A revamped park in Mississauga’s east end is being renamed for a city in another part of the world. (Photo: City of Mississauga)

The renaming of a Mississauga park to further strengthen a recently struck sister-city agreement between Mississauga and a major Ukrainian municipality demonstrates the city’s “commitment to fostering international relationships that promote cultural exchange, economic cooperation and global engagement.”

That’s the sentiment expressed by City of Mississauga planning and building commissioner Andrew Whittemore in a report to be presented to the city’s Heritage Advisory Committee at its next meeting on Sept. 8.

The report notes the renaming of Gulleden Park, located beside Burnhamthorpe Community Centre in the Dixie/Burnhamthorpe roads area, to Ternopil Park aligns with the city’s asset-naming procedure and has so far received no objections from the public.

The twinning pact between Mississauga and Ternopil, a city of some 225,000 people in western Ukraine, was struck in May.

The park renaming, unanimously approved by Mississauga city council in July, also comes as a nod to what Ward 3 Coun. Chris Fonseca described in her earlier motion as the growing and active Ukrainian community in Mississauga.

Many reasons to rename the park

In her motion’s preamble, Fonseca noted:

The city entered into a similar twinning partnership with Kariya, Japan in 1981 and subsequently (in 1992) named a Mississauga park for the Japanese city.
Ternopil recently renamed a number of public spaces and facilities after Mississauga to mark the new sister-city pact.
Mississauga is home to a growing and active Ukrainian community that contributes significantly to the cultural and civic life of the city.
St. Sofia Byzantine Catholic Elementary School, which offers a Ukrainian bilingual program and backs onto the former Gulleden Park, is home to many residents of Ukrainian heritage.

Gulleden Park, as it was previously known, officially reopened on June 20 complete with a number of new amenities and upgrades. Moving forward, it will be called Ternopil Park. (Photos: City of Mississauga)

Following city council’s approval on April 29 that Mississauga establish a sister-city relationship with Ternopil, the cities’ mayors signed official documents on May 15 joining the two cities “as long-term partners fostering international friendship, among other benefits,” Mississauga officials said earlier this year.

The twinning agreement follows similar pacts signed between 16 other Canadian and Ukrainian cities, officials said earlier this year.

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Reimagined park offers many new additions

After being closed for nearly two years for major upgrades and additions, the large east Mississauga park reopened in June to offer residents many new amenities.

The renovated park offers many new upgrades that include:

A refrigerated ice skating rink with summer programming options that include roller-blading.
Two dedicated pickleball courts, a multi‑use court (including for basketball) and two lit tennis courts.
A community spray pad and upgraded playground.
An accessible trail system to support walking, rolling and inclusive mobility.
An outdoor fitness area with equipment for all skill levels.
Junior skateboard features for beginners, including small ramps, rails and seat walls.
New tree planting and pollinator gardens to support environmental sustainability and habitat creation.


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