Welcome to the Silver Creek Park Pollinator Project
Friends of Silver Creek are excited to announce they have received a PollinateTO grant from the City of Toronto for a community pollinator garden.
Welcome to the Silver Creek Park Pollinator Project group who are leading the community garden initiative at Silver Creek Park.
Birds, bats, butterflies, moths, flies, beetles, wasps, small mammals, and most importantly, bees are pollinators. In addition to the food we eat, pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, protect from severe weather, and support other wildlife.
This pollinator project needs you to help support the community garden!
Visit silvercreekparkpollinatorproject.com to learn more and subscribe for updates & info.
This project is supported by the City of Toronto through Live Green Toronto and the PollinateTO Grants Program.
Thank you for joining us at the 7th Annual Friends of Silver Creek Pumpkin Parade!
So many people and so many amazing jack-o-lanterns at this years Pumpkin Parade at Silver Creek Park! What a fun-filled community event.
Check out all the photos from November 1st.
See you next year!
In Case You Missed This...
From Greg Noakes at The Narwhal -
As Ontario’s legislature returns for fall session and rules that put the province’s controversial Bill 5 into place roll out, critics say the remaining tools under the Environmental Bill of Rights are being blunted to the point of obsolescence.
Gord Miller, a former environmental commissioner of Ontario — a position the Ford government eliminated under the bill of rights in 2018 — said if he were still in his former role, he would be challenging the province over Bill 5, and its efforts to “override the will of 50 years of legislation” written to protect the environment of Ontario.
The Ford government has on several occasions introduced new legislation with exemptions from the Environmental Bill of Rights, in particular the requirement for informing the public of policy changes — and Bill 5 is a prime example.
Miller, who served as environmental commissioner from 2000 to 2015 and is now chair of the environmental group Earthroots, told The Narwhal he was particularly concerned with the use of special economic zones and replacing the Endangered Species Act with the watered-down Species Conservation Act under Bill 5.
In both cases, the public’s ability to participate and become informed of environmental impacts is muted.
The Strength Of Community Advocacy
Never Underestimate The Power Of People Coming Together
There is a lot going on in our community, in the city, province and in the world so we felt that it was a good time to remind ourselves that there is strength in people coming together to do good and the power of community advocacy.
Friends of Silver Creek came together to save a school, parkland and programs for children with mental health issues, autism and special needs - and we did all of that and more.
We want to share the video of how people came together from the community, the programs operating out of Silver Creek School, members of local and provincial government, the school boards and many supporters across the Greater Toronto Area and beyond to help make positive change happen.
CANADIAN CITY PARKS REPORT
Findings and Impact 2019-2024
How the park sector can meet today’s complex challenges through collaborations and partnerships.
The Canadian City Parks Report (CCPR) equips municipal park staff, community advocates, non-profits, and the public with data and stories that made the case for parks. Between 2019 and 2024, the report was released annually, showcasing
trends, challenges, and opportunities in our sector. Forty-six municipalities participated over these years, collectively representing 48% of Canada's population.
This report synthesizes the major findings from the CCPR over these pivotal years. It serves as a curated and thematically organized index of data and stories from across the years, with comments on the trends we witnessed through that time.
CLIMATE EMERGENCY
Climate change shifted from distant threat to immediate reality.
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British Columbia's 2021 heat dome claimed over 600 lives, most of them isolated seniors trapped indoors without access to cooling spaces.
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Hurricane Fiona devastated Atlantic Canada in 2022, toppling urban tree canopies and destroying park infrastructure.
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Across the country, weather has become increasingly volatile: droughts force park volunteers into bucket brigades to save newly planted gardens, while recurring floods prompt communities to reimagine what they need from green spaces.
Key Insight
Park budgets are not keeping pace with need
Years of insufficient parks operations budgets are challenging city parks departments and coinciding with a slip in resident satisfaction.
Since 2019, Park People have heard consistently from cities about the operational budget gap between what’s needed to keep parks in good shape and what funding is provided every year. Essentially, parks departments are expected, year after year, to do more with less as populations grow, park use rises, and pressures, like extreme weather, increase.
The growth in the backlog for state of good repair in many cities is one of the results of years of under-investment in parks operations.
Another result is a slip in residents’ satisfaction with the state of their parks. This year, 65% of residents said their parks were well-cared for. While nearly two-thirds of residents is a good result, this also represents a drop from 78% who said the same in 2021. There is however, strong support for more park funding – if politicians have the will to act. The majority of residents (85%) said they would like to see more public funding invested in parks.
Public Health and Well-Being Imperative
Parks have become vital for mental and physical health.
95%
of residents believed parks positively impacted their physical health.
-2024 report
93%
of residents believed parks positively impacted their mental health.
-2024 report
71%
of Canadians felt parks had a positive impact on their social well-being during the pandemic.
-2021 report
Read full 2019 - 2024 Canadian City Parks Report online here or download the PDF Report.
Check Out What's Happening In Our Community
OUR STORY
Friends of Silver Creek led the fight with Silver Creek Pre-School, The Etobicoke Children's Centre, elected officials and the community at large resulting in a positive outcome for children with special needs, autism and mental health challenges. Read the story of Saving Silver Creek School here.
THIS IS COMMUNITY ADVOCACY AT WORK.
DEAL FINALIZED TO SAVE SILVER CREEK SCHOOL
In May 2018, the Provincial Liberal Government finalized the agreement for the Province of Ontario to acquire Silver Creek Public School from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). This completes the acquisition by the province of Silver Creek School, saving autism supports and a therapeutic preschool program for children with special needs.
The transition to provincial ownership will ensure that Silver Creek Pre-School, The Etobicoke Children’s Centre and the families that rely on their services will not experience any disruptions.
This is a true example of community & government working together with dedication, hard work and persistence.
Thank you to Yvan Baker who made it a priority to help save Silver Creek School, the attached green space & Silver Creek Pre-School and The Etobicoke Children's Centre, protecting vital programs for children with special needs, mental health needs & autism.
Watch Our Story
Friends of Silver Creek School
Friends of Silver Creek School
The Story of Saving Silver Creek School
Yvan Baker MPP Report 2017 Ep3, Tracie Napoli, Co-Chair, FofSCS - The Fight To Save Silver Creek
"I am Silver Creek" - Tara
Save Silver Creek School & Green Space
Friends of Silver Creek request the community continue to be diligent in advocating for the continued preservation and protection of Silver Creek School and the attached green space.