Berczy Park Re-opens with a Bang (and a Bark!)

On June 28th, after two years of construction and revitalization, Berczy Park officially re-opened to the delight of the public – both two and four-legged. Dog lovers, community members, and Toronto media came out to witness the grand re-opening of Berczy Park and the unveiling of its whimsical new fountain. The 16-foot-wide, three-tier cast iron fountain features twenty-seven dog sculptures and one cat, conceived and designed by renowned architecture company Claude Cormier and Associés.

After several community meetings the design of the fountain is meant to highlight the many dog visits the park gets each day. The dogs shoot water from their mouths and gaze up towards a golden bone, while the wide-eyed cat looks towards a pair of birds perched on a lamp post nearby. On Q Communications was thrilled to lead the media relations efforts for the park alongside the brilliant event execution of Tigris Events.

On Q’s media efforts were successful, and the park certainly got the attention of several Toronto outlets! On the morning of the event, Claude Cormier sat down with Matt Galloway of CBC Metro Morning to talk about the new fountain and the importance of designing beautiful spaces in the city. Galloway commented on the busy and hectic lifestyle of Torontonians and said that the fountain will put a smile on their faces.

Cormier was then interviewed by Breakfast Television in front of the fountain. He talked about how the fountain commemorates the neighbourhood in Old Toronto. Cormier also touched on the importance of community input and revealed the truth about how the single cat sculpture came to be! Breakfast Television Co-host Kevin Frankish called the fountain “incredible” and thanked Cormier for his work.

CP24 and CTV crews attended the event itself, and captured the excitement that was in the air. Meanwhile, Anthony Farnell, Chief Meteorologist at Global News & @am640, brought his dog @StormtheWeatherDog to the event to do the weather report.

During the event, visitors had the chance to experience live music, refreshments, and speeches from esteemed guests, including Mayor John Tory. Kids were thrilled to get their faces painted, have balloon animals made for them, and watch puppet shows, all while eating popcorn and drinking fresh lemonade! Meanwhile, actors walked around the park dressed in historical garb and posed for photos. The event featured lively entertainment for children, including a performance by Les Moutons, a group of sheep impersonators. The performance was an absolute hit with the kids, and the adults seemed entertained as well!

Dogs of all breeds attended the event with their owners. Most of them approached the sculptures with curiosity, and some even jumped into the fountain to cool off! The event was capped off with an official ribbon cutting with the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, Claude Cormier and members of the City of Toronto.

The On Q team kept our social media followers in the loop with a series of tweets. Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to see all the highlights as they happened!

Loved this recap? Want more On Q events? Check out how North Shore Pie Co. brought Taste of New Zealand to Toronto!

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