Important Toronto Documents

 Important Toronto Documents

After some recent projects have come to light, I thought having all the important docs in one spot might help.

Toronto Skateboard Strategy

Toronto Skateboard Strategy Homepage

Implementation Strategy for the Parks & Facilities Master Plan 2019-2038

Toronto Parks & Recreation Plan 2019-2038

Toronto Parks & Recreation Facilities Plan Homepage

The Parks & Rec plan is undergoing a 5yr review with surveys ending Dec 18, 2024.

Everything going on in Toronto Right Now (Dec 2024)

What happened in 2024?

What happened in 2024?

Why is the sky blue?

What is concrete?

2024 was another great year.

I hit 36 new parks for a total of 572!

Top 3 - LaSalle -  Buffalo, NY

Unity - Northville, MI

Luke Nelson - Medina, NY

New Parks 2024

1. Impact 2.0 @ Evergreen Brick Works #537
2. Wellesley Rec Complex Skatepark 3/30 
3. Ripley, ON #539 5/23
   
4. LaSalle/Buffalo Skate Plaza #540 6/20
   
5. Outer Harbour DIY
6. Lakeside Bike 
7. Bryce Buchholz Memorial- Lancaster Skatepark
8. Alix Rice Peace Park Skatepark
9. Phatman Boardshop & Park
10. Ives Skatepark - Tonawanda
11. NF skatepark - NF NY
12. Pefferlaw Pump Track & Skatepark 6/26
    
13. 22 Wing Skatepark- CFB North Bay 7/08
    
14. Extreme Park- Kirkland Lake #550!
15. Carter Antila Memorial- New Liskeard/Temisakming Shores
16. Temagami Skatepark
17. Waterford, ON. 7/26 #553 
18. Sonny Belch Skate Dot, Belleville 8/12
    
19. Bismark Park Skatepark- Cambridge 8/14 #555
20. Stork Family YMCA- Waterloo
21. RIM Pump Track- Waterloo
22. Dowling 2.0 8/23 
23. Highland DIY Skatepark 9/12
    
24. Unity Skatepark, Northville, MI #560 
25. Luke Nelson Skatepark- Medina, NY 9/16
    
26. The Railyard Skatepark- Lockport, NY
27. Lewistown, NY. Twin of Mold-master 1.0
28. Nobleton Pump Track 10/9
29. Manotick Skatepark & pump track 565 10/10
30. Findlay Creek
31. Greely skatepark
32. George Jowett Memorial random ramp near Morrisburg. 
33. Southfields Skatepark, Caledon. 10/14
34. Oakville 16 mile Creek Skatepark & Pumptrack 10/18
35. McNally st Skate Dot, Georgetown 10/25
36. Brimorton/Meadowglen Sk8 Dot 12/02

Honourable mentions - Wellesley, Southfields & Bismark Park, Cambridge.

I went to the states a couple times.

Let's Go Buffalo!

2 trips up north.

My kids have started to make some trips with me.

My Halloween costume was a miniature replica of The Hoof. I built it out of cardboard over the winter and then made a little edit. My costume won the Later Skaters Halloween Bash best over-all costume.

On the Advocacy side, I've continued to push for more parks in Pickering as well as getting the West Shore Skate Spot usable again after an ill advised paint job. Pickering is working on new parks (slowly) and recently updated the 10yr Parks & Rec Master Plan with includes quite a bit about All-Wheels Parks.

The West Shore Skate Spot Spring Clean-up collected over 300lbs of waste from the area.

I've been freelance consulting on projects for a few years but I made an official post. Let me help you! Free Skatepark Consultations.

Southfields in Caledon finally opened adding to my pre-work park network. I barged on Thanksgiving. Park 569.

My Battle against CRC continues with another 2 botched concrete jobs  (there's a third I haven't been able to lurk yet).  One of their pre-fab installations too a bite out of my wheel and one of the concrete spots failed so bad the central feature was rebuilt within a few months.

Before

After

Check out Their Best and Worst.

I dug deep into Toronto's Parks project page and found 14 previously unknown Skate Feature projects (Everything from skateparks to skate dots & legal street spots).  I then discovered 2 of the projects are complete.

Brimorton Skate Dot

Skateboarding is awesome. Don't gatekeep. Don't be a kook. Don't yuck somebody else's yum. Build stuff. Skate the way you want. Progression, not Perfection.

Rest in Peace Patti McGee

We got a Damn Patti board when we found out we were having a girl.  Patti signed the deck and wished my daughter a 'happy birthday' every year. She's a legend and will never be forgotten.

