Building More Homes on Ookwemin Minising: A Green, Livable Neighbourhood

PUBLISHED: April 30, 2026

We’re building a green and livable dense urban neighbourhood on a new island where the Don River meets Lake Ontario.  

As plans for Ookwemin Minising evolve, a unique approach to designing buildings and streetscapes shows how we can build thousands more homes on the island, while keeping public space and making room for nature to thrive. An integrated design team led by SLA and GHD, including Allies and Morrison, has delivered a demonstration plan for Ookwemin Minising. The concept shows how more homes can be developed on the island than previously proposed, along with places to walk, cycle, gather, all shaped by the island’s ecology, history, and enduring Indigenous presence.  

What’s Changed? More homes, including affordable homes   

The updated plan increases overall density by 27% compared to the plan Toronto City Council approved in 2024, making room for about 12,000 new homes across the island. On public lands, we’re also strengthening affordability: with a target of 30% affordable homes, we expect up to 3,000 affordable units. And because a great neighbourhood needs homes that work for many kinds of households, at least 40% of homes are planned as two bedrooms or larger.

To support that mix, the proposed built form uses a flexible “kit of parts” approach. Instead of one fixed blueprint, it gives us options for how buildings can be arranged as the project moves forward.  

What makes it special? 

 Buildings, streets, and landscapes for this new neighbourhood are being designed as one connected system. Streets prioritize walking, cycling, and transit, and weave nature into everyday routes. Buildings encourage street life, ensuring a comfortable and interesting environment for people.

The “Growing Streets” approach designs streets to evolve over time, the way healthy ecosystems do.  Adding quirkiness to street design creates small moments of discovery in people’s day‑to‑day.  
 

Each street is designed with its own character. Centre Commons—a green, pedestrian space running east-west across the island—anchors the neighbourhood as a place for kids to learn to bike, neighbours to connect, and pop‑ups and markets to take root.
 

Indigenous designers are helping shape this work, ensuring that Indigenous worldviews are present throughout the plan. That means deep listening and collaboration, alongside ecological work made possible through flood protection and river restoration.  
 

The Sandbar Trail is one way we’re carrying this history into the streetscape: the historic sandbar is reflected in the alignment and materials for Ookwemin Street. 

What’s Next?

Council approval of this updated concept plan. 
In response to direction from Toronto City Council in 2024, Waterfront Toronto, the City of Toronto and CreateTO looked at ways to deliver more housing on the island. Proposed updates to the 2024 plan would increase density across the island by 27%, without losing any public space. That means room for about 12,000 new homes, including a target of 30% affordable housing on public lands. This update requires some changes to the Official Plan as well as Zoning By-law amendments. These will be brought to the Planning and Housing Committee as well as City Council in May.
 

Public engagement. 
We’ve met with our Ookwemin Minising Advisory Network, our advisory group on this project representing a diversity of perspectives, to review these plans. This Spring and Summer, there will be more ways to give us your input. 

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