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Parks are not “nice to have,” they are critical social, health, and environmental infrastructure for Toronto. City parks are lifelines in extreme heat waves. Social connectors in an age of increasing polarization. Keepers of biodiversity despite ever fragmenting urban landscapes.
To meet the biggest challenges we face in Toronto—climate change, biodiversity loss, social polarization, rising inequality—we need whole new ways to plan, design, manage, program, and govern parks. This shift requires doing things differently. It requires ensuring proper funding, sharing decision-making power, addressing inequities head-on, and prioritizing action on truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
As Toronto faces the upcoming mayoral by-election in June, we urge candidates for Mayor to accelerate the transition to a more equitable, resilient future for city parks by working with us on the ideas presented in this platform.
All of the ideas in this platform require us to invest more time and money into city parks. In our 2022 survey of residents of Canadian cities, 87% said they support more investment in parks.
Responsible for 60% of Canada’s infrastructure, municipalities like Toronto receive only 10 cents on every tax dollar.
And, the provincial government’s drastic changes to park levies and planning rules under Bill 23 will further diminish park budgets and reduce the amount of parkland created to support new growth.
All three levels of government, each of which have responsibilities for our natural environment and human health, need to come to the table. This is easier said than done. The multiple benefits of parks—health, environmental, social, economic—actually make it harder to invest at the scale we need to. Why? Because the benefits of investing in parks are distributed across many different ministries and government departments, each of which are accountable for their own budgets and plans. That is why we need to support governments to pursue an ambitious, whole-of-government approach to investment in Toronto parks.
Investing more in city parks is not an imposition or an obligation. It is an opportunity to transform Toronto for the better.
People living in Toronto will need to adapt to hotter, wetter and more unpredictable climates. Climate change is here and is already impacting our city. With the right investment, parks can serve as climate infrastructure and provide people with critical places of refuge in hot, dense cities where a major health crisis is unfolding.
At the same time, people are seeking out nature more for its mental and physical health benefits. People want more places to experience nature close to home: 71% of survey respondents said they value visiting naturalized spaces within a 10-minute walk of home, such as a native plant garden or small meadow. In fact, 87% of respondents said they were in favour of more native plant species within parks—the second most requested amenity after public washrooms. Toronto’s Ravine Strategy offers a strong road-map for ensuring these vital, biodiverse natural habitats are safeguarded for the future and enjoyed by residents, but funding has remained limited.
Invest in the co-benefits of naturalized spaces as climate resilience infrastructure, urban biodiversity habitat and vital nature connections in Toronto.
There is a clear and growing disparity in who has access to quality green spaces in Toronto. As COVID laid bare, equity-deserving communities face complex, interrelated health crises. Toronto must recognize how race, income and the built environment conspire to make parks a pressing environmental justice issue in our city.
Usable parks are the bar for entry. Toronto’s parks maintenance and operating budget has not kept pace with use and demand. There’s an urgent need to increase park operating budgets to ensure basic amenities like bathrooms and water are standard in every single Toronto park.
Spending on park operating budgets must start to keep pace with demand. It is basic: amenities like bathrooms and water must be the standard in every single Toronto park, with a priority focus on equity-deserving and high-use parks. Investments in basic amenities that promote park use must include:
There is an urgent need for new models of Toronto Park governance rooted in shared decision-making power. We need a new way of managing city parks that are more inclusive, and community-focused, and respect the land rights of Indigenous peoples and the knowledge of communities.
Over the past several years, communities have been actively working to decentralize power in institutional spaces. It is time for Toronto to give communities more decision-making power on the park issues that affect them most, particularly in equity-deserving communities.
This article was originally published in Municipal World.
This election season, several Canadian municipalities are anticipating lower voter turnout than ever. It’s a disconcerting trend for Jacquie Newman, a political science professor at Western University. “Most of what happens at the municipality level is going to have a real impact on your life,” Newman said.
We’re also seeing startlingly few candidates running for municipal office in cities like Toronto. “This is a symptom of an ailing democracy with low social capital,” said urbanist and researcher Josh Fullan. “People are burned out to their core by the pandemic and the growing list of things that simply don’t function as they should – internet and cellular coverage, water fountains in parks, four-hour lineups for sundry services.”
These trends indicate that Canadians feel a disconcerting sense of powerlessness when it comes to the human-scale touchpoints people engage with in their daily lives. Park People’s 2022 Canadian City Parks Report surveyed more than 3,000 urban Canadians. And, while Canadians value their parks more than ever before, the vast majority of respondents reported feeling a lack of agency about influencing decisions about city parks.
The survey found a dismal 22 percent of city residents reported feeling they “have a voice” in their local parks. Further, 48 percent of respondents who say they are unsure how to get involved in their park identify as members of racialized groups, compared to 36 percent who identify as white.
Grassroots park engagement can be a powerful on-ramp to civic engagement. Want to learn about how the city council works? Host a movie night or advocate for a new skating rink in your park. Parks are the most visible and tangible places where residents directly engage with political power structures. They are also where residents can exercise agency and feel they have a meaningful stake in collective outcomes. On the flip side, complex or impenetrable bureaucratic structures undermine an individual’s sense of agency and personal power. As activist and author Dave Meslin aptly says, “It’s hard to change the world if you can’t change a municipal by-law.”
Case studies featured throughout the report demonstrate how to build positive relationships with municipal power structures, heal fractured relationships, and boost civic engagement in parks. In the report’s survey of 30 Canadian municipalities, 92 percent of cities reported that COVID-19 changed the way they engage communities on park projects, with 35 percent reporting that the pandemic sparked more intentional outreach to equity-deserving groups.
