,

TORONTO'S WATERFRONT AND THE SUSTAINABLE CITY: FINAL REPORT

CANADA

HONOURABLE DAVID CROMBIE COMMISSIONER TORONTO,CANADA

RoyalCommission on the Future ofthe TorontoWaterfront

.,.,:*;lit~ Regeneration: Toronto's waterfrontand the sustainable city: finalreport

This report has been translated bythe translation services of the Secretary of State, Canada, and is available in French under title: Regeneration : le secteur riverainde Toronto et la ville durable : rapport final

ISBN 0-660-14400-X DSS cat. no. Zl-1988/l-1992E Includes bibliographical references.

1. Waterfronts- Planning - Environmental aspects - Ontario- Toronto Metropolitan Area. 2. City planning - Environmental aspects - Ontario - Toronto Metropolitan Area. I. Crombie, David, 1936 - . II Title.

HT169.C32T6 1992 333.91 '715'09713541 C92-099588-8

© Minister of Supply and Services Canada 1992 Queen's Printer of Ontario 1992 Design and Production: Acart Graphic Services Inc.

Cover: Domtar Cover Paper, Cream White 80 lb. Domtar' s Recycled Fine Paper is made exclusively (100%) from sorted paper waste that has been previously used and discarded by consumers. Made in Canada.

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iv Royal Commission on the Commission royale sur Future of the I'avenir du Toronto Waterfront secteur riverain de Toronto c...o.

Commissioner Commissaire The Honourable David Crombie, PC L'honorable David Crombie, cp

Executive Director and Counsel Directeur executif et Conseiller juridique Ronald L Doering Ronald L Doering

TO inS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR GENERAL IN COUNCIL

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY

By Order in Council PC -1988 -589 dated March 3D,1988. I was appointedCommissioner to inquire into and make recommendationsregarding the future of the Toronto Waterfront. I now beg to submit the attachedReport.

Respectfully submitted

DavidCrombie Commissioner

December1991

171, rue Slater St., '1th Floor/1"etage 207 Queen's Quay Wesr/Ouest ,51h Floor/Soetage P.O. Box/CP 1527 P.OBox/ CP 4111 Sration/Sucxursale 13" Stalion/Succursale "A" Ottawa, Canada K, P 6P5 Toronto, Canada M5W 2V4

Tel No./No de telephone: (613) 99G-3306 Tel No./No de telephone: (416) 973-7185 Fax No/No de facsimil8: (613) 990-4345 Fax No/No.de facsimile (416) 973-71 03

v

Royal Commission on the Commission royals sur Future of the I'avenir du Toronto Waterfront secteur riverain de Toronto CA.ADA

Commissioner Commissaire The Honourable David Crombie, P.C L'honorable David Crombie, c.p

Executive Director and Counsel Directeur executif et Conseil~r juridique Ronald L. Doering Ronald L. Doering

TO illS HONOUR, THE LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR OF THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR HONOUR:'

By Order in Council O.C. 2465/89,dated the 12th day of October, 1989,1 was duly appointed a Commissionerunder the Public Inquiries Act. I am pleasedto presentto you the attachedReport of the Royal Commissionon the Future of the Toronto Waterfront.

Respectfullysubmitted.

David Crombie Commissioner

December 1991

171,rue Slater St., 11th Floor/11'etage 207 Queen's Quay West/Ouest ,5th Floor/SOetage p,O, Box/C,P, 1527 P,O,Box/C,P4111 Station/Succursale 'B' Station! SuCQJrsale "A" Ottawa, Canada K1P 6P5 Toronto, Canada MSW 2V4

Tel. No./No. de telephone: (613) 990-3306 Tel, No./No, de telephone: (416) 973-7185 Fax No/No de facsimile (613) 990-4345 Fax No/No.de facsimile: (416) 973-7103

vii

ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE FUTURE OF THE TORONTO WATERFRONT

COMMISSIONER The HonourableDavid Crombie, P.C.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND COUNSEL RonaldL. Doering

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE COMMISSIONER MargaretJohnston

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS DavidCarter

SENIOR DIRECTOR William Roberts

DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES SuzanneBarrett

POLICY ANALYST Cord Garland

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CharityLandon

ASSISTANT TO THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS DeborahWilliams

ASSISTANT TO THE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES Sarah Kalff

ix RESEARCHER Soo Kim

PRODUCTION MANAGER/SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR MarlaineKoehler

ADM INISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS JoanLea LouiseMadore-Payer

PUBLICATIONS CO-ORDINATOR Irene Rota

SECRETARY TO THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND COUNSEL Lisa Ohata

SECRETARY TO THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS Alice LeBlanc

PUBLICATIONS DESIGNER jiin Kim

SECRETARY TO POLICY AND RESEARCH STAFF Martha Lopez

RECEPTIONIST Anne Dixon

CLERK/MESSENGER WesleyBirecki

CANADIAN WATERFRONT RESOURCE CENTRE JanetHollingsworth, Library ServicesCo-ordinator VeraKubelikova, Records Office Manager JeanSinclair, Library Technician

x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We wish to thank the following peoPle, who brought to this and each of our publications their fortitude, hard work, and editorial talent.

SheilaKieran, Editor MargotCote, French Editor David Kilgour, Proofreader

We would like to acknowledge the contribution of the following peoPle in the writing of this report:

Joe Berridge ]oannaKidd Rogerdu Toit MichaelKirkland KenGreenberg Edward]. Levy MichaelHough PaulMuldoon Bryan]. Howard PatOhlendorf-Moffat Neal A Irwin RonaldA Reid ]ohn]ackson Ric Symmes

We would like to expressour appreciation to the following for their co-operation and contribution to our work:

The Governments of Canada and Ontario, City Mayors, their councils and deparunents; Regional Chairs, their councils, departments and conservation authorities; and various public and private agencies,boards, and associations.

Over the three years of the Commission's life, the work of many hands has made it possible to meet the challenges set before us. We sincerely thank the following personsfor their assistance:

BrentAbbott. GarryAdams. SharonAdams. T. BruceAdams. Tom Adams.]ohn Addison. DavidAgnew. Ted Aikins. AndreaAitken. Al Albania. KenAlbright. GenaAli .Duncan M. Allan. DavidAllen. GeneAllen .Mary Ann Allen. Paul]. Allsop. Robert Allsopp. Lorne D. Almack. Martin Amber. Carl Amrhein. HowardAnders. DouglasAnderson. PaulAnozy. MarkAnshan. RandallArendt. GarthArmour. TimArmstrong .Rob Arnott. WayneArthurs. TalineArtinian .Lynn Artmont .H. E. Ashley. Brian Ashton. NormanAtkins

xi THE WORK OF MANY HANDS.

