Andrea Thompson email responses

From: Andrea Thompson <athomps.m@gmail.com>
Sent: April 16, 2024 10:00 AM
To: Councillor Holyday <Councillor_Holyday@toronto.ca>
Subject: [External Sender] Etobicoke Parks

Hello,

I am writing about East Mall park. My hope is that this spring/summer season is can receive some much needed maintenance. Last summer there were issues with the sandbox, splash pad, and park features. A lot was broken. I am also hoping that the sand pit can be added while the outdoor exercise equipment is installed. Please let me know what I can do to advocate for this park improvement.

I believe the slides are broken at Wedgewood park as well and I am hoping those will be repaired soon.

From: Councillor Holyday <Councillor_Holyday@toronto.ca>
Subject: RE: Etobicoke Parks
Date: May 1, 2024 at 10:03:38 AM EDT
To: 'Andrea Thompson' <athomps.m@gmail.com>

Good morning Andrea,

Parks staff have had a look at the East Mall Splash pad and have found that there is already an existing fairly large sandbox on the north side of the water play area. They did see where the water could be running off the splash pad and will look to remedy this issue another way when the weather gets a little nicer, as a sandbox within the location you suggested would not be feasible due to the slope of the grass embankment on the west side.

When staff were inspecting the playground ahead of the routine maintenance schedule, they addressed a small repair that was reported but beyond that everything is working as it should. They have also taken the liberty of moving this location for wood chipping to the top of their list.

From: Anna Morrell <Anna.Morrell@toronto.ca>
Date: Fri, May 3, 2024 at 4:32 PM
Subject: RE: Passionate about Parks
Cc: Councillor Morley <Councillor_Morley@toronto.ca>, Jutta Mason <juttamason@gmail.com>, Councillor Holyday <Councillor_Holyday@toronto.ca>, Crystal Rodrigues <Crystal.Rodrigues@toronto.ca>

Hi Andrea,

Thank you for reaching out to voice your concerns about the state of East Mall Park. Your email was forwarded to me from my colleague Cathy. In response to your inquiry, I’d like to highlight the following initiatives we have in place to ensure that our parks are meeting the high standards of our residents:

• Prior to being opened, the splash pad at East Mall Park will be cleaned. This includes the removal of any debris, including algae, that may have built up.

• The sand box at East Mall Park was topped up on April 18 and can be topped up in the future as needed.

• There is a water fountain in this park, and it will be cleaned and activated in the coming weeks.

Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work to complete these initiatives at East Mall Park.

I want to assure you that we are committed to ensuring that the City's parks are clean, safe, accessible, and well maintained, and greatly appreciate your dedication to serving your community. Park crews conduct routine maintenance and inspections of parks and park equipment year-round.

The City offers many programs across Toronto, to find out more about programs Parks, Forestry and Recreation offers, you can visit www.efun.toronto.ca/ or your nearby Community Recreation Centre and speak to the Community Recreation Programmer. A listing of Recreation Centres is available here.

The City also offers the Play Mobile, a City of Toronto sport development initiative, in partnership with Nike, designed to engage children, youth, families and adults in sports across Toronto. Visit www.toronto.ca/playmobile/ for the schedule and more information. For other interactive ways to connect with your local community, you can check community bulletin boards posted in some parks.

Additionally, there are many opportunities for the public to get involved with the City of Toronto throughout the year. If you're looking to volunteer with the City, please see opportunities posted of our webpage: https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/get-involved/volunteer-with-the-city/ The City encourages residents to get involved in order to make our city a better place for all to live, work, learn and play.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to me and I can connect you with staff.

From: Andrea Thompson <athomps.m@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, May 7, 2024 at 11:43 AM
Subject: Re: Passionate about Parks
To: Anna Morrell <Anna.Morrell@toronto.ca>
Cc: Councillor Morley <Councillor_Morley@toronto.ca>, Jutta Mason <juttamason@gmail.com>, Councillor Holyday <Councillor_Holyday@toronto.ca>, Crystal Rodrigues <Crystal.Rodrigues@toronto.ca>

Hello Anna, Thank you for your email. I don’t think we have very high standards but I appreciate you outlining these initiatives. I look forward to seeing a more successful year at East Mall this summer season. We will be there a lot I am sure! The water fountain you reference is nowhere near the playground so perhaps an instillation of one close by could be considered. As well, more comfortable and shaded seating and features would be appreciated. A covering over the sandbox and/or swings for example.

I will take a look at the links you have shared and see if there are a help to me. Thank you for taking the time to find them and share them with me.

I find there are many barriers to becoming an engaged resident and one that can have any genuine impact. I feel there is a lot of work to be done on our parks in Etobicoke. Not in terms of maintenance but in terms of a total review of how we approach play and park design. In my opinion every park should have shaded seating, bathrooms and water fountains nearby. Wood chips should be banned as they aren’t accessible nor enjoyable to play on. Every park should have at least 5 features which can be accessed by people who use wheelchairs. Every park should have a feature for children who range from 8mths-18yrs old. Every park should have open play options which allow for creativity and connection. We are so far off from these ideals so I would like to see consistent movement in this direction but am mostly seeing the opposite.

I’ll continue to engage how I can and hopefully will gain something from reading these links. Again, thank you for your time.

From: Jutta Mason <juttamason@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, May 10, 2024 at 10:29 AM
Subject: Re: Passionate about Parks
To: Anna Morrell <Anna.Morrell@toronto.ca>
Cc: athomps.m@gmail.com <athomps.m@gmail.com>, Councillor Morley <Councillor_Morley@toronto.ca>, Councillor Holyday <Councillor_Holyday@toronto.ca>, Crystal Rodrigues <Crystal.Rodrigues@toronto.ca>

Hi Anna,

since I'm cc'd on this thread, I'd like to suggest something. Since Andrea Thompson (whom I've met twice) is clearly very committed and also very knowledgeable about parks in Etobicoke, your one-size-fits-all reply seems like a missed opportunity for PFR. I see that you're a Policy and Project advisor to the general manager. My hunch is that a person who reaches out to the public service in the thoughtful, specific, on-the-ground way that Andrea has, is unusual and could be a real help to people working at your level. So an invitation from you to meet with Andrea at East Mall Park when she has time, for a practical conversation, would be a good idea, don't you think?

Maybe it would also be helpful for you to include whichever parks staff wrote to Councillor Holyday that staff "addressed a small repair that was reported but beyond that everything is working as it should." Those kinds of dismissive responses can make the rounds, when they are used against a well-connected community activist like Andrea.

A real, frank conversation about possibilities and barriers can be enlightening all around. And as people in upper management have often learned, paying attention to knowledgeable people outside the bureaucracy can save time in the long run.

Fingers crossed that you'll find this free advice, channelling Jane Jacobs, helpful :)

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