Innovative models for trust-building featured in the report demonstrate how we can repair relationships, redistribute power, and foster a greater sense of civic agency in our cities.
The report highlights how Toronto Island Park Master Plan built in a pre-engagement phase to give residents a say in the engagement process itself.
To understand what Toronto Island park engagement should look like, the master plan team met with community organizations, Indigenous partners, and several departments across the city. Meetings between the city and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) and other Indigenous partners who recognize the island as a sacred place of healing and ceremony led to important changes in the planned engagement process. For example, as a result of listening and early engagement, the city embedded ceremony into the engagement activities.
As the report highlights, Lori Ellis, Project Officer of Strategic Projects with the City of Toronto, acknowledged that the pre-engagement process took time, but added “It’s worth its weight in gold in regards to building that foundation of trust and transparency.”
Edmonton’s RECOVER Urban Wellness Initiative piloted creative models for engaging with equity-deserving communities. One of the initiative’s city-supported prototypes is based in community-driven storytelling and sense-making. This approach is a deliberate shift away from city-driven data collection toward deep listening and relationship building.
To collect community stories, the city hired a team of 10 Local Listeners – community members living in Edmonton’s Alberta Avenue neighbourhood. The listeners collected over 150 stories from the community, which were then shared back at a public event called Knowsy Fest. The festival, a literal celebration of community knowledge, invited residents to interpret the stories and mine them for concrete ideas for street-level changes.
RECOVER places connection as the center its engagement process, which fundamentally changes the relationship between the City of Edmonton and the residents it serves. RECOVER’s approach is to “create environments where connections can flourish, both on the small scale, between individuals, and on the larger scale, through policy change at the institutional and systemic levels.”
Another powerful approach featured in the report is participatory budgeting, which gives residents a direct route to decision making about park investments. However, like many engagement strategies, participatory budgeting requires a nuanced understanding of community needs, contexts, and dynamics. As is a recurring topic in the report, doing this work takes time and deliberate focus.
For example, the Montreal Urban Ecology Centre*’s $10-million participatory budgeting program with the City of Montreal engages residents that are too often left out of consultation processes – namely non-citizens and youth over 12. In the end, the team found that youth and non-citizens welcomed the opportunity to be involved, representing about one-fourth of all those who directly voted for projects in their communities.
Isabelle Gaudette, the Coordinator for Participatory Processes for the Montreal Urban Ecology Centre, addressed the importance of building transparency, fairness, and inclusion into every step. For example, to avoid setting up participatory budgeting as a contest between neighbourhoods and reinforcing unequal access to power structures, Gaudette recommends prioritizing projects that activate and improve multiple parks. This way collaboration, connectivity, and equity are embedded in the selections. She also recommends processes from community development settings, such as having a diverse steering committee to build trust and ensure projects align projects with identified community needs.
Insights and lessons from the 2022 Canadian City Parks Report show how parks can play a stronger role in building and healing people’s relationships with frontline municipal power structures in cities. Taking the time to listen deeply, cultivate trust, and establish collaborative outcomes requires cities to invest time and resources to foster meaningful engagement. But this investment has implications that extend beyond our parks and can help build stronger civic and political engagement, which we need for healthy, thriving democracies.
Park People is thrilled to announce that Erika Nikolai will transition from Co-Executive Director to sole Executive Director, effective July 1. Erika’s current Co-Executive Director, Dave Harvey, will be retiring from Park People then.
Erika brings decades of not-for-profit experience in community development and city building to her new role. Dave and Erika have been sharing leadership of the organization since 2022.
She joined Park People in 2014 when their work was based exclusively in Toronto and went on to play a critical role as Park People’s Managing Director, helping to lead the organization’s expansion to cities and parks across Canada. Prior to joining Park People, Erika played leading roles at Evergreen, working with equity-deserving communities around urban agriculture, active transportation and green employment opportunities for youth.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to lead this amazing team as we continue to grow our impact in cities across the country. Dave has built an incredible legacy. What started as a call for more community involvement in parks in 2011 has grown into a small but mighty organization shifting the way we think about parks.”
Erika Nikolai, Park People’s Executive Director
Erika will lead Park People’s team of more than 30 staff with offices in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. Over its 13th-year history, Park People has helped create a massive paradigm shift for city parks: once considered “nice to have” amenities, city parks are now understood to be essential urban infrastructure.
“Asking Erika to be sole-ED recognizes Erika’s significant contributions to Park People’s success over the last 10 years. It’s such a positive, natural transition for the organization, and I look forward to where she takes Park People in their next chapter.”
Zahra Ebrahim, Chair of Park People’s Board of Directors
Retiring Co-Executive Director Dave Harvey, who founded Park People in 2011, shared the enthusiasm: “I’m so delighted with the transition in leadership to Erika. I’m leaving the organization with a fantastic leader supported by a great team.”
Dave intends to continue to support Park People and other greenspace-focused work as a consultant and advisor.
2024 is shaping to be a very exciting year for Park People and Canada’s city parks. The organization has many exciting initiatives in the works for this year, including its Canadian City Parks Report, Montreal Forum, TD Park People Grants and InTO the Ravines program, and the incredible Cornerstone Parks program for Canada’s large urban spaces.
When you think of a park, what do you see? Maybe it’s children chasing a soccer ball, picnics on sunny afternoons, or joggers winding down leafy trails. But at Park People, we know that the quietest stories can be the most powerful—and that parks hold untapped potential to change lives, especially for seniors.
It may surprise you to learn that seniors—who make up nearly 20% of Canada’s population—represent just 4% of park users. That’s a missed opportunity, because the benefits are profound. According to a study by CARP, living near a park reduces loneliness in seniors at a rate four times greater than even having children.
