Gleaner

Serving Toronto's most liveable community with the Annex Gleaner

← →

GRADING OUR GREENSPACE: How do our parks rate? (Sept. 2025)

December 15th, 2025 · No Comments

Part 3 of grading our greenspaces

Each year the Annex Gleaner reviews the many parks and parkettes 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. The reviews accompanying the grades also let the reader know what makes each space unique. This is the third and final instalment of reviews for 2025.

Bickford Park: A perfect place for a picnic. ABIGAIL HARRIS/GLEANER NEWS

Reviewed and compiled by Abigail Harris and Drew Glennie

HILLCREST PARK 
950 Davenport Rd.
Time of visit: 8:40 p.m. 
Grade: A+ (Last year’s grade: A+)
Reason to go: Just above the thick tree line on Davenport is the quiet Hillcrest Park.  If you are willing to brave a steep incline (via stairs or road), this park has everything: basketball and tennis courts, a ping pong table, numerous swing sets and play structures, a splashpad, and even a fenced dog park. For those wanting to sit and relax, it also has beautiful grassy expanses for a picnic blanket as well as several tables and benches. 
Overheard: A dog—some sort of doodle—yipping, tennis ball volleying, two kids racing towards their parents
Did you know? The Toronto Nature Stewards meet up every Thursday from 6-8 p.m. to remove invasive plants from the park.

ST. ALBAN’S SQUARE
90 Howland Ave. 
Time of visit: 1:51 p.m. 
Grade: A (Last year’s grade: A+)
Reason to go: St. Alban’s Square is a picturesque pocket of green at Howland and Barton avenues.  It sees a lot of foot traffic and has one path right down the middle. There’s plenty of shaded benches scattered around and a drinking fountain that is dog-friendly for especially hot summer days. At the back of the park is the site of what was going to be the first cathedral in Toronto, the Cathedral of St. Alban the Martyr. However, the cathedral ran into financial problems, and its status as a cathedral was cancelled before the building could be completed. Today, it is the school chapel for Royal St. George’s College. This charming park is worth a visit whether you’re interested in the surrounding history or not. 
Overheard: A woman asking her dog if he would like to say hello to a passerby. 
Did you know? In 1990, environmental group Grassroots Albany led a project for the beautification of the park, in part to honour local resident Jane Jacobs.

BICKFORD PARK
400 Grace St.
Time of visit: 9:04 p.m.
Grade: A (Last year’s grade: A-)
Reason to go: Bickford Park is like Christie Pits’ chiller, less popular young brother, and—as with all younger siblings (sorry guys)—their proximity means they must be understood in tandem. While it does not have nearly as many bells and whistles (or benches, or baseball diamonds) as Christie, Bickford does have two things its older brother does not: the train does not shake the ground every few minutes, and there’s an ever-popular dog park; need I say more. If you’re looking for a calm picnic spot in the area, I’d check out Bickford first.
Overheard: Overlapping conversations from the dozen or so ongoing picnics; a busker playing the saxophone
Did you know? This valley-turned-park is along the former Garrison Creek, one of Toronto’s lost rivers.

READ MORE:

Tags: Annex · Life

0 responses so far ↓

  • There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.

Leave a Comment