Participating Agencies and Corporations
Levels of Government
On March 5, 2001, City of Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman, Federal Transport Minister The Honourable David Collenette, and Ontario Deputy Premier and Finance Minister The Honourable Jim Flaherty announced the commitment of the three levels of government to revitalize the Toronto waterfront. This included a commitment of $500 million from each level of government. Four priority projects were identified as part of the waterfront revitalization, one of which was the flood protection and naturalization of the mouth of the Don River. The three levels of government identified the TRCA as the recipient agency and proponent for evaluating alternatives for this project through the Environmental Assessment process
Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation (TWRC)
Established by the Levels of Government, the TWRC's mission is to transform the Toronto waterfront for the people of Toronto, Ontario, and Canada, to foster economic growth, and to re-define how the city, province, and country are perceived by the world. This will be accomplished by creating prominent cultural institutions, parks, and open spaces, diverse and dynamic commercial and residential communities, and by attracting the industries of the 21st century. Toronto will be the city where the world desires to live.
As co-proponent for this project, the TWRC will provide funding to conduct these studies and provide oversight throughout the delivery of the project's authorized activities.
Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA)
As the recipient agency, the TRCA will act as the lead proponent to manage and develop the Environmental Assessment processes for the Lower Don River West Remedial Flood Protection Project, and the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project on behalf of the TWRC. The role of TRCA includes:
- Project management;
- Consultant team selection for the two projects;
- Coordination of Technical Advisory Committees, Community Liaison Committees, Public Open Houses and other stakeholder meetings;
- Development of certain baseline studies; and
- The provision of technical expertise while collaborating with consultant teams and stakeholder agencies during: the development of assessment criteria and alternative designs; the evaluation of alternatives; the selection and refinement of the preferred alternative, and other components of the Environmental Assessment process.
City of Toronto
Fundamentally, the naturalization and flood protection of the Don River is being conducted on behalf of and for the benefit of the City of Toronto. As such, the City of Toronto has a vested and active interest in the EA process and the development of the preferred designs for both the Lower Don River West Remedial Flood Protection Project, and the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project, including the facilitation of public consultation for the LDRW project and involvement on the Technical Advisory Committee.
Staff from a majority of the City departments are involved in both EA processes, including:
- City Planning
- Facilities and Real Estate
- Parks, Forestry and Recreation
- Policy, Planning, Finance & Administration
- Public Health
- Technical Services
- Toronto Economic Development Corporation (TEDCO)
- Toronto Water
- Transportation Services
- Waterfront Secretariat
Environment Canada
Environment Canada is the federal department responsible for providing federal funding to the TWRC. As such, EC becomes the lead Responsible Agency (RA) as it relates to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
Toronto Economic Development Corporation (TEDCO)
The Toronto Economic Development Corporation (TEDCO) is designated as Toronto's principal redevelopment entity with authority to explore, pilot, and implement incentives and redevelopment tools, as permitted by Provincial legislation and regulations. The city-wide focus of TEDCO will be on the redevelopment of brownfields lands and under-utilized sites, for employment revitalization purposes.
TEDCO owns or manages more than 160 hectares of land within the Port Lands area, including most of the land to be naturalized as part of the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project.
Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC)
Ontario Realty Corporation is the strategic manager of the Government of Ontario's real estate. The ORC is one of Canada's largest real estate management companies with over 6,000 buildings representing over 4.6 million square metres of space and over 38,000 hectares of land.
ORC has been identified by the TWRC as the recipient agency to lead the studies on the characterization of soil and groundwater in the West Don Lands. ORC is to develop recommendations to mitigate for soil and groundwater contamination in a comprehensive manner, including those lands associated with the Lower Don River West Remedial Flood Protection Project.
ORC also owns property in DMNP EA Study Area.
Toronto Port Authority (TPA)
The Toronto Port Authority is a Canada Port Authority and part of the national ports system, which replaced the Toronto Harbour Commissioners on June 8, 1999, under the Canada Marine Act. The TPA is a federal public authority providing transportation, distribution, storage and container services to businesses. It provides regulatory controls and public works services to enhance the safety and efficiency of marine navigation and aviation in the port and harbour of Toronto. The TPA operates a Works Depot along the south shore of the Keating Channel and may be required to relocate their operations as a result of the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project.
Canadian National Railway (CN), GO Transit, Toronto Terminals Railway, and Via Rail
Two major lines owned by the Canadian National Railway cross through the lower Don study area. GO Transit and Via Rail regularly utilize this stream crossing and railway embankment. The first line runs in an east - west direction (Kingston Subdivision) connecting downtown Toronto to Montreal and represents one of the busiest rail links in Canada. An elevated rail bridge with five tracks crosses the Don River north of the Gardiner Expressway and south of Eastern Avenue. This bridge sits approximately six metres above the surrounding lands and is perched on an embankment built by the Grand Trunk Railway (predecessor to CN) in 1928. This embankment would act as a dam causing flood water to build up upstream if a rainfall event the size of Hurricane Hazel were to fall in the Don Watershed.
The second line, of which the section south of Queen Street is owned by GO Transit, runs in a north - south direction (Bala Subdivision) connecting downtown Toronto with the communities to the north. This line is situated along the west bank of the Don River, just east of Bayview Avenue, before it turns west and connects to the Kingston Subdivision line, south of Eastern Avenue. GO Transit operates regular commuter services on this line, connecting communities in the north GTA with Toronto. Due to its low-lying position, this line is subject to regular flooding.
GO Transit recently acquired the Don Sorting Yard. The Sorting Yard is located on the west bank of the Don River, immediately south of the Kingston Subdivision (and the spur line that directs rail traffic south into the Port Lands area from CNR). The Toronto Terminals Railway manages the day-to-day operations and maintenance of both subdivision lines, the Port Lands spur line, and the Don Sorting Yard.
Wilson Yard is located south of the Don Yard and is owned by TEDCO with a long-term lease held by Toronto Terminal Railways. TRCA currently holds a short-term lease on Wilson Yard for the purpose of the construction of the Don River Bridge.
An operational industrial rail spur line serving the Redpath Sugar (Tate and Lyle) plant runs along the south side of Queens Quay East through the study area. The Redpath rail spur is used on an occasional basis for the transportation of refined sugar and liquid sugar. The Redpath rail spur is serviced from the TEDCO Keating rail yard located to the east of the Don River. The spur runs generally along the south side of the Gardiner Expressway from the TEDCO Keating Yard and crosses Lake Shore Boulevard East near the Cherry Street (north) signalized intersection as it enters the study area. There is a second track running parallel to the main spur. This track serves as a siding facility for the Redpath Sugar plant and is used for rail car storage and shunting purposes.
TRCA staff are working closely with each of these railways for both the Lower Don River West Remedial Flood Protection Project and the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project to ensure that the preferred alternatives do not impede the operations and maintenance of these important rail corridors.
Click the map for a larger version
Other Key Landowners
TRCA is working closely with the following landowners that are located within the study area:
- Home Depot Canada
- Korex Don Valley Canada
- Unilever Canada
