(Scroll down for March 15 meeting details and petition)

​Home Smith Park runs along the west side of the Humber River, between Dundas Street West and Old Mill (just north of Bloor).   A paved one-way road runs through the park.  There are picnic tables, cookout areas, benches, areas to walk, and washrooms.

In early 2021, fences were erected blocking all access to Home Smith Park.  According to the signs, access is denied to pedestrians as well as all vehicles.  The signs indicate that this closure will continue until July 2021.  

(March 12 2021 update: We now understand that the unaffected portion of the park will be open on weekends and holidays, to pedestrians only.)

The gates are not strong, and are not being monitored. Park users have recently opened them, in violation of the signs.  It is not known whether the fences will be closed again, strengthened, or if security will otherwise be raised.  Even if the fences remain open, having signs forbidding access is problematic.  People who travel to the park should not have to choose between disobeying a clear directive from the City, and giving up on their plans to enjoy the park -- unless this is absolutely necessary for safety.

 Sewer pipes are being replaced at a location within the park (see map above).  The construction appears to be  occurring in an area less than 200 metres long.  Within the remainder of the park – which extends for over 2 kilometres -- there is NO WORK being done.  Nor do the documents from the City (below) indicate that any work is planned to occur outside of the area in which it is currently being done. 

Information from the City
The City has provided the following two notices about this Project.  They do not explain why the entire park must be closed.

City of Toronto, “Sanitary Forcemain Replacement: Etienne Brule Park & Home Smith Park.”  https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/983a-FINAL_Baby-Point-Forcemain-Replacement-Pre-Construction-Notice-June-24-FINAL.pdf 

https://gordperks.ca/sanitary-main-replacement-in-etienne-brule-park/

Information from Councillor Grimes
Councillor Mark Grimes, in whose ward Home Smith Park is located, provided some information in his February 26, 2021 Newsletter: https://us7.campaign-archive.com/?u=29125614de16db0974bcdc07f&id=4d6cdd3055#home%20smith.

In this Newsletter, the closure of the park is explained as follows:  “The road is utilized for heavy machinery to access and leave the construction site. Park area off of the road is not maintained. There is no available area for a safe route for pedestrians, and the closure is a necessary component of ensuring pedestrian safety throughout the construction duration in this area.”

Unanswered Questions
With all due respect for the Councillor’s efforts, this leaves many questions unanswered.  

 It might well be necessary for the 200 metre stretch in which construction is actually occurring to be completely shut to all other park users.  

But the closure of the remainder of the park, in which construction is NOT occurring, is very difficult to understand. 

* If construction vehicles must occasionally drive along Home Smith Park Road to get to and from the construction site, why can’t they simply drive slowly – and perhaps use warning beepers -- to ensure safety for other park users?  

* There are large grassy areas in the park in which absolutely NOTHING related to construction is happening  – not even trucks driving through.  Why can’t these areas remain open?  

​*Infrastructure work does not typically occur on weekends or in the evenings. Why can’t the unaffected portions of the park be opened at those times, for all road users?   We are glad that the City agreed, on March 12 2021, to open the unaffected portions of the park to pedestrians only on weekends and holidays.  However many park users, including those with mobility issues, rely on vehicles to get into the park and they should be accommodated.  The park should also be open in evenings.

*Home Smith Park Road is, normally, southbound only (and open only in the summer).  But it could, with coordination, be used for both northbound and southbound construction traffic. If construction vehicles need to drive to and from the construction site -- and they cannot safely share the road with other users -- they could drive to and from the site on the same patch of road.  Thus, it should be possible to close EITHER the stretch of road north of the construction site OR the stretch of road south of the construction site, not both.  If it is absolutely necessary to close any part of the park other than the construction site, then the two halves of the road could be closed on alternating weeks so that people have the chance to access the park from both sides. 

Before imposing this drastic closure, it is incumbent upon the City and our elected representatives to explore ALL ALTERNATIVES which would minimize disruption.  Residents deserve, at the very least, a clear and coherent explanation of why these alternatives are not being implemented. 
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A Better Dundas Coalition meeting will be held on Monday March 15 at 7pm. (Zoom information below).We will discuss the potential for improvements to Dundas Street, as well as the Home Smith park situation.

We will be joined by Amber Morley. Drawing on her extensive experience working in City Hall, Amber will offer her perspective on these issues, and on getting things done at the community level.
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There will be an online meeting on March 15th at 7pm about Dundas Street and Home Smith Park.  For the details, please email betterdundascoalition@gmail.com or fill out the form below.

If you have any other knowledge or perspective that you’d like to share with the group, please let me know .

Thanks very much!  

Noel