A new skatepark is coming to Earl Bales Park. The City will be engaging the community to help determine the design.
The timeline is subject to change.
This project has been classified as a Collaborate project based on the International Association of 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.
In this phase of the community engagement process, the City and the design consultant worked with community members, including the Skatepark Champions, to define an overall vision for the skatepark, including a set of guiding principles to guide the development of design options in Community Engagement Phase 2.
Based on community feedback gathered in this phase and informed by the Toronto Skateboard Strategy, the guiding principles listed below were developed.
The Earl Bales Skatepark should have:
Download the combined summary report.
On November 22, the project team met with the Skatepark Champions virtually.
From November 22 to December 11, the project team conducted a visioning survey which collected over 500 responses. The survey focused on the overall park typology and skate park features.
The project team recruited a team of champions to help guide the project and work with designers and the local community to develop the skatepark design. Champions are a team of skateboarders of all skill levels from beginner to advanced. As best as possible, the City aimed to form a team that is diverse and representative of the local community.
In this phase of the community engagement process, the City and its design consultant worked off the outcomes of Community Engagement Phase 1 to develop three design options for the new skatepark. These were presented to the community and Skatepark Champions for feedback, and are being used to develop a preferred design for the skatepark.
The anticipated outcome of this phase is the selection of a preferred design. A summary of the feedback collected in this phase will be posted on this page.
From February 12 to February 25, an online survey collected feedback from 199 community members.
On February 12, the project team hosted a virtual public meeting to present and answer questions on the three design options for the new skatepark. Nineteen people attended, including seven Skatepark Champions.
On January 23, the project team met with the Skatepark Champions virtually.
Following the project visioning phase, design development was put on pause for a few months due to delays associated with the on-site archaeological and geotechnical assessments, which will impact how the skatepark is designed.
In this phase of the community engagement process, the City will share the preferred design with the community and Skatepark Champions. When the preferred design is confirmed, the project will move into the detailed design phase, where the design team will finalize the design by working through the technical details and drawings for the construction contractor.
The community engagement activities anticipated in this phase are a Skatepark Champions meeting and an open house.
The anticipated outcome of this phase is a refined preferred design.
Earl Bales Park is located at 4169 Bathurst St., south of Sheppard Avenue. It is a large 51-hectare destination park in Ward 6 – York Centre with a community centre, extensive park grounds and many recreational amenities.
As part of Toronto’s 20-year Facilities Master Plan and informed by the Skateboard Strategy, City staff reviewed existing skate facilities across the city to identify areas where new or improved facilities are needed to improve access to the activity city-wide.
Through this process, York Centre was identified as an area that lacked skateboarding facilities. Based on a number of criteria, Earl Bales Park has been selected as the best location to create a new skatepark for the local community. This criteria includes:
The skatepark design will be developed in consultation with the community. Budget, site limitations and operational requirements will also be considered throughout the design process.