Park People’s Executive Director, Erika Nikolai, has been honoured with the Distinguished Individual Award from World Urban Parks—an international recognition that celebrates her leadership and the growing national movement Park People has helped build here in Canada.
Why are events in parks important? How do grants fit into Park People’s larger goals for creating change in city parks?
Metro Vancouver seniors receive training and support to organize fun park activities, fostering social connections and physical activity among elders in their local parks and green spaces.
InTO the Ravines creates opportunities for Torontonians to come together to explore the ravines, learn about their social and ecological benefits, and champion their preservation.
Ready to rally your crew and make a visible difference in your local park? This guide walks you through everything you need to host a successful community clean-up in Toronto
Explore key findings from five years of the Canadian City Parks Report, highlighting significant trends, issues, and practices shaping urban parks across the country.
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Alexandre Beaudoin, Founder of Montreal’s Darlington Ecological Corridor, is a biologist with two Master’ degrees in environmental sustainability and socio-ecology. The Darlington Ecological Corridor puts both disciplines into action by enhancing ecological connectivity between Mount Royal and Montreal. The project simultaneously addresses biodiversity, food security and climate resilience.
In this interview, Alexandre Beaudoin discusses the socio-ecological approach that guides this project. Alexandre will also give a Keynote presentation at the 2023 Park People Conference.
I was a Conservation Assistant with Les amis de la montagne, and we witnessed the foxes disappearing from the mountain. Foxes are one of the biggest mammal species in the city and a symbol of Mount Royal. The fact that they were vanishing was tragic.
Three years later, the foxes began returning to the mountain. We asked ourselves: “What can we do to help foxes cross the city to get back to the mountain? That question was the genesis of the Darlington Ecological Corridor. We knew animals used the train tracks north of the Mountain to cross the city. We wanted to establish a corridor to connect the railway tracks to the mountain.
At the time, I was working at Invest in Montreal* and as a biodiversity consultant at Université de Montréal. We saw an opportunity to connect parks, public lands and greenspaces to link The University of Montreal’s new MIL science campus to the mountain.We presented the idea for the corridor to the Director of the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough in 2014, and they were very enthusiastic. Together, we put 44 large plant pots along major streets so people living immediately adjacent to the corridor could start to connect to the project at a community level and participate in it by gardening in their community.
Your question is at the heart of every effort to create nature in the city. It’s the same challenge faced by Mount Royal. The mountain is a forest that supports biodiversity, but it has more than 5 million visitors a year.
It takes a socio-ecological approach. The city is an ecosystem, but a very disturbed ecosystem where we can create a habitat for species to thrive. But the ecosystem is also full of people with connections to the places they live. A socio-ecological approach balances people’s attachment to the places they live with the needs of ecosystems and creates new connections between both for the benefit of both.
In the beginning, I was entirely focused on the ecological needs in the corridor. But, my thinking has shifted. The corridor is in an urban environment that is incredibly hot and poses a risk to people’s health in the summer. At the same time, 77% of the people living proximate to the corridor are lower-income newcomers to Canada. There is widespread food insecurity.
We’ve been working with Multi-Caf*, a much-loved food security organization that’s been in the borough for 32 years. They want to support ecology, but they are committed to serving people first. That helped us evolve our mission and strengthened the “socio” side of our socio-ecological approach. Here, people don’t have the luxury of giving their time to gardening without anything in return.
We’ve built out a new part of the corridor focused only on food. The President of a rehabilitation hospital is excited to cultivate the connection between food and health and provided us with land for the community to use for gardening. The borough has also provided space for community gardens in the park.
If we had talked about this project a year ago, it would’ve been much really focused on ecology and forestry. Now, we’re also focused on the community, and that’s a big difference.
Last September, I started a Ph.D. focused on how the corridor can shift people’s mindsets around their relationship to nature and biodiversity. This summer, we’re creating a mico-forest with 400 trees. It’s a visible orchard in the park. When people see something like the orchard, they feel a sense of momentum and say: “something is happening.” People on the team wear our t-shirts, and people walk up to them to talk about the project. They’re not going to our website or calling us. They’re meeting us in the community. So, how can we make it easier for people to recognize us? How can we position how we talk about the project to transform people’s mindsets?
