Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city.
On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
Revelation 22: 1-2 NRSVue
Today is the official opening of Biidaasige Park, at the mouth of the Don River and now one of the largest urban parks in Toronto at over 40 hectares. After centuries of European settlers turning a living river into a conduit for industrial waste and ruining an ecosytem the park is part of a massive redevelopment of docklands which will include housing in the surrounding area.
The park, pronounced “bee-daw-si-geh” and meaning “sunlight shining toward us” in Anishinaabemowin, is located near Cherry Street on the island of Ookwemin Minising, meaning “place of the black cherry trees.”
Today CBC Radio's Metro Morning broadcast live from the park and along the way mayor Olivia Chow kayaked in for the festivities. Let's not imagine Premier Doug Ford doing the same. Children were playing on and in what sound like wonderful structures.
Stage and Play Structure
Yesterday Metro Morning interviewed John Wilson who has been an advocate for revitalizing the Don for 30 years. When he first moved to Toronto he found solace along the river even though it was in grim shape. It's lovely that he can savour this moment.
One headline speaks of the resurrection of the river, an appropriate term. I've written about the park during it's development and noted that there are many references to rivers in the Judeo/Christian scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. The passage in Revelation is a "new heaven and new earth" resurrection vision. I'm convinced that this is not meant to be just a "pie in the sky when we die" promise but the prospect of an earthy, renewed Creation in the present and the future as an aspect of new life in Christ.
The park has:
- An amazing new playground complete with a stage built into a massive wooden snowy owl.
- Two off-leash dog areas.
- Gorgeous landscaping.
- Walking paths and cycling trails.
- Cool air (thanks, Lake Ontario!)
- Canoe, kayak and stand-up paddleboard launch spots.
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