Walking with Death: Reimagining Toronto’s Relationship with Mortality

Laura Smith and Kate Robbinson

Join an unconventional Jane’s Walk exploring how death shapes Toronto’s urban fabric—from cemeteries to crisis points like the Bloor Viaduct. Led by an urban planner and a certified death doula, this walk reframes death and mortality as a community conversation rather than a taboo.


In this walk, we’ll discuss how grief and death influence city design and how we use spaces. The walk will take us to two notable cemeteries diving into their long-standing histories, noting famous Torontonians resting within them, and discuss the role of these spaces within our communities. After that, we will visit the Bloor Viaduct - formerly considered a ‘suicide magnet’, where attendees will learn how silence around suicide delayed life-saving barriers—and discuss how confronting death openly can save lives.


Throughout this walk, we encourage a participatory dialogue, where we will share stories and rethink spaces and concepts tied to loss. How might cemeteries become a more active part of the public realm? And how might rethinking death and dying foster more resilient and supportive communities?

Trigger warning: This walk will include open discussions of death, dying, and suicide, including references to the Bloor Viaduct’s history as a suicide site. While the conversation aims to be constructive and positive, some participants may find the topic emotionally challenging.

We encourage self-care—feel free to step away, pause, or reach out to facilitators if needed. Resources for mental health support will be available.