Little Norway Park is a small park in the Harbourfront area of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada, at the southwest corner of Bathurst Street and Queens Quay West. The park is just north of the Western Channel into

Toronto Harbour Toronto Harbour or Toronto Bay is a bay on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a natural harbour, protected from Lake Ontario waves by the Toronto Islands. Today, the harbour is used primarily for recreational b ...

.Aerial view of the Western Channel and Billy Bishop airport
Retrieved October 9, 2012. It was opened in 1986.

History

The park's name commemorates

Little Norway Little Norway ( no, Lille Norge), officially (FTL, "Air Force Training Camp"), was a Norwegian Army Air Service/Royal Norwegian Air Force training camp in southern Ontario during the Second World War. Origins When Nazi Germany attacked Norway o ...

, the

exiled ''Exiled'' () is a 2006 Hong Kong action drama film produced and directed by Johnnie To, and starring Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Nick Cheung, Josie Ho, Roy Cheung and Lam Suet, with special appearances by Richie Jen and Simon Yam. The action ...

Royal Norwegian Air Force training base that had occupied the site during the Second World War. In 1976, a 3,000 pound boulder from Norway was transported to the location as a permanent monument to that time. It was unveiled by

Crown Prince Harald of Norway Harald V ( no, Harald den femte, ; born 21 February 1937) is King of Norway. He acceded to the throne on 17 January 1991. Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the lin ...

on September 18, 1976. The base's location was cleared and, in the 1980s, an apartment complex was built along the western side. The rest of the former base was converted into a park and opened in 1986. The park was officially dedicated as Little Norway Park on November 20, 1987, in a ceremony with

King Olav V Olav V (; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was the King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was the only child of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales. He became heir apparent to the Nor ...

of Norway.

Operations

Park facilities include a

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

diamond and soccer pitch, a playground and wading pool, public washrooms, landscaped gardens and art installations. It also has a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

-accessible children's playground in its northwest corner. There is a

totem pole Totem poles ( hai, gyáaʼaang) are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually ...

in the park near Queens Quay West. A flagpole has a plaque at its base explaining the significance of the park and its history. The park is also a meeting and protest site in downtown Toronto. In 2007, aboriginal peoples gathered at Little Norway Park to protest about broken treaties. City plans to create an "off-leash" area or

dog park A dog park is a park for dogs to exercise and play off-leash in a controlled environment under the supervision of their owners. Description Dog parks have varying features, although they typically offer a 4' to 6' fence, separate double-gated ...

there in 2009 created some controversy, with residents complaining of the lack of notice or consultation and the proximity to children playing, and pointing out that there is another dog park 400 metres away.
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References

External links

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Little Norway Park community group
{{Parks and squares in Toronto Parks in Toronto Harbourfront, Toronto 1986 establishments in Ontario