City of Toronto parkette renamed to honour Willis Blair

TORONTO, July 27, 2014 /CNW/ - Councillor Janet Davis (Ward 31 Beaches-East York) joined Willis Blair's family members, Michael Prue former Mayor of East York, Case Ootes former City Councillor, City staff and members of the community today to celebrate the renaming of O'Connor Village Parkette to Willis Blair Parkette.

The renaming honours Willis Blair, who was the second Mayor of East York and who served the Borough of East York for 18 years in various roles including Alderman and Councillor.

"Willis Blair made such a contribution to our community. Willis was committed to building recreational opportunities for children and youth, and I believe it is fitting that we name a park after him," said Councillor Davis.

Blair was known as a strong advocate for Parks and Recreation and served for a time as the Metro Parks Committee Chair. He was an avid sportsman who assisted in bringing Major League Baseball to Toronto and founding the World Junior Curling Championship.

He passed away in Toronto at the age of 90 on April 5, 2014. Renaming the parkette provided the City of Toronto the opportunity to recognize his tremendous contributions.

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.

SOURCE: City of Toronto

Media contact: Parks, Forestry and Recreation media line, 416-560-8726, [email protected]