The wind was blowing strong on Cherry Beach in Toronto’s Portlands, but I was ready to embark on an urban water adventure with my husband, Robert McClellan. We dragged our inflatable kayaks down the sloping beach and launched toward Tommy Thompson Wetland Park. The park is comprised of a 5 km long human-made peninsula that extends into Lake Ontario just east of downtown. The cape, built from construction debris and dredged sediments, offers protection as Toronto’s Outer Harbour. Traditionally the area was used for shipping and industrial activities, but is being transformed into an urban wilderness.
At the recent Canadian Water Summit, I learned about a partnership between the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and Coca-Cola. In 2007, Coca-Cola decided that by 2020, it would seek to safely return back to communities and nature an equivalent amount of water to that required for the production of its various products. It’s known as water neutrality. To achieve this balance, they have partnered with diverse locally-focused water projects around the world. In Canada they have partnered with the World Wildlife Fund, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Ducks Unlimited and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority for projects in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec. As of 2015, their partnerships were delivering almost 600 million liters per year in water replenishment benefits.
Looking northeast from Tommy Thompson Park. ©Robert McClellan
At Tommy Thompson Park, Coca-Cola supports a project focussed on a 10-hectare disposal site that reached its capacity in 1997. The conditions in the cell were ecologically poor as a result of contaminated sediments from channel dredging. Through capping and habitat remediation, the area is now a marsh ecosystem resplendent with fish, birds and other wildlife. Once completed, the project will be providing more than one billion liters per year of replenishment benefits in addition to restoring aquatic habitat and provide a beautiful wetland park for the community to enjoy. Pedestrian trails, nature lookouts, and a recreation node are also being supported by Canada 150 grants, further opening the area for the enjoyment of the public.
We beached our kayaks in a small cove and noticed that smoothed bricks 
and tumbled concrete still peaked out from beneath the sandy cover. I climbed over a giant limestone slab to the nature trail and got my first view of the replenished wetland. A large mother swan, and four of her babies were swimming in an idyllic pond surrounded by marsh grasses and wildflowers. Not many people have discovered this wild place, but nature has already moved in. Fish are plentiful year round. Deep root balls, shoals, and submerged rocky structures support reproduction of fish and provide safe nurseries and foraging habitat. Terns and turtles are nesting on the spit, and an isolated area promotes amphibian reproduction. As the wetland fills in, a robust and productive network of vegetation is working to filter water and provide habitat.
I can’t help but feel like this is a win-win project. The area will adapt as new species move in, but the bottom line is that a barrier peninsula is protecting Toronto’s harbor in the most beautiful way. Marsh habitat provides filtration for the lake and a home for wildlife, and whether you are on a footpath or in a canoe, you can get close to nature and enjoy it yourself.
How to get there:
Address: Tommy Thompson Park, 1 Leslie Street, Toronto
PADDLERS: If you want to paddle the park, launch from Cherry Beach. Plenty of free parking and public washrooms are available near the lifeguard station.
BY CAR: Enter at Leslie Street and Unwin Avenue, five minutes east of the DVP/Gardiner junction along Lake Shore Blvd East. A free parking lot and street parking is also available on Leslie Street and Unwin Avenue.
PUBLIC TRANSIT: Tommy Thompson Park is a 5-minute walk from the Commissioner’s Street bus stop at Commissioner’s and Leslie. This stop is serviced by the 83 Jones Southbound bus. Route 83 runs between Donlands Station on Subway Line 2 and Commissioner’s Street. Connections are available with Streetcar routes 501, 502, 503 and 506, and bus routes 56 and 31B along the scheduled route.
WALKERS/CYCLISTS: The Martin Goodman Trail/Waterfront Trail passes Tommy Thompson Park between Woodbine Beach and Cherry Beach.
For further information: https://tommythompsonpark.ca
