One of the year’s biggest, most consistently fascinating volunteer-led events returns this weekend—and just in time for the good weather. On Saturday and Sunday, May 4 and 5, nearly 20 Jane’s Walks will take place all over Halifax and Dartmouth as part of a global place-making initiative. The walks are named for the late urbanist and activist Jane Jacobs, who advocated for everyday citizens and their importance in shaping their communities.
In Halifax, you’ll find guided walks and bike rides telling stories of the city’s tree canopy, the North End Bikeway, Quinpool Road’s murals, untold lore from Dartmouth’s cemeteries, Halifax’s waterfront and its changes and the history of segregation in Nova Scotia, among other tours. All are free and volunteer-led.
“It’s very much a grassroots, community-led volunteer festival,” says organizer Emma Bartel, speaking with The Coast.
Created in Toronto in 2007 by Jacobs’ friends (her birthday was May 4), Jane’s Walk spread to Halifax and eight other Canadian cities by the following year. Today, it’s gone global: As of 2023, Jane’s Walks ran in more than 500 cities across more than 40 countries, from Japan to Argentina to Algeria. That speaks to the influence Jacobs had—and still has—in her advocacy, Bartel says. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 1916, Jacobs fought against so-called “urban renewal” efforts to clear poor residents from their neighbourhoods in New York City and later Toronto.
“She spent a lot of time championing the voices of everyday people in neighbourhood planning and city building,” Bartel tells The Coast, “and was famous in some of her activism and authorship for inviting everyone—all of us—to be part of shaping the cities that we live, work and play in.”
The magic of Jane’s Walks, Bartel adds, is that “anyone can be a walk lead.” There are no fees or barriers to entry. Volunteers simply sign up online.
“We all have a perspective to bring about the places we live,” she says.
This year’s Jane’s Walk includes 19 tours across Halifax, and you don’t need to pre-register for any of them. Just show up, Bartel says. Here’s a look at what’s on offer:
All the Jane’s Walks on Saturday, May 4
Tree Stories – Tell One, Make One
Friends of Halifax Common founder Peggy Cameron leads a walk along Robie Street in an area once known as Woodill. Take some time to “help decorate and celebrate these little-noticed members of our natural world.”
10am | Meet at the corner of Robie and Willow streets (details here)
Good Ride / Not-So-Good Ride
Take a “lazy bicycle tour” through Halifax’s North End Bikeway and the neighbourhood around it, led by safe streets advocate—and “guerrilla traffic calmer”—Steve MacKay. Bring your own bicycle.
10am | Meet at Hydrostone Park near the flagpoles (details here)
Cultivating History: A Tour Through the Halifax Public Gardens
Amateur historian Colin Mitchell leads a tour of the Halifax Public Gardens—one of the oldest Victorian gardens in North America, and a place “deeply intertwined with Halifax and its brushes with colonialism, imperialism, racism, vigilante justice, reconciliation and climate change.”
11am | Meet at the north side of Horticultural Hall in the Public Gardens (details here)
Explore the Murals of Quinpool Road
Halifax artist Mike Burt—the driving force behind the Halifax Mural Festival—leads a walking tour along Quinpool, talking about the various artists whose work graces the streetscape, the inspiration behind their work, the techniques they used and the impact they’ve had.
2pm | Meet outside of Dilly Dally Cafe (6100 Quinpool Road, details here)
Shubie Stroll
Join Dartmouthian Richard MacMichael for a “unique tour” through Shubie Park and “explore historic canal features like the Holding Pond, the Deep Cut and the remains of stone blackhouses (temporary homes built by the canal workers during construction.”
11am | Meet at the Fairbanks Centre (54 Locks Road, details here)
Plot Twist: An Alternative Tour of Dartmouth’s Cemeteries
Popular Dartmouth-based columnist Katy Jean leads an “unconventional walking tour” of downtown Dartmouth’s cemeteries, featuring “curious deaths, notable names … and history on the cemeteries themselves.”
1:30pm | Meet at Christ Church Cemetery on Park Avenue (details here)
Working Class Heritage Tour: By Choice or By Force
In a crossover event with the Mayworks Festival, labour folklorist Emma Lang tells the story of immigrants and migrants to Halifax in a walking tour of the Halifax Seaport area, from Acadian expulsion to the Chinese community who found a home in Halifax to enslaved people sold on the Halifax waterfront.
