The Guild Park and Gardens is 36 hectares of parkland in eastern Scarborough next to Scarborough Bluffs. The Guild includes heritage and cultural assets, natural forest and a network of trails with views overlooking Lake Ontario. The City has initiated a long-term plan for future park uses, trails, horticultural elements and preservation of the natural and cultural heritage features.

The City has installed two raised walkways to make the western forest trails more accessible, and to encourage park users to stay on the trail. Trail users staying to this trail improves the sustainability of this Environmentally Significant Area.

The Trails Master Plan completed May 2018, responds to the Guild Park and Gardens Management Plan, particularly the Key Initiatives and Priority Actions relating to trail improvements.

Guild Park and Gardens Trails Master Plan

This is a large document and has been divided into parts.

The trails master plan was completed over the period of August 2017-May 2018. There were two public workshops and two stakeholder events as well as multiple surveys to provide input. The Trails Master Plan is an adaptive plan and will be revised over time to respond to the usage patterns and changes to the site.

Two public workshops were held on October 16, 2017.

You can also download the results of the January 2018 Lookout Feasibility Study.

The Horticulture Plan expands on recommendations made through the Management Plan, provide direction regarding the future of the park’s horticultural areas and identify key priority projects. The Plan establishes a strategy to revitalize the historic landscape, use horticulture to help structure the cultural landscape and add to the site’s unique cultural heritage, where appropriate.

Horticulture Plan

This is a large document and has been divided into parts.

Background and Consultation

The Horticulture Plan was completed over the period of January to September 2018. The study’s process included two public workshops and two stakeholder events.

Two public workshops were held on May 8. Presentation materials, discussion points and public input from this meeting are summarized in What We Heard.

The Horticulture Plan is an adaptive plan and will be revised over time to respond to the usage patterns and changes to the site.

The Guild Park and Gardens have many initiatives currently proposed by various divisions or agencies involved with managing the site.  Heritage has a heritage by-law amendment process currently underway.  Culture has a revision of the Cultural Precinct Plan for the site proposed.

A development proposal for leasing the previous site of the Guild Inn has been approved in concept by City Council.  The Scarborough Waterfront Action Plan led by the Toronto Region and Conservation Authority proposes improved access and connectivity for trails along the waterfront through this site.

The management plan process considers the existing sensitive heritage and natural resources and integrates information from all these initiatives into a long-term comprehensive plan for the park and garden areas.

The goals of the management plan are to:

  • Inventory the existing sensitive natural resources of forest and other plant communities on the site to provide for continued protection of these resources
  • Inventory the existing cultural resources of heritage assets including public art and heritage architectural fragments throughout the site to provide for continued protection of these resources, including heritage trails and views.
  • Inventory the existing and historic horticultural elements to provide for enhanced horticulture features appropriate with the site.
  • Identify opportunities for enhancing the site connectivity, and for improving user safety with suggestions for trail planning
  • Identify opportunities for interpretation and site programming conducive to the sensitivity of the resources
  • Identify key issues for opportunities for future planning of additional parkland enhancements for the area
  • Consider opportunities for creating safe access to viewing Lake Ontario.