boats | as I walk Toronto

Posts Tagged ‘boats’

another downtown loop

Posted: May 12, 2025 in construction, locations, people, public art, transportation
Tags: boats, Carlton, construction, Destinie Adelakun, downtown, Gardiner Expressway, glass, harbour, Harbourfront, Heritier Bilaka, Jordan Sook, June Clark, Laura Donefer, Love Park, Maple Leafs, owl, Queens Quay, reflections, Segun Caezar, steetcars, Transit Through Time, TTC, Union station, York Street

Good morning! The weather forecast said that there was a chance of drizzly rain and they were right but it wasn’t that much and it didn’t last for long. Not the best day for sunny blue sky photos of the city, but since when has that held us back?

below: You probably don’t recognize where this photo was taken (unless you are familiar with the Victoria Hotel). This is Yonge Street, just south of King subway station, and it is also where I started walking the other day….

below: Contrasts of old and new at the corner of Yonge and Wellingon. Architectural trends as well as the material used are a product of their time.

below: The old stone entrance with a large circular window over the door and an arch that matches those over the other windows. There are also little details in the stonework that you just don’t see in modern buildings.

below: The more recent development to all glass buildings with oversized (i.e. extra tall) ground floor levels.

below: But such extensive use of glass is not entirely new. Downtown skyscrapers have been built using steel frames and glass since the 1960s. I think that the TD bank tower was one of the first, if not the first, in 1967. But that’s not this building… this is part of the large RBC complex on Bay Street between Wellington and Front. The bright pink plants along the sidewalk are wonderful!

below: The south part of the RBC building is very photogenic! Its gold coloured glass as well as its angles and nooks make for some interesting pictures. The older stone Union Station is hiding in the bottom left corner.

below: A recent addition to the streetscape in front of Union Station are these bland blocks of concrete. Such imagination! So much thought went into their design! Really? That’s what someone thought would be a great addition to Front Street?

below: There were some complaints about the older ones… the Jersey barriers that were meant to be temporary but then never went away…. in fact, many of them are still here….

There are 2 art installations in the West Wing at Union Station. The first is a group exhibit, “A Transit Through Time” featuring six Black artists – Destinie Adélakun, Pixel Heller, Segun Caezar, Heritier Bilaka, Rico Poku and Camille Kiffin. Each artist is responsible for one panel…

below: The picture in the foreground, the woman with a red head scarf and blue blouse, is the work of Segun Caezar.

below: “Gelede Queens” by Destinie Adelakun – people in ornate costumes pose in front of a large fireplace and mirror. According to UNESCO, “Gelede is performed by the Yoruba-Nago community that is spread over Benin, Nigeria and Togo. For more than a century, this ceremony has been performed to pay tribute to the primordial mother Iyà Nlà and to the role women play in the process of social organization and development of Yoruba society. “

below: “Self Knowledge” by Heritier Bilaka

below: This large butterfly, by Jordan Sook, is part of another installation called, “Nothing More, Nothing Less”. Apparently there are more butterflies around Union Station. Have you seen any?

below: Ontario Square between Queen’s Quay and the waterfront where a large image from Alex McLeod’s “Liquid, Gold” can still be seen. I wrote a blog past about this picture and others from this series a year ago, “Liquid, Gold and other matters“

below: This “Carnavale Amulet” basket is made of glass and was created by Laura Donefer. It is on display at Harbourfront along with several other of her pieces.

below: A few boats are docked in the harbour. The bridge over the harbour is no longer just blocked, but is now severed.

below: Protecting the young trees

below: Dead and not alive; dead and dead. Patio season on the waterfront hasn’t begun yet.

below: On the south wall of the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery a very large photograph by June Clark still hangs. This is left over from last year’s CONTACT Photography Festiva.

below: Getting ready to clean up the city?!

below: Still quiet now, but getting ready for summer…. water taxis to take people to Centre Island.

below: Patriotic red and white, but a very sad Canadian flag.

below: Love Park on the southeast corner of York and Harbour is now complete. This public space was created when the exit ramp from the Gardiner to York Street was removed. It is difficult to see from ground level photos, but the pond is heart shaped.

below: A beaver has made its home in the pond.

below: There is also an owl that has a great birds eye view of the park. Someone else has a great view too!

below: Looking north on York from Harbour Street towards the Gardiner Expressway and beyond. Love Park was behind me to the right when I took this photo.