That’s where Park People’s Senior Park Champions program in Metro Vancouver comes in.
Every year, we support a group of inspiring older adults in Metro Vancouver to reclaim their place in nature by leading events in their local parks. With hands-on training, peer mentorship, and seed funding, each Senior Champion becomes a spark in their community—fostering belonging, joy, and wellness one gathering at a time.
Take Rita Wong, for example. When she joined the program, she wasn’t expecting just how deeply it would affect her. “It improved my physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being,” she said. “It was beyond words.” Through the program, Rita didn’t just find personal growth—she became a vibrant community leader, organizing park events.. Her efforts didn’t stop at the boundaries of a single program; they rippled outward, energizing her entire neighbourhood.
Then there’s C. Wong, whose first year as a Champion in 2023 offered a powerful window into the importance of intergenerational and cross-cultural connection. Hosting events that brought together Indigenous community members and local seniors in East Vancouver, C. Wong saw firsthand how nature could serve as a meeting ground for healing and unity—even through the rain. Inspired, they returned the following year as a mentor in 2024, championing inclusivity for differently abled individuals and those of non-normative gender identities.
“It deepened my understanding of the barriers people face, and strengthened my commitment to building truly inclusive communities.”
C. Wong, Park Senior Champions in 2023
One particularly heartwarming initiative emerged last year when a group of senior leaders asked a simple but powerful question: What about those who can’t come to the park? Their answer was beautifully creative. Using natural elements, sensory materials, calming sounds, and projected visuals, they brought nature indoors, creating immersive environments for individuals with disabilities who were unable to join outdoor activities. These gentle, multi-sensory experiences offered participants a chance to feel the forest floor, listen to birdsong, and gaze at blooming meadows—all from within the comfort of their own spaces.
These indoor sessions became some of the most popular events in the program, drawing up to 30 participants each time. Their success highlights not just a growing demand for accessible nature-based programming, but also the ingenuity of community-led solutions rooted in empathy. These Champions proved that you don’t have to be outside to feel connected to nature—you just have to be welcomed in.
To date, 30 Senior Champions have engaged 600+ seniors across Metro Vancouver in inclusive, meaningful ways. And this year, it could be your turn.
As a Senior Park Champion, you’ll receive:
You’ll have the freedom to create events that reflect your passions—be it Tai Chi under the trees, birdwatching mornings, knitting circles, Indigenous plant walks, art in the park, or cozy indoor nature retreats. Whatever your vision, we’re here to help you bring it to life.
Because the Senior Champion Program is more than events. It’s a movement of older adults reclaiming their place as leaders, connectors, and caretakers of community and nature.
Apply now to become a Senior Park Champion—and help make your neighbourhood a little more connected, inclusive, and vibrant.
“When we make space for seniors in our parks, we grow more than community—we grow care.”
Michelle Cutts, Director of Communications and Development
Every year, Park People brings together our network of changemakers—neighbours, volunteers, municipal staff, nonprofits, park leaders, and advocates—at our Park People Summits.
Held in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, these summits are more than just local networking events. They’re important moments for us to pause our work, to connect with one another, and to expand our sense of what’s possible in our cities.
At a Park People summit, anyone who cares about urban parks can join the movement to build vibrant, inclusive, and community-powered parks.
How Canadians access and care for their parks is changing dramatically. From increasing rates of social isolation to the instability of climate change, we need everyone at the table if we’re to build more resilient urban parks that meet our growing cities’ needs.
Park People was born from this same spirit. In 2011, a group of Toronto volunteers gathered around a simple but radical question: “How can we all play a role in making our parks better to serve people and neighbourhoods?” This idea struck a chord throughout our city, and a strong network of local park groups, programs, and partnerships began taking root.
But we didn’t stop there. In 2017, we hosted our first national conference in Calgary to bring together park leaders from across Canada to imagine what might be possible if we collaborated on a national scale. That gathering helped launch Park People’s National Network, which now includes over 1,400 park groups in 46 cities spanning every province. This first summit was proof that the grassroots potential we saw in Toronto existed everywhere, and that local ideas can ripple into national change.
We summit because urban parks aren’t just green spaces, they’re people spaces. As city dwellers, they’re our stages for connection, culture, protest, rest, and joy. And behind each well-loved local park are countless stories of community care, from the volunteers who organize clean-ups, to the artists who animate their spaces with music, movement, and meaning.
That’s why we summit: we’ve seen firsthand that when we come together and share these stories, we can create a parks movement that’s truly transformative.
This year’s Toronto Parks Summit is happening on Saturday, June 14, from 12 to 6 PM at Daniels Spectrum, and anyone who cares about parks is invited. You’ll hear stories of creative collaborations and meet the people shaping the future of our city parks. Between sessions, there will be time to connect over food, visit interactive community stations, and share your own experiences as part of this growing network.
Our keynote speaker is interdisciplinary artist Ange Loft, who’ll reflect on Indigenous presence and partnerships in parks, followed by a stellar panel on community-driven initiatives featuring Ana Cuciureanu (Splash on Earth & City of Toronto) Julia Hitchcock (Apothecary’s Garden and Teaching Gardens at Churchill Park), Shakhlo Sharipova (Thorncliffe Park Autism Support Network) and moderated by Eunice Wong (Monumental).
Whether you’re a long-time advocate or just starting your park journey, the Toronto Parks Summit is your space to learn about contemporary park issues. Because real change in our parks doesn’t start from the top down—it grows from the ground up.
And that’s why we summit.
Toronto Park Summit: Saturday, June 14, 2025, 12-6pm ET at Daniels Spectrum (585 Dundas St E, Toronto, ON), Tickets start from $5.
If you require a bursary for transportation or attendance, please reach out to Cynthia Hashie.
