Someone brought an actual raft to Toronto's new Love Park pond
Toronto's new Love Park is little more than a month old, and despite some minor post-opening hiccups, the public space and its heart-shaped pond have proven a hit among visitors.
Including one who took their enjoyment of the park just a bit too far on Monday morning, bringing an inflatable raft and paddling leisurely around the decorative pond.
Love Park opened in late June on the former footprint of a Gardiner Expressway offramp at Queens Quay and York and has quickly become a focal point for pedestrians, dog owners, and, apparently, personal watercraft enthusiasts as well.
A video shared with blogTO shows a person paddling around the pond using an inflatable raft on Monday morning. The person who captured the brief clip said that, at the time of recording, the rogue rafter had been there for "hours."
Someone took their raft for a paddle in Toronto's new heart-shaped pond - 📹 Kelly B #Toronto #LovePark pic.twitter.com/Lh6zHHwftg
— blogTO (@blogTO) July 31, 2023
Jaclyn Carlisle, Media Relations and Issues Management Advisor for the City of Toronto, confirmed to blogTO that such activity is a no-no, saying that "While we welcome Torontonians showing Love Park some love, pleasure and paddle craft are not permitted within the pond."
Carlisle reminds hopeful boaters of the painfully obvious fact that a freakin' Great Lake exists just metres south of the park, saying that, "With more than 45km of Lake Ontario shoreline and a nearby archipelago making up Toronto Island Park, we ask that the public make use of the ample opportunities the City has to offer for urban paddling."
Carlisle further directs anyone interested in (legally) getting some time on the water to a City page offering more information on where to paddle, including officially-sanctioned launch locations.
The video comes just weeks after the pond turned a sickly green due to a malfunction in the natural ozone treatment system. The water has since cleared up and returned to a healthier hue.
