Not even the rain could stop the Toronto people from feeling the love today as a crowd of hundreds gathered on the waterfront to celebrate the grand opening of the much-anticipated Love Park. After more than two years of construction, CCxA’s romantic design has finally come to life, and families, couples, and pets can be found lounging around the heart-shaped pond, the concept of which is so iconic that the newly opened park is already becoming one of the most prestigious Toronto’s recent public improvement projects.
Looking west towards the central pond at Love Park, which officially opened today, photograph by Matias Bessai
The opening ceremony for the joint City of Toronto and Waterfront Toronto project began at noon in grand style, with live music by a string trio and family games such as a scavenger hunt. At 1:00 pm the speech program began with the moderator of the Toronto City Councilor for District 10, Ausma Malik.
Top view of pond, image by Dustin William, UrbanToronto Forum contributor
Among the various speakers Malik invited to the podium, Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie’s words did a good job of capturing the mood of the day. “Love Park is a place like no other, from the signature heart-shaped pond to its lush tree canopy,” she said. “This park would not have been possible without the incredible community partners who worked to make this labor of love a reality. This work and investment is transforming Toronto’s waterfront and will continue to make it a premier destination to live, work and play for years to come.”
Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie speaks at the opening ceremony, image by Matias Bessai
Returning to the podium prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony, Malik took a moment to reflect on the incredible transformation that Love Park has created where an exit of the Gardiner Expressway once stood. “It’s hard to believe that not so long ago we stood under part of the Gardiner Expressway,” she said. “This was an ambitious vision to redesign aging transport infrastructure and unlock the full potential of what was then called York Offramp Park. It really deserves a new name now, don’t you think?”
The ribbon cutting marked the official opening of Love Park, image by Matias Bessai
After cutting the ribbon, we had the opportunity to speak to the project’s lead designer, Claude Cormier, to discuss this unique public project in more detail. An acclaimed landscape architect with an extensive body of work already embedded in the fabric of Toronto, Cormier told us that Love Park’s primary motivation was to bring positivity and joy to a city that often suffers under the weight of complex social issues.
Top view of pond, image by BJT, UrbanToronto Forum contributor
“We sensed a sense of darkness, sadness and negativity in the city and wanted to convey a sense of optimism and hope, especially post-Covid,” he explained. “It’s a beautiful design, but today we see beautiful people. You can just feel how happy they are and I think they understood what we wanted to do. Positive urban space created with a sense of love.”
Claude Cormier addresses the public after the opening of Love Park, photo by Matias Bessai
Speaking about what he’s most excited about after completing Love Park, “For me, it’s the pond,” Cormier said. “With the seating, with the mosaic, this magical element is created and it works. You get the name, you get the park, you get the movement, and today we see people interacting and talking to each other. It’s an element of triangulation, it brings everyone together.”
Cormier cited the pond and surrounding bench as his favorite part of the project, image by Matias Bessai
Located on the northeast corner of York Street and Queens Quay West, Love Park is the latest addition to 106 hectares of parkland and public spaces along Toronto’s Waterfront, designed and implemented by Waterfront Toronto. As the revitalization of the lakefront continues to bring vibrancy and community programming to the waterfront, the excitement is expected to continue throughout the decade.
A miniature boat floats on the pond in Love Park, photograph by Matias Bessai
Several bronze animals can be found in the landscape of the park. We included the chipmunk in today’s Daily Photo, while you can find this beaver and several other animals in the various posts by UrbanToronto Forum contributors in the thread starting here.
A beaver poses patiently on a rock in the pond, Image by ADRM, contributor to the UrbanToronto Forum
UrbanToronto will continue to monitor the progress of this development, but in the meantime you can learn more from our database file linked below. If you wish, you can join the discussion in the dedicated project forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided on this page.
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UrbanToronto has a research service, UrbanToronto Pro, that provides comprehensive data on metro Toronto development projects from concept to completion. We also offer instant reports, downloadable snapshots based on location, and a daily subscription newsletter, New Development Insider, that follows projects from the first application.
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