Join us and hundreds of park changemakers across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond.
Each year, we support twenty Champions, working in pairs, with training and support to help them host their own events in Toronto’s ravines.
Meet the 2025 Champions, and hear why they love and care about the ravines.
“I love to leave the city behind when I enter the fresh air and cool embrace of the Humber River ravine around Lambton Woods, a sanctuary for birds, toads, insects and other wildlife with its rare natural forest cover and wetlands, and the ever-changing marvel of the river’s sparkling waters flowing from a vast, ancient, yet urbanized landscape toward our own water source at Lake Ontario. You might even see huge salmon or trout leaping nearby weirs, or a shy snowy egret fishing secret eddies. Much inspires my photo and painting attempts, and my restored resolve to share this precious delight with others, along with the need to address outdated storm water runoff and sewage pollution management and the serious threat of highway 413 paving over the heart of the river’s western headwaters.”
“My favorite ravine is the east side of the Humber River north of Eglinton. The area has naturally regenerated for 70 years and is a testament to the restorative powers of the land.”
“Ravines are the earth’s quiet sanctuary, where the rush of the world slows down, and the soul finds its rhythm in the stillness. In their embrace, the land heals, and so do we.”
“Amid the city’s restless hum, the Don River East Trail unfolds like a quiet sanctuary—where towering trees soften the skyline, the river whispers its timeless song, and nature reclaims its space, undisturbed yet ever-changing.”
“The Betty Sutherland Trail runs for 1.83 kilometers from Leslie Street and Sheppard Avenue to Duncan Mills Road and Don Mills Road. The park is named after a long-time city councilor who was active in supporting Toronto’s recreational areas and trails.”
“Within close proximity of residents throughout our great city, there’s a hidden gem—our amazing ravine system. Ravines are nature’s hidden masterpieces, carved by time and adorned with life.”
“What I love about my local ravine is accessibility and its expansiveness. I can enter and exit at so many points along the trails, which means I can travel from my home north of the city right down to Lake Ontario with only minor diversions (sometimes I have to cross a main street but the trail access is within close proximity). It’s quite amazing that, in Toronto, you can travel in all directions for many kilometres through the ravine system.”
“What I love about Bickford Park is meeting my neighbours for exercises; talking to people as I work in the pollinator garden; picnicking; and watching the lunar eclipse with everyone. I also love showing everyone the best indigenous murals in Toronto in the Bickford underpass”
“I am very impressed by the variety of experiences available in the Garrison ravine. The busy vigour of Christie Pits (swimming, softball, barbecue pits, and the like) contrasted with the serenity of Bickford Park with greenery, benches, and indigenous art.”
“I love the calmness and natural beauty of my local ravine. I enjoyed walking in the park. It gives me peace of mind.”
“My Ravine allows quiet reflection of space and time collapsed into a moment where you can see the birds in the tree ,while the squirrel runs by and the wind rustles the leaves and branches reminding us of our place as part of nature.”
“What I love about my local ravine is just the fact that It’s quiet and peaceful. I can just sit by the water and meditate with the sound of trickling water and birds chirping. It’s a place to hide from the scorching sun in the summer, crunch the leaves in the fall, look for the flower buds in the spring and just stay put in the winter.”
“Something I love about Birkdale Ravine is how it feels like a hidden gem tucked right in the middle of the city. It’s peaceful, full of life, and has this calming energy that makes it the perfect spot to reconnect with nature, slow down, and reflect. It’s also a place that brings people together, whether you’re out for a walk, snapping photos, or just enjoying the sound of the creek.”
“Birkdale Ravine is a beautiful place that evokes a sense of serenity for me. As an avid biker and stroller, it has always been my favorite go-to spot. This location is one of the perfect places to experience awe and relaxation. With its scenic trails, it’s ideal for reflecting on thoughts or sharing a moment with a loved one. I particularly enjoy the cozy atmosphere and beautiful scenery, surrounded by numerous trees and an elegant bridge!”
“I love how quiet and serene the ravine feels. When I walk through, there is always something new that comes to my attention”
“I love being able to feel my mind and body quiet and connect to the earth when I am in my local ravine.”
Learn more about the InTO the Ravines and InTO the Ravines Champions programs, and read about the City of Toronto’s Ravine Strategy.
Large urban parks are critical spaces for city residents to build meaningful connections to nature and each other. We already know that people who engage in hands-on, nature-focused activities in parks experience powerful social connections; a sense of belonging, meaning and purpose in their lives; greater physical health; and overall life satisfaction. We need more parks that can lead by example in extending those benefits to equity-deserving communities across Canada.
This summer, Park People welcomes new partners into the Cornerstone Parks program. Everett Crowley Park & the Champlain Height Trails join founding parks High Park, Mount Royal and Stanley Park and new members: the Darlington Ecological Corridor and Meewasin Valley Authority. Together they hold space for nature in cities and demonstrate what’s possible for communities within large urban parks.
The Cornerstone Parks Reports on Stewardship and Park Use demonstrate that volunteer park stewardship makes people healthier and happier. Among the findings:
Unfortunately, these benefits aren’t equitably enjoyed:
The Canadian City Parks Report also found that post-pandemic, surveyed BIPOC Canadians became more interested in stewardship activities (70%) than white respondents (54%).
So what are the ongoing barriers to park stewardship for diverse communities? And who is helping to support those communities’ well-being by overcoming them?
