Fairbank Memorial Park

Last updated
Fairbank Memorial Park
Fairbank Memorial Park sign.jpg
Signage at the entrance to the park (left is the former City of York signage and right is the post-amalgamation City of Toronto signage)
Toronto map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the park in Toronto
TypePublic Park, Outdoor Pool
Location Toronto, Ontario
Coordinates 43°41′30″N79°26′50″W / 43.691576°N 79.447299°W / 43.691576; -79.447299 Coordinates: 43°41′30″N79°26′50″W / 43.691576°N 79.447299°W / 43.691576; -79.447299
Operated byCity of Toronto
Website Fairbank Park
View of Fairbank Memorial Park, looking south. Fairbankmemorialpark.JPG
View of Fairbank Memorial Park, looking south.

Fairbank Memorial Park is a park located in the neighbourhood of Fairbank in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Contents

Description

The park's official address is 2213 Dufferin Street. It is bordered on the west by Dufferin Street, on the north by Keywest Avenue, and on the south by Gibson Street. It consists of 9.1 acres (3.7 ha) of ground, [1] which contains the Fairbank Memorial Community Recreation Centre. It is home to Fairbank Outdoor Pool, a swimming pool that is run by the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation West Toronto York District Aquatics Department. The facility consists of a baby pool, a large pool, and an eating area. The pool fits a capacity of 250 patrons which including a maximum of 50 in the baby pool area. The park also has a playground, an open athletic field for sports like rugby or soccer, and athletic courts for baseball, basketball, and bocce. [1]

The park is situated in a ravine with steep slopes.

Development scandal

In the late 1980s, Fairbank Park became embroiled in a major political scandal. Several politicians, including City of York deputy mayor Tony Mandarano, became involved in a secret deal with land developer Lou Charles. Mandarano received more than $100,000 in bribes, and York Council member Jim Fera received $341,000; in exchange, they agreed to speak in favour of Charles's development plans during council meetings, the most prominent of which involved tearing down Fairbank Park and selling the land to Charles so that he could construct condominiums on the site.

Councilwoman Frances Nunziata leaked material to the press illustrating irregularities in the process, leading to a police investigation of several local politicians. Six of the eight council members losing their seats in the 1991 election. Mandarano received a sentence of 15 months in prison in a plea bargain, while Fera accepted an 18-month sentence in a similar deal. [2]

The decision to sell part of the park before redesignating the land for residential development was illegal, as it did not follow the City of York's Official Plan. In addition, the public input on the proposed project was limited and the public's support of the new condominiums was debatable. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkdale, Toronto</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Parkdale is a neighbourhood and former village in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, west of downtown. The neighbourhood is bounded on the west by Roncesvalles Avenue, on the north by the CP Rail line where it crosses Queen Street and Dundas Street. It is bounded on the east by Dufferin Street from Queen Street south, and on the south by Lake Ontario. The original village incorporated an area north of Queen Street, east of Roncesvalles from Fermanagh east to the main rail lines, today known as part of the Roncesvalles neighbourhood. The village area was roughly one square kilometre in area. The City of Toronto government extends the neighbourhood boundaries to the east, south of the CP Rail lines, east to Atlantic Avenue, as far south as the CN Rail lines north of Exhibition Place, the part south of King Street commonly known as the western half of Liberty Village neighbourhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">York, Ontario</span> District of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

York is a former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located northwest of Old Toronto, southwest of North York and east of Etobicoke, where it is bounded by the Humber River. The former city's census districts had a recorded population of 145,662 in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weston, Toronto</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Weston is a neighbourhood and former village in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The neighbourhood is situated in the northwest of the city, south of Highway 401, east of the Humber River, north of Eglinton Avenue, and west of Jane Street. Weston Road just north of Lawrence Avenue is the commercial core of Weston, with many small businesses and services. Weston was incorporated as a village in the 19th century and was absorbed into the Borough of York in the late 1960s. York itself was amalgamated into Toronto in 1998.

William R. Allen Road, also known as Allen Road, the Allen Expressway and colloquially as the Allen, is a short expressway and arterial road in Toronto. It starts as a controlled-access expressway at Eglinton Avenue West, heading north to just south of Transit Road, then continues as an arterial road north to Kennard Avenue, where it continues as Dufferin Street. Allen Road is named after Metro Toronto chairman William R. Allen and is maintained by the City of Toronto. Landmarks along the road include the Lawrence Heights housing project, Yorkdale Shopping Centre and Downsview Park, and Downsview Airport. A section of the Line 1 Yonge–University subway is located within the median of the expressway from Eglinton Avenue to north of Wilson Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bathurst Manor</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Bathurst Manor is a neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located in northern Toronto in the former suburb of North York. It sits on a plateau bounded on the north by Finch Avenue West, on the west by Dufferin Street, on the east by the Don River, and on the south by Sheppard Avenue West. The area is also regarded as part of the Downsview postal area as designated by Canada Post. It is part of the former city of North York, which merged with five other municipalities and a regional government to form the new "City of Toronto" in 1998. It is part of the federal and provincial electoral district York Centre, and Toronto electoral ward 10: York Centre (East). In 2006, it had a population of 14,615.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dufferin Street</span> Roadway in Ontario, Canada

Dufferin Street is a major north–south street in Toronto, Vaughan and King, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, two concessions (4 km) west of Yonge Street. The street starts at Exhibition Place, continues north to Toronto's northern boundary at Steeles Avenue with some discontinuities and continues into Vaughan, where it becomes York Regional Road 53. The street is named for Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava, who served as Governor General of Canada from 1872 to 1878. Prior to 1878 the street was labelled as Western City Limits or Sideline Road south off Bloor. In 2003 and 2007, it was voted as one of "Ontario's Worst 20 Roads" in the Ontario's Worst Roads poll organized by the Canadian Automobile Association.

