Tommy Thompson Park Visitor Experience Plan (VEP)
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The City of Toronto and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority are working together on a Visitor Experience Plan to study ways to improve how people experience and connect with nature at Tommy Thompson Park.
Tommy Thompson Park (TTP) is a unique urban wilderness located minutes from downtown Toronto on a constructed landform, known as the Leslie Street Spit, which extends five kilometres into Lake Ontario and is over 500 hectares in size.
It is one of the largest natural habitat areas on the Toronto waterfront and includes wildflower meadows, cottonwood forests, coastal marshes, cobble beaches, and sand dunes.
See the Resources page for our “TTP Talks” webinar series videos, a bird checklist for the park, and frequently asked questions.
The Visitor Experience Plan (VEP) will identify and prioritize operational and physical changes to TTP to manage a growing number of visitors to the park, improve the user experience, reduce conflicts, and protect natural habitats.
About the Project
The creation of the VEP was directed by Toronto City Council in 2021 (the Council report is online here) and background work to inform the project started in 2025.
Creation of the VEP presents an opportunity to both retain and deepen relationships with existing users and nurture and welcome newer emerging audiences, while maintaining ecological integrity and the restorative qualities that make TTP special.
What Will the VEP Do?
The VEP will be a framework to guide how people will enjoy, navigate, and connect with TTP while protecting its natural and cultural features. It will consider the environment, activities, interactions, learning opportunities, comfort, and access, and identify priorities and projects that balance recreation, conservation, and visitor needs to create meaningful, welcoming experiences for all.
The VEP IS a study to identify projects and priorities that will improve visitor experience at TTP in a way that aligns with, and further realizes, the 1992 Revised Master Plan. It will focus on low-impact, light-touch interventions to:
- Address existing issues emerging from user conflicts;
- Put TTP in the strongest position possible to handle anticipated future increases in use due to nearby intensification and redevelopment.
The VEP IS NOT an update to the Revised Master Plan nor an invitation to suggest major changes to the physical or operational priorities of the park. As such, the VEP recommendations:
- Will ensure free access is maintained
- Will maintain the ban on pets
- Will not contemplate new buildings or servicing infrastructure south of the Nature Centre
Study Area
The study area for the VEP, shown in the map above, covers the entirety of the Leslie Street Spit, including lands currently owned by the Province of Ontario and leased to Ports Toronto.
Part of the VEP will be a phasing strategy for both short-term (within five years, 2027-2031) and long term (greater than five years, 2032+) priorities.
Implementation can occur on lands currently owned and operated by the City of Toronto, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), and CreateTO in both the short and long term.
The Tommy Thompson Park Master Plan established that provincial lands are to be transferred into TRCA ownership when Toronto Ports Authority exits its lease. As such, recommendations related to implementation of changes to the provincially owned lands will be prioritized for once these lands are under TRCA ownership.
Project Timeline
Public Consultation
TTP has a long history of public advocacy; public engagement and consultation is an important component of the VEP.
The VEP has presented an opportunity to:
- Retain and deepen relationships with park users, and
- Identify, understand, and help resolve potential conflicts between user groups to improve the overall park experience.
The VEP development has included input from:
- Technical experts
- The general public and community groups
- First Nations Rights Holders, and the Urban Indigenous community
The engagement process to date has focused on understanding what is working well and not working well about TTP visitor experience today, and opportunities to consider when developing the VEP.
Consultation efforts to date have included:
Phase 1 – Early Outreach
Early outreach took place from October 2025 to March 2026 to help guide Public Consultation .
- On-site pop-ups events at Tommy Thompson Park to gather feedback on TTP user likes, dislikes, and opportunities (October 12 and 15, 2025).
- Key informant interviews to get insights from key voices to inform the design and delivery of the engagement process.
- Indigenous pre-engagement where First Nations Rights Holders and Urban Indigenous community groups were contacted to introduce the VEP and to gauge interest in further engagement with the project. (July to December 2025).
Phase 2 – Consultation Round 1
The first round of public consultation to gather feedback on TTP Visitor Experience and desired conditions.
- Community Advisory Group Meeting #1 to provide key community groups with an orientation to the project and to gather early insight into likes, dislikes, and opportunities (April 7, 2026).
- Online Survey #1 to gather feedback from the general public on desired Visitor Experience conditions.
- Community Advisory Group Meeting #2 to introduce the Phase 1 findings and to gather feedback from key community groups on desired Visitor Experience conditions (April 28, 2026).
- Pop-Up at Spring Bird Festival to advertise the Online Survey and upcoming Public Meeting #1, and gather feedback on TTP user likes, dislikes, and opportunities (May 9, 2026).
- Presentations to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee (May 4, 2026) and the Toronto Seniors’ Forum (June 15, 2026).
- Public Meeting #1 to introduce the Phase 1 findings and gather in-person feedback from the general public on desired Visitor Experience conditions (May 12, 2026).
Indigenous Engagement
Indigenous engagement events were held in 2026 to gather feedback from interested First Nations Rights Holders and Urban Indigenous community groups on current and future use of TTP to be incorporated into the Park via the VEP.
- Meeting with Six Nations Lands and Resources (May 7, 2026)
- Urban Indigenous Community Sharing Meeting (May 13, 2026)
More Details
For more details on the TTP VEP’s Public Consultation, please see:
Additional Public Consultation materials:
Tommy Thompson Park hosts its annual Spring Bird Festival on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Next Steps
Draft recommendations and other elements from the Tommy Thompson Park: Draft Visitor Experience Plan will be evaluated and further refined through public engagement planned for Fall 2026.
Upcoming engagement opportunities this Fall include:
- Public Meeting #2 (in-person)
- Online Survey #2
Stay tuned for more details about upcoming engagement opportunities by joining the TTP direct mailing list to receive project updates and notifications about engagement opportunities.
For questions email TTPVEP@trca.ca