A proposal for the renaming of Caledonia Park in Toronto is currently being reviewed by the staff  of the City of Toronto’s Parks and  Recreation Department.

Earlier this year, a delegation from the Toronto Dominican community presented the proposal to Mayor John Tory for the renaming of the park.

The delegation wants the  City of Toronto to call it the Santo Domingo  Baseball Park.

In a recent emailed response to inquiries about the proposal, Don Peat, the Mayor of Toronto’s Director of Communications,  told  the Caribbean Camera that ” Parks staff  are currently  reviewing  the proposal.”

“We also expect a community consultation at  some point,” he said.

Community activist  Luis Feliz Cambumbo, one of the members of the delegation and an avid baseball fan,  said that Caledonia Park  is already the  “unofficial baseball home” of that community around the park where one can see the sport being played  by people  of all ages.”

Feliz who is also a member  of the renaming committee, recalled that when he came to Canada in 1990, there were only a few hundred people from the Dominican Republic in Toronto and his native country “was not well known by many fellow Torontonians.

“Today, thousands of us have made Toronto our home and our country is now better known because of our outstanding baseball players.”

He  said  that  so far he  has not  met  anyone  opposed to the name change.

In a recent emailed response to inquiries about the proposal, Don Peat, the Mayor of Toronto’s Director of Communications,  told  the Caribbean Camera that ” Parks staff  are currently  reviewing  the proposal.”

“We also expect a community consultation at  some point,” he said.

In its proposal, the renaming  committee noted  that The Toronto Blue Jays and their farm teams have always had “a significant amount of Dominican players who have demonstrated great affection and love for the City of Toronto.”

“Since there are so many worthy baseball players of Dominican heritage who have contributed to the Toronto Blue Jays, it will be prudent to rename Caledonia Park Santo Domingo Baseball Park.  In view of the fact that there are no monuments at this time that recognize the proud contributions that the Dominican community have made to the City of Toronto in particular, this recognition will be timely,” it said.