The City is co-creating the Toronto Island Park Master Plan with Indigenous rights holders, local communities and the public. This means that we are collating thoughts, ideas and feedback in gradual stages and in a variety of ways to ensure your voices and ideas are reflected in the final Master Plan.
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The Toronto Island Master Plan has been classified as a Collaborate project based on the International Association of Public Participation 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 a vision, design options and the identification of a preferred design.
Engagement is an important and valuable part of the Master Plan development process. It makes up two of five key inputs that are influencing the Master Plan:
The advisory and placekeeping groups include communities with interests or mandates that are directly connected to the Toronto Island Park Master Plan and who can provide insight to guide the development of the Master Plan.
The City holds business reference meetings with Island and waterfront businesses to review and discuss key issues emerging from the Business Strategy. They meet as needed over the course of the process.
A group made of waterfront-based, city-wide and Indigenous communities that have a mandate or interest that connects to the Toronto Island Master Plan.
This working group was established to help shape the future of Hanlan’s Point Beach. The Hanlan’s Point Working Group consists of 20 participants, including regular beach users, beach advocates and representatives of organizations related to the beach. The Working Group includes a diverse range of Hanlan’s Beach users, with representatives from across the 2SLGBTQ+ spectrum, nudist and heterosexual communities who use the beach, people of different ages and abilities, and people who are a part of equity deserving communities.
The Indigenous Placemaking Advisory Council was a group convened by the City’s Indigenous Affairs Office. It was comprised of 10 to 15 individuals representing a range of Indigenous organizations and perspectives.
These discussions include representatives of the MCFN, Elders, knowledge keepers and others who connect about placekeeping on Toronto Island from the Michi Saagiig perspective.
As part of the project, the City created a paid mentorship opportunity for local youth ages 13 to 24 to participate in a design/art project. Three youth will work with an artist on the project team to help develop an art or design component for the project.
The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is comprised of staff representing 20 to 30 City divisions or other public agencies (Waterfront Toronto, Ports Toronto, and others). The TAC provides advice, technical guidance and helps connect the Master Plan to other concurrent, related initiatives.
Community Engagement Phase 1 focused on developing a collective vision, values and guiding principles to guide the development of the Toronto Island Master Plan. The What We Heard Summary Report consolidates insights and outcomes from all engagement activities and tools that happened in this phase.
Download the What We Heard: Phase 1 Summary Report.
On April 28, over 300 people joined the virtual Indigenous Placekeeping Forum to listen and learn about Indigenous placekeeping. The event included an opening invocation, an Elders and knowledge-holders panel and presentations on perspectives on Indigenous placekeeping.
From March 17 to April 9, over 5,000 participants provided insights on their Toronto Island Park experiences and how they would like to experience it in the future.
Download the Survey Summary Report.
An Interactive Map on Social Pinpoint allowed participants to share their experiences and ideas and rate what others have said. The online map was visited by over 4,000 people and received approximately 800 comments and thousands of data points.
Download the Social Pinpoint Synthesis Report.
Participants who preferred to engage offline were able to download or receive a printed engagement toolkit and prepaid return envelope.
On April 7, a visioning workshop included an overview of the Toronto Island Park Master Plan process, preliminary outcomes from pre-engagement, project updates from the City’s staff and DTAH (landscape architect for the Toronto Island Park Master Plan) and a question-and-answer session followed by interactive discussions.
Download the Public Visioning Workshop Summary Report.
From March 28 to March 31, the project team held a series of workshops with specific Indigenous communities, including women, youth and Two Spirit people. During these focus groups, participants shared their thoughts, ideas, vision and priorities for the Toronto Islands.
Download the Indigenous Engagement Summary Report.
On March 17, the City and community and Indigenous partners formally launched the Toronto Island Park Master Plan and public engagement process in a virtual Launch Ceremony. Over 250 people tuned in to watch an invocation and blessing by a Mississauga Elder, hear from City and Indigenous leaders and learn about the Toronto Island Park Master Plan.
Participants at the IPAC meeting shared their thoughts, ideas, vision and priorities for the Toronto Islands. The IPAC is convened by the City’s Indigenous Affairs Office and comprises of 10 to15 individuals representing a range of Indigenous organizations and perspectives.
Participants at the first MCFN meeting shared their thoughts, ideas, vision and priorities for the Toronto Islands. The meeting was attended by representatives of the MCFN, Elders, knowledge keepers and others who represent the Michi Saagiig perspective.
Participants at the first CAC meeting shared their thoughts, ideas, vision and priorities for the Toronto Islands. The CAC comprises of waterfront-based, city-wide, and Indigenous communities that have a mandate or interest that connects to the Toronto Island Master Plan.
Download the February 2021 Community Advisory Committee Meeting Summary.
The City hosted several pre-engagement focus groups and interviews with Indigenous audiences, community-based audiences and internal City divisions and extended partners to get a preliminary understanding of the issues, existing conditions and opportunities on Toronto Island.
The pre-engagement meetings introduced the project and explored how participants wanted to be engaged in the Master Plan process.
Download the Pre-Engagement Summary Report.
Island Stories is a collective storytelling project that captures the unique ways Torontonians from all walks of life experience Toronto Island.
We have heard from families who have lived on the Island for decades, visitors who have enjoyed concerts, ferry rides, and the island maze, individuals who have celebrated special moments on the island, and even stories of a lighthouse ghost! The campaign has provided an opportunity for reflection as we collectively create the Toronto Island Park Master Plan.