The old multi level parking garage at Lower Simcoe and the Lakeshore is on its way down. Demolition is well underway.

below: Dwarfed by the new condos around it, the stairwell and elevator shaft from the garage stands on its own. Whose picture is at the top? Someone blowing a giant bubble – must be quite the wad of gum!

below: The other stairwell.

below: “Don’t trespassing”!

below: The demolition as view from the other side of Lakeshore Blvd.

below: A lot of concrete! Under the ramp to the Gardiner

below: The northeast corner of York and Lakeshore

below:

below: York Street at Lakeshore Blvd where the old green Gardiner Expressway travels directly above the Lakeshore

below: Just after taking the above photo, there was much noise from the honking of horns, as this black car decided to take a short cut to the ramp by going north in the southbound lane on York Street.

And last, a shout out to the Toronto Maple Leafs as I walk through the Scotiabank Centre back to the subway. As I write this, the Leafs tied at two games apiece with the Florida Panthers in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Go Leafs Go!

below: Carlton in his regular blue and white attire as well as in his St. Pats costume. Love the curly wig and the clover leaf shaped glasses! You can catch Carlton in the store at Scotiabank arena (along with a lot of other Toronto team paraphernalia!).

a blustery winter day

Posted: January 23, 2024 in locations, public art, reflections, waterfront
Tags: Anique Jordan, boats, CIBC Square, Empire Sandy, Gardiner Expressway, ice, John McEwen, kraken, Kuumba, Lake Ontario, Legends Row, Maple Leaf Square, Maple Leafs, Mycelium, Nicolas Baier, photography, Queens Quay West, roller skating, Scotiabnk Arena, Stephen Tayo, streetcar, Union station, water, waterfront

Hum dum dum ditty dum
Hum dum dum

below: A Porter flight approaches the island airport

below: The Empire Sandy moored at the waterfront, with the Toronto fire boat in the distance.

“Oh the wind is lashing lustily
And the trees are thrashing thrustily

And the leaves are rustling gustily
So it’s rather safe to say

That it seems that it may turn out to be
Feels that it will undoubtedly
It looks like a rather blustery day, today”

as sung by Winnie the Pooh

below: A kraken is taking over the boat!

below: A large photograph, on the south wall of the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is “These Times 2019” by Anique Jordan which has been on display since the CONTACT Photography Festival last spring.

below: “Kuumba”, Photography by Stephen Tayo is on display outside at Harbourfront

below: Also at Harbourfront, orange ties blowing in the wind. These are remains, and a reminder, of Orange Shirt Day on 30th September.

below: Looking east on Harbour Street, parallel to the Gardiner Expressway, toward York Street and the wedged shaped building that has been squeezed into the space.

below: Waterfront ReConnect: Pixel Story is a “temporary creative intervention” located under the Gardiner Expressway at Lower Simcoe. Crowd-sourced stories and memories of the waterfront each on a little blue square. Making constructive use of a space that has been neglected for so long; adding colour and interest to what was grey and slightly foreboding.

blue squares arranged in a grid as part of a public art installation. some squares have simple white pictures and some squares have words written in white

“Railways arrived on Toronto’s waterfront in the 1850s. To accommodate, a southward extension of the shoreline via infill was required. The ground where we stand now is close to the original shoreline of the lake.”

below: On the north side of the Gardiner – still a little darkness lurking there.

below: City of Toronto sign says Tree Protection Zone. I don’t think that I believe it.

below: At this point I had had enough of the cold; it was time to check out a warmer route! So underground I went, down into the PATH system. The lobby of ICE at 12 York has this large circular skylight over the escalator.

