Jane and Finch is a neighbourhood located in the northwest end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the district of North York. Centred at the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue West, the area is roughly bounded by Highway 400 to the west, Black Creek to the east, Sheppard Avenue to the south, and Steeles Avenue to the north. Two city neighbourhoods cover the area commonly known as Jane and Finch. From Finch north to Steeles is considered part of the Black Creek community while from Finch south to Sheppard is called Glenfield-Jane Heights.
The Jane and Finch community is a high density and low-income neighbourhood. It is made up of single-family detached and semi-detached houses, along with several high-rise apartment buildings, with a mix of residential and commercial developments.
History
The earliest known human habitation in the area shows that the area was occupied by the Haudenosaunee people during the fifteenth century. The Parsons Site, located near Black Creek, contained the remains of a large Iroquoian village containing at least ten longhouses, palisades, middens, and a burial site. The site is regarded as one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in Toronto, documenting a sizeable Indigenous presence in the Jane and Finch area prior to European colonization. Jane-Finch later became known as Ellia following European settlement.
left|thumb|The Joseph Crossan House in Elia, on the northwest corner of present-day Jane St. and Finch Ave. in 1878.
The area was developed as a model suburb in the 1960s in response to the rapid urban growth of Toronto. The community was planned to accommodate a socially diverse population and included a substantial amount of public housing, but insufficient thought was given to the social infrastructure needed to sustain community life.
The 1960s development plans spearheaded by the Ontario Housing Corporation (OHC) coincided with North York Planning Department's goal of creating a more urban-looking suburb. Known for its series of high-rise buildings and, concomitantly, its above average population density, Jane-Finch experienced astronomical growth from 1961 to 1971 when the population went from 1,300 to 33,000, thereby accounting for more than 40% of the growth in North York.
By 1967, 22.5% of all residential dwellings in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood were designated public housing. Meanwhile, just 3% of North York was designated public housing at the same time. Throughout the 1960s, many of the private and public housing buildings were constructed in the modern architectural style. Still, a 1975 study by a planning consulting firm identified the following problems resulting from the rapid growth of the community: overcrowded schools, disconnected social services, inadequate recreation facilities, and a serious issue with youth crime. which revealed tensions between police and area residents.
Between 1981 and 2001, the total population of North York grew by 8.7%; higher economic families by 9%, but poor economic families by 80.5%. Poverty intensified in 5 main areas. The most prominent is the Jane-Finch area, where four poor neighbourhoods turned into regions of very high poverty, and a region that previously had low to moderate poverty became classified as having high levels of poverty. By 2001, a major shift had taken place, with the immigrant family population now accounting for 62.4% of the total family population in these communities, and Canadian born families making up the remaining 37.6%. Between 1981 and 2001, the number of racialized individuals also increased by 219%.
21st century
By 2002, the area had "one of the highest proportions of youth, sole-supported families, refugees and immigrants, low-income earners and public housing tenants of any community in Toronto". That year, only 70% of people in the neighbourhood had proper indoor plumbing (compared to 95% of Canadians), and brownouts were common. The United Way's "Poverty by Postal Code-The Geography of Neighbourhood Poverty: 1981–2001" also highlighted poverty in the city.
The area still grapples with youth crime, with the highest youth crime risk index score of any Toronto neighbourhood, and elevated crime rates. The Canadian government funded a youth program known as Positive Alternatives to Youth Gangs (PAYG) in the neighbourhood.
As part of a rebranding strategy in 2008, Toronto City Councillor Anthony Perruzza had banners attached to hundreds of hydro poles in Jane and Finch, calling the area University Heights, due to its proximity to York University, and referencing the existing name of the neighbourhood in municipal planning documents.
In December 2017, an extension of the western branch of the Line 1 Yonge-University subway line was opened, with a station; , at Keele Street, about 1.5km east of the neighbourhood. On December 7, 2025 Line 6 Finch West opened along Finch Avenue connecting the neighbourhood to Line 1 at Keele Street to the east and Humber Polytechnic to the west.
Major police raids targeting the neighbourhood's gangs have occurred in 2007, 2011 and 2017. According to Toronto's police chief, area gangs "have infiltrated various communities" across the province and beyond.
Demographics
The population of Jane and Finch has generally been in decline since the 1996 census.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Median Household Income !! 2001 !! 2006 !! 2011 !! 2016
|-
| North Jane & Finch (Black Creek) || $37,081 || $39,755 || $39,986 || $46,580
|-
| South Jane & Finch (Glenfield-Jane Heights)|| $41,361 || $44,208 || $44,488 || $51,964
|-
| City of Toronto || $49,345 || $52,554 || $58,381 || $65,829
|}
North Jane & Finch (Black Creek)
As of 2021, the northern half of the neighbourhood had a population of 21,145.
- 30.9% Black; 5.6% Jamaican
- 15.6% European; 5.6% Italian
- 12.8% Southeast Asian; 9.4% Vietnamese
- 9.5% South Asian; 4.4% East Indian
- 7.8% Latin American (of any race)
South Jane & Finch (Glenfield-Jane Heights)
As of 2021, the southern half of the neighbourhood had a population of 30,025. It hosted the 2023 Canadian Open, and will host the tournament again in 2026.
Two branches of the Toronto Public Library also operate from the neighbourhood, York Woods branch, and Jane/Sheppard branch.
Black Creek Pioneer Village, located in the northeast of the neighbourhood next to Black Creek, is an open-air museum of 19th-century Ontario life.
Transportation
Roads
thumb|The Jane and Finch stop on [[Line 6 Finch West]]Several major roadways run through the neighbourhood, including the two namesake streets that form its core; Jane Street and Finch Avenue. Other major thoroughfares that pass through it are Steeles Avenue to the north, Sheppard Avenue to the south, and Highway 400, a controlled access 400-series highway to the west.
Public transit
Public transit in the neighbourhood is provided by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).
Line 6 Finch West is a light rail line running along Finch Avenue. There are four stops; Norfinch Oakdale, Jane and Finch, Driftwood, and Tobermory, located in the neighbourhood, with the Jane and Finch stop located at the Jane-Finch intersection itself. The nearest subway station, , on the western branch of Line 1 Yonge-University, is located at Keele Street, to the east, and is accessed via Line 6.
The TTC also operates several bus routes in the neighbourhood.
Notable people
- Chuckie Akenz, hip hop musician
- Anthony Bennett, top overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers
- Jully Black, R&B musician
- Denham Brown, professional basketball player
- Junior Cadougan, professional basketball player
- Dream Warriors, hip hop group
- Dwight Drummond, broadcaster
- Olu Famutimi, professional basketball player
- Louis Ferreira, actor
- Melanie Fiona, R&B musician
- Glenn Lewis, R&B musician
- Michie Mee, hip hop musician
- Carlos Newton, former UFC Welterweight Champion
- Pressa, rap musician
- Paul Nguyen, community activist and creator of Jane-Finch.com
- Jessie Reyez, R&B/pop musician
- Cabral "Cabbie" Richards, TV personality
- Nora Fatehi, Bollywood actress/International Star
- Dean McDermott, Canadian Actor, former husband of American actress Tori Spelling