Honest Ed’s Park is a new 1213m2 park being designed at the former Honest Ed’s site as part of a new mixed-use residential development project in the surrounding Mirvish Village. The park will front Markham Street and will include bird-friendly gardens, trees, a children’s water feature and sitting and picnic opportunities.

While we aim to provide fully accessible content, there is no text alternative available for some of the content on this site. If you require alternate formats or need assistance understanding our maps, drawings, or any other content, please contact Allison Quinn at 416-338-6145.

  • Spring 2021: Design development and community engagement
  • Summer to Fall 2021: Detailed design and construction drawing preparation
  • 2022: Hire a construction team
  • Fall 2024: Construction starts
  • Fall 2025: Construction complete, park opens

The timeline is subject to change.

Sign Up for Updates

Sign Up Now

Sign up for or unsubscribe from updates related to Honest Ed’s Park.

August 2025

Park Officially Named

The park is officially named Honest Ed’s Park, a wayfinding name established under the City’s Property Naming Policy.

Construction Update

Construction for the new park is underway and is anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2025.

October 2023

Construction Update

The park design has been finalized and the contractor is preparing to start construction in December 2023, weather permitting.

Community Engagement Phase 3: Preferred Design

August 2021

Online Survey

From August 6 to August 27, 2021, the City conducted an online survey to collect feedback on the preferred design for the new park and confirm previous feedback collected during the other phases of community engagement. The survey received 362 responses which includes 471 participants of various ages. 79 per cent of respondents identified as residents living nearby.

Respondents were able to indicate their preference and final thoughts on the design, layout and park elements.

  • 37 per cent of respondents agreed that the preferred design for the new park at Mirvish Village would meet the needs of the community.
  • The majority of respondents (more than 50 per cent) agreed that they would visit the park to relax and enjoy nature, there were a sufficient amount of trees and plants included in the design, and that the redesigned and relocated water feature was a unique addition to the park.
  • Many respondents suggested that the park include more green space and tree planting in the final design, as well as more variety of seating options.

Community Engagement Phase 2: Proposed Designs

City staff engaged the community and stakeholders on the proposed designs for the new park, which was based on previous feedback. Feedback was collected through an online survey and virtual public meeting. A preferred design will be developed using the feedback in this phase.

Download the What We Heard (Proposed Designs) Report.

April 2021

Online Survey

From March 25 to April 11, 2021, City staff collected feedback on an early proposed design for the park in an online survey. The survey received a total of 723 responses.

March 2021

Virtual Public Meeting

On March 25, 2021, a virtual public meeting was hosted by City staff to present the proposed design for the new park and gather feedback from the community on the design and playground equipment options through a virtual question-and-answer session.

Download the March 25, 2021 public meeting presentation.

Community Engagement Phase 1: Park Visioning

Through 2018 and 2019, City staff and the Mirvish Village Task Group held visioning workshops and park concept review meetings. From these visioning exercises, the following design guidelines and principles were used to inform a proposed park design:

  • Create a green oasis, a whimsical park with narrow and winding pathways and planting that will contribute to sustainable urban ecology
  • Provide a variety of seating opportunities for individual and small gatherings
  • Capture the whimsy and curvilinear geometry of the iconic Honest Ed’s sign
  • Integrate fencing/screening system to screen the laneway and provide privacy for the neighbours
  • “For the birds” – bird and insect-friendly ecology
  • Provide native landscape planting that will provide microclimates while supporting pollinator gardens, birds and insect ecology
  • Incorporate inclusive design principles to ensure the park is clean, safe and inviting for a wide range of park users

The preferred design was developed using feedback collected from the community and stakeholders during multiple phases of community engagement. The features in the design include:

  • A sculptural water feature located at the entrance from Markham Street with a water basin representative of the former Honest Ed’s marquee sign. Interactive water jets will provide playful animation.
  • A large green garden area.
  • Simplified and more direct park pathways and circulation system.
  • Various bench seating throughout the park (one to address the large garden area and the public art mural).
  • Raised wood platform at the north end of the park with seating.

The image shows the Preferred Design for the new park in aerial format. Features of the design include a landscape garden planting, raised wood platform, a sculptural water feature, and various garden rooms throughout the park.

  1. Landscape garden buffer
  2. Landscape garden planting
  3. Raised wood platform
  4. Sculptural water feature
  5. Main entrance from Markham Street
  6. Garden promenade
  7. North garden room
  8. Garden room

A map showing the placement of the new Mirvish Village Park, located west of Bathurst Street and fronting onto Markham Street.