It's taken me a little longer than planned to get this update out, there was simply a lot more data to go through than I imagined from our first Community of Practice session! Learning about all the assets that already exist in our community, and about what we all envision for this park, has been so fulfilling.

Thank you to everyone who came out to Wychwood Library on July 21st, and to everyone who contributed online as well. Spoiler: our next session is already booked for the end of August, more on that at the end of the post.

Here’s a recap of what happened at our first session, along with some data-driven insights that came up as I made my way through all the sticky notes.

Activity 1: Hands, Heart, Mind

We opened the session with the Hands, Heart, Mind activity built around a simple idea: to start with the assets we already have in our community (not what we’re missing). There were four columns for each person to fill out:

1. 💚 Heart: things you are passionate about

2. 🖐️ Hands: things you are really good at

3. 🧠 Mind: things you could teach others

4. And lastly, things you’d like to learn more about

Once everyone filled out their own sheet, we used it to introduce ourselves to our tables. It was wonderful to watch people who'd never met before suddenly in deep conversation about birding, crafts, native plants, favourite recipes, etc.

What struck me most going through all the answers (305) was just how much passion is sitting in this neighbourhood. Nature and community came out as the two biggest things people care about, which makes sense, if you weren’t into either of those, you probably wouldn’t be at a Friends of Cedarvale gathering 😂

But right behind these two categories, arts and creativity showed up everywhere, way more than I expected. Photography, writing, design, there’s so much creativity in this community that I don’t think we talk about or explore enough.

You can see every response and the categorization1 for this activity here.

We also noticed something interesting about who showed up: ages ranged from mid-20s to mid-80s, and time living in the neighbourhood ranged from just a few months to over 60 years. What a nice reminder that Cedarvale is home to a lot of different generations and life stages.

Activity 2: Dreamer, Realist, Critic

After a much-needed snack break, we shifted gears into Activity 2.

This one moved us from thinking about ourselves to thinking about the park itself, our dreams, our appreciation, and our honest critiques of Cedarvale. It prompted us to look at the park through three different lenses:

1. 🌈 Dreamer: What would you love to see happen at the park?

2. 🌳 Realist: What’s already working and should be maintained or protected as is?

3. 🔍 Critic: What could be improved or needs some attention?

One of my favourite things going through all the answers (174) was noticing how our community is genuinely grateful for what Cedarvale already offers. Nature and greenery were top of the list, followed by the trails, native species, and the work of our stewarding and litter cleanup crews. Right behind that, people are appreciative of the park’s recreational spaces, community garden, cricket pitch, and tennis courts.

Another interesting observation was seeing how the exact same issue showed up in different categories. Something one person wrote as a Critic another wrote as a Dreamer. It is clear that we don’t all experience the park the same way, and what sometimes feels urgent to one neighbour can feel aspirational to another.

Oh yes, the dog park came up a lot. Would it even be a Cedarvale conversation if it didn’t? It’s clearly a topic people care deeply about, from a lot of different angles, and it deserves its own real conversation. I promise we’ll loop back to it in future gatherings (more reasons to join us!)

What is very clear is that two things matter a lot to our community right now: better washroom infrastructure, and more social and cultural gathering in the park. Those two showed up again and again, as dreams and as critiques, and they feel like a genuine place to get the conversation going.

Here's the full data for this activity, if you’re curious.

What’s coming next

A few of you have asked: “if I came to Session 1, can I still come to future sessions?” Or “Is this something you need to have started from the beginning to follow?”

Each session stands completely on its own, you don't need to have been at Session 1 to fully take part in Session 2, 3, 4, or any session after that. The activities are always different and designed so we keep creating new ways to build community, meet more neighbours, and grow this project together.

Our next session is happening Saturday, August 29th, from 10:30am to 12:00pm at Oakwood Village Library.

Since we’re meeting at a public library, space is limited to 35 people in person, so registration is required, but it’s completely free! 👉 Register here.

I know it’s the Saturday of the long weekend, but if you’re around the city and want some coffee, croissants, fruit, and snacks while we dig into deeper thinking about the future of the park and ravine together, come join us. This is the second-to-last session of this phase before we move into collective decision-making, so it’s a great one to be part of.

If you can make it, I’d love to see you there. If you can’t, all the activities will be available online too. Bring friends, bring family, everyone is welcome.

Talk soon,
Valentina

Back in early June, we launched our Community of Practice project with our first Community Walk, and the turnout was incredible. We had a fabulous lineup of speakers, from beloved community members to City staff and Park People, and over 50 neighbours came out to explore Cedarvale Park and Ravine together.

We’re super excited to build on that momentum and share more details of the first session of our Community of Practice with you.

Session 1

Here’s what to expect: time to meet and connect with neighbours, two really fun hands-on activities, project updates, and a chance to share what came up as a group. You can have a look at the agenda here (scroll all the way to the bottom).