Tony Rizzo is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995 who represented the central Toronto riding of Oakwood. He was also an alderman for the city of York from 1982 to 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston Memorial Centre</span>

The Kingston Memorial Centre is a 3,300-seat multi-purpose arena located at 303 York Street in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1951, the Kingston Community Memorial Health and Recreation Centre was designed as a community sports and entertainment centre that would become a "living memorial" in remembrance of Kingstonians who gave their life in both world wars and the Korean War. The Memorial Centre lands and facilities include a war memorial, a large ice pad in the arena building, a new outdoor aquatic centre, agricultural barns, softball diamonds, a cinder track, off leash dog park and a linear park at the east, north and west perimeter of the property. Just east of the arena building was the International Hockey Hall of Fame (IHHOF) museum building at 277 York St. In July 2012, Kingston City Council approved the relocation of the collection on a short-term basis to the Invista Centre on Gardiners Road in Kingston. The existing building was found to have costly repair issues related to moisture penetration. It was demolished after the IHHOF moved to the Invista Centre in Kingston's west end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etobicoke Civic Centre</span> Civic building in Toronto, Canada

The Etobicoke Civic Centre in the Eatonville neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, once housed the municipal government of the former City of Etobicoke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Belt Line Railway</span>

The Toronto Belt Line Railway was built during the 1890s in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It consisted of two commuter railway lines to promote and service new suburban neighbourhoods outside of the then city limits. Both lines were laid as loops. The longer Don Loop ran north of the city limits, while the shorter Humber Loop ran west of the city limits. The railway was never profitable and it only ran for two years. Today, as part of a rails-to-trails project, the Beltline Trail lies on the right-of-way of the Don Loop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clanton Park, Toronto</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Clanton Park is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in the district of North York, it is part of federal and provincial electoral district York Centre, and Toronto electoral wards 9: York Centre (West) and 10: York Centre (East). In 2006, it had a population of 13,035.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairbank, Toronto</span> Neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Fairbank is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The area is centred on the intersection of Dufferin Street and Eglinton Avenue West. Fairbank includes the neighbourhoods of Briar Hill–Belgravia and Caledonia–Fairbank. The western border is the CNR lines. The northern and southern borders are the former borders of the City of York and the eastern border is Dufferin Street.

James Fergus Brown was a politician in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He served as Mayor of York from 1988 to 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dufferin Park Racetrack</span>

Dufferin Park Racetrack was a racetrack for thoroughbred horse races located on Dufferin Street in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was demolished in 1955 and its stakes races moved to Woodbine Racetrack as part of a consolidation of racetracks in the Toronto area. The track was owned by Abe Orpen and his family after his death. Only 0.5 miles (0.80 km) in length, it was also called Little Saratoga. The site is now a shopping centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beltline Trail</span> Rail trail in Toronto, Ontario

The Beltline Trail is a 9-kilometre (5.6 mi)-long cycling and walking rail trail in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It consists of three sections, the York Beltline Trail west of Allen Road, the Kay Gardner Beltline Park from the Allen to Mount Pleasant Road, and the Ravine Beltline Trail south of Mount Pleasant Cemetery through the Moore Park Ravine. Built on the former right-of-way of the Toronto Belt Line Railway, the linear park passes through the neighbourhoods of Rosedale, Moore Park, Forest Hill, Chaplin Estates, and Fairbank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lycée Français Toronto</span> French international school in Toronto

Lycée Français Toronto (LFT) is a French international school in the Fairbank neighbourhood of Toronto. It serves levels PreK-12 and as of 2015 has 450 students. It was established in 1995. It is a part of the Agency For French Teaching Abroad (AEFE).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abe Orpen</span> Canadian businessman

Abraham "Abe" Michael Orpen was a Canadian businessman, best known for his ownership of several horse-racing tracks in Ontario, Canada. Born in Toronto, Orpen first worked as a carpenter, became a hotel keeper, owned several construction-related businesses, then branched into horse-racing. He owned the Dufferin Park Racetrack, Hillcrest Racetrack and Long Branch Racetrack, and was a partner in the Kenilworth Park Racetrack at Windsor, Ontario, and the Thorncliffe Park Raceway in Leaside, Ontario. Orpen was well known as a facilitator of gambling, first at his hotel, and eventually at a casino in Mimico, Ontario. After his death, his family continued the horse-racing businesses until the 1950s, when they sold their tracks during a time of consolidation of racetracks in Ontario.

References

  1. 1 2 "Fairbank Park". City of Toronto. Retrieved July 5, 2006.
  2. Palango, Paul (March 11, 1993). "How Bob Rae helped nail two corrupt pols". Eye Weekly . Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved July 5, 2004.
  3. "Hansard Transcripts". Official Records for 17 December 1990. Legislative Assembly of Ontario. December 17, 1990. Archived from the original on July 4, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2008.