Reggae Lane is a roadway in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada, that runs east from Oakwood Avenue, behind a strip of buildings on the south side of

Eglinton Avenue Eglinton Avenue is a major east–west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga in the Canadian province of Ontario. The street begins at Highway 407 (but does not interchange with the tollway) at the western limits of Mississauga, as ...

in the

Little Jamaica Little Jamaica, also known as Eglinton West, is an ethnic enclave in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is situated in the former suburb of York, along Eglinton Avenue West, from Allen Road to Keele Street, and is part of four neighbourhoods: Silverth ...

ethnic enclave. For most of its history it had no official name, but the imminent arrival of Oakwood LRT station helped trigger its 2015 official naming. The neighbourhood near Reggae Lane was recognized as a centre for

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

recording as early as the late 1960s.

Toronto Transit Commission The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) is the public transport agency that operates bus, subway, streetcar, and paratransit services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, some of which run into the Peel Region and York Region. It is the oldest and larges ...

chair

Josh Colle Josh Colle () is a Canadian politician. He was the councillor for Ward 15 on Toronto City Council for the years 2010-2018.Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

, and the

Lion of Judah The Lion of Judah ( he, אריה יהודה, ) is a Jewish national and cultural symbol, traditionally regarded as the symbol of the tribe of Judah. The association between the Judahites and the lion can first be found in the blessing given b ...

, by Adrian Hayles. The '' Jamaica Gleaner'' described it as an instance of a foreign country showing respect for the genre of reggae music. Jay Douglas, and other reggae artists, performed a concert to celebrate the completion of the mural. Douglas had composed a new song, named ''Reggae Lane'', which he performed at the concert. On July 21, 2015, the

City of Toronto government The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city of Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its structure and powers are set out in the '' City of Tor ...

announced that ''Reggae Lane'' would be one of the first four local songs that would be played for callers to 311, while they waited for help. The song describes the history and ambience of the neighbourhood, in reggae style. With encouragement from The Laneway Project, the City of Toronto intends to name all its unnamed laneways. Reggae Lane has been cited as a successful example of the value of this renaming program.

References

{{Streets in Toronto Streets in Toronto