.Bill Attewell .Mike Attia .Luigi Aurilio .Peter Azeez .Angela Azzopardi. Wilbert Bach. John Bacher. Aubrey Bailey. Giles Bailey. George Baird. Dave Baker. Dennis Baker. RandyBaker. W. M. (Bill) Baker. Wayne Baker. John Band. Marc Baraness.Victor Barbeau. Wayne Barrett. John Barrington. Vicki Barron. SergeBastien. Diana Baxter. Donald Baxter. G. H. U. (Terk) Bayley. CalvinBeach. RusselBeach. Frank Bean .Max Beck. Paul J. Beck. Fred Beer. Carl Beernath .Moiz Behar. Harry Behrend. Phil Beinhaker. Paul Beisel. S. Dennis N. Belcher. Lesley Bell. William F. Bell. Ginette Bellefeuille. Terri Bellemore . PeterBelling. Sam BenDayan.Yvonne Bendell. Michael Bender. David Bennett. Gerry M. Bennett. John Bennett .Michael Bennett. Beth A Benson. Murray Benyon. PeterBernard. Chris Berzins. J. B. Best. Donald M. Biback .Robert Bickerstaff. Jane S.Billings. David Bingham. Ron S.Binnie. Diana Birchall. RolyBird. Christine Bishop .Jim Bishop. John Bitove .Scott Black. Jim Blair. M. Bloess.Steve Bloom. Allan Blott .Robert Bloxam. Chris Blue. Tony Blue. Dirk Blyleven .Trudy Bodak .Christian Bode. Nancy Boland. Craig Boljkovac. Carlo Bonanni. Bob Bonner. Rudi Boonstra. Nars Borodczak .Susanne Borup. IIa Bossons.Lucien Bouchard .Peter Bougadis .John Bousfield. Charles Bouskill .Ted Bowering .Gary Boyd. PatrickBoyer. Bill Boyle. BrianJ. Boyle. Cheryl Bradbee .Mike Braden. Jim Bradley. Kevin Brady. Graham Brand. Andy Brandt. Robert Brault. Tim Brewsten .Karen Bricker. Margaret Britnell. David Brock. Robert Brock. Marek Brodski .Ian Bromley. Calvin Brook. Jeff Brooks. John Brooks. Pauline Browes .Bob Brown. Fergy Brown. Hank E. Brown. Ian C. R Brown. Veronica Brown. Jeb Brugmann .Marion Bryden. Bill Brydon. Ian Buchanen .Brian Buckles. Dianne Buckner. Ian Budge. Robynne Budish .Michael Bulatovich .Diane Bull. John Bulloch. Jim Bullock. RobertG. Bundy. Jane Bundze. RitaBurak. Heather Burgess. Heman P. BurgosJr. .Heman P. BurgosSr.. Graham Burke. SheldonBurlow. Bryan Burns. Dan Burns. David Burnside. Barb Butler .Bob Butler. Everett Butsma .Phillip Byer .Caroline Byrne. Niall Byrne. SteveByrne. Orlando Cabrera. Charles Caccia. Lynn Calder Starr. Dennis R. Callan. June Callwood .John Calvert. Bernie Camacho. Frank X. Camenzuli .Jim Cameron. Bill Campbell. Karen Campbell. Monica Campbell. Nino Campitelli. Tom Camps. Tony Cancelliere. Barbara Caplan. Dennis Caplice .Massimo Carbone. V. Carette. Elaine Carey .John Robert Carley. Victoria Carley. Adam Carr .Bruce Carr .Brenda Carrigan. Ken Carroll. Patrick A Carson .Joe Caruana. John Cary .Daniel Cassidy. Bruce Caswell. Larry Cavanagh. G. Cesario. R. B. Chafe. Stephen Chait. Donald P. Chalmers. C. H. Chan. John C. Chan. Victer G. Chan. Thomas F. Chandler. Grace Chang. D. Chapman. Joe Chapman. Ron Chapman. Jean Charest. Micheline Charlebois-McKinnon. David Charlesworth. Edward Chart. Peggy Chau .Barrie Chavel. Nancy Cherney. Bob Chernicki .Anna Chou .David Christie. Robert C. Christie. Ron Christie. P. Chronis. Carolyn Chung. Gardner Church. Marilyn Churley. J. Chyurlia .Steve Clagg .Bob Clapp. Brad Clark. David Clark. NancyJ. Clark .Scott W. Clark .Alan Clarke. Bill Clarklin .Adrienne Clarkson. Lorraine Clarkson. John Clay. AI Clayton. Brian Cleeve. John Clement. Tom Clement. Bill Clements. Georges Clermont. Tom Clifford. Larry Close. SteveClose. John Coakley. Tom Cobourn .Sandy Cochran. Dian Cohen. Howard Cohen. Dusty Cohl .Theo Colborn. Audrey Cole. Rob Colli. Murray Collican .Frank Edward Collins. Jack Collins. Leigh Collinson. Martin Collis .Rosemary Colucci. Brian Conacher .Roger Concall .Don Connolly. Rick Connors. Mark Conway. Ken Cook .William Cook .Dave Cooke. Tony Coombes. JackCooper. KathyCooper. Jean Corbeil. Ken Corbett .Francine Cote. Ron Coulas .Darryl Coulson. Jacqueline Courval. Jane Coutts. Eric Cowan. Sandra Cowan .Nigel Cowie. Chuck Cox. Samuel Craig. Bill Cram. Jack Cramer-Byng .Margaret Cramer-Byng . Maggie Cresswell-Weber. David Crome .James Crump. Walter S. Culbertson. L. Ross Cullingworth . Ken Cumberland. N. N. Cursio. Joe D'Abramo. Alex Dagg. S. M. Daggupaty. Harry Dahme. Romesh Dalal .Bob Dale. Ralph Daley. Harold S. Dalkie .Beverly Dalys .Nada Dancy. Barnett Danson. George Dark. Amy Darker. DaveDarker. John Darling. AI Davidson. Anton Davies. BenDavies. BryanDavies. Katherine Davies .Paula Davies. Tom Davies. WalterDavies. WayneDavies. Bruce Davis. CameronDavis. Mark Davis. SylviaDavis .Robert Dawes. Ian N. Dawson. John Day. John AlexanderDay. Marie Day. WazirDayal. Robert de Cotret. Michael de Gruchy .Sheila de Zwaan .Alyson Deans. Sam Defelice. Michael DeGroot. Maureen DeJong. Pat Delbridge. Bruce Demara .Bob DeMatteo. Kathy Deming. Brian E. Denney. Michael Dennis. Terry Denovan .Kathy Dermott. J. DeSchulthess .Gene Desfor .Anne-Marie Deslauriers. Ian Deslauriers. Wayne Deveau. John Deverell. Don Dewees. Janet Dey .Parviz Dhajani .Con Di Nino. Jack Diamond. Bill Dibden .Jennifer Dickson. LesDigby. Ben DiRamo .Betty Disero.Barry Ditto. Frank Dixon. Kenneth S. Dobb .Tim Dobbie. Jim Dobbin. Rob Dobos. Rod Dobson. Doug Doherty. Carole Donaldson. Len Doncheff. Laura Donefer. Lee Doran. Bob Doty. Bob G. Douglas. Dave Douglas. Gordon Dowdell. Elizabeth Dowdeswell .Robert Dowler. Donn Downey. John Downing. Derek Doyle. Leo Drikx .Alan G. Driver. Leith Drury. Douglas P. Dryer. Aline Dubois. Andree DuBois. Rick Ducharme. Jim Duer. AI Duffy. Alexandra Duncan. Bruce Duncan. Brian Dundas. Bill Dunphy. Noreen Dunphy. StevenDunsford .William Duron. U. A Durrant

xii THE WORK OF MANY HANDS.

