KM: An Insider's View of Community, Activism and Neighbourhood History

Michael Petrasek

This is your chance to see Toronto's iconic and eclectic neighbourhood —Kensington Market— through the lens of community control, anti-gentrification action and the Kensington Market Community Land Trust. We will walk you through some of the ways the long history of community activism has shaped the neighbourhood, how waves of immigrants have left their mark, and the unique history of mutual aid and entrepreneurship that has emboldened this fierce and diverse neighbourhood. We’ll also see examples of gentrification and the results of years of governmental policies that have benefitted landowners and left the vulnerable struggling. We will show you pockets of resistance and community care. We will proudly show you the building the KMCLT owns, the housing that we are helping to build and give you a sneak peek at our plans for the future. Kensington Market seen from the inside.


Participants should wear comfortable shoes and have room in their stomach for the delicious food that is abundant in the market.

Walk Start:

Anshei Minsk Synagogue (Kensington Market, Spadina and Saint Andrew)

35 Bellevue Avenue

Walk End: