Jane Finch Civic Assembly
Your Voice. Your Neighbourhood. Your Future.
Event Details
We're inviting Jane Finch residents to come together for two sessions to talk about what matters most in your community — and help shape how the neighbourhood grows and changes over the next decade.
Session 1: Saturday April 25th @ 1:00 pm -Virtual (Zoom) | 3 Hours
Session 2: Saturday May 2nd @ 1:00 pm - In Person in Jane–Finch | 3 Hours - food provided!
About This Initiative
The Jane Finch Civic Assembly is a new kind of community gathering. One where residents come together not just to be consulted, but to deliberate, learn, and make recommendations that will directly inform how the Jane Finch Community Development Plan is rolled out over the next 10 years.
This is one of the first civic assemblies in a Toronto neighbourhood, and it is a part of a broader effort to design a new model of resident engagement and leadership for Jane Finch — one that is long-term, resourced, and built on community trust. This pilot will help us learn what works, what doesn't, and how to build something lasting together.
What We'll Be Discussing
Every Civic Assembly is organized around a single, focused question, where direct action can be taken by the City of Toronto. This one for Spring 2026 is:
How should the City of Toronto design and run Civic Assemblies in Jane Finch to ensure that the process is trusted by residents and accessible to community?
That's the big question — and it breaks down into three parts:
- Trust: What would make residents trust a Civic Assembly enough to show up and engage?
- Access: What supports, formats, and outreach are needed to make participation genuinely accessible to the whole community?
- Accountability: What processes should be considered to ensure residents are informed about how recommendations were addressed?
We are in the process of designing how Civic Assemblies will work as a permanent process of the Jane Finch Community Development Plan. Your answers will directly inform that design.
Who Is Behind This?
This pilot is being led by Untitled Planning in partnership with the City of Toronto and United Way Greater Toronto.
Untitled Planning
Untitled Planning is facilitating and designing the Civic Assembly process. We bring expertise in participatory design, civic engagement, and community planning. We also bring a commitment to building processes that are genuinely accessible and meaningful for residents.
City of Toronto (Social Development)
The City of Toronto adopted the Jane Finch Community Development Plan in June 2024 — a 10-year road map for social, economic, and cultural investment in the Jane Finch area. The City is a partner in this process, committed to hearing and responding to what residents recommend.
United Way Greater Toronto
United Way is a long-standing community partner in Jane Finch and across Toronto, with deep roots in building equitable, community-centered change. They bring resources, relationships, and commitment to making sure this process reaches and supports the community..
Dates & Timeline
The Civic Assembly will take place over two sessions. Both sessions are part of one connected experience — participants are asked to attend both.
Session 1 - Virtual
Session 2 - In person
Session 2 - In person
Saturday, April 25, 2026 @ 1:00 pm | 3 Hours | Online (Zoom)
We'll come together online, get oriented, and start exploring the big questions: What does it take for a Civic Assembly to be trusted and accessible in Jane Finch? What would make you — and your neighbours — want to show up and engage?
Session 2 - In person
Session 2 - In person
Session 2 - In person
Saturday, May 2, 2026 @ 1:00 pm | 3 Hours | In Jane Finch
We'll come together in the community to deliberate, build on what we explored in Session 1, and develop concrete recommendations that will be formally submitted to the City of Toronto.
After the Assembly, your recommendations will be compiled into a formal report and submitted to the City of Toronto and United Way Greater Toronto. You'll hear back about how they will be acted on and we'll track follow-through publicly.
Interested but can't participate? Email janefinch@toronto.ca to stay informed about results and future Civic Assemblies in Jane Finch.
Who Should Come?
This Assembly is for Jane Finch residents — people who live in this community including those who have been temporarily relocated due to redevelopment. We especially want to hear from people who:
- Haven't been invited to participate in formal neighbourhood planning processes before
- Are young people, newcomers, renters, or people living with disabilities
- Are Indigenous, Black, or from equity-deserving communities
- Want to be part of shaping what comes next
You don't need any background in planning or policy to participate. You just need to care about your community.
