New Provincial Park lands in abandoned Toronto wasteland slated for development
Rejoice Toronto! A new Provincial Park has officially landed in our city and it's perfect for walking your dog.
Those familiar with the short-lived Bloordale Beach will be excited to learn about the Parkdale Provincial Park, situated near Brock and Queen, a former LCBO location.
Thanks to a new art collective of mischief makers, fences around the former store that was shuttered in 2015 and eventually ripped down earlier this year, now sport new signs greeting visitors to the park.
Welcome to the new #ParkdaleProvincialPark on Brock just north of Queen. #parks #Ontario #nature #Toronto pic.twitter.com/EVLv7WWuac
— Martin Reis (@BikeLaneDiary) December 4, 2022
If you know anything about 11 Brock Avenue, you'll know city council voted to build 40 "supportive homes" on the site, but that progress has been extremely short, to say the least.
That's why Shari Kasman, Martin Reis and Stephanie Avery took the opportunity to turn the barren wasteland into something enjoyable for the Parkdale community.
Kasman, who is also the brains behind the Bloordale Beach, said the lot was a perfect opportunity for another Toronto attraction.
"Unlike the beach, this lot has been sitting empty for a lot longer. It's a perfect place for a park," she tells blogTO.
And since the lot is not really fenced off, the group didn't even have to break in to hang their amusing park signs and wayfinding.
Parkdale Provincial Park now has world heritage site status! pic.twitter.com/3sMw0xs8Ry
— Shari Kasman (@smkasman) December 4, 2022
"There's so many of these spaces in the city. Sure affordable housing would be great but when? So it might as well be a park in the meantime," she said.
Head over to the park and you’ll see cheeky signs telling residents where exactly they are.
There are also some mini signs pointing out the park's greatest attractions like dog poop, broken glass, black fencing and the all-time favourite, barf.
Some of the signs are replicas of actual Provincial Parks signage while others feature a cute lil bear.
In aims of directing random passerbys to the park, there are also some directional signs along Queen St. pointing them towards the Provincial Park.
The mischevious art collective has a couple more ideas up their sleeves for the park - so make sure you check back for updates.
In a city like Toronto where condos remain king and affordable housing is more of a dream than a reality, the new park makes fun of this dilemma while also adding some fun into our mundane lives.
"Clearly this isn’t funded by the Province of Ontario but perhaps we should send them an invoice," Kasman said with a chuckle.
Shari Kasman
