logo
Construction begins on Innisfil's first fully accessible park

Construction begins on Innisfil's first fully accessible park

CTV News23-07-2025
Work is now underway on Margaretta Park, a new community space that will feature Innisfil's first fully accessible playground.
The park is being built in the Sleeping Lion subdivision, located north of 6th Line and east of 20th Sideroad. At 3.5 hectares, it will be one of the largest parks in town and easy to reach from surrounding roads.
Margaretta Park will include:
A fully inclusive playground with rubber surfacing
A splash pad
Multi-use trails
Parking and washrooms
Picnic areas, shade structures, and garbage bins
Naturalized green space with trees and plantings
The idea for an accessible park came from the Innisfil Accessibility Advisory Committee (IAAC), which has worked with the Town since 2016 to make public spaces more inclusive. While many parks now have features for children with different abilities, space and budget limits can make it hard to include equipment for wheelchair users at every site. To fix this, the IAAC proposed building one large 'Champion Park' with full wheelchair access.
In consultation with Town staff, the IAAC chose this central location to make it easier for people across Innisfil to visit. One highlight of the playground will be the We-Go-Swing, which allows wheelchair users to roll on and swing safely with others.
The park is named in honour of Margaretta Papp-Belayneh, a former chair of the IAAC whose dedication to accessibility helped inspire the project.
The Innisfil Beach Cruisers Car Club donated $12,000 toward the project.
Construction is expected to be finished by summer 2026.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Propane release event' temporarily stops operations at export terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C.
‘Propane release event' temporarily stops operations at export terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C.

CTV News

time7 minutes ago

  • CTV News

‘Propane release event' temporarily stops operations at export terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C.

The Ridley Island Propane Export Terminal in Prince Rupert, B.C., is seen in this photo from its operator's website. ( The Prince Rupert Port Authority says 'all terminal operations were suspended' on Ridley Island Wednesday morning due to a 'propane release event.' In a post on social media late Wednesday morning, the authority said the situation had 'stabilized' and terminal operations were 'in the process of resuming.' 'All safety and emergency protocols were followed, and no injuries were reported in relation to the event,' the post reads. Ridley Island is home to a propane export terminal operated by AltaGas, capable of shipping up to 1.2 million tonnes of propane overseas annually. CTV News has reached out to the company for more information about Wednesday's incident. This story will be updated if a response is received. The District of Port Edward, which borders Prince Rupert and the port, described the situation as a 'leak' in a statement on its website, saying that the leak 'is currently under control, and there is no risk to Port Edward at this time.' Images posted on social media showed a white cloud of propane gas gathered around the terminal.

Mystery Solved: Identity of military nurse in northern Ont. portrait found
Mystery Solved: Identity of military nurse in northern Ont. portrait found