What We Provide
We want your participation to be as easy and comfortable as possible. All participants will receive:
- An honorarium for your time
- Food and refreshments at the in-person session
- Child-friendly programming for the in-person session (please indicate in your registration)
- Accessible venue and format
- Transit support for the in-person session
What Is a Civic Assembly?
A Civic Assembly is a structured gathering where a diverse group of residents — people like you — come together to learn about an issue, discuss it from different perspectives, and develop shared recommendations.
It's different from a town hall or a consultation meeting. In those settings, residents are often asked to react to plans that have already been made. In a Civic Assembly, you'll be asked to make a recommendation to the City to inform a specific decision or action which will have real trade-offs.
Here's what makes it different:
- You're treated as an expert. Your lived experience in Jane Finch is valuable knowledge — just as important as the expertise of planners or city staff.
- It's designed to be accessible. Food, childcare, translation supports, and an honorarium are provided.
- Your recommendations go somewhere real. The City and partners are committed to formally responding to what you recommend.
- It's a conversation, not a presentation. Facilitators will make sure everyone has space to be heard — including people who don't usually share their ideas in formal settings.
Civic assemblies have been used successfully in cities like Burnaby (British Columbia, Canada), Vilnius (Lithuania), and across the UK, Brazil, and beyond to give residents a meaningful role in decisions about housing, transit, and neighbourhood planning. This pilot opportunity is designed to ensure future civic assemblies are place-based and can support how the Jane Finch Community Development Plan is rolled out over the next 10 years.
Want to learn more? Here’s a short video that explains Civic Assemblies:
Why This Matters: The Jane Finch Community Development Plan and Secondary Plan
What is a Community Development Plan?
A Community Development Plan (CDP) is a long-term framework that guides social, economic, and cultural investment in a neighbourhood — separate from the physical land use rules that govern development. While zoning and planning tools shape what gets built, a Community Development Plan shapes what gets resourced: what programs are funded, what partnerships are formed, and what commitments the City makes to existing residents over time.
The Jane Finch Community Development Plan is the first of its kind in Toronto. It was built through years of community engagement — residents, grassroots organizations, local businesses, artists, and youth all had a hand in shaping it. It's a 25-year commitment, renewed every ten years, reflecting the City's recognition that real community change takes sustained, long-term investment.
What is the Secondary Plan?
Alongside the Community Development Plan, the City of Toronto adopted the Jane Finch Secondary Plan (OPA 633). Secondary Plans are the City's tool for shaping physical growth in a defined area: they set rules about building heights, what uses are allowed where, how streets are designed, and how new development must connect to transit and public space.
About Jane Finch’s Community Development Plan 2024-2034
Jane Finch is changing. With the Finch West LRT now open and new development on the way, major decisions about how this neighbourhood grows are being made right now.
In June 2024, Toronto City Council adopted the Jane Finch Community Development Plan (CDP) — a 10-year road map that covers eight areas of community life:
- Inclusive Employment Opportunities
- Inclusive Entrepreneurship Opportunities
- Food Sovereignty and Justice
- Community Safety and Well being
- Arts, Culture and Heritage
- Access to Space and Mobility
- Climate Action
- Anti-Displacement Strategy
The Jane Finch Community Development Plan is guided by three core principles: Truth and Reconciliation, Confronting Anti-Black Racism, and Partnerships & Resourcing. It was built through years of community engagement — and it belongs to this community.
But a plan is only as strong as how it is rolled out. That's where the Civic Assembly comes in.
The Assembly is part of designing a new model for how residents stay involved, not just in the planning, but in making sure the Community Development Plan remains a living document that continues to reflect community needs and priorities. It's about building the conditions for the plan to deliver meaningful change that residents can see and feel.
Jane Finch residents have advocated for this community for decades. This Civic Assembly is about creating a structured space where that advocacy can turn into further collaboration, shared ideas, and concrete recommendations — helping to make sure the Community Development Plan stays relevant, responsive, and rooted in the community it was built for.
