The new playground at renovated Charles G. Williams Park
The renovated Charles G. Williams Park is open!
The renovated park, across the street from Sorauren Park, includes new senior and junior playground equipment and nature play area. But it’s a park for all ages… there is a new basketball court, junior court, ping-pong table, bocce court and chess tables. The new splashpad will be ready for summer play. The park also features a safer new main entrance at the corner of Sorauren and Wabash avenues, new pathways and many more benches, plus the beautiful existing tree canopy.
The new park design owes much to the advocacy of the Friends of Charles G. Williams Park. It was build by Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation and its design consultants and contractors, and supported by Councillor Gord Perks.
Concept design looking north-east from Wabash Avenue. The new pools would be inside the new addition at-grade on the north. The historic linseed building would be repurposed to contain multi-purpose and activity rooms and offices. The gym and running track would be in the new building on top. The main lobby entrance is in the middle.
The city and its design consultants, Diamond Schmitt Architects and PMA Landscape Architects, have released the draft designs for the exterior, interior and landscaping for the new Wabash Community Centre at Sorauren Park.
And they want your feedback on the designs. Take the online survey (all responses are anonymous) at toronto.ca/wabash. The survey is open till November 17. Concepts for net-zero energy usage are also included.
As you work through the survey, design rationales are explained alongside images.
Your feedback will help inform the next phase of detailed design work. Construction is expected to be completed in 2026 or 2027 depending on the many variables that affect capital projects including permits and approvals.
Follow @SoraurenPark on social media or subscribe to Sorauren Park News for community centre updates. The city’s project page also tracks progress and includes reports from community engagements.
View looking north-west from Wabash Avenue, towards the back of the building with service entrance, staff and accessibility parking. A children’s activity space is designed around the base of the iconic chimney.
The Farmers’ Market on the Sorauren Park Town Square.
The final outdoor Sorauren Farmers’ Market of the season will take place Monday, November 1 from 3 – 7 pm on the Sorauren Park Town Square, before moving indoors at a new venue and time.
Starting November 10, the Market moves indoors every Wednesday from 3 – 7 pm at the nearby Roncesvalles United Church at 240 Roncesvalles Avenue.
Support local farmers and vendors year-round at the Sorauren Farmers’ Market, produced by the non-profit Sorauren Farmers’ Market Association. Stay connected by visiting the Farmers’ Market website.
Screen shot showing option 5, the Angler, from City survey of design options. Visit toronto.ca/WabashCRC to take the survey and have your say.
The City has announced the start of the next round of public consultations for the forthcoming Wabash Community Recreation Centre at Sorauren Park. An online public meeting is scheduled for November 3 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm, and a new online survey will also begin November 3.
Option 5, the Angler, from City survey of design options.
The City of Toronto has announced it has chosen “the Angler” as the preferred site design option for the new Wabash Community Centre at Sorauren Park.
“Based on spring and summer consultations with local community members, Indigenous representatives, and the City’s operational staff, the Angler has been selected as the site design option that will be further refined through continued community consultation,” wrote the City in a September 21 email to community members.
The City’s consultations included the Friends of Sorauren Park, which voted for, and promoted, the Angler as the best option.
“We’ve looked closely at the options, and while there are always site compromises in a constrained space, in the end there was little debate among the directors,” said Joël Campbell, chair of Friends of Sorauren Park, in May 2021 when the five site options were presented. “Design option 5, the Angler, was the clear winner for us. We look forward to continuing the collaboration with the City and the design consultants as work progresses through the design process.”
Watch Stephen Dorsey, a volunteer member of the board for Friends of Sorauren Park, give the quick history of how community advocacy turned an industrial site into Sorauren Park and soon, the Wabash Community Centre. For a longer history, visit our History page, or watch the 25th Anniversary documentary video.
This is the latest in a series of short video updates on the progress of the community centre.
Stephen Dorsey, a volunteer member of the board for Friends of Sorauren Park, provides the latest update on Wabash Community Centre progress in our video series.
Watch and listen as Stephen outlines the next steps in the process, including hearing back from the City of Toronto on the results of the recent consultation around the building massing options on the site of the old linseed oil mill and surrounding land in Sorauren Park.
Our Friends of Sorauren Park photographer will capture your moment to remember
Get a beautiful high-resolution Park Portrait to capture the moment… and support the Friends of Sorauren Park at the same time. Come as a family, by yourself, with your bestie or with your pet… all configurations welcome!
Send your Park Portrait to friends and loved ones, make it your desktop wallpaper, or (best yet) get it printed and saved for posterity in a frame or scrapbook.