These bigger, more visible projects change both landscapes and minds.
Parks are the first places to change mindsets. People are connected to places, and we must retain those connections while supporting ecology. That’s what’s at the heart of the socio-ecological approach.
Montreal’s Planning and Sustainable Development Department was the first partner to come to the table. They wanted to enhance the quality of life in the city while reducing runoff and addressing the urban heat island effect. This project helped them meet their goals.
The corridor also helped the borough fulfill its social and ecological development goals. Now, there’s a new person in the borough that is focused on Darlington. So now we have a strong, dedicated connection with the borough.
Initially, our focus was on governance and building institutional relationships and building deep relationships with engaged community members living immediately adjacent to the corridor. Later, we broadened our reach and relationships in the community. I think this was the right approach.
Being part of Invest in Montreal and the University of Montreal certainly helped open doors with the borough. I was able to sit in two chairs – I had credibility as part of Invest in Montreal and as part of the community. These two roles were mutually supportive.
Part of our success is attributable to the fact that our project helps partners achieve their goals.
The University of Montreal is happy because the project helps them serve and be connected to the community. There are 19 master’s students working on this project so it serves the University’s academic mission.
The open-mindedness of the borough has made a huge difference. The municipal staff who work in Cote-de-Neiges are committed to making a difference. Cote-de-Neiges isn’t a stop on municipal staff’s career journey. If they choose to work and stay here it’s because they’re committed to this community. If things aren’t possible this year, we will collaborate on how to create policies that open new opportunities next year.
Each partner has helped bring a new lens through which we see the corridor a little differently. It’s helped bring new, valuable perspectives that have reshaped the project and the space.
During the first year of COVID, Geneviève learned that rates of food insecurity were skyrocketing in Montreal. Motivated to make a difference, Geneviève envisioned a sustainable response to address hunger in her community: a living and educational agriculture ecosystem composed of three urban gardens.
In this place, people could co-create and participate in planting and growing vegetables together. Living in an urban area of Montreal called Milton Park, she knew it wouldn’t be easy. Despite being next to Mount Royal Mountain, the neighbourhood needs more public parks and sufficient green spaces. She knew it was not a matter of improving pre-existing greenspaces to suit her community’s needs; she had to create them.
After months of knocking on doors, she successfully negotiated three areas for raised garden beds, one even for a greenhouse. She transformed these spaces into communal lots and encouraged community members to take part in the growing process — from planting seeds to weeding, harvesting herbs and vegetables to take home but also empowering people to cultivate their very own pharmacy.
As community interest grew around the gardens, Geneviève learned about post-covid deeper issues. Beyond food insecurity, residents struggled with profound challenges like isolation, stress, and depression. Geneviève recognized the need for more holistic solutions and approached Park People with an idea that could improve the well-being of her neighbours.
She wanted to create a sense of connection and trust among community members. In addition to food access, it creates a supportive environment promoting mental well-being and social connection.
With help from Park People, Geneviève created a series of workshops that wove together plant education with mental wellness and meaningful connection to the land. The first event was in Notman Urban Gardens, an overgrown, green oasis prohibiting public access. There was a meditation workshop, followed by an Indigenous-led teaching on the medicinal properties of the plants. 40 people attended the event and learned how to see the garden as a medicinal pharmacy. Together, they learned how to soak lemon balm with orange peel in water to improve mood, sleep quality and digestion. They touched, tasted and smelled herbs, sparking conversation and discovery.
A community member recently told Geneviève that the workshop helped her feel a sense of belonging and created a sense of connection to her neighbours and the environment she hadn’t experienced before. She learned about plants and their properties, opening up new ways of knowing and seeing the world around her. The workshop inspired her to become a weekly volunteer at the garden, and now she can’t envision her life without it. In the midst of Montreal’s bustling urban landscape, Jardins Pour Tous has become more than a garden but a haven of wellness and connection that she eagerly looks forward to every week.
Read other community leaders’ stories with Nawal from Toronto and Marie-Pierre from Vancouver. Their stories features the incredible work being done to foster social connection and community resilience in parks and green spaces across Canada.