CTV News

time7 minutes ago

  • CTV News

Mystery Solved: Identity of military nurse in northern Ont. portrait found

A long-unidentified portrait of a WWI nurse has been confirmed as Callander, Ont.'s Christena Clinton Gordon. Eric Taschner reports. For years, a portrait of a young woman in a Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service uniform puzzled historians and local experts in and around North Bay, Ont. The mystery has finally been resolved – the painting depicts Christena Clinton Gordon, a nurse from Callander, Ont., who served in Western Europe during the First World War, tending to wounded soldiers. 'Whether they're soldiers or nurses, they were people who dedicated their lives to serving our country,' said Natasha Wiatr, curator of the Callander Bay Heritage Museum. Natasha Wiatr Curator Natasha Wiatr reveals the identity of the subject of the mysterious painting found at at North Bay legion at the Callander Bay Heritage Museum on August 6, 2025. (Eric Taschner/CTV News Northern Ontario) A forgotten portrait resurfaces The painting once hung in the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #23 on First Avenue West in North Bay before being placed in storage. It was rediscovered in poor condition during a storage room cleanup in the early 2000s. Sandra Harkness Callander Bay Heritage Museum curator Natasha Wiatr (right) is shown with Sandra Harkness (left), First Vice-President of Royal Canadian Legion Branch #23 at the museum on August 6, 2025, during a press event to revealing the identity of long unknown nurse - the subject of a portait found at the legion. (Eric Taschner/CTV News Northern Ontario) 'We never really knew where it came from or how it got to our legion,' said Sandra Harkness, First Vice-President of the Legion. The only clue was a handwritten note on the back: 'Toronto, Canada, May 1917.' No signature or name accompanied it. Despite restoration efforts in Ottawa and inquiries with the Canadian War Museum, the woman's identity remained unknown – until a breakthrough in 2008. Christena Clinton Gordon A portrait painting of Christena Clinton Gordon, a nurse from Callander, Ont., who served the Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service during the First World War. Painting posed for in Toronto, Ont., in May 1917. The image show here is from June 2024 after it was restored in Ottawa, Ont. (Supplied/Callander Bay Heritage Museum) A curator's keen eye solves the mystery Carol Pretty, then-curator at the Callander Bay Heritage Museum, recognized the uniform in the portrait matched one in the museum's collection. Comparing historical photos, she confirmed the likeness to Christena Gordon. 'They look quite similar,' Wiatr said. Christena Clinton Gordon - comparison A photo of Christena Clinton Gordon, a nurse from Callander, Ont. is shown above an image of a painting from Royal Canadian Legion Branch #23 in North Bay, Ont., of a previously unknown WWI nurse. (Supplied/Callander Bay Heritage Museum) Gordon served in the Canadian Army Medical Corps from 1916 until the war's end, working in hospitals in England and France. After the war, she married Callander's reeve, Ken Morrison, in 1921. A heroine's legacy returns home The Legion chose to donate the portrait to the museum, where it now resides alongside Gordon's uniform and wartime photographs, preserving her story for future generations. Christena Clinton Gordon - Serving An undated photo of nurse Christena Clinton Gordon serving with the Canadian Army Medical Corps during WWI.(Supplied/Callander Bay Heritage Museum ) 'It's giving a voice and a name and a face to somebody who dedicated part of their life to serving our country overseas,' Wiatr said. 'We're able to give it a home.' Harkness agreed, adding, 'It's only natural that it should return home.' Public invited to honour Gordon's memory The Callander Bay Heritage Museum invites visitors to view the portrait and learn more about Gordon's life and contributions. The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

First Nations fishers hit the water as Fraser River sockeye return in big numbers
First Nations fishers hit the water as Fraser River sockeye return in big numbers

CTV News

time7 minutes ago

  • CTV News

First Nations fishers hit the water as Fraser River sockeye return in big numbers

Spawning sockeye salmon, a species of Pacific salmon, are seen making their way up the Adams River in Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park near Chase, B.C., Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward Sockeye salmon have sustained Indigenous people in British Columbia for thousands of years, but in recent decades, the abundance has not been what it once was. 'I would have 20 cases of sockeye for the winter. I would have 40 or 50 sockeye in the deep freeze,' said Bob Chamberlin, chair of the First Nations Wild Salmon Alliance. 'Now, I'm lucky if I make a case of fish last two years because it's so rare to get.' This year is shaping up to be the best in recent memory. So far, close to 750,000 Early Stuart sockeye have made their way past the Fraser River counting station at Mission. Those fish will travel 1,200 kilometres inland to their spawning grounds near Fort St James. The early numbers are more than ten times the 70,000 Early Stuart fish originally expected. In light of the stronger than anticipated return, some B.C. First Nations have the green light to harvest sockeye for food, social and cultural purposes. The fish will be distributed to their members who will smoke or can most of it. 'For nations across the province to have that kind of food source is incredible. Now the fun part is when the whole family gets together, strengthens the family ties, and works collectively on fish,' Chamberlin said. 'Its great. It's a lot of work but it's fun and it strengthens our communities and our nations.' Commercial operators would also like a chance to catch Fraser River sockeye for the first time in six years. 'We've had record test fishing for July, since records were kept on test fishing,' said Paul Kershaw, a commercial fisherman. According to Kershaw, who represents other commercial operators in meetings with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Pacific Salmon Commission, the latest estimates put the total Fraser River sockeye return at close to six million. He expects that estimate to increase even further in the coming days, but he doesn't think commercial fishers will be allowed to land any sockeye this summer. 'Well, unfortunately, they're still operating under a low-run scenario that they modeled in the wintertime,' he said of the DFO and the PSC, which is made up of commissioners from Canada and the United States. Conservationists are also watching this year's return closely. According to Greg Taylor, an advisor with Watershed Watch Salmon Society, sockeye returning to the Fraser River this year face an uncertain future. He told CTV News low water levels and high water temperatures could lead to increased mortality. 'There's estimates now this year, that somewhere between 30 and 50 per cent of returning fish could die enroute to their spawning grounds,' Taylor said. Along with the unexpected numbers, those are also factors the DFO and PSC will have to consider before deciding whether to allow the commercial fleet onto the water.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store