Descriptive Transcript: The Next Wave of Sustainability

This is a descriptive transcript for our YouTube Video: The Next Wave of Sustainability  

[DESCRIPTION: Aaron Barter, Vice President, Program Integration and Sustainability, Waterfront Toronto, speaks to the camera.] 

[AUDIO: Each year we talk about the progress on the waterfront. This year we advanced sustainable infrastructure, public spaces, and buildings as part of our commitment to a greener built environment and supporting the health of our city - creating a waterfront where people and nature thrive together.] 

[DESCRIPTION: Photos: a bridge over a river and cyclists on a multi-use path. A cyclist speaking to two people about to launch a canoe. Aerial view of a green roof. Video footage of cyclists and runners on a multi-use path in a park.] 

[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’. Aaron Barter speaks to the camera.] 

[AUDIO: With recent milestones like the opening of Biidaasige Park, major transportation infrastructure upgrades, and striking new buildings.] 

[DESCRIPTION: Swans swimming in a river. Aerial footage of the Lake Shore Bridge, labeling the bridge and Don Roadway. Aerial footage of a residential building with undulating balconies on the water’s edge. Aaron Barter speaks to the camera.] 

[AUDIO: But what makes this progress remarkable isn't only what’s been delivered– but how. Sustainability is built in from the start: it shapes our procurement decisions, our construction practices, and how we work with every partner. Many people in Toronto know about our flood protection work around the Don River, which renaturalized the river mouth, created a new island, removed contaminated soil, and helped build Toronto’s resilience to extreme weather.] 

[DESCRIPTION: Aerial footage showing the progression of building a new river in the Port Lands. The first shot is of an empty field, followed by a large ‘s’ shaped excavation, which is slowly built up to have greenery and bridges over it, before filling with water and becoming a river flowing into the lake. Aaron Barter speaks to the camera.] 

[AUDIO: The thinking that guided that project shapes everything we do. Waterfront Toronto plays two key roles in revitalization. First, we deliver infrastructure and public places ourselves — parks, roads, bridges, bike paths, and transit corridors. In all this work, we treat nature as a partner: making room for water to move naturally and incorporating green space to absorb stormwater, provide shade, contribute to biodiversity and create habitat, too. ] 

[DESCRIPTION: Pedestrians cross a street with a streetcar in the background. Flowers blooming next to the lake. A young person on rollerblades waves to a couple pushing a stroller in a park. Two children plant flowers on a roof. Leaves on a tree provide shade. A couple pushing a stroller walks along a boardwalk in a park. Aaron Barter speaks to the camera.] 

[AUDIO: Second, we guide the buildings others deliver. Every new development on public waterfront land meets our Green Building Requirements. These have helped make the waterfront home to some of Canada's most sustainable buildings — like Aqualuna and Limberlost Place.] 

[DESCRIPTION: Aerial footage of Queen’s Quay East. A photo of Aqualuna, a copper-coloured building with undulating balconies. Text on screen reads ‘Aqualuna, Hines Tridel, LEED Platinum’. An aerial view of Limberlost Place, an angular building with solar panels on the roof. Text on screen reads ‘Limberlost Place, George Brown Polytechnic, LEED Gold. Global Project of the Year, Engineering News-Record.’ Aaron Barter speaks to the camera.] 

[AUDIO: Sustainability isn’t an add-on to waterfront revitalization – it’s a big part of why the transformation is succeeding, and how we’re making sure it’s built to last. And as we look ahead to the next wave of revitalization – to the new neighbourhoods at Quayside and Ookwemin Minising – our environmental commitments remain at the heart of our approach.] 

[DESCRIPTION: Rendering of people walking through a green area next to buildings. Aerial rendering of several tall buildings on an island. Rendering of people enjoying the water’s edge promenade – a cobblestone pathway between the lake and large planting beds. Rendering of people spending time in a greenspace nestled between residential buildings. Aaron Barter speaks to the camera.] 

[AUDIO: We're not just building new neighbourhoods, we're building a model for a sustainable, resilient city.] 

[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 more waterfrontoronto.ca.]