Rebuilding the beaches at Sam Smith Park - Disability Impact 2025

The park fencing has gone up as of the end of 2024, and we are anticipating heavy construction vehicles over the first 3 to 4 months of 2025. This has already been delayed by 8 months.

The vehicles will likely ruin the eastern pea gravel path going into SSP. This, combined with the soft and muddy ground resulting from the winter freeze/thaw cycle, will likely disrupt the spring return of wheelchair and elderly folks into the park.

Hopefully the work will be well executed and completed in a timely fashion over the next 2-3 years, unlike the endless construction at Prince of Wales park, nearby at the end of Third St.

Time will tell....

Still no update on making the SSP Dog Park accessible

DASSP has been following up with Toronto Parks, however we are still being told that we will have to wait until later in the year to see what the 2025 budget looks like.

We have noticed that since Jorge retired, his current replacements are notoriously unresponsive to issues concerning Disabled/Elderly Park goers at SSP.

We will keep pressing for further updates...

Bat Box Follow ups not happening.

I received this note from Jessica at TRCA this past week after asking if they would be opening up our bat boxes to check for any activity over the past year...

"At this point in time there is no monitoring scheduled for the bat boxes at CSS. Only boxes included in the provincial requirements for Metrolinx are monitored to confirm they are being used.

Having the monitoring crew go out with the appropriate equipment costs anywhere from $2,500 to $3,500 per box to monitor. This includes analysing the echometer or sonobat recording and they don’t currently have the budget to include more boxes. They suggest community members can monitor for bat exits at dusk to see if they’re being used and ask that the public note if there are any damage to the boxes that requires maintenance."

DASSP will endeavour to monitor over the next year and report back!

Sam Smith Park Clean Up will be Sunday, April 21st.

Alan Roy's park cleanup day will be on Sunday, April 21st ! 

Please come out if you are able to, and help us maintain our beloved park! 

Rebuilding the beaches at Sam Smith Park - Disability Impact

NOTE: This activity has now been delayed a few months, until June 2024

Today I wheeled through the park and encountered a band of surveyors between the pond and third beach.

I spoke to the lead surveyor who stated that they were measuring the pea gravel paths to determine their width for heavy equipment which would be required to carry out the work next year.  Additionally, he was there to determine the impact of the heavy equipment on tree roots underneath the path.

This work will definitely impact the access of disabled park users, as the heavy equipment on the heavy traffic pea gravel routes would likely become impassable by wheelchair users, while vision impaired visitors would likely be unable to process audible environmental clues needed to make their way through the park unaided.

DASSP has learned of a Lakeshore Grounds Committee community group, of with FOSS is a member, operating out of Humber College, which learns of these project ahead of time.  DASSP will be seeking to participate in these meetings going forward, so that we can represent the needs of the mobility, visibility and hearing impaired park users, as well as the elderly.

As far as DASSP is aware, this work would commence sometime in 2024.  We would seek to ensure that all paths remain wide enough for disabled access, and advise on any other access impact/issues that we are currently unaware of.

Baby Snapping Turtles at Sam Smith Park

DASSP members participated in a Turtle Watch hatching over the weekend.  

Over 30 baby Snapping Turtles were released to the ground, very near the water, to allow the juveniles to find their own way down to the water safely, and without predation. While this species is not endangered, it is threatened.  

There are 3 other nests around the pond, so we will be hoping for further hatchings and releases throughout the remainder of the late summer and into autumn.

Dog Park accessibility opposite the Sam Smith Powerhouse.

DASSP has followed up with Jorge, from Toronto Parks, on this important issue (please see our earlier post).

The dog park remains largely inaccessible to our members in wheelchairs (both manual and power) due to the uneven tree roots and post rain mud and mire.

Please stay tuned.  We are hoping to have this sorted or at least an update before the autumn rainy season.