West Don Lands
For many decades, an 80-acre diamond in the rough sat derelict and unusable in the southeast corner of Toronto’s core, in an area known as the West Don Lands (WDL). It was a brownfield site in need of intensive soil remediation. It also needed flood protection in order to realize its true value for future investment. The province saw that potential and made the investments needed to make it a reality. Infrastructure Ontario, together with partners like Waterfront Toronto, worked to unlock that potential and achieve the province’s vision. Work began in the early 2000s to install permanent flood protection. This would unlock the development potential of hundreds of acres which extended to the financial district and also protect existing development in the flood plain. Flood mitigation and environmental management work was ongoing in 2009 when the site was named the future home of the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games Athletes’ Village.
Ensuring the Athletes’ Village would be ready for the Games required partnership between public-sector agencies, provincial ministries and the private sector. It was a collaborative effort that resulted in the design and construction of a multi-award-winning neighbourhood, taking what would have otherwise occurred over the span of a decade or more and achieving it on budget in less than half that time. IO’s made-in-Ontario model of P3, called Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP), was instrumental in delivering that neighbourhood in time to host the thousands of Pan Am and Parapan Am athletes and coaches this summer. Next spring this new community will come alive once again with a YMCA, college residence, affordable housing and market condos joining the already popular Corktown Common Park. IO continues to revitalize and prepare the remainder of the lands in the WDL for a return to productive
use, stitching together the future neighbourhood’s fabric.
Did You Know?
The Flood Protection Landform that protects from flooding of the Don River is 19.8 acres, 13 feet high at its highest point, and was constructed using 400,000 cubic metres of specially engineered fill. In managing the environmental impacts to the soil in the West Don Lands, a Risk Assessment approach was used, meaning some soil was remediated and the rest was managed on-site, which saved approximately 950,000 tonnes from landfill, and avoided $38 million in disposal costs.