City parks throws shade at efforts to rename Caledonia Park

Toronrosun.com
January 9, 2019
Bryan Passifiume

Swing and a miss?

Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation manager isn’t supporting a community effort to rename Caledonia Park -- a floodlit baseball diamond, volleyball court and cricket pitch at Caledonia Rd and Lawrence Ave. W. -- to “Santo Domingo Park.”

In a report set to be presented at Wednesday’s North York Community Council meeting, Janie Romoff, general manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation, said changing the name of Caledonia Park would be ‘controversial.’

“Parks, Forestry and Recreation does not support the renaming of Caledonia Park to Santo Domingo Park based on the lack of community support,” the report states.

Public consultations on renaming the park began in December 2018.

The name change proposal came from members of the community intending to pay tribute to the contributions made by citizens of the Dominican Republic to the sport of baseball.

Santo Domingo is the Caribbean nation’s capital and largest city.

Instead of renaming the entire park, the report suggests just renaming the park’s baseball diamond, a move it says would “provide an opportunity to recognize Dominican baseball and be acceptable to the applicant and the Dominican community.”

If approved Wednesday, city council would have final say at a later date.