The Regent Park Athletic Grounds is now open!

We had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of the $4 million Regent Park Athletic Grounds. Members of the City of Toronto, MLSE Foundation, Toronto Community Housing and The Daniels Corporation, as well as students from Nelson Mandela Park Public School and Lord Dufferin were in attendance to celebrate the opening.

The Athletic Grounds features a hockey rink funded by Hockey Canada Foundation, a running track, a new basketball court funded by the Kelly Silverstein Memorial Fund, a field house sponsored by Under Armour, and an artificial turf for soccer and cricket, which was funded by Canadian Tire Jumpstart.

Kat Stefankiewicz, In-Game-Host, Toronto Raptors

“The Athletic Grounds are part of the massive Regent Park revitalization, which is currently transforming 69 acres in Toronto’s downtown east,” announced Kat Stefankiewicz, In-Game-Host, Toronto Raptors, to the excited crowd. “The Regent Park revitalization is a public-private partnership between Toronto Community Housing and The Daniels Corporation, and is the new gold standard by which challenged urban neighbourhoods can be reimagined and recreated as healthy, vibrant and sustainable communities.”

As the children played and everyone who worked so hard on this project mingled, it was hard not to notice the amount of construction and cranes there were surrounding the Athletic Grounds. The Park Place condos are standing proud, the Chartwell is under construction across the street, there are new townhomes that will be completed soon, and The Wyatt is launching this fall (a new condo tower - the crane is already up). When you’re standing on the turf, it’s clear that this is the new heart of Regent Park.

Martin Blake, Vice President, The Daniels Corporation

“This is an amazing step in the revitalization of Regent Park. The opening of the Athletic Grounds is also a major step in the forward movement of Phase 3. Residents have been looking forward to this amenity for quite some time,” announced Martin Blake, Vice President, The Daniels Corporation. “From the beginning, our partnership with TCHC has been about respecting Regent Park’s legacy and listening carefully to local voices and concerns, the kids, and anyone who lives here.”

Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell, City Councillor, Ward 28 (Toronto Centre-Rosedale)

Something that every speaker touched on was how involved the community was in the development and design of the Athletic Grounds. “This place is built on the dreams and on the shoulders of the people who live here. Everyone has a place in Regent Park and Regent Park is a place of caring,” said Deputy Mayor Pam McConnell, City Councillor, Ward 28 (Toronto Centre-Rosedale).

“We couldn’t be prouder to be a part of such a unique facility, such a unique community solution,” added Aris Kaplanis, Chair, MLSE Foundation. “From twists and tweaks to the design plan, to the inclusion of cricket, that was all the community putting up their hand, and these are the types of solutions that we want to react to.”

To wrap up the event, Irene Simnnovic, Representative of the Youth Advisory Committee that helped design the Regent Park Athletic Grounds, addressed the crowd:

Irene Simnnovic, Representative of the Youth Advisory Committee

“My home once stood here, and through revitalization it became a blank slate. As a blank slate it has a new opportunity for sport in Regent Park. But the transformation of this site is only a representative of the small amount of the change that has happened and is happening in our community. Being involved in sports helped me; it helped me find happiness and peace, especially when things were tough. It calmed and centred me, and being part of that development of these fields changed me. It made me more open and confident.”

As amazing as the Regent Park Athletic Grounds was, what was even greater was seeing how many different organizations and individuals came together to make this happen. The community involvement was very impressive and the willingness to accept suggestions and listen to what the locals had to say was and has been key to making Regent Park one of Toronto’s most exciting revitalization communities.  

Stay tuned - we’ll have more news about Regent Park coming soon!