Use our Square account to book your time and make your payment. Appointments are available on Mondays during the Farmers’ Market hours. Our Summer Program Coordinators will respond to confirm your time and answer any questions. Alternate times will be offered if your choice is not available.
The minimum is $25 but donations above and beyond are always welcome and support the park programs offered by the Friends of Sorauren Park.
Grab some food at the Farmers’ Market this Monday August 2 and join us at the Sorauren Summer Kids Fun table for a crafty Picnic at the Park. Our summer programmer Amanda Vo will have some arts material for household groups to play and create with.
You can win prizes! Take photos of completed creations, and tag @SoraurenPark on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. There will be a weekly draw for free popcorn, redeemable at the concession stand at the Sorauren Park Outdoor Movies once they start up again (fingers crossed!), plus one grand prize at the end of the summer from Scooter Girl Toys, our Sorauren Summer Kids Fun sponsor.
The first Sorauren Stargazing event, Learn The Summer Constellations and See the Rings of Saturn, is scheduled for Monday, August 2.
As of this posting, the weather is looking favourable for that evening. We are planning to meet at 9:00 pm by the shipping container, near the dog park.
If there is any change to the weather, an alert will be posted on this site, and sent by email to those who have signed up for the Sorauren Stargazing list.
Dress appropriately for the weather. There may be a few evening bugs, so bug spray may come in handy. If you have a telescope or binoculars, please bring them. We will a have small telescope which can see the rings of Saturn if we have a clear view.
We will practice physical distancing and mask wearing. We’ll take turns at the telescope. You’re not supposed to touch the telescope even in regular viewing, to keep it steady… we’ll demonstrate the technique.
This week our summer programmer Amanda Vo returns to rock painting, but instead of bugs, try a plant! It’s the Week 5 activity for Sorauren Summer Kids Fun.
You can win prizes! Take photos of your completed creation, and tag @SoraurenPark on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. There will be a weekly draw for free popcorn, redeemable at the concession stand at the Sorauren Park Outdoor Movies once they start up again (fingers crossed!), plus one grand prize at the end of the summer from Scooter Girl Toys, our Sorauren Summer Kids Fun sponsor.
Meet by the shipping container each night. Sign up below for weather alerts and date adjustments.
Calling all astronomy buffs or buffs-to-be! Sorauren Stargazers is announcing a 2021 program of planet watching, constellation touring and meteor viewing, all in a friendly, everyone-welcome and COVID-safe format.
Note: All dates are tentative! Stargazing relies on clear skies and there’s no point if the clouds roll in.
Sign up to the Sorauren Stargazers email list for date confirmations, alerts and news, and follow @SoraurenPark on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates. If you’re an experienced Stargazer and would also like to volunteer to help, let us know.
Meet by the shipping container near the baseball diamond at the times indicated. Dress appropriately for cool evenings.
Decorate your garden or front windows with fun paper cutouts. Watch and learn as our summer programmer Amanda Vo shows you how. It’s the Week 4 activity for Sorauren Summer Kids Fun. What character are you inspired to create?
You can win prizes! Take photos of your completed creation, and tag @SoraurenPark on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. There will be a weekly draw for free popcorn, redeemable at the concession stand at the Sorauren Park Outdoor Movies once they start up again (fingers crossed!), plus one grand prize at the end of the summer from Scooter Girl Toys, our Sorauren Summer Kids Fun sponsor.
Quantities limited, get yours today! Makes a great gift.
Support the non-profit, community-powered Friends of Sorauren Park with your purchase of a cool Friends of Sorauren Park t-shirt! All proceeds support free programming in the park and the projects of Friends of Sorauren Park.
Got the creative bug? Watch and learn as our summer programmer Amanda Vo paints a ladybug on a rock and gives it a new home at Sorauren Park. It’s the Week 3 activity for Sorauren Summer Kids Fun. What are you inspired to paint?
You can win prizes! Take photos of your completed creation, and tag @SoraurenPark on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. There will be a weekly draw for free popcorn, redeemable at the concession stand at the Sorauren Park Outdoor Movies once they start up again (fingers crossed!), plus one grand prize at the end of the summer from Scooter Girl Toys, our Sorauren Summer Kids Fun sponsor.
There’s one question that every volunteer director of the Friends of Sorauren Park (FOSP) gets from friends, family and neighbours: What’s happening with the Wabash Community Centre?
To answer that question and help the community stay current with updates, FOSP is launching a new series of short videos hosted by FOSP board member Stephen Dorsey. The first video describes the purpose of the drilling and testing work that recently took place in Sorauren Park.
