The Bentway is the Winner of the Project Under Gardiner Naming Campaign

After a run-off vote, the winner of the Project: Under Gardiner naming campaign is the Bentway.

Over the four-day run-off vote, 1,333 valid votes were cast; the Bentway had 845 votes, while the Artery had 488 votes. The winning name celebrates "the bents", the column-and-beam structures that frame the space under the Gardiner Expressway.

The engagement from the public in naming this new public space has been inspiring. Over the last three months, the project’s community engagement process has resulted in:
 

• 119 days of citywide community engagement
• 31 naming brainstorm parties
• Participation from people aged from 5 to 90 years old
• Involvement from 575 youth, seniors and other residents
• 884 naming suggestions
• 4 shortlisted names
• 42,992 YouTube views
• More than 5000 votes cast

We’d like to extend a special thank you to everyone who collaborated with us. Your creative ideas, enthusiasm and passion for this city was greatly appreciated. As well, thanks to our project partners, the Matthews Foundation, the City of Toronto and Waterfront Toronto.

Now that the public has chosen the name that they prefer, next steps include designing a brand identity that captures the spirit of this new public space. This will be happening over the next few months and the brand identity is expected to be unveiled before summer is over.

A temporary visual look for Project: Under Gardiner had been established, with the knowledge that it would need to be updated once a permanent name was in place. While the new brand won't be a complete overhaul, you can expect that it will evolve, push and explore the possibilities of what this new public space can be.
 

Media Contact

Andrew Hilton
Director of Communications & Public Engagement
Waterfront Toronto