Abomination for a nation

Queen’s Park North, as you might expect, is immediately north of the Ontario Legislature. I live a fifteen-minute walk away and regard this oval-shaped haven as sacred ground. I revel in its splendour several times a week. The Weston family has donated $50 million toward its revitalization, a word that gives me the willies.
This historic place, opened in 1860 in honour of Queen Victoria, was the first municipal park in Canada. There’s an equestrian statue of her son, Edward VII, on a giant pedestal. Part of my pleasure when I visit comes from viewing Bertie, as he was known, while I’m seated on the benches that encircle his site.
I always find much else to admire like the lively passage of students from nearby University of Toronto as they move along the wide walkways to their next class.
Often there are more unusual activities to behold. Maybe a group doing some form of yoga in quiet unison or a lone man conducting a series of poses with a sword in his hands.
In an open grassy area there’s a statue of Canadian poet Al Purdy. The people’s poet, as he’s called, is one of the few statues of a poet anywhere in Canada. The only other poet I know who has been thus honoured is Robert Burns. He has two statues, one in Montreal’s Dorchester Square, the other in Vancouver’s Stanley Park.
What’s the City of Toronto planning to install next year using the newly announced $50 million? New buildings, educational activities, a skating rink, wading pool, washrooms, food outlets, flower beds and performances. That much construction will surely fill all the green space and endanger the roots of the ancient trees.
The City of Toronto and the TTC have already besmirched the north end of the park by digging out an unnecessarily large entrance to the Museum subway station. Included in this abomination are about forty wide steps. There’s no elevator for the elderly or the handicapped. And because these steps are exposed to the elements, in winter they can become hazardous for people of all shapes and sizes.
Given this ugly orifice designed by the city, please don’t let those same screwball planners have their way with the entire park. The Weston money would be far better spent creating parks and playgrounds in those areas of Toronto where they are sorely needed.