All too often we hear about what Toronto is getting wrong, but when we get something right, we tend to get it really right. Case in point, the incredible new Biidaasige Park in the city’s Port Lands at the mouth of the Don River.
Toronto unveiled its largest new park in a generation on Friday and it is a stunner. This expansive park is part of a major flood protection and revitalization effort that is reshaping the city’s eastern waterfront and setting the foundation for future sustainable communities.
Biidaasige Park sits on Ookwemin Minising, a new island formed through the re-routing and naturalization of the Don River. The name Ookwemin Minising means “place of the black cherry trees” in Anishinaabemowin and reflects the landscape’s Indigenous roots. The creation of the island and park was driven by the need for flood protection in the Port Lands, one of the largest urban renewal efforts in North America.
The Port Lands Flood Protection project, which involved rebuilding the mouth of the Don River, was designed not just to safeguard over 174 hectares of land from future flooding, but to create new natural environments and accessible public space. Biidaasige Park is the first completed public amenity on this reimagined terrain.
Biidaasige Park: sunlight toward the future
Biidaasige (pronounced bee-daw-sih-geh) means “sunlight shining toward us,” and the park lives up to its name with bright, open spaces, extensive native plantings, and dynamic features for recreation and play. The park space is spread over a whopping 50 acres (20 hectares) today—with another 10 acres (4 hectares) coming in 2026—the park includes:
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An incredible and huge naturally contoured playground with larger-than-life animal sculptures representing Indigenous dodems (clans)
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The city of Toronto’s first-ever ziplines, which are modest but super fun
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The Badlands Scramble, a waterplay and climbing area
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Picnic grounds and two dog off-leash zones
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A pebble beach-style landing area for launching kayaks and canoes
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Fishing platforms and step-downs to the river for nature access
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Trails for walking and cycling
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Wetlands and native vegetation for birdwatching, including the Don Greenway wetland corridor
This first phase alone features over 5,000 trees, 77,000 shrubs, and two million herbaceous plants—all part of a carefully restored riverine ecosystem.
Biidaasige Park is much more than a playground
What makes the new park so impressive, beyond the playground and the amazing spaces designed for people to congregate and enjoy the area, is that it sprawls and you can explore much further afield than one might think up a first visit.
The trails actually run on the other side of the new Don River and stretch all the way to the shipping channel south of the park, which provides an incredible experience for visitors. An area rarely seen up close by anyone who lives here.
Any active types, joggers, cyclists, paddle boarders and kayakers will love this new play space, especially when combined with Cherry Beach for an epic loop option.
A New Island Community Taking Shape
While Biidaasige Park is the first completed piece of public space on Ookwemin Minising, the broader vision is ambitious. At 98 acres (39 hectares), the island is expected to eventually support more than 15,000 residents, nearly 3,000 jobs, and 15 additional acres of parkland. Mixed-use developments and sustainable housing are already in planning, made possible by the foundational flood protection work.
The naturalization of the Don River and the creation of Biidaasige Park represent a significant environmental milestone. Where once stood a neglected industrial floodplain, there is now a living river valley with new habitat, green infrastructure, and public access to water—all designed to withstand the climate-related challenges of the future.
Looking Ahead for Biidaasige Park
The next phase of development will see the expansion of the island community and additional parks and public amenities. The Lassonde Art Trail will open in 2026 alongside the park’s final section. And with plans to accelerate housing construction on both Ookwemin Minising and the adjacent Quayside lands, this newly accessible stretch of the Toronto waterfront is poised to become a model of sustainable and inclusive urban growth.
Biidaasige Park may be a new arrival, but it won’t take long for this to be a cherished public space in the city. It is easily one of the top three parks in the city already
