Cleaning up Toronto’s waterways

Toronto City Council, at its meeting on July 16, endorsed a plan for City staff to pursue opportunities for federal and/or provincial funding to accelerate the Don River and Central Waterfront (DRCW) project to 2030 rather than 2038. This $2.5 billion project is the largest of its kind in Canada and will improve water quality in the Lower Don River, Taylor-Massey Creek and Toronto’s Inner Harbour in Lake Ontario. 

A significant component of the DRCW includes the construction of multiple large underground tanks and tunnels to capture, store and treat combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to greatly improve the quality of these waterways. CSOs typically occur after a major rainfall or snow melt resulting in untreated sewage and stormwater flowing into rivers and Lake Ontario. In 1987, the International Joint Commission, guided by the Boundary Waters Treaty, identified Toronto’s waterfront as one of 43 polluted “Areas of Concern” in the Great Lakes Basin.

Co-funding opportunities in the proposed 2020 revised Canada-Ontario Great Lakes Agreement could commit the federal and/or provincial governments to support the acceleration of the DRCW and project implementation with the City of Toronto. 

Currently, the City is solely funding the $2.5 billion project. Construction began last fall and is scheduled for completion by 2038. To complete the project by 2030 would require $1.051 billion in provincial and/or federal funding, with the City contributing $1.022 billion. The project price would not change, but the cost-sharing between all three orders of government would allow this water improvement project to be completed eight years sooner. 

Earlier this year, Mayor Tory announced his commitment to speeding up this project in order to protect our waterways as quickly as possible. 

For details on the DRCW including a video, visit https://www.toronto.ca/drcw-project. 

Information about the 2020 Canada-Ontario Great Lakes Agreement is available at https://www.ontario.ca/page/canada-ontario-great-lakes-agreement and information about the International Joint Commission (Areas of Concern) can be found at https://ijc.org/en/who/role.

Quote:

“I am committed to speeding up the essential work we need to do to protect our waterways – that’s why I have led the charge, with City Council’s strong support, to accelerate the Don River and Central Waterfront project. I’m confident that we can work with the federal and provincial governments to complete this work almost a decade earlier than planned for the good of our waterfront and our environment.”
– Toronto Mayor John Tory 

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