For people living in cities, public parks are vital sites of connection. They’re spaces for meeting our neighbours, engaging with nature, and mitigating the harmful impacts of climate change. But large urban parks also face unique challenges, often requiring more resources for maintenance, operations, and programming.
Park People created the Cornerstone Parks program to support and connect the organizations working in large urban parks across Canada. We’re the only national network dedicated to ensuring that these park leaders can access resources, learn from one another, and maximize the impact and influence of their important work.
Here’s what we’re up to:
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volunteers engaged in stewardship restoration
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of participants say their mental health is improved from stewardship activities
m2 of invasive species removed
Stanley Park in Vancouver
High Park in Toronto
Mount Royal Park in Montreal
Champlain Heights Trail system in Vancouver
Everett Crowley Park in Vancouver
Blue Mountain – Birch Cove Lakes, Sandy Lake, Backlands / Williams Lake in Halifax
Darlington Ecological Corridor in Montreal
South Saskatchewan River Valley in Saskatoon
North Saskatchewan River Valley in Edmonton
Edwards Gardens and Botanical Garden in Toronto
Park People and our Cornerstone partners are seeking to better understand the link between parks and health. Our groundbreaking research shows that park stewardship has tremendous benefits for our mental and physical health, for our sense of social connection, and for our overall well-being.
Parks Canada is building a new kind of park system, one that brings nature into the heart of cities. Launched in 2021, the National Urban Parks program aims to create 6 parks with the goals to:
Park People is proud to have collaborated with Parks Canada by contributing to the interim policy that guides the designation and management of new national urban parks, and by engaging and supporting organizations working in large urban parks across the country.
TD Park People Grants are available for almost any community event in a publicly accessible green space — whether in a city park, social housing property, or schoolyard — that fosters ongoing care and protection of these spaces.
From Indigenous plant medicine workshops to nature walks, we help local leaders organize events focused on environmental education, sustainability, or stewardship that bring people together.
Each year, we support over 70 community groups across 21 urban areas in Canada to host two in-person and virtual events.
You could receive $2,000 to support your vision to connect people to their local parks and green spaces!
Each year, thanks to the TD Park People Grants program:
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grants awarded
community events organized
people connected in local parks
Applications for the 2026 TD Park People Grants are now closed.
Jan 14 2026
Applications open
Feb 23 2026
Applications close
April 2026
Notification to grant recipients
May 2026
Distribution of funds
April 22 to Dec 31, 2026
Park events period
Oct 2026
Project report due
Equity-deserving groups will be prioritized in the application process. A minimum of 50% of all microgrants will be awarded to those who identify as such.
Please check your group’s eligibility below before submitting your application. If you are not eligible for the TD Park People Grant, your application will not be reviewed.
Please create an account and submit your application on Blackbaud.
The application form should take about 2 hours to complete once you know what your events will look like. Here is a sample of the form to help you prepare the application.
For an overview of the application questions and more information on creating an account and submitting your application, please refer to the FAQ section below.
Need help with your TD Park People Grant application?
Our team is here to support you! You can reach out in the following ways:
Park People is committed to supporting people with disabilities during the application process. If you encounter any barriers while completing your application form or would like to request any access needs, please contact us.
We made a few changes to the program this year, summarized below.
Eligible urban areas: St John’s, NL joins the list of eligible urban areas in 2026, while Brandon, MB is no longer an eligible urban area.
Multi-year recipients: Groups that have received the grants before can apply again, but to prioritize first-time applicants, those funded two years in a row must take a one-year break before reapplying. For example, a group funded in 2024 and 2025 would next be eligible for the 2027 TD Park People grant.
Application Management Tool: We are moving from Survey Monkey Apply to Blackbaud Grantmaking. Learning to use a new tool can take some adjustment, but the questions below provide guidelines for navigating it. If additional support is required, you can always contact us at boursestdppgrants@parkpeople.ca for help.
Decisions will be made by a team of reviewers composed of Park People staff in consultation with TD. Application selection will be based on the following criteria:
While meeting any or all of these criteria will not guarantee that your group will be awarded a grant, we are looking for these qualities in each application.
The application form should take about 2 hours to complete once you’ve planned your events. Here is a preview of the questions:
Your group can demonstrate an environmental focus in many ways, whether through environmental education, a commitment to sustainability practices, or stewardship activities:
We encourage you to get creative and think outside the box!
