Top three names announced and final round of voting begins in naming contest for new waterfront park

June 9, 2010, Toronto, ON — The final round of voting in the Rename Sherbourne Park Contest is now underway.  Until June 15, the public may vote for one of three, top ranked park names chosen by the more than 1,500 people who voted during the contest’s first round of voting. The name with the most number of votes will ultimately become the new name of the park.

The final three park names for public voting at www.torontoist.com/park are:

• Merchant’s Wharf Park —pays homage to the old pier that once stood at the foot of Sherbourne Street
• Sherbourne Commons — incorporates both the park’s location at the foot of Sherbourne St. and the concept of “the commons” where the greens/open park-like spaces belong to the people without regulatory restriction or proprietary requirement
• Tkaronto Park —from the Iroquoian word meaning “trees standing in water” also an early origin of the name Toronto

“We’re thrilled that this contest has given so many people a stake in the revitalization of our waterfront,” said John Campbell, President and CEO of Waterfront Toronto. “It’s a reminder that our waterfront isn’t about one community or one pocket of the city —the waterfront is an asset for the entire city.”

The “Rename Sherbourne Park” contest was launched on April 26 by Waterfront Toronto and online news website Torontoist. Between April 26 and May 14, members of the public were invited to submit their park names.

A shortlist of eight names, developed by a selection committee representing a broad range of voices in the community, including local City Councillor Pam McConnell, was released on May 31. The shortlist was also vetted by the City of Toronto Parks, Recreation and Forestry Division to ensure the names met 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, between May 31 and June 7, members of the public ranked their favourite of the eight shortlisted park names. The three top ranked park names — Merchant’s Wharf Park, Sherbourne Commons and Tkaronto Park — are now part of the final round of voting.

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.

The winning park name will be announced on June 16, 2010 and must be formally approved by Toronto and East York Community Council.

The official contest rules and the City of Toronto’s Policy Statement on Naming and Renaming Park & Recreation Facilities & Parks are 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