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Citizens Concerned About the Future of the Etobicoke Waterfront
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Colonel Samuel Smith Park is one of Toronto's newest and largest waterfront parks. It is located at the south end of Kipling Avenue, in the community of New Toronto near its border with Long Branch. Much of the park was created from lake fill in front of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital and the RL Clark Filtration Plant. The waterfront lakefill area is mainly naturalized with grasses, shrubs and small trees. The shoreline is a combination of rocky headlands, cobble beaches and protected wetland. This blends further north into the mature trees and mowed lawns of the former hospital grounds.
The result is a park that is popular for a variety of passive recreational activities including walking, cycling, and fishing. The diversity and quality of habitats has earned the park a reputation as one of the premier birding locations in the city.
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Park visitors may notice the interpretive signage has been temporarily replaced with plywood. The original signs were fading at an alarming rate due to a manufacturing defect. New signs should be back in place this spring.
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The park hosted Toronto’s first confirmed successful Red-necked Grebe nest in 2012 after several years of failed attempts. The chicks hatched in early August: about 2 months later than they should. Here are some photos of their early days:
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As of December 2010, the park also boasts an artificial ice skating trail, just south of the Power House. This is a feature we tried to keep out of the park. After losing that fight, we then worked to minimize it’s impact on the natural environment. You can read more about our concerns and the compromises proposed & reached here.
We have received many calls about the operating details of this new facility, and since neither the City or the Councillor appear to have posted them on-line, here they are:
There is an indoor skate changing area and washrooms, but no skate sharpening or skate rentals. For more information, visit the City of Toronto Outdoor Rinks Page. or the City Rinks wiki.
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New Interpretive Signage
New interpretive signs were installed in May 2010. Click on the map locations or the descriptions to the right of the map to view photos of the signs.
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Friends of Sam Smith
Out of the concern and controversy surrounding the proposal to build a skateboard facility in Colonel Sam Smith Park many local residents realized the need for a community group dedicated to the park. The “Friends of Sam Smith” got started in late 2006. In April 2008 the picked a logo and launched a blog dedicated to the park. We will continue to post notices of their meetings and events on our “Activities” page, but you can find the blog by clicking on their logo below.
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Colonel Samuel Smith Park was created on the site of the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital as part of a larger complex known as “The Lakeshore Grounds”. The grounds were developed with the assistance of a Master Design and Implementation Plan (also known as the Moore George Report), to help the various landowners and stakeholders work together. There are 4 landowners at the site: The City of Toronto, The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Humber College, and the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
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The plan identified 6 site management units:
- Heritage Conservation(YELLOW)
- Landscape Regeneration (GREEN)
- Park Transformation (PINK)
- Waterfront Transition (PURPLE)
- Boating Basin (LIGHT BLUE)
- Primary Shoreline (DARK BLUE)
These units are identified on this map. Click on the map to open it as a higher resolution pdf file.
These site management units were adopted as part of an Etobicoke City Council resolution in 1997. Click here to see the full text of that resolution (pdf).
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Colonel Samuel Smith Park is normally the site of our April, May, June, September, and October Bird Walks. You will find upcoming dates and reports from past walks on our Bird Walks page.
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