Lake connects with new river valley

Concrete plug removed as part of 1.4B project that will see Don River return to historic course

- MAHDIS HABIBINIA

The newly built river valley in the Port Lands has been officially reconnected with Lake Ontario through the Polson Slip, a milestone in the mammoth eastern waterfront project that brings it closer to completely rerouting the mouth of the Don River.

A concrete wall, or plug, that has separated the lake from the new river valley since it was first filled with water this year, has been removed in pieces over the past week. Removing it is a key part of connecting the surrounding bodies of water to flood-proof the area and eventually reconnect the Don to its historic course into Toronto Harbour.

Elder Val King with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation hosts a water ceremony on Monday. The Port Lands’ $1.4-billion flood protection project is one of the largest infrastructure projects in North America.

“When you look at the Don, you see it in that poor Keating Channel and you think, ‘I want to set you free!’ And here it is: free, going to the inner harbour,” said local Coun. Paula Fletcher (Ward 14, TorontoDanforth).

It will also provide “a more productive and complete habitat” to draw in new wildlife once lost to the industrial landscape of the area, said Don Forbes, project director for soil remediation and earthworks at the Port Lands’ Flood Protection Project. In fact, beavers are already returning.