Barbara Hall Park — Attraction in Toronto

This small-ish park is great and not-so-great at the same time. It scores high because of it's significance within Toronto's Church/Wellesley neighbourhood. Long before advances were made with respect to rights for the broader LGBTQ community in Canada, this neighbourhood -- and in particular this lil park -- provided a safe space for those on the margins. It sits aside one of the most vital community centres in the city, the 519, which provides a breadth of services and programmes for its queer constituents and is also welcoming to the broader community. The off-leash area for dogs is great, and I've had some of my best convos with strangers there! There is a fair bit of drug culture in the park, which for this open minded gent becomes a problem with sometimes unsafe reuse littered about and more notably when the odd petty thug takes advantage of the generous nature of our community members -- who are oft willing to lend an ear or a dollar. There are examples of folks getting jumped late at night in the park from those posing as cruising, or needing help, or from straight-up ne-er-do-wells who cite queers as easy marks. So take care if walking thru...

Barbara Hall is a lovely looking parkette on the surface. It's been recently renovated to a higher than average standard for Toronto parks. The LED lighting is pretty snazzy too.

I stopped here for a rest on a fall evening. It was very nice at first, clean too. But 10 minutes into my visit there was a gang brawl inside the park, with about 8 people from one side and one lone man on the other who got beaten up pretty good and had his bicycle smashed up. The guy next to me said I should keep quiet about what happened, the guy who got beat was "with the Crypts" gang and "deserved to get his face smashed up.

And as if that wasn't enough for such a short visit, 10 minutes later a guy started walking around the park selling marijuana. It was a good price I guess, but considering the elevated risk of fentanyl poisoning I decided to say no thank you. Lol

Downtown Toronto has been going downhill over the past year. Barbara Hall Park is a microcosm of everything...

So in the village this park is typically called the 519 park and if it were a year and a half ago it would get a less rating from me , but it has under gone a few changes but not out of the caution zone as of yet , with the addition of the new playground for the kids daycare and the dog park its a place where street kids and others conjour for support at the 519 building and they do great , but the park is riddled with used needles and baggies and garbage or sleeping and or wasted individuals that will ask for your change , smokes or other so mind the time you travel through and be with cautious stepping wgen walking the dog or getting through , and again its come up a long way and hope that keeps up and is better monitored during off hours or clean up crew , cause what an insight that the ones who make the mess take the initiative and clean up to help and show respect for the area they abuse...