The Wabash Community Centre, to occupy the site of the old linseed factory in the park, is currently in the design phase with the City of Toronto’s contracted design consultants, Diamond Schmitt Architects. Following public consultations undertaken by FOSP and three rounds of consultations undertaken by the City, the architects are expected to report back on a preferred site design this fall. Construction is expected to start in 2023 following completion of final design.
Missing the playground at Charles G. Williams Park while it’s under construction? Try our Sorauren Summer Kids Fun activities, including this week’s Park Bingo!
Download the Bingo card (PDF) or collect your Park Bingo card at Scooter Girl Toys on Roncesvalles Avenue, and start your hunt. Cross off each bingo square with each find. Do it by yourself, or in a team. Challenge your parents or care-givers!
You can win prizes! Take photos of your completed Bingo card, and tag @SoraurenPark on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. There will be a weekly draw for free popcorn, redeemable at the concession stand at the Sorauren Park Outdoor Movies once they start up again (fingers crossed!), plus one grand prize at the end of the summer from Scooter Girl Toys, our Sorauren Summer Kids Fun sponsor.
You can also drop by the Friends of Sorauren Park table every Monday at the Farmers’ Market, 3 – 7 pm by the Town Square, for (physically distanced) activity tips.
Introducing Sorauren Summer Kids Fun! It’s a weekly series featuring a fun instructional video with self-guided activities you can do at home or at the park. You can also drop by the Friends of Sorauren Park table every Monday at the Farmers’ Market, 3 – 7 pm by the Town Square, for (physically distanced) activity tips.
The program is geared for kids aged 6 or under… or for all kids-at-heart.
And you can win prizes! Take photos of your Sorauren Summer Kids Fun creations and activities, and tag @SoraurenPark on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. There will be a weekly draw for free popcorn, redeemable at the concession stand at the Sorauren Park Outdoor Movies once they start up again (fingers crossed!), plus one grand prize at the end of the summer from Scooter Girl Toys, our Sorauren Summer Kids Fun sponsor.
Check SoraurenPark.com every Monday or our @SoraurenPark social media sites for each new activity.
The Dogs of Sorauren video series returns following a successful debut last year
The Friends of Sorauren Park are pleased to launch a second season of Dogs of Sorauren Park, part of the Sorauren Stories video series created last year during the pandemic.
The first profile features Pepsi and owner Elyse. The videos can be seen on SoraurenPark.com, on @SoraurenPark social media platforms, and on the Friends of Sorauren Park YouTube channel, where the entire Sorauren Stories video catalogue is available for your viewing pleasure.
Follow us to watch more videos over the summer. Many thanks to the owners, the pooches, and the Friends of Sorauren Park summer students, Dion Lynch and Amanda Vo, who are compiling the series and working on more exciting summer programs for the community.
Thanks also to our new Dogs of Sorauren Park season sponsor, Master Mechanic High Park. If you follow Master Mechanic, you’ll know why!
The City of Toronto says construction will start this month on the revitalization of Charles G. Williams Park across Wabash Avenue from Sorauren Park. The project has been in the works for several years; construction signs recently went up around the park.
The park will be closed during construction, which is expected to last till this fall. Design highlights include:
A new playground, new landscaping and new pathways
Screen shot showing option 5, the Angler, from City survey of design options. Visit toronto.ca/WabashCRC to take the survey and have your say.
The City has unveiled for public comment five site design options for the new Wabash Community Centre at Sorauren Park. From May 5 to May 31, you can complete the City’s survey seeking feedback on the five options. The City will also be holding a virtual public meeting May 11 at 6:30 pm via Zoom to review the design options. Take the survey or register online for the public meeting at the City’s Wabash Community Centre project page.
Because the programming plan, including a pool, requires more space than what is available at the site of the old Canada Linseed Mill property at 40 Wabash Avenue, all five design options have an impact on the park.
The board of directors of the non-profit Friends of Sorauren Park (FOSP) has voted to support option 5, called “the Angler” by the City’s design consultants, Diamond Schmitt Architects. While none of the options is perfect, No. 5 the Angler has many advantages in the opinion of FOSP, including:
least impact on the park, tucking the community centre along the back
preserves the Town Square and Fieldhouse, in which the City and community have invested more than $1 million and which are key elements of the park
the only design that preserves the full grassy slope facing the Town Square and creates an integrated hardscape/softscape community event space, enhancing the way the park is used for outdoor movies and performances (remember the Tragically Hip concert simulcast and Raptors playoff games?!)
