This year again, local leaders gathered their neighbours, built connections, and restored nature in projects big and small. The movement continues to expand, and we're pleased to share just some of these impacts in our 2025 Impact Report.
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
Creative ways to connect people to nature, community, and care for ravines in Toronto.
Parc Jarry in Montreal, Toronto’s waterfront, CRAB Park in Vancouver… People are coming together to protect the places they love.
What could Toronto’s parks look like in the years ahead? Our 2026 Parks Platform brings together ideas from Torontonians and four priorities for a more resilient, joyful and connected city.
Host free, community-led park activities in Toronto with the No-Fee Community Activations Booking. This hour-long virtual session will walk you through the booking: what's eligible, and how to apply step by step.
Hosted by Park People and World Urban Parks, this global gathering will bring together 450+ park leaders from Canada and around the world to share and explore practical and creative park and public space ideas, and seed new relationships, collaborations, and ways of working.
By donating to Park People, you’ll support vibrant parks for everyone.
Park People connects people and communities with the tools they need to create great parks for everyone.
We’re the only national, bilingual organization solely dedicated to championing city parks in Canada. Since 2011, we’ve collaborated with thousands of community leaders, non-profit park organizations, and park professionals to realize the incredible potential of our urban green spaces.
We envision a Canada where everyone has access to a vibrant park where people and the rest of nature thrive.
Park People works to advance city parks as essential spaces to connect people to each other and the rest of nature.
We believe that parks are vital to the health of Canada’s cities and our environment, and that everyone—regardless of their income, identity, ability, or age—deserves equal access to the benefits of public green space.
The health of people, cities, and our environment depends on us standing up for parks.
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events hosted by community park groups
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invested into parks and park programming
Canadians connected to their local park
The story of Park People began in Toronto in 2011, when an enthusiastic group of volunteers came together under the direction of Dave Harvey. They sought to answer the question: “How can we all play a role in making our parks better to serve people and neighbourhoods?” And thus, Park People was born!
Park People focused our attention on Toronto in our first five years. Through programs, conferences, and research, we established a flourishing network of community park groups, park professionals, nonprofit groups and funders. Together, we pushed the boundaries of how public parks are accessed and activated by centring community engagement, environmental sustainability and inclusive park programming for all to enjoy.
As Park People continued to grow, cities across Canada took note: they saw the need for a national network to share knowledge, form new relationships, and further grow the city parks movement. Park People launched our National Network at our first National Conference in Calgary in 2017. Since its kick-off, the network has expanded to over 1,400 groups in 46 cities, with a presence in every province.
Today, Park People is a national and fully bilingual organization with offices in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. Looking to the future, Park People continues to grow a national movement of people passionate about parks. We’d love for you to be a part of it.
Activating parks, building community and creating change
Support vibrant parks for everyone.