.Barney Dutka. Valerie A. E. Dyer. Gary Dysart. Ralph Eades. Graeme Eadie. Maggie Easton. Arnold Ediqborough.Russ Edmunds. Philip Edwards. TomEdwards. DanielEgan. Jo-AnneEgan. DavidL. Egar.Arthur C. Eggleton. SamEjnesman .Susan Elbe .Jack Ellis. R F. Ellis. MarkEntwistle. DannyEpstein .Bob Evans. DavidEvans. Trevor Eyton.Stephen Fagyas.Paul Fairbrother. GeorgeM. Fairfield. Anne Fairley. HelenFarley. PaulFarley. Tom Farrell. BobFarrow. Milt Farrow. PeterFasullo .Dale Faubert. PeterFay. DavidFeatherstone. RobertFeatherstonhaugh .Paul Feitelberg.David Feldman. TommyFellion . ElizabethFeltes. Jennine Feretti .David FergUson. DerekFerguson. Jock Ferguson. Robert Ferguson. ClaudiaE. Fieder.Larry Field. Mike Filey.Susan Filshie.Richard A. Findlay. MorrisFine. MichaelFirestone .Susan Fish. EwenFisher. GerryFitzsimmons. JamesFlagal .Robert Flagal.Gerry Flahive. J. D. Fleck. Eric Fleming. EugeneA Flichel .Chuck Flink. Tom Flood.Doug Floyd. DennisFlynn. TomFoote. Mark Forbes. RobForbes. F. ShaneForeman. M. Forester. DennisFortune. MichaelC. Fortune. William Foster .Bruce Fountiin .Ed R Fox. GlenFox. RonFoy. DavidFrame. DavidFrancis. Bill Frankling.Karen Fraser .Sandra Frasson.Ken Frederickson. BarbaraFreedman. LouisFreedman. AdeleFreeman. Bill Freeman. Harry French. Bruno Fresci.Elene Ftohogiannis.Ken Fukumoto. Ed Fulton. Tom Fulton. RemGaade . HollyGalway. Don Gamble. CiaranGanley. Ken Gansel.Francis Gardiner. Fred Gardner.Helen Garland. RobertGarrard. DavidGarrick. JohnA Gartner. PeterB. Gass. JohnGault. GordGeeseburger. Mario Gentile .Ric German. DenisGertler. Len Gertler. Meric Gertler. RossGervais. John Ghent. Brian L. Gibson. GraemeGibson. Ian Gibson. Janice Gibson. SallyGibson. JamesGillies. SamGindin .Daniel Girard. RobertGiroux. Donald Given. BobGiza. AndrewGlass. Marc Glassman. Bill Glenn. Chris Glerum. Fred Gloger.Robert Glover. Nick Gobes.Freya Godard. CharlesGodfrey. MartinGoebel. LawrenceS. Gold .Lee Gold. MarkGoldblatt. HowardGoldby. JudyGoldie. MichaelGoldrick. LorrieGoldstein. PhillipW. Gooch .Len Good.Ted Goodchild. RobertAGoodings. GaryGoodman. DavidGordon. RichardGordon. JuliusGorys .Ron Gotts. StephenGoudge .Alain Gourd. KatharineGourlie .Carole Goyette. GeorgeGrant. JackGrant .Henry Graupner. Bill Gray. Lou Greenbaum. Ira Greenspoon. Ellen Greenwood. Bill Greer. DouglasGrenville. MarneyGrew. RuthGrier. KathleenGriffin .Richard Griffiths. Lino Grima. RandyGrimes .George Gross. Ellen Jane Grossman. Carmen Guerreri .Brad Guest.Robert Gullins .Ravi Gupta. David Gurin .Gigi Gurthrie.David Guscott.Katherine Guselle.Stella Gustavson.Gigi Guthrie. Tibor Haasz. DonaldC. Hadden. GlennHadley. DerekHagen. RoseannHahn. EfraimHalfon .Barbara Hall .Howard Hall .Ilona Hall. JanetHall. JoeHall. JohnHall. MarkHall. DougHallet. AndyHamilton. DavidHamilton. J. P.Hamilton. JohnHanbidge .Brian Hancock. MacHancock. TrevorHancock. J. MoyraHaney. BobHanna .Gary S. Harding. MicheleHarding. PeterHare. JenniferM. Harker. Lyn Harrett .Glenn Harrington. David Harris. John Harris. Carol Harris-Lonero. Michael Harrison. Don Hartford. Ian Harvey. VanessaHarwood. Khalid Hashmani.Dave Hawke. Bill Hawkes. DennisJ. Hawley. MaryHay. SteWartHay .Al Haynes. DanHeap. StanHeidman .Steve Heineman. ArianeHeisey. MichaelHeitshu .Karl Hemmerich .Jeff Hemming. DavidHenderson. FredHenderson. PaulHenderson. ColleenHennessy .Gary Herrigel. PatriciaHerring. RobHersey. Marc Hewitt. FredHeywood. SharonHicks. PeterM. Higgins. Tom Higgins .Verna Higgins. Bob Hill. D. JeremyHill. John Hillier. SusanHimmel. Jim Hodgins. Darryl Hogg. Kenneth Holder. Bruce Holland. RogerHollander. Brian Hollebone .Irvine Hollis. Brian Holmes. AlexHome. GlenHooper. JeanHopkins. Dick Horkins .Kevin Hosler. John Houweling. Bob Howald. Bill Howes. Al Hoyne. Lorraine Hubbard. DaveHulchanski .Christopher Hume .Manfred Humphries. DavidHutcheon. NoelHutchinson. RobertHutchinson. DebbieHymes. SandraIaboni .Brett G. Ibbotson. Joseph Iglewski .Jack Imhoff. Bruce Ing .Jonah Ing .Inga Ingram. Colin Isaacs. Dorothy Izzard. RaineJaagumagi.LaurieAJackiin. WilliamH.Jackman. GladstoneJackson.LornaD.Jackson. JulianJacobs. KarIJaffray. GloriaW.James. LoisJames. R ScottJames. RickJames. RoysonJames.TerryJanczyk. MilanJanecek .Bruce Jank.Diana Jardine. BethJefferson. OttoJelinek. ShirleyJen .Alf Jenkins. HansJensen. PeterJensen .Walter Jensen. SamJephcott. MikeJerrett. SabineJessen. NormanJewison. PaulJohannsson.Judith John .Andrew L. Johnson. BobJohnson. DavidJohnson. FredJohnson. PatriciaK. Johnson. AnneJohnston. GerryJohnston. RichardJohnston. RobertD.Johnston. AllenJones. GlenJones. JackJones. LauraJones. WendyJoscelyn. WendyJoyce. HelenJuhola .Peter Jull. JohnG. Jung .John Jursa.Phil Kaegi.Ron Kanter .Heidi Kaphengst.Frederick T. Kasravi.Nora Kassabian.David Kaufman. KevinKavanagh. MichaelKeating .Walter Kehm. AndrewKeir. SusanKeir. Morley Kells. G. V. Kelly. SusanKelly. Perry Kendall. Ron Kennedy. Byran Kerman. Sharon Kerr. Tom Kerr. Frank Kershaw. Bruce C. Ketcheson. CarolQ. Ketchum. FareedW. Khan. RajibKhettry. Ian Kilgour. Don King. EldredKing. RosinaKing. JohnKinkead. JeremyK. B. Kinsman. JohnKis .Shane Kjertinge.Laura Klager.Mitchell Klein. RandallR. Klein .Ksenija Klinger. SteveKlose. Jo-AnneKnight. CarlKnipfel .Louise Knox. MarilynKnox .Harold Kobold.

