The City updated the Centennial Park Master Plan in 2021 and is implementing park improvements in a phased approach based on the priorities identified in the Master Plan and the available project budget.
In February, you can review and provide feedback on draft playground and water play area designs. Sign up for updates to be notified when meeting and survey details are available.
The City is looking for local Indigenous community members of all ages and abilities to join a virtual Indigenous Advisory Circle to help inform the redesign of the playground and water play area. Professional experience is not required. Honourarium will be provided for participation in each meeting (two to three meetings are planned).
The first meeting is planned for mid-February. At this meeting, Advisory Circle members will meet the project team and review and provide feedback on playground and water play designs.
Indigenous Elder Catherine Tammaro, who is on the design team, will help guide the inclusion of Indigenous Placekeeping. The Ridge Road will lead the Advisory Circle process.
To apply and for more information, email abirioukovbrant@theridgeroad.com. The application deadline is February 1, 2023.
On January 26, a Virtual Public Information Session was held online from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Approximately 95 community members attended.
An overview of the Centennial Park Master Plan, seven project bundles outlining upcoming Centennial Park improvements, and opportunities for further community engagement were presented. An interactive question and answer session followed.
Download the meeting presentation.
The playground and wading pool in Centennial Park is being replaced with a new large playground and water play area with the help of community feedback.
Visit Centennial Park Playground and Water Play Improvements.
The pathways in the park will be upgraded with new surfacing and lighting to improve circulation and accessibility. A new multi-use trail will be added on Centennial Park Boulevard.
In early 2023, the planning and design work for a new skate trail and other improvements in the area will begin. This work is planned to include:
Centennial Park has a long and diverse history. For at least 13,000 years Indigenous peoples have been stewards of the land that Centennial Park is situated on. These are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and are now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
The Centennial Park Master Plan update process included engagement with Indigenous communities and public education. An Indigenous practitioner was dedicated to conversations with Indigenous community leaders to help review the Master Plan updates. The project team also integrated Indigenous Cultural Competency training opportunities at the Stakeholder Advisory Committee, Public Workshops and Youth Workshops.
Download the Centennial Park Master Plan Update:
The Centennial Park Master Plan Update seeks to find a new balance between the natural environment and recreational facilities, addressing the existing fragmentation of the site and revealing unique features that should be cherished and preserved. The document outlines strategies that will be implemented over the course of 20 years.
The section is organized as follows:
Centennial Park is Toronto’s second-largest park, located in the west end, near the border of Mississauga. Centennial Park serves both the local community and the region, attracting an estimated 1.5 million people from across the Greater Toronto Area. The park contains many sports facilities, public gathering spaces and natural areas.
A Master Plan is a dynamic and long-term planning document that provides a vision, objectives and action items to guide decision making for the ongoing improvements and management of parks. Master Plans are created using community and stakeholder feedback, expert advice and research. They are typically updated every 10 years.
In 2008, the City developed a Master Plan for Centennial Park that was not presented to City Council and therefore was not implemented. A lot has changed since 2008. The park itself has evolved with the addition of a BMX Bike Park, a frisbee golf course and other minor changes. The City has also created new policies and frameworks, including the Parkland Strategy and the Facilities Master Plan. In 2018, the City set out to review the 2008 Centennial Park Master Plan and create an updated plan.
The Centennial Master Plan addresses the impacts of climate change (e.g. building and park operations, impacts of severe storms) and focuses on serving a diverse set of both local and citywide residents. A focus on four major themes of Water, Ecology, Movement and Culture guides the Master Plan Update:
How we think about water at Centennial Park involves the entire water cycle – how and where it lands on the site, how it moves through the site, and how it is absorbed by the site. Water is a natural resource and it is also a source of play, beauty and contemplation within the park. The Master Plan takes into consideration the many ways water exists in the park.
The Ecology of Centennial Park includes the natural environment – the trees, habitats, animals – and the system that links all of these together. The Master Plan takes into consideration the delicate balance of the park’s ecosystem, including how to reduce human impacts and prepare the park for the changing climate.
