What's the point in going to park if you're going to be sitting indoors? Parks are still useable in the winter; you just need to dress for the weather.
The point isn't to go to a park and sit indoors. Have you never gone tobogganing, snow shoeing or cross country skiing as a kid? When you're young, you want to spend as much time as you can, tobogganing but once you get to your breaking point, (I'm so cold, my ass is gonna fall off!!!) you need some place to warm up real fast. Having indoor spaces allows people to take breaks from the cold, get warm and then get back out to having fun and more importantly, getting exercise. It also allows parents to remain inside, while keeping an eye on their children outside. (or even elderly grand parents who can't spend much time in the cold)
We live in a cold country, to build our parks the same as warm climate cities, is just silly. We could get so much better use out of parks that respond to our climate and our needs. Why not explore creative ways to design our parks to meet our specific needs? Maybe putting community centres and public buildings in parks will provide better opportunities to get kids outside during winter. It's already being done to a certain extent (Regent Park Aquatic Centre & Trinity Bellwoods Community Centre) we need to do it more often and in more creative ways.
There is no reason why this OP park can't be used for many winter activities. An indoor space would just increase its winter use by a great deal. This portion of OP is not close to the pods or other buildings, so I think they should at least consider if it's feasible to also build some sore of indoor amenity. (Cafe, sporting centre or cultural centre) I'm not saying it should be done, I'm just saying it should be explored to see if it's feasible and practical. Why not keep an open mind to exploring new and better ways of doing things? I've seen lots of great ideas used in other cities, that would work here.
I saw a great public square/park space in Manhattan, that was wide open in summer but fully enclosed during winter. It had a nice cafe/snack bar on the side with lots of public seating but it seemed like a regular public park or city square. It was located between two tall office towers but yet was designed with trees and paving stones, just like any outdoor public space. I have no idea if it was public space or privately owned but it was very cool. I'd love to see more adaptable spaces like that all over Toronto. Think of Aqulina's previous "Winter Garden" design but with a glass roof and sliding glass doors that open it up in the summer. That's what Aqulina should have provided to Sherbourne Park but I guess George Brown is better than nothing. (It does have public access)
We call ourselves "The Creative City". Why not put some of that creativity to work exploring how we could do things better? The status quo always needs to be challenged. Why are so many people unambitious in this city? You don't get to be a great city by just doing what you've always done. Sometimes you need to take risks and explore uncharted territory.