October 2005: South Etobicoke will be getting a new skateboard park, but some of us very concerned about its location.  The Parks Department are proposing to build the skateboard park in Colonel Sam Smith Park.    This will be a 1500 square metre regional facility to serve South Etobicoke.  The location currently favoured by the Toronto Parks Department is the open area just south of the Power Plant.    This is where an ice skating track was originally supposed to be built and it is possible that such a track would surround the skateboard facility. 
 

The Issues
Compatibility:
This is an active, “urban” facility placed in a naturalized park setting. It poses risks to the integrity of those naturalized areas.
Safety:
Skateboard parks are normally located in busy areas with good opportunities for drive-by surveillance at all times of day, not hidden away in wooded areas.

Here are some of the facts:

There is $500,000 in this year's budget for a skateboard park somewhere in Ward 6.

The "active area" of the facility would be 15,000 to 20,000 square feet. (This is roughly the size of the north section of the Power Plant parking lot.)

The Power Plant at Sam Smith is currently the location favoured by the Parks Department.

Construction of a skateboard facility at the Power Plant requires no approvals or permits that would necessitate an opportunity for further public debate.

Construction could start at any time, but it appears that nothing will happen now until spring.

The skateboarding facility shown at the top of this page is located in Cummer Park, near Leslie & Finch. This is the park most often cited as the example for Etobicoke. One of the things you notice right away at this location, aside from the huge expanse of concrete, is that this facility is located within 50 metres of a major roadway, in view of the passing traffic. It’s not tucked away out of sight in a wooded park.

This is a map of the Lakeshore Grounds, taken from the Lakeshore Grounds Brochure, showing the proposed location and approximate size of the skateboard facility in red.

Although they don’t appear to be receiving serious consideration, three other sites were short listed for consideration:

Don Russell Memorial Park (near Gus Ryder Pool)

Ourland Park (Islington Avenue & Norseman)

Connorvale Park (Valermo Drive & Rimilton Ave)

CCFEW Actions To Date (as of October 2005)

CCFEW met with city staff in early June to express our concerns about Sam Smith Park as a potential location for the skateboard facility. We pointed out the incompatibility with existing park uses, and the master design plan for this park. We also raised concerns about the safety of this site due to its secluded location. We also suggested other more suitable locations for the facility. One of these locations, Ourland, was later short listed.

We printed and distributed several hundred flyers to nearby houses and park visitors in advance of the June 20th public meeting to make people aware of what was being proposed.

Many of us left the June 20th meeting feeling very discouraged, because the tone of the meeting strongly suggested that it was an information meeting rather than a consultation meeting. It certainly appeared that the decision had already been made.

We had comment sheets available at the July 9th Environment Day listing all four sites under consideration. Of the 22 sheets returned to us, there were 21 opposed to Sam Smith as the location, and one in favour. Copies of all the sheets were forwarded to the parks department.

At about the same time, a local resident started a petition against locating the skateboard facility at Sam Smith Park. The petition was sent to the City with over 800 signatures.

In September, CCFEW wrote a letter to the General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation for the City of Toronto expressing our concerns about the process being followed in the site selection for the skateboard facility. In late December, we received the following response to that letter, along with the natural environment impact assessment criteria used for the biologist’s review.

In October, CCFEW sent a letter to the TRCA urging them to intervene in this issue. We requested, and were granted, an opportunity to appear before the Waterfront Advisory Board when it reviews this issue at its January 6th meeting. (This meeting was originally scheduled for December 9th.)

Councillor Mark Grimes has stated that the police support the idea of putting a skateboard facility in Sam Smith Park. We find this surprising because of the secluded nature of the site. So, in November, CCFEW sent a letter to the Toronto Police Services Board seeking clarification of the police position on this issue.

We are pushing for some further public consultation in this process. If you would like to be notified about any further public meeting on this subject, send us your e-mail address or other contact information, and we will make sure you are informed.

We will be updating this page as the process continues. In the meantime, if you are concerned, contact Councillor Mark Grimes at 416-397-9273.

