Toronto plants its first-ever Tree of the Year, a sugar maple chosen by children

Toronto is getting a new tree with a story behind it. The city is holding a celebration on Tuesday morning at Elm Park, 230 Gosford Blvd., to plant the sugar maple chosen as Toronto's first-ever Tree of the Year. (The photo with this article is a file photo of a sugar maple, not the tree planted today.)

Picked by more than 10,000 young voters

The sugar maple was not picked by officials. It was chosen by children and youth as part of Kids Vote Weekend during the 2026 municipal election, when more than 10,000 ballots were cast.

The city says Kids Vote Weekend is designed to help grow future voters, educate children about local democracy and give them early exposure to how voting works. This time, their votes literally grew into a tree.

A tree that will grow up with the voters

The sugar maple is one of Canada's most iconic trees: its leaves turn red in autumn, and its sap makes maple syrup in spring. Members of the public and media were invited to watch the people's-choice tree take root at Elm Park. The city noted the event would be cancelled if there were a high chance of thunderstorms or other hazardous weather.

A tree-planting ceremony may be a small event. But for the children who cast a ballot, it is a first glimpse of something bigger: a choice they made, now growing in their own city.