The Pilot Project

This pilot study is a joint project between Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) to develop an advanced understanding of the human uses and attitudes toward Toronto’s Leslie Street Spit, one of Canada’s most celebrated “urban wilderness” landscapes.  The pilot project was launched as a foundation for a more extensive, multi-year project.

This pilot project conducts a multi-disciplinary study of human visitors to Tommy Thompson Park (located on the Leslie Street Spit), with a view to developing a preliminary understanding of park user demographics, types of park use, uses of the park that do not conform with park rules, and conflicting uses of the park.  The pilot project employs in situ interviews with park visitors and motion-sensitive cameras as data collection techniques.  This report profiles the key research findings associated with the park user interviews.

The need for this research was first identified by TRCA Coordinator Jennifer Smith, in response to ongoing concerns about evolving uses of the Leslie Street Spit and the need to ensure that planning and management approaches are informed by meaningful understanding of the contemporary circumstances. 

Core team members of the pilot project include FES Professors Jennifer Foster and Gail Fraser and TRCA Project Manager Andrea Chreston and Coordinator Jennifer Smith.  Doctoral student Nyssa van Vierssen Trip contributed to development of the interview survey and analysis of the data.  FES undergraduate students Shanaz Baksh and Quentin Minichillo conducted the in-person interviews.

This research was supported by a Research Opportunity Grant from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), administered through York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies.

Rubble to Refuge: Research Hive 2018 Pilot Study Final Report