The time Canadians spend with their neighbours has been shrinking. How some streets bucked the trend, growing closer since the pandemic

Every morning at 7:15, neighbours Vinita Persaud and Mary Ghalustians meet on their quiet cul-de-sac in Mississauga to walk their dogs, Freddy and Harvey. Their conversations meander: family dynamics and work politics, of course, but also critiques of TV shows, intel on local restaurants, recipe and butter tart exchanges. After 45 minutes, each woman retreats to her home office for the day, enlivened by this human time first thing in the morning.“We’ve never run out of things to talk about,” said Ms. Persaud, 41. “It’s become a deep friendship.”