Toronto – The Government of Canada committed to providing $25 million to the City of Toronto towards the new Lawrence Heights Community Recreation & Child Care Centre – one of the City’s largest community and recreation centres at 72,000 square feet and serving more than 48,000 residents. The new facility is part of TCHC’s Lawrence Heights Revitalization project, which includes replacing 1,208 TCHC units, building more than 4,000 new market units, along with new parks, retail space and roads connecting Lawrence Heights to the surrounding community.
This commitment comes from the federal government’s Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program and offsets part of the $128 million Toronto City Council has budgeted for the centre’s construction and design. Additionally, the City has budgeted $13 million for the new child care centre.
Proposed building and design features
The facility will feature state-of-the-art amenities and target Net Zero emissions with its building design.
Some of the proposed community recreation facility features include:
- A six-lane, 25-metre pool and leisure pool
- A double gymnasium with a raised track
- Fitness, dance and aerobic studios, as well as weight and conditioning rooms
- Multi-purpose rooms, a community kitchen and a social services office
- Indigenous Placekeeping elements
The new child care centre will have 88 spaces including 10 infant spaces, 30 toddler spaces and 48 pre-school spaces. Some of the features of the child care facility include:
- Laundry room and toy washing station
- Kitchen
- Parent/staff resource room
- Universal washrooms
- Stroller storage space
- Playrooms for infants, toddlers and preschool kids
The existing community centre will remain open until the new facility is built and operational.
The existing Lawrence Heights Community Centre has been an important gathering place for residents and the surrounding community since the mid-sixties. To ensure it continues to be a welcoming and inclusive space for all, the new facility is being designed with the community through an extensive public engagement and consultation process. This work began in 2022 and includes participation from Indigenous communities and Rights Holders, youth, seniors, families, people with special needs, Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) residents and racialized community members. Phase two of community engagement will begin later this month and will focus on sharing draft design options to the local community for feedback. More information about the new Lawrence Heights Community Recreation & Child Care Centre is available on the City’s website.
“This is a wonderful example of how Federal and Municipal governments can come together and work towards creating better communities and recreational opportunities that are so important to the health and wellbeing of our residents. We would like to thank the Federal government for their significant funding which will go towards building a beautiful community recreation and child care centre that will serve generations to come.” – Mayor Olivia Chow