New Skate Dot on Brimorton Dr

 New Skate Dot on Brimorton Dr

So I found this project after pouring through 225 different Toronto Park projects.  I couldn't find any other info then 'Feature 9 - Large open lawn/passive play skating feature (informal space for skateboarding and rollerblading with small concrete slopes)'

So on a day off, I went to lurk the spot that I though wouldn't be complete until 2026. Well Surprise! Phase 1 is complete and the 'informal' skate spot is there.  It's more of a shared public space or legal street spot consisting of 3 rollers and a manny pad. The Public side of the ledge is capped.

I wasn't planning of skating but when opportunity calls...ya gotta answer.

Southfields Skatepark

 Southfields Skatepark

225 Dougall Ave

Caledon, ON

The newest addition to Caledon's action sports network is a sweet skatepark by Transition Construction.  I was able to get to the build a few times, delivered drinks and snacks to the crew, and got progress reports.

The park features a triangular street section with a spine that leads to a small but great bowl. 

I'm told that Benches, Shade Structure and Trash Cans will be installed in the spring. Keep it clean til then.

Tour Video

FS & BS ledges with beveled fronts.

Mellow 'Pier 7' ledge.

QP pocket with spine to bowl.

Brick stamped Hip!

C - Ledge

Nice bowl.  Shallow works as a mini.  It's well designed and built so I had no problem getting speed and slashing the pool coping.

Slappy Curb on the bank

The step-up is 'scoop style' to prevent hangups.  

The wide angle lens makes the flat bar look cockeyed. It's not.
 

Everything Happening in Toronto RIGHT NOW!

 Everything Happening in Toronto 

RIGHT NOW!

There's a lot happening. (Dec 1, 2024)

You just gotta know where to look.

TORONTO Parks Website I got all this info from.

The other days I posted that there are 225 current Toronto Parks & Facilities projects. I went through all of them and this is what I found. There were 2 additional projects that had skate features cut due to lack of support. All Timelines subject to change.

Earl Bales Skatepark - Probably the best known current project. The design is finalized. ETA - Fall 2025

1.5-foot bank turn-around

Three-foot bank turn-around/hip

Six-inch slappy curb

14-inch flat rail

14-inch flat ledge

Four-foot slappy bank with inset six-inch manual pad

1.5-foot transition turn-around

Three-foot transition turn-around

1.5-foot table top

Two-foot a-frame with rooftop rail and ledge

Five stair set with down rail

Hubba / out ledge

Slappy out rail

Two-foot transition turn-around

Confederation Park Skatepark - The city is taking applications for Skatepark Champions for this project. Design a park and make some money? Sign up here by Jan 2, '25. - ETA Fall 2026

Eglinton Park Skate Spot - ETA Spring 2025

1 of 3 similar options. All 3 have a mini.

Centennial Park - Plans for a skatepark near the BMX Track - 

ETA Unknown

Wallace Emerson - New Bowls and Seasonal Loop are under construction (Dec 2024) - ETA Fall 2025

There were 3 concepts & it appears 2 separate bowls are being built.

St James Town Park West - A Skate Area included in final design - ETA Fall 2026

Feature 10 - Skateboard Zone.

Elizabeth Simcoe Skate Spot - Design Concepts out now. Survey now closed with 277 Responses!!! - ETA Late Fall 2025.

1 of 3 metal ramp concepts. I'm pushing for concrete.

Woburn Park Skate Spot - The city is comparing this spot to West Lodge or Smithfield - ETA Late Fall 2025.

West Lodge Skatepark

Trimmer Skate Spot - North East Scarborough Community Centre is under construction but the little skate trail is done. ETA June 2025.

This should be fun.

New Parks in the Six Points Neighbourhood - There are 4 park projects surrounding the future Etobicoke Civic Centre featuring Skate Features - ETA Late 2025

 Wabash Community Recreation Centre - Small Skate Dot - ETA 2027

Feature 2 - Skate Dot

70 Croatia St - New Park - Survey Out until Dec 20. Looks like the skate spot is at risk of being axed.

North Park - 578 Rustic Road - Informal Skate Feature appears to be in the final design. ETA Fall 2025

#3 - Informal Skate Features.

New Park on Brimorton Dr - Near Markham Rd, there is some kind of skate feature included in the final design. ETA Fall 2026 - but it's done now.

Feature 9 - Large open lawn/passive play skating feature (informal space for skateboarding and rollerblading with small concrete slopes)  - (Alright - mystery solved, it's like 3 sidewalk bumps beside a manny-able ledge. The 'public' side is skate stopped. 2026 ETA was for phase 2.  Photos HERE)

If you're wondering why a 'Skate Feature' get cuts from the final design, it's the feedback the city gets or does not get. The general public usually opposes Skate Features and the Skaters don't fill out the surveys. 

