Descriptive Transcript: The Next Wave of Housing
This is a descriptive transcript for our YouTube Video: The Next Wave of Housing
[DESCRIPTION: Meg Davis, Chief Development Officer at Waterfront Toronto speaks to the camera.]
[AUDIO: Each year we talk about the progress on the waterfront. This year saw the launch of Ookwemin Minising and a new housing plan for Quayside as part of our commitment to delivering complete communities and new homes.]
[DESCRIPTION: Aerial footage of a large park on the island called Ookwemin Minising. An aerial photo of the eastern waterfront of Toronto, with drawn boundaries of the future Quayside Neighbourhood. The boundaries outline two areas, phase 1 and phase 2, each currently showing no buildings. The video switches to a flyover of Queens Quay East, showing existing buildings labelled as ‘Bayside’ and the empty space labelled ‘Quayside’.]
[AUDIO: Now we’re embarking on the next wave of waterfront revitalization – even more ambitious than what’s come before.]
[DESCPRIPTION: A large group of canoeists with colourful flags in the boats travelling under a bridge. Text on screen reads ‘The Next Wave. Integrated Annual Report, 2025-2026’.]
[DESCRIPTION: Renée Gomez, Senior Vice President, Development, Waterfront Toronto, speaks to the camera.]
[AUDIO: Recent milestones at Quayside and Ookwemin Minising are helping us turn possibility into place: thousands of new homes, set in complete communities that bring together affordable and rental housing, parks, streets, future transit connections, and civic amenities that support daily life.]
[DESCRIPTION: An aerial rendering of the future neighbourhood on Ookwemin Minising, showing several buildings of varying heights in the centre of the island. Three renderings of people enjoying a greenspace between buildings. The renderings feature many trees and other plantings and are connected to the nearby buildings. The video returns to Gomez speaking to the camera, and then shows a rendering of a future Toronto Public Library.]
[DESCRIPTION: Meg Davis speaks to the camera.]
[AUDIO: At Quayside, that means moving forward with more than 2,800 homes in Phase 1, including over 1,100 purpose-built rental homes and 563 affordable rental homes that will be affordable in perpetuity – made possible with support from all three levels of government and in collaboration with our industry partners.]
[DESCRIPTION: Aerial footage of demolition of post-industrial buildings on the Quayside site. Text on screen reads ‘Quayside, Phase 1’ and ‘2,800+ Homes, 1,100+ purpose-built rentals, 563 affordable rentals’. Davis appears on screen again, speaking to the camera.]
[AUDIO: It means leading with affordability, adding family-sized homes, and building the public spaces, local services, and community anchors that help a neighbourhood to thrive.]
[DESCRIPTION: Rendering of residential buildings on a tree-lined street. Video of adults leading a group of children into a building, followed by children sitting in a circle to watch a librarian read a book. The children are then seen sitting on a bench, accompanied by their caregivers, and waving to the camera. Then children are again seen sitting in front of the librarian, now accompanied by two men in suits, and they are all doing an interactive song, waving hands in the air.]
[DESCRIPTION: Renée Gomez speaks to the camera.]
[AUDIO: Ookwemin Minising, Toronto’s new island is already coming to life with Biidaasige Park — the largest new park to open in the city in a generation.]
[DESCRIPTION: Aerial footage of Biidaasige Park.]
[AUDIO: Now, Waterfront Toronto is advancing the first development block: the first step toward bringing homes to the island, welcoming residents in the early 2030s and laying the foundation for a complete mixed-income waterfront community.]
[DESCRIPTION: Aerial footage of people in high-visibility construction vests and hard hats, standing on an empty lot next to a large pile of soil. The view pans out further to show excavators moving the soil. The view switches to an aerial flyover of the playground in Biidaasige park, featuring a large owl structure and recreational paths. On-the-ground footage shows children exploring the owl play feature and families enjoying the park. Children swing along a zipline in the park.]
[DESCRIPTION: Renée Gomez speaks to the camera.]
[AUDIO: Our ambition is clear: inclusive, resilient, connected waterfront neighbourhoods built for Toronto’s future.]
[DESCPRITION: Meg Davis speaks to the camera.]
[AUDIO: Davis: And at the heart of that future is housing — and not just new places to live, but communities and places to belong.]
[DESCRIPTION: An animation of waves with on-screen text that reads: The Next Wave of Waterfront Revitalization. New housing. New destinations. New Transit.]
[DESCPRIPTION: The logos of Waterfront Toronto, the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, and the City of Toronto appear. On screen text reads: Discover mover waterfrontoronto.ca.]