PHOTOS: A new park is now open in Mississauga
Published December 2, 2019 at 3:54 pm
The weather outside is frightful, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put on your warmest jacket and check out Mississauga’s newest park.
After some unforeseen delays, the brand new Saigon Park (244 Matheson Blvd. W.) has officially opened to the public.
The park opened on Nov. 30, and a more formal grand opening celebration will be held in 2020.
The brand new park is expansive, spanning approximately 8.7 acres. In addition to a stormwater pond, other features of the park include the above-ground stormwater management facility, perimeter pathway (which will consist of a fitness circuit and outdoor exercise equipment), a pier with lookout points, shade structures, picnic tables, seating and public art.
Saigon Park was supposed to host a grand opening celebration this fall, but the park’s official Facebook page announced the delay in early September, citing a tanker trailer rollover.
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“According to a recent email from the city of Mississauga, Saigon Park’s official grand opening has been delayed until Spring 2020 due to a recent accident involving a tanker trailer carrying diesel fuel rolling over on Hwy. 401 near Mavis Road,” the post reads.
The page says the incident occurred just a few kilometres upstream of the Matheson Stormwater Management Pond, which is an important feature of Saigon Park.
“As a result, diesel fuel discharged into the storm sewer and ended up in the stormwater pond. Because of this, the pond was damaged and has been undergoing extensive rehabilitation over the past few months. We are saddened by this news but we look forward to welcoming everyone to Saigon Park in the Spring of 2020.”
So, what prompted the creation of the park?
Here’s a little history.
In the decades after the end of the Vietnam War during the 1970s, thousands of migrants fled their home country as ‘boat people’ to begin new lives in North America. Today, more than 14,000 Vietnamese Canadians call Mississauga home, making it the city with the fifth largest population of Vietnamese migrants in Canada.
According to the Saigon Park Working Group, the park’s purpose is to help “current and future generations of Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese in Mississauga to learn about, understand and appreciate the significance of the name ‘Saigon’ and its relationship to values of democracy, freedom and harmony.”
The name ‘Saigon Park’ also aligns with one of the pillars of the City of Mississauga’s strategic plan (‘Belong’) by highlighting social and cultural diversity.
Will you be checking out Mississauga’s newest park?
Photos courtesy of Saigon Park Mississauga’s Facebook page
With files from Alan Kan
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