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We won an Award of Excellence from the International Downtown Association. The community celebrated on May 17 2019.

This Award means a lot to us because the IDA values collaboration, which is what we are all about.

This was the only project given an Award of Excellence for improvements to public space, from the IDA, in Canada for 2018

The DRPG features heritage recognition, green street gardening, community welcoming, pollinator habitat development, and visual arts. It acts as a living dedication of renewed relations between our community and Toronto’s Indigenous peoples.

Where we are: 2201 Dundas Street West, at Roncesvalles Ave.

At this time, copies of the plaque for the IDA Award were given to the City, and to the Roncesvalles Village BIA. Sacred sage was share-planted with members of the Mississaugas of the Credit. Grade 7 students of Fern School who planted the bounty of tulips with our Tulips for Peace and Justice program, will energize the event, and take our thanks.

Architect, Mary Tremain, who worked so well with our community, the civic officials who gave above and beyond to help bring the project to life, the multiple community partners who dug in with many gifts, and some of the artists whose works continually give definition and identity to this small park with a big impact, were recognized and thanked.

Contacts:

manager@roncesvallesvillage.ca

Abby Bushby, Friends of the DRPG 647.720.2030 abushby.DRPG@gmail.com  

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PAST ACTIVITIES:

April 23 and April 26 2018

"Water, Earth, and Poems of Reconciliation" 

  FIRST: Shelba Deer of Sheguiandah First Nation, shares water teachings and leads in the planting of sacred tobacco. We will follow its growth all summer. 

HIGHLIGHT: Chief R. Stacey Laforme of Mississuagas of the New Credit First Nation reads from his new book "Living in the Tall Grass" at High Park Library. 

 in collaboration with High Park Library, Roncesvalles United Church, Roncesvalles Village BIA, Another Story Bookstore   

 ....

TULIPS FOR PEACE & JUSTICE, SPRING 2022: We are on watch for this spring’s flourish of the international flower of peace. Keep an eye on the Peace Garden beds for a bevy of colourful tulips.

................................................... THIS GARDEN...

  • wecomes people to Roncesvalles Village

  • is designated on the Moccasin Identifier project of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation to mark it as a place of significant heritage

  • features a beautiful landscape design by PLANT Architect

  • acts as a meeting place for the community

  • provides greenery, shade, and tranquility, in what was previously a barren location

  • displays local, native species of plants and trees

  • celebrates the rich history of Dundas Street, its origins as an indigenous trail and rise to prominence during the Battle of York 1813

  • is part of the War of 1812 Bicentennial Peace Garden Trail Network

  • presents the Peace Path: the first permanent, joint, community arts project between a Toronto community and the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, who made treaties for the land of Toronto beginning in 1787

  • features the first indigenous artwork on a traffic signal box on Toronto streets

  • hosts a plaque with a QR code portal that acts as a hub for access to heritage and other social media content of community partners

The Dundas Roncesvalles Peace Garden turns a barren jut of concrete, at the intersection of Dundas Street West and Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto, into a new public space of repose under native trees. Peace, not war, is celebrated here, through justice and reconciliation events, artistic and heritage expressions. 

" Sharing heritage, we find one humanity"

ACKNOWLEDGING THE LAND AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

We acknowledge that this Peace Garden lies on the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and on the traditional lands of the Mississauga Anishnaabeg, Petun, Haudenosaunee,  Metis, and Wendat Indigenous peoples.  There are many untold stories set on this land we call Toronto, with the people who have lived here for thousands of years. We recognize our need to learn more. In our neighbourhood, the search to better understand our living history of Indigenous habitation, loss, and dispossession, and to share love of the earth, is growing here.

This Peace Garden is dedicated to seeking better relationships between our peoples, and with the land, which desperately needs healing.  Our intentions are embedded in this little plot of living plants and trees, with public arts, in a restful, revitalized public space.  

FRIENDS OF THE DUNDAS RONCESVALLES PEACE GARDEN

Friends of the Dundas Roncesvalles Peace Garden began as a grassroots project called the Dundas Roncesvalles Peace Garden Group. We initiated the development of this site and drew community organizations and volunteers together in co-operative efforts to create a community project reflective of our wide range of interests and possibilities. We researched the stories of the land, reached out to necessary partners, advocated for development, conducted public meetings and community design workshops, lobbied for funding, designed and co-ordinated the engraved Peace Path pavers project, consulted on landscape design, published DRPG News, created and maintained a whole community identity that no entity could make happen without the collaboration of us all. We are all volunteers.

THE FRIENDS...

Roncesvalles Village Business Improvement Area manages the DRPG grounds, in co-operation with volunteers. Roncesvalles is a thriving and welcoming street because of its progressive vision. The RVBIA helped with advocacy, planning and contributed financially to the landscape design, the plaque, and to the Peace Path artworks. 

Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation designates the Peace Garden as a place of heritage and continuing interest, with  the Moccasin Identifier project. In recent years, this First Nation gave guidance and consulted for the recognition of First Nation interests, contributed to the landscape design, to the Peace Path artworks, to historical research and to the development of the plaque, which it co-funded. 

Horticultural Societies of Parkdale & Toronto provides ongoing community garden support. "The Hort" gave guidance on the plants and trees selection and supported the Peace Path design workshops. 

Roncesvalles-Macdonell Residents’ Association  encourages beautification projects in the local community. It was the organizational umbrella in the planning and advocacy phase of the Dundas Roncesvalles Peace Garden Group. 

Roncesvalles Village Historical Society combined with the Parkdale Village Historical Society in 2016 to create the Sunnyside Historical Society. It contributed to the historical research, hosted public forums for heritage presentations and supported the Peace Path design workshops. 

Toronto Public Space Initiative designed public participation surveys and a community design workshop to help define the public interests for the DRPG.

Romero House celebrates 25 years of assisting asylum seekers in Toronto in 2016. It offered meeting space and opportunities for refugees to participate in the Peace Path design workshops. 

Bishop Marrocco / Thomas Merton Secondary School (TCDSB) provided meeting space and facilities for Peace Path design workshops. Many of the young artists were students of the School.

RoncyWorks collaborates with Friends of Dundas Roncesvalles Peace Garden to tend the garden beds and keep the Peace Path clean. RoncyWorks’ volunteers maintain the curbside gardens along the length of Roncesvalles Avenue. They greatly appreciate everyone’s efforts to keep the sidewalks and gardens litter free and beautiful.

The City of Toronto through its BIA office and Economic Development & Culture programs, shared research, provided funding for design and for public consultation. Through the Beautiful Streets Program, Public Realm Section, Transportation Services, it provided funding and construction management. Through the "Outside the Box", StreetARToronto program, it funded artwork. 

Councillor Gord Perks, City of Toronto, Ward 14, gave guidance, facilitated access to City programs and services and consistently followed through on promises of support. 

THE GRAND OPENING: SATURDAY JUNE 11th, 2016

OPENING CEREMONY:  Co-officiated with the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation,  and the Friends of Dundas Roncesvalles Peace Garden. Councillor Gord Perks is Master of Ceremonies

  •  Acknowledgement of the Land

  • Community Partners are named and thanked

  • Greetings from the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation: Band Councillor Cathie Jamieson highlights contributions from her First Nation

  • Greetings from Roncesvalles Village Business Improvement Area: Len McAuley, Chair, highlights BIA contributions. Extends thanks to: John Bowker, former BIA Chair and Beautification Committee;                  Antonella Nicaso, BIA Office, Economic Development and Culture; Randy McLean, Manager Beautiful Streets Program, Transportation Services

  • Mary Tremain, PLANT Architect, is thanked for landscape design

  • Heritage highlights and designation of the Peace Garden for the Moccasin Identifier Project: Abby Bushby and Band Councillor Erma Ferrell

  • Featuring of Luminato’s “Trove” image:  Veronica Feihl, Manager RVBIA

  • Presentation of Toronto’s first indigenous artwork on a signal box:  Aura (Monique Bedard)

  • Presentation of The Peace Path, The first cooperative, community arts project between a Toronto group and the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation:  All participating artists identified and invited to later guide visitors through the designed pavers

  • Unveiling of the heritage plaque:  Len McAuley and Cathie Jamieson

  • Thanks to audience, invitation to enjoy the first performances of Indigenous Music to be played on streets, trails or paths in more than 200 years, at Ritchie Avenue and Roncesvalles, and to Roncy Rocks along the length of Roncesvalles: Gord Perks 

  INDIGENOUS MUSIC STAGE: On the street at Ritchie Avenue and Roncesvalles

  • Elder Garry Sault, and Special Guest Chief Stacey LaForme of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation – Welcoming, story-telling

  • Métis Fiddler Quartet – High spirited Métis music on violin, viola, guitar, cello and song

  • Marc Meriläinen (Nadjiwan) – Rock music inspired by untamed northern Manitoba landscape. Smoking hot rock             with the heartbeat of a community

  • Métis music workshop

  • Manitou Mkwa - Singers and hand drumming family group from Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, devoted to support for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

  • Cheri Maracle – original jazz fueled music, infused with Mohawk heritage. Smooth, sultry, smokey vocals

  • Donna’s Boy – Blues/Rock band with harmonica, guitar, fiddle, pulses with Mi’kmaq roots. Dancing in the street is welcome

“Welcome — Aanii”

”Meet me at the Peace Garden — Kweshkoshin bekaadoziwin tigaaning”