Winnie Czulinski –
Three diverse Riverside/Leslieville parks – Jimmie Simpson, Bruce Mackey, and McCleary Playground – are right in the path of the Ontario Line construction.
A rambling multi-activity/sports park, a tranquil green space devoted to a local media/community figure, and a quirky pocket of land with the creative use of a repurposed ancient Siberian Elm…all are treasured by the local community.
Standing in the line of the Line would seem to be a place of doom. But Metrolinx actually promises expanded park space in plans unveiled in 2021. The subway line is expected to be completed in the early 2030s.
“We’ve heard how important park space is to the people of Riverside and Leslieville, and people are at the centre of our decision making,” Malcolm MacKay, program sponsor for the Ontario Line, said in a statement. “We’ve found that we’re able to increase the amount of green space in the area, and are now working with the City of Toronto to see what park improvements we can introduce as part of the Ontario Line project.”
The extra space will result from new noise and retaining walls fitting closer to tracks and existing fences removed, even while bits of land are needed for new stations, bordering green land.
Jimmie Simpson Park, named after an expat-English former mayor/politician/reporter, is a popular two-hectare space with a ball diamond, multi-purpose sports field, lit hockey rink and tennis courts, a pool, gymnasium, recording studio, skateboard area, and picnic tables. Approximately 700 square metres of new green space will be added and accessible to the public, thanks to the slimmer rail corridor.
In Bruce Mackey Park, (named for the beloved Degrassi Street actor, colleague and supporter) “a small sliver of land extending about two metres beyond the rail corridor at the south end of the park is needed for the new Leslieville station,” Metrolinx says. “This will be more than made up for by the release of additional green space in the northern section of the park, with approximately 1,100 square metres of net new green space added.”
The oddball McCleary Playground will be approximately 300 square metres larger “because we are able to build our retaining walls within Metrolinx land, closer to the tracks than the current fence,” MacKay said.
A fourth green site, the Gerrard-Carlaw Parkette, will also be adjusted. Though some of it will be needed to accommodate the new station, approximately 500 square metres will be added to the reconfigured park.
However, many residents and business owners – already concerned that Ontario Line construction, noise and upheaval is making life difficult – may find the new park space of little comfort. Grassroots group Save Jimmie Simpson protested the loss of trees in early construction/rail corridor clearance, with events such as a symbolic “funeral,” green ribbons and all.
Metrolinx then gave away approximately 1000 free trees and shrubs, including Red Oak, Grey Dogwood and Nannyberry, to compensate for the trees’ removal. The provincial agency also funded and coordinated the planting of thousands of trees and shrubs.
Online reviews praise Jimmie Simpson as a “neighbourhood gem,” a “great, well-used park,” “a nice break on Queen Street East.” The whimsical community space of McCleary Playground also “increased property value of adjacent homes by 20.6% over the next 5 years,” claims its designer, Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds.
And Bruce Mackey Park reflects a TV series and community globally loved for its diversity, reality, edge and local pride. Reviews of this green space include “a quiet place to read” and “Peace.” Perhaps the most intriguing review is that of a comparison to the older male relative at the dinner table who says little “but he’s always present.”
With the Ontario Line’s intense urban and transit activity in the years ahead, will these parks still be appreciated as they are today?
