Toronto's largest park in a generation just got bigger: Biidaasige Park opens 10 new acres of waterfront public space

Additional waterfront parkland opens on Toronto’s newest island, marking a major milestone in one of North America’s most ambitious waterfront transformations

Biidaasige Park, Toronto's largest park in a generation, just got bigger

TORONTO, July 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toronto's waterfront reaches a major milestone today with the opening of 10 new acres in Biidaasige Park. The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature and Member of Parliament for Toronto–Danforth; Chi Nguyen, Member of Parliament for Spadina–Harbourfront; the Honourable Todd McCarthy, Ontario's Acting Minister of Infrastructure; Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow; Councillor Paula Fletcher (Toronto–Danforth); and Chief Margaret Sault of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation officially mark the completion of another significant chapter in the transformation of the Port Lands.

The opening of the new western section of Biidaasige Park expands public access to a reimagined section of Toronto’s shoreline and reconnects people to both Lake Ontario and a new one-kilometre stretch of the Don River through nature, recreation, culture and public gathering spaces. It represents a shared commitment by partners to creating new public spaces, advancing waterfront revitalization and expanding Toronto's largest park in a generation.

What was once industrial land is now a waterfront destination where nature, culture, recreation and climate resilience converge. Visitors can paddle from Canoe Cove, explore a naturalized river valley, gather on a 3,000-person event lawn, take in sweeping views of Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline from the Water’s Edge Promenade, and experience world-renowned public art with the unveiling of the western section of the Lassonde Art Trail, which, together with the eastern section, now features 15 installations from leading international artists throughout the park. 

Building for the future

Part of Waterfront Toronto’s unprecedented Port Lands Flood Protection (PLFP) project, funded by a $1.4 billion tri-government investment including more than $465 million by the Government of Canada, more than $471 million by the Government of Ontario and more than $471 million by the City of Toronto, Biidaasige Park demonstrates how cities can integrate flood protection, ecological restoration and public space into one connected vision. This generational transformation is helping establish Toronto as a global leader in waterfront revitalization and resilient urban design.

The 10-acre expansion adds parkland almost the size of the Rogers Centre building, and five times the size of Toronto’s Sugar Beach into the already expansive park opened last summer. The portions of Biidaasige Park opened in 2025 and 2026 total approximately 60 acres, with an additional five acres of parkland still to come.

Last summer’s opening drew huge crowds eager to kayak along the shoreline, spot returning wildlife, join guided site tours and cycle the new routes. With those experiences already capturing the city’s imagination, this next phase adds even more to a park that is quickly becoming a Toronto landmark.

When complete, Biidaasige Park will be more than twice the size of Chicago’s Millennium Park which redefined that city’s modern identity by transforming a former rail yard and parking lot into an architectural and artistic tourist destination that now generates billions in economic revenue.

More than a new public space, Biidaasige Park demonstrates what is possible when cities invest in nature, culture, infrastructure and community together. It is both a landmark destination for today and a powerful expression of Toronto’s waterfront future.

A new perspective on Toronto

Located at the heart of Toronto’s redeveloped eastern waterfront, the newest section of Biidaasige Park offers visitors a new experience of the city.

New public features include:

• Canoe Cove, a paddling course and pebble landing for non-motorized watercraft
• A 3,000-person event lawn
• More than 250 metres of extended Water’s Edge Promenade
• A promontory, or elevated viewpoint, offering panoramic sightlines across the inner harbour and city skyline
• The Atlas Crane, a preserved 300-ton marine cargo crane, installed in 1961 and decommissioned in the 2000s, and elements of the Marine Terminal 35 building, which celebrate the area’s industrial heritage 
• Existing and planned Indigenous design features, including a Fire Holder feature and Teaching Signifier Sturgeon Stones – both designed by Solomon King and Brook McIllroy. It also includes Directional Compasses/Marker Trees designed by Two Row Architect, and Interpretive Signage by NVision Insight Group, celebrating the area’s Indigenous past and present
• The western expansion of the four-kilometre Lassonde Art Trail, featuring 7 public art installations by artists Ryan Gander, Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka, Lisa Hirmer, Virginia Overton, and Hank Willis Thomas; with another two highly anticipated sculptures by Kent Monkman and Monira Al Qadiri to come this fall
  
  

These features collectively create a destination where visitors can move effortlessly between water, nature, art, recreation and gathering spaces, while experiencing Toronto from an entirely new vantage point.