preserves the popular (and growing) tree grove including the serviceberries near Wabash Avenue, and many other trees cared for by Adopt-a-Tree volunteers in 2014 and 2015
speaks to the reality of the rail corridor that cuts the park on an angle, and to the angled Robert Watson condo building north of the park, part of the neighbourhood vernacular
the fourth building block tucks neatly into the landscape of the park along the railway creating a “wedge” that becomes a clear focal point on the park side, and an entrance space on the rail corridor side, with the potential for a “great lobby” that invites community interaction
accommodates all the City-mandated community centre program plans
creates interesting roof space options
maintains the circular flow of the park and provides easy access to a planned future footbridge crossing the tracks and connecting the park to the West Toronto Railpath
retains and integrates the industrial heritage features of the linseed building
aligns with the preferred design principles already outlined by Friends of Sorauren Park and confirmed through FOSP-led community consultations and survey (1,200 responses)
“We’ve looked closely at the options, and while there are always site compromises in a constrained space, in the end there was little debate among the directors,” says Joël Campbell, chair of Friends of Sorauren Park. “Design option 5, the Angler, was the clear winner for us. We look forward to continuing the collaboration with the City and the design consultants as work progresses through the design process.”
That process is continuing through multiple stages, including the current survey and May 11 virtual public meeting. See more details on the City’s Wabash Community Centre project page; excerpt below. We encourage you to get involved.
Virtual Public Meeting
May 11, 2021
6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Attend the virtual public meeting to learn about the site design options and share your feedback.
The Farmers’ Market ran outdoors in the summer of 2020 under COVID-19 protocols.
Note: An earlier version of this article referenced a May 3 opening date. The Market will not open on May 3, and instead will open May 24.
The Sorauren Farmers’ Market is planning to open on Victoria Day, Monday, May 24, outdoors on the park’s Town Square. The Market’s normal outdoor schedule is 3 – 7 pm every Monday.
In normal years the Market moves from its winter home indoors at the Sorauren Fieldhouse to its outdoor home in the park in late May. Pandemic conditions prevented the winter market from opening this past season, replaced by the Farm Box program which has now wrapped up.
Follow Sorauren Farmers’ Market on social media for updates, or visit the Market website. The Market is produced by the Sorauren Farmers’ Market Association.
The rink is flooded every night at 9 pm by volunteer Sorauren Hosers, and weekend early mornings, when conditions allow.
February 5, 2021
Dear Friends of Sorauren Park, Neighbours of Roncesvalles, Parkdale, High Park, WDW, Junction, Bloor West & Brockton,
We are the Sorauren Park Hosers. A dedicated group of ice enthusiasts who love nothing more than to build a rink for everyone to enjoy. Our group floods the rink at Sorauren Park 9 times a week, logging in over 60hrs of volunteer work to keep the rink quality up and the ice surface safe. That is on top of the scores of hours needed to create over 3 inches of ice just to cover footprints.
The Hoser Crew loves seeing the community enjoy our hard work. This year it was even more important to us to build a usable rink to help offset all the shutdowns and restricted access to recreation due to COVID-19.
Unfortunately, those restrictions also affect our community supported, free-use natural ice rink. The City of Toronto has passed the responsibility of monitoring compliance of the safe use rules onto the Hoser Crew. We have been informed that By-Law officers may be following up to confirm those rules are being respected. Signs have been posted around the rink, but in case you missed them allow us to share them here:
NO SHINNY (provincial orders also prohibit practicing, no hockey sticks)
MAXIMUM 25 people
STAY 2 METRES APART except for members of your own household
WEAR A MASK
The one rule we all struggle with the most is “No Shinny”. There is nothing more enjoyable than an afternoon of Shinny with your friends and family. The Hoser Crew loves a good game too. Remember the 2019 Hoser Celebrity Shinny game? That was the most fun that we, as a collective team, have had together in the many years that we have been building this rink.
Over the last couple of days the Hoser Crew has been conversing on how to encourage the community to respect safe use of our hard work. Many of us have had to remind shinny players of the rules and have pointed to the signs outlining the City’s guidelines. Unfortunately, the shinny games continue and we now have to take some additional steps to prevent the potential for fines, rink shutdown or both.
This weekend the Hoser Crew will be redesigning the rink experience by creating snow islands in the middle of each of the two pads. These islands will create more of a skating trail to encourage physically distanced skating and discourage shinny. With the warmer weather Thursday and Friday this seems like the right time to rethink our COVID-era rink. The surface is in pretty bad shape and it will take at least 40 to 50 hrs. of labour Friday, Saturday and Sunday to get it back to where it was last weekend.
From the bottom of our Hoser hearts we thank you all for taking the time to read this message. We also thank you in advance for helping us out by respecting the rules of use. Let’s hope that next season we can all gather again around the rink with a fire, pizza, hot cocoa and enjoy a celebrity shinny game amongst this city’s greatest community!