below: And then there is this long black, white, and chrome tunnel that connects the ICE condo and the PATH system. The walls on both sides are reflective and it’s a bit disorientating. Is this supposed to represent walking through a block of ice, or black ice?

below: PATH, the underground rabbit warren of tunnels that connect downtown buildings to each other. Usually I get lost down here.

below: I found myself in a grocery store

below: And I discovered that the PATH sometimes goes high, not low. I found myself on the upper level of the Scotiabank Arena.

below: There is a great view of Legends Row from up here – that’s the statues of all the Maple Leaf Captains from the past.

below: And inside, a collage of Leaf players hangs on the wall.

below: There’s even a portrait of Justin Bieber, behind glass, wearing a Maple Leaf jersey with a Captains C on the shoulder.

below: This is also good vantage point for all of Maple Leaf Square

below: Including a close up view of the rusty metal things… Actually it’s “Search Light, Star Light, Spot Light” (1998) by John McEwen.

At Scotiabank Arena, the PATH splits into two possibilities. One route is through Union Station and the other is up the escalator towards the new GO Bus Terminal.

below: Four (or five?) John Tavares’s to give directions to the new GO Bus Terminal. Happy to oblige!

below: There is now a pedestrian bridge over Bay Street that connects the Scotiabank Arena and Union Station Bus Terminal to the new CIBC SQUARE building. This is the view looking south on Bay

below: Along the north wall of the bridge is a work by Nicolas Baier called “Mycelium”. It is a network of LED lights and it is visible from outside as well.

below: At CIBC Square there is a new rooftop garden/park that has a tall skinny metallic tree, along with some real trees. There is no access to it yet but it will probably be a more welcoming in a few months.

At this point I retraced my steps back through Scotiabank and then walked through Union Station where I learned that a small space has been set aside for a temporary roller skating rink. Free rentals. Free entry.

below: He still stands outside Union Station with the flock of birds flying around while the sun reflects off the gold tinted Royal Bank Building.

below: Steamy Yonge Street on a cold day

below: Development notice outside 69 Yonge Street.

below: C’est tout. Fini. Time to go home.

Canada Day on the waterfront

Posted: July 1, 2023 in locations, people, waterfront
Tags: bicycle, bikes, boats, Canadian flag, condos, dogs, Emprire Sandy, ice cream, Kajama, Lake Ontario, Martin Goodman Trail, muskoka chairs, people, Queens Quay, sand, splash pad, sugar beach, sun tanning, walking, water, waterfront, yellow umbrellas

waterfront

Posted: April 10, 2022 in construction, locations, public art, waterfront
Tags: Aitken Place Park, Alice Aycock, anser, bench, Between the Eyes, billboards, boats, condos, eyes, ferries, fish, John Fung, Lake Ontario, Merchants Wharf, Nbii Dodem, Paul Figueiredo, public art, Que Rock, queens quay east, Redpath Sugar, reflections, Richard Deacon, sculpture, seagull, Sherbourne St., Shore Stories, sugar beach, Sundial Folly, Water Clans, waterfront

Let’s follow the fish! 🐟 It’s pointed east along Queen’s Quay and by coincidence that the direction I’m headed too… 😃

The seagull is not amused.

below: Harbour Square Park with “Sundial Folly” at the water’s edge. This art installation is the work of John Fung and Paul Figueiredo. It has recently been cleaned up. The sphere is hollow and there is a walkway that runs through it. An opening at the south side (water side) acts as a sundial.

below: Looking east from Harbour Square towards the Westin Hotel tower and the park by the ferry docks.

below: Tour boats and ferries still under wraps for the winter months.

below: “Shore Stories” a mosaic located by the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. It was made in 2012 by youth from the community under the guidance of AFCY (Arts for Children and Youth, an organization that may or may not still exist).

below: The “egg beaters” at 1 Yonge Street are now behind a fence. The installation is actually called “Between the Eyes”, and is by Richard Deacon.

below: It’s 830km to Kapuskasing and even farther to Cochrane, just keep following Yonge Street northwards.

