High Park’s Grenadier Cafe was opened in 1958 and can seat 300 people in coffee and dining areas.
Another piece of Toronto history is in danger of being lost.
High Park lovers say business has dropped about 80 per cent at the Grenadier Café located centrally in the park due to a car ban and it is in danger of shutting down.
Almost 13,000 residents have signed a petition calling for Toronto City Council to open the park again for vehicles.
Council last August approved full road closures of High Park to private visitor vehicles on Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays as some roads are being converted to one-way traffic.
A weekend vehicle ban at High Park has led to 80% less visitors using the park, Cafe and attractions.
Vehicles are no longer able to enter High Park from Bloor Street and have to enter off Parkside Drive at High Park Blvd. The roadway will lead you either left to the zoo or right towards the Grenadier Café and the Bloor Street exit.
Area residents have taken to social media to express fears that their beloved Café might be forced to close due to a lack of people from the restriction of cars in the area.
“We learned that they lost 80% of their business since cars have been banned on the weekends,” one park user wrote on social media. “If the City shuts the park completely to cars as planned, how could it (Café) survive as costs to keep it open exceeds profit.”
High Park users hope this year’s cherry blossom will bring in some visitors to keep the Cafe and attractions alive.
The Café and other park attractions hope to attract some business as nature lovers flock to see the cherry blossom season this year.
They said the car ban has led to a drop of attendance at other High Park attractions including visitors to Grenadier Pond, Nature Centre, High Park Zoo, Children’s Garden, Colborne Lodge Museum, Adventure Playground, Dog Hill, swimming pool and splash pad.
The Café was opened in 1958 and can seat 300 patrons in its dining room and coffee shop. It offers visitors a choice to sit and relax with a coffee or meal as they hike or tour the massive park, that was deeded to the City.
Toronto architect John George Howard and his wife donated the 165-acre property to the City in 1873 on the condition that the park remain ‘for the free use, benefit and enjoyment of the citizens of Toronto and it be called High Park’.
The beautiful cherry blossoms attract flower lovers from across the City to marvel at its beauty. Courtesy of HN Photography.
“I think this is ill-advised planning and ask to stop the full closure which will further damage park use,” the nature lover wrote.
She said High Park is a ‘perfect spot to walk through one of our most beautiful City parks and its zoo in any season.’
A local group called High Park Movement Strategy said the City is estimated to lose up to $15 million over four years due to a lack of visitors and to convert some roads to one-way traffic.
The park is still accessible every day by foot but many parents say it is difficult with young children or for the elderly or those with mobility issues.