A ceremony will be held on Sunday honouring former city councillor Jaye Robinson with a park in her name.
Council unanimously voted in April to rename a parcel of land in Lawrence Park Ravine after Robinson, who passed away on May 16, 2024, at the age of 61 following a battle with cancer.
The newly named Jaye Robinson Park, a 2.5-hectare space located within the ravine at the intersection of Yonge Street and Lawrence Avenue East, contains a playground, a shade structure, outdoor fitness equipment and several picnic tables and benches, and was chosen in consultation with the Robinson family.
Don Valley West is home to over 70 parks with some of the densest tree canopy in the city, and Robinson played a crucial role in expanding Toronto’s tree canopy and revitalizing parks.
“Parks were not just green spaces to Jaye — they were places of connection, celebration, and community. She believed in building a city where people could gather, play, and thrive,” Mayor Olivia Chow said in a statement.
Robinson represented Ward 15 – Don Valley West for 14 years, holding several key leadership positions at City Hall during that time, including TTC Chair and Chair of the Public Works & Infrastructure Committee. Before running for councillor, she served as the city’s director of special events, becoming the driving force behind programs like Summerlicious, Winterlicious and Nuit Blanche.
Robinson was diagnosed with two forms of breast cancer in 2019, forcing her into a part-time role. She resumed her council duties in November 2020 after undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatments.
At the time of her death, Robinson was the Mayoral Designate to the Toronto Hydro Board as well as serving as Vice-Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee and on the Board of Directors for the Art Gallery of Ontario and Toronto Symphony Orchestra. She was also named to a special role leading preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Toronto.
Rachel Chernos Lin, a former trustee and chair of the Toronto District School Board, won a byelection in Ward 15 – Don Valley West last November to fill the vacancy at City Hall left by Robinson’s death.
