Fairbank Memorial Park

Fairbank Memorial Park is a park located in the neighbourhood of Fairbank in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.DescriptionThe park's official address is 2213 Dufferin Street. It is bordered on the west by Dufferin Street, on the north by Keywest Avenue, and on the south by Gibson Street. It consists of 9.1acre of ground, which contains the Fairbank Memorial Community Recreation Centre. It is home to Fairbank Outdoor Pool, a swimming pool that is run by the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation North District Aquatics Department. The facility consists of a baby pool, a large pool and an eating area. The pool fits a capacity of 270 patrons which including a maximum of 54 in the baby pool area. The park also has a playground, an open athletic field for sports like rugby or soccer, and athletic courts for baseball, basketball, and bocce.The park is situated in a ravine with steep slopes.Development scandalIn the late 1980s, Fairbank Park became embroiled in a major political scandal. Several politicians, including City of York deputy mayor Tony Mandarano, became involved in a secret deal with land developer Lou Charles. Mandarano received more than $100,000 in bribes, and York Council member Jim Fera received $341,000; in exchange, they agreed to speak in favour of Charles's development plans during council meetings, the most prominent of which involved tearing down Fairbank Park and selling the land to Charles so that he could construct condominiums on the site. Councilwoman Frances Nunziata was instrumental in exposing the scandal, which resulted in six of the eight council members losing their seats in the 1991 election. Mandarano received a sentence of 15 months in prison in a plea bargain, while Fera accepted an 18-month sentence in a similar deal.