xiii THE WORK OF MANY HANDS

Risa Kogan. Emil Kolb .Raines Kolsy .Heather Konefat .Karl Konze .Irving Korn .Andrew Koropeski. RayKosky. S. C. Kosti .Lawrence Kotseff. Dick Krajewski. Gordon Krantz. Robert Kravel. Elizabeth Kriegler .Matthew Kronby .Richard Kuchynski .Brian Kurtner .Michael Kusner .Kelvin Kwan .William Kwong. P. Real L'Heureux. Huguette Labelle. R. Lafleur. Celia Laframboise. Marilyn Lagzdins. Michelle Lalonde. Peter Lambert. Wes Lammers. Penny Lamy .Donald Lander. Alexis Landon. Dennis Lang. Peter Langdon .Peter Langer. David Langille. Doug Langley. David F. Larone. Maureen Larsen. Mel Lastman .David Latchman .Keith Laushway.Mark Law. Patrick L. Lawrence. Jack Layton. Michael Lea .Allan Leach. Don Learning. Laurie leBlanc. Norman leBlanc. Patrice leBlanc. StephenR. LeDrew .Chang Lee. Don Lee. Jack Lee .Erma Leesty. Robert Lehane. Horst Leingruener .Vivian Leir .Henry Leistner. Ken Lem .James Lemon. Mary Lemyre. Owen Lemyre. Jill Leslie. lara Lessa.C. A Levesque. Howard Levine. Reg Lewis. Vic Lim .Clifford Lincoln. Paul Lisanti. Irwin Lithwick .Arthur Little. Greg Little. John Livey. Simon Llewellyn. Rob Lockhart. Jane Logan. John Long. RossLong. Bill Longden. Harry Lopez. Brian Loreto. Frank Loritz .Don Loucks. Debbie Lovas.W. Carl Lovas.Amory Lovins. David Low .Harvey Low .Rodine Lozada. RainerLubbren. Bob Luckhart. NatalieLue. PegLush. D. Luymes. WilliamLye. Donna Lynch .Jim T. Lynch. N. Barry Lyon. Kim Lyons. Larry Lyons. Michael Lyons. Heather MacAndrew .Bob MacAuley .David Macdonald. Doug Macdonald. Duncan MacDonald. Helen MacDonald. Jean MacDonald. Lynda Macdonald. Anne Macilory .John Macintyre. Barry Kent Mackay. Elmer MacKay. Hugh Mackenzie. Eric Macklin. James W. MacLaren. Gord MacPherson. Sandy MacPherson. Diana Macri. Chris Madej. Paul Magder .Marie Magee. SteveMagee. Fil Magnoli .Chuck Magwood. John Maher. Janice Mahoney. Garth Mailman. Joyce Main. Wally Majesky .Frank C. Malatesta. Douglas Maloney. Robert Maloney. Bob Malvern .Andrew Manahan. Ron Manfield .Iggy Manlangit. Thomas Manolakos. PeterMar. Valerie March .T.J. Marchant. Alan R. Marchment. Eva Marczak. John Marczak. Nora Mark. Margaret Marland. Jiri Marsalek.R. Scott Marsh. Stephen Marshall. Tom Marshall. Dale Martin. Douglas Martin. Jim Martin. Luciano Martin. Regan Martin. Shirley Martin. Deborah Martin-Downes. Donald R. Martyn. Al Mason. John Roger Massingham .Guy Mastrella .Boris Mather. Craig Mather. Margary Mathews. Marc Mattachini. Burkhard Mausberg .Jim Maxwell. John Maxwell. Robert Maxwell. Doug Maybank .Eileen Mayo. Bob McArthur. H. I. McBride. Robert McBride. Mark McBurney. Fiona McCall. Hazel McCallion. Doug McCallum. Patricia McCarney. Frank McCarthy. ShawnMcCartney. Anne McCauley. Maureen McCauley .David McClelland. Michael McClelland. David McCluskey. Stephen McColl. Jeff McCorkell. M. Mike McCormick. MavisMcCullum. Gerard McDade. John McDermid. Dan Mcdermott. Mark McDonald .Maureen McDonnell. BarbaraMcDougall. PatriciaMcDowell. Timothy McGee. Nancy McGill. Dan McGillivray .John McGinnis. Brian McHattie .Donna McHoull .David McHugh. Craig McInnes. Stewart McInnes. Suzanne McInnes. Erv McIntyre. Trevor McIntyre. Donald McKay. Sheila McKay-Kuja .Samm McKaye. Pearl McKeen. Lee-Anne McKenna. Dan McKenzie. Darcy McKeough. Edward N. McKeown. Jackie McKeown .David McKillop. Elizabeth Mclaren. David McLaughlin. Madelaine Mclaughlin. Stephen Mclaughlin . Dan Mclean. Guy Mclean. Jim Mclean. Moira Mclean. William A Mclean. Judith Mcleod. Lyn Mcleod .Charles McMillan. John McMillan. Scott McMillan. John McNaughton. Ray McNeil. Gary McPeak. Diane McPherson. Laurie McPherson. K. C. McReynolds. Maureen McVarish .Sean Meagher. SonyaMeek. Peter Meerburg .Peter L. Meffe. Ruth Melady. Nelson Melnyck .Tom Melymuk .John Mende. Eric Menezes .Kathy Menyes .H. Roy Merrens .Jim Merritt. Serge Metikosh .Charles J. Meyers. Mofeed Michael. John Michailidis .Michael Michalski. Ed Mickiewicz. Peter Middleton. Frank Miele. George Mierzyski .Paul Migus .John R. Mihalus .Melanie Milanich .Anthony Miles. Joan Miles. Tony Miles. David Milgram. Fred Millar .Jim Millar. Doug Miller. Gavin Miller. Glenn Miller. Joe Miller. John Miller. Pam Miller. Phyllis Miller .Rodger B. Miller. RussellMiller. Sarah Miller. Dennis Mills. Frank Mills. John Mills. Robert E. Millward. Michael Miloff. Ann Milovsoroff. David Mirvish .P. K. Misra. PaulMitcham. Ron Moeser. RasheedMohammed .Michael B. Moir .Paul Moloney. Laurie Monsebraaten .Donna Montgomery. David Moore. Irene Moore. Peter J. Moore. Richard Moore. Christopher Morgan. Bruce Mori. Beverly Morley. Lawrence Morley. Barry Morrison. Don Morrison. Harold Morrison. Monica Morrison. Larry Morrow. Lynn Morrow. Robert Morrow .Wiebke Mortenson. Desmond Morton. Ian Morton. Marlene Moser. Elias Moubayed .Diana Mourato. Christine Moynihan. Tom Muir. Elizabeth Mulholland. Thomas Mulligan. Brian Mulroney. Ann Mulvale. Jon Munn .Bill Munson. Bruce Murat. Rosa Murnaghan. Claire Murphy" Pat Murphy. Barry Murray. Don Murray. JackMurray. DavidMyers. Rollo H. H. Myers. FrankMyron. HuguetteNadeau. CynthiaM. Nambudiri .Jim Nash. Ted Nasmith .Nolan Natale. Rashmi Nathwani .Leonce Naud .B. N. Nayak .Mohamed Nayed .Eha Mai Naylor. John Neate. Melanie Neilson. Terry Neilson. Earl Nestmann.Julie Nettleton. RobertNewbury .Larry Newton. Wmnie Ng. ElizabethNielson. JeanetteNiggenaber. RobertNisbet. Brian Nixon. WendyNoble