📅 Date: Tuesday, July 21st
🕠 Time: 5:00-6:30pm
📍 Location: Wychwood Library
👥 Capacity: 30 people in person
🍎 Food: Light snacks and drinks will be provided
♿ Accessibility: Wychwood Library is wheelchair accessible

Can’t make it in person? Activities will be available online after the session!

Registration is free but required, as we only have space for 30 people in person. If there’s enough interest beyond our current capacity, we’ll look into organizing another session at a different date and time, so sign up if you’re interested!

Register today!

What’s next

We’ve been hearing for so long that neighbours want the chance to meet each other, share ideas, and think together about the future of the park and ravine, and we’re excited to finally create the space for us to build this together.

Over the coming months, we’ll be gathering monthly to think together about what’s possible for our park and ravine. Sessions will rotate across four different public libraries around Cedarvale, an idea suggested by one of our own community members, so we can reach neighbours from every part of the neighbourhood.

The City of Toronto has also expressed interest in this project, and Park People generously provided a small honorarium to help us get this pilot off the ground. We’re so grateful for their support, and we’ll keep exploring ways to partner together so other neighbourhood groups and parks across Toronto can adapt this process for their own communities.

You can learn more about the overall project structure here.

See you there?

If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to reach out, we’re always happy to chat and co-create. I’m so excited to be facilitating these upcoming sessions and can’t wait to build this together with all of you.

Valentina, and the Friends of Cedarvale team

We’re just a few hours away from our first Community Walk through Cedarvale Park and Ravine. If you’re learning about this now, read more about it below and join us:

The weather today is a bit of everything: sun, clouds, wind, and there’s a small chance of rain around 2:00 PM. The walk is happening either way, so bring an umbrella just in case. The good news is that skies are looking clear for the picnic after!

Speaking of the picnic, we’ll have drinks, snacks, and some fruits, and we know some neighbours are already planning to bring things too. If you’d like to bring something to share, please do!

🗓️ Date: Saturday, June 6
⏰ Time: 2:00-4:00 PM
📍 Meeting Point: Heath Street West entrance by the St. Clair West subway exit.
👟 You can join us at any point along the route. If you need help finding us, reach out to Valentina at +1(289)339-5591.

🗺️ See the full route and all stops on our map!

We hope to see you there!

Valentina

If you’ve been following along, you might have noticed we mentioned something new in our last post about the community walk.

We’re launching a Community of Practice, a series of monthly in-person gatherings where neighbours get to meet each other, share ideas, and think about the future of Cedarvale Park and Ravine.

Why are we doing this?

For over 10 years, Friends of Cedarvale has been bringing people together through stewardship, litter pickup, and nature walks. These are wonderful ways to care for the park, and yet we’ve been hearing from neighbours that they want more chances to meet each other, more space to share ideas, and more ways to be part of shaping what happens in this place we all share and care about.

Also, did you know that 66% of Toronto residents know only a few of their neighbours, or none at all? We want to change that!

What is a community of practice?

In simple terms, it’s a group of people who come together regularly around a shared interest or place, to learn from one another and work towards something together. Ours is rooted in Cedarvale Park and Ravine.

We’ll be coming up with a better name for this project… “community of practice” is a bit of a mouthful, and this group deserves something that feels like ours 🌱

What to expect

From end of June to December 2026, we’ll gather once a month for 1.5-hour sessions. Each gathering will follow a simple structure:

• Time for connection and meeting neighbours

• Quick updates from Friends of Cedarvale on what we’ve been working on

• Interactive activities where we share ideas and think together

• Open sharing and next steps

The first few months will focus on getting to know each other and exploring what neighbours care about most. Later sessions will shift toward looking at those ideas together and figuring out what’s possible.

No experience or preparation are needed! You can also come to one session or all of them (we will love to see you every month).

Who is this for?

Everyone in our neighbourhood! Whether you walk your dog here every morning, play cricket on weekends, bring your kids to the playground, steward with us on Saturdays and Mondays, or just enjoy sitting on a bench, this is for you. We want to bring together people who use the park in different ways, connect longtime residents with newcomers, and create a space for ideas to grow.

The bigger picture

Our longer-term goal is to turn this pilot project into a process model — a documented set of steps, tools, and learnings that other neighbourhood groups across Toronto can adapt to their own parks and green spaces. The City of Toronto has also expressed interest in supporting this project, which opens the door to connecting with other groups caring for parks and ravines across the city.

But right now, it starts with us and with Cedarvale.

The launch

Join us for our community walk on Saturday, June 6 (2pm–4pm) and launch of the pilot project. Ten stops, ten different neighbours and community members, and a picnic after. It’s free, open to everyone, and a great way to meet neighbours and learn more about the park.

