Jane and Finch is a neighbourhood located in the northwest end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the district of North York.

[3] In general, urban planners, local politicians, residents of Jane-Finch, and others today are of the opinion that the OHC and North York erred seriously, contributing to rapid population growth in the area without anticipating its negative consequences.

[citation needed] By 1967, 22.5% of all residential dwellings in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood were designated public housing.

They concentrated their efforts on improving their neighbourhood's negative image and creating a sense of community pride.

Since then the neighbourhood has developed over 30 grassroots associations, including social and health service organizations, based on principles of mutual aid.

They succeeded in bringing together various sectors to address a wide range of economic, social and recreational needs.

[5] Still, a 1975 study by a planning consulting firm identified the following problems resulting from the rapid growth of the community: overcrowded schools, disconnected social services, inadequate recreation facilities, and a serious issue with youth crime.

[4] In 1983 Jennifer Hodge de Silva, a pioneering filmmaker of the 1970s and 1980s produced the film, Home Feeling: Struggle for a Community[6] which revealed tensions between police and area residents.

By 2002, the area had "one of the highest proportions of youth, sole-supported families, refugees and immigrants, low-income earners and public housing tenants of any community in Toronto".

[8] That year, only 70% of people in the neighbourhood had proper indoor plumbing (compared to 95% of Canadians), and brownouts were common.

Jane-Finch was one of three Toronto neighbourhoods to address community safety through the Prevention and Intervention Toronto (PIT) program funded by the National Crime Prevention Centre, focuses on youth between the ages of 13 and 24 that are already involved in gangs or at risk of becoming so.

[13] As part of a rebranding strategy in 2008, Toronto City Councillor Anthony Perruzza had banners attached to hundreds of hydro poles in Jane and Finch, calling the area University Heights, due to its proximity to York University, and referencing the existing name of the neighbourhood in municipal planning documents.

However, the board previously operated Regina Pacis Catholic Secondary School, opened in 1980 until its closure in 2002.