Movement in Centennial Park is all about how people travel and find their way to and around the site. It is also about equal access for all, whether you are walking, biking, driving or taking the bus, if you need to take breaks often or need a smooth surface to travel on.
Culture reflects everything that contributes to the way of life in Centennial Park. It includes sportsfields and playgrounds, picnicking by the pond or visiting the Conservatory on a rainy day. It captures the community at Centennial Park, and how it can be created, maintained and enhanced.
The Facilities and Service Planning Assessment identifies recommendations intended to inform the development of a Park Master Plan Update for Centennial Park. Specifically, this assessment examines and prioritizes recreation facility needs for Centennial Park, guided by the City’s Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan, including the current thinking around emerging recreation needs.
Community engagement to help inform the development of the Master Plan Update took place from 2019 to 2021.
On November 25, 2021, the project team formed an accountability circle in recognition of the systemic anti-Black racism and barriers faced by Black communities when accessing parks. The circle brought together Centennial Park’s neighbouring Black communities and City staff to identify barriers and make recommendations on how these could be addressed. The circle also had the opportunity to make recommendations directly to the architect team to be included in the master plan.
Download the Accountability Circle Report.
On May 25, 2021, over 200 participants joined the Virtual Open House to learn more about the vision that will shape the future of the park. The online event began with a short presentation and opening remarks, followed by breakout sessions where participants reviewed site-wide strategies and demonstration plans and asked questions to the project team.
Download the Virtual Open House Presentation.
On November 30, 2020, a second meeting with Indigenous Community Leaders took place over Zoom and was led by Indigenous Consultant, Trina Moyan Bell. A summary report of that meeting will be posted here when it becomes available.
From September 25 to October 11, 2020, feedback on the preliminary designs that were developed based on feedback received through engagement to-date was collected in an online survey. The survey received 1,000 responses.
Download the Preferred Option Survey Summary Report.
On July 29, 2020, a digital workshop took place over Zoom and was led by Indigenous Consultant, Trina Moyan Bell. Indigenous Elder, Catherine Tammaro, opened and closed the workshop with a prayer. There were an estimated 15 participants including community leaders, elders, knowledge keepers, families and entrepreneurs.
Download the Indigenous Community Leaders Summary Report.
On July 25, 2020, building on the Public Visioning Workshop findings, PROCESS and PMA led two virtual workshops to refine a park design.
Download:
On July 20, 2022, PROCESS and PMA led a virtual Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting attended by six Centennial Park Stakeholders including local organizations, park permit holders, agencies, environmental groups, local schools and interested residents.
Download the Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting 2 Summary Report.
From June 21 to July 28, 2020, Social Pinpoint, an online interactive map platform, was used to collect specific feedback about the park from the community and park users. The platform allowed users to drop pins in specific locations as well as fill in a visioning survey on four themes: water, ecology, movement and culture.
A Public Life Study began in February 2020 to help the project team understand how people use Centennial Park. The study was paused in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The remaining Public Life Study data was collected through stakeholder and park user interviews from May to June 2020.
On March 11, 2020, a workshop took place at Etobicoke Olympium to provide the public with an opportunity to learn more about the master planning process and to help create a community vision for the park. The workshop included a project presentation and visioning activities with the aim to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the Master Plan update.
Download:
On March 2, 2020, PROCESS and PMA led an in-person meeting at Etobicoke Olympium, which was attended by 25 Centennial Park stakeholders including, local organizations, park permit holders, agencies, environmental groups, school boards and interested residents, plus the consultant team and City staff.
Download the Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting 1 Summary Report.
On May 4, 2019, the 2008 Master Plan was presented and what we heard from prior internal and permit holder consultations. This was followed by a question-and-answer session.
After the presentation, smaller discussions took place around thematic displays for additional input and comments.
Following the Open House, there were two separate hike-shops led by City staff and PROCESS. These hikes focused on connecting participants with both natural and recreation areas in the park, which created dynamic discussions about real park amenities.
Download Public Consultation Presentation
On April 13, 2019, a workshop took place that included a review of the strengths, challenges and opportunities within the park.
If you have questions about this content or would like accessibility supports, accommodation and/or a different format, please contact David O’Hara, Manager, Parks Design, at 416-885-6338.
