Stakeholder Survey: Large Parks in the Golden Horseshoe
The Green Infrastructure Ontario (GIO) Coalition, in partnership with the Greenbelt Foundation, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is seeking input from people involved in park planning to inform work about large parks in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The goal of the collaborative Large Parks project is to build on our previous research, published in the 2019 report, “State of Large Parks in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe” (https://bit.ly/3xTeqpN), to dig deeper on issues related to large parks planning, access, equity, and implementation.

For this new study, we have defined “large parks” as parks that are 20 ha or larger in size, include a significant amount of natural vegetation, and allow for an immersive experience in nature.

If you are involved in park planning, we want to hear from you! If you work for a municipality,  regional government, a conservation authority or have otherwise been involved in the park planning process, please share your thoughts by responding to this survey.

Even if you have not been involved in planning large parks, but have been involved in parks planning, we still want to hear from you. If a question is not relevant to you, given your past or present work experiences, please skip it.

We anticipate the survey should take 30-45 minutes to complete. Thank you for your time and for sharing your critical knowledge with us!
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1. What organization do you represent? *
2. Have you been involved in planning any large parks through your work with your organization?
Clear selection
3. Is your organization currently planning to increase the amount of large parkland that serves the local population in the next 10 years (either as the lead organization or in collaboration with other organizations)?
Clear selection
4. If you answered “yes” to question 3, how many large parks do you plan on establishing in the next 10 years?
5. If you answered “yes” to question 3, approximately how many hectares will these parks comprise?
6. If you answered “yes” to question 3, what needs have influenced this decision?
5 - Very important
4
3 - Somewhat important
2
1 - Least important
Recreational needs of residents
Mental or physical health needs of residents
Environmental protection/biodiversity
Climate change mitigation / hazard lands
Indigeneous cultural/spiritual significance (or efforts to advance reconciliation)
Natural or cultural heritage protection / conservation
Equitable access to nature
Economic development purposes
Other
Clear selection
7. Are there any proposed large parks in the plans within your jurisdiction (for example, municipal capital programs and master plans, provincial plans) that will likely not be implemented? If so, can you name the park(s)?
8. Are there any large parks that are being planned in your jurisdiction that have not been documented in municipal plans/provincial plans? If so, can you name the park(s) and/or location?
9. Please provide examples of parks that you consider to be (or to include) “immersive” natural areas, either in your jurisdiction or elsewhere.
10. In your opinion, what attributes make a park an "immersive" natural area (e.g. high levels of vegetation, diversity of species, low noise levels, noticeable wildlife, etc.)?
11. Please name any significant linear parks within your jurisdiction. For example, the Meadoway in Scarborough would be considered a significant linear park, so if there are similar parks in your jurisdiction please write them below. Do not include ravine systems as examples.
12. What are the key planning tools and factors that guide decisions about the establishment of large parks in your jurisdiction? (please answer regardless of plans to establish new large parks in next ten years; check all that apply)
13. What are the key barriers you encounter to large park planning and dedication? Please rank each of these barriers on a scale from 1 to 5.
1 - Very small barrier
2
3 - Notable barrier
4
5 - Very significant varrier
N/A
Land availability
Competing priorities and visions of land use (e.g. development versus parkland expansion)
High capital costs for park creation
Concerns about long term park operating costs
Soil contamination or other remediation measures
Limited availability of in-house expertise to plan for large parks
Time and capacity needed to develop large parks plans
Coordinating and engaging across multiple organizations/jurisdictions
Insufficient support from local elected officials
Insufficient support from provincial leaders
Not a priority for local constituents
Clear selection
14. Have you identified areas and populations that are most underserved by large parks in your jurisdiction?
Clear selection
15. If you answered “yes” to the previous question, does your organization have a program or plan to increase accessibility for new parks for these areas and populations?
Clear selection
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