In equity-deserving communities such as Champlain Heights in South Vancouver, B.C., park groups play a crucial role in supporting residents’ health and well-being. Champlain Heights contains a former city landfill and now boasts the fifth largest park in Vancouver, Everett Crowley. Everett Crowley is a 40-hectare park home to Avalon Pond and Kinross Creek, which provide critical habitats for birds, amphibians, fish, and other wildlife. The park and adjoining Champlain Heights trail system are part of the only 4% of native forest remaining in the city. Champlain Heights has hundreds of low-income, co-op, strata, and seniors’ housing units alongside some of the city’s oldest trees.
The City of Vancouver dedicated Everett Crowley Park in 1987 after lobbying by local residents. Those residents then created the Everett Crowley Park Committee (ECPC), a sub-committee of the Champlain Heights Community Association. The committee’s mission is to encourage stewardship of this resilient urban forest by hosting community stewardship events, outdoor education, and an annual Earth Day festival. In 2022, 306 volunteers contributed nearly 1,000 hours towards park stewardship, removing approximately 80 cubic meters of invasive plants.
Just east of Everett Crowley, another stewardship group is hard at work in the trail system that winds through Champlain Heights. In 2021, local residents noticed invasive plants taking over the trails. Together they formed Free the Fern. Like the ECPC, Free the Fern brings their community together through environmental stewardship activities such as invasive plant pulls and native planting events. Since 2021, their 277 volunteers have removed 50.33 tons of invasive plants. They’ve also planted over 1,300 native plants.
“Parks are not simply places of respite with grass and trees. They are critical pieces of the social infrastructure of our cities. We believe they have a role to play in creating more inclusive, equitable places shaped by and for the people living there.”Sparking Change Report
“Parks are not simply places of respite with grass and trees. They are critical pieces of the social infrastructure of our cities. We believe they have a role to play in creating more inclusive, equitable places shaped by and for the people living there.”
Sparking Change Report
Our Sparking Change Report suggests five ways of catalyzing social impact through parks, particularly in underserved neighbourhoods:
We spoke with Grace Nombrado, Executive Director of Free the Fern, to understand how these five factors appear in Champlain Heights.
Becoming involved in a local park can foster a sense of possibility, creating momentum for change that can galvanize others. One strategy for creating shared ownership is pairing park improvements with conversations about ongoing community involvement.
The Champlain Heights Community Centre is jointly operated by the Vancouver Park Board and the Champlain Heights Community Association (CHCA). The CHCA is also the steward of Everett Crowley Park. The community centre is a neighbourhood “anchor” that offers residents leisure activities and an entry point for involvement in the park and trails. Through community events, notice boards, and tool storage, the centre creates a relationship between the (indoor) resources available to community members and their potential to create change through improvements within the park, along the trails, and beyond.
Building skills and confidence through volunteering in the park can ripple outwards, leading to greater civic engagement. Hiring a community organizer from within the local neighbourhood can be a crucial support pillar for volunteers. This helps build capacity and ensure groups remain community-led.
As Free the Fern’s founder-turned-Executive Director, Grace is a passionate volunteer who recruits, coordinates, and supports fellow neighbourhood stewards. “All our current 9 board members live within the neighbourhood of Champlain Heights,” Grace notes.
“Most of our volunteers who attend our monthly pulls and fall planting live a short walk from the trail. This year, as part of our Native Food Forest project, we have incorporated outreach events so that the larger community can be informed and share their ideas with the project. We distribute flyers to townhouses adjacent to the trail and post them on local community Facebook groups. In addition, we have signage on the trail that directs people to our website to learn more and get involved with Free the Fern. It is so important that those living within this neighbourhood have a hand in stewarding the Champlain Heights Trail system.” Grace Nombrado, Executive Director of Free the Fern
“Most of our volunteers who attend our monthly pulls and fall planting live a short walk from the trail. This year, as part of our Native Food Forest project, we have incorporated outreach events so that the larger community can be informed and share their ideas with the project. We distribute flyers to townhouses adjacent to the trail and post them on local community Facebook groups. In addition, we have signage on the trail that directs people to our website to learn more and get involved with Free the Fern. It is so important that those living within this neighbourhood have a hand in stewarding the Champlain Heights Trail system.”
Grace Nombrado, Executive Director of Free the Fern
While improving a park’s physical infrastructure can invite more people to use it, what really brings a park to life are activities and events that engage people in meaningful ways. Park programming needs to be inclusive and representative of the local community.
“Inclusivity is a journey, one that will continue as long as you seek to understand and better serve your community,” Grace says. “I have learned so much about how to be more inclusive by listening to volunteers.” She cites stories of community members directly shaping Free the Fern’s inclusion practices: from purchasing extendable garden tools for wheelchair users and ergonomic tools for people with arthritis to offering free food and beverage for volunteers and ensuring all events remain free. Future plans include budgeting for babysitting at events and offering prepaid transit vouchers.
“Everyone deserves access to environmental education, no matter their financial situation.” Grace Nombrado
“Everyone deserves access to environmental education, no matter their financial situation.”
Grace Nombrado
Parks have a long history as democratic spaces, catalyzing interactions between people of different backgrounds. It’s important to recognize and remove barriers to those people working together. One strategy is for municipalities to review park oversight through an equity lens to ensure they are not creating obstacles–like a lack of clarity around park management and what’s permitted.
“When people ask me, ‘Is this city land?’, I say, ‘Yes, and WE are the city.’ We, as citizens, should see park spaces as spaces for all of us. Spaces for us to gather and spaces for us to care and connect with the land.” Grace Nombrado
“When people ask me, ‘Is this city land?’, I say, ‘Yes, and WE are the city.’ We, as citizens, should see park spaces as spaces for all of us. Spaces for us to gather and spaces for us to care and connect with the land.”
