Bloordale Beach and Bloordale Meadow, 2020 and 2021
I had the idea for Bloordale Beach on May 25, 2020 and opened it that day. It was a little over two months after COVID-19 was declared to be a pandemic in Toronto. Lucky for me, I had a friend with a wrench who could open the space. We made signs that claimed it was a beach, and that’s how it all began. The beach lasted much longer than I’d ever anticipated, and it finally closed on September 23, 2021.
Bloordale Beach was located on an empty lot, the site of Brockton High School, in the Bloor and Dufferin area. The gravelly expanse was a space where construction had been stalled. It was property of the Toronto public school board and was the future site of a new school. So, transforming the area into a beach brought new life to the space.
It was clear the lot was a beach from the signs on the fences that said “Bloordale Beach.” The beach was known for its many signs, including Linger signs and other beach signs. As time progressed, different things popped up at the beach. One community member set up a Barkour Area where dogs could improve their agility, manoeuvring around pool noodles and large ice cream containers—ones the size an ice cream store would get. I made a Sea Turtle Nesting Area at the beach with three turtles. Eventually their eggs appeared, and months later, the eggs hatched, and seventeen baby turtles arrived.
The beach was not technically a beach in the usual sense of a beach, as it was landlocked rather than attached to a permanent body of water. It was, however, a beach in all of our minds. I put the beach on Google Maps, and it accumulated over sixty fantastic reviews.
Curated by:
Shari Kasman