Spring clean – up in City parks
The end to the long, snowy winter is on the horizon. City staff are working to make our parks and green spaces ready and welcoming for Torontonians to enjoy.
Spring cleanup begins in early April and lasts for about three weeks. This work is a collaborative effort between Parks, Forestry & Recreation, Municipal Licensing & Standards, Transportation Services, Solid Waste Management and Toronto Water. If the ground is dry enough, the first cycle of grass cutting at the City’s 1,512 named parks will be completed in early May. Low-lying or wet areas have to wait for the turf to dry out before the mowing can begin.
City sports fields will be groomed and ready for the permit season, which starts on May 14. Staff work to get park washrooms ready by flushing the lines and repairing any damage to equipment that occurred over the winter. Washrooms in parks are cleaned and opened to coincide with the start of the permit season.
There are more than 700 drinking fountains and 45 ornamental fountains in City parks. Water quality testing begins in April, with spot checks continuing throughout the season. Typically, there is winter damage to approximately three per cent of locations, but the majority of park drinking fountains will be operational by the end of May.
Spring cleanup would not be complete without flowers, of course. Each year, about a million flowers pop up in park gardens and horticultural beds across the city. Planting begins when weather conditions are right, usually just after the Victoria Day weekend.
toronto.ca/parks
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