below: “A Series of Whirlpool Field Manoeuvres for Pier 27”. by Alice Aycock

below: The walkway along the waterfront comes to an end where a very high concrete wall separates Redpath Sugar from the public space.

below: Que Rock murals, water theme, “Water Clans (Nbii Dodem)” four panels at Redpath Sugar.

below: Pink umbrellas and sugar filled ships, at Sugar Beach.

below: Queens Quay East at Dockside

below: Sherbourne Commons

below: New construction on Queens Quay East where many parts are being made of wood. A new park, Aitkens Place Park lies between the new building and the waterfront.

below: Vacant lot on the corner of Queens Quay East and Small Street.

below: At the foot of Parliament Street.

below: Anser eyes

below: Sweet and salty at the Distillery

January once again.

Posted: January 25, 2020 in waterfront
Tags: art, boats, bus shelter, city, CN Tower, construction, danger, fire rescue boat, Future Retrospectives, H T O beach, Hannah Claus, ice, Lake Ontario, Loop, Power Plant Contemporary Art, public art, Queens Quay, Scotiabank Arena, sea gulls, snow, streetcar, tug boat, Union station, walkway, waterfront, winter stations

It’s been a while since I posted here mostly because I’ve been away. But I’m back in Toronto and back to walking. The other day didn’t start as planned! A locked gate stood in my way.

Shortly after, I saw a sign …. I’m not sure that it references locked gates specifically, but at the minimum it’s a reminder to remain flexible.

As anyone Canadian city dweller knows, winter in the city rarely means white snow – the brown slush quickly takes over. Here, at Spadina and Queens Quay, the road has been painted red to alert drivers to the fact that this is a streetcar lane.

Lake Ontario has only begun to freeze, and only in quiet protected places. The first part of January was warmer than usual. Even as I type this it is raining and all the snow is melting. There probably isn’t much of this ice left this afternoon.

below: A “Danger due to” sign that has blown in from somewhere else but is just as relevant here as it is at any construction site.

below: The Music Garden hibernating for the winter.

below: Kayaks at Harbourfront resting for the winter months.

below: The fire rescue boat was out and about the other afternoon.

Now on at the Harbourfront Centre is “Future Retrospectives” which is a group exhibition of works by artists and designers who use the past as a lens to look at the future (until 29th March).

below: The coloured shapes with the words, are the work of Hannah Claus. They hang on a clear background so the installation on the wall behind shows through (also the work of Hannah Claus). In fact, the two go together. At first I thought the coloured shapes represented tombstones but in fact they are a replica of the plaque on Hochelaga Rock. This rock commemorates the village and people encountered by Jacques Cartier in 1535; it is on the McGill campus in Montreal. It is also featured in the photos on the far wall. The English words (bottom half) start with “Near here was the…”. More information.

below: Will we be able to understand a future time? Also part of Future Retrospectives.

below: Timeless. Eternity. Waiting for the bus.

below: This is ‘Loop’ an interactive “Winter Station” public art installation. In past years, there have been 5 or 6 different art installations along Queens Quay as part of the Winter Station project. This year, there is just this one which is located at York Street Park. The circles are large enough for two people to sit face to face. There is a metal bar which can then be moved back and forth between the pair. This movement makes an inner circle spin and activates some lights. It is the creation of Olivier Girouard ; it is scheduled to remain here until the 9th of February.

below: Harbour Street, looking east towards Yonge Street from the elevated walkway that runs north from WaterPark Place, over the Lakeshore and under the Gardiner.

below: Reflections on the walkway.

below: After passing under the Gardiner, the walkway wraps around the west side of the second floor of the Scotiabank Arena (originally the ACC).

below: The south entrance to Union Station, from the walkway. This is also a good view of the new glass platform over Union Station (train shed roof?) – this is something that I need to check out in more detail.

