[Northern Light]

I was stranded for a few hours in an area of Etobicoke today I’m not familiar with so I checked out a few parks.

Cloverdale Park had some merit but nearby Silverhill Park was a head scratcher. What kind of a path is this? And what exactly is the open space for? It’s neither wild nor manicured enough to be serviceable as a play or sports field. View attachment 269673

Had a suspcion as soon as I looked at it...............

And found confirmation

***

From this article: https://www.toronto.com/news-story/4455088-silverhill-park-improvements-topic-of-community-meeting/

While Silverhill is in need of improvements, the park is actually owned by the Toronto District School Board and leased by the city.

That's not an excuse, merely an explanation

***

The current lease, signed in 2015 was only for 12 years.

That has likely capped investment at what was put into the playground.

A new pathway would not be that expensive. (and I should add, based on what appears to have been a ~350k budget for the playground probably should have been done)

But with 7 years left before the site could potentially be returned to the TDSB or sold off, the City won't want to put more money in without longer-term assurances.

I assume, if the City gets a longer term lease this will be done, but if done to a typical Toronto standard, would be a 4M wide path, with lighting, benches, and at least one row of trees.

In that context, it would be a project upwards of 100-150k.

 

[TrickyRicky]

Thanks for the background information. It’s not like I’m unfamiliar with that kind of space having grown up in Caledon; however, it’s just the in—between-ness of it that struck me. Like basically a vast useless space made stranger by the fact it exists in a city of 3 million people.

A number of high-rise development proposals along adjacent Dundas and Cloverdale mall (?) in the works so this space, either as a school field or City Park will no doubt be of greater future value. Although to be honest I personally may never be in that area on foot again.

 

[AlbertC]

Outbreak of gypsy moth caterpillars ravaging trees in Ontario and there could be record damage​

Known for having distinctive red and blue dots and covered in tiny hairs, gypsy moth caterpillars as part of a widespread outbreak have been chewing through trees and some shrubs across southern Ontario and now experts say there could once again be a record year for damage.

“Last year was the most significant outbreak of gypsy moth in the history of Ontario and it looks like this year it might do just as much if not more damage,” David Dutkiewicz, an entomology technician with the Invasive Species Centre, told Global News Wednesday afternoon.

While the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry data hasn’t been fully compiled for 2021, he said there were approximately 569,000 hectares of tree defoliation in 2020.

“[It’s] a huge area, especially down in southern Ontario which doesn’t have as much forest area as northern Ontario to begin with, so it was absolutely mind-blowing how bad the gypsy moth population was in southern Ontario last year,” Dutkiewicz said.

“I’m curious to see what will happen because there are so many reports of people finding gypsy moth all over their properties and just covering trees — oak, maple, aspen, and birch trees are just being stripped of their leaves right now.”

Outbreak of gypsy moth caterpillars ravaging trees in Ontario and there could be record damage | Globalnews.ca

"Last year was the most significant outbreak of gypsy moth in the history of Ontario and it looks like this year it might do just as much if not more damage."

globalnews.ca

 

[Admiral Beez]

Looks like Torontonians are finally getting their parks back.

Outline.com

outline.com

The alternative is to become Seattle East.

 

[DSC]

Info on High Park and a survey you can complete: https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/parks-gardens-beaches/high-park/

The City of Toronto is launching a study called the High Park Movement Strategy to improve the travel network for High Park and better serve park users and the community. The goal of the study is to improve the travel network to better serve park users and the surrounding community, prioritizing safety and accessibility while preserving the park’s ecological integrity. The study will consider the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, drivers and other users in the park when it comes to mobility.

 

[Admiral Beez]

Toronto is a city flush with parks. So why aren’t there more public washrooms available?

Toronto, a city of three million, has 48 washrooms in public parks that are open year-round.

www.thestar.com

Paywall bypass here https://archive.ph/5Bpry

The trouble with having toilets in parks is that without firm enforcement of laws and bylaws the toilets will be quickly occupied by vagrants and junkies and destroyed by vandals.

What we want is this....

What we'll get is this...

 

[SubHuman]

Stanley Park and York Stadium Park apparently did have actual stadiums at some point. I don't know what they looked like, but they must have been reasonably big if there was a soccer game with a crowd of 5000, and rock festivals in the early 1970s with acts like Yes, The Band, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Three Dog Night, Humble Pie, Procol Harum, Emerson Lake & Palmer, etc.
https://thecnsl.com/borough-of-york-stadium/
https://www.setlist.fm/venue/borough-of-york-stadium-toronto-on-canada-53d713ad.html

Stanley Park Stadium, Toronto, ON, Canada Concert Setlists | setlist.fm

Get Stanley Park Stadium, Toronto, ON, Canada setlists - view them, share them, discuss them with other Stanley Park Stadium, Toronto, ON, Canada fans for free on setlist.fm!

www.setlist.fm

Edit: It appears Toronto City Council discussed possible artificial turf installation for Stanley Park Stadium in April 1973. Another item online mentioned that by some point around 1973-74 it was decided to remove the stadium from the park. Though not specified, I would guess this was likely related to the construction of Lamport Stadium in 1974-75.
Star review of July 1971 rock festival at Borough of York Stadium mentions crowd of 16,000. It was used by Toronto Italia soccer team through 1978. Online aerial photo from 1977 shows one stand on southeast side of what still appears to be a soccer field today, then the stand is gone by 1981, though with the running track around it still visible but then fading away over the years.

Aerial Photographs

For best performance, it is recommended to view these maps on a laptop or desktop computer. Aerial photographs document Toronto’s changing landscape from 1947 to 1992. Taken from aircraft, these photographs show rivers, forests, parks, buildings, roads and other features of the urban...

www.toronto.ca

Star online archive from Aug. 1971 has Wilder G. Penfield review of ELP at Stanley Park Stadium, apparently their first time in Toronto. Keith Emerson had been "playing organ and Moog synthesizer simultaneously", then "closing number ... had him rocking the organ, vaulting it and pulling it down on him, even hurling knives into it".
I guess he did things like that in their early years. (YouTube -- vault , knife )

 

[Northern Light]

Stanley Park and York Stadium Park apparently did have actual stadiums at some point. I don't know what they looked like, but they must have been reasonably big if there was a soccer game with a crowd of 5000, and rock festivals in the early 1970s with acts like Yes, The Band, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Three Dog Night, Humble Pie, Procol Harum, Emerson Lake & Palmer, etc.
https://thecnsl.com/borough-of-york-stadium/
https://www.setlist.fm/venue/borough-of-york-stadium-toronto-on-canada-53d713ad.html

Stanley Park Stadium, Toronto, ON, Canada Concert Setlists | setlist.fm

Get Stanley Park Stadium, Toronto, ON, Canada setlists - view them, share them, discuss them with other Stanley Park Stadium, Toronto, ON, Canada fans for free on setlist.fm!

www.setlist.fm

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/concerts/images/e/e5/Image-1491433137.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20170405225857

Took me a moment, but I found it in a 1970 aerial pic:

Now Max. Zoom: