Hi, neighbor.
On Saturday, May 2nd, we are officially launching Friends of Duncan Creek.
If you live nearby, you know this trail is more than just a path. It’s our children’s route to school, our seniors’ quiet retreat, and the place where we all go to breathe.
This peaceful backyard of ours doesn’t stay beautiful by chance—it thrives when we care for it. We believe that by looking after the park, we are looking after the heart of our neighborhood.
Join us. Let’s protect the stage where our stories happen.
Saturday, May 2nd | 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Meeting at 3700 Don Mills Road | Playground
What We’ll Be Doing:
This is our starting point. We are coming together to walk the trail, collect what the winter left behind, and—most importantly—give a face and a voice to our neighborhood group.
Action: A collective cleanup walk.
Dialogue: Conversing about the future of our group and what we envision for our park.
Documentation: I will be documenting our journey with photos and videos for our community archive.
What should I bring?
As this is an independent, community-led initiative with no external funding, each volunteer is responsible for their own equipment and safety. To ensure safe and effective participation, please bring:
Hand Protection: Gardening or work gloves (essential for handling debris safely).
Skin Protection: Insect repellent and sunscreen.
Collection Bags: 2 to 3 sturdy trash bags.
Clothing: Closed-toe shoes (sneakers or hiking boots) and long pants for protection against ticks and dense vegetation.
Hydration: Your own reusable water bottle.
Your Contribution as a Protagonist
In this meeting, we are all actors and authors of this story. In addition to collecting litter, feel free to:
Share: If you have a story or memory of Duncan Creek, come ready to tell it. I want our first stories to be recorded on this day.
Document: If you enjoy photography, you can use your phone/camera to capture what you find. Each neighbor’s unique perspective enriches our ‘biograph‘ of the creek.
Translate: If you speak Mandarin or Cantonese, your help in conversing with other neighbors during the walk will make a world of difference.
If you are thinking of joining us for a cleanup walk to hear and share stories, please fill out the form above.
Friends of Duncan Creek is a resident-led community initiative. We are neighbors dedicated to the stewardship of our park through active care and storytelling. While we welcome collaboration with local leaders and institutions, this group operates as an independent volunteer effort, where every participant shares responsibility for our collective success and safety.
Have any additional suggestions? Please click here and let us know!
To oversee and protect the Duncan Creek Park ecosystem by fostering a deep sense of belonging through community-led storytelling and active environmental stewardship.
To bring an understanding that Duncan Creek Park is a living legacy where nature flourishes and every resident feels a personal, documented connection to the land.
Narrative: We treat the park as a living character. We don’t just clean it; we protect the home of our shared stories.
Belonging: By sharing our stories, we turn ‘public space‘ into ‘our place.’ Every neighbor, from every background, is part of this chronicle.
Generational Legacy: We act as the bridge between the ancestors of this land and the generations yet to come.
Active Witnessing: We observe, document, and protect the wildlife and flora that share our urban home.
Hi, I’m Marco Novaes | Father, Visual Storyteller, and Sower of the Friends of Duncan Creek initiative.
With 30 years in graphic design and photography, I’ve learned that every image needs a story. Communications taught me the craft, but fatherhood gave me the purpose: ensuring the next generation inherits a world worth storytelling.
Legacy & Stewardship | As a 4th-generation farmer from a century-old lineage, land stewardship is in my blood. Through Friends of Duncan Creek, I invite you to join me in this sowing; together, we can ensure our waters run clear and our stories grow deep for generations to come.
Modern Narrative | Currently refining my craft at the University of Toronto’s Storytelling program, I bridge visual precision with environmental stewardship. We don’t just inherit the land; we protect the stories it will tell for those who come next.
Protecting the park is our duty. Telling its stories is our nature
This website is home to my work. On Social Media, I share the process, conversations, and the moments in between.
This work starts with a conversation.
You can reach me by email or Instagram DM.
