The City is building a new Community Recreation Centre (CRC) in the Don Mills corridor communities, located at 844 Don Mills Rd., near the intersection of Eglinton Avenue East and Don Mills Road. This facility and the new park that will be developed beside the CRC, were secured by the City as part of the approval of the Celestica development proposal in June 2018.

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  • Fall 2021: Hire a design team
  • Winter 2022: Community engagement process starts
    • December 2022 to April 2023: Community Engagement Phase 1
    • Spring to Summer 2023: Community Engagement Phase 2
    • Fall 2023 to Winter 2023/2024: Community Engagement Phase 3
  • Winter 2023/2024: Detailed design
  • Spring 2026: Hire a construction team
  • Summer 2027: Construction starts
  • Winter 2030: Construction complete, Community Recreation Centre opens

The timeline is subject to change.

Level of Engagement

This project has been classified as a Collaborate project based on the International Association of Public Participation Public Participation Spectrum. This means we aim to partner with the public, stakeholders and rightsholders in each aspect of the design process, including the development of design options and the identification of a preferred design.

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During this phase of the community engagement process, the City worked with residents and community stakeholders, including the Community Advisory Committee (CAC), to define an overall vision for the new Community Recreation Centre (CRC). This phase also included opportunities to collect feedback to shape the Design Principles and Big Moves for the CRC, which will guide the development of design options in Community Engagement Phase 2.

Vision

The Don Mills CRC will be a modern, welcoming, sustainable, functional and flexible space where everyone feels like they belong. It will invite the community to engage, participate, learn, grow and come together while prioritizing safety and accessibility for people of all ages and walks of life.

Multifunctional spaces with diverse and intergenerational programming will accommodate visitor needs, foster a sense of community, and create a meeting place that supports health and wellbeing.

Design Principles

  1. Ensure the design supports equitable access and inclusion, creates a sense of belonging and lowers barriers to participation.
  2. Create opportunities for connection and integration between the building, the park, the public realm and the people from the surrounding community.
  3. Incorporate ambitious Net-Zero emissions (energy) goals and environmentally progressive design and processes throughout the construction and operation of the new CRC.
  4. Meaningfully include diverse community voices throughout the design process, including Indigenous community members and Treaty Holders (including the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation).
  5. Design multipurpose spaces that are flexible and can meet the diverse and evolving needs of the current and future local community.
  6. Create a space that makes safety a priority for all staff and users

Big Moves

  1. Connect the CRC to the larger site and park by integrating indoor and outdoor spaces to support recreation and community activities throughout the year.
  2. Design the CRC to maintain and support the social and community-building activities of existing public spaces.
  3. Build a targeted Net-Zero emissions (energy) building.

Community Engagement Meetings and Events

March 2023

Public Youth Meeting

On March 22, 2023, an in-person public youth meeting took place for youth ages 15 to 24 to learn about the project and the opportunity to be a Youth Ambassador.

Download the meeting summary.

Youth Ambassador Application

From March 10 to March 21, 2023, an online application was available for youth ages 15 to 24 interested in applying to be a Youth Ambassador for the community engagement and design process. Youth Ambassadors will represent the interests and needs of local residents within their respective neighbourhoods and communities.

Indigenous Advisory Group Meeting

On March 7, 2023, a meeting took place to share project information, create a shared community vision and gather feedback on the draft Design Principles and Big Moves from some of the City’s local Urban Indigenous community members.

Download the meeting summary.

Community Advisory Committee Site Tour

On March 3, 2023, the CAC did a site tour at York Recreation Centre to learn about the successful programming and best practices that could be considered for the Don Mills CRC.

February 2023

Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Meeting 1

On February 1, 2023, the first CAC meeting took place at Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute to introduce the project to CAC members and obtain input on the draft Vision, Design Principles, and Big Moves.

Download the:

December 2022

Virtual Public Meeting and Online Survey

On December 15, 2022, a meeting took place to share information about the project and provide an opportunity for community members to submit their application for the Community Advisory Committee (CAC). Additionally, from December 15, 2022 to February 5, 2023, an online survey was available to collect feedback on visioning questions and insights on preferred program options for the CRC.

Download the combined summary.

Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Application

From November 25 to December 18, 2022, an online form was available for those interested in applying to be on the Community Advisory Committee.

July 2022

Meeting with Recreation Staff

On July 6, 2022, the project team met with City recreation staff to share best practices from existing community recreation centres in the community and across the City.

September 2021

On September 13, 2021, North York Community Council will consider the results of the Public and Community Needs Scan of the Broader Don Mills Catchment Area to support an exploration of alternative uses for the site at 966 Don Mills Rd.

June 2019

City Council

On July 16, 2019, City Council approved the Preferred Facility CRC and directed the City to proceed with the development of a comprehensive community engagement process to design, plan and develop the new CRC.

This phase of engagement is separated into two parts, A and B. During Phase 2a, feedback will be collected on early drafts of the design options. In Phase 2b, feedback will be collected on refined versions of the draft design options based on what the project team heard during Phase 2a. During this phase of the community engagement process, the City and the design consultant will work off of the outcomes of Phase 1 to develop two design options for the Community Recreation Centre (CRC). These will be presented to the community for feedback, with input collected used to develop a preferred design for the CRC.

Phase 2a

Early design options and anticipated community engagement activities:

  • City Recreation Staff Meeting (internal)
  • Public Meeting 2
  • Youth Meeting 2
  • CAC Meeting 2
  • IAG Meeting 2
  • Online Survey
  • Stakeholder Focus Group Meetings
  • City Disability Committee Meeting (internal)

Phase 2b

Refined design options and anticipated community engagement activities include CAC Meeting 3.

At the end of Phase 2, a preferred design option will be selected by community members, and design consultants will begin working on a final design for Phase 3: Setting the Direction.

Community Engagement Meetings and Events

November 2023

Virtual Public Meeting

On November 7, a virtual public meeting was held to share information about the early designs for the CRC and collect feedback.

Online Survey

From October 18 to November 12, an online survey collected feedback on the early designs for the new CRC.

During this phase of the community engagement process, the City will share the preferred design option with the community. Once the preferred design is confirmed, the project will move into the detail design phase, where the design team will finalize the preferred design by working through the technical details and developing detailed plans and drawings to be used by the construction contractor.

Anticipated Community Engagement Activities in this phase include:

  • Community Advisory Committee Meeting
  • Indigenous Advisory Group Meeting
  • Stakeholder Meeting
  • City Disability Committee Meeting (internal)
  • Meeting with Recreation Staff (internal)
  • Youth Ambassador creative report back
  • Youth Open House (at a local school)
  • Public Open House

Anticipated phase outcomes include a refined preferred design.

A new Community Recreation Centre (CRC) is coming to the Don Mills community, near the intersection of Eglinton Avenue East and Don Mills Road.

This large, integrated, and multi-component facility will offer the diverse and growing communities of the Don Mills Corridor and beyond a range of year-round programs and services. Located at the former Celestica Lands site at 844 Don Mills Rd., the new CRC will be next to a new large park and all within walking distance of a planned Eglinton Crosstown Light Rail Transit (ECLRT) station and is part of the ongoing implementation of the Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan.

The proposed CRC will include:

  • An indoor twin ice pad arena/multi-use indoor sports field
  • A large indoor lap and leisure pool
  • A double gymnasium
  • Multi-use community and activity spaces

This image shows a map of the area surrounding the intersection of Eglinton Avenue East and Don Mills Road. A red star indicates the location of the future Don Mills CRC, just north of Wynford Drive on the west side of Don Mills Road.

Previous Community Engagement: Recreate Don Mills

In early 2019, community and stakeholder engagements were conducted to determine the CRC location that would best meet community needs. Two location options were presented to the community.

The results indicated that locating a large ‘one-stop’ community recreation centre with arena, aquatics facilities, full gymnasium and multipurpose room uses at the former Celestica Lands (844 Don Mills Road) was preferable to two separate facilities.

Based on the outcomes of the 2019 community engagement and recommendations by City staff, City Council directed the City to proceed with the Preferred Facility on the former Celestica Lands site.

Project Scope

The community engagement and design process for the Don Mills CRC will consider only the amenities, programs and services within the CRC located on the former Celestica Lands.

Separate community engagement processes will be held for the design and programming of the one-hectare park next to the Don Mills CRC.