Popular Go Kart track now gone from Centennial Park.
The popular Mini-Indy Go Kart track at Centennial Park has seen its last lap.
The Go Karts Toronto Mini-Indy and a number of other amenities, like soccer fields and baseball cages, were ordered to shut down last October 22, which was their last day.
“We are saddened to announce the City has rejected our pleas to Save the Mini Indy,” owner Don Duggan wrote on the Indy’s website. “This is an end to an era, we thank each and every one of you who have supported us over the years.”
He said the Mini-Indy will be moving to a new location at 99 Rathburn Road, in Mississauga. The closure has affected about 65 employees.
More than 11,500 people have signed a petition to save the facilities.
Also gone are baseball batting cages and other amenities that people loved.
The Mini-Indy that sits on 11 acres of the 470-acre Centennial Park was given an eviction notice after 36 years to leave by season’s end to make way for new baseball diamonds.
City council in 2021 approved an updated master plan for Centennial Park based on community consultations with over 1,300 community members.
As party of the master plan, the city is improving soccer and baseball parks, which includes a baseball area on the site of the Mini-Indy.
Under the new plan, the batting cages and beach volleyball courts will be demolished.
The changes will happen in phases and will see the park equipped with new large playground, a new water play area, improvements to pathways, skate trail and skate area, new baseball and soccer hubs and new multi-use sport courts.
The go-kart track, at 2.6 kilometres, is Canada’s longest, while the batting cages are Toronto’s last ones.
”We are an essential part of the community, and the community deserves a say in how their park is used,” Duggan said.
The facilities attracted more than 100,000 customers every year.