below: Also under renovation is the Bay Street exit of the Scotiabank Arena. A new walkway between it and the building being constructed across the street is almost complete. It is on the same level as, and immediately beside, the railway tracks. This walkway will connect to the new Union Station bus terminal

below: Exit onto Bay Street and look up! Upward. And to the future…. wherever that leads us.

beach morning

Posted: August 23, 2019 in nature, waterfront
Tags: beach, black eye susans, boats, clouds, daisies, dog, flowers, Kew Beach, Kew Gardens, Kew Williams, Lake Ontario, life guard, lobelia cardinalis, monarch butterfly, muskoka chairs, paddle boards, people, rocks, sane, sky, walking, water, zinnia

As August marches relentlessly along the daylight hours shrink. One advantage of the shorter days is that sunrise isn’t at a time that starts with the number 5. I’m not a morning person but I like to take morning pictures.

below: Pinkish sky as the sun rises.

below: There was an enormous flock of birds flying low over the water together. Can you see the swimmer?

below: Ready for the day

below: Reading on the beach… just after 7 a.m.

below: A group of women on their paddle boards (not quite so early. I had breakfast part way through my walk that morning).

below: Mother and son.

below: At 11:15 the life guards row to their stations.

below: Kew Williams house, now on the grounds of Kew Gardens. Kew Williams (1873-1956 ) built the house in 1902 on the grounds of what was then The Canadian Kew Gardens, a campground resort opened in 1879 by his parents, Joseph & Jane (nee Henry) Williams. Joseph Williams sold the house and 20 acre property to the City of Toronto in 1907. A year later the property became Kew Gardens.

The gardens are very well maintained. They are in full bloom at the moment and looking gorgeous. I will leave you with a few pictures of flowers, colourful ones to brighten your day.

below: A stalk of lobelia cardinalis grows among the black eyed susans.

below: A monarch butterfly finds a bright red flower.

below: A pink zinnia

below: Gaillardia pulchella, also known as firewheel or Indian blanket

below: Three white daisies growing with smaller orange flowers

rainy day walk by the waterfront

Posted: June 30, 2019 in nature, reflections, waterfront
Tags: basketball, birds, boats, Canada geese, city, CN Tower, Coronation Park, Empire Sandy, flood, granite, H2O park, Lake Ontario, Little Norway Park, M.S. Kane, muskoka chairs, Ontario Place, puddles, Queens Quay West, rock, sailboats, sanbags, sand, swan, Trillium Park, water, yellow umbrellas

This has been a wet spring along the waterfront. Lake Ontario has been at its highest level in years. Earlier, I had posted some photos that I took of Woodbine, Kew and Balmy beaches and the high water levels there (blog post, “water logged”). The other day I visited the beaches and walkways at the other end of the city’s waterfront, from H₂O beach to Ontario Place.

below: Flooding at H₂O Beach

below: All that water makes for some colourful reflections!

below: Looking west towards the old Canada Malting Company silos as the dark clouds signal an approaching storm.

below: The Empire Sandy docked along with the tugboat, M.S. Kane

below: Toronto’s fire rescue boat, the William Lyon Mackenzie, docked beside Fire Station 334. It was built in 1964 and is named for Toronto’s first mayor.

below: Queens Quay at Spadina, looking west

below: A streetcar starts to head north on Spadina

below: Playing basketball in the rain.

below: An old blue canoe at Little Norway park. A training camp for the Norway’s Air Force was located here (SW corner of Queens Quay and Bathurst) during WW2. The large rock that you can see in the photo is a 3000 pound boulder brought from Norway in 1976 to be part of a permanent monument to the people who trained and served here. In 1986 the space became Little Norway Park.

below: Looking back towards downtown and the CN Tower from the western end of Queens Quay West.

below: Lots of big puddles at Coronation Park

below: Yellow flowerpot islands

below: Someone has tied a string of small Canadian flags to the railing at Coronation Park. Happy Canada Day weekend!

below: Toronto skyline from Trillium Park, from the green trees of Coronation Park on the left and past the CN Tower to Billy Bishop airport on the far left.

below: Large granite rock in Trillium Park

below: Ontario Place, where TSN was playing to no one.