1pm | Meet at the Peace and Friendship Park (1181 Hollis Street, details here)
All the Jane’s Walks on Sunday, May 5
Yoga Walk: Mindfulness in Motion
Social worker and yoga practitioner Madhulika Handoo leads a “unique walking experience” around the Halifax Common and Citadel, where “you’ll have the opportunity to engage in gentle yoga poses that reflect the history and character of the neighbourhood.”
9am | Meet at the Oval on the Halifax Common (details here)
The Halifax Waterfront: From Busy & Gritty Working Waterfront to Bustling & Beloved Public Destination
Build Nova Scotia senior planner Terry Drisdelle returns with a walk he’s led for years, speaking about how Halifax’s waterfront transformed from a busy commercial port to an “area of abandoned and deteriorating properties” to “the most-visited public destination in Nova Scotia.”
10am | Meet at the south end of the Halifax Boardwalk, next to the overhead arch by the Emera building (details here)
History of Oakland Road
Learn about the evolution of Oakland Road in Halifax’s south end and its future as one of Halifax’s proposed heritage conservation districts.
10am | Meet outside of 1206 Robie Street (details here)
Quiet Revolutionaries: Remembering Those Who Challenged Segregation in Nova Scotia
Join the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia at the historic Camp Hill Cemetery for an “engaging conversation about the history of segregation in Nova Scotia.” During the walk, participants will “explore the notion that Camp Hill Cemetery exists as a tangible record of both our shared history of segregation, as well as the ways we remember and carry on the spirit of those who fought for a better world.”
11am | Meet at the Camp Hill Cemetery (1698 Summer Street, details here)
College By the Sea: Hidden History of Dalhousie University
In its 200 years, Dalhousie University has seen fire, scandal, religious bigotry, American billionaires, gunpoint resignations, British aristocrats, backroom scheming and unfortunate accidents shape its history. Join amateur historian Colin Mitchell for a tour “through the depths of Dalhousie’s history and its transformation from a little college by the sea to a leading national research university.”
11am | Meet at Dal’s Henry Hicks Building (6283 Alumni Crescent, details here)
Shubie Stroll
In a rerun of Saturday’s event, Join Dartmouthian Richard MacMichael for a “unique tour” through Shubie Park and “explore historic canal features like the Holding Pond, the Deep Cut and the remains of stone blackhouses (temporary homes built by the canal workers during construction.”
11am | Meet at the Fairbanks Centre (54 Locks Road, details here)
The Beginning of Democracy in Halifax
Join political scientist Wesley Petite for a walk that will “transport attendees back to the 1840s, when the likes of Alexander Keith, Enos Collins and Joseph Howe were commonly seen walking the streets of Halifax.”
11am | Meet at the front entrance to the Historic Properties (1869 Upper Water Street, details here)
Take a Walk on the Blind Side!!
Ever wondered what it’s like to navigate Halifax while visually impaired? Join Melina Khazanavicius and her guide dog, Hope, for a “walk under the blindfold” and “learn about myths, misconceptions and misunderstandings about someone who is blind or partially sighted.” This year marks the second for Khazanavicius’s tour, which Bartel says was a hit in 2023. Please leave any pets at home.
1pm | Meet at the northeast corner of North and Windsor streets (details here)
Explore the Murals of Quinpool Road
In a rerun of Saturday’s Jane’s Walk, Halifax artist Mike Burt—the driving force behind the Halifax Mural Festival—leads a walking tour along Quinpool, talking about the various artists whose work graces the streetscape, the inspiration behind their work, the techniques they used and the impact they’ve had.
2pm | Meet outside of Dilly Dally Cafe (6100 Quinpool Road, details here)
North End Public Art Tour
Halifax artist Linnet Finley leads a tour “into the heart of one of the city's most dynamic neighbourhoods, showcasing an eclectic array of public art that captures the spirit and diversity of the community.”
2pm | Meet at the corner of North and Agricola streets (details here)
Cycling in the City
Join Cycling NS for a ride from the Oval to Point Pleasant Park and back, where the not-for-profit will discuss “cycling infrastructure, safe cycling and more.” Bring a bike and a helmet.
2pm | Meet at the Oval at the Halifax Common (details here)
The House That Built Halifax: A Halifax Box House Tour
For 40 years, one house style dominated new-home construction in Halifax, Dartmouth, and the surrounding countryside. Most still stand today, over a century later. Heritage enthusiast Maura Donovan leads a tour of the “humble Halifax Box House.”
3:30pm | Meet at the end of Princess Place (where it meets Cunard Street, east of Robie Street, details here)
