The timeline is subject to change.
This project has been classified as a Consult project based on the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) Spectrum. This means the City will seek feedback from community members during Community Engagement Phase 1 to help inform the development of design guidelines for the design of the park expansion, and during Phase 2 to select and refine a preferred final design.
In this phase, the project team gathered community input through an online thought exchange activity focused on design ideas for the expanded park area. This input helped the project team develop guiding principles and big moves, which will be used to develop design options for the park expansion in Community Engagement Phase 2.
Guiding principles are high-level directions that reflect the community’s most important values and ideas for how the park should look and feel. They help to guide how the park should be designed by describing the desired outcomes. The guiding principles for the park expansion are:
Preserve and improve the park’s natural character by protecting mature trees, native vegetation, wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Strengthen connections to the ravine and greenbelt, while ensuring that access and improvements minimize impact on the natural environment.
Maintain the park as a calm, reflective and restorative place. Design improvements should respect the park’s peaceful character and complement the surrounding residential neighbourhood.
Ensure the park is accessible and welcoming to people of all ages and abilities. Improvements should support a diverse range of visitors and help everyone enjoy the park comfortably.
Create a welcoming space where neighbours, families and friends can gather informally and connect.
Provide opportunities for walking, nature appreciation, quiet reflection and spending time outdoors with family and friends. Park improvements should be thoughtfully integrated into the landscape and natural environment.
Big moves are the main priorities for the design of the park. They are specific directions to the design team that flow from the guiding principles to help make them a reality. The big moves for the park expansion are:
From July 20 to August 16, 93 community members shared 82 thoughts and 1,557 ratings in an online interactive thought exchange activity about how Franklin Park can be improved and expanded.
Review a summary of the August 2026 thought exchange activity results.
In this phase, the project team will use the design guidelines from Community Engagement Phase 1 to develop two design options for the park expansion area. These will be presented to the community, and the feedback received will help shape a preferred design.
The community engagement activities anticipated in this phase include:
In this phase, the preferred design for the park expansion will be shared with the community on this page. The project will then move into the detailed design phase, where the design team will work through the technical details and plans for the construction contractor.
