Park Maintenance

The Parks Department is responsible for maintaining over 2,130 hectares of parks, sport fields, naturalized areas and other open spaces throughout the city.  These spaces are diverse and comprised of both built and natural environments and therefore require a range of care and management techniques. 

Park and Open Space Maintenance 

Through this program turf areas are mowed and trimmed, shrub and flower beds are planted and maintained, garbage is removed and litter is picked up, pathways are maintained and cleared and cross country ski trails are groomed.

Sport Field Maintenance 

Sport field maintenance provides the staff, equipment and resources to maintain over 100 sport fields (Class 1, 2 and 3) which receive enhanced service levels to support higher levels of sporting competitions.  These enhanced service levels are funded by the fee-for-service agreements that are charged to the various user groups.  This program also includes winter snow removal from City-owned parking lots, park roadways and arenas, as well as management of contracted freeway/expressway mowing services.

Irrigation Services 

Irrigation ensures that turf areas are healthy and lush to maintain the green appearance and functionality of the space.  Streetscapes and boulevards are irrigated to maintain trees, shrubs and other planting beds and provide water access points for flower pot and planting bed watering and street cleaning.

Naturalized Areas 

Naturalized areas feature a variety of habitats from native prairie to wetlands and aspen parkland. They provide habitat for wildlife in our urban landscape and increase the biodiversity in park and open spaces. Once established, naturalized parks are largely self-sustaining and can create maintenance cost savings for the City. Mainly less frequent mowing and irrigation. Other regular maintenance like litter collection, replenishing gravel and shale on pathways, and removing dead and/or diseased wood from trees and shrub beds is still required and completed by city staff based on defined service levels.

Satellite Maintenance Sites

Parks has several satellite maintenance facilities located throughout the city in Lakewood, Peter Zakreski, Hampton Village, Hyde and Evergreen parks.  These facilities are intended to improve customer service and coordination of park maintenance, as well as provide storage for the equipment necessary to maintain new park areas.  

Weed Control

The City is committed to using the least toxic control methods wherever possible to control weeds and pests. The Parks Department maintains the health of sports fields and the turf in our parks to make these areas more resistant to weeds and to reduce the need for pesticides. Herbicides have not been used since 2004 to control broadleaf weeds, such as dandelions, on park turf and sports fields. Instead, Parks uses established cultural turf practices (i.e., mowing, fertilizing and irrigation where available) to improve the condition of turf areas and aeration and topdressing are also applied to sports fields. We are also exploring innovative park management practices in naturalized parks, such as controlled burns, haying and grazing, to reduce the need for pesticides, fertilizer and extensive watering.

When necessary, provincially licensed and trained Parks staff apply spot applications of herbicide to eliminate weeds in shrub beds, tree wells, and on hard surfaces such as asphalt pathways and concrete medians. Herbicides are also used to control noxious and prohibited weeds, and warning signs are placed in areas of herbicide application. 

The City has received many complaints regarding foxtail barley (foxtail), a type of native perennial grass designated as a nuisance weed under the Weed Control Act, 2010. In response, the City is managing current problem areas while educating developers and landowners on viable control techniques. To learn how to prevent and control foxtail, and other nuisance, noxious and prohibited weeds, visit Weed Control.

The City’s Mosquito Control Program no longer relies on chemical control products. Instead, a series of alternatives are used, including biological, mechanical and cultural controls.     

We also require that Community Gardens and Boulevard Gardens are pesticide-free. These gardeners use other practices, such as using mulch and compost, to maintain pesticide-free gardens. Visit our Be Pesticide Free and Healthy Yards webpages to learn more about how to create a healthy lawn and garden without the use of pesticides. 

Tree Maintenance

Maintenance of City-owned trees located on boulevards, centre medians and in parks is the responsibility of the Urban Forestry Section. For more information, visit Tree Maintenance & Inspections.