Jane’s Walk tours set for Pointe-Claire, Ste-Anne villages
Local walking tours of old West Island neighbourhoods — PointeClaire and Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue — are being organized as part of this year’s Jane’s Walk events.
A walking tour of the PointeClaire Village is planned for Saturday (in French) and Sunday (in English) by a local heritage group, the Société pour la Sauvegarde du Patrimoine de Pointe-Claire. Both tours begin at 1 p.m. in front of St-Joachim Church, located at 2 Ste-Anne Ave. in Pointe-Claire. The tour is free and reservations are not required.
The theme of the two-hour tour is Pointe-Claire heritage. As such, it will include a visit to the city’s iconic windmill (1709-1710) located next to the former convent on the shores of Lake St. Louis.
Pointe-Claire was founded in 1713 as the parish of La pointe Claire.
“The best way to discover the secrets of a neighbourhood is on foot,” the organizers say in a statement.
The walking tour of Ste-Anne Village takes place May 6, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The two-hour walk begins at 74 Ste-Anne St.
Ryan Young will lead the historical walk of Ste-Anne’s again this year.
The walking tour will cover more than 150 years of history in the historic village of Ste-Annede-Bellevue, including the canal and lock system, which is a national historic site, and the railroad, as well as late 19th-century and early 20th-century architecture.
Jane’s Walk began in Toronto in 2007 and has since evolved into an international event. It now takes place in hundreds of cities around the world.
More than 60 walks are planned for 18 neighbourhoods in Montreal. The walk themes are related to history, urban development and nature.
Jane’s Walk is an annual event held in honour of Jane Jacobs, an urban activist who valued citizen knowledge and participation in urban planning. Jane’s Walk is aimed at encouraging citizens to explore their respective town or city.
“Jane Jacobs enhanced the citizens’ expertise in urban development projects and advocated to explore the city on foot for an improved design,” said Véronique Fournier, executive director of the Montreal Urban Ecology Centre, the organizers of Jane’s Walk in Montreal since 2009.
“This great lady laid the foundation of the concept of cities on a human scale. This is exactly the vision we want to perpetuate and Jane’s Walks are an opportunity to celebrate the city and public spaces from all angles,” Fournier added.
For more info on Jane’s Walk events in Montreal, visit 150conversationsenmarche.com.