PlayPark: The Playground Reinvented
The heart of the new riverside park system will be the 3-acre PlayPark. It will sit at the heart of a new park along the relocated and restored Don River mouth.
We have the opportunity to build PlayPark as part of the redevelopment of the Port Lands. Imagine a first in Canada, year-round, world class park that gets kids and parents off their screens and outside. Featuring structures kids will never have encountered before, PlayPark will offer opportunities for spontaneous, outdoor play that are hard to come by in today’s world of screens and urban density, and that experts agree are critical to their healthy physical, mental and emotional development.
Interested in learning more about the capital campaign to raise funds for PlayPark’s play equipment, natural features and other amenities? Contact us at info@waterfrontoronto.ca.
PlayPark Spaces
PlayPark will feature 3 acres of accessible, inclusive play spaces, connected by trails and scrambles. Designed to foster a love of the outdoors, PlayPark will offer children and their caregivers an opportunity to reap the physical, cognitive, and emotional benefits of unstructured outdoor play.
PlayPark will be free of charge and owned by the City of Toronto in perpetuity. A safe, barrier-free, inclusive play environment that reflects the diversity of Toronto’s population, with programming focused on serving marginalized communities.
Black Bear Campsite
A 4-metre tall wooden Black Bear towers over a campsite with a slide that lands inside the first of three kid-sized wooden tents surrounding a mock campfire area. Small-scale play-trees connect with ropes and hammocks for balance and agility challenges. The campsite features a canopy of native plants and trees, and connects with other play zones so young children can see older ones playing nearby.
Toronto Tower Lookout
Six 10-metre-high wooden towers are linked by a maze web of nets and suspension bridges. An accessible walkway also connects to a treetop world filled with platforms and grab bars for slides and more. The design will feature trees, flowering shrubs and vine plantings, and quiet spaces to take a break.
Mighty Moose Adventure Area
This 1,300 square foot area features a 12-metre wooden moose wading in the reeds surrounded by massive coniferous trees. The moose and trees are connected by a 30-metre walkway, and feature five twisting, turning slides connected by a series of tunnels and nets.
Contemplation Garden
Surrounded by trees, stones and living things, kids can regain their lost sense of the natural world. The garden also offers surprising passages and ways to negotiate the hillsides, taking inspiration from the landscape of the Don River Ravine and the Bonnechere Caves north of Toronto.
Fireboat Splash Zone
A replica of the iconic fireboat William Lyon MacKenzie that’s patrolled Toronto’s harbour since 1963 features pumps for spraying water on to the kids in the sand-play area. Pumps below can spray water back up to the kids in the boat. A splashpad with tall-boat and dolphin-inspired jets create a unique summer fun experience.
Learning Centre and Café
The hub of PlayPark, the Learning Centre and Café will offer flexible classroom for use by school groups, community organizations, summer campers and City Parks programs. Amenities will include a café and restaurant, accessible washrooms and change rooms, and an adjacent terrace with seating, shade and amazing views of the Canoe Cove next door.
Our Campaign Cabinet & Ambassadors
We are enormously grateful for the time, talent and commitment of our volunteer campaign cabinet and ambassadors:
Gillian Smith
Executive Director
Office of the Chair
Deloitte Canada and Chile
Kevin Sullivan
Waterfront Toronto Board Member
Brooke Hunter
President & CEO
Hunters International Insurance
Carolyn Lawrence
Founder
CLCo Impact
Cristin Lazier
Charles Lennox
Vice President
Executive Search Mandrake
Zai Mamdani
Community Builder
Janet McCausland
Head of Corporate and External Affairs
Kindred Works
Jess Merber
Associate Director
Philanthropic Advisory Services
TD
Kadie Philp
Pay Equity Commissioner
Ontario Ministry of Labour
Training & Skills Development
Bob Ramsay
President
Ramsay Inc.
Ian Robertson
CEO
Kingsdale Advisors
Daryn Sutherland
SVP, Marketing & Client Services
Community Agency
John Tory
(Campaign Ambassador)
Former Mayor of Toronto
Let's Build PlayPark
Spaces like PlayPark are key to ensuring that our children have opportunities for accessible outdoor play to support their healthy physical and mental development. A Canadian first, PlayPark will also help attract and retain young professionals with children in the GTA, yield economic benefits for the city and region.
Funding for the $75 million cost of PlayPark’s equipment, natural features and other amenities are being sought through the generosity of private donors.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for the children of our region and their families.
Let’s build PlayPark. Let's build a city for everyone.
Contact us at info@waterfrontoronto.ca to learn more about the capital campaign to raise funds for PlayPark’s play equipment, natural features and other amenities.