Our patch of ice, maintained by volunteers with the support of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation. Photo by Oliver Vollmer.
If you missed the debut of our special anniversary documentary on Facebook Watch Party, fear not… you can watch the half-hour doc on YouTube any time you like.
25 Years of Community Building: The Story of Sorauren Park, captures great archival footage from the early 1990s when the community was fighting for the park. See interviews with advocates, then and now, talking about the early days and what the park has become. Other volunteers tell the story of the park and its role as a community hub, including through the pandemic.
Artists Leslie Norgate and Michael Gerry are featured on two episodes of Sorauren Stories: Artists of Sorauren
Sorauren Park’s 25th Anniversary video series, Sorauren Stories, continues this month with the release of Artists of Sorauren Park, two short episodes featuring painters Michael Gerry and Leslie Norgate.
Both local residents, Michael and Leslie have found inspiration in the people, nature, buildings and moods of Sorauren Park.
A City of Toronto video invites you to get involved in planning the new Wabash Community Centre at Sorauren Park
After a COVID delay the City of Toronto with its consultants and architects is starting community consultations for the new Wabash Community Centre at Sorauren Park.
The first event is a Virtual Town Hall on September 22 from 7 to 8 pm. Virtual small group discussions follow on September 28, and an online survey will run from September 14 to October 5. All details including registration information is posted on the City’s project page. Look under “Get Involved.”
Join Dakoda, Cedar and Jon for the Sorauren Park Virtual Tree Tour, a series of eight special short videos
Did you know Sorauren Park is home to one of the few surviving elm trees in Toronto? Do you know which tree in the park evolved to proliferate through a special relationship with mastodons? Do you know which park tree is a Great Tree of Peace for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy?
Expand your knowledge of the trees of Sorauren Park by taking the new Sorauren Park Virtual Tree Tour, hosted by our young interviewers Dakoda and Cedar, with special guest expert Jon Hayes of the High Park Nature Centre. The series highlights six special trees, with an introduction and conclusion, and is part of the 25th anniversary celebration of Sorauren Park.
Visit our new YouTube channel… new videos added regularly.
Since we can’t show movies in the park this year, the Friends of Sorauren Park are making our own movies, and bringing them to screens across the neighbourhood and around the world.
Sorauren Stories is our 2020 summer video program, starting with the ongoing Dogs of Sorauren Park series, a new People of Sorauren Park series, and the upcoming Trees of Sorauren Park and 25th Anniversary special. Videos will appear on all Friends of Sorauren Park social media platforms, and will also be compiled on our new YouTube channel, with closed-captioning.
For a summer like no other, the Friends of Sorauren Park have launched a fun new program to enjoy and learn about the park while keeping everyone safe. Sorauren Stories is a series of videos and video events about the park, its people and pets, its natural history, its human history, and its power to inspire.
The series is rolling out across Friends of Sorauren Park media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, our website and newsletter, with interactive elements in the park itself.
The Friends of Sorauren Park presented the results of its Wabash Community Centre survey and consultation process June 4 at FOSP’s first-ever webinar.
More than 100 people registered for the event which was also attended by Councillor Gord Perks and City staff.
FOSP chair Joël Campbell and directors Stephen Dorsey and Donna MacMullin walked participants through the survey results. (View the full presentation deck.) Almost 1,200 community members responded to the survey.
Over the years many local businesses have supported the programming, activities and projects that make Sorauren Park a treasured part of the community. They’ve done this with cash sponsorships or donations, in-kind donations of goods or services, or other types of support.
Now is our time to support them (even more!) to keep our community strong and ready for a return to normal, whatever the new normal looks like. Use our directory below to support our supporters, and check business status.
Councillor Gord Perks has released the final plans for the renovations of Charles G. Williams Park across the street from Sorauren Park, and they reflect many of the ideas put forward by the community and the Friends of Charles G. Williams Park.
Railpath extension includes provision for future bridge into Sorauren Park
The final design for the southward extension of the West Toronto Railpath continues to include a provision for a future bridge into Sorauren Park. A February 26 public meeting in a packed room at Museum of Contemporary Art showed the plans in maps and diagrams.
The old linseed mill at 40 Wabash Avenue, site of the future community centre
The City of Toronto has hired one of Canada’s best-known architecture firms to design the new Wabash Community Centre at Sorauren Park. Diamond Schmitt Architects was awarded the work after an open bid process. Councillor Gord Perks confirmed the news at the November meeting of Friends of Sorauren Park.
Sorauren Park 