[LordWanker]

Sure many will claim it is beautiful as it is and things should remain intact. That's just backward thinking - these people will prefer everything to remain unchanged. They would prefer Toronto to be all Victorian houses outside the CDB.

And that line of thinking is what destroyed Toronto's potentially diverse historical buildings.
I do agree with making the Island more accessible via restoring the natural land link which was washed away in the last century(correction 1858). Most importantly keep the island car-free, with emergency vehicles being the exception.

 

[Red October]

I would be saddened if we lost Centreville. It was my first amusement park as a kid.

 

[ibhattac]

I think improvement should be in order.
Sure many will claim it is beautiful as it is and things should remain intact. That's just backward thinking - these people will prefer everything to remain unchanged. They would prefer Toronto to be all Victorian houses outside the CDB. Toronto islands have such great potential to be a more accessible urban park. Its current status is by no means satisfactory.

The islands first needs to be more accessible. Even living downtown, south of Queen st, I find it too troublesome to get to the islands. Central Park in New York, Hyde Park in London, or Luxemburg park in Paris are all extremely accesible. The islands being islands is partly the issue, but not quite. Just to get to Bay/Queen's Quay is enough trouble, and you need to pass a lot of unpleasant things. Most would need to take a subway to union, and transfer to a streetcar underground...

Second, the island needs to offer more value. Right now, it doesn't live up to its potential, not even 50% of it. Leaving it as natural as it is is not the way to go. A lot of upkeep and beautification work needs to be done. Much of the land remains unused (I don't mean building KFC's or condos of course) and needs skillful design. We are blessed with such a big and beautiful island right to the edge of downtown, yet it only functions as a getway from the city and its cars, noise and buildings. Simply not enough. We should expect more.

As to the islands residents, they would always selfishly prefer noboy ever steps into the island, or no development is ever done so that they can have it all to themselves. Forget what they want. If they want pure quietness, why not move out of the GTA, there is plenty out there.

kkg7, you should take a look at the governor's island redevelopment trust in new york - i think there are valuable lessons in there about planning parks effectively. toronto's own west8 is doing the masterplan for it, and it is something else.

you speak of expecting more of the island - what do you mean by this? maybe getting some examples of things/experiences/events that you would like to encounter on the island could help get a really good discussion going. there must be at least one park planner here on the forums that could weigh in with some ideas/renders.

you've also touched upon ease of access - in what ways do you think connectivity for someone living south of queen street be improved in order to get to the island? more bike paths? more sidewalks? more subways? fewer cars? more bus routes? a fixed link? what would be a more convenient route to get to the island? should more ferries from more points in toronto connect to the island? you mention unpleasant things need to be encountered/happen before you get to the island? what are these things? knowing what they are could help understand how to address them and make the time spent in transit to the islands more enjoyable.

also, i'm not sure what role the island residents play in any of this? are you suggesting they alone are responsible for the current state of the island? in what ways?

to help get people thinking, http://bit.ly/tdynhR. google has now streetviewed the islands. we can add now streetview to our toolkit ,in addition to our extensive experiences on centreville, in moving this discussion forward!

 

[TonyV]

I took my kid to Toronto centre Island last week. It has been years since we went, and thought that it would be nice to go down memory lane. What we got is old, tired and lame. Poorly maintained - old decrepit rides - poor staffing - poor maintenance- poor food - BIG price. Yet another Canadian icon that has been forgotton and left to rot, because of poor management and money. I think they should change it ASAP.

Welcome to UT, SMC.

What would you like to see done at Toronto Centre Island? What kinds of changes, specifically?

 

[RC8]

Food needs to be improved, Centreville can remain or not, but I'd like the animals to remain assuming they are well kept.

The rest of the park should stay untouched. I love going there for a swim or to play football with my friends. It remains one of the bastions of non-corporate recreation in North America.

People who say there's not much to do are probably part of the TV/videogame culture.

Last time I went for a swim with a group of friends there was a priceless scene. A tour of international U of T students (mostly asian) were taken to the beach where we were... there were big awesome waves that day. Most of the students' reaction was to take out their cell phones and take pictures of the lake! Most of them had never seen something like it before.

We shouldn't take such beauty so close to home for granted.

 

[ibhattac]

Food needs to be improved . . .

RC8, what do you find wanting in the food choices on the island? What would you like to see?

 

[gabe]

Make it Mcmansion island! Think of the amazing views I agree the amusement park is a mess, its run down pavement is full of cracks and weeds. I would love to see this park updated, I have a feeling a lot of families wouldn't bother making the trip to the island if there were no amusement park.

 

[RC8]

RC8, what do you find wanting in the food choices on the island? What would you like to see?

The Rectory Cafe is fantastic, so no complaints there.

I'd like to see a cheap non-franchised pizza place, for example. Where food is made AFTER you order it. Everything is outrageously expensive so far, except the Pizza Pizza which is still very expensive for what they give you.

I get the feeling that bar the Rectory, all food places are just there to milk people of cash, rather than to provide a cuisine that the chef wants to share.

 

[yin_yang]

they would be wise to create a five or six restaurants spread across the island: italian, vegetarian, thai, convenience, chinese, japanese, ect. it'd be nice if the city of toronto planted tomatoes, radishes, apples, and cucumbers in the summer that we could harvest at our convenience. berries too.

 

[Nick.]

RC8, what do you find wanting in the food choices on the island? What would you like to see?

do you post anything other than endless questions

 

[Justin10000]

Absolutely leave the islands the way they are. I sick and tired of the idea that every available space should be developed for residential living. Why should that space that is enjoyed for all be sold to developers?

Cityplace Toronto Islands... *Shudder*

 

[jn_12]

The only issue I have with the islands is that you have to pay to use the park (unless of course you're a great swimmer, or you own a row boat).

 

[RC8]

The only issue I have with the islands is that you have to pay to use the park (unless of course you're a great swimmer, or you own a row boat).

Unless a bridge is located in the central waterfront then it won't be free for anyone anyway. Connecting the islands to Cherry beach would mean you'd need a car - which is more expensive than a rowboat.

Free ferry service would be nice. Or 'free' access with a metropass.

 

[ibhattac]

do you post anything other than endless questions

so i should not be posting questions in order to help advance a discussion and prompt ideas?

 

[yin_yang]

I say replace the current ferries with SS Rob Ford and the SS Doug Ford. More carrying room.