Toronto's new artificial river is looking absolutely spectacular in aerial views

The rebuilding of Toronto's long-lost Don River mouth is nearing completion, and will soon become the jewel in the crown of the City's $1.3 billion Port Lands Flood Protection Project (PLFP).

Excitement over the recently flooded artificial river mouth — which forms the new Villiers Island as it snakes through the post-industrial landscape — has been building since the project crossed a pivotal milestone in February when the river valley was filled to the water level of Lake Ontario.

Over the months that followed, new views of the new naturalized river mouth have continued to captivate the public, including the removal of one of two plugs dividing off the waterway from its surroundings.

Most recently, plant life has started to overtake the artificial valley, bringing it closer to the verdant space promised in pre-construction renderings.

Videographer Jonathan Careless has been capturing aerial views of the Port Lands' transformation for the last several months, and the latest drone footage shows how plant life has begun to quickly populate the banks of the new river valley.

Captured in crystal-clear 4K, this drone footage highlights how the newly greened river banks will blend into surrounding park spaces and invite passersby to interact with the naturalized waterway.

The public already got its first taste of the reconfigured Port Lands when futuristic new bridges opened earlier this year.

More will be revealed when new parks open in the spring and summer of 2025, and development of the newly flood-protected blocks for housing is expected to begin shortly after.