Ontario Construction News staff writer
Toronto’s Biidaasige Park is getting bigger, with a 10-acre western expansion adding waterfront trails, public gathering spaces, ecological habitats and new opportunities for visitors to connect with the city’s waterfront.
“Today marks another major milestone in the transformation of Toronto’s waterfront. What was once industrial land is now becoming one of the most ambitious waterfront revitalization projects in North America,” Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto. “People can paddle along the shoreline, enjoy public art, connect with nature and experience the city from an entirely new perspective.
“Together with our federal, provincial and Indigenous partners, we are building not only a world-class park, but complete communities with new homes, jobs and public spaces that will benefit generations to come.”
The expansion was officially unveiled Friday, July 24, with city officials, Indigenous leaders and Waterfront Toronto representatives gathering for performances, cultural ceremonies and remarks celebrating the collaboration behind the project.
The new area includes art installations along the Lassonde Art Trail, a canoe cove where visitors can explore the waterfront by kayak or canoe, and a 3,000-person event lawn overlooking the Toronto skyline and water.
“Last summer we came together to open Biidaasige Park, which was Toronto’s largest park in a generation. Today, that park is getting even bigger and more exciting,” said Kevin Sullivan, board chair at Waterfront Toronto.
“Everything you see is a culmination of an unprecedented feat of landscape design and engineering.”
The park’s transformation is particularly significant given the history of the site, which was once a heavily contaminated industrial area.
Biidaasige, meaning “sunlight shining towards us,” was built on land that had been used for industrial purposes dating back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. Decades of industrial activity left the soil and water deeply contaminated.
The site has been transformed into a biodiverse public space featuring native plants and restored wetlands and natural habitats.
The ecological design incorporated Indigenous knowledge, with project partners working with Indigenous communities to select plants that reflect the ecology of the land and hold cultural and medicinal significance.
Among the species incorporated into the park are sacred tobacco, white sagebrush, sweet grass and black cherry.
The restored habitats have also created new opportunities for wildlife, with birds, fish and small mammals returning to areas where wetlands and natural ecosystems have been re-established.
“While this work protects communities and creates beautiful new spaces for everyone to enjoy, it also demonstrates what we can accomplish when environmental restoration and Indigenous knowledge come together with a shared purpose,” said Margaret Sault, Chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
“May Biidaasige Park be a place where people gather, learn, reflect and deepen their respect for the land, the waters and one another for generations to come,” Sault added.
The park is part of the $1.4-billion Port Lands Flood Protection Project, a massive undertaking that renaturalized the mouth of the Don River while providing protection against flooding for surrounding Toronto neighbourhoods.
The project involved extensive environmental remediation and engineering to transform an area that had been degraded by more than a century of industrial activity.
Landscape designers, soil scientists, irrigation specialists, environmental engineers and marine hydrology experts were among those involved in creating a park capable of supporting both people and wildlife.
Construction of the park began in 2017 following years of debate and planning over how to address flood risks in the Port Lands.
The result is a major shift in the character of the area — from an industrial landscape affected by contamination and flood risk to a public waterfront destination designed around recreation, environmental restoration and resilience.
With the western expansion now open, visitors have additional trails, gathering areas, art, waterfront access and natural spaces to explore, further expanding one of Toronto’s largest recreational destinations.