xiv THEWORKOFMANYHANDS

.Peter Noehammer .Frank Norman. Robert Norman. Lynn Norris. BarbaraNorth. Pat Northey. Mike Northfleld .Kathy Nosich.Heather Nourse. E. R Nurse. PatriciaO'Connell. Gerri-lynnO'Connor. Dan O'Halloran .Brian O'Keefe. NoreenO'Laughlin .James O'Mara.Catherine O'Neill. MichaelO'Reilly. Larry O'Toole. NorahOakley. PeterOberlander. PatrickW. Olive. GabeOliver. John Oliver. BenOng . LarryOnisto .Eli Ophek.Ian Orchard. WalterOster. RayOstiguy. Tom Ostler. StevenOtto. CairineOulton .Ken Owen. JackOziel .Anna Pace. B. Paehike.Michael Page.Shelley Page. AndrePageot. Victor Pakalnis .Janice Palmer. Cyril Palod .Aubrey Pancer.Leslie Papp.Victor P. Pappalardo. John Parker. StanParker .Charles P. Parmellee.Alison Parsons. Karen Partanen.Kevin R. Pask.Dennis Pataky. MafatPatel. Jeff Paterson. Murray Paterson. Doug Patriquin .Richard Patten. Joan Patterson. Marjorie Patterson. NancyPatterson. NormanPaul. ChuckPautler. AnnettePayne. DavidPeakall .Randall T. Pearce. W. N. Pearl .Jonathan Peck. EudoraPendergrast. William Peppler. Bob Perkins. JamesK Perkins. DennisPerlin. DavidPerlman. LyndaS. Peros .Deo Persaud. GeorgePeter. BradPeterson. DavidPeterson. Eric Peterson .Jim Petite. RobertPetrella. DonPeuramaki .Robert Phaelke.Thomas J. Phelan. KimG. Philip. WilliamPhilips .David C. Phillips. RobertPhillips. KarenPianosi .Peter Pickfield.Darrell Piekarz.Debbie Pierce. SusanPigg .Alan Pilkey.Juri Pill .Herbert Pirk .Jon Plank. RudyPlatiel .AE. Pokotylo.Margaret Polanyi.Peter Pomeroy .Lynn Poole. PeterPoot .George Post. RussPowell. GeraldPratley .Bill Pratt. DickPratt. CharlesPresswell .Michael Price. GeorgePriddle .Robert J. Pringle. Bill Pristanski.G. Punt. MargaretPurcell. PeterE. Purins .R. A. Quail. Elizabeth Quance .Jack Rabba .Jack Rabinowitz. Donna Rachey.Jan Raczkowski. Mark Raczkowski. BobRae. Michael Raggett.Debbie Ramsay. Peter Ramsay. Richard B. Ramsden. RobertRamsey. Tim Rance. CarolRandall. MarianneRatelle. KennethRaven. OusamaRawi .Angus V. Read .Alan B. Redfern. AlanRedway. WayneReeves. Henry A Regier. I. Reichenbac.Alva Reid. BruceReid. DavidA Reid. JulyannReid. MarkReid. AudreyReifenstein .Paul A Reimer. GloriaReszler .Trefor Reynoldson .David W. Rice. PeterRice. Jim Richards. Nigel H. Richardson. SusanRichardson. WayneS. Richardson. DaleRichmond. Don Richmond. JohnRichmond. Tom Ridout. BobRiggs. SuzanneRioux. Brian Ripley. GeorgeRitchie. RayRivers. Jim Robb.Dave Robertson. Ian Robertson. JamesK Robertson. Jim R Robertson .Gerald Robinson. NancyRobinson. PaulRobinson. KeithRodgers. GeorgeRodrigues. RichardRohmer. S. Roitman .Anthony Roman. Brenda Roman. Alfredo Romano. Mario Romano. William Rosart. Lee Ross. Mike Rostetter.Phil Roth. Richard Rotman. WilliamA. Rowat.Andris Roze .Norm Rubin. NormRukavina. GeorgeRumble. SomerRumm. DallardRunge. DavidRunnalls. ZenRuryk. DeborahRussell .George Rust-D'Eye.Brian Rutherford. Jim Ryan. Louis Sabourin. PeterJ. Sagar. Fran Sainsbury. Carol SaintLaurent. EdwardR. Sajecki.Nimrod Salamon. Ted Salisbury. Todd Salter. DereckSamaroo. David Sampson. HeatherSaranpaa .Eileen Sarkar.Bill Saundercook. DavidSaunders. CharlesSauriol . PaulSavoie. FredScaffidi. Henry Schefter.Steve Schibuola.Nigel Schilling. GlenSchnarr. John Schnayder .N. Schonstedt .Rhonda Schop .Tom Schwartz. Carolyn Scott. Ian W. Scott. Rosanna Scotti. PaulH. Scrivener. RobinSears. DavidSefton. MorleySefton. FarhadSeif. LesC. Selby. Alex Semeniuk. John Sewell. Geoff Shamie.Walter Shanahan. PeterSharp. BobShaw. Martin Shaw. SteveA. Shaw. DerwynShea. John H. Sheard. JamesShears. BrianShell. Lou Shenfeld.John Shepherd. Griff Sherbin. John Sherk. Amanda Sherrington .Richard Shibley. EvelynShih-babor .Ron Shimizu. KareyShinn. Nick Shinn. John Shipman. Dalton Shipway. Judie Shore. AndreaShort. BobShort. Glen Shortliffe. John Shortread.Steven Shrybman.Anna Shumeko.Gabriella Sicheri.Marv Sidor. MichaelSifton .Sky Sigal .Maria KaarsSijpesteijn .P. Silman. Joe Silva. Martin Silva. Vykki Sitzer.John Simmers. RobertSimmons .Peter Simon. Holly Simpson. JackSimpson. Mary Simpson. LeeSims. BruceSinclair. John Sinclair. NancySinger. sarraSingh. KarenSita .Andrew Skaab.Michael Skafel. GeorgeSladek. RobertW. Slater. JoeySlinger. RonSloan. Richard Slowikowski.Ed Slugocki.Peter Sly. SharonSmalley. David Smiley. Albert R. Smith. BeverlySmith. DavidSmith. Doug Smith. FrankSmith. GordonSmith. Julian L. Smith. KarenSmith. PaulKSmith. RaySmith. RobertD.Smith. RodneySmith. RonSmith. ScottW. Smith. KenSnelson .Sam Sniderman.Simon So.Richard Soberman.Adam Socha. MichaelSoegtr°p .Rene Soetens.Rachel Soffer .Christopher Solecki. AdriannaSolman. KeithSolomon. JohnSousa. RosemarySpatafora. RaySpaxman . Donald Speller. Ted Spence. Al Spiegel. Laurel Spielberg. David Springbett .Bhartendu Srivastava. HaymishSt. Rose. Elke Stahr. ElizabethStanley. AndrewStaples. BeckyStapleton. CharlesStearns. Brian Stein. RossStephen. Murray Stephens. Robert Stephens. Judith Stephens-Wells. Jan Stepien. FeodoraSteppat .Mark Sterling. BarrySterparn .Geoffrey Stevens. DonStevenson. Greg Stewart. MaryStewart .J. AnthonyStikeman .Jeffery Stinson. GeorgeStockton. StewartStolarski. DavidStonehouse. Jeanne Strain . PaulJ. Strain. CynthiaStrike. Richard Stromberg. Elaine Struke .Jane Stubbington .Richard Stultz. Larry Sukava.Barbara Sullivan. KarlSuns. Penti Suokas.Kim Surgenor.Hans Sustronk.Sylvia Sutherland

