Dave (Co-Executive Director) meets up with Deborah Wilson (VP, Communications and Public Affairs @ PortsToronto) and Nadia Dzula (Manager, Corporate and Community Programs @ Nieuport Aviation) to discuss our continued collaboration in the west waterfront neighbourhood.
Though most often experienced as a linear public space moving east-west, our growing work is also prioritizing north-south connectivity to improve access to Toronto’s waterfront. How can we transform the experience of crossing under the Gardiner, from gauntlet to gateway? (The Bentway has some ideas being tested out now.)
This need is abundantly apparent around Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, where the Expressway serves as an early first-impression for nearly 2 million travelers entering the city each year.
PortsToronto and Nieuport Aviation sponsor Free Skate Nights and lessons each Bentway winter season, giving everyone the opportunity to lace up and skate under the Gardiner. Our Co-Executive Director David Carey connected with Deborah Wilson and Nadia Dzula to discuss this continued collaboration.
DC: Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport was an early adopter, supporting The Bentway since our very first year of winter skating. How do recreation activities, such as at our Skate Trail, enhance community well-being during the colder months?
DW & ND: The Bentway is a perfect example of taking an under-utilized space and creating something spectacular that brings people together. We love that it draws visitors to the waterfront at a time of year when they may not think to come and gives local residents something fun to do during a season with fewer outdoor attractions.
Many of us grew up skating every year, and it’s a wonderful annual tradition. Even in the big city, you can’t stop a Canadian from lacing up, eh?
Skating under the Gardiner with friends is always a memorable experience, especially when followed by a warm cup of hot chocolate! We’ve also seen so many of our partners during The Bentway’s free skates, and it’s a nice, social way of getting together outside of a boardroom or office setting.
Though it sort of feels like we’ve always been a part of this community, The Bentway is still young. We opened just 6 years ago. But Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport has been around for much longer. How have you seen the area change?
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport has been a part of this neighbourhood for 85 years. As neighbourhoods formed around us, we worked to become part of the community and ensure our operations remained in balance with local needs. Through the work of many organizations like The Bentway, the waterfront has become one of the best places to live, work, and play in Toronto.
What Bentway projects are you most excited about in 2024?
Dominoes! A few members of our team signed up to help build it as volunteers; it was such a wonderfully-warm spectacle.
The partnership between The Bentway and Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is very special to us, and we congratulate the Bentway team for creating something truly unique and special along the waterfront and under the Gardiner.