The pickleballers are responding to surveys Five time more than the skaters. And the info is not getting out there. We gotta fight for ourselves. The Toronto Skatepark Strategy is doing a lot to get features included around the city but skaters need to loudly support a project. Show Up or Shut Up, as they say.

Let's help Toronto

 Let's Help Toronto

Elizabeth Simcoe Skate Spot is in the planning stage & the City of Toronto is proposing 3 modular skatepark designs and are taking feedback. (yes, I cut & pasted some stuff from Newcastle)

My advice.

Step 1) Don't go Modular.

Step 2) Don't go Modular.

Step 3) Concrete is the way to go.

Project Info Here - Elizabeth Simcoe Skate Spot

While the concepts are exciting to see, anyone who has been to a lot of skateparks know that the finished product is not always as great as the concept when it comes to modular parks.

A sort of Open Letter To Toronto Staff

Hello Toronto City Staff

I am not opposed to any of the concepts but I am more in favour of a poured in place concrete skatepark. PIP Skateparks are now the industry standard. The Skatepark Project ( formerly The Tony Hawk Foundation) considers modular skateparks as temporary skateparks & does not provide grant money towards them. It is becoming more and more common to replace modular skateparks with PIP concrete as was the case in London and Welland.  With the successes of Stanley Greene & Fundy Bay Skateparks, it's surprising the city go back to outdated products.

I've identified some elements in the concepts that have real world issues.

Number 1. The double length low ledge/manny pad. One of these obstacles was included in the update of Smithfield Park in Etobicoke. 

The gap in middle prevents riders from grinding the whole ledge. Anyone attempting the grind the whole ledge gets thrown as their skateboard comes to an abrupt stop. The metal edge is also soft and not great for attempting grinds.

Additionally, the grinding edge is often installed poorly, leading to the sharp edge of the ledge being exposed, which can take chunks out of a wheel of flesh.

Number 2 - CRC's Snap Obstacle - While it looks cool, it is loud, hard to skate and a waste of space in such a small skate spot. 

The Arthur Skatepark has one of these features. It was missing at the Grand Opening of the park as it was on backorder. When I skated it a year after its installation I found a considerable amount of rust on the supports.  Here is a video of my time skating Snap.

Number 3 - Park transitions involving planters and mulch are a problem.  Whether it's mulch, crushed gravel or soil,  skate spot use and weather with bring these materials into the park where it poses a hazard to riders.

Chinguacousy Skatepark in Brampton had planters when it first opened but as mulch frequently got all over the park the city filled the planters with concrete. The City of Markham also removed a garden surrounding a skate spot after users reported their concerns. Grass or a transition of asphalt, textured concrete or brick is recommended to keep the park clear of debris. 

Number 4. Transition Plates -  The transition between the ramp and supporting surface is a high impact area. Besides creating a lot of noise, the metal ramps often bend. This will result in an unsafe ramp for the skatepark users. Concrete parks blend the transition into the flats for a smooth and quiet ride.

Here you can see how a warped ramp can stop a wheel and throw a rider into the ramp

Kilbride Skatepark in Burlington was less than a year old when I found this damage on the transition of the pre-fab ramp.

Number 5. Water trapping and deterioration - Poured in Place (PIP) concrete parks take drainage into account by sloping the park 1-2 degrees or installing drains. Modular parks frequently are placed on flat surfaces with poor drainage, resulting in pooling on the park.

Water trapped under the ramps deteriorates the concrete underneath.

Pre-Fabricated parks are more succiptable to damage and vandalism.  Here section of ramp siding sits in the parking lot of the old Smithfield Skatepark in Etobicoke.

6 - Run up/Run Out - Skaters for Public Skateparks 'Skatepark Adaptation Model' (SAM) has calculated that 23 meters are required for a user to gain speed, set up for a trick, perform said trick and land safely before stopping.  This spot does not appear to have the required run up or run out to use the park to its full potential, especially since you can't go around the back of the ramps.

7 - Proximity to the path and homes.  The proximity of the large ramps the the edge of the walking path could lead to unintended interactions between skaters and other park users.  Falling in skateboarding is a guarantee and boards may cross the path by accident.

The Urban Grind, a skatepark study by the University of Portland, suggests a distance of 200ft from a PIP concrete is enough to mitigate any noise from the spot.  These pre-fab metal are significantly louder and the closest homes and school appear to be within that range.

Here's an example of a similar sized spot done properly.

Alton Skate Spot.