xv THE WORK OF MANY HANDS.

.John S. Sutherns .Aine Sutde .Howard Swadron .Gail Swainson .Anne Swarbrick. StanleyB. Swartzman. John Sweeney. Austin Sweezy. M. L. Swiggum. Marv Sydor. Tariq Syed .Sandy Symmes. Chris Szweda. PeterTabuns .Catherine Talbot. LarryTalbot. KenTamminga. R T. (Bob)Tanaka. DonaldTate. Brian Taylor .Carole Taylor. CraigTaylor. Dan Taylor. DonnaP. Taylor. Irene Taylor. LauraTaylor. MarionTaylor. MarkTaylor. RaymondTaylor. RobertTaylor-Vaisey. Nicholas Teekman .Bill Teron.Chris Teron .Paul Terry .Christopher Thacker. Uoyd Thomas. PanThomas. PeterThomas. RondoP. Thomas. DaveThompson. DenisThompson. GeoifreyThornburn.Michael G. Thorne. BevThorpe. JudithTmkl. DougTipple. RichardTobe .George W.Todd. PaulaTodd. PeterL. Todd. PeterTollefsen. PeterTomlinson. Alan Tonks. RobTonus .Linda Torney. JohnTory. LouiseTousignent .Steve Tovee.Robert Townsend. DavidToyne .D. A. Trail .Stephane Tremblay. JoyceTrimmer. DavidTroian .Dave Trudeau. PatriceTrupke .Henry Tuero.Blair Tully .Brian Turnbull. Brian Turner. June Turner. Mary-FrancesTurner. RaymondJ. Twinney.John Tylee. CarolineUnderwood. AnthonyUsher. MarshaValiante .Jack R Vallentyne. MichaelValpy .David V. Van. JohnVan Burek. Mark Van Elsberg.Wal Van Riemsdyk.Jack A. Vance. M. VanDenTillaart.Ben Vanderbrug .Mark Vanderlaan. LindaVarangu. NickVardin. SteveVarga. JamesVavaroutsas. Brian Veinot. AngelaVella .Victoria Vidal-Ribas.PeterViducis. DieterViereik. DavidVilleneuve. IanVmcent. FloraVoisey. AndrewVoigyesi .Ralph Volkhammer.Joseph Volpe. Rad Vucicevich.Tony Wagner. SamWakim. DouglasA. Walker. GordonWalker. LennoxWalker. MichaelWalker. NickE. Walker. PeterWalker. TomWalker. ThomasWalkom .Brenda Wall. JamesWallace. John Waller. DavidWalmsley. LenoreWang. PaulWang. KeithWard. Mary BethWard. Craig Wardlaw. Martha Warnes. BasilWarren. RandyE. Warren. Robert Washburn. LeonWasser. John G. Y.M. Wasteneys.Dave Watt.Garth S.Webb. LarryWebb. MadelynWebb. PeterWebb .Richard A. Wedge. Valerie Weeks. Klaus Wehrenberg. Henry Weissenberger.Amber Welbelove. Philip Weller. Peter Wells. TammyWells. GaryWelsh. Jane Welsh. Jane Weninger. Jim Wentzel. ChipWeseloh. JohnG. West. PatrickWest. JohnWestgate. Mark Whelan. DavidWhite. DrummondWhite .Michael White. Julie Whitfield. JosephWhitney. Mike Whitde .Ken Whitwell. RegWhynott .Marnie Wigle .Doug Wilkins. LeslieJ. Will. MaldwynWilliams. MarisaWilliams. R. A. Willson. Bruce Wilmshurst. Al J. Wilson. John Wilson. KatharineWilson. L. R. Wllson.Mark Wilson. MichaelWilson. PeggyWilson. Trevor Wilson. Jack Winberg. Jim Wingard. Chris Winter. RossWinter. Lou Wise. Jim Wiseman. JackWitherspoon. Jim Witty. TonyWohlfarth. PeterWolf. DavidWolfe. ChrisWong. HardyM. Wong. JoeWong. RosannaWong. DicksonWood. NancyWood. PaulWoodall. BobWoodburn. CarolynWoodland .Cathy Woods. JulianWoods. LyndaKay Woodsworth .Steve Woodward. BarbaraWoolley. Gord Wooley. John W. Wouters. ChrisWren. DonaldWright. MaryWright. WojciechWronski. Bill Wrye .Franklin Wu. Al Yagminas.Armine Yalnizyan.Yvonne Yamoka.David Yap. Haig Yeghouchian.Kai Yew. RichardYoon . JamesYoung. JenniferYoung. PatriciaYoung. JackYoungberg. JohnYudelman .Derek Yue.E. H. (Eberhart) Zeidler. AlenaZelinka. AlexZeman. JoyceZemans .Orvin Zendel .Gary Zikovitz.Peter Zimmerman.

xvi CONTENTS

Preface XIX Part II: EnvironmentalImperatives

3. Water TheWhy StateMetroIs Progressof Torontothe Stalled?Lakes Remedial 97 Introduction: The Work of the 99 Royal Commission on the Future 114

of the TheThe Toronto ThirdSecondFirstFinal PhaseWaterfrontReport Phase Phase 1 1 Action Planon the Great Lakes 130 8 138 14 16 Shoreline 149 History of Shoreline Modification.. 150 PartI: Planningfor Sustainability A Bird's Eye View of the Shore Today 152

1. The AEcosystemsInitiativesPrinciples EcosystemRegion Underfor ApproachRegenerating Stress 19 Significance of Shoreline 19 Modification , 155 31 Shoreline RegenerationIssues 156 49 How Has Shoreline Modification CausedProblems? 166 the Waterfront 56 Why Should We Be Concerned? 169 Summary 60 What is the Problem? , 169 What Can Be Done? 169 Desirable Characteristicsof a Shoreline Regeneration Plan 170 Implementing The Plan 171

