After investigating four potential sites, the City will be installing a new dogs off-leash area in the western portion of Underpass Park which is bounded by St. Lawrence Street, Eastern Avenue and the Eastern Avenue Diversion.
The CDNA communicates with relevant City staff to get updates and to provide community perspectives on the project.
Why It’s Important
There are no other off-leash areas in Canary District. The nearest one is the Orphan Green Dog Park on Power Street at Richmond, a 15-minute walk away.
The Story
A previous, very small off-leash area in the northeast end of Corktown Common was removed due to major work being done in the area by Enbridge, the energy company. Dog owners began using the east berm of Corktown Common as an unofficial off-leash area, resulting in conflicts with other park users. The City considered several alternative locations to install the fencing and landscaping needed for a proper off-leash area, and chose the western end of Underpass Park as the best option.
While originally planned to open in two phases, City staff have determined that the most efficient method is to do the park in a single phase, which will allow it to open in 2026 rather than 2028 as originally planned. The new DOLA will have artificial turf, a fence and gates, and a water filling station.
Construction will begin after some rehabilitation work on the Eastern/Adelaide overpass is complete in summer 2025, and is now planned to be finished by spring 2026.
What You Can Do
- Read about the project here on the City of Toronto website.
- Talk to your neighbours about it.
- Stay in touch with us for updates.