Kay Gardner Beltline Park

Located at 377 Mount Pleasant Road just north of Eglinton West subway station, sits a narrow eastward strip that ends at Yonge and Davisville. This is a green belt created on top of a former railway line.

History

The railway itself was built in 1892 – the belt line railway went through Moore Park and Forest hill, however closed passenger service after only two years of operation. After the 1960’s the railway was abandoned for years until 1972 when the city purchased the land in order to create a park.

Kay Gardner and her husband Raymond, moved to North Toronto in 1961. Since then, Miss Gardner worked as a citizen volunteer and then as a City Councillor for her community.Kay Gardner was the driving force behind the City's acquisition of these Beltline lands and their conversion to a 4.5-kilometer long linear park.  In recognition of her vision and commitment to people and community, this park was renamed to "Kay Gardner Beltline Park".

Recreation

The Kay Gardner Beltline is a really interesting park with trails perfect for walking or roller blading. It is a place to smell flowers, watch birds and ride a bike - a place in the heart of the city to escape the city. It also overlooks the backyards of the Forest Hill neighbourhood – one of the richest neighbourhoods in Toronto. The park is also great for kids as there is a playground.

Did You Know? The stuff on the ground of the playground looks like gravel, but is actually recycled rubber!

St. James Park

St. James Park is situated in the heart of downtown Toronto along 106 King Street East between Jarvis & Church Streets.

St. James Park is best known for its summer music in the park, featuring six free concerts. The bandstand in the center of the park, even when not being used, is a beautiful spot for photos and for overlooking the garden.

Located beside the park is the historic and majestic St. James Cathedral. The park itself was planned as a formal garden for the cathedral, often a host to many wedding parties and beautiful garden displays.

 If you’re looking to make a full day out of visiting this area, there is a lot to do in the surroundings. Just two blocks south of St. James Park is Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence market, featuring amazing variety of farmers markets with sustainable and locally grown food. There are always events going on that foodies will love. March 21^st is a beer and cheese seminar about the various beer styles and classic cheese matches.

Riverdale Farm

Located in the heart of downtown community of Cabbagetown, his extrinsic farm offers 7.5 acres of scenic views along the pathways through wooded areas, around ponds, and into butterfly-herb-flower-vegetable gardens. The farm hosts many farm animals such as horses, cows, goats and chickens.


Did you know?

In 1894 the farm opened to become Toronto’s first zoo, but eventually it was closed in 1974 with the animals relocated to the new Toronto Zoo in Scarborough.The park features three buildings that remain from the old Riverdale Zoo! Although the farm isn’t that big in size, it is an urban gem, being located just blocks from the downtown core.

Recreation
Learn and chat with the farmer during daily chores that may include animal feeding, egg collection, cow milking or goat milking, horse grooming, and mucking out the stalls-pens-paddocks. These products will be later sold at a farmer's market.

The Don Valley Brick Works Park

Do you enjoy a natural habitat full with history and interesting facts? If so then this is a place you must visit! Located in the Don Valley, The Brick Works is an internationally significant natural and cultural heritage site located within the Don River watershed. The 16.5 (40.7 acre) site is open for public use, education and enjoyment. The park is also known for its hills with exceptional city views.

History

The lower Don has held an important role in the region's history as a place of settlement, agriculture and industry. It became a productive industrial area, valuable for its employment and the goods and services created there. By the late 1800s, improved transportation and abundant resources like water and clay had attracted manufacturers of paper, bricks and beer. Circa 1889 , the Don Valley Pressed Brick Works Company, one of Canada's biggest brickyards, operated at the site where it produced bricks that were used for some of the city's best-known buildings (Hart House, Casa Loma, and Old City Hall, among others). In 1995  the park became a public space, and restoration of the site began. The old quarry has been transformed into a nature park featuring a wild-flower meadow and wetlands, and scenic city views.

Did you know ?

Don Valley Brick Works Park is one of the most important geological sites in North America: the layers of sedimentary rock found in the quarry walls help scientists study the Ice Age, the environment and climate change.

 Evergreen CityWorks

Transforming the urban landscape demands more than isolated problem-solving; it requires innovation and collaboration among diverse sectors. It also requires awareness of the interconnectedness of city infrastructure and systems—from green buildings and sustainable transportation to food, energy, water and waste systems. Evergreen CityWorks will share ideas, engage public and devise a broad range of sustainability solutions.

Get involved in the Brickworks community!

Help create a healthy sustainable future by joining in with the park's initiatives. Get your hands dirty at weekly gardening and stewardship events where you can help growing plants to be later sold at a farmers market. You can also partake in fun activities and events that connect nature and community.

Things to do in March

Explore Singns of Spring from March 11 to March 15, attend a site tour on March 16 and March 17, or come out to the Tastings of Evergreen Farmers Market on March 16.

To find out more about the park visit http://ebw.evergreen.ca/

Grange Park

Grange Park is a prominent public park in downtown Toronto, situated just south of the Art Gallery of Ontario, beside the Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCADU). The Park lends its name to the Grange Park neighbourhood in the vicinity of the park. The park is actually owned by the AGO, but is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.

Recreational activities at the park include a wading pool turned natural ice rink in the winter, a children's playground, and numerous paths for walking or jogging. 