GreenwaysTheImplementing Benefits of GreenwayGreenways Plans 177 181 192

xvii

4.5. The Provincial Role in 11. ScarboroughPlanningWatershed UpdateInitiatives 415

TheCreating Role Greenwaysof the Federal 202 421 422

Government 205 12. Durham TheTownTownGreenwaysTownCity Regionof ofof Oshawa AjaxNewcastleWhitbyPickering 427

6. WinterEnhancing Waterfront Winter Waterfront 207 430 433

UseOpportunities for .Maximizing 207 435 439

Year-roundSteps to WinterizationUse 217 441 222 443 446 Healing an Urban Watershed: EastTown of ofDurham Port Hope.. 448 The Story of the Don , 225 448

Town of Cobourg 452 Part m: Places

7. HaltonTowardsWaterfront Watershed a UpdateGreenPlanning Net Policies. 265 Part IV: Regenerationand Recovery 455 269 Epilogue 470 270

272 Appendices

Planning Initiatives 274 AppendixAppendix I:II: OrdersAnnotated in Council 473

8. MississaugaWaterfrontWatershed UpdatePlanningGreenway Policiesand Trail 277 281 Bibliography of Royal AppendixCommission III:IV: PublicationsWatershedsIllustration Credits. 483 282 489 285 495 Planning Initiatives 286

9. EtobicokeWaterfrontWatershed UpdateGreenway and Trail 289 SelectedBibliography 505 292 293 Index 515 Waterfront Planning Policies 294

10. The PlaceTorontoWatershedHumberGarrisonLower Central and Don BayBayUpdateCommon CorridorWaterfront Lands , ...303

...306

...318

...339

...350

...363

...385

xvffi ACE

AN ECOSYSTE M increasinglyconcerned with theproblems of a ApPROACH TO THE deteriorating environment, bethey energy, REGENERATION pollution, vanishing plants, animals or prl}- OF CITIES ductive landscapes,there is a markedpropen- sity to bypassthe environment mostpeople The city should be regarded as a live in -the city itself'. natural ecosystem,requiring an inte- grated approach for addressing its The City as Pestilence problems. Whydo mostenvironmental commenta- tors engagein so little analysisof our urban Half the world's peopleswill live in ecosystems?Perhaps one reasonis that many urban areasby the end of this decade.Whether environmentalistscontinue to seecities as we achievea greaterdegree of environmental unnatural- or worse.REcently, for example, sustainability over that time will thereforebe Canadian geneticistDavid Suzuki, a widely determinedlargely by our cities. Surely,sus- read analyst of social and environmental tainability is not possiblein the long term issues,offered his perspectiveon cities around unlesswe can soonfind waysto regenerateour the world: urban ecosystems,keep them in good health, Wecan't eradicatecities. Nor would we and adopt more sustainableurban lifestyles. want to. But we must recognizethat But the environmental challenges cities disconnectus from nature and each facing cities receiverelatively little attention other: Theyexist by draining resources -as any review of the literature on sustain- from the planet while spreading toxic able developmentquickly makesclea?: Even materials and debris.And if we regard the United Nations World Commissionon all living things on earth as an immense Environment and Development(the Brundt- supra-organism(which somehave called land Commission)devoted little to the analy- Gaia), then cities must beseen as the sis of what it called the urban challenges.As Gaian equivalentof cancer(1991). Michael Hough said in his book City Form Dr. Suzuki'sview of cities,however harsh, and Natural Process (1989), "In a world Plays to a familiar bias in North American

xix literature. Cities, in the acceptedview, are community that will serveyour needs,shape not good things. ('~estilential to our future, " your day-to-dayexperiences, give focus to your said ThomasJefferson.)Bad things happen freedom and meaning to your hopes.For these there. The countrysideis a good thing. Good reasons,as the Alberta Environment Council things happen there."Nature" is at homein (1988) put it in its publication Environ- the countrysidebut not in the city, and God is ment by Design, cities continue to be "the clearlymore knowable in thewide-fipen spaces habitat of choicefor mostpeople. " than on city streets. City bashing, therefore,is an easyoccupa- The City as Natural Phenomenon tion, but it makesthe regeneration and renais- But like us, a city is not separatefrom sanceof citiesmuch more difficult for thosewho, nature. Within cities we have vegetation, like Lewis Mumford, seethe city as a place forests,fields, streams,lakes, rivers, terrain, where"the separatebeams of life" are lIrought soil5, and wildlife. Hydrology, topograPhy, togetherand "the issuesof civilization are and climate set thefundamental structurefor lIrought into focus " -a place whereancient human habitation and the lluilding of the connections,origins, and identities mergewith city itself As Kevin Lynch (1981) wrote in overwhelmingevents that suggestnew oppor- A Theory of Good City Form, '~eopleand tunities, new dreams,and new questions. their cities are as much natural Phenomena as trees,streams, nests, and deerpaths. It is The City as Beacon crucial that we cometo seeourselves as an It has not beenall one-sided,though integral part of the total living community". clearly the bashershave had their way. In Basedon this understanding, we must a valiant brigade,city loverssuch asJane begin theregeneration of our cities and water- Jacobs,William H. Whyte,Ian McHarg, fronts over the next decade.Only by under- TonyHiss, and othershave struggled to standing the city as a part of nature can we frame a morepositive view of the city, and deal with the wounds inflicted on it, mend its have offeredboth philosophical perspectives ways,and designits form so that it functions and practical stepsfor a more hOPefulfuture. sustainablyto satisfy needswithout diminish- Th£Yan' supportRll,of COU1Se,bythe millitms ing opportunitiesfor future generations. upon millions of ordinary peoplewho over the centurieshave chosento leavethe countryside The Environmental Revolution in order to live in the city. Whydo theycome? There is, of course,no other choice.The Why have citiesgrown and grown? Whydo Environmental Revolution is alreadyhere - people,if theyhave the choice,decide to live as almost everybodyknows. It developed in the "pestilence"and "cancer" of the city? out of theperspectives of the conservation Cities are desirableand important movementat the turn of the century,and was becausethey continue to bebeacons of hope quickenedby the actions of antipollution and freedom to each new generation. Travel activists in the last 25 years.As a result, the on any continent and you will seeyoung environmental imperative todayis hitting the peopletaking the road to town, drawn by city with seismicforce. the magnetism of cities. Cities areplaces Thefact is that, in pursuit of its needs wherefame, fortune, and thefuture seemripe and pleasures,our throwawaysociety has for thepicking. They areplaces where you poisonedthe ai-,;polluted the rivers, and can try to be what you want to be -and contaminatedthe earth, without worrying or where,if you're lucky,you will find a senseof caring to learn about the long-termdamage

