The Yonge Street Linear Park network provides vital green space and a popular pedestrian route parallel to Yonge Street in the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood. The revitalization project includes George Hislop Park, Norman Jewison Park and Alexander Street Parkette. The park improvements will be guided by the Yonge Street Linear Park Master Plan 2017.
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The timeline for Alexander Street Parkette Improvements is to be decided.
All timelines are subject to change.
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Construction for the park improvements at George Hislop Park and Norman Jewison Park starts on May 30. The parks will be closed to the public during construction. The work will include new paths, seating, lighting, planting, trees and special features including integrated 2SLGBTQ+ (Two-spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer and plus sign representing other sexual or gender diverse members) and Indigenous art.
The Final Preferred Plan for all three parks is available in the Design section of this page.
The City led a second round of community engagement for the preferred plans for all three parks using previous stakeholder and community feedback. The preferred plans were informed by a virtual public meeting, an online survey, a Community Resource Group, and discussions with local community groups.
Download the What We Heard (Phase 2) Report.
From February 17 to March 12, 2021, feedback on the preferred plans for all three parks was collected in an online survey.
On February 17, 2021, a virtual public meeting took place to present the Final Preferred Plan for George Hislop Park, Norman Jewison Park, and Alexander Street Parkette. Feedback collected during Phase 1 was also presented with an explanation of how this input was integrated into the preferred design plans.
Download the:
On February 9, 2021, a Community Resource Group meeting took place. The group includes community stakeholders who share their knowledge of the neighbourhood in an advisory capacity.
Download the meeting summary.
The City led a first round of community engagement for the early designs plans for all three parks, which would help inform the development of a preferred plan. Feedback was collected in a virtual public meeting, an online survey, a Community Resource Group, engagement with Indigenous communities and discussions with local community groups.
Download the What We Heard (Phase 1) Report.
From November 4 to November 29, 2021, feedback on the early plans for all three parks was collected in an online survey.
Download the survey results.
On November 5, 2021, the project team presented preliminary park plans and refinements of the 2017 Master Plan for George Hislop Park, Norman Jewison Park, and Alexander Street Parkette to the community. Community perspectives and priorities were identified in this meeting.
On October 30, 2020, a Community Resource Group meeting took place. The group includes community stakeholders who share their knowledge of the neighbourhood in an advisory capacity.
Download the:
On September 21, 2020, a Community Resource Group meeting took place. The group includes community stakeholders who share their knowledge of the neighbourhood in an advisory capacity.
Download the
The Final Preferred Plan for all three parks was developed using feedback collected from the community in 2020 and 2021.
The improvements to George Hislop Park, Norman Jewison Park and Alexander Street Parkette are guided by the Yonge Street Linear Park Master Plan 2017, which established design principles through consultation with a focus on the creation of continuous accessible pathways, quality seating and site furnishings, maintaining existing trees, adding welcoming lighting and new features, and enhancing safety for all park users.
James Canning Gardens was included in the Master Plan and is complete as part of a separate project. The park reopened in 2020.
In 2017, the City completed the Yonge Street Linear Park System Master Plan, which included a comprehensive conceptual plan for three parks in the linear system – James Canning Garden, George Hislop Park, Norman Jewison Park. All three parks are built over the Yonge Street subway system and together form an important “green spine” and a north-south pedestrian commuter route in the Church Wellesley neighbourhood, just east of Yonge Street.
Alexander Street Parkette was not included in the Master Plan but it is located in the same corridor just east of Yonge Street and has been added to this project to achieve a comprehensive approach to the neighbourhood parks.
Following the Master Plan, construction began in 2018 for the James Canning Gardens improvements. This project is associated with the development at 587 Yonge Street. Originally targeted for completion in early summer 2020, the work at James Canning Gardens is tied up in a legal issue involving the developer. The City is working to find the best way forward in order to allow for the completion of the park improvements.
The State of the Village Study and Neighbourhood Plan Report was undertaken by The 519 Church Street Community Centre to answer two questions central to the Church-Wellesley Village and LGBTQ2S+ “villages” around the world:
These questions were brought on by unprecedented social and economic changes underway in Toronto and across North America. More visible than ever before but in a complex state of transition, the Church-Wellesley Village community faces questions around the future of the neighbourhood. How can the Church-Wellesley Village and the LGBTQ2S+ community work best with the forces of development, changes in societal norms, and the dispersal of LGBTQ2S+ hubs across the city to create a 21st-century community that honours its cultural diversity, identity and history, while retaining and reinvigorating its cultural relevance and economic vitality? A central objective of the project was to understand the Church-Wellesley Village community, draw lessons from other LGBTQ2S+ communities, and set a path towards building a stronger, healthier community prior to the international spotlight of World Pride 2014 and the 2015 Pan American Games and with lasting impact beyond these events.