Update March 7, 2006

We were advised this morning that the Staff Report recommending Sam Smith Park as the site for a skateboard facility will be going to the Toronto Parks and Economic Development Committee meeting this Thursday March 9th! This item shows up o the Supplementary Agenda for the meeting.

Date of Meeting: March 9, 2006

Time: 9:30 a.m.

Location: Committee Room 1

City Hall

100 Queen Street West

Toronto, Ontario

Enquiry: Merle MacDonald

Acting Committee Administrator

416-392-7340

mmacdona@toronto.ca

Since no member of the CCFEW executive was available on short notice to attend the Economic Development and Parks Committee meeting on March 9th, we sent this letter in response to the Staff Report.  Click here to view the letter as a pdf file.

Update March 28, 2006                           Top of Page

The Economic Development and Parks Committee voted to “receive” a staff report recommending that this site be selected for the skateboard facility over 3 others under consideration. This will allow the plan to proceed without further public input. 

Only public pressure can stop it now!

If you think this is a bad decision, let your Councillor and the Mayor know:

Mayor David Miller 416-397-2489  mayor_miller@toronto.ca

Councillor Mark Grimes 416-397-9273 councillor_grimes@toronto.ca

If you are not a resident of Ward 6, let your local councillor know that you are concerned. Any councillor can ask to have this sent back to committee.

CCFEW was one of several groups and individuals to speak against this decision at the March 9th meeting of the Economic Development and Parks Committee. 

Margaret Catto of the Toronto Ornithological Club, did an excellent job of detailing the importance of Col Sam Smith Park and places like it. Click here to read the full text of her deputation (pdf).

Local resident and former Ontario Environment Minister Ruth Grier also made a deputation before the committee. Click here for the full text of her deputation (pdf).

Our initial impression of the Natural Environment Assessment (the Biologist’s Report) is that it misses the “big picture”. It would be difficult to argue that the 3000 square metres of field in itself is of vital ecological significance. The same could be said of virtually any similar sized piece of the park. It’s the whole, not the piece, that we should be considering. The park as a whole is a very significant piece of waterfront greenspace. To pave such a large portion of it is to squander a precious resource.

It was interesting to note this section in the report:

“Mitigation of this potential impact is possible through plantings along the east margin with scrub cover to fill the gaps between trees tp prevent access and to prevent use of this area for shade during the summer period.”

This is exactly the type of damage to vegetation we expect, but these measures are the opposite of the techniques the Parks Department currently uses in the park. Earlier this year, all the underbrush was removed in the area just to the north of the Power Plant just as it was in the swale area in the north of the park a year or two ago.

Also of note was the final recommendation in the report:

“The migratory bird period in this area of the province is generally from April to July. There should be no vegetation removal during this period.”

Update April 26, 2006                          Top of Page

The staff report recommending Sam Smith Park as the site for the skateboard facility was going to council this week. The report will be approved unless council votes to send it back to committee. It is our understanding that no councillor was prepared to ask for that vote, and the report is now approved.

We believe that the fight isn’t over until construction begins. We intend to continue generating support for our position. The Lakeshore Planning Council has sent a letter to Mark Grimes in opposition to building the skateboard facility in Sam Smith Park. Click here to view their letter as a pdf. Also, a message in support of our position went out on the ONTBIRDS e-mail list service today.

Click here for additional views of the site.

Update: June 16th, 2006

Today, CCFEW submitted a request to the Ministry of the Environment to designate this project under the provincial Environmental Assessment Act. Our submission detailed four reasons for making the request:

1. The environmental impact of the City’s proposal has not been evaluated within the context of current natural heritage policies
2. There has been no adequate evaluation of alternatives to the current proposal
3. There has been a lack of transparency and consultation in the decision making process
4. The Province has an historic and ongoing connection and involvement in The Lakeshore Grounds

While there is no guarantee the Environment Minister will agree, we believe we have made compelling arguments for Provincial involvement in this issue. Our complete submission is available here as pdf files (which will open in a new window).

