Help shape the future of the Scarborough Waterfront!

Attend the public information session and add your comments to the interactive map.

Learn more below.

The Scarborough Bluffs West Revitalization Study will explore the renewal of and improvements to approximately 4.5 km of Lake Ontario shoreline, from Balmy Beach at Silver Birch Avenue to Bluffer’s Park.

How can you learn more and participate?

• Register for the Public Information Session on Thursday, February 15^th , from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm. Registration can be completed via the project website here. 

• Social Pinpoint Interactive Map

Please use the interactive map, open until February 28th, to add your ideas, feedback and insights into how we can make Scarborough's waterfront more accessible.

• Visit the project webpage and/or email Katelynn Northam, Senior Public Consultation Coordinator, City of Toronto.

The project will consider opportunities to:

• Improve how people access, move through and experience the waterfront;

• Provide a connected trail between Bluffer’s Park and the eastern edge of the Beaches, exploring the feasibility of a connected trail system along the shoreline;

• Preserve and enhance natural features and minimize hazards;

• Create connected naturalized systems along the Lake Ontario shoreline which respect and protect the significant natural and cultural features of the Bluffs; and

• Enhance wildlife habitats on land and in the water.

The project will engage the public, Indigenous communities and technical experts to inform a plan to enhance the landscape and provide safe access to the waterfront while protecting sensitive shoreline and natural areas.

Please don't miss this opportunity to share your dreams and aspirations for the waterfront you want to experience in the future.

2024 GWTA

CYCLE THE NORTH

Registration 50% Sold Out!

Early Bird Rate is Extended for February!

Join us in August 2024 as we return to Northern Ontario with a favourite ride showcasing the beauty of Lake Superior and the Lake Huron North Channel. The 2024 GWTA also features our first visit to beautiful Manitoulin Island. We will stay overnight in the communities of Sault Ste. Marie, Bruce Mines, Blind River, Massey and Little Current as we ride a fully supported route between Lake Superior and Manitoulin Island. Two-night stays in Sault Ste. Marie and Little Current on Manitoulin Island allow lots of time to explore the waterfront and the history of these fascinating communities both on and off the bike. 

Learn more about the itinerary.

Regeneration In Action- Feature Waterfront Project

The Port Lands - Re-naturalizing the Don River, Toronto

People know how to preserve pristine natural places, but restoring degraded natural systems is a newer and harder task...Restoring a natural system means working with, not against, such natural processes; it means nature becomes a priority in making planning decisions. For a watershed, it means healing the whole, not just some of its parts.

David Crombie, Regeneration:

Healing an Urban Watershed: the Story of the Don, 1992

The Don River is one of 60 rivers and major streams in the Greater Toronto Bioregion that flow south from the Oak Ridges Moraine into Lake Ontario. In the late 19th Century, engineers pushed the Don River into a five-kilometre linear canal. The marsh at its mouth was infilled for industry, and the river was forced into a right-angle exit to the harbour (See the photo below).

Waterfront Toronto and its partners have been working for years to recreate the River valley at the mouth of the Don to protect the lands from chronic flooding and set the stage for revitalizing the Port Lands.

On January 31, 2024, they began pumping water into the newly constructed river valley. The project is a fascinating and gratifying demonstration of how we can repair historic damage to our natural spaces and reinvent our urban areas to work with nature. Click here to visit Waterfront Toronto's project page to learn more and see the exciting plans for the Port Lands.

Waterfront Regeneration Trust (WRT) Ongoing Projects

Quick updates from our work program:

Bi-National Trail Development in Windsor/Essex--Exciting announcement coming on February 9th!

Expansion of the Trail along Lake Superior- 5 Drive and Ride Itineraries released. Work with MTO is ongoing to identify implementation-ready sections of the route along HWY 17.

Great Lakes to Greenbelt Cycling Network-Expanding the network with 2 more exciting connections and adding new businesses to the partnership through the Great Lakes to Greenbelt bike rack program. Installed 2 new trailhead signs.

Wayfinding Excellence

Lake Huron North Channel-addressing signage issues and marking the route in Manitoulin Island

GTA with Trans Canada Trail-addressing signage issues and continuity in the Greater Toronto Area

Updated Trailhead signs in St. Catharines, Hamilton

Events

Great Waterfront Trail Adventure -- Registration open!

Great Lakes to Greenbelt Farm Fresh Tours -- Registration opens in the Spring.

Improving the Trail Alignments-working with partners in Windsor Essex to identify priority capital improvements for the Trail and improved trail alignments.

Expansion of the Rouge National Urban Park--Calling for including Federal Pickering Lands into the Rouge National Urban Park.

Rouge Beach Improvements Project-Supporting Parks Canada's work to improve the Rouge Beach and construct a connection from the mouth of the Rouge to the Twyn Rivers day-use area and the Park's full trail network.

Rouge National Urban Park Visitor Gateway -- Participating in design and visitor experience consultations.

Expansion of the Trail along Georgian Bay --Seeking funding opportunities to complete this expansion.

Member of Scarborough Bluffs West Stakeholder Advisory Group

Member of RTO3 Destination Sustainability Stakeholder Committee

The Waterfront Regeneration Trust is a registered charity.

Connecting 170+ communities and First Nations from Sault Ste. Marie to Quebec, the 3600 kilometres of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail represents a commitment to our waterfront and waterways. The legacy goal is a dedicated trail as close to the shore as is ecologically feasible, contributing to the ecology, economy and community, and celebrating our rich natural and cultural heritage.

Help us protect, connect and celebrate the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail. Your donation funds regeneration work to make waterfront improvements, close trail gaps, expand and move the Trail closer to the water’s edge as well, and maintain excellent trail user resources. Make a secure donation through Canada Helps by clicking the button below.

"WITH ITS BEAUTIFUL VISTAS, RESTORED WETLANDS, PROTECTED FORESTS, EXPANSIVE SAND DUNES, THE TRAIL IS THE CRITICAL FIRST STEP TOWARD PROTECTING AND RESTORING THE NATURAL HERITAGE OF THE GREAT LAKES ECOSYSTEM."

Hon. David Crombie, Regeneration