# Riding out to the new Biidaasige Park

By [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com) · 2025-07-22

toronto, park, waterfront-toronto, green-space, public-space, biidaasige-park, port-lands

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On Sunday evening, I rode out to the Port Lands area (of Toronto) to check out the new park that just (partially) opened up. Named Biidaasige Park (pronounced "bee-daw-si-geh"), it is the [largest park to open in the city in many decades](https://www.toronto.ca/news/largest-park-in-a-generation-opens-on-city-of-torontos-new-island-through-transformative-port-lands-flood-protection-project/).

The first phase is just over 50 acres, and an additional 10 acres is planned to open next year. It houses 5,000+ trees, 77,000+ shrubs, and over two-million herbaceous plants. In terms of spaces, there are picnic areas, a playground with ziplines, off-leash dog parks, trails, and a pebble landing where you can launch "non-motorized personal watercraft." (Is it safe to swim?)

I was impressed when I rode through it. It's a huge quality of life upgrade for the city. But of course, what's most impressive is that the island it sits on (Ookwemin Minising) is the result of a $1.4 billion investment in flood protection. One that now unlocks the Port Lands area for development. That's up next.

After my ride, I did the customary things. I made a protein shake (sidebar: I recently added creatine to the mix), shared my ride to Strava, and then [tweeted out this video](https://x.com/donnelly_b/status/1947105418515210637). The tweet got reshared a few times and so I received a bunch of replies. And whenever this happens, which isn't often, I'm always a bit taken back by the _type_ of comments. A lot of them are negative.

In this case, people commented on the lack of trees (see number of trees planted above), said it would be filled with tents in a week, and even remarked that it would soon be overrun with Indian people. I won't get into the specifics on this latter point, but there was more to it.

Now, I know that this is what happens on the internet. And I don't take any of it personally. I've also done my fair share of community meetings over the decades where I've had tomatoes thrown at me. But it always makes me think: Is this what is going on in people's heads as they go about their day?

To each their own, of course. But I am of the opinion that perspective matters. The world gives you what you give it. If you go about your day thinking negative thoughts, then eventually it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If, on the other hand, you show up with positivity, good things will happen to you.

Here's a silly example.

On my ride over on Sunday, I ended up beside a guy who was similarly suited up on a road bike. He was giving off the "I'm a serious and intimidating cyclist" vibe. So naturally, I decided to strike up a conversation with him. We then ended up shooting the shit all the way over to the park. I got back exactly what I put in.

All of this is not my area of expertise but I have been thinking recently about anonymity on the internet. I recognize that there are instances where this might be important; but broadly speaking, I don't think it's a good thing for our social fabric.

When you say bad things in real life, there are repercussions. You are accountable for your words and actions. And as a result, people tend to behave a certain way. That is not the case when you troll behind an anonymous account on the internet.

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*Originally published on [Brandon Donnelly](https://brandondonnelly.com/riding-out-to-the-new-biidaasige-park)*