City-wide naming contest for new waterfront park now underway

April 26, 2010, Toronto, ON — The public is invited to come up with a new name for Sherbourne Park – an innovative new waterfront park opening this summer.  The “Rename Sherbourne Park” contest sponsored by Waterfront Toronto and Torontoist, encourages members of the public to submit their ideas for a new park name and ultimately choose the winning name through a two-stage online voting process.

“This contest gives people a chance to be part of the history of  the waterfront,” said John Campbell, President and CEO of Waterfront Toronto. “Helping to rename the park – a magnificent space that will become a must see for all Torontonians – encourages everyone to get involved in waterfront revitalization.”

The park’s working name – Sherbourne Park – is based on its location at the foot of Lower Sherbourne Street in the heart of East Bayfront, a new waterfront community currently under construction between Jarvis St. and Parliament St. The new waterfront park is transforming a once grim, industrial area into much needed public greenspace on the lake. When it opens this summer, it will give Torontonians access to a part of the lakefront they have never been able to enjoy.

There are two ways to participate in the contest – submit a park name online, and vote for a favourite in the semi-final and final rounds of voting.

Park names may be submitted to the Rename Sherbourne Park contest website www.torontoist.com/park between April 26 and May 14. Submissions should reflect the park’s location in one of Toronto’s newest, most sustainable and technologically-advanced communities. The park’s key design elements —  woods, water and open greenspace that collide with dramatic art sculptures, bold architecture and innovative approaches to sustainability — may also factor into the new park name.  Each entrant must also include a short paragraph explaining why the proposed park name should be chosen.

At the end of the submissions period, a selection committee representing a broad range of voices in the community will shortlist 8-10 names for public voting.   The shortlist will also be vetted by the City of Toronto Parks, Recreation and Forestry Division to ensure the names meet the parks naming criteria outlined in the City of Toronto’s Policy Statement on Naming and Renaming Park & Recreation Facilities & Parks.

During the semi-final round of voting, from May 31 to June 6, people can rank their favourite of the  shortlisted park names. The three top ranked park names will move on to the final round of voting which will take place between June 7 and June 15. The name that receives the most number of votes will become the new name of the park.

The winning park name will be announced on June 16, 2010.  The park is scheduled to open later this summer.

Official contest rules and the City of Toronto’s Policy Statement on Naming and Renaming Park & Recreation Facilities & Parks is available on www.torontoist.com/park.

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Waterfront Toronto

The Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto created Waterfront Toronto to oversee and lead the renewal of Toronto’s waterfront. Public accessibility, design excellence, sustainable development, economic development and fiscal sustainability are the key drivers of waterfront revitalization.

Torontoist

Torontoist focuses on absolutely everything interesting related to Toronto, including news, arts, events, culture, transit, politics, photography, advertising, street art and graffiti, food, and a whole lot more. Established in October 2004 as part of the thirteen-city Gothamist network, Torontoist is now published by Ink Truck Media, and has become the largest, most influential, and most widely-read website of its kind in Canada.

For more information, please contact:

Samantha Gileno, Waterfront Toronto