Toronto Mayor John Tory together with other government officials and local residents yesterday attended a ground-breaking ceremony in the city, to mark the start of excavation on a new river valley as part of the Port Lands Flood Protection project.
Over a decade in planning, the project is implementing a comprehensive strategy for flood protection of the Port Lands, which are at risk of flooding under a significant storm event.
“ For years the Port Lands have sat waiting for flood protection work to be done – now we’re finally doing it because we worked with the Ontario & federal governments to fund this project with funding totaling $1.25 billion ,” Mayor John Tory said.
According to the officials, the project will remediate contaminated lands and unlock new land for development, provide critical flood protection through the creation of a naturalized mouth for the Don River, and establish new wetlands and aquatic habitats to support native species of fish.
“ Naturalizing the mouth of the Don River protects the Port Lands and homes in our community from flooding. We are committed to helping build vibrant and sustainable and prosperous communities along our waterfront. This is a very exciting time for the city !” commented Julie Dabrusin, Member of Parliament for Toronto–Danforth .
The scheme, set for completion by 2025, will among other things include extensive earth work, construction of new bridges and extension of the Lake Shore Boulevard bridge, as well as creation of a new, naturalized area in the river valley.
Once completed, this project provide flood protection for 240 hectares of land through the creation of a naturalized mouth for the Don River.