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

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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.

Get Involved

TTP has a long history of public advocacy; as such, engagement is an important component of the VEP. The VEP presents 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 will include input from technical experts, the general public, community groups, Indigenous Rights-Holders, and the urban Indigenous community.

Upcoming engagement opportunities include:

• On site pop-up booth May 9 during the TTP Spring Bird Festival
• Public meeting at Ralph Thornton Community Centre, May 12  |  6:30 p.m. to 8:30pm
• Online engagement open until May 19

Join the TTP mailing list to receive project updates and notifications about engagement opportunities.

Questions? Email TTPVEP@trca.ca