Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Indeed. The skyline need not match the fishing bobbers in the park.
Indeed. The skyline need not match the fishing bobbers in the park.
There may not be formal kids stuff like swings but I can see plenty of things my kids could do here.
Towered
Senior Member
barrytron3030
Active Member
good lord, this thread has distastefully veered off course...THE LUGE COURSE!
well i'm going to hell, or is that, missassauga?
i've thrown enough puns at you. seriously, when is this park going to open officially? the same day we get that subway to pearson?
well i'm going to hell, or is that, missassauga?
i've thrown enough puns at you. seriously, when is this park going to open officially? the same day we get that subway to pearson?
gei
Active Member
hehe. I think the photo(s) you're refering to (with the brilliant green grass and the gardiner in the background) have you fooled. what you're in fact seeing is a green carpet (aka "synthetic turf") with the gardiner in the background. which is why it looks so perfect.
don't get me wrong.. I actually think putting turf down on this part is a good idea. it would get ruined anyway with all the sports being played on it. so it just makes sense...
greenleaf
Senior Member
Thank you NP for writing this up. How absurd, yet unsurprising.
http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/...oe-landing-park-awaits-a-bureaucrat-s-ok.aspx
Blame Belleville: Toronto's Canoe Landing Park awaits a bureaucrat's OK
Posted: April 24, 2010, 11:00 AM by Rob Roberts
By Meghan Potkins, National Post
The only thing standing between the launch of Canoe Landing Park — an already-iconic downtown greenspace featuring a large red canoe designed by author/artist Douglas Coupland — is the glacial pace of work at a sleepy provincial land registry office in Belleville.
The thousands of potential users living in nearby condo towers are awaiting a simple title swap: the city must assume legal ownership of the four-hectare park before it opens. But the park is legally still in the hands of the developer, Concord Adex, which says the gates will remain closed so long as the park is in its name and it is liable if someone were to trip and break an ankle.
In the last few weeks the legal paperwork has been shuffled from the backlogged Toronto land registry office to quieter Belleville for fast-tracking, but it remains unprocessed.
“There is nothing as frustrating as bureaucracy,” said Councillor Adam Vaughan (Trinity-Spadina). “It just amazes me that something as simple as a title swap, which [only] requires a rubber stamp and a signature, can’t just be executed more quickly.”
Residents are ‘‘frustrated” because the park remains closed during a glorious spring, said Mr. Vaughan.
“They can’t believe it takes this long to re-register the title to a new owner,” he said. “The community is chomping at the bit to get onto the playing field and have some fun and I think that is what should be happening.”
The park’s official ribbon-cutting ceremony, held last September, was attended by Mayor David Miller, Mr. Coupland, and Concord Adex CEO Terry Hui, among others. The park was open for all of a day. Then the developers put the fences back up.
The vice-president of Concord Adex, Arash Beheshti, said the continued closure of Canoe Landing is “unfortunate.” But he said his company has worked closely with the city to ensure the park’s opening. “Our community [should] be able to enjoy what is theirs.”
In the last few months, Concord Adex, Mr. Vaughan and the city’s planning department have worked to resolve various regulatory issues to ensure the park would meet the city’s standards.
The park’s centrepiece is the giant red canoe designed by Mr. Coupland, poised atop a promontory above the Gardiner expressway, pointing in the direction of Lake Ontario. A commemorative Terry Fox running trail called the Miracle Mile, winds around an all-season Astroturf sports field. With a beaver dam-inspired fountain, also designed by Mr. Coupland, Mr.Vaughan says the park has the potential to define the neighbourhood.
“It is effectively going to give heart and soul to this new community which is a great place to live, and has a great park which is just waiting to [open]. If the province would just sign the deed over, we would be on our way.”
http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/...oe-landing-park-awaits-a-bureaucrat-s-ok.aspx
Blame Belleville: Toronto's Canoe Landing Park awaits a bureaucrat's OK
Posted: April 24, 2010, 11:00 AM by Rob Roberts
By Meghan Potkins, National Post
The only thing standing between the launch of Canoe Landing Park — an already-iconic downtown greenspace featuring a large red canoe designed by author/artist Douglas Coupland — is the glacial pace of work at a sleepy provincial land registry office in Belleville.
