Toronto is getting a massive heart-shaped pond this year along with 2 more waterfront projects

Toronto is getting a heart-shaped pond as part of a new downtown park — one of three waterfront development projects to be completed this year, officials say. 

Tim Kocur, executive director of the Waterfront BIA, said residents who live in the area of the aptly named Love Park, located at the northeast corner of York Street and Queens Quay West, are looking forward to its completion.

"This is a park that the neighbourhood is very excited about. It's going to be a massive heart-shaped pond and it has a love theme overall," Kocur told CBC Toronto on Thursday.

The park will have pathways, an off-leash area for dogs, and moveable furniture that the BIA will manage. Its central feature, however, will be the heart-shaped pond. The site was formerly the York-Bay-Yonge eastbound off-ramp of the Gardiner Expressway, which has been reclaimed for public use.

Construction of the park, which is two acres or 8,000 square metres, began in July 2021. 

The city's budget for the park is $15 million and the city's parks, forestry, and recreation division will maintain the park when it's finished. 

Two other waterfront project expected to be finished this year are Leslie Lookout Park, in which the city has invested $2.7 million, and the One Yonge Community Recreation Centre, in which the city has invested $19.1 million. 

Leslie Lookout Park will be located on the Martin Goodman Trail at the start of Tommy Thompson Park, near Leslie Street and Unwin Avenue, while the One Yonge Community Recreation Centre will be located at 1 Yonge Street at the base levels of a mixed-use high-rise development known as Pinnacle One Yonge.

"With all the development that has happened along the Queens Quay and the greater waterfront over the last few years, we typically end up with a new park every two to three years. We're very fortunate and we know that. And it benefits the businesses," Kocur said.

Kocur said the parks also benefit people from across the city in the form of new recreational opportunities.

On Thursday, Toronto Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie and Coun. Gary Crawford, the city's budget chief, announced that the city has allocated more than $160 million in its 2023 budget for waterfront development projects that are underway, nearing completion or planned over the next five years.

'We need to be investing in this area'

McKelvie said the population of the area is expected nearly to double in the next 20 years.

"We made the waterfront a beautiful place to live, work and visit and that work is continuing. The rising population of this area reflects that. We need to be investing in this area now in order to support that growth," McKelvie said.

Plans, in addition to the three projects to be completed this year, include:

• Ferries and shoreline infrastructure – The project involves the replacement of two ferries and electrical shoreline infrastructure at the ferry terminal. The city is investing $75.9 million over three years, including $12.3 million this year.
• Bathurst Quay Revitalization Projects – A new waterfront park is to be completed in 2024. The city is investing $8 million in its 2023 budget. 
• Rees Street Park –The park is expected to be completed in 2026. The city is investing $19.2 million in total, with $2.5 million invested this year.
• East Bayfront Community Recreation Centre – The centre is expected to be completed in 2025. The city is investing $25 million in total over the next three years, with $1.3 million being invested this year.
• Shoreline improvements – The project involves the rehabilitation of shoreline infrastructure for the high lake effect flooding and windstorm projects. The city is investing $22.8 million this year across the waterfront.