Park’s History
Park was originally a part of estate built by Boulton family in 1820. The Boulton family played an influential role in developing young city of Toronto. Park had paths that were utilized by carriages as means of getting to an estate. These parks remain today as a testament to the heritage. In 1910, Harriette Boulton Smith bequeathed The Grange house and estate to the newly founded Art Gallery of Toronto, for the purposes of building an art museum on the property.

The park currently is undergoing some debates in regards to its proximity to Butterfield Park. The two parks are separated by a fence and debates are under way whether or not to open up this fence and increase traffic as well as build a basketball court. As a result of the debated, the Grange Park Advisory Committee (GPAC) was established. The goal of GPAC is to create a great city and neighbourhood park, and capitalize on projects aimed at the restoration and revitalization of Grange Park, and to advise on an oversight structure for the on-going maintenance. Another focus of the committee is to examine ecological health of the park. Below are are some responsibilities and roles as directly stated by GPAC.

Responsibilities

• Advise on a restoration and revitalization plan for Grange Park that will be green, strikingly beautiful, resilient, sustainable, accessible, interactive as well as providing a place for contemplation while welcoming all neighbours, residents and visitors to our community by utilizing design excellence, state of the art conservation techniques and outstanding works of art.

• Advise on an ongoing structure after the initial project to ensure that Grange Park is sustained at a consistently high level: well-tended, healthy lawns, shrubs and trees, gardens; well maintained park furniture and works of art; active program of recreational and community activities; and a safe environment especially for children, seniors and people with disabilities; pay tribute to the unique ethno-racial heritage in the community; utilize water features in park amenities.

Roles

• As the Institutional advocate for the Grange Park Project, the AGO will be financially and legally accountable for the project.
• Facilitate the work of the Grange Park Project Committee
• Administer GPP funds including fundraising and the establishment of an endowment fund for ongoing maintenance.

Vision for Grange Park: “To undertake a restoration and revitalization plan that will make Grange Park green, strikingly beautiful, resilient, sustainable and accessible. To create a park that is interactive as well as a place for contemplation.To create a park that welcomes all neighbours, residents and visitors to our community by utilizing design excellence, state of the art conservation techniques and outstanding works of art.”

To learn more about the park and how to get involved in its greening initiative go to http://grangeparktoronto.ca/

Runnymede Park

    Runnymede Park is located in The Junction, Toronto's neighbourhood stretching on Dundas Street West between Keele and Runnymede Streets. Runnymede Park is for those athletes in you. If you are a sportsy-outdorsy type of individual,  take a stroll in The Junction and visit this park. The park offers pool (open in the summer), tennis courts, a soccer field, a baseball diamond, a bocce court and two children playgrounds.

  

 Fun fact: Runnymede Park was one of the few parks in Toronto that had a railway siding running through it. Until 2008, the rail was operated by Canadian Pacific Railway when the track was put out of service and the rails were removed from the park.

Save the date: June 29, 2013

      Every year, Maltese Community of Toronto celebrates Maltese Imnarja Festival in Runnymede Park. Come out to the annual celebration enjoy Maltese-style picnic, folk dancing and traditional singing. This is a great way to explore Toronto's cultural heritage. If you do not want wait until June to visit the park, come out for a picnic at any time and use parks tables and benches. To keep the park clean bring compostable food containers, thus if anything is left behind it wont's harm the nature.

Environmental Tip:

Pick up litter and bring your own water bottle (you can refill it in a water fountain inside Gorge Bell Arena). A great way to reduce plastic waste and take care of the environment. 

Eglinton Park

Eglinton Park is situated in Toronto’s Uptown, on Eglinton Avenue between Dupex and Avenue Roads. The park can be reached by a short 10 minute walk from Eglinton subway station – skip the bus ride, use your feet! 

Recreational activities: two baseball diamonds, a soccer field, splash pool and outdoor tennis courts turned to skating rinks in the summer. Fun Fact: the park was originally a Pears Brickyard established in 1885 as a brick manufacturer. The park was then purchased by the City of Toronto in the early 90’s. It’s rectangular shape and valley location are a typical characteristic of Toronto’s parks that used to be brick manufactures.

The Naturalization Project

The project involves a restoration of park’s west slope to its native habitat. The project is a collaboration between North Toronto Green Community, Greenest City, the Evergreen Foundation, and the City of Toronto's Parks and Recreation. It involves replanting trees and shrubs to provide shade, a natural landscape and a habitat for birds and small animals, and create a healthy urban environment.

The Heritage Community Garden

"Human health and environmental health are intimately linked". Engaging in organic gardening and taking care of a lawns are fundamental steps in making the world a better place for both humans and environment. The gardening activity relives stress on the earth, hence the Heritage Community Garden initiative has been started. Seeds of Diversity Canada and the Garden Committee of the North Toronto Green Community brought this project to life in partnership with Toronto Parks and Recreation with help and encouragement from FoodShare, Martin Wade Landscape Architects and countless volunteers. The garden has come to mean many things to many people: a "hands-on" gardening experience for urban dwellers, an educational experience, and a lovely spot to rest and relax in the park with a riot of colour and a host of plant species to please and interest viewers. Those  who got involved learned more about organic gardening, heritage seeds and composting to provide chemical-free nutrients for the soil.

To find out more information or how to get involved in these projects go to http://www.lostrivers.ca/points/egltnparkkpjts.htm#nature