Nature returns to the waterfront

The Biidaasige Park opening represents far more than the addition of new parkland. It is also the continuation of one of the largest ecological restoration efforts ever undertaken on Toronto’s waterfront.

Across the broader site, more than one million plants and approximately 5,000 trees have been introduced to support wetlands, fish habitats, native planting areas and naturalized shorelines. The restored Don River mouth and surrounding parklands are already creating conditions for wildlife and native plant species not seen on Toronto’s waterfront in more than a century. Early ecological monitoring indicates increased bird and pollinator activity throughout the area, including the return of species such as the Great Blue Heron and Razorbill.

These restored ecosystems are improving biodiversity, strengthening climate resilience and reconnecting people to the natural environment.

Shaped by water, story and place

Long before industrialization and city development, this waterfront held deep significance for Indigenous Peoples.

Today, Indigenous placekeeping is embedded throughout the park experience, reflecting longstanding relationships between land, water and community while helping restore Indigenous presence, language and ways of understanding place within the public realm.

Biidaasige, pronounced “Bee-daw-si-geh,” means “sunlight shining toward us,” while Ookwemin Minising, pronounced “Oh-kway-min Min-ih-sing,” means “place of the black cherry trees” in Anishinaabewomin. Both names were gifted through an Indigenous-led naming circle convened by the City of Toronto.

The lead design was conducted by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc, who spent almost two decades leading the planning and execution of the Biidaasige Park project. The landscape also includes plantings developed in consultation with Indigenous partners, ceremonial and interpretive elements, marker trees, The Drum and other features that contribute to a deeper sense of meaning, identity and connection throughout the site.

Visitors can also experience the Lassonde Art Trail, an innovative open-air public art experience that integrates internationally recognized, interactive artworks throughout the park, encouraging exploration by foot, bicycle and water.

Toronto’s waterfront, reimagined

The expansion of Biidaasige Park represents another milestone in the Port Lands Flood Protection (PLFP) project, which safeguards 174 hectares (430 acres) from extreme flooding, including existing Toronto neighbourhoods, while unlocking space for future mixed-use communities that will include wetlands, river valleys, public spaces, housing, employment opportunities and neighbourhood amenities.

A new island created through flood protection, Ookwemin Minising, will become a green, livable neighbourhood surrounded by Biidaasige Park. Over the next 25 years, Ookwemin Minising is envisioned to become home to approximately 21,000 people and support jobs for approximately 2,900 people. Waterfront Toronto recently released a Request for Qualifications to secure a building partner for the first 700 homes on the island.

Getting to Biidaasige Park

Visitors can access the park through multiple public transportation options, including TTC buses and the East-West Water Shuttle, a seasonal water shuttle that docks just east of Canoe Cove on Ookwemin Minising, at the Yonge Slip, and Portland Slip.

In March 2026, the governments of Canada and Ontario also announced their commitment to a cost-sharing agreement alongside the City of Toronto to advance Waterfront East Rapid Transit Line – a landmark commitment that will unlock housing, connect communities and drive economic growth along Toronto’s eastern waterfront. 

