Park Information

Park Overview

Historically known as the “Flower Town of Canada”, Brampton is committed to maintaining its natural heritage features and green spaces. Parks Maintenance and Forestry is proud to manage:

875 parks city-wide
More than 3,114 hectares of parkland and open space
More than 1,529 hectares of natural heritage lands
More than 703 kilometres of trails and pathways
348 playgrounds
335 outdoor sports fields
24 splash pads
8 community gardens
7 leash-free areas

Types of Parks

The City of Brampton develops and maintains a wide variety of parks to meet the diverse needs of the people who enjoy them. Each park type below is designed to provide a slightly different experience for the user.

Neighbourhood Parks are focal points in Brampton neighbourhoods and are generally 2 to 5 acres in size. They are meant to service the local population at a provision level of 0.5 hectares per 1,000 persons. There are four general park types within the Neighbourhood Park category: (in order from largest to smallest) ‘Local Parks’, ‘Town Squares’, ‘Parkettes’ and ‘Vest Pocket’ Parks.

City Parks and City Sports Parks serve as destinations for active recreation and are typically focal points within the city. Examples include D. M. Gordon Chinguacousy Park, Gage Park, and Creditview Sandalwood Park. These large parks usually contain specialized facilities to accommodate and service residents from all over Brampton.

Conservation Areas are lands designated for natural resource conservation and/or public recreation facilities, such as Heart Lake and Claireville Conservation Areas, which serve a population base extending beyond the City of Brampton. Some lands within Brampton are owned by Conservation Authorities but are operated and maintained by the City of Brampton through separate agreements.

Stormwater Management Ponds are meant to collect rainwater and slowly release it back into creeks, lakes, and wetlands. The City often requires subdivision developers to construct these ponds, because the creation of new roads and housing leaves less land area to hold rainwater in a storm. Without storage and drainage systems in place, storm water can result in increased risks to flooding, erosion, watercourse health, and aquatic life.

Community Parks provide a range of active and passive recreational opportunities, and generally service a population within a 3-5 km radius. Community Parks often operate in conjunction with adjacent Community centres, such as Dixie Sandalwood Park Brampton Soccer Centre, and Fletchers Green Community Park, next to South Fletcher’s Sportsplex.

Environmental Parks are open space lands that are located within or beside natural heritage features such as woodlands, wetlands, valleylands, lakes, and rivers. These parks are designed for passive recreation and environmental protection, as they are home to many plants and animals that help our ecosystem thrive.

Code of Conduct

Park users have a shared responsibility to help keep open spaces clean and safe for everyone. The Park Lands By-law, based on common courtesy, cleanliness, and consideration for others, details all of rules and regulations for Brampton parks.

Key things to remember:

Leave no trace – littering, vandalism, or otherwise alerting the park is prohibited
Control your pets – even in leash-free areas, animals are not permitted to run at large
Obey park signage – follow the rules that are posted in parks and recreational trails

Pet owners and cyclists should also review information on Stoop and Scoop requirements, and the Recreational Code of Conduct, respectively.

Tree Regulations

Brampton is committed to maintaining a healthy urban forest. That means protecting the trees in parks, public spaces and on private property.

Tree Preservation By-law

Brampton is committed to maintaining a healthy urban forest. That means protecting the trees in parks, public spaces and on private property. This by-law provides clear guidelines on the circumstances under which trees on private property may or may not be removed. Read the City's
Tree Preservation By-law here.

A permit is not required to remove a tree located within 2 metres (6 feet 6 inches) of an occupied building.
A permit is not required to remove a trees with a diameter of less than 30 centimetres (12 inches) measured at 1.37 metres height from the ground.

The Application to Injure or Destroy a Tree on Private Land is available here.

Woodlot Conservation By-law

The City of Brampton's Woodlot Conservation By-law was adopted to protect and conserve woodlands/woodlots in Brampton. Read the City's Woodlot Conservation By-law here.

A permit is required when making alterations to a woodland/woodlot outside of the formal development approval process (e.g. re-zoning, plan of subdivision, site plan, etc.).

The City defines a “woodlot” as a portion of land that is at least 0.2 hectares in area that has:

200 trees, of any size, per 0.2 hectare;
150 trees, measuring over five (5) centimetres DBH, per 0.2 hectare;
100 trees, measuring over twelve (12) centimetres DBH, per 0.2 hectare; or
50 trees, measuring over twenty (20) centimetres DBH, per 0.2 hectare.

