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In the summer of 2025, the first 49-acre section of Biidaasige Park opened to the public to much fanfare. Thousands of visitors have since made their way to the banks of the newly rerouted Don River and to Ookwemin Minising, the new island carved out of the former industrial site in Toronto's Port Lands. Now, a year later, the next phase of the park is opening to the public on July 25, adding an additional 10 acres of parkland directly on the shores of Lake Ontario. Stretching west of Cherry Street from the iconic yellow bridge to the lake, the expanded park includes a lookout point with skyline views, a canoe launch area, new public art, a fire pit, and a sloping 3000-person event lawn.
Even with the skies filled with a smoky wildfire haze when we toured the park, the quality of design and the integration of nature was evident, with many ducks, geese, and cranes already lounging along the waterfront. The design was led by Michael van Valkenburgh Associates (MMVA), who also designed the first phase of the park. Today's media tour should produce bluer photos — living up to the meaning of the Biidaasige Park's Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwemowin name, "sunlight shining toward us" — and hopefully your visit will too!
Entering off of Cherry Street, one passes by a small rocky plaza before arriving at the picnic area, filled with tables and eventually shade sails where visitors can sit and enjoy a snack. Adjacent the picnic area is a fenced-off grassy mound that will be home to a future pavilion, which is planned to contain a cafe, program spaces, and restrooms. Unfortunately, there is no timeline for construction of the pavilion as funding is not yet in place, but in the meantime, temporary washrooms have been provided near the Cherry Street entrance, and the City is exploring the idea of installing temporary food stalls.
Continuing along the path, one passes the east side of the canoe launch, with a rocky path descending to the water, along which is the first of seven new art pieces along the Lassonde Art Trail West, an extension of the existing trail from the eastern portion of the park. Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka's colourful piece, against the wind, with the wind, flutters in the breeze, alluding to the many fish species that have returned to the Don following its revitalization.
The route through the park then meanders up a promontory to a lookout point with a 360-degree view. Facing west, the downtown skyline rises above the shores of Lake Ontario, opposite the Toronto Islands. Looking east, a view over Biidaasige Park and the Port Lands shows the extent of work that has been done in this area. And looking up, one can watch the planes flying overhead to and from Billy Bishop Airport. The promontory was built up using excavated earth from when the new riverbed was carved out of the brownfield lands, as well as from where the dock walls were taken down and the earth sloped back to a natural shoreline.
Along the path of the promontory, large limestone blocks form the retaining walls of the hill. The limestone was quarried in southern Ontario, and displays the natural colours and formations of the rock. Deeper limestone has a more reddish hue, while limestone closer to the surface is more grey, a colour that is common in many of the historical buildings around the city. MMVA decided to convey this geological history by forming a gradient in the promontory walls, where the base is formed of the deeper, redder stones, which transitions to a lighter grey, and finally a deeper grey of the surface stones used along the top courses of the wall.
This limestone is also used throughout the park for seating, with large rocks scattered about in naturally-formed shapes. These are surface stones from the quarries, or the top layer of rock exposed to the elements, and are not carved or cut to specific shapes, giving them their all-natural look.
The promontory also features scramble paths of large stones for the more adventurous visitors who wish to take the shorter but more challenging route to the top. The scrambles fit with the theme of the park, reconnecting the city with nature, and also follow the limestone colour pattern seen in the promontory walls.
To the north of the promontory is the event lawn, a sloping expanse of grass oriented toward the downtown skyline that has the capacity to host as many as 3000 people. An area at the base of the lawn has the infrastructure for hosting events with the skyline as a backdrop. The rest of the time, the slope is perfect for sunbathers and for watching the boats criss-cross the harbour.
Descending the promontory, one reaches the shores of Lake Ontario on the western edge of the park, along which is a promenade that offers more views of the city with a sprinkling of colourful artwork.
On the east side of the promenade is a series of columns which provide lighting, but are also a nod to Marine Terminal 35 (MT35), the expansive warehouse that once occupied this site. The light posts are located where the columns of MT35 used to be, providing a visual connection to the area's industrial heritage. Following the columns, one finds a rough white line that slashes across the winding paths and soil beds through the park; these are the original foundations of MT35, preserved as a marker of where this building once stood.
Heading back toward the east, one passes by the future location of a Kent Monkman art installation, scheduled to be delivered in September, and arrives at the western side of the canoe launch. A series of small islands dot the tiny harbour where visitors can paddle their way amongst the reeds on their way into the Don River or out to the lake.
A fire pit is situated opposite the islands, protected from prevailing winds by the promontory wall. The unique fire pit is designed by Solomon King, and features footprints imprinted into the stones, which gives a nod to the Indigenous history of this land.
Continuing west along the trail, one arrives at the most striking element of the park - the Atlas crane. Installed in 1961, the Atlas crane was used for hoisting heavy cargo on and off the ships that came and went from the Port Lands. It is one of the last remaining cranes of its kind on the Great Lakes, and was meticulously restored to become a defining feature of the park. Below the crane is a plaza where visitors can mingle, and which should also be home to canoe and kayak rentals at some point in the near future.
The tour of the park extension ends below the yellow Cherry Street bridge, where a water taxi terminal now provides service between Biidaasige Park, Yonge Slip, and Portland Slip. Opening in June of this year, the east-west taxi service has already served roughly 5000 commuters, boosted by easy access to the FIFA World Cup events at Exhibition Place and the Bentway. The trail from the western portion of the park and the taxi dock passes below the bridge to connect with the eastern side of Biidaasige Park, completing the loop along the south edge of Ookwemin Minising.
More parkland is slated to come along the north edge of Ookwemin Minising facing the Keating Channel, which is estimated to be complete in 2029. Once development begins on the neighbourhood planned for the island, a pedestrian bridge will be built to extend the lakefront promenade on the west side of Biidaasige Park over the Keating Channel to connect to the Quayside lands, effectively extending the harbourfront trail directly into Ookwemin Minising.
The western extension of Biidaasige Park officially opens on July 25, so head to the Port Lands to explore this exciting new public space on the waterfront. We will keep you updated as development in and around Ookwemin Minising continues to progress, but in the meantime, you can tell us what you think by checking out the associated Forum thread or by leaving a comment in the space below on this page.
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