TORONTO – Mayor John Tory with City of Toronto and school board officials welcomed elementary students at two new schools in downtown Toronto today. Students returned to school from winter break to Bishop Macdonell Catholic Elementary School and Jean Lumb Public School at the new Canoe Landing multi-use community facility.
“We’re taking action to ensure Toronto’s current and future residents have access to recreation services they need and want. Facilities like Canoe Landing exemplify the multi-use community focused spaces and partnerships we’re looking to build and leverage as part of our $2.2-billion investment in parks and recreation facilities to support the city’s growing and changing population over the next 20 years,” says Mayor John Tory
“For communities to truly thrive, we need to ensure that residents have access to education, child care and recreation opportunities that are close to home. This new facility will bring these important resources to Canoe Landing and will serve as an example of how to build complete communities in our growing city,” comments Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson
Joining Mayor Tory were Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson (Ward 21 Scarborough Centre), Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee, Councillor Joe Cressy (Ward 10 Spadina-Fort York), Toronto District School Board (TDSB) chair Robin Pilkey, trustee Stephanie Donaldson and education director John Malloy, and Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) vice-chair Angela Kennedy and trustee Norm Di Pasquale.
The City owns the Canoe Landing site and partnered with the TDSB and the TCDSB to develop the multi-use facility. The two schools are the first areas of the facility to open. Each school will serve about 550 children from kindergarten to Grade 8. Notable features include a shared gym, library and learning commons, outdoor play areas for each age group. The St. Stephen’s Canoe Landing before and after school programs will also be available to attending students.
Design and development of Canoe Landing was guided by the City’s Parks and Recreation Facilities Master Plan, which represents a $2.2-billion investment to serve population growth over the next 20 years. Construction of this community-focused facility was led by the City and funded primarily through development levies, development charges and Section 37 funds. Official ground-breaking for this site took place in fall 2017 and it is anticipated that the community recreation centre and the child-care centre will be completed this spring.
When completed, the multi-use facility complex will include two schools, a community recreation centre, community space and child care centre within a modern, three-storey structure. Many of the spaces within the buildings are shared, such as the school and community centre gym as well as the artificial turf field in the adjacent park. The design maximizes the available green space in the downtown site with an articulated green roof that spans a large part of the complex’s footprint.
