Queen's Park in Toronto in March, 2025. The Weston family's foundations have decided to put up $50-million to pay for another do-over of Queen’s Park.Andres Valenzuela/The Globe and Mail
Opinion writers get used to seeing their words disappear into the ether. And fair enough: they are only one person’s take on things, not directions from on high.
So it came as a pleasant surprise when I got a call this month to say that some words of mine had helped make something actually happen.
Last May, I wrote about the sad state of Queen’s Park North, the oval-shaped public park next to the provincial legislative building. It is one of Toronto’s gems – or should be. It opened way back in 1860, named in honour of the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria. Now it is encircled by the rushing traffic of Queen’s Park Crescent and surrounded by the bustling campus of the University of Toronto.
In 2019, the city completed an expensive renovation that added new walkways, benches and entry points. But by the time I visited, it was looking shabby again. The grass was weedy, the trees need pruning, the lawns were peppered with trash. A fountain stood broken and empty.
Why has Toronto let Queen’s Park (the actual park, that is) fall into such disrepair?
Hilary Weston read my lament and agreed. She used to be lieutenant governor of Ontario, and her office overlooked the park. So, she shared my disappointment about its state. Along with other members of the Weston family, which controls a grocery and drugstore empire, she decided to do something about it.
The family’s foundations have decided to put up $50-million to pay for another, more thorough do-over of Queen’s Park.
They say a further donation, yet to be unveiled, will pay for programming and maintenance. According to a notice posted on the city website Friday morning, Mayor Olivia Chow is asking city council to authorize the manager of parks to negotiate a formal agreement with the Westons. The proposal will come to council next week.
As the notice puts it, “Queen’s Park North is a core piece of the downtown park system … this generational city-building initiative will showcase the City’s commitment to enhancing public spaces, supporting gathering and culture, fostering community engagement and elevating the park user experience for years to come.”
Conceptual drawings by an urban design firm that is consulting on the project, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, show a skating rink and outdoor cafe.Janet Rosenberg & Studio/Supplied
Council should say yes, of course. Sitting right in the centre of the city, with museums and other important institutions all around, Queen’s Park has the potential to be much more than a place that students cross on their way to class or joggers circumnavigate. The rough plan shared by the foundations, still to be reviewed by the city and the public, envisions an active, year-round gathering place with concerts, festivals and, as always, demonstrations befitting the park’s place as a democratic as well as recreational hub.
Drawings by an urban design firm that is consulting on the project, Janet Rosenberg & Studio, show a skating rink and outdoor cafe. The idea is to move the giant equestrian statue of Edward VII, much beloved by visiting birds, out of its central location to free up room. Special care is to be lavished on the ecological heritage of the park, which includes many stately old trees.
More details featured in conceptual drawings of Queen’s Park North, the oval-shaped public park next to the provincial legislative building in Toronto.Janet Rosenberg & Studio/Supplied
Not everyone will like this plan. Inevitably, some will say Toronto is giving over a public space to Big Money and that a city park should be run by the city with city funds. But Toronto is notoriously bad at maintaining its premier spaces. Look at the condition of Nathan Phillips Square, High Park or Trinity Bellwoods Park.
One of the merits of the proposal is that it would establish a non-profit group to work with the city on managing the park – something like the conservancy that runs New York’s Central Park. That would help keep it from falling into disrepair like so many of the other specialty parks that have been opened in the city and then left to the tender mercies of the parks department, a massive organization that can’t seem to handle any public space that is much more than grass and baseball diamonds.
Ms. Weston said in a statement that Queen’s Park “has always reminded me of the vital role that parks and gardens play in bringing people together, inspiring connection and enriching communities.” Her family, she said, is “delighted” to be working with the city on the project.
Let’s hope other wealthy families follow their example. Private wealth tends to flow to hospitals, museums, the opera, the ballet. Why not parks? Goodness knows, Toronto’s could use it.