Toronto’s human-made waterway is finally a real river after biggest breakthrough yet

Toronto’s Don River has had a long journey to finally finding its way back to its natural path, which has been painstakingly planned carved out as part of the City and Waterfront Toronto’s $1.35-billion Port Lands Flood Protection Project that is completely overhauling the previously industrial area.

On Friday, that project reached what is being considered its most remarkable milestone yet, and it all has to do with the Don, which is now free-flowing into Lake Ontario once more.

This comes after not only many months of the waterway being dammed up during the construction of its new bed, but also decades of it running on a cumbersome, badly engineered path, having been straightened in the 1880s and redirected at a sharp 90-degree angle while the city was built up around the harbour.

This morning marked the monumental removal of the final sections of a concrete plug that had been holding the waters back as the area was prepped for the Don’s new route, which snakes through wetlands, flood plains and a manufactured island that will soon be the city’s newest precinct full of homes, parks, offices, shops, restaurants and more.

Along with completely redefining what was a barren pocket of the city, this massive undertaking by Waterfront Toronto also means that in the event of heavy precipitation, waters will flow into the Harbour rather than flooding the surrounding neighbourhood.

The risk of floods and resulting destruction along the river has been a concern since the infill of surrounding marshes in the early 1900s, on top of all of our other harmful interventions with the Port Lands ecosystem over the years.

“This historic achievement unlocks much-needed public land on Toronto’s waterfront,” Waterfront Toronto President and CEO George Zegarac said upon releasing the tides back into the lake today. 

“Our collective vision will lead us to complete a waterfront city that will ultimately become a home to over 100,000 people and a destination for 97,000 jobs. It starts on this brand-new island.”

He adds that in 2025, the Port Lands will become home to the biggest park opened in the city in a generation.

Local City Councillor Paula Fletcher was also among those on the scene, and thanked all levels of government for their hand in this dramatic revitalization, which has been decades in the making.

“The long-awaited dream is now a reality thanks to the exceptional work of Waterfront Toronto with the commitment and funding of the three levels of government,” she said.

“The Don River is free to run directly into the Harbour, and the new Island — Ookwemin Minising — has been fully created. In a few years, new generations of Torontonians will make their home on our beautiful Waterfront. It is a milestone moment for our city.”