Cedarvale needs better washrooms (and we have data to prove it!)

First insights from our Community of Practice and what's coming next

Hi everyone,

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

1. A quick note on the categories themselves: I put these together as best I could, but this is by no means a finalized or perfect system (as I’m not a data scientist or expert). I’m sure there’s a better way to group some of this, and if you look through it and see something you’d sort differently, I’d love to hear it. Also if you have experience in data analysis and aggregation and want to dig in with us, we could build a much more comprehensive picture of this neighbourhood together!