.m.
1 p.m.
Meet at Koffi (1441 Haultain St)
You're invited to join Lee Cookson - a local artist and photographer on a photowalk exploring the neighborhood of Oaklands.
As part of his project, Locals Only, Lee has been conducting ongoing surveys of Oaklands, capturing patterns, observations, and nuisances of the neighborhood with his camera in an effort to define what makes it unique. These surveys include routine walks along established routes in Oaklands which offer a window to view it over time. This photowalk will follow one of these established routes, during which Lee will share his approach to viewing the neighborhood around him and capturing photographs of it.
Participants will also be invited to submit their photographs for publication as part of the Locals Only project, supported by Neighbourhood Small Grants. Locals Only will feature the neighborhood of Oaklands as seen through the lenses of those who live, work, and visit the area. This project is dedicated to collaborative placemaking and exploring the shared identity of a neighborhood. More info is available at: localsonlyzine.ca
All camera types and experience levels are welcome. Bring your large format film setup, your smartphone, or whatever you enjoy taking photos with!
Walk Route and Stops:
The photowalk will begin and end at Koffi, a coffee shop located in Haultain Corners. While the walk will have a preordained route, stops along the way will be impromptu, responding to what we find along the way, and pausing as required for everyone to capture the photographs they discover. This photowalk encourages participation, whether with your camera or by joining the conversation about what you observe.
The photowalk will introduce a new way to look at Oaklands and your own neighborhood, and how you can utilize photography to explore the city around you. It will be an investigation into what defines Oaklands, or neighborhoods in general. What gives it an identity? What makes it unique? How do you recognize it?
The route for the photowalk will follow Haultain Street west to Mt. Stephen Avenue. Following Mt. Stephen Avenue north will lead us to Mt. Stephen Park. From there we will take Ryan Street to Ivy Place leading to Hamilton Road until Belmont Avenue. Heading south on Belmont Avenue, we will then make our way back to Koffi.
Accessibility: curbs and steps, sidewalks, busy or noisy vehicle traffic, dirt paths, bicycle lock-up available / seniors welcome
Walk Duration: 60 - 90 minutes
Walk Leader: Lee Cookson
contact: cooksonl@gmail.com
The Great Bars and Incredible Stories of Old Victoria
Saturday, May 6th, 2023
3:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
Meet Outside the Garrick's Head Pub (69 Bastion Square)
Paris has its cafes, Dublin has its pubs, and early immigrants to Victoria had their bars and saloons.
Many of the buildings that housed Victoria’s most famous (and infamous) drinking establishments still stand today. On this walk, drawn from the late historian Glen Mofford’s book Aqua Vitae, we will visit the sites of some of these storied community watering holes and tell tales of the larger-than-life characters, incredible events, politics, and mysterious murders that played out inside them. We will discuss how women, Indigenous people, and immigrants from around the world all played roles in the early history of Victoria’s bar scene.
Through these stories walk participants will get a flavour of how life was - and how it changed - for people living in Victoria as the city developed from a muddy boomtown into a manicured capital between 1860 and 1917. As we emerge from a global pandemic that closed many bars, pubs, and cafes for a time, this walk will encourage people to think about the role these gathering places play in the social and political life of our community today.
Walk Duration: 60 minutes
Walk Route and Stops:
The walk will begin and end outside the Garrick’s Head Pub in Bastion Square. The route will move forward through time, beginning with stories from the rowdy saloons that lined what was the edge of town in the 1860’s. We’ll then head east along Johnson St past the building that housed the infamous Regent’s Inn, until we reach Blanchard St. There we’ll discuss the dramatic history of the Kaiserhof Hotel before heading back west along Yates, stopping at sites of the high-end drinking establishments that graced Victoria’s elegant of turn-of-the century hotels on our way back to the Garrick's Head.
Accessibility: curbs and steps, sidewalks, busy or noisy vehicle traffic, wheelchair-accessible, bicycle lock-up available
seniors welcome, people with bicycles welcome, people with wheelchairs or walking aids welcome.
Walk Leader: JM McColl
contact: john.michael.mccoll@gmail.com
Parks, Plazas and Pathways in Vic West
Sunday, May 7th, 2023
10:30 a.m.
Meet at the Viewing Deck in Songhees park on south side of Johnson St Bridge.
10:30 a.m.
Meet at the Viewing Deck in Songhees park on south side of Johnson St Bridge.
Join Walk On, Victoria and the City of Victoria for a tour of Vic West as we highlight upcoming changes and recent walking, cycling and placemaking upgrades. We will start in the recently expanded Songhees Park, including a look at the new plaza and dock. From there we will continue to the upgraded multi-use pathway as part of the recently completed Kimta/E&N Connector route, head through Lime Bay Park and across Esquimalt Road to Henry Street where a new community garden will be located. We will finish with refreshments at the Market Garden on Catherine Street.
Duration: 90 minutes
Walk Route and Stops:
Viewing Deck in Songhees Park Plaza
Kimta Rd at Tyee Road
Kimta at Catherine Street
Henry St at Bay Street
Catherine St at Wilson St
Market Garden
Accessibility: curbs and steps, sidewalks, wheelchair-accessible, bicycle lock-up available, Some steep grades/elevations
seniors welcome, children welcome, people with bicycles welcome, people with wheelchairs or walking aids welcome.
Walk Leader: Amanda Macdonald
contact: swilliams@victoria.ca