below: Flooding by the marina at Ontario Place. In the foreground is what appears to be an electrical box.

below: The Canada geese have these Muskoka chairs to themselves.

below: From the northwest corner of Ontario Place, looking west over Lake Ontario towards Etobicoke and Mississauga

below: There was also flooding on Lakeshore Blvd.

below: Puddles in an almost empty parking lot, CNE grounds.

spring, across the water

Posted: May 15, 2018 in locations, nature, old buildings, waterfront
Tags: abandoned, baby geese, blossoms, boats, breakwater, cameras, catkins, Centre Island, cherry trees, ferry, flowers, geese, houses, Lake Ontario, nature, path, people, pictures, pier, red alder, reflections, sailboats, sakura, spring, Toronto Islands, trees, Ward's Island, water, willow trees

A trip to Toronto Islands on a sunny spring day.
Photos and stories – an eclectic mix of history and nature that resulted from wandering around the eastern portion of the islands.

below: From the ferry, looking toward the glass and steel of the city.

Toronto Islands is a collection of at least 12 small islands. In the early years the island archipelago was really a peninsula of sandbars and ponds; it was connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of sandy shoreline. This landform was created over centuries by the action of waves, winds and lake currents – washing away portions of the Scarborough Bluffs and depositing this material to the west in a five-mile-long hooked shape. This process of natural “landscaping” continued until the spring of 1858, when a particularly powerful hurricane created a channel four to five feet deep through the peninsula. By June of that year, the Eastern Gap was a waterway, and the Toronto Islands came into being.

below: On the ferry between the city and Centre Island.

The first buildings on the islands were the Blockhouse Bay garrison built in the 1794 by the British at Gibraltar Point – it included a blockhouse and storage structures. A second blockhouse and a guard house were built soon after, only to be destroyed by the Americans in the Battle of York in April 1813. The lighthouse at Gibraltar Point built in 1809 still stands (sorry, no photo).

In 1833 Michael O’Connor built a hotel on one the islands. He used a horse-drawn boat to ferry customers across from the mainland to his hotel. At that time, there was still access by road but it was a toll road. In 1836 it cost sixpence for every four-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses. Smaller ‘vehicles’ paid less. In 1858 the hotel (now Quinns Hotel) was destroyed during the same hurricane that turned the peninsula into an island. The hotels were destroyed but the islands remained popular. With no road access, ferries were needed and many people ran private ferry services until they were bought out or amalgamated into the Toronto Ferry Company in 1892. It was privately owned until 1926 when it was purchased by the City of Toronto for $337,500.

Many houses and businesses, (hotels, restaurants, bowling alley, laundry, theatre etc) were established over the years from Hanlon’s Point in the west to Wards Island in the east. Today, residences are only in the eastern section of Wards Island and on Algonquin Island.

The Ward’s Island community began in the 1880s as a settlement of tents. Up until then, that eastern end of the islands was mostly wetlands. The first summer colony on Ward’s in 1899 consisted of just eight tenants, each of whom had paid a fee of $10 rent for the season. The number of tents grew each year. In 1913, the city felt it necessary to organize the community into streets. The evolution from tents to cottage structures progressed in stages with the building of floors, the addition of kitchens and then porches, resulting in the creation of the homes.

In 1953 the municipal government changed their policy toward the Toronto Islands landscape and its residents. Businesses were removed and the systematic demolition and burning of homes began. More of the islands became parkland. There are 262 houses on Wards and Algonquin Islands today, down from about 630 residences on all the islands. The last of the Lakeshore houses was removed in 1968 but traces of them still remain.

below: The pier on the Lake Ontario side.

below: Sandbags along the shore. Last spring there was a lot of flooding here and the island was closed to visitors – sort of. Ferries didn’t run and the park facilities were closed. The islands are very flat and low so it doesn’t take much extra water to flood.

below: There is a small amusement park, Centreville, on Centre Island.

below: Island transport that can be rented if you don’t want to walk.