How to Register
Spaces are limited and will be offered through a civic lottery selection process using an online support tool to randomly select participants that reflect the diversity of the community. Registration closes April 10 2026 at 5pm.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The Jane Finch Community Development Plan (CDP) is a 10-year framework — adopted by Toronto City Council in June 2024 — that sets out how the City and its partners will invest in the social, economic, and cultural life of the neighbourhood. It covers eight areas: employment, entrepreneurship, food sovereignty, community safety, arts and culture, space and mobility, climate action, and anti-displacement. It is a living document, meaning it will be updated over time based on what residents and the community continue to say they need.
Alongside the Community Development Plan, the City of Toronto adopted the Jane Finch Secondary Plan (OPA 633) — a set of detailed land use and urban design guidelines for new development that govern how and where new buildings, streets, parks, and public spaces are built within the neighbourhood. Secondary Plans are the City's tool for shaping physical growth in a defined area: they set rules about building heights, what uses are allowed where, how streets are designed, and how new development must connect to transit and public space.
Click here to view other Secondary Plans across the City of Toronto
While the Secondary Plan focuses on the built environment — buildings, streets, and zoning — the Community Development Plan focuses on people’s social, economic, and cultural needs. For example, jobs, food access, safety, arts, housing stability, and anti-displacement. The two plans are designed to work together. Development applications in Jane Finch are required to respond to both.
The Jane Finch Initiative was a multi-year community planning study led by the City of Toronto, completed in June 2024. It brought together multiple City divisions and — critically — thousands of Jane Finch residents, local organizations, artists, and businesses to shape two key documents: the Jane Finch Secondary Plan and the Jane Finch Community Development Plan, both adopted by City Council in June 2024.
The Initiative covered the area roughly bounded by Highway 400 to the west, Steeles Avenue West to the north, Black Creek to the east, and Sheppard Avenue West to the south — aligning with the Black Creek and Glenfield-Jane Heights neighbourhoods.
The goal was to make sure that the arrival of the Finch West LRT and the development it brings leads to real benefits for existing residents — not displacement. The Civic Assembly is part of continuing that work.
After both sessions, your recommendations will be compiled into a report and submitted to the City of Toronto in June 2026. The City is required to formally respond to what participants recommend — meaning they must say publicly what they will act on, what they won't, and why. Your experience as a participant will also help shape a toolkit that the City will use to design and run future Civic Assemblies in Jane Finch, After June 2026, the City of Toronto will be your main point of contact for questions about follow-through and implementation.
Yes — participants are asked to commit to both sessions. The two sessions are designed as one connected experience: Session 1 builds the foundation, and Session 2 is where the group develops its final recommendations. Attending only one session wouldn't give you (or the group) the full benefit of the process. Honorarium will be distributed following the 2nd session based on participation in both sessions.
Everyone who registers will be entered into a civic lottery — a random selection process designed to make sure the group reflects the diversity of the Jane Finch community. We'll be looking to ensure the group includes a range of ages, backgrounds, and experiences, including people who haven't participated in formal planning processes before. If you're not selected for this pilot, we'll let you know and keep you informed about future opportunities.
Yes. The Finch West LRT is now open and new development is already underway in Jane Finch. The Jane Finch Community Development Plan and Jane Finch Secondary Plan — both adopted by City Council in 2024 — are the City's commitments to making sure that growth benefits existing residents rather than displacing them. This Assembly is about making sure residents have a consistent voice in how the Community Development Plan gets implemented.
A civic lottery is a random selection process — similar to jury selection — used to assemble a group that reflects the real diversity of a community. Rather than relying on who is most connected or most available, a civic lottery gives everyone who registers an equal chance of being selected. It's designed to make sure the Assembly includes a genuine cross-section of Jane Finch residents, not just those who typically show up to formal planning processes.
Session 1 (online): is about getting oriented and building a foundation together. You'll get to know your fellow participants, hear presentations about the Jane Finch Community Development Plan and how Civic Assemblies work, and start exploring the key questions the Assembly is there to address.
Session 2 (in person): Building on what you learned and discussed in Session 1, you'll deliberate as a group, work through different perspectives, and draft concrete recommendations that will be submitted to the City of Toronto.
This initiative is a pilot, which means we’re trying something new and learning along the way. Your feedback will help shape how future civic assemblies happen in Jane Finch.
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