Community walking tour showcases the Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood

Making Bathurst Quay a Stronger Town

Strong Towns Toronto showcased the Bathurst Quay neighbourhood last weekend, sponsoring a community walking tour led by a BQNA board member. Almost 20 people explored our oasis by the lake, learning about the amazing opportunities as well as some of the challenges facing our neighbourhood.

Bathurst Quay does a lot of things well! The tour highlighted the community togetherness, sense of ownership, and sustainable affordability that our housing co-ops offer. The excellent cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, recently bolstered by new protected bike lanes on Dan Leckie, Portland and Blue Jays Way. How we’ve reclaimed industrial land for gathering spaces from the Music Garden to the Malting Siloes to Little Norway Park. And of course, our community hub at the Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre.

It also highlighted areas for improvement, including in public transportation (such as through transit signal priority for streetcars), reducing vehicle congestion, making more effective use of the 545 Lake Shore Blvd West site, and continuing to protect our waterfront and parkland.

We want to extend a huge thank you to Strong Towns Toronto for choosing to profile our neighbourhood. Strong Towns is an international movement focused on fostering a pattern of urban development that is resilient, financially strong, and locally oriented. It advocates for cities of all sizes to be safe, livable and inviting, with priorities including housing, effective transportation, road safety, and financial sustainability. Bathurst Quay has had success in these areas, but we also know there’s much more to be done.

The Strong Towns Toronto walking tour in front of the Corleck Centre with the Malting Silos and the CN Tower in the background.