The results are in! Of 277 votes, 231 (83.4%) were for Jane Jacobs Park, 26 (9.4%) were for Donald Smith Park, and 20 (7.2%) were for Sussex Spadina Gitigan. That’s a strong recommendation from this public consultation, and now we only need to wait for it to be followed.
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It’s time to give our new park a name. The public consultation two weeks ago provided the HVRA naming committee with 20 suggestions. Three were chosen for the next stage, and the final ballot is waiting for your vote. It gives brief reasons for each item on the short list.
The form will close at 11:59pm on Sun. Aug. 30. Please use it soon and shape the choice of name: https://forms.gle/63FEpbk4WxoTZJr6A.
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Here’s the background: The idea for this park began in 2017 under former City Councillor Joe Cressy. Sue Dexter led a campaign by HVRA to obtain public green space on the north side of the tall apartment building at 666 Spadina, while encouraging building of an 11-story infill south of it at 664 Spadina. (The infill building is now completed and people are living there.)
Then in 2020 the City asked local residents to respond to initial landscaping plans for the park. People said clearly that they wanted more green space than concrete pavement, and would value the park as a haven from city noise and pollution.
And now — given the HVRA’s help in making the park happen — we are asked to coordinate a naming selection campaign. HVRA is currently taking suggestions from members of the community.
Please fill out this survey [NOTE: now closed] by Sat. Aug. 15, 2026 to suggest a name. A local committee will evaluate the suggestions and provide a small subset of options for a second poll later in August.
This is what the park space looked like in early August 2026. It needs an update!