Here are some useful links:
Hosting a free, open-to-the-public event is not enough to ensure it is inclusive and accessible.
Here are some measures past grant recipients have adopted to make their park events inclusive:
We also suggest including an accessibility section on your event page that provides information on location, transportation, food, sensory experiences, and interactions one might expect. It will help people determine if they can/want to participate and plan accordingly.For further reading, see our resource on events accessibility.
If successful, your group will receive a total of $2,000 to be spread across both events. Once you have received the funds for your grant, you are free to use them however you’d like for your events. This could include providing transportation to the event with bus tickets. You may also combine the money received from this grant with other sources of funding.
For the purposes of the program, a group is considered equity-deserving if the people helping run it are part of an equity-deserving community and/or if the group serves or engages with equity-deserving communities. We prioritize equity-deserving groups in our granting to address the inequitable distribution of resources within the parks sector.
We define equity-deserving communities as those that, due to systemic discrimination, face barriers that prevent them from having the same access to resources and opportunities as other members of society. These may include, but are not limited to, Black, Indigenous and people of colour communities, disabled persons or people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+, newcomers, women and non-binary people, and low-income people.
These communities may be present in specific geographic areas in some cities, including Toronto’s Neighbourhood Improvement Areas or Montreal’s Integrated Urban Revitalization zones*, but they are not limited to those areas.
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Discover the 72 community groups and organizations across Canada receiving TD Park People Grants.
The Montreal Urban Park Champions mentoring program offers community members from equity-deserving neighbourhoods training and coaching to help them enhance or transform vacant or underused spaces into public green areas.
Participating groups, whether beginners or experienced, commit to reimagining an underused space – such as a paved area, wasteland or vacant lot – into a green space that fosters connection among local residents. The Champions receive training, tools, and support to convert these spaces into community gardens, local parks or play areas.
To support the process, a mapping tool* is available to collectively and collaboratively identify, submit, and categorize vacant or underused spaces, with the goal of reimagining their use – whether temporary or permanent.
Ready to bring a forgotten plot of land back to life? Whether you have a specific idea for a space or simply want to get involved, we look forward to hearing from you!
Benefits:
The program is delivered in French.
Oct 15, 2025
Nov 21, 2025
Dec 2025
Notification to the Champions
Feb 2026
First workshop
Second workshop
April – Oct 2026
Implementation of land transformation projects
Sept 2026
Closing program workshop at the Montreal Park People Forum
Dec 2026
Program review
The program is open to:
Both experienced organizations and beginner or recently created groups are welcome. We especially encourage groups working in underserved neighbourhoods or with equity-deserving communities* to apply.
Types of land:
Priority is given to fully underused sites rather than to small areas limited to the surroundings of a building.
It is not required to have a site proposal in order to submit an application.
Please fill out this application form*.It should take about 10 minutes to complete.
Do you have a question about the program or need help completing your application? Contact Chloé Zerini-Le Reste at czerini-lereste@parkpeople.ca.
To address the inequitable distribution of resources in the parks sector, we give priority to people from / working in underserved neighbourhoods or with equity-deserving communities:
This refers to an abandoned space not officially recognized by the City, such as a paved area, a vacant lot, or wasteland.
To identify these types of spaces, you can use the LANDE mapping tool*, which helps support community-led reclamation of vacant land. Some non-active sites are already listed, but you can also suggest your own site*.
Explore our leaflet* showcasing several inspiring examples of vacant land transformation. Projects can include green spaces, community gardens, social spaces with benches and picnic tables, self-service libraries, murals and more.
Depending on the Champions’ resources and ideas, these initiatives can range from simple greening and landscaping projects to more ambitious permanent transformations.
Experience in activating or animating parks and green spaces is an asset, but not a prerequisite for becoming a Montreal Urban Parks Champion. Feel free to apply if this topic interests you and you want to get involved. Supported projects can vary in size and level of investment.
The program includes three workshops in 2026:
Participation in all three workshops is mandatory. A financial compensation will be offered to help cover participation costs for each workshop.
Discover the greening projects of the 2026 Montreal Urban Park Champions.