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City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:
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News Release  
 
July 25, 2024 

Toronto City Council takes action to protect and invest in Toronto Island Park

Toronto City Council has approved recommendations in a staff report that will serve as a long-term roadmap to protect and expand the natural environment and take a light-touch approach to improving the infrastructure required for an enhanced visitor experience to Toronto Island Park.

The Toronto Island Park Master Plan includes a vision, six over-arching goals and more than 100 recommendations to be implemented over the next 25 years. The plan will help guide the City of Toronto on how to improve, develop and manage one of Toronto’s greatest natural and cultural assets for generations to come.

Council-approved recommendations 

The public consultation that informed the Master Plan was robust and inclusive and took place over more than four years. The goals and related recommendations were developed in consultation with Indigenous rights holders, local interested parties and the public.

The Toronto Island Park Master Plan is organized around six goals: 

Revealing an Indigenous Place

Supporting the Natural Environment

Improving Access and Connection

Enhancing the Visitor Experience

Elevating Equity and Belonging

Celebrating 2SLGBTQ+ Significance

These Council-approved recommendations provide a roadmap for future decision making and investment including immediate-term priorities, partnerships and areas for detailed design and additional engagement. A sampling of near-term priorities under each of the six goals include:  

Revealing an Indigenous place 

Toronto Island Park is a sacred and significant place for Indigenous communities.

In the spirit of reconciliation and respect, the plan will establish dedicated areas for ceremony and gathering for Indigenous Communities and for all park users to learn more about the significance of Toronto Island to Indigenous peoples.

Working with Indigenous Communities including the Mississauga’s of the Credit First Nation, the City will designate space at Snake Island for Indigenous ceremony, weave Indigenous stories, place naming and art throughout the park, and create a signature five-kilometre Cultural Narrative Trail to celebrate and share diverse ways of knowing and being.

Supporting the natural environment 

In the near term, the Toronto Island Park Master Plan will see the implementation of additional flood mitigation measures which includes approximately 3.5 kilometres of shoreline improvements, 25,000 square metres of aquatic and terrestrial habitat improvements and more than 23 hectares of new flood protection for Island areas.

Other plans include developing an Island Charter to help all Island visitors see themselves as stewards of the park.

Improving access and connection 

The City is improving access to Toronto Island Park by beginning to replace its aging ferry fleet with new electric vessels and reviewing all existing operational practices to improve efficiency and visitor experience for years to come.

The master plan vision also includes establishing information hubs, creating a new map of the Island, adding wayfinding signs and exploring ways to expand bike rentals to enhance the visitor experience.

Enhancing Visitor Experience  

Enhancing the visitor experience includes transforming the Island into a four-season destination.

To achieve this, improvements will include upgrades to the park’s facilities and amenities, considering opportunities for programming and activities for all four seasons, improving food and beverage options across the Island.

Elevating Equity and Belonging 
 
Near-term priorities for this goal include park accessibility improvements such as improved beach access and access to accessibility services and amenities, developing a deeper understanding of Island’s Cultural Heritage in collaboration with different communities to inform Island Interpretation and improving equitable access to underused park areas while prioritizing the protection of the natural environment.

Celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ significance  

Toronto Island Park is culturally significant to many Torontonians including 2SLGBTQ+ communities. The Master Plan celebrates the long history of the Island as a place of respite, community and advocacy and a 2SLGBTQ+ gathering space of civic and national importance.

The plan prioritizes protecting Hanlan’s Beach dune habitat, exploring opportunities for beach restoration, developing a community safety strategy, undertaking a Cultural Heritage Study and acknowledging the significance of Hanlan’s Point to the 2SLGBTQ+ communities with interpretive signs and markers.

For more information about the Toronto Island Park Master Plan, visit the City’s website:  

https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/construction-new-facilities/parks-facility-plans-strategies/toronto-island-park-master-plan/. 

A Fact Sheet on the Toronto Island Park Master Plan is available on the City’s website: https://www.toronto.ca/news/city-of-toronto-staff-report-on-the-toronto-island-park-master-plan/.

Images of the Toronto Island Park Master Plan are available on the City’s Media Room webpage:  

https://www.toronto.ca/home/media-room/video-b-roll-images/

Quotes:

“The Toronto Island Park is one of Toronto’s greatest natural and cultural assets. The Toronto Island Park Master Plan will help protect and guide investment in the Toronto Island experience. I am excited to advance this dynamic, long-term plan to protect and expand the natural habitat and invest strategically in the island’s infrastructure to enhance visitor experience.”

- Mayor Olivia Chow

“Enjoying Toronto Island Park is a staple of summer for me and people across Toronto, and is a sought-after destination for visitors, as one of the largest and most beautiful parks in our city. The Toronto Island Master Plan is a crucial long-term roadmap to protect the Island’s ecological importance while creating new opportunities to further enjoy the park, in all seasons, for generations to come.”

- Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik (Spadina-Fort York)

Toronto is home to more than three million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture, innovation and climate action, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit www.toronto.ca or follow us on X at www.x.com/CityofToronto, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofto.

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Media contact: Media Relations, media@toronto.ca

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