Grace talks about balancing the initial fear of breaking city rules with a determination to be transparent. Free the Fern formed when diverse citizens decided to steward the land together. The city was not sure what to do to support the group. Should they set safety guidelines? Who in the city should oversee the group? Just as the process seemed to be getting tangled in red tape, Free the Fern decided to invite the city workers on a tour of the trail. Walking past hundreds of ferns, Oregon grapes, huckleberries and Douglas firs, the city workers were impressed that local citizens had accomplished so much on their own. The city pledged full support for Free the Fern’s stewardship effort.
The economic effect of parks is often spoken about in terms of increasing property values. This sometimes sparks concerns about gentrification. However, parks can offer many benefits to people living in the community–including leverage.
“Champlain Heights [is] an experimental mixed-income neighbourhood built in the late ‘70s,” Grace explains. “Rather than single-family homes, the city chose to build townhouse complexes here–a mix of strata, co-op, low-income, and senior townhouses… Many of these co-op townhouse leases are coming to the end of their term. There is a concern if the city will renew leases or if they will choose to redevelop our neighbourhood, perhaps to include towers for higher density levels.”
“The Champlain Heights trail system, a strip of the original Douglas fir forest, is also on leasehold land and not protected from development. One of the best ways citizens can protect the trail from development is to steward it. By removing the invasive plants and replanting native plants, we show that the trail system is a thriving, biodiverse ecosystem rather than a hazardous area. By connecting as a community and volunteering, we also increase the connections with each other and future chances for advocating in the neighbourhood as leases run out. With our thriving, diverse community, we have proved that this ‘experimental’ neighbourhood of Champlain Heights works.”
Volunteer park stewardship has the potential to make all people healthier and happier. However, our ability to extend these benefits to equity-deserving communities like Champlain Heights relies on reducing barriers to engagement. Free the Fern and the Everett Crowley Park Committee are critical additions to Cornerstone Parks, as they demonstrate what’s possible in their neighbourhood.
Cornerstone Parks lead by example. They offer opportunities for people of all identities, ages, languages, and abilities to pursue health and happiness through park stewardship. Read the Cornerstone Parks Reports to understand how park stewardship makes us happier and healthier. And follow our new partners, Free the Fern and the ECPC, as they demonstrate how you can better support your equity-deserving communities.
Les Amis de la Montagne, Stanley Park Ecology Society and High Park Nature Centre, three of Canada’s most successful and longest-standing park-based non-profit organizations, were among the 100 Delegates in attendance when Park People launched its national network at the Heart of the City Conference in Calgary in 2017.
As Park People expanded its national programs and launched the first Canadian City Parks Report, we learned of the immense impact of these groups. For example, while four million people visit Banff National Park every year, over 8 million visit Mont-Royal – 30,000 times more visitors per acre of parkland. In fact, taken together, these three large urban parks see more than 17 million visitors every year.
Over the course of the pandemic, Park People began hosting a series of virtual “cinq a sept” sessions with large urban park organizations to delve deeper into how we could best serve these groups so they could, in turn, maximize solutions to make our cities greener and more resilient in the face of a changing climate. We learned that these large urban parks need recognition and funding to support their immense contribution to climate change and community resilience.
During the pandemic, Canadians flocked to Mount Royal, Stanley Park and High Park in never-before-seen numbers. In Park People’s own survey, we found that almost three-quarters (70%) of Canadians said their appreciation for parks and green spaces has increased during COVID-19. It’s clear that even as vaccines bring the end of the pandemic into view, there will continue to be unprecedented pressures on the unique ecosystems found in these parks.
Today, Park People is excited to be launching Cornerstone Parks, the first-of-its-kind national collaboration to revitalize the green infrastructure of the country’s largest urban parks and celebrate their incomparable value to overall wellbeing. We call them ‘Cornerstone Parks’ to express how central they are to our cities.
A Cornerstone Park is defined as a large urban green space that contributes biodiversity, ecosystem services, and multiple parks uses to the community at large. In these parks, City staff, local and park-based NGOs, and community leaders facilitate activities focused on environmental education and stewardship, to engage people from diverse backgrounds in connecting to nature and to each other. These Cornerstone Parks provide invaluable environmental and social benefits to our urban environments that make our communities healthier and more resilient to the effects of climate change.
In the first year, Park People is bringing these three groups together to support their ecosystem revitalization efforts. In Toronto’s High Park, funding will improve wetland health and restore the globally rare Black Oak Savanna habitat by removing invasive species. Efforts in Montreal’s Mont-Royal will likewise mutually benefit the park’s forests and wetlands. Through planting and stewardship work, the restored marsh will be better able to absorb stormwater thus improving groundwater quality and the habitat for species. This will reduce erosion and surface water runoff that damages the forest. In Stanley Park, by planting 500 native trees and shrubs and removing 10,000 square metres of invasive species, efforts will enhance the health of this coastal temperate rainforest that serves as a powerful carbon store and wildlife habitat in downtown Vancouver.
“Today, we understand nature’s role in restoring our sense of well-being. We need to go further and take a bigger view on how restoring nature actually makes our cities more resilient to the impacts of climate change.”
Sara Street, Executive Director of High Park Nature Centre
In addition to supporting critical restoration work, Cornerstone Parks will act as a backbone to connect these large urban park NGOs together to establish a forum for the exchange of knowledge and sharing of best practices. The Cornerstone Parks program will be underpinned by a rigorous impact evaluation to measure and amplify learnings about the value of large urban parks for community well-being and ecosystems.
“By working as a group, we can make a greater difference, scale up our work and tell our collective story in a way that none of us can do alone.”
Dylan Rawlyk, Executive Director at Stanley Park Ecology Society
“Cornerstone Parks recognizes we have so much to share with, and so much to learn from, our fellow non-governmental parks organizations across the country. Park People is bringing much-needed awareness to how important these green spaces are, and providing us with the necessary framework to revitalize the ecosystems.”
