Biggest new park in a generation opens along Toronto’s waterfront

An expansive new park in the southeast end of Toronto doesn’t just welcome families to let loose on a playground that incorporates everything from massive wooden woodland creatures and badlands-style landscaping to a zipline, it opens access to a long-neglected part of Toronto’s vast waterfront. 

Today, representatives of all levels of government and Waterfront Toronto, an organization that works with government and other stakeholders to revitalize the lakefront, marked the official unveiling of Biidaasige Park (pronounced Bee-daw-sih-geh). 

Biidaasige Park, whose name means “sunlight shining towards us” in Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwemowin, has been dubbed the biggest park to open in a generation. The massive recreational destination is the first public space to open on Ookwemin Minising (formerly known as Villiers Island), a new island in the Port Lands that’s been created due to ongoing flood protection and river restoration projects in the area.

The new island is located where the Don River meets the lake. 

In a news release issued last year, the City of Toronto said that 290 hectares of southeastern downtown – including parts of the Port Lands, South Riverdale, Leslieville and the East Harbour development site – are at risk of flooding from the Don River and can’t be revitalized until they are flood-protected. The Port Lands Flood Protection project aims not only to protect existing communities but also to create a new one by building a new river valley through the Port Lands and renaturing the river’s mouth.

The island is currently being created on Toronto’s waterfront and is bound by Lake Ontario, the Keating Channel and the new river mouth. Once complete, the 98-acre island will boast 50 acres of parks and 80 acres of parks and green space (including the river).

“We literally moved a river,” Liberal MP and environment minister Julie Dabrusin told attendees at the opening, adding that all levels of government converged to pursue a wildly ambitious project to transform underutilized industrialized lands into public spaces that will eventually include homes. 

Waterfront Toronto has called the opening of the eastern section of Biidaasige Park and the new Don River “the most exciting milestone in the $1.4-billion project’s history.” Now, locals and visitors alike can explore the new park system, which they can access from the Cherry Street and Commissioners Street area, along the newly opened mouth of the Don River.

Next year, they can explore more of the island as it opens. 

Ookwemin Minising (pronounced “oh-kwhe-min min-nih-sing”) spans 39.6 hectares. Over time, the new island is expected to feature over 9,000 housing units (including affordable rentals) that will accommodate up to 15,000 residents. The island is also expected to create up to 3,000 new jobs. 

Waterfront Toronto also said the island will connect the more than 60 acres (or 24 hectares) of parkland delivered through the  Port Lands Flood Protection, plus approximately 15 acres (six hectares) of additional parks that have yet to be built. Once housing is built, the island will also include an elementary school, a community recreation centre, a library, and child care centres. 

“The trees and birds and bald eagles and snow owls were here and now they’re returning,” Mayor Olivia Chow told attendees, saying that thousands of hours of work have been put into helping people in the city reconnect with nature. 

“Imagine all the housing that will be built and the people who can walk [here] and enjoy this park.” 

Chow also spoke of plans to–hopefully, she said–eventually build a Waterfront East LRT, a project she previously said will be necessary to “build more housing, bring in good jobs, and create complete communities for generations.” 

Earlier this year, Waterfront Toronto announced that while part of Biidaasige Park will open this summer, the remainder will follow in 2026. 

While the whole park is not yet open, kayakers (who were out in force today) can access the new river now, although paddling into the Keating Channel is not possible due to ongoing construction on Lake Shore Boulevard and the “canoe cove” area is not accessible due to ongoing construction on the western section of Biidaasige Park.

Once fully open, the park is expected to attract over one million visitors annually. 

The new parks and green space include 5,000 trees, 77,000 shrubs, and two million herbaceous plants. 

As far as amenities go, features available this year include picnic areas and barbecues, a playground with large animal play structures (including a snowy owl stage and a raccoon play structure that represent Anishinaabe, Ongwehonwe, and Huron dodems) and Toronto’s first ziplines. 

Paying homage to another iconic part of the GTA, kids can play on a waterplay structure that looks like a re-creation of the Cheltenham Badlands in nearby Caledon.  

The park also offers recreational trails and cycling paths, including a five-kilometre loop around the river. Visitors can also check out the Don Greenway, a wetland ringed with a trail for bird-watching, step-downs to the river for fishing, and a pebble landing where you can launch a non-motorized boat. The park also includes two off-leash areas for dogs. 

Next year, the park will feature a historic Fire Hall with space for recreation programming, a ‘promontory’ or lookout over the new river and towards the city skyline, the aforementioned Canoe Cove, a pebble landing to launch canoes and kayaks, an event lawn overlooking the harbour and a water’s edge promenade along the western edge of the island. 

Next year, residents and visitors will also be able to visit the Lassonde Art Trail–a free, immersive outdoor experience that will weave people through the river valley up to the promontory that overlooks the downtown core. 

The park is also accessible to those who use wheelchairs and other mobility aids. 

Once complete, the full park network is expected to become a destination for up to one million people a year.