Toris’s office said Friday it plans to submit a proposal to city council next week directing staff to ensure seasonal facilities are accessible to park users as soon as possible after winter.
In a statement, Tori said he would like to see the city’s park services “modernized” so that fountains and toilets can open earlier in the spring and sports fields can be trimmed and disposed of earlier.
In a statement from his office, Tori said he was not looking for a staff report or discussion, but wanted to see city staff “take action now.”
“We need to make a conscious effort to modernize operations and procedures in city parks and start opening parks and activating services earlier and faster after winter,” Tori said in a statement. “My proposal calls on staff to adapt and modernize the park’s operations to make improvements to services earlier this spring.”
The city has faced criticism in the past for not being in touch with the public as to when seasonal facilities are needed.
According to the city, staff will start opening spring and summer toilets and fountains in May. The process takes about a month, depends on the weather and may take longer if some of the facilities require more extensive repairs or maintenance.
This means that many facilities may not be open in late May or early June, when there were usually at least several hot days.
For example, Toronto saw its first heat event of the year less than two weeks ago in late May, when temperatures were in their 30s and they felt even hotter with humidex. In fact, Toronto broke a 78-year-old temperature record on May 31 when it saw a temperature of 32.1 C.
In recent years, the city has made an effort to make seasonal services available, some of which rely on a more ongoing one, such as replacing temporary refrigeration centers with a summer network of outdoor refrigeration facilities.
While not being able to find an open toilet or fountain can be frustrating for some, some activists have said it sums up in terms of equity for some residents who would otherwise not have easy access to cool drinking water or bathrooms.
Even more people began to rely on city park facilities during the pandemic, and Tori said it was “critical” that the city continue to find opportunities to improve the park experience.
I want to modernize the services of the city park to ensure that more services will be activated earlier in the year.
Next week in the City Council, I will submit a proposal to ensure that Toronto parks are accessible as soon as possible to park users after the winter. pic.twitter.com/lF7mcVUI1T – John Tory (@TorontosMayor) June 10, 2022
