Northern Light

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The City is set to get underway with a new Master Plan for the Island Park system beginning this fall.

You can follow and engage with the process here: https://www.toronto.ca/city-governm...s-strategies/toronto-island-park-master-plan/

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Things I will push for and/or seek to be considered.

1) More naturalization. There are many parts of the Island Park system where there is no picnic infrastructure, no open fields for sport, yet there is mowed grass for its own sake.

I would like to see more of this naturalized, especially along the shoreline.

2) Widen/restore one or more beaches.

3) Consider a permanent campground (no existing natural area to be disturbed, but restoration could occur around designated sites.)

4) Consider a fine dining restaurant on the Island with a skyline view of the City (no disturbing existing natural areas)

5) Replace conventional bike rental with Bikeshare Toronto on the Islands.

6) If Centreville remains viable, that's fine. But if not, consider a Destination Children's Playground.

7) Consider some higher-end, optional Beach services (no exclusive access to shoreline). Hot Towel service, Laundry Service, Beach equipment rental).

8) More drinking fountains and water-bottle filling stations.

9) City-provided BBQs (as used to be common)

10) Pedestrian-priority paths should be done in interlocking paving.

11) One net new coastal wetland.
 
How about putting a hotel resort and beach on one corner of the Billy Bishop Airport? It can act as a sound buffer between the airport and the rest of the island.
 
How about putting a hotel resort and beach on one corner of the Billy Bishop Airport? It can act as a sound buffer between the airport and the rest of the island.

Not crazy about that.

1) I really do hope for the removal of the airport over the medium term. That may not happen, but I wouldn't want to support a project I couldn't justify if the airport weren't there.

2) There's already a public beach right beside the airport, Hanlan's Point. The inner-habour side is either between the islands and non-viable as a beach or within the restricted waters of the airport.

3) Any building to be economically viable would have to have a certain size, and would displace a material amount of existing parkland. This is particularly true when you consider that height is likely constrained next to the airport.

4) I do not support creating 'exclusive', non-public uses where you require reservations or significant dollars to have access to any area. I don't mind a modest fee for something like camping.

But a resort is something else all together.

5) I would wonder at whether a resort would be interested in being sandwiched between the airport and a nude beach!

6) Should the airport ever decamp, their site represents roughly 80ha or 200 acres. I would not necessarily object to a hotel or very small scale resort on a small portion of the site, on the basis that most of the area would be net gain
to the public and the former could help finance the latter.
 
I want to see quality hardscape/playscape at the Avenue of the Islands - that axis is embarrassing bad right now. Not a huge fan of having Centreville remaining as is other than selected elements - I thought MVVA playscapes are a good model for what would work nicely.

AoD
 
The problem with adding or changing any shoreline/beachfront is that the island no longer receives any sand from the Bluffs as it historically used too. The construction of the Spit has resulted in a slow deterioration of the island, and any additional sand or landfill would have to keep that in consideration.
 
I want to see quality hardscape/playscape at the Avenue of the Islands - that axis is embarrassing bad right now. Not a huge fan of having Centreville remaining as is other than selected elements - I thought MVVA playscapes are a good model for what would work nicely.

AoD
I don't really get the hate for Centerville for many families with younger kids it's the first amusement park they go to as there isn't a lot fro them to do at Canada's Wonderland and not everyone can make the drive out to Santa's village.
 
... Not a huge fan of having Centreville remaining as is other than selected elements - I thought MVVA playscapes are a good model for what would work nicely.

AoD

Be careful what you wish for. Must have been some people who "hated" Sunnyside Amusement Park, and when they go their "wish" we got the Gardiner Expressway in its place.

Would also want to see Centreville stay, but improved not removed.
 
Toronto Island Park feels like a normal, dumpy urban park. There's nothing particularly special about it, which is a shame. The islands are an asset many cities would kill for. I hope we can realize its potential. It should be a tourist attraction in its own right. I hope the City takes inspiration from some of the great urban parks in the world (Parc Guell, Central Park, Hyde Park, etc...), rather than making it yet another regular park. A substantial investment here could pay off big in terms of tourism.
 
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The Toronto Islands were built up over time from the deposited sands from the Scarborough Bluffs. The bad news is that it means more erosion of the Scarborough Bluffs, IF they don't get the sand from elsewhere.

 
Licensing some of the refreshment huts to someone like Amsterdam Brewery could make some sense and vastly improve selection, service and atmosphere.

Avenue of the Island has had its modernism muddled. It should be fixed and celebrated.

I'm also not against a pedestrian/cycling bridge on the eastern gap.
 
Not part of this plan, but it would be great if they got rid of the airport and made it into a big park.

2 years feels like a very long time to develop a plan.
 
Licensing some of the refreshment huts to someone like Amsterdam Brewery could make some sense and vastly improve selection, service and atmosphere.

Avenue of the Island has had its modernism muddled. It should be fixed and celebrated.

I'm also not against a pedestrian/cycling bridge on the eastern gap.

Think a streetcar, pedestrian, bicycle (and emergency vehicle) tunnel might be better. Else we'll need a "skyway" bridge in height or draw bridge to allow ships under it.

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I'm also not against a pedestrian/cycling bridge on the eastern gap.

This is key, to me, especially given that enhancing access is one of the key states goals of the plan. Want more people to be able to get there? Don’t force hundreds of people to line up for hours, pay money, and cram onto overcrowded ferries.

The eastern gap needs to remain open at least part of the time for commercial boat traffic, but I don’t see why a pedestrian/cyclist drawbridge of some sort couldn’t be the solution. A connection at the eastern gap would also play well into future Portlands connections and transit infrastructure.
 

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