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This website was developed in 2001 thanks to a grant from the Toronto Parks and Trees Foundation.
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Home page Archive (to June 2024)
Dufferin Rink
getting closer
The rink is set to start getting the ice in -- city staff project the rink opening maybe on Feb.2, 2022 maybe on Feb.4.
For updates, see the Dufferin Rink Diary page on the cityrinks website.
[http://www.dufferinpark.ca/editor/wiki/wiki.php?n=Editor.CaringCanadiansAward|read more]]
Things that are allowed again at the park
*with thanks to newsletter illustrator Jane LowBeer
Covid news
....from the CELOS website: Daily updates from Ontario and Toronto medical officers of health -- lots of information
News before Covid
The February newsletter was a special government issue.
Highlights:
- how to register a problem
- How persistence gets results
- Rink construction meeting #11
- Consultation, government-style
- Feb.20: BBBD land trust meeting
PARK BOOKLETS
new "multi-purpose room"
from the editor...
The Dufferin Grove Park Northwest Corner Revitalization Project (2019): a critical look.
Reports
The Dufferin Grove neighbourhood is UNDER CONSTRUCTION: see our MAP of 23 new major developments (many condos, some rentals, some very tall towers) + 4 park/community centre renovations or replacements
The Freedom of Information request about the state of the Dufferin Grove Rink gives no evidence of anything wrong with the rink pads. Read the report here
The "Northwest corner revitalization" meeting reports, documents and correspondence:
page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4.
Question: why not use the $4 million to fix the whole park instead of just one corner? What needs fixing.
Answer: because the city's Capital Projects planning staff can't cover their payroll by just fixing things, they need big new projects.....read the posts
Accessibility for everyone at Dufferin Grove Park:
- a little history and a tour with the head of the Stopgap Foundation, Luke Anderson: pictures and text and the talk he gave at this park, here.
Countdown: is this the year the staff will fix the slippery wading pool?
slippery
The Parks manager promised in writing to have it fixed in 2017, then promised again this year. But no sign so far....
Park friends, if you want to send the staff a friendly reminder: contact the maintenance supervisor Lennox.Morgan@toronto.ca, or the tech supervisor Paul.Brown@toronto.ca, or the Parks manager Peter.White@toronto.ca, or all three!
tree saved
Which trees will be cut down, which saved
Local comments relating to the fate of the trees and other environmental issues when the northwest corner reno begins: read more
Can Dufferin Grove Park be run as a "conservancy"?
Read more here
See our Vital Little Plans page for the park. (:/announce:)
Out with the old, in with the new?
On May 21, the City of Toronto "Bid Award Panel" voted in favour of hiring a consulting company for $694,747 to provide "professional and technical design consulting services for a new community recreation clubhouse and park improvements at northwest corner of Dufferin Grove Park." But the rink clubhouse is only 25 years old! The cost of tearing it down and rebuilding it is estimated at $3.14 million. The city's information website is here. More news and updates here.
Skateboard park
The unofficial skateboard park on the rink pad was busy last season.
Skateboarders like to make videos, and there are lots posted by people from Dufferin Grove -- some samples from Gerb Seamon here and here.
For the past few years, most (not quite all) parts of this website were just an ARCHIVE. There were no more postings of Dufferin Grove Park city-run events. To find out why: August 2017 newsletter.
But now this website is waking up, and has some current news again. To find out why: September 2018 newsletter
Final Dufferin Grove Park newsletter
The newsletter came out between 4 and 12 times a year between September 2000 and October 2015, then three more times since then. The final issue is now online. Here's an editorial connected with it. To see earlier newsletters, see the newsletter archives.
Park maintenance
In warm weather, the park fills up with people. There's lots of activity and that means lots of litter and things needing repair. Follow our maintenance diary here.
Example: The bigger bake oven, in its 23rd year, is in good shape. But everything needs some upkeep. Since city management doenn't want to do oven maintenance, maybe CELOS will fix it instead. Same for the Children's Garden gate.
Our public ovens website now includes 18 Toronto ovens
Every oven has its own page with pictures and diary entries.
The Dufferin Grove oven has a few interesting issues, under city management: read about them here.
On August 23, 2017, the new bake oven at Sorauren park had its first pizza fire. It's used every warm-weather Monday for their farmers' market -- photos here.
To read about the problems that challenge the city's 53 outdoor rinks -- and some easy fixes -- see this CityRinks 2016 Outdoor Rinks Report. It was presented at city hall on April 13, 2016, but got no attention. More on this story is here and here.
Wading Pool
City staff said that in the spring of 2017 they would remove the slippery coating and return to the concrete surface below. This work did not happen. Will it be done this (2018) spring? The wading pool troubles -- and some examples of easy fixes -- are shown here.
Some older wading pool adventure stories are here. The step-by-step progress of the $227,400 wading pool renovation in 2008/2009 is here. The fixes that had to be done right after the renovation are here. The current chlorine regime is analyzed here.
Playground News
There have been lots of experiments at the park over the years that worked, and lots of other that didn't work. The playground club didn't work.
The dilemma now: by and large, the current recreation staff are not enthusiastic about the adventure playground, and don't like to work there. The playground has become kind of an orphan, and it will gradually deteriorate if it goes on like this. Will some champions appear? At the moment (Spring 2017), it's a cliffhanger.
The outdoor rinks
Dufferin Rink has lost lots of skate loan equipment -- follow the story here
new footpath installation
The Reflexology Footpath
At the beginning of May, a little Buddhist shrine appeared at the base of the rock that's at the centre of the Jenna Morrison reflexology footpath at the park. There was no explanation, but the two statues, the lotus flowers, candles and fresh tulips showed that the footpath is a kind of public memorial. Most such installations in Toronto parks are statues of prominent people or sculptures memorializing events like a war or a revolution. This one is different: read the footpath story here.
posted December 05, 2014
DUFFERIN RINK
/ The rink is scheduled to stay open until March 22. For more rink information, see the park newsletter
Read entries from the Dufferin Rink diary page on cityrinks.ca..
For other parks sports the rest of the year, see the Sports section
SPORTS
The rink pads are used for bike polo, soccer, skateboarding and BMX all fall - except for thursday afternoons in October/November. More information: dufferinpark@gmail.ca
Bike polo plays 3 regular games a week
Staff assigned to Skate Park rebuild
Friday Night Suppers resumed January 2nd, 2015.
To see Friday night menu, click here.
From 6 (ish) to 7.30 Although the money all goes back directly to the City now, prices listed are still only a suggested donation. If you can’t spare the cash, donate at some other time – nobody goes away hungry!
Regular activities
CAMPFIRES
To book a campfire please call staff at 416 392-0913
There are three small-group campfire locations, but only the main pit is used throughout the year. The centre path fire circle is in the middle of the park, the cob fire circle is beside the playground, the rink side circle is by the little bake oven. The park’s recreation staff book the cooking fire times. There is an orientation session on Saturdays at 12:30 and Tuesdays at 6pm for first-time users, and staff are available to help start/end your fire.
PARK GARDENING
Many thanks to all those who turned out to help us this season! Stay tuned for more garden news in February when we begin seeding our tomatoes in the rink house for next spring.
PIZZA DAY
Public pizza days are over for the season
Weather permitting - in season (May to September) $2.50 per pizza is the requested donation. You get a lump of dough, some tomato sauce, and cheese, and you can pick toppings from the park gardens when they’re growing there. If you plan to bring a big group (more than 12 people altogether) please call ahead to warn the staff 416-392-0913.
Park Cafe
The playground cafe is closed for the season - the Cafe is now in the clubhouse for the rink season.