Hélène Panaioti, Executive director of Les amis de la montagne
The long-term vision of the program is to ensure that there is an ecologically and socially vibrant Cornerstone park within reach of every urban Canadian. Park People’s Program Director Natalie Brown says.
“Large urban parks offer so much value for cities. Park People’s providing a backbone to strengthen their work and galvanize support for more large urban parks. There’s no question that there are large-scale precious landscapes that could serve climate change and community goals. We couldn’t be more excited to help make it happen.”
Natalie Brown, Program Director at Park People
Through its National Network, Park People will identify other large parks across Canada where investments and a connection to the network will provide maximum ecological and community benefits.
With the Park People Conference quickly approaching in June, we caught up with keynote speaker Dave Meslin. Dave is a community organizer and activist and author of Teardown: Rebuilding Democracy from the Ground Up. He is the Creative Director of Unlock Democracy Canada and founder of many impactful initiatives including Toronto Public Space Committee and Cycle Toronto.
Dave Meslin: Parks and public spaces, to me, are sacred because everyone has equal access. What I love about all of our parks and our sidewalks and our alleyways is that no one gets across the street first based on which credit card they have in their wallet. So, I think there’s something beautiful and sacred about them that we need to speak up for and protect.
DM: So many aspects of my work and my belief system feel sacred to me because it’s not just about work and it’s not just about politics and votes and lobbying and legislation. It’s where I find spiritual grounding.
We’re at a time when people are increasingly turning away from organized religion. That raises the question: what replaces the rituals of gathering in synagogues, churches, mosques or temples? Where do people find spirituality, grounding and meaning with organized religion playing less of a role?
To me, public spaces are one of those places.
Something sacred is something that you feel you would be willing to defend even at personal cost. Something you would make sacrifices for. I feel that way about our public spaces. I feel that without that type of protection, they’re at risk from various forces.
DM: I think the biggest risk to public spaces and parks is actually advertising. The only reason advertisers aren’t there right now is because we have considered parks to be sacred. Let’s face it, advertisers will put their logo on anything. That is unless we declare a space as sacred, and the list of what we consider sacred is rapidly shrinking.
I could see a municipal council saying: “Well, here’s a new revenue source we can tap into. We can put digital billboards in all our parks. People go to parks. Advertisers want to reach people. They would love to reach people who enjoy nature. We could sell to advertisers to reach that target market in our parks.” The only way you fight against that is by saying: No, this is sacred space. That would be like putting a billboard in a church or in a mosque and no, we’re not doing that.”
DM: I think that the biggest hurdle a lot of people experience is believing that their ideas have value and are important enough to be worth fighting for. That their voice that is worthy of being heard. That’s the equivalent of the closed doors.
Another huge obstacle is that people just have no idea where to start. Most people don’t really grasp the difference between municipal, provincial and federal government, in terms of jurisdiction. And that’s not their fault. We don’t teach it well. It is complicated. Like, who does health care? Well, there’s a Provincial Minister of Health. There’s a Federal Minister of Health. And then municipal governments do things like long term care and daycare and harm reduction.
Also, City Hall can be an intimidating place. I talked about this in the book: there’s no one at the doors of City Hall saying, “Hi, how can I help you?” There is at Walmart. There is at the Apple Store.
That’s why getting people to join together in groups is so important. That’s why what Park People does is so important. People are more likely to make stuff happen in a group because it creates the sense that “I’m not alone.” It helps build people’s confidence. There’s strength in numbers because it’s scary to do things alone.
If you’re intimidated about something in the first place, the chance of you doing it on your own is almost zero. But the chance of a group saying, “Hey, this is something we can work towards. This is something we can organize together.” That’s like a much more appealing invitation. It’s actually revolutionary.
I really like the educational component of it. They take a small piece of the capital budget, and then divide that up among a bunch of neighbourhoods, and let the local residents decide how to spend it.
It’s a great way to build democratic experiences, but it’s also a great way to learn about municipal budgeting, and what government actually does.
One of the main roles of a council is to decide how much money to bring in and how to spend it. The best way to teach that is by giving a little bit of money to people in the community, and asking “well, what do you want to do with it?” It’s just an incredible civics class.
DM: There’s this thing called Arnstein’s Ladder. It’s one way of looking at the different levels of engagement. Essentially, the bottom rung of the ladder is token engagement. That’s where the government decides what they want to do, and then it’s a fake survey or a fake townhall. I don’t think there’s evil intent, but do I think it is a kind of arrogance. It’s municipal staff and politicians thinking they know what’s best and treating the consultation like a nice gesture. It’s not a good approach. Not only is it not democratic, but it always creates really angry people.
On the opposite end of the spectrum there’s direct democracy. That’s where ordinary people get to vote and make all of the decisions. I’m not in favour of that either. Not only do I think that people don’t want to read 200 page staff reports, but more importantly, if you created a system where everyone gets to vote, who would actually have the extra time to do that reading? It’s going to be wealthier people who have babysitters and have house cleaners. Not the folks who are doing three jobs to pay the rent and feed their kids. So what some people think is the highest level of engagement is actually incredibly inaccessible to ordinary people.
DM: I think it’s context-specific. Let’s say, there’s gonna be a redesign of a park that asks: what do we want to happen in this park? That’s the kind of thing where people who use the park and live in the park and near the park should vote on it. That’s actually an ideal opportunity for direct democracy. I feel the same about the naming of parks. I don’t think politicians should get to name parks after other politicians. It should really be up to the people who use the park.
