Compiled by Mia Keskinen
Each year the Annex Gleaner reviews the abundance of parks in our coverage area using a variety of criteria.
While there is no decisive “winner” of the grading, letter grades are assigned to convey the quality of the parks considering aspects such as upkeep, design, and amenities.
Tags: General
I always enjoy getting the Annex Gleaner and have appreciated your Grading our Greenspace for many years…good for the neighbourhood and good for the parks department.
RE: Grading our Greenspace (Aug. 2022)
Grading Our Greenspace (by Fox Oliver, Annex Gleaner, August 2022) is most interesting but rather cruel to The Doctors’ Parkette which rates it as Grade C and describes it as “easily missed” and “doesn’t particularly stand out or offer any unique amenities,” with no mention of the Major Street Parkette, or its kidnapped erratic.
Compiled by Marisa Kelly, photos by Hailey Alexander
Continuing from the August & September editions we review area parks and assign a letter grade. Park amenities, tree coverage, seating and waste management all go into the evaluations each year.
Compiled and photos by Marisa Kelly
Continuing from the August edition we review area parks and assign a letter grade. Park amenities, tree coverage, seating and waste management all go into the evaluations each year.
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Compiled and photos by Madeline Smart
In this final instalment of this year’s Gleaner’s park evaluation once again Christie Pits score an A+ for its design, maintenance, and the sheer volume of activities and facilities there. Paul Martel Mark on Madison Avenue just north of Bloor can fall no further on our scale. It got an F because of the City’s utter neglect of the site.
This is our first set of park reviews for 2019. The Annex and its surroundings are blessed with a rich array of green space — much of it under the umbrella of city parks. We grade them here, every year using many parameters. Many a venue to run your dog, laze away a day, grab a seat in the sunshine, or shade, push a child on the swing set, the Annex has it all.
Tall trees provide lots of shade for the University of Toronto faculty and students who often congregate at Bloor-Bedford Parkette. Easily accessible from St. George station or the parking lot behind the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, the park also features paved walkways and several benches. AHMED-ZAKI HAGAR/GLEANER NEWS
PHOTO BY GEREMY BORDONARO/GLEANER NEWS: There’s lots for kids to do at the recently renovated Margaret Fairley Park, where the installation of a new wading pool and seating area is almost complete. The revitalized park has a determined Muskoka feel to it that might strike some as a bit too sterile.
PHOTO BY NATHALIE RODRIGUEZ/GLEANER NEWS: Taddle Creek Park’s planters enhance its natural beauty. Exemplifying the best of community green spaces, the park earned top marks for being a relaxing oasis in the heart of the Annex.
GRAPHIC COURTESY BEINENSTOCK NATURAL PLAYGROUNDS: Green highlights the Margaret Fairley Park revitalization as an example of how the approach to local greenspace has changed over the years. The fencing is being replaced, which will make the park bigger, and the splash pad will provide more opportunities for water play than the old wading pool.