The thousands of potential users living in nearby condo towers are awaiting a simple title swap: the city must assume legal ownership of the four-hectare park before it opens. But the park is legally still in the hands of the developer, Concord Adex, which says the gates will remain closed so long as the park is in its name and it is liable if someone were to trip and break an ankle.
In the last few weeks the legal paperwork has been shuffled from the backlogged Toronto land registry office to quieter Belleville for fast-tracking, but it remains unprocessed.
“There is nothing as frustrating as bureaucracy,” said Councillor Adam Vaughan (Trinity-Spadina). “It just amazes me that something as simple as a title swap, which [only] requires a rubber stamp and a signature, can’t just be executed more quickly.”
Residents are ‘‘frustrated” because the park remains closed during a glorious spring, said Mr. Vaughan.
“They can’t believe it takes this long to re-register the title to a new owner,” he said. “The community is chomping at the bit to get onto the playing field and have some fun and I think that is what should be happening.”
The park’s official ribbon-cutting ceremony, held last September, was attended by Mayor David Miller, Mr. Coupland, and Concord Adex CEO Terry Hui, among others. The park was open for all of a day. Then the developers put the fences back up.
The vice-president of Concord Adex, Arash Beheshti, said the continued closure of Canoe Landing is “unfortunate.” But he said his company has worked closely with the city to ensure the park’s opening. “Our community [should] be able to enjoy what is theirs.”
In the last few months, Concord Adex, Mr. Vaughan and the city’s planning department have worked to resolve various regulatory issues to ensure the park would meet the city’s standards.
The park’s centrepiece is the giant red canoe designed by Mr. Coupland, poised atop a promontory above the Gardiner expressway, pointing in the direction of Lake Ontario. A commemorative Terry Fox running trail called the Miracle Mile, winds around an all-season Astroturf sports field. With a beaver dam-inspired fountain, also designed by Mr. Coupland, Mr.Vaughan says the park has the potential to define the neighbourhood.
“It is effectively going to give heart and soul to this new community which is a great place to live, and has a great park which is just waiting to [open]. If the province would just sign the deed over, we would be on our way.”
tgam
New Member
Everything wrong with current city and provincial government is encapsulated here. I hate conservatives, but you can way one thing for them: they get things done.
greenleaf
Senior Member
I fail to see how this has anything to do with politics.
AHK
Senior Member
From Adam Vaughan's Upcoming Events in Ward 20 e-mail tonight:
________________________
Canoe Landing is opening to the public!
________________________
Canoe Landing, the spectacular new park in the Railway Lands West, will
finally be opening to the public tomorrow.
Thank you to residents for your patience as we have worked on
overcoming the legal obstacles to getting this park opened. The park,
which was constructed by developers Concord Adex, has now been conveyed
to the City so the park can be opened for public access.
The park is located on Fort York Blvd, west of Spadina Ave. Its
distinctive big red canoe can be seen by motorists on the Gardiner
Expressway.
Besides the big red canoe, the 8-acre park includes playing fields, the
Terry Fox Miracle Mile running path, and other art pieces designed by
Douglas Coupland.
There is no off-leash area for dogs in this park, but the closest
off-leash area is located at St. Andrew*s Park, at Adelaide St W and
Brant Street (just west of Spadina). New off-leash areas are also being
planned for nearby Clarence Square Park, and the future Mouth of the
Creek Park, which will be located on the east side of Bathurst Street,
south of Front St W.
The park was named through a competition hosted by Councillor Vaughan,
City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and Spacing Magazine.
________________________
AHK
________________________
Canoe Landing is opening to the public!
