October 1, 2014
Opening of new Toronto park to honour June Callwood
City of Toronto officials and staff, in partnership with the Garden Club of Toronto, will join June Callwood's family and the Fort York community to celebrate the opening of June Callwood Park. The opening celebration will include speeches, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and performances by the local art group, Shadowlands.
Date: Saturday, October 4
Time: 7 to 8 p.m., remarks: 7:15 p.m.
Location: 636 Fleet St. (south of Fort York Boulevard)
Note: Participants are encouraged to use public transit 511 Bathurst street car south to Remembrance Drive stop. Parking is limited and there will be a number of street closures and restrictions related to the Nuit Blanche festival. More information is available at
http://bit.ly/navTO.
The new 0.4-hectare park honours June Callwood's life as a Canadian journalist, author, advocate and activist through its design and art installation. The park's design was the result of an international design competition which included extensive public consultation led by Parks, Forestry and Recreation.
The firm gh3 won the competition. The $2.6-million park includes a reflecting pool, lighting, granite, hedge maze, rubberized surfacing, and granite mulch. The park design uses words from one of June Callwood's final interviews before her death. Her comment, “I believe in kindness” is a physically mapped voiceprint that winds through the park, making it a spectacular view from the upper floors of the bordering buildings.
The gardens were planted by the Garden Club of Toronto. The park includes a public art installation – a sound work entitled OKTA by the artist team of Stephen Bates and Douglas Moffat of Montreal, selected through a two-stage, open competition in 2009.