The City of Toronto is embarking on a Master Plan Update for Centennial Park. This will guide any updated infrastructure and changes within the park over the next 20 years.
The timeline is subject to change.
Centennial Park was envisioned in 1962 and opened in 1967 during Canada’s 100th birthday celebrations to meet the needs of a growing population in the Township of Etobicoke.
Today, Centennial Park is Toronto’s second largest park, located in the city’s west end, near the border of Mississauga. Centennial Park functions both as a local park and as a regional destination park, drawing an estimated 1.5 million people from across the City and other municipalities annually. The park contains many sports facilities, public gathering spaces and natural areas.
The Master Plan has three phases.
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 typically updated every 10 years. In 2008, the City developed a Master Plan for Centennial Park that never went before City Council and therefore was not realized. Since the 2008 Master Plan, much has changed. The City has created new policy tools, including the Parkland Strategy and the Facilities Master Plan, which provide Parks, Forestry and Recreation a framework for exploring designs and implementing projects. The park itself has evolved, with the addition of a BMX Bike Park, a frisbee golf course and other minor changes.
In 2018 the City of Toronto set out to review the 2008 Centennial Park Master Plan. The City consulted with stakeholders, permit holders, user groups and the public to understand what is and isn’t working well in the park, along with what has changed since the 2008 Master Plan was developed.
As the Master Plan Update enters its next phase, the City has retained PMA Landscape Architects, PROCESS, Dougan + Associates (Ecologists), Marshall & Murray (Cost Consultants), and Bronte Engineering (Civil Engineer) to develop a 10-year master plan. The Master Plan Update will respond to the realities of climate change by integrating a resilience lens (e.g. building and park operations, impacts of severe storms) and focusing on engaging a more diverse set of users to better understand needs and preferences to better serve both local residents as well as residents citywide.
The meeting began with a presentation of the 2008 Master Plan and what we heard from prior internal and permit holder consultations. This was followed by a question and answer period.
After the presentation, smaller discussions were held around thematic displays for additional input and comments.
Following the Open House, were two separate hike-shops led by City staff and the public facilitator consultant. These hikes focused on connecting participants with both natural and recreation areas in the park creating dynamic discussions about real park amenities.
Discussions included a review of the strengths, challenges and opportunities within the park.
The City is working with PROCESS – a public engagement, research and placemaking studio – to provide a variety of ways to get involved with the Centennial Park Master Planning process. An important part of our process includes obtaining feedback from the community in order to ensure that diverse voices are heard and all ideas and recommendations are considered.
From February to July 2020 we are conducting a series of Public Life Studies to understand how people use Centennial Park today, so we can shape it for tomorrow.
We are seeking researchers to join us! Email hello@weareprocess.ca for more details and to sign up.
At an upcoming Public Visioning Workshop planned for March 2020, PROCESS and PMA will lead a Visioning process to help shape the future of Centennial Park.
Registration details will be available closer to the date.
Building off of the Public Visioning Workshop findings, PROCESS and PMA will lead two workshops to refine a park concept that will be co-designed with the public and local students.
Locations and dates will be available closer to the workshop dates.
The Centennial Park Master Plan Update Indigenous consultation will include an Indigenous Engagement workshop in Spring 2020.
The location and date will be available closer to the date.
We will be hosting a series of pop-ups in and around Centennial Park to keep the public informed of the Master Plan update process.
Online consultation opportunities will be available starting in spring 2020.