Summer is just around the corner and there's no better way to take advantage of the warmer weather than by getting outside and enjoying the many fantastic parks and green spaces in Ward 15 – Don Valley West.
In many ways, parks are the heart and soul of our communities. They're where we go to relax, spend time with our families, and gather as a neighbourhood. Throughout the course of the pandemic, we've learned just how critical parks are to life in a city – countless studies have shown that spending time outdoors is good for both mental and physical health.
During my time in office, I have continually prioritized improving our local parks, enhancing protections for trees, and investing in Toronto's world-class ravine system. Many of these projects were multi-year endeavours that included extended community consultation and coordination between multiple City divisions.
This term alone, I've worked with communities across Ward 15 to complete more than 10 local projects, including:
Opening a new park at 100 Ranleigh Avenue;
Fully renovating R.V. Burgess Park in Thorncliffe Park;
Installing new playgrounds at Mossgrove Park and Banbury Park;
Revitalizing the Wilket Creek Trail;
Putting in a new splash pad and playground at Trace Manes Park;
Rehabilitating the stairs in Blythwood Ravine Park;
Completely revitalizing the trails and pathways in Rippleton Park; and
Upgrading the bridge, trail, and paths in Windfields Park.
I am also very pleased to advise that there are many Ward 15 park initiatives currently underway or in the pipeline, including:
Revamping Redpath Avenue Parkette in Yonge-Eglinton;
Installing a new playground at Longwood Park;
Building new parks at 100 Broadway Avenue and 939 Eglinton Avenue East;
Constructing a new parkette at 174-180 Broadway Avenue;
Revitalizing the Dogs Off-Leash Areas in Sherwood Park; and
Creating a new parkette at 21 Southvale Drive to enhance connectivity with other local amenities.
In addition to revitalizing our green spaces and building new parks, I also remain focused on growing the tree canopy in Don Valley West and improving the biodiversity of our local urban forest. This season, I have worked with Urban Forestry staff to secure more than 1,445 new trees and shrubs which will be planted in E.T. Seton Park, Serena Gundy Park, Wanless Park, Windfields Park, Sunnybrook Park, and Wilket Creek Park.
As Torontonians, we're fortunate to have one of the densest urban tree canopies in the world. The City's 2018 Tree Canopy Study indicated that Toronto's canopy coverage has increased from 26.6% to 31% percent over the last decade, representing an increase from 10.2 to 11.5 million trees. Growing our tree canopy is a city-wide endeavour, but the real work takes place on-the-ground in our local parks and green spaces. When our urban forest thrives, Toronto is a more healthy, liveable, and resilient city.
You can find a full map of Ward 15 – Don Valley West's parks and greenspaces on my website, here.