Why some residents are calling out a Toronto Islands draft master plan
Criticism surrounds a proposed event space that would sit adjacent to Hanlan’s Point’s clothing-optional beach.
The Toronto Islands are many things to many people. They’re the traditional lands of Indigenous communities including the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, home to roughly 700 residents, a gathering or getaway spot for many others, and more.
But in recent years the Islands have also faced significant challenges in the form of flooding and erosion, which has rightly prompted conversation about their protection and future.
In 2020, the City launched the creation of the Toronto Island Park Master Plan — a document that “outlines a Vision, Values, Guiding Principles and Big Ideas to guide change and investment in Toronto Island Park over the long-term.”
Now, however, the Islands are back in the news due to one potential future destination presented in the plan: an event space that some say would threaten the LGBTQ+ history of Hanlan’s Point.
So is the event space a done deal? As it turns out, not even close. As of an in-person workshop on Feb. 27 — and after constituents made their voices heard on social media and in direct consultation with organizers — the plans for the event space have now been quashed.
The City opens the Hanlan’s consultation with saying they’ve heard it loud and clear and they intend to drop the formalized event space entirely from the Hanlan’s plans. #topoli #canqueer
— Dave Scrivener (@davescrivener) February 27, 2023
Read on for the full background.
What is the Toronto Island Park Master Plan?
According to the City, the master plan is being created in consultation with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, other First Nations and Indigenous communities, island and waterfront communities, and businesses and people across the city.
The study area includes all of Toronto Island Park — including Hanlan’s Point, Centre Island, and Ward’s Island — and the area around the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal on the city side of the harbour.
Work on the master plan began in May 2020, and we’re currently in phase 3: “Confirming a path forward.” So it’s not exactly a stretch to say we’re pretty far along in its creation.
Why is the master plan in the news now?
The news centres around Hanlan’s Point, which has a rich history, and one of particular importance to Toronto’s LGBTQ+ community. The city’s first gay picnic — a pre-cursor to Toronto Pride — was held on Hanlan’s in 1971, and the clothing-optional beach there has long been a place of significance for many in the community.
Earlier this month, alarm bells went off online regarding a potential future event space proposed for the Hanlan’s Point District. Here’s how it was described in slides from a November open house:
“In the future, the Master Plan proposes that Hanlan’s Point could include a purpose-built, open-air event space for hosting ‘Island-sized’ festivals and cultural events.”
According to the document, the festival space would be a formalizing of the existing event lawn.
However, due to its proximity to the beach as shown in an accompanying rendering (see above), many worried the event space could eliminate the beach’s privacy and safety, and potentially erase the area’s LGBTQ+ history.
Did you know the City is contemplating building a 200k sq ft concert venue at Hanlan’s Point?
— Dave Scrivener (@davescrivener) February 16, 2023
It could effectively erase most of the beach’s uniqueness and queer history. Learn more: https://t.co/pVdClvsEq6 #topoli #canqueer pic.twitter.com/PwhV2ydjDb
In response to this, Ward 10 and 13 city councillors Ausma Malik and Chris Moise released a statement acknowledging Hanlan’s Point’s significance as “Canada’s oldest continuous queer space,” and promising to address concerns.
Our Statement on Hanlan's Point and the Toronto Island Park Master Plan pic.twitter.com/yyHQR9g3wt
— ausma malik (@ausmalik) February 18, 2023
Planners moved swiftly as well, scheduling a new virtual meeting for Thurs., Feb. 23, to discuss the event space, in addition to an existing community workshop on Mon., Feb. 27, which was scheduled after concerns were raised at a previous open house.
What’s the latest?
Following up on Malik and Moise’s statement, Daniel Fusca, the manager of Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation Public Engagement Team, took to Twitter himself to shed light on the planning process.
In a Twitter thread, Fusca outlined the amount of outreach that had taken place to date, but acknowledged more could have been done to engage the Hanlan’s community.
He called the master plan a “blueprint for change over 25-30 yrs” and said it was the start of a long journey. He added that the images to be found in online documents “in no way represent what might actually be built one day” because each individual element of the plan will still need to be designed and consulted on.
The event space proposed at Hanlan’s as depicted is much smaller than 200,000 sq ft but it can be any size or it can not exist at all. What we did hear from event organizers is that some infrastructure would make it more economical to hold smaller events than can be held now. pic.twitter.com/kNUV7NbBEl
— Daniel Fusca (@DFusca) February 18, 2023
At the Feb. 23 digital workshop, Fusca and others heard from citizens on their concerns about the event space. Then, at the Feb. 27 in-person workshop, presenters began the meeting by saying they were dropping the formalized event space from their plans.
According to a City timeline, March marks the end of phase 3 of the master plan. Final refinements will be made in summer 2023.
This story has been updated to reflect new information from the Feb. 27 in-person workshop.
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