demonstrating the potential of toronto’s laneways to support the health and vibrancy of our communities through the longest and loneliest season.

WHAT’S ON

From mid-November to mid-January McDougall Lane will become an alpine retreat in the urban heart of Toronto. The scene will be set with playfully scaled, mountain-themed evergreen planters, dichroic glass clouds and starlike lights evoking the Aurora Borealis, and window art displays, providing an escape to different times and places — real and fantastic — to satisfy the wanderlust of visitors.

Throughout November and December, the laneway will be activated with live musical performances, interactive elements, and refreshments on:

Friday, November 19, 2021, from 4 to 7 pm
Friday, November 26, 2021, from 4 to 7 pm
Friday, December 3, 2021, from 4 to 7 pm
Friday, December 10, 2021, from 4 to 7 pm

Follow The Laneway Project and the Queen Street West BIA on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @queenstreetwest and @lanewayproject for more information and announcements on Winterways and other projects and use the hashtags #lovethelaneways, #longlivequeenwest, and #showloveto!

Put it in your calendar!

Rendering of winterways installation

BACKGROUND

Winterways is a pilot project demonstrating the potential of Toronto’s laneway network to sustainably support the health and vibrancy of our communities during the city’s long and taxing winter season. Throughout COVID-19 social life was pushed almost entirely outdoors. The pandemic demonstrated that Toronto’s public open space network lacks the capacity to meet its population’s needs year-round and that the majority of these spaces are not suitably designed for winter use. Special consideration needs to be given to creating usable outdoor public spaces in temperate climates with widely varying weather and lighting conditions season-to-season: How do you make a space attractive to be in when the sunsets at 5 pm and it is negative twenty out? How do you provide residents opportunities to connect with nature when most plant species can’t survive a hard frost? Despite the fact that Toronto is a four-season, we haven't answered these questions with the design of our outdoor venues, resulting in our public life going into “hibernation” during the colder months — almost half the year — which negatively impacts individual mental and physical wellbeing. The Winterways pilot will see the creation of a temporary, winterized, alternative public open space that will provide cultural experiences to encourage people to get out to safely socialize, celebrate the holiday season, and shop locally!

The Laneway Project, in partnership with the Queen Street West BIA and ShowLoveTO and with the generous support of their sponsors, local property owners, and businesses, will transform Queen West’s McDougall Lane (intersecting Graffiti Alley) into an alpine winter wonderland with pop-up art and light installations, seasonal greening, and live programming!