Share your story on the Island Stories page and inspire your thoughts for the future of the Island.
A Public Life Study was undertaken to better understand how the Island is used. Data was collected through a combination of behavioural observation and surveys.
Community Engagement Phase 2 focused on building on the collective vision, values and guiding principles developed in Phase 1, identify Big Ideas and develop a Draft Demonstration Plan. The What We Heard Summary Report consolidates insights and outcomes from all engagement activities and tools that happened in this phase.
Download the:
On August 13, the project team held a series of pop-ups across seven locations on the Island to share information and key ideas about the Master Plan. Each location focused on different topics and ideas related to different areas of the Island, including Indigenous placekeeping, Island transportation, Environmentally Sensitive Areas, wayfinding and others.
On March 1, a virtual open house was conducted using a drop-in format. Participants were able to download materials ahead of time and look through the proposed ideas and actions in the Preliminary Demonstration Plan before joining breakout rooms to chat with the project team.
Download the main open house presentation.
Each room shared ideas from one of five themes:
From March 3 to March 24, the project team hosted a series of Deep Dive workshops with the goal of going into further detail on specific topics from the Preliminary Demonstration Plan. The deep dives were split into the following themes:
Download the Deep Dive summary.
On February 16, the project team hosted the third CAC meeting. Representatives from approximately 20 on-island and community organizations, waterfront organizations, and city-wide organizations participated. The purpose of this meeting was to share and discuss the Preliminary Toronto Island Park Demonstration Plan, including the proposed ideas and actions for each of the plan’s lenses.
Download the meeting summary.
On December 9, over 100 people joined the virtual Towards Belonging Form where community and thought leaders, artists and experts were invited to discuss the concept of ‘belonging’ in public spaces and how we might be able to embed this thinking into the Toronto Island Master Plan to create a park that is truly open, accessible and welcoming of all.
On November 19, the City hosted a Placekeeping Dialogue with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) for the Toronto Islands Park Master Plan. The meeting included participants from the MCFN Culture and Events Staff as well as Michi Saagiig Elders and knowledge holders. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a visual overview of the park, present the placekeeping ideas within the context of the existing park spaces and seek input and feedback on these ideas. The meeting was held in lieu of an in-person park visit.
From October 20 to December 6, the project team hosted 12 dialogues with key communities, City staff and Island stakeholders to present emerging ideas. The goal of these meetings was to vet ideas, ensure ideas align with other initiatives and strategies, and overall ensuring the project is on the right track. Conversations included:
Focus Groups:
Targeted Discussions:
On September 28, the project team met with the City’s Disability Steering Committee for a project update and to workshop some emerging ideas around accessibility. Some of the themes discussed included: wayfinding and information, accessible pathways, staff support, sensory considerations and water/beach access.
Over 150 young people from across Toronto were engaged through a series of in-person and online pop-up events designed and led by the Toronto Island Master Plan Youth Ambassador team. The team of 10 Ambassadors ranged in age from 15 to 27 and collectively spoke nine different languages. The team worked together throughout the summer to design and deliver events that engaged their peers and communities in the Toronto Island Master Plan’s Big Ideas.
Download the summary report.
From August 4 to August 16, 1,500 people participated in an online survey focused on current offerings at the Island including transportation, food and attractions, and what amenities and experiences park visitors would like to have access to in the future.
Over 100 people attended a virtual workshop to provide feedback on the proposed Big Ideas gathered during Community Engagement. This event included an overview of the Master Plan, an update on Phase 1 outcomes, and a presentation on the proposed Big Ideas. Discussions focussed on four main themes: Environment; Visitor Experience; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and History, Culture and Storytelling.
Download the Big Ideas Public Workshop Summary Report.
The CAC was joined by the City’s Technical Advisory Committee to discuss and co-develop the Big Ideas the emerged from Community Engagement Phase 1.The goal was to have City staff collaborate with members of the public in vetting the Big Ideas and provide valuable insight on feasibility.
Download the July 2021 Community Advisory Committee:
From May 27 and June 20, the public was invited to review, rate and comment on preliminary Big Ideas from the Master Plan as well as to submit Big Ideas they thought would bring the collective vision to life. In total, we collected over 140 ideas, 75,000 ratings and 900 comments.
Download the Big Ideas Summary Report.
Community Engagement Phase 3 focused on confirming the direction of the Master Plan by refining the Demonstration Plan and its site-specific approaches and confirming priorities for implementation.
Download the Phase 3 What We Heard Report.
From August 25 to September 24, an online survey reported back to the community on “what we heard from Hanlan’s Point Beach conversations, illustrating how this feedback was incorporated into the Draft Master Plan. Over 800 participants provided feedback on the outcomes and the overall satisfaction with the Hanlans Point Beach community engagement process.
Download the survey summary.
In-person and virtual events were held in response to concerns from 2SLGBTQ+ communities and Hanlan’s Point Beach users regarding the Draft Master Plan and ideas proposed for Hanlan’s Point. These events included:
Feedback from these engagements included:
In response to the community’s concerns, the City:
Download the engagement summary report.
On Wednesday, November 30, 2022, from 5:30 to 8:00 pm, the City hosted an open house at Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre. Over 80 community members attended, including some members of the project’s Community Advisory Committee and the Ward 10 – Spadina–Fort York City Councillor.
Download the meeting summary.
Download information panels: