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Toronto is best experienced by walking. The street life of our neighbourhoods, our hidden ravines, the small notes of history that have survived our constant urban renewal … what we love most about our city is best seen up close and at a leisurely pace. It’s no wonder, then, that Toronto is home to dozens of groups, volunteers and professionals dedicated to the art of urban walking, from historians and nature lovers to architects, athletes and more. We asked a select group of these walking experts — Heritage Toronto, ROMWalks, the Toronto Field Naturalists, the City of Toronto, and “Stroll” author Shawn Micallef, to share their favourite Toronto walks. Here’s the fourth walk on our guide to some of the best walks in Toronto, as selected by the experts.
War, peace and University
Type: People and history
Location: Downtown
Distance: 1.5 km
From: ROMWalks
When you think “Toronto,” you might not think of the towering monuments you see in older cities of the world. But this stretch along University Ave. showcases how Torontonians were there during the greatest and most harrowing moments of the 20th century. This route is featured in ROMWalks’ “University Avenue: War, Peace and Art,” a $10 guided tour that invites walkers to learn about monuments, statues, plazas and parks.
Begin at Queen’s Park — where you’re already surrounded by monuments to major names such as Queen Elizabeth, George Brown and William Lyon Mackenzie — and make your way to Notre Place, across from the nearby subway station entrance. This monument and its stainless-steel columns, designed by architectural firm Brooke McIlroy, opened in 2018 to celebrate the history of Ontario’s Francophones.
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To the east, at the northeast corner of Queen’s Park Crescent and College Street, you will see the Ontario Firefighters Memorial, dedicated in 2005 to honour firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty. More than 1,000 names have been recorded here so far.
Now walk down University Avenue and spot the Canadian Airman’s Memorial3, right outside St. Patrick Station. Designed by Oscar Nemon, who lost most of his family in the Holocaust, it commemorates airmen from the two world wars, listing names of Canadian flyers who were awarded the Victoria Cross. Continue down University to The Armouries, once the site of Canada’s largest armoury, built in 1891 and demolished in 1963. The former castle-like building had an interior hall where soldiers trained for both world wars, as well as the Boer and Korean wars.
End this historic journey at City Hall, to the east, to view the Peace Garden and Spirit Garden, places of reflection marking Indigenous culture and spirituality. The Peace Garden moved to its current spot in 2016 after being dedicated at Nathan Phillips Square in 1984. The Spirit Garden opened last September on the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
First started in the 1980s as an outreach effort by the Royal Ontario Museum, ROMWalks, run by volunteer guides, features dozens of walks exploring the city; many are free, while others require a $10 fee. To join a free ROMWalk, simply go to the walk’s starting point on a given day and time and look for the ROM umbrella.
