Today, Mayor John Tory was joined by Councillor Joe Cressy (Spadina-Fort York) for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the official opening of the Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre.
The community centre was completed in 2020, but due to the pandemic the facility was only open in a limited capacity. Since mid-June, the public has been able to enjoy the open rooftop park, which features a basketball court, running track, and community gardens. Families have been visiting the indoor play space designed and built by the Ontario Science Centre, as well as some drop-in sports programs. Additionally, City of Toronto CampTO programs safely operated in the facility for summers 2020 and 2021.
Canoe Landing Campus, which seamlessly merges Canoe Landing Park, the community centre, a dedicated community space, two elementary schools (Bishop Macdonell Catholic Elementary School and Jean Lumb Public School), and a child care centre, which opened to serve the community in early 2020. On the south side of the building is a 90-metre mural entitled Visual Land Acknowledgment, which was created by Anishinaabe artist Que Rock and his team and produced through the City’s StreetARToronto program.
The innovative 167,000-square-foot campus is an example of City Planning’s long-term vision for downtown Toronto and is a result of a unique partnership between the City, Toronto District School Board and Toronto Catholic District School Board. Through ongoing collaboration, the partners found capital and operational efficiencies by sharing spaces and maximizing the open space.
The non-profit organization, The Bentway Conservancy, operates the Bentway Studio, a 7,000-square-foot space connected to the community centre and offers free community-based programming, civic engagement and artist-led dialogue with residents.
The facility uniquely combines dedicated public spaces with traditional recreational spaces in its design. Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre received the 2020 Project of the Year from the Ontario Public Works Association. This shared public space is home to Listening Ears, a sculpture by Toronto-based artist Georgia Dickie, who was inspired by ears, residential satellite dishes, antennas, plant growth and acoustic mirrors. Public art fosters and encourages creativity in our communities and in the minds of the children and youth who frequent Canoe Landing.
More information about Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre is available at Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre
Quotes:
“I’m pleased to welcome the community to Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre. This facility will serve as a gathering space for people and an access point for a wide range of community activities, programs, services and events. Canoe Landing will be an asset in the community, a place where the City can meet the recreation, education, child care and community space needs of our neighbourhood. The partnership between the City and the TDSB and TCDSB is a wonderful example of working together to build strong and healthy communities.”
-Mayor John Tory
“I could not be more excited to welcome CityPlace residents and all Torontonians into our new Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre. For families living in condos and apartments, the local community centre is your living room, and the Canoe Landing Community Recreation Centre was designed specifically with local residents to serve this need and be a true community hub. This investment in the community will help ensure a thriving, liveable, equitable future for our fast-growing vertical neighbourhoods.”
– Councillor Joe Cressy
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