Request to Amend the 2021 Parks Forestry and Recreation Capital Budget for Commemorative Plaques in McCormick Park - by Councillor Ana Bailão, seconded by Councillor Frances Nunziata

Mary Virginia McCormick (1861-1941) was a daughter of the wealthy McCormick industrial family that founded McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, which became International Harvester. McCormick lived at the family's Oaklands estate (now De La Salle College) on Farnham Avenue from 1908 to 1924. A generous philanthropist, in 1910 McCormick provided the Toronto Playgrounds Association $25,000 that was used to build the City's largest supervised playground on the former site of the Grand National Rink on Brock Avenue. McCormick's gift also allowed for a new community recreation centre. The Grand National Rink, opened December 1896, was the largest open-air rink in Toronto. It hosted the Canadian Amateur Skating Association championships, and in 1902 Toronto speed skaters Frederick Robson and Lot Roe won titles here before becoming world record holders. It was the focus of an unsuccessful bid to build an arena for the team that became the Toronto Maple Leafs and was demolished in 1911. The new recreation centre Mary McCormick funded opened September 1912. It was the first recreation centre with a supervised children's playground on City of Toronto property. During the first 15 years, it was the largest recreation centre in Toronto, attracting 120,000 people a year until it closed in 1964 and was rebuilt as an indoor skating arena. The new building was where boxer Muhammad Ali refereed a junior boxing championship before his historic match against Toronto's George Chuvalo at Maple Leaf Gardens. The building was renamed the Mary McCormick Recreation Centre in January 2003. Authority from City Council is required to add a new capital sub-project for the commemorative plaques in McCormick Park to the 2021-2030 Council Approved Capital Budget and Plan for Parks, Forestry and Recreation, with a project cost and cash flow of $0.014 million in 2021. The commemorative plaques will be fully funded by various Section 42 Above 5 percent Cash-in-lieu generated from developments in proximity to McCormick Park. These funds have been received and are eligible for these purposes.

included in the chart below, for the purpose of commemorative plaques: Development Location Internal Order Account Amount 1636 Dundas Street West XR2213-4200032 $508.06 1636 Dundas Street West, Phase 2 XR2213-4200060 $597.67 1544 Dundas Street West XR2213-4200584 $6,606.55 267 Brock Avenue XR2213-4200599 $544.00 51 Florence Street (1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3) XR2213-4200972 $5,743.72 Total $14,000.00