Covering Letter

EA Submission

Appendix 1 to the EA Submission

Appendix 2 to the EA Submission

June 16th Press Release

We still encourage people to e-mail their opinions to Mayor David Miller at mayor_miller@toronto.ca

and Councillor Mark Grimes at councillor_grimes@toronto.ca

Click here for a link to the skateboard park designer’s website. They describe the proposed design as an “urban plaza”. A naturalized park sure seems like an odd place for an urban plaza. Wouldn’t that be more appropriate in an urban sertting?

June 29th, 2006

NOW Magazine published an article on the Sam Smith Skateboard Park today. This article asks many of the same questions we have been asking about the site selection. Click here to read the article in a new window.

On July 5th, 120 - 150 uninvited guests showed up for an invitation only meeting where the plans for the skateboard park were being presented. This generated a lot of public interest in the issue, and went a long way towards encouraging Mark Grimes to allow more public consultation. Click here for the presentation made at that meeting (1.8MB pdf). Click here or on the image below for the site plans presented at the meeting (1.7 MB pdf) (Note: you will need to rotate the image 90 degrees. Sorry, it came to us that way.)

Some other Interesting links:

How Halton Region conducts public consultation

How the city of Seattle plans skateboard parks

July 10th                                      Top of Page

The Friends of Sam Smith Park had its inaugural meeting on the evening of July 10th. A wide range of local residents including members of CCFEW, New Toronto Good Neighbours, the South Etobicoke Skateboarders Association, and the Lakeshore Planning Council attended to plan a strategy for our opposition to the City’s plan. This diverse group shares a common interest in finding a site and a design for a facility that better addresses everyone’s needs and concerns.

Following the meeting, this new leaflet was prepared. Click here to view it as a pdf.

Press Coverage in the week of July 10th

This item in the City In Brief section of Now Magazine describes what happened at the July 5th meeting.

This item by Christopher Hume in the Toronto Star has some interesting details about both successful and unsuccessful projects elsewhere, but misses the point of our opposition to the Sam Smith Park proposal.

It prompted this Letter to the Editor from Susan Virtue.

Skateboarders, nature lovers in weedy tug-of-war (pdf) This column appeared in the Globe and Mail on July 22. (It’s a pdf because the original article is already a pay-per-view.)

August 18th

Two articles appeared in the Etobicoke Guardian today:

Councillor to make skateboard park call

Skateboard park could set back wetland: professor

August 29th

Residents pleased with skateboard park meeting. This coverage of the August 24th consultation meeting appeared on the Etobicoke Guardian website today.
 

September 5th

De Baeremaeker can't support skateboard park in Sam Smith This article by Dave Nickle was posted on the Etobicoke Guardian website today.

Councillor DeBaeremaeker received input from the public at a consultation meeting on September 14th. From what he has heard, we expect he will be recommending against the Sam Smith site. Now we are waiting for his recommendation, and then we’ll have to see what Councillor Grimes does with it.

April 26th, 2007

Here We Go Again!?

The idea of putting a skateboard facility in Sam Smith Park appears to be dormant, if not completely dead, for now but the accompanying ice skating track is not a dead issue. It was revived at poorly publicized, but well attended public meeting on April 19th. We learned unofficially (but accurately) the date time and location weeks in advance, but the first official notice appeared via e-mail on April 16th.

A crowd of about 75 people packed the Power House to voice their opposition to the plan, the process, and the type of project chosen. There was much more discussion of how better to spend the recreation dollars than there was about the plan itself. There was also concern expressed that there has been no follow through on the first recommendation from Councillor deBaeremaeker's report from last year: “fulfill the former City of Etobicoke’s original 1996 promise to create a citizens’ advisory group to help protect and restore Colonel Sam Smith Park to its full ecological potential”.

We thought this was the most important recommendation to come out of the whole skateboard park debacle. It is this kind of advisory group that can build consensus and head off future conflicts that waste everyone's time, effort, and money.

The meeting was attended by Councillor Grimes and Kevin Bowser, the new Parks Director for the area. Mr Bowser heard for the first time at the meeting that the Lakeshore wants a community centre before money is spent on anything else.

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