Quotes

“Our government has been a consistent partner in the redevelopment of the Port Lands, and today marks another exciting milestone for Toronto’s waterfront. Residents and visitors now have even more opportunities to enjoy this extraordinary public space. We are proud to be investing over $465 million into the Port Lands Flood Protection (PLFP) project to protect communities, restore natural spaces and create vibrant places where people can connect with nature and one another.”
– The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature and Member of Parliament for Toronto – Danforth

“Great cities are defined by the public spaces where people come together. The opening of these additional 10 acres of Biidaasige Park invites residents and visitors alike to explore Toronto’s waterfront, spend time in nature, and discover a remarkable new destination in the heart of the city. This is the kind of place that will bring people together and be enjoyed for generations to come.”
– Chi Nguyen, Member of Parliament for Spadina – Harbourfront

“The expansion of Biidaasige Park marks another milestone in our shared vision of a world-class Toronto waterfront. Together, we are building vibrant, mixed-use neighbourhoods that will bring approximately 14,000 new homes, including affordable units, and rapid transit to the eastern waterfront. Revitalizing the city’s waterfront is an important part of our government’s $236 billion capital plan to build stronger communities, create jobs and protect Ontario.”
— Todd McCarthy, Ontario’s Acting Minister of Infrastructure

“Today marks another major milestone in the transformation of Toronto’s waterfront. What was once industrial land is now becoming one of the most ambitious waterfront revitalization projects in North America. People can paddle along the shoreline, enjoy public art, connect with nature and experience the city from an entirely new perspective. Together with our federal, provincial and Indigenous partners, we are building not only a world-class park, but complete communities with new homes, jobs and public spaces that will benefit generations to come.”
– Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto

"For decades, we envisioned a Port Lands where people could reconnect with the lake and enjoy a vibrant, accessible waterfront. Biidaasige Park is a remarkable public destination that celebrates nature, Indigenous placekeeping, and community, that is helping shape the future of Toronto’s eastern waterfront. No longer a just an idea, we can now experience a Port Lands where people want to visit, but also live, with the development of new housing, including affordable housing, soon to begin."
– Paula Fletcher, City Councillor, Ward 14 – Toronto-Danforth

"Biidaasige Park is more than a beautiful new gathering place, it is a reflection of what can be achieved when we work together to honour our Treaties, the land, the water, and the stories that have always belonged here. This park is located on Toronto Purchase Treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit. We are proud to have contributed our knowledge, history, and teachings throughout the development of Biidaasige Park, and we hope that everyone who visits will gain a deeper appreciation for the history of this place and the importance of protecting and restoring the natural world for future generations."
– Margaret Sault, Chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation

“From the beginning, we imagined an art experience people could simply walk through— no tickets, no doors. With the Lassonde Art Trail now running throughout the remarkable new landscape of Biidaasige Park, that vision is finally whole: sculpture in open conversation with water, nature, and city, free for everyone to enjoy."
– Pierre Lassonde, Founder, Lassonde Art Trail Foundation and Julie Lassonde, Chair, Lassonde Art Trail Foundation.

“Together with municipal, provincial and federal government partners, Waterfront Toronto is helping shape a waterfront that is healthy, vibrant and inclusive. The opening of the newest section of Biidaasige Park marks another significant step in Toronto’s waterfront transformation - one that will shape how residents and visitors experience the city for generations to come.”
– Kevin Sullivan, Chair, Waterfront Toronto Board of Directors

“Completing the Port Lands Flood Protection project work, opening Biidaasige Park and the new mouth of the Don River has marked a turning point for the city’s relationship with the lake. We have now moved from setting the stage for revitalization to bringing the next wave to life. People can now experience one of North America's most ambitious waterfront transformations firsthand—from new trails, public art and gathering spaces to restored natural habitats and access to the water. Toronto’s eastern waterfront is no longer a promise on paper; it is a place taking shape in real time, with new parks, new connections, and future neighbourhoods.”
– George Zegarac, President and CEO, Waterfront Toronto

Media Contact
Elise Magliocchetti, Strategic Objectives
emagliocchetti@strategicobjectives.com

About Waterfront Toronto
Created in 2001, Waterfront Toronto is the revitalization corporation leading the transformation of Toronto's waterfront. Working with the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, and the City of Toronto, in partnership with Indigenous communities and the private sector, we deliver the infrastructure and development needed to unlock new housing, connect communities through transit, and create vibrant destinations. Waterfront Toronto is building complete, connected communities that support economic growth, expand housing opportunities, and enhance quality of life. Learn more: www.waterfrontoronto.ca

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