Nearest Address: 175 Scarlett Rd, York, ON M6N 2M6
Meets: TBD
Transit: Runnymede Station. 79 Scarlett Rd. N to Edinborough Crt North Side. 4 minute walk
Smythe Park is Conn Smythe’s (Maple Leaf’s fame) former gravel pit. It was converted into a park, gifted to the community and received a Bronze Plaque Award (reserved for outstanding examples of cutting-edge rehabilitation of pits and quarries in Ontario) by the OSSGA. It is home to an ecosystem with high biodiversity.
The ancient Indigenous Carrying Place travels through the park, which makes it sacred land with high historical significance.
The park is located at the end of the Black Creek watershed, approximately 70 metres from the Humber River. Due to intense urbanization, Black Creek has become highly polluted, its route straightened and banks cemented. The area is recognized as the worst flooded area in the TRCA’s jurisdiction. This flooding is a serious threat to the park. Friends of Smythe Park along with the Toronto Nature Stewards are using the Indigenous approach and adopting stewardship plans to protect the park from invasive plants, litter, and flooding. We intend to reverse the damage and through stewardship activities, allow the park to thrive and bring back its natural beauty.