The Port Lands is a 400 hectare (988-acre) district bounded by the Keating Channel/Don River and Lake Shore Boulevard in the north, the Toronto Inner Harbour in the west, Ashbridges Bay in the east and Lake Ontario and Tommy Thompson Park in the south. This extensive, underutilized area presents an unprecedented opportunity for waterfront revitalization. Much of the Port Lands is publicly owned, the area has exceptional waterfront access and much of it is within a 30 minute walk of downtown Toronto.

The southern portion of the Port Lands is boarded by Lake Ontario and much of it is used formally and informally as recreational space.

The Port Lands are man-made and were created by decades of infilling what was once the largest wetland on the Great Lakes. Beginning in the 1880s, the area was gradually filled in to make more land available for industry and shipping. Since it was created, most of the Port Lands have been utilized for industrial uses and the majority of the area currently lacks servicing for other uses. Much of the area is also in the flood plain of the Don River and flood protection must be created before the area can be fully developed.

Given the size and numerous challenges with the area, revitalization of the Port Lands is slated to occur in phases over the next 25 years. The first area to be planned and developed is the northwest corner, which is the largest portion of the Lower Don Lands. Plans for the Lower Don Lands include reconfiguring the mouth of the Don River, which will provide the necessary flood control for the Port Lands and enable the entire area to be developed.

The Port Lands is also the location of a proposed soil recycling facility. The old industrial lands in the Port Lands and throughout the rest of the waterfront revitalization area must be restored before being developed. Waterfront Toronto aims to wherever possible treated and recycled soil and not just relocated to a landfill. Prior to committing to a full scale soil recycling facility, Waterfront Toronto proposes to conduct a smaller-scale recycling pilot test in the Port Lands. The Port Lands Soil Recycling Pilot Facility will help identify the range of treatment options and associated costs; confirm that impacted soil can be treated to standards set by the Ministry of the Environment Brownfield Regulation; and will also showcase treatment technologies.

A number of initiatives have taken place to make the Port Lands more people friendly and to ensure the area is utilized prior to full-scale development. Waterfront Toronto has landscaped and enhanced key streets and intersections, and added cycling trails as part of a greening of the area.

Recreational facilities have also been improved. In 2004, Waterfront Toronto completed landscape improvements and restoration of Cherry Beach, one of Toronto’s most popular beaches located along southern shore of Lake Ontario in the western end of the Port Lands. Just north of the beach, the Cherry Beach Sports Fields, two premier regulation-sized soccer and lacrosse fields were opened in 2008.

An exciting future initiative on our new blue edge will be the development of Lake Ontario Park. It will transform the southern portion of the Port Lands into part of a massive new park. Encompassing 375 hectares (927 acres) and 37 kilometres of shoreline, Lake Ontario Park will be Canada’s next great urban park. It will encompass numerous ecologically unique and distinctive landscapes, from the spectacular wetlands that define Tommy Thompson Park, to the cathedral stand of cottonwoods that frames Cherry Beach. Lake Ontario Park will be a world renowned urban wilderness and recreational park that will truly define our relationship with the water’s edge.

Historically, Port Lands revitalization has been hampered by fragmented land control, the cost of soil remediation and infrastructure and business relocation challenges. Waterfront Toronto and City of Toronto waterfront planning efforts to date have established an overall vision for establishing vibrant, mixed-use communities in the Port Lands. The next step is a strategic road map outlining the critical steps to achieving this vision in the short, medium and long term.

A draft Port Lands Implementation Strategy Report (80 MB) was created in 2006 to develop a clear and realistic strategy for Port Lands revitalization. The plan is intended to be the road map to achieve green, sustainable communities. It leverages the work done to date and find ways to add value through things like design, commercial development, and environmental improvements to the area in a structured way that is flexible enough to respond to events that will occur over the many years it will take to completely revitalize the Port Lands. Specifically, the plan reconfirms and where necessary defines, land use, public spaces, linkages between parks, infrastructure, development, phasing and investment considerations.

The plan addresses things like precinct boundaries and sequencing; ultimate and interim land uses and leasing; relocation and mitigation; urban structure; phasing of infrastructure and development; parks and public space linkages; transportation structure; recreation and water's edge use; master servicing; soil remediation strategy; energy strategy; and a sustainability process.
 

Size: 400 hectare (988-acre)

Location: Keating Channel/Don River and Lake Shore Boulevard in the north, the Toronto Inner Harbour in the west, Ashbridges Bay in the east and Lake Ontario and Tommy Thompson Park in the south.

Proximity: much of it is within a 30 minute walk of downtown Toronto.

Download a copy of the 2006 Draft Port Lands Implementation Strategy Report here (80 MB).