The park's name commemorates Little Norway, the exiled Royal Norwegian Air Force training base that had occupied the site during the Second World War.[2] In 1976, a 3,000 pound boulder from Norway was transported to the location as a permanent monument to that time. It was unveiled by Crown Prince Harald of Norway on September 18, 1976.[3] The base's location was cleared and, in the 1980s, an apartment complex was built along the western side. The rest of the former base was converted into a park and opened in 1986. The park was officially dedicated as Little Norway Park on November 20, 1987, in a ceremony with King Olav V of Norway.[4]
Operations
Park facilities include a baseball diamond and soccer pitch, a playground and wading pool, public washrooms, landscaped gardens and art installations.[2] It also has a wheelchair-accessible children's playground in its northwest corner.[5] There is a totem pole in the park near Queens Quay West.[6] A flagpole has a plaque at its base explaining the significance of the park and its history.
The park is also a meeting and protest site in downtown Toronto. In 2007, aboriginal peoples gathered at Little Norway Park to protest about broken treaties.[7]
City plans to create an "off-leash" area or dog park there in 2009 created some controversy, with residents complaining of the lack of notice or consultation and the proximity to children playing, and pointing out that there is another dog park 400 metres away.[8]
^ ab"Little Norway Park". Parks, Forestry & Recreation. City of Toronto. Retrieved January 22, 2014. Its name commemorates the World War II training base, used by the Norwegian Air Force, that once existed on the site.
^"Prince to Unveil Monument". Toronto Star. September 8, 1976. p. B01.
^Reid, Susan (November 20, 1987). "King returns to wartime 'Little Norway'". Toronto Star. p. A06.
