Construction on Toronto's new artificial island is coming along stunningly
You'd be forgiven as a Torontonian for not having visited the city's Port Lands in recent years (or ever), but the formerly barren industrial area is in the midst of a groundbreaking revitalization, setting it up to become one of our most exciting and walkable precincts.
Part lush oasis, part completely new neighbourhood replete with condos and businesses, the future Port Lands community will be unrecognizable — and already is, with all the progress that's been made on the $1 billion initiative since its inception in 2017.
The engineering feat known as the Port Lands Flood Protection Project has centred around rerouting the Don River to renaturalize its path (and prevent local flooding, as the name suggests), which has in turn created new wetlands and other habitats, along with an entire human-made landmass.
Originally dubbed Villiers Island, the islet was renamed Ookwemin Minising — or "place of the black cherry trees" in Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwemowin — late last year, right around the same time that it officially came into existence by virtue of the Don being released onto a new path snaking around the site.
Now, another update from Waterfront Toronto has put the mighty undertaking's headway into perspective, also offering residents more of an idea of what to expect as the new quarter takes shape.
This week, the organization, which is helming the transformation, announced that Toronto's new island is "ready to launch," releasing a flyover video showcasing all of the area's recent additions.
Shot from overhead, the footage shows the island's protected paddling launch area ("Canoe Cove"), which lies adjacent to Biidaasige Park along the archipelago's shores.
Once fully completed, the green space will offer breathtaking skyline views from an elevated promontory lookout, and will also be home to an open-air art trail and and refurbished 300-ton crane that was granted heritage designation due to its role in the city's history.
Paths will wind throughout, alongside picnic areas and play structures that include an already-installed snowy owl that you can climb inside and a "Badlands Scramble" feature modelled after the Cheltenham Badlands.
Debuting in phases, part of the enormous park will be ready this summer, with others to follow in 2026 and after. "The full park network will be a destination for over one million people annually," Waterfront Toronto explains in the video, posted Tuesday.
Here's what's next for Toronto's new artificial island https://t.co/0GmoiAhjXz
— blogTO (@blogTO) July 5, 2024
Moving around to the north of the island, viewers are shown where a future "urban river walk lined with shops" will reside along the Keating Channel, which connects the inner harbour to the Don. At this junction, the river flows southward toward a new Don Greenway before heading back west and out to the harbour through marshlands and the Polson Slip.
In the footage, we can also see all of the snazzy new bridges the city has acquired over the last few years, all connecting the island to the surrounding area.
The pocket will eventually house some 15,000 residents when all is said and done, with developers and designers — just recently selected through a competitive bidding process — now starting to envision the site's new public spaces (which include 50 acres of parkland), streets, water management, utilities and more that will support the creation of new homes, offices, retail stores, restaurants and transit.
How Toronto's new artificial island will be transformed into a neighbourhood https://t.co/aaA395biSC
— blogTO (@blogTO) January 29, 2024
"We imagine Toronto's new island as Canada's most desirable neighbourhood," WaterfrontTO states. "Ultimately we are working toward building a city within a city on the Eastern Waterfront with new parks, homes and destinations."
