Port Lands Flood Protection

The Port Lands Flood Protection project will re-naturalize the Don Valley River and realign Cherry Street to safeguard Downtown Toronto from increasing risks of flood and help spur economic growth and strengthen biodiversity.

Location

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Client

Waterfront Toronto

Project Value

$1.25B

Project Status

Ongoing

Protecting people, creating opportunities, fostering biodiversity—that’s our promise to Toronto.

The Port Lands in Toronto was once one of the largest wetlands on Lake Ontario. However, beginning in the late 1800s, the area was gradually infilled to increase land availability for industry and shipping. Today, the Port Lands area sits within a designated floodplain, and all levels of the Canadian government have identified flood protection for the area as a top priority.

A challenging redevelopment of Toronto’s lakeshore

WSP is proud to be supporting the Port Lands Flood project (PLFP) since 2017, where we delivered a robust Master Stormwater Management Strategy that showcases Future Ready® thinking and entails leading-edge approaches to surface water management that avoids the pitfalls of traditional stormwater management approaches. Cognizant of the complexities of this highly ambitious, publicly funded project set out to transform Toronto’s Waterfront and economy, WSP provided due diligence investigation and conceptual design development of municipal infrastructure and stormwater management for the Lower Don Lands Precinct. Upholding the importance of minimizing the project’s adverse environmental impacts, WSP designed air quality, weather, noise, vibration, and surface water monitoring plans that allow continuous environmental surveillance through the full project life cycle. We also designed and implemented several web-based applications to facilitate remote, real-time monitoring 24/7, ensuring immediate mitigation of environmental impacts ad hoc.

Remote real-time monitoring and alert system developed and implemented to mitigate environmental impact

24/7

City’s waterfront investigated to confer flood protection program

125 ha

m³ of contaminated soil re-used, remediated or removed

1,000,000

Shaping our communities to thrive sustainably

It is an honour to take sustainable steps to revitalize our City’s landscapes and confer the site upon which the project will be realized and deliver many benefits for the City of Toronto.

The Port Lands Flood Protection project embodies principles aligned with WSP’s vision and mission to future-proof communities and shape them to thrive sustainably. In support of the project’s objective, which includes revitalizing the underutilized environment, mitigating the ever-increasing risks of floods, enhancing the quality of life, safeguarding the natural environment, and strengthening biodiversity, WSP will continue to provide a breadth of environmental, sustainability and advisory services.

WSP looks forward to helping the project advance and to redesign Toronto for tomorrow today.

Climate-positive design

Toronto’s Waterfront is set to epitomize sustainability, resilience and innovation with its future-ready designs that account for evolving climate change impacts, positioning the City as a climate leader and champion of innovation.

Strengthened biodiversity

The PLFP will deliver an enhanced environment for Toronto’s residents and wildlife that habituates the Waterfront. Further, it will promote the return of different aquatic species.

Job creation

The Port Lands Flood Protection project will bring added flood protection and render a safer environment for residents and neighbourhoods of Downtown Toronto and allow for economic developments and increased job opportunities in Toronto.