below: Boats moored QCYC (Queen City Yacht Club), one of the three yacht clubs on the islands.

below: Sakura trees in bloom. The trees were donated by the Sakura Project. The aim of this project was to strengthen Japanese Canadian relations by planting cherry trees in visible locations across Ontario. Between 2000 and 2012, 3,082 trees were planted at 58 locations. The trees on Centre Island were planted in 2011.

below: Catkins from a red alder tree. They almost look like raspberries packed tight together.

below: An early family of Canada geese.

below: The pier at the eastern end of Wards Island is bad need of repair. To the right is the entry into the Eastern Channel (or Eastern Gap).

below: Looking over to Algonquin Island. Once upon a time this island was just a sandbar.

and back to the mainland.

rerouting the Don

Posted: May 7, 2018 in construction, history, locations, waterfront
Tags: boats, channel, flood control, gravel, Hearn, Keating channel, Lake Ontario, Lower Don River, masts, Port Lands, redevelopment, salt, ships, Villiers Island, water, waterfront, wetlands

a lot of masts from sailboats standing upright, a man walks on one of the boats as he gets it ready to go back in the water after the winter

Getting ready for spring. RCYC (Royal Canadian Yacht Club) is nearby.

There are a few changes happening down at the Port Lands.

below: Aerial view of the present configuration of the Keating Channel, Don River, and part of the port lands beside a drawing of the planned changes. Rerouting the Don River will create an island, Villiers Island.

In the 1880s, the lower part of the Don south of the former Winchester St. bridge (just north of Gerrard St) was straightened and the mouth of the river was placed in a channel to create additional harbour space and industrial dock space for boats in what is known as the Port Lands. This project was called the Don Improvement Project. The Don River now empties into the inner harbour through the Keating Channel. Lakeshore Blvd passes over the very south end of the river and because of its height (very low), boats can not enter the Don River. Boats may still enter the Keating Channel by going underneath a lift bridge at Cherry St. The straightening of the Lower Don also allowed for construction of the railway line parallel to it.

below: The cars are parked on vacant land between Lakeshore Blvd and Lake Ontario/Keating Channel. Mounds of gravel have been dumped off the end of Essroc Quay and beside Keating Channel. You might also have noticed the nine green bins that have been laid across the water (very left side of the photo). They too are full of gravel. These are part of the beginning of the renovations of the port lands. The Keating Channel will remain, but the area south of it is slated to be changed. In the middle is the GFL (garbage collection) transfer station. The low reddish brown building was a recycling facility. It was the site of a fire a few months back and most of the south end sustained substantial damage.

Access to the western portion of the port lands is via the Cherry Street bridge.

below: Here it is being lifted to allow a boat to pass through the Keating Channel. This bridge was built in 1968 and is at least the fourth bridge at this location.

below: In 1900 a wood swing bridge was built with just a single railway track that was operated by the Grand Trunk Railway. There are still remnants of the tracks that serviced the industries located in the area.

below: Two steel drawbridges were subsequently built here, one in 1912 and one in 1932. This is a circa 1915 photo of the lift bridge at Cherry Street.

photo from the Toronto Archives of the liftbridge at Cherry Street, open position, black and white photo taken about 1915, found on Wikipedia.

source: Originally from the Toronto Archives Fonds 1244, Item 1482 but found on Wikipedia

The plans for the redevelopment of this area show that the south end of Cherry Street will be moved to west of its present location – the jog in Cherry where it joins the Lakeshore for a short distance will be eliminated.

below: This is a close up shot of Essroc Quay at approximately the new location of the new Cherry Street bridge. The Keating Channel is in the foreground. This quay, and the water channel behind it, will be turned into wetlands and parkland. Essroc is a landfilled pier and is publicly owned as is Cousins Quay (the one behind it with the GFL transfer station).

below: A new fence too.

below: Looking across Essroc Quay to the Toronto skyline

There are many reasons for rerouting the Don River. The Port Lands are no longer used by many industries, land use has changed. As the city grows and changes, this area has become prime real estate but it is also a flood plain. Before any development can occur, flood control measures need to be taken. The Cherry Street Stormwater and Lakefilling project will stabilize the local shoreline, protect land from flooding, and create a new landmass to begin the re-naturalization of the Don River’s mouth. The river would be re-routed through the middle of the Lower Don Lands between the Keating Channel and the Ship Channel. The area being filled will become part of ‘Promontory Park’, a new major green space across the harbour from Toronto’s skyline.