xx causedto the environment or about the way .focuses on the interrelationships among we areforeclosing opportunitiesfor future the elements,. generations.Unswimmable beaches, undrink- .understands that humans arepart of ablewater; unfishable rivers that have become nature, not separatefrom it,' sewers-these are only someof the visible, .recognizes the dynamic nature of the touchablesignposts of environmental careless- ecosystem,presenting a movingpicture nessand degradation. rather than a still PhotograPh,' Peoplewill no longerput up with it. .incorporates the conceptsof carrying Environmental consciousnesshas already capacity, resilience,and sustainability begun to reorganizegovernment policies and -suggesting that there are limits to priorities, recastcoryorate strategies, and rede-fine human activity,' community and individual responsibility .uses a llroad definition of environments and behaviou1:And it is raisingfundamental -natural, physica~ economic,social questions-spiritual questions-about the and cultural,' relationshipof humankind to nature and to .encompasses both urban and rural God. It has becomea force strong enough to activities; changethe face, form, and function of cities .is basedon natural geograPhicunits around the world. such as watersheds,rather than on political boundaries,. An Integrated Approach to Cities .emllraces all levelsof activity -local, It is for thesereasons, among others, regi°!lal, national, and international,. that the idea of using an ecosystemapproach .emphasizes the importanceof species to the regenerationof cities has gained other than humans and of generations increasing acceptance.An ecosystemis com- other than thepresent; and posedof ai1; water; land, and living organisms, .is basedon an ethic in which progressis including humans, as well as the interactions measuredby the quality, well-being, among them. The concepthas beenapplied integrity, and dignity it accordsnatu- to manytypes of interacting systems,among ral, social, and economicsystems. them lakes,watersheds, the biosPhere,and cities themselves. Becauseall environmentalproblems Traditionally, human activities have (and, in fact, all social and economic beenmanaged on a piecemealbasis, treating problems)cut acrossdisciplines and jurisdic- the economyseparately from social issuesor tions, the multidisciplinary and multijuris- the environment. But the ecosystemconcept dictional qualities inherent in ecosystemplan- holds that theseare interrelated,that decisions ning make this approachparticularly made in one area affect all others.Dealing necessaryand appropriate. effectivelywith the environmentalproblems in any city requiresa holistic or ecosystem Overcoming jurisdictional approachto managing human activities. Fragmentation There are certain key characteristicsof Unfortunately,most of societyis not an ecosystemapproach that helPillustrate organizedin a way thatfacilitates this com- what is required.An ecosystemapproach: prehensiveapproach. In Canada,for exam- ple,four leveLl:of governmenthave .includes the whole system,not just parts jurisdiction in the Toronto city region, and of it,' more than 100 agenciesexercise responsibility

xxi with little effectiveco-ordination among them. .the recognitionof theprimary of Indeed, in thepast, theparochial pressuresof natural boundariesand processes,' bureaucraciesand representativegovernments .the integration of land usewith have almost compelledthem to be unrespon- environmental planning in public sive to crossjurisdictional issues.When every- processand law; one is in charge,no oneis in charge. .the integration of urban and rural The result is bureaucraticand political planning to link the city with its region,' paralysis -a situation in which almost any. .the creation of concurrent,rather than agencycan stop projects,and no one can do consecutive,planning processes,. anything. Becauselines of accountability are .the integration of caPital budgetsof all completelydistorted or hidden by this jurisdic- governmentdepartments and agencies tional fragmentation, the citizenis left with- to ensurecoherence, economies, and out anymeans of recourse.The imPlications financial strength; and for our democracymay bemore crucial than .the recognitionof the increasingimpor- we know. Thejurisdictional gridlock through- tanceof designingPlaces and spaces out this region is the single biggestobstacle to that allow peopleto feel a part of nature its environmental (and economic)regenera- while they take advantage of the imme- tion. And this is not a problemunique to the morial human pleasuresthat onlycities Toronto city region. can offer: Theecosystem approach, then, requires new institutional arrangements.As the Thesekinds of institutional adapta- Brundtland Commissionwarned in its 1987 tions will helPcities develop their potential report, Our Common Future: fully. Environment by Design could not Most of the institutions facing those expressit betterthan by quoting Claude challengestend to be independent,frag- Levi-Strauss: mented,working to relativelynarrow Cities haveoften beenlikened to sym- mandateswith closeddecision processes. phonies and poems,and the comparison Thoseresponsible for managing natural seemsto mea perfectlynatural one. ... resourcesand protecting the environment By its form, as by the manner of its birth, are institutionally separatedfrom those the city has elementsat onceof biological responsiblefor managing the economy. procreation,organic evolution and The real world of interlockedeconomic aestheticcreation. It is both a natural and ecologicalsystems will not change; objectand a thing to be cultivated; some- thepolicies and institutions concerned thing lived and somethingdreamed. It is must. the human invention par excellence.

Common Features to Diverse Solutions Adapted from the arlicle unitten by Each city region in theworld will haveto David Crombie and Ronald L. Doering printed in developits own institutional adaptations in Ecodecision Magazine, No.3, December1991. order to impie1nentan ecosystemapproach Reprinted bypermission of the publisher. to planning. Each adaptation will reflect the history, culture, traditions, habits, and customsunique to that city. But it is alsopos- sible to seethat citieswill discoversome commonfeatures in their new approach:

xxii INTRODUCTION: THE WORK OF THE ROYAL COM MISSION ON TH r-'UTURE OF THE TORONTO WATERFRONT

WE SHALL NOT CEASE FROM EXPLORATION AND THE END OF ALL OUR EXPLORING WILL BE TO ARRIVE WHERE WE STARTED AND TO KNOW THE PLACE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

-T.S. ELIOT. FOUR QUARTETS. LITTLE GIDDING, V

THE FIRST PHASE .the future of the Toronto Island Airport On 30 March 1988, the Governor-in- and related transportation services; Council, on the recommendation of the .the issuesaffecting the protection and prime minister, approved the appointment the renewalof the natural environment of the Honourable David Crombie as insofar as they relate to federal respon- Commissioner to: sibilities and jurisdiction; inquire into and make recommendations .the issuesregarding the effective regarding the future of the Toronto management of federal lands within waterfront and to seekthe concurrence the Toronto waterfront area; and of affected authorities in such recom- .the possible use of federal lands, mendations, in order to ensure that, in facilities, and jurisdiction to support the public interest, federal lands and emerging issuessuch as the proposed jurisdiction serve to enhance the physi- Olympic Gamesand World's Fair. cal, environmental, legislative and administrative context governing the The Commissionwas initially given use, enjoyment and development of the a three-yearmandate, from June 1988 to Toronto waterfront and related lands. June 1991; that waslater extended to More specifically,the Commission was 31 December 1991, in order to give the directed to examine: Commission time to complete added work requested by the Province of Ontario. the role and mandateof the Board of The Government of Canada's decision Toronto HarbourCommissioners; to establishthe Commissionwas based on

1 its recognition that the Toronto waterfront under contract began to analysethe port, was an area offering many opportunities airport, land-use,and development activities but had, to quote an Intergovernmental of federal agencieson the waterfront. Waterfront Committee (IWC) that looked at From the beginning, the Commission the situation, "a number of urgent matters conducted open inquiries, seekingto con- that must be studied and dealt with ". sider all perspectivesand listening to all The IWC had been organized infor- points of view. Opennessincluded invita- mally 18 months before the Commissionwas tions to federal, provincial, and municipal established, after the prime minister asked governments to participate in the Commis- Mr. Crombie, then a cabinet minister from sion's work groups and studies, alongside Toronto with a particular interest in urban representativesof the private sector,labour, issues,to make recommendations on the and academia.The Government of Canada, appropriