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A New Outdoor Art Exhibit is Coming to Toronto's Waterfront
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These movable sails will be one of five temporary art installations along Queens Quay this January.
This winter, a new series of outdoor art installations will celebrate winter on the waterfront. The exhibition, called Ice Breakers, is a collaboration between the Waterfront BIA and the team behind Winter Stations – the annual art competition held along Toronto’s East End Beaches. From January 21 to February 26, you can find the Ice Breakers installations at Harbourfront Centre, HTO Park, Music Garden East, the Rees Street Parkette and the Peter Street Basin.
The name Ice Breakers is a nod to the event's winter theme as well as the ships that used to break up the ice around the Toronto harbour. Ice boating was also a favourite winter pastime for adventurous nineteenth-century Torontonians. While you can no longer go ice boating in the Toronto harbour, winter on the waterfront is full of exciting experiences and Ice Breakers will give Torontonians another unique way to embrace winter on the waterfront.
Ice Breakers Preview
We invite you to join us at Boxcar Social on January 19, 2017 for a preview of the Ice Breakers installations and Q+A with the five teams behind the designs. Find all the details here.
The Transformation of Toronto’s Central Waterfront Tour
As part of the Ice Breakers installations, we're hosting a series of walking tours that will explore the Toronto Central Waterfront's transition from a thriving port into a place for people to live, work and play. Join us as we lead you through the whirlwind of development in the downtown waterfront and explore the challenges, the successes and the lessons we’ve learned for the future of waterfront revitalization.
Dates:
Sunday January 22 at 3pm
Sunday February 5 at 11am
Location: Tour begins at 60 Harbour Street and will move west to Spadina and Queens Quay West. This is a 90-minute tour.
For more information, contact info@waterfrontoronto.ca.
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Waterfront Toronto welcomes Helen Burstyn as Chair of its Board of Directors
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On December 12, the Waterfront Toronto Board of Directors bid farewell to longtime Chair, Mark Wilson. After 14 years serving on the Board, Mark’s term comes to end later this month. His successor, Helen Burstyn, will assume the role of Chair in January 2017.
Helen was appointed to the Board of Directors by the Province of Ontario in February 2016 and is excited to lead Waterfront Toronto’s Board of Directors until such time as a chair is appointed by the three levels of government, in accordance with the provisions of the Waterfront Toronto Act. She brings a diverse range of experience and knowledge to the position following a 35-year career in government, business, academia, broadcasting and community service.
Currently, Helen is the Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Social Venture Zone at Ryerson University, co-host of Toronto Files on RogersTV, and is a director of many non-profit and charitable organizations.
Four new directors were also appointed to the Board of Directors at the December 12 meeting. Appointed on behalf of the Government of Canada are Janet Rieksts-Alderman, Sevaun Palvetzian and Mazyar Mortazavi. Meric Gertler was appointed on behalf of the Province of Ontario. Mr. Mortazavi will be commencing his term effective January 1, 2017.
To read the full biographies of the newly appointed directors, visit: www.waterfrontoronto.ca/governance/board_of_directors.
As we head into 2017 with these new appointments, we would like to express our heartfelt thanks to Mark Wilson for his many years of dedication, enthusiasm and hard work at Waterfront Toronto. For highlights of his time serving as the Chair of our Board of Directors, visit our recent blog post.
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Next Steps for Port Lands Flood Protection and Enabling Infrastructure: Community-Based Risk Assessment
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Cross section of the new Don River Valley.
In October 2016, we released the results of an extensive 15-month study – or due diligence investigation – into the proposal to naturalize the mouth of the Don River and provide critical flood protection to the Port Lands and other areas nearby. We initiated this program because we wanted to provide as much assurance as possible to governments on what this project would cost, the nature of the risks and how long it would take to build, as well as other important considerations for decision-making. You can find the news release, the Due Diligence Report and other helpful information in our newsroom.
Due to the unique nature of the project – creating a river through a brownfield site – and the need to manage the contaminants present throughout the construction site, we are undertaking on a voluntary basis a process outlined by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) called a Community‐based Risk Assessment (CBRA).
The CBRA allows us to evaluate multiple properties across the Port Lands that will be impacted by the flood protection construction work in order to identify potential health concerns for people and ecological systems (such as plant, animal and aquatic populations) (also known as “receptors”) associated with existing contamination, and to outline soil and groundwater management plans to provide long term protection. This is done by identifying and examining the contaminants, the receptors that may be exposed to the contaminants, and the various ways in which the receptors may come into contact with the contaminants (the exposure pathways). Where these intersect, there is a potential for risk that needs to be assessed.
The first step in the CBRA process is to develop a Terms of Reference (TOR) document. The TOR is a non‐binding document that sets the direction for the CBRA and provides the MOECC and other review agencies with information on the area in question. This information is intended to provide a strong understanding of the physical (geology, hydrogeology) and chemical (soil and groundwater quality, and contaminants of concern) profile of the area, and the planned approach for the risk assessment to be carried out.
Developing the CBRA is a dynamic and iterative process, affording a number of opportunities for relevant government agencies and the public to provide feedback.
If you are interested in reviewing and commenting on the Terms of Reference, you can find the document here (PDF). Comments can be submitted to info@waterfrontoronto.ca and are requested by January 10, 2017.
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Things to see and do this winter on the waterfront
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Despite a relatively warm beginning to winter this year, the snow has officially arrived and we’d like to remind you that there are still lots of fun things to see and do along the waterfront. From family-friendly activities to low-key relaxation, the water’s edge has something for everyone – particularly over the holiday season. Check out our blog post from last winter for ideas on how to make the most of winter on Toronto’s waterfront.
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The Evergreen Winter Market
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Come celebrate the holiday season at Evergreen Brick Works' annual Winter Village. On now until February 28, 2017, the Winter Village has something for visitors of all ages.
Enjoy the new Street Food Market with 15+ vendors, find unique gifts, shop the Farmers Market and play outdoors with the whole family.
Best of all – admission is free!
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There is something happening everyday at the Winter Village! Plan your trip at www.evergreen.ca.
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Annual Toronto Christmas Market Returns to Distillery District
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The Toronto Christmas Market has taken over the Distillery District for another year of holiday magic and romance. Now in its seventh year, this annual event has become one of the city’s favourite holiday traditions, capturing all of the tradition, heritage and charm of a European Christmas market.
Enjoy traditional music and carols, dance performances and family-friendly activities like Santa’s House, a ferris wheel, carousel and life-sized gingerbread house all beneath a sparkling Christmas light canopy. Taste delicious sweets and treats or sip on specialty beer and mulled wine in the gardens.
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Admission is free Tuesday to Friday; $6.00 on Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday.
Visit www.TorontoChristmasMarket.com for the latest information. Image courtesy of Toronto Christmas Market.
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| Gingerbread Make and Bake at Fort York |
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From December 27-31, head to Fort York for an afternoon of family-fun! While you enjoy a tour of Fort York, your kids can join the cooks in the Officers’ Mess kitchen to create traditional gingerbread cookies. In this hands-on workshop, kids will use period cooking utensils and tools to prepare an 1800’s gingerbread recipe.
Samples may be taken home – if they last that long! Workshops begin at 11am and 2pm, and is limited to 15 participants.
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Children must be ages 4 and up. Workshop included with regular admission. Sign up in the Museum Store when you arrive.
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Project update: East Bayfront
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A map of the western portion of East Bayfront, highlighting the block that will be home to the new George Brown College building.
George Brown College
The George Brown College Waterfront Campus is gearing up for expansion in East Bayfront with a new building. Located immediately north of the existing Health Sciences Building on Queens Quay between Lower Jarvis and Lower Sherbourne Street, this building will house the college's future Innovation and Technology programming. Plans for the space also include a non-profit child care centre.
Toronto City Council supported the recommended sale of the site to George Brown College for the expanded campus at the December 13 City Council meeting. George Brown College will begin planning the expansion once the property is sold and is slated to begin construction in two to four years.
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