This by-law does not extend or include cultivated fruit or nut orchards, or a plantation established for the purpose of producing Christmas trees or nursery stock.

The Application to Permit the Injury or Destruction of Trees within Woodlots is available here.

To ensure good forestry practices are implemented during the removal of trees within a woodlot, a Silvicultural Prescription must be included with your application. A Silvicultural Prescription is a site-specific plan that describes the long-term woodlot management objectives.

Urban Forest Management Plan

The City of Brampton approved its first Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) in August 2022. The UFMP provides strategic guidance intended to maximize the environmental, social, economic and health benefits that trees provide to the community. The plan consists of 36 action items, 7 guiding principles and 14 objectives focusing on 5 strategic goals, serving as ten year guide aiming to preserve and enhance Brampton's urban forest.

Brampton 2040 Vision

The Brampton 2040 Vision is a strategic plan that conceptualizes how the City of Brampton will evolve until 2040, and sets out seven target visions, including "Vision 1: Sustainability and the Environment" that calls for planting one million trees in the public and semi-public realm of Brampton by 2040 (Action #1-3).

Brampton Grow Green Environmental Master Plan

The Brampton Grow Green Environmental Master Plan (EMP) aims to conserve, enhance, and balance the City's natural and built environments to create a healthier, resilient, and environmentally sustainable city. It provides goals, actions, and targets for improving Brampton's environmental performance in the areas of People, Air, Water, Land, Energy, and Waste. Directions for the urban forest fall within the Land category, such as expanding tree canopy cover by increasing tree planting requirements on new developments, and developing a tree inventory.

Brampton One Million Trees Program

In February 2020, Brampton Council approved the Brampton One Million Trees Program, which calls for the planting of one million new trees in Brampton by 2040.

Natural Heritage & Environmental Management Strategy (NHEMS)

The Natural Heritage and Environmental Management Strategy (NHEMS) outlines a proactive approach to ensure that the abundance of natural heritage and built green spaces found in the city are conserved, restored, connected, and enhanced to support the green diversity and health of the natural and built environments. The goals, objectives, and actions support the maximization of ecosystem structure, function, and services.

Natural Heritage Restoration Program

The Natural Heritage Restoration Program (NHRP) was established to restore and naturalize areas within the natural heritage system, parks, and infrastructure to address the historical conditions and current impacts on the natural heritage system. It focuses on actions to restore currently degraded natural areas to improve their ecological function. The NHRP emphasizes tree planting in public spaces, such as parks, boulevards, and other open spaces as an important restoration method.

Eco Parks Strategy

In January 2020, City Council approved the Brampton Eco Park Strategy. Brampton Eco Park is made up of a network of sustainable urban/green spaces, referred to as Eco Spaces, that better integrate residents with the natural environment. Brampton Eco Park will contribute to the protection and enhancement of the city's urban forest.

Landscape Development Guidelines

The
Landscape Development Guidelines assist landowners, developers, and consultants in the development of public open space within the Brampton. It outlines the process and minimum design requirements for areas such as parks, streetscapes, environmental buffers, and storm water management facilities associated with new development.

Tableland Tree Assessment Guidelines

The
Tableland Tree Assessment Guidelines have been prepared as part of the City’s ongoing process to coordinate technical report requirements for planning applications to help update and streamline Block Plan, Draft Plan and Site Plan review and approval.

Woodland Management Plan Guidelines

All woodlands that are to be dedicated to the City must be assessed and remediated as necessary prior to their dedication, such that there will be no adverse short and long-term safety or maintenance issues. The
Woodlot Management Plan Guidelines outline the requirements for these activities.

Urban Design Guidelines

The
Urban Design Guidelines (DDGs) are intended to establish basic community design standards for new communities

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Find out how the City uses pest management practices to control weeds, insects, and plant diseases, especially in high-use areas like playgrounds, trails, and gardens.

Learn More

Accessible Playgrounds

The City of Brampton maintains an inventory of over 250 playgrounds where children can exercise as well as play happily and safely. Click here for a list of accessible playgrounds.

Learn More

Park Overview

Types of P​​arks

Neighbourhood Parks

City Parks

Conservation Areas

Stormwater Management Ponds

Community Parks

Environmental Parks