🗓️ Date: Saturday, June 6
⏰ Time: 2:00-4:00 PM
📍 Meeting Point: Heath Street West entrance by the St. Clair West subway exit.
👟 You can join us at any point along the route. If you need help finding us, contact Valentina at friendsofcedarvale@gmail.com

A quick note on weather: the walk will happen rain or shine! If it’s heavy rain, we may postpone it to the next weekend. So far the weather seems to be clear during the walk hours at our neighbourhood. We’ll send an update tomorrow morning with the latest forecast. Keep an eye out for that!

As always, this event is free and no registration is required, but we recommend grabbing a free Eventbrite ticket if you’d like to receive an email reminder. You can get your ticket here!

Get involved

If you’re interested in being part of the monthly sessions, fill out our interest form (it takes less than a minute and helps us plan):

👉 https://tally.so/r/q4KzAO

Any questions? Reply to this email or reach out to us at friendsofcedarvale@gmail.com

It’s been a long time coming, and we can’t wait to build this together.

Hope to see you Saturday,

Valentina

We have some exciting new to share…

On June 6, we’re hosting our first ever community walk through Cedarvale Park and Ravine and we’d love for you to join us!

I always think of Cedarvale as a park shaped by the people who use it and care for it. So this walk is a chance to discover some of these stories and the people behind it.

The idea is simple: 10 different stops along the route, each with different neighbours and community members sharing their perspective on what makes this place so special.

You’ll get to hear about Cedarvale’s history, its ecology, the people who cared for it, the community garden, the work the city does in our green spaces, and more. Plus, the walk will end with a picnic in the park hosted by us!

The Stops

1. Our Story: John will share the story of Friends of Cedarvale, from its early days in 2012 to the community it is today (Led by John Cummings, Chair at Friends of Cedarvale)

2. Fauna and Flora: Bob Kortright will walk us through the native and invasive species in the ravine, and the ecological restoration work happening through the Toronto Nature Stewards program (Led by Bob Kortright, Lead Steward)

3. The People: At this stop, we pause at the memorial benches to honour those who cared deeply about this space, in particular Elaine Ruth Mitchell, whose bench holds a special connection for me and is the very reason I became part of Friends of Cedarvale (Led by Valentina Gastaldo, Program Lead at Friends of Cedarvale)

4. Exploring the Unseen: Cait will guide us in exploring the hidden or lesser-known aspects of the ravine that most of us walk past without noticing (Led by Caitlin Jeffery, Neighbour and Artist)

5. Bathurst Bridge: From underneath the Bathurst Bridge, John shares the broader history of Cedarvale and how this landscape has changed over the decades (Led by John Cummings, Chair at Friends of Cedarvale)

6. The City’s Role: How the city works behind the scenes to care for parks and ravines like Cedarvale, and why that partnership between the city and the community matters (Led by Lauren Grosberg, Coordinator, Outreach & Special Projects at the City of Toronto)

7. The Dog Park: Cedarvale’s off-leash area is one of the most active spaces in the park. At this stop, a member of the dog park community will share what this space means to them and the community that gathers here every day. (Led by Mackenzy Santos, Animal Control Officer and Verome Heaven, Bylaw Enforcement Officer)

8. Community Stories: At this stop, Park People will share how community members can play an active role in caring for and activating local park spaces. Learn about ways to get involved in your local park and resources to bring your ideas and projects to life.

9. Community Garden: At this final stop, we will hear from Rona on how the community garden got started, how it operates, and how neighbours can get involved (Led by Rona MacDonald, Member at the Community Garden)

10. Picnic!: This walk ends with a picnic in the park at the Picnic tables near the Cricket Field. We'll have some snacks and drinks to share, but feel free to bring your own.

🗺️ See the full route and all stops on our map!

Something new is coming

This walk is also the launch of a new Friends of Cedarvale project: our Community of Practice. Starting mid June all the way to December, we’re bringing neighbours together to connect, share ideas, and think about the future of Cedarvale Park and Ravine (in really fun ways!).

We’ll be sharing more details soon, but if you’re curious you can read about it on our activities page and fill out our interest form.

Community Walk Details

🗓️ Date: Saturday, June 6
⏰ Time: 2:00-4:00 PM
📍 Meeting Point: Heath Street West entrance by the St. Clair West subway exit.
👟 You can join us at any point along the route. If you need help finding us, contact Valentina at friendsofcedarvale@gmail.com

As always, this event is free and no registration is required, but we recommend grabbing a free Eventbrite ticket if you’d like to receive an email reminder. You can get your ticket here!

I also would like to say a special thank you to Matthew Jordan from Hidden Rivers Tour, who inspired the idea of a community walk as the launch of our new project. If you haven’t checked out Hidden Rivers, we strongly recommend it, his tours are a fabulous way to discover Toronto.

We hope to you see you all there!

Valentina