________________________
Canoe Landing, the spectacular new park in the Railway Lands West, will
finally be opening to the public tomorrow.
Thank you to residents for your patience as we have worked on
overcoming the legal obstacles to getting this park opened. The park,
which was constructed by developers Concord Adex, has now been conveyed
to the City so the park can be opened for public access.
The park is located on Fort York Blvd, west of Spadina Ave. Its
distinctive big red canoe can be seen by motorists on the Gardiner
Expressway.
Besides the big red canoe, the 8-acre park includes playing fields, the
Terry Fox Miracle Mile running path, and other art pieces designed by
Douglas Coupland.
There is no off-leash area for dogs in this park, but the closest
off-leash area is located at St. Andrew*s Park, at Adelaide St W and
Brant Street (just west of Spadina). New off-leash areas are also being
planned for nearby Clarence Square Park, and the future Mouth of the
Creek Park, which will be located on the east side of Bathurst Street,
south of Front St W.
The park was named through a competition hosted by Councillor Vaughan,
City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and Spacing Magazine.
________________________
AHK
SP!RE
°°°°°°
UrbanAffair
Senior Member
Exactly. It definitly has to do with public service not politics. After working for MPAC I can attest to the extremely extremely, yes and extremely slow work that is accomplished in the public sector. I guess some bureaucracies are faster than others.
It looks like that story in the National Post "Blame Belleville" (post #712 above) might have had some effect in Belleville! That was pretty quick work coming shortly on the heels of what seemed like forever!
42
42
Dilla
Senior Member
I just got back from. Sorry, no camera.
It sure doesn't seem open, so as I approached the gate I asked 3 white hats who were standing around, and one said "sure, go on in". I replied "I heard that it's opening today", to which he just shrugged his shoulders. I don't think he knew or cared.
Once in, it seemed pretty nice. The good included the fake grass field, which feels bizarre under the feet, and the LED light fixtures (which look like something from a Tim Burton movie) which I was told by another worker will light up the Maple trees west of the ramp to the canoe. Watching traffic from the Canoe was nice, however I couldn't help but catch a glimpse beyond the road, in the slivers between the condos, a lovely, still lake, and a beautifully tree lined island. Ah, well.
The bad included that there was already a smashed beer bottle (Amsertdam) in the canoe. So it begins.
Also, one of the giant fishing bobbers is already rusting quite badly (enough to stain the concrete beneath it). Not a good sign at all. If these things are just going to rust away, It would be better that they're just removed.
It sure doesn't seem open, so as I approached the gate I asked 3 white hats who were standing around, and one said "sure, go on in". I replied "I heard that it's opening today", to which he just shrugged his shoulders. I don't think he knew or cared.
Once in, it seemed pretty nice. The good included the fake grass field, which feels bizarre under the feet, and the LED light fixtures (which look like something from a Tim Burton movie) which I was told by another worker will light up the Maple trees west of the ramp to the canoe. Watching traffic from the Canoe was nice, however I couldn't help but catch a glimpse beyond the road, in the slivers between the condos, a lovely, still lake, and a beautifully tree lined island. Ah, well.
The bad included that there was already a smashed beer bottle (Amsertdam) in the canoe. So it begins.
Also, one of the giant fishing bobbers is already rusting quite badly (enough to stain the concrete beneath it). Not a good sign at all. If these things are just going to rust away, It would be better that they're just removed.
tgam
New Member
I said government, not politics, and by government, I mean both the bureaucracy and the ruling party, by whose principles the bureaucracy tends more or less to function. In this case, the red tape that obstructed the opening of the park relected both the grinding ineptitude of the city government and the endless seesawing of the provincial. As above, so below. See St. Clair, Bloor Street, waterfront, food carts, and transit city for further examples.
UrbanAffair
Senior Member
Hey man, Im no conservative lover or anything, but this is purely bureaucratic sorry, nothing to do with gov't of the day. Its a big slow animal no matter who is riding it.