🆕 UPDATE -- The Dirt on Mountain Drive Park
🆕 UPDATE (September 2, 2025)
"As my Ward 6 office continues working with City staff whilst updating the Mountain Drive Park Task Force and the East Mountain Community overall, my goal is to have the remediation works and Phase 2 of the Mountain Drive Park redevelopment project all completed (weather permitting) by no later than end of 2026. Your enormous patience has been and is appreciated. The ultimate goal of this legacy endeavor is to keep Mountain Drive Park a City jewel of a community park for generations to come of East Mountain residents and visitors."
-Councillor Tom Jackson
Project progress summary:
• In 2024, during a routine geotechnical investigation for the
Master Plan implementation, some of the park’s soils were
found to be in exceedance of the Ministry of Environment,
Conservation and Parks standards for parkland soil quality.
• Out of an abundance of caution, the park was closed to the
public and will remain closed until construction is complete.
• In 2024 and 2025 specialists worked to delineate the park
areas with soils in exceedance of the Ministry of Environment,
Conservation and Parks (MECP) soil quality standards.
• The detailed design drawings are currently being revised to
address soil remediation requirements.
• Construction is anticipated to begin in spring 2026, with the
entire park to be constructed in one phase.
Note to residents:
Staff recognize this is an inconvenience and encourage
residents to visit other nearby parks with playgrounds such as
Peace Memorial Park, Eastmount Park, and Highview Park.
For more information and project updates, visit: https://www.hamilton.ca/things-do/parks-green-space/creating-improving-parks/park-projects/mountain-drive-park
For more information contact:
Victoria Cox, Project Manager
Landscape Architectural Services, Public Works
(905) 546-2424 x2292
[email protected]
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Mountain Drive Park is as an active Neighbourhood Park in the City of Hamilton’s recent recreational study. Amenities have reached their end of life with upgrades required to safely serve the evolving community. In 2022, a master plan informed by public engagement gave direction for revitalization including new playground equipment, a spray pad, sun shelter, and walkways. Construction was to start in 2024 but was delayed when soil testing revealed contamination (slag, petroleum, and metals) exceeding parkland standards set by the Ontario Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. Out of an abundance of caution, the entire park was closed while remediation takes place to bring it up to parkland standards as part of the Hamilton Parks Master Plan. Although the original $2 million is still in the Park Development budget (which included newly constructed washrooms), an additional amount is required to complete contamination removal. Between City staff and the Ward 6 office (in collaboration with the Ward 7 office), funding will be forthcoming to maintain timelines for the Mountain Drive Park redevelopment plan. I am excited for yet another legacy project for families to enjoy for generations to come. Kudos to the 40 volunteer members who served on the Task Force (chaired by Sara Mostacci-Carnegie) that met virtually many times during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide input and move the project forward. Thousands of letters were sent out as well to encourage civic engagement on the components that everyday families and the community overall wanted to see.