The City is improving the playground in Dufferin Grove Park as part of an ongoing program to enhance playgrounds and play spaces across the city, so that everyone can experience the joys and benefits of play for years to come.
The timeline is subject to change.
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In this phase of the community engagement process, the project team collected design ideas from community members for the new playground which will guide the development of design options in Community Engagement Phase 2.
The community engagement activities in this phase included:
On July 25, the project team attended a summer camp workshop at Dufferin Grove Park from 12:30 to 2 p.m. to share information about the playground improvements and collect feedback from campers.
Eighteen children between five and 10 years old were asked to select their favourite playground activities and preferred colour scheme for the new equipment and provide additional comments or suggestions. The total number of responses is shown in parentheses below.
Additional comments included:
From June 22 to July 8, 715 people participated in an online thought exchange activity where they provided 651 ideas with 12,325 idea ratings.
The design team will use the survey feedback to create park design options, which will be shared for further feedback and refinement in Community Engagement Phase 2.
The most popular ideas provided by participants about the most important considerations for the playground improvements were:
The most popular play activities were:
52 per cent of respondents preferred an earthy colour scheme of green, brown and grey for the new equipment, 32 per cent preferred bright colours like yellow, orange and purple and 16 per cent had no preference.
On June 22, the project team hosted a pop-up event at the Dufferin Grove Park playground from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to share information about the playground improvements and collect community feedback.
Participants were asked to select their favourite playground activities and preferred colour schemes for the new equipment and provide additional comments or suggestions. Approximately 75 people, many of whom were children using the playground, participated by using stickers to indicate their preferences. The total number of responses is shown in parentheses below.
Additional comments included:
In this phase of the community engagement process, the City and its design consultant will work off the outcomes of Community Engagement Phase 1 to propose two to three design options for the playground improvements. These will be presented to the community for feedback, which will be used to develop a preferred option for the playground.
The anticipated community engagement activities in this phase include:
The anticipated outcome of this phase is the selection of a preferred option.
In this phase of community engagement, the final design for the new playground will be shared with the community on this page and the subscribers on the project mailing list. The project will then move into the detail design phase, where the design team will work through the technical details and develop detailed plans and drawings to be used by the construction contractor.
The anticipated community engagement activities in this phase include an in-person pop-up event.
Dufferin Grove Park Playground is located in the southeast area of the park.
The playground area currently includes:
The existing playground is being improved, with one play structure being replaced and some of the existing play features and equipment being restored. The playground is being redesigned using community feedback and is proposed to include:
The pathway and ramps connecting the playground area to the main promenade will comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Learn more about how playgrounds are made accessible.
Improvements will only be made in the general playground area and will not include any new lighting or water features or improvements to other areas of the park.