Leslie Lookout: Toronto’s newest park is officially open

Toronto’s newest park is officially open.

On Saturday, Mayor Olivia Chow and other city officials were on hand to celebrate the opening of Leslie Lookout Park, which is located on the Martin Goodman Trail near the entrance to Tommy Thompson Park.

Mayor Olivia Chow and other officials attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of Leslie Lookout Park on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (CP24)

The City of Toronto said the park has an artificial public beach and a 1.9-acre open space at 12 Leslie St., which connects the public to the water’s edge with views of the entire length of the Shipping Channel.

The park also touts a “unique lookout” experience with a west-facing view of the downtown core and a 360-degree view of the Port Lands.

Both Chow and Toronto-Danforth Coun. Paula Fletcher described the park as an “oasis in the middle of an industrial area.”

“Leslie Lookout Park, where you could come and look at the sunset and the skyline. Kids and young at heart can play in the sand and maybe have a little picnic here. There’ll be events throughout the year, both art and play,” the mayor said on Saturday.

“And this used to be an old industrial wasteland, like terrible looking spot, and look at it now. So just very grateful today to open this beautiful park.”

The lookout tower at Leslie Lookout Park during the opening of the public space on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (CP24)

According to the city, Leslie Lookout is the first park in Toronto that uses porous asphalt to filter water and does not need to rely on the stormwater system.

The park also boasts a Miyawaki-inspired mini forest with 5,000 plants representing 45 species including 2,470 trees, 2,473 shrubs, and 1,260 forbs and grasses and a 13.5-metre-tall lookout tower.

It has 25 Muskoka-style chairs on the beach, stadium seating leading up to the lookout tower, benches, and picnic tables. There are also 50 spots for cyclists to lock their bikes as well as Indigenous placemaking elements, with the lookout tower having openings to the sky and the four cardinal directions.

The city said Leslie Lookout Park, which was developed by CreateTO, is designed to be a multi-use community destination in the east end and will also offer opportunities for year-round programming, including pop-up events, concerts and public art.

Leslie Lookout Park’s artificial beach pictured on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024. (CP24)

“It is just a magnificent place. You can see the overview of the city,” Chow said.

Fletcher added: “I believe firmly that in the middle of industrial areas, you should also have beautiful spaces, and this is one of them.”

The park is the first major public space to open in the Port Lands, which is undergoing a significant revitalization as part of a billion-dollar flood protection project.