Victoria Park Dominated Finance Committee Meeting with 10-Year Master Plan

Victoria Park dominated the Finance and Corporate Services Committee meeting, with staff presenting a 10-year master plan for the park and councillors focusing on safety, accessibility, event infrastructure, and funding constraints. The committee also unanimously approved funding for renovations at the Chandler Mowat Community Centre.

Topics Discussed

1. VICTORIA PARK MASTER PLAN

Staff presented the Victoria Park Master Plan, which sets out improvements over the next 10 years. Karen Lisa, a landscape architect and project manager in parks and cemeteries, said the plan drew on public engagement and sensor data collected through 15 stations in the park. She told councillors, "This overview shows an extraction of data from September of last year that indicated 4.6 million visitors to the park in a 12-month period. Clearly a well-used space."

The plan is organized around five themes: accessibility, safety, connectivity, naturalization, and programming. It includes 32 recommendations across capital, strategic, and policy categories.

Six near-term capital priorities are funded for 2026-2028, with $2.3 million allocated for picnic shelter upgrades, electrical servicing, active play zone improvements, basketball court upgrades, trail improvements, and continued data collection.

2. PARK SAFETY, ACCESSIBILITY AND OPERATIONS

Councillors asked about lighting, event planning, food truck impacts, and other operational issues in the park.

Councillor Margaret Johnston asked staff about lighting, saying, "I'm also wondering if you can speak to lighting in the park. I often hear from people where the Iron Horse Trail comes into the park, etc., and concerns around safety and and lighting." Staff said a lighting strategy has identified pedestrian lighting gaps and that heritage-style globe lights and sight-line improvements are being considered.

Councillor Scott Davey asked how the master plan accounted for the park's role as an event space: "Victoria Park is more than just a park itself but it's also a gathering space. So how much engagement or dialogue happened with the economic development department through events planning to ensure that we with this master plan we're encapsulating the next iteration of that gathering space for large events[?]"

On food trucks near Dill Street, Councillor Debbie Chapman said residents had raised concerns about "noise and and fumes." Staff replied that "we'll have a dedicated electrical outlet for those vendors as part of the capital work that's upcoming and look at interim solutions as well."

3. PLAYGROUND AND SPLASH PAD PRIORITIES

Councillors discussed whether playground or splash pad improvements should come first.

Councillor Margaret Johnston asked staff why the playground structure was being prioritized, saying, "I see in here that the park is recommended or the playground structure, sorry, is recommended before doing any splash pad improvements. And I think they're both probably I think it they both indicate they're at kind of the end of life. So why did we choose the playground structure instead of the splash pad area to focus on first?"

Staff said the rubberized surfacing at the playground would be replaced before splash pad improvements and that the work could be done in place without removing the equipment. Staff described splash pad improvements as a longer-term item tied to future funding opportunities.

4. FUNDING AND DEVELOPMENT CHARGE PRESSURES

Councillors discussed the limits on accelerating park improvements because of pressure on development charge reserves.

Councillor Paul Singh said, "the reality is um we have been made aware of significant DC challenges we have going forward and one about 1.1 million of the two plus million dollars that we're looking at budgeting here comes from that source. So, by definition, that is going to be on the list we have to look at going forward."

Councillor Berry Vrbanovic cautioned against expecting staff to speed up development-charge-funded work, saying, "if you're looking to accelerate anything when it comes to things like this that are DC funded, that is going to be incredibly challenging for staff and I just want to be clear on that because I don't want to put that undue pressure on them."

Even with those concerns, councillors emphasized the park's importance. Councillor Chapman said, "I think the numbers in itself speak highly of the usage of this of this of the park and that it really is the crown jewel of of our community."

5. CHANDLER MOWAT COMMUNITY CENTRE RENOVATIONS

The committee unanimously approved funding for renovations to the Chandler Mowat Community Centre using capital closeout funds.

Councillor Singh said, "this is a very high needs area and it definitely needs the investment." He said the centre serves a dense and growing part of the city and that the upgrades would expand how residents can use the facility.

Staff said initial drawings and review work have been completed, though construction has not yet started.

Motions

• Victoria Park Master Plan - motion to proceed — carried unanimously; moved by Councillor Bil Ioannidis
• Chandler Mowat Community Centre renovations funding approval — carried unanimously

Attendees

• Councillor Debbie Chapman
• Councillor Jason Deneault
• Councillor Bil Ioannidis
• Councillor Margaret Johnston
• Councillor Paul Singh
• Councillor Scott Davey
• Councillor Berry Vrbanovic