The project will also allow for a realignment of Cherry Street so that it no longer merges with Lakeshore for a short distance. At the moment, the Cherry street and Lakeshore Blvd intersection is problematic, especially for pedestrians. Once upon a time there wasn’t much reason for people to walk there I guess. Now, if you are on the wrong side (the west side) of Cherry street, you get stranded at Lakeshore.

The Keating Channel isn’t exactly beautiful. Lakeshore Blvd and the Gardiner Expressway run along the north shore of the channel. There has been discussion & debate about the fate of these roads but so far nothing has changed. Will they demolish this section of the elevated Gardiner? Or won’t they? (Probably not).

below: The very south end of the Don River at the moment. Not much to get excited about is it? It looks like there is work being done under the bridge? (something’s happening there but I don’t know what). Hopefully it will look better in a few years.

The Ship Channel is south of the proposed changes described above.

below: Piles of salt on the south side of Ship Channel. These arrive by ship. The old Hearn Generating Station is in the background.

And south of it all, Cherry Beach.

More info on the Cherry Street Stormwater and Lakefilling project

waterfront in the grey of winter

Posted: January 13, 2018 in waterfront
Tags: #TOwaterfront, boats, bridge, footprints, harbour, Harbourfront, ice, Lake Ontario, park, pink sign, Queens Quay, snow, umbrellas, white chairs, winter

It’s been a while, I know. Part of my excuse – the holidays got in the way. But more importantly, it’s been very cold with bitter winds adding to our discomfort. The very cold days are beautiful with their bright blue skies. Although I have walked once or twice in -20C weather, the pictures here are from a warmer day when it was possible to take pictures without freezing my fingers off. Unfortunately, in the winter warmer often means greyer. I thought of calling this post “In Search of Winter” but that would be silly as no search is needed, it hits you in the face and it surrounds you. Everyone is talking about the cold.

below: Winter in the city isn’t always picturesque. Salt and sand and snow mix together to form slush. Brown ugly slush, especially on the roads and sidewalks as seen here on Queens Quay West. Of course, if you live in Toronto you are already well aware of this!

below: H2O park now has a pink #TOwaterfront sign (sculpture?) to go with its yellow umbrellas and white Muskoka chairs. The weakened winter sun tried to break through the wall of clouds.

below: The other morning there was a small group of Toronto firemen all dressed for the icy water as they practiced winter rescue procedures. Both men were tethered to the shore.

below: Just a few footprints in the snow. I wasn’t the only one walking this way but there certainly weren’t any crowds.

below: A cold and lonely barbecue, as well as one under wraps, waiting out the winter on the dock.

below: Access to the docks along the waterfront was discouraged. It was easy to get out there but I suspect that if I’d fallen in I would have gotten in trouble, and not just from being wet. I wonder how thick the ice was there?

below: Instead of comic relief, we have colour relief!

below: Ducks on ice. Have you ever seen a duck land in the snow? It looks exactly like a landing in water but with a much shorter skid at it comes to a stop. Or maybe that was obvious because how else would a duck land?

below: More ducks… ducks swimming in the small patch of open water. There can’t be much food for them these days.

below: Lake Ontario with the Port Lands and the Toronto Islands in the background. Windswept snow on the ice.

Stay warm everyone!

And don’t lose your gloves! There are so many lost and lonely gloves out there… I hope that this one isn’t yours because if you’re like me, you lose at least one every winter. I wonder they end up? In landfills? … where archeologists of the future will dig up all these single gloves and mitts and wonder what it says about our society? [smile!]

as I walk Toronto

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