Parks are a perfect example where direct democracy makes sense. It’s a small bite-sized level, and the decisions aren’t super complex compared to you know, a multi billion dollar operating budget of a city.
Municipalities have a moral obligation to invest real money in actively advertising opportunities for engagement beyond the usual suspects. How about actually paying people to participate? Everyone’s got a different perspective based on their age and their gender and their confidence and how they’re using the space. And I just think the city should make more of an effort to actually invest in getting those voices heard.
I think about people like my mom and my sister. Super caring, super smart people who would never be caught dead at a “town hall meeting”. They wouldn’t even know there was a town hall, let alone take the time to go to it.
But, they know so much about their parks. My mom is nervous to walk on the track in her park because there’s a place where it kind of dips down and people could hide and you wouldn’t see them. I never thought of that. It’s not something I worry about or think about. She didn’t know who to talk to, so she asked me what she could do.
If you’re trying to find the people to consult about a park, why just not go to the park? That’s what credit card companies do to get people to get their cards. They stand at the store or at the airport and solicit people. They don’t invite you to come to a meeting to talk about credit cards at a community centre. They go straight to their target audience. We should be doing the same thing. It’s not hard to find your target audience if you’re talking about parks. They’re at the park.
Really, there should never be indoor consultations about parks. The best place to talk about parks is in parks.
TD Park People Grants is a nation-wide program that builds vital connections between people and parks.
Each year, we support over 70 community groups across 21 urban areas to animate their local green spaces with engaging events. From Indigenous plant medicine workshops to nature walks, we’re looking for unique ideas that centre environmental education, sustainability, or stewardship, and are designed with accessibility and inclusivity in mind.
In 2025, event organizers are eligible to receive $2,000 to bring their park vision to life.
Need some inspiration for your park event? Read on to learn about three of the incredible groups that received TD Park People Grants in 2024!
La Boussole is a Francophone nonprofit organization based in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. They support people experiencing poverty or marginalization to access health services, housing, and employment in French, while uniting their voices to raise awareness of the issues that face the community.
Through their 2024 TD Park People grant, La Boussole sought to reduce the barriers that prevent Downtown Eastside residents from enjoying nature in their city—such as transportation costs and the stigmatization that unhoused people face when in green spaces—and create restorative experiences that supported their participants’ mental health and wellbeing.
La Boussole organized two events, starting with a nature walk in Spirit Pacific Trail. Participants were led by a facilitator who shared knowledge of natural preservation, Indigenous land rights, and climate justice as they explored the lush forest together. Next, they held an eco-art-therapy session in Stanley Park, where participants were guided to create art using natural elements without damaging the environment.
“These kinds of events are crucial for our audience as the Downtown Eastside area is extremely urban,” noted La Boussole’s facilitators. “The population is suffering from extreme heat in summer and losing its connection to nature.”
Thanks to their efforts, 28 participants had the chance to deepen their connections to the environment, and to one another, through restorative experiences in their local forests.
”I really enjoyed this outing in the forest. It was nice to return to the Pacific Spirit Park, it’s been a long time since I’ve been there. I love forest smells, pine smells and it was cool to go on the walk with Aloïs because there were lots of things we learned that I didn’t know. Being with the whole group, everyone was able to share a little bit of their little anecdotes, the little information they had on their side so it was a great experience.”
Event participant
LifeSchoolHouse is a network of barter-based “folkschools” that create connections through skill-sharing across Nova Scotia. Folkschools are informal learning spaces, usually held in a person’s home, where neighbors become teachers as they share their skills in small group workshops.
LifeSchoolHouse breaks down the financial barriers many people face when trying to access education, and helps to connect neighbours in simple but meaningful ways. In this vein, organizers at the LifeSchool House in Spryfield, Nova Scotia used their 2024 TD Park People grant to organize two free outdoor events where neighbours shared knowledge of environmental education, sustainability, and stewardship with fellow community members.
These immersive experiences included guided nature walks for 43 participants of all ages to explore their surrounding environment. 16 volunteer teachers assisted them in identifying flora and fauna, while offering tips on sustainable practices for preservation.
After their walk, the groups enjoyed a locally-sourced lunch followed by a litter clean-up session—offering a tangible way for participants to keep contributing to the wellbeing of the local green spaces.
“These parks are right in our backyards and we don’t even realize all the treasure they hold.”
“Thank you so much for putting this together! We expected it would be fun, but it far exceeded all expectations. Everyone was so kind, especially with the sort of chaos that comes with little people. It meant so much that my child was welcome. We loved getting to meet everyone, and feel like this is our community!”
The Kapabamayak Achaak Healing Forest Winnipeg is a living memorial to Indigenous children lost to or affected by the residential school system. It was the second Healing Forest developed in Canada, and is part of a growing network of sites linked by the National Healing Forest Initiative.
A place for healing and contemplation, the Winnipeg forest is an open-air, land-based classroom for elders to share teachings and ceremony. These Keepers of the Forest have hosted dozens of teachings and ceremonies since the site was developed in 2017.
In 2024, they used their TD Park People grant to partner with local schools to bring together children and educators to reflect upon Truth and Reconciliation and the value of environmental conservation. Their land-based learning experience incorporated Indigenous Ways of Knowing, showing children the healing power of connecting with the land and traditional plants like the sage which grows in the forest.
Their two events in 2024 brought together over 300 attendees (students, teachers, and community members), and included a nourishing meal of bannock and jam.
“The schools we work with have large numbers of Indigenous children. Many have relatives who are still dealing with the intergenerational trauma of residential schools. These events honour their lived experience and provide a path to healing based upon Indigenous Ways of Knowing.”
Event organizers
Have these events inspired you?
Visit our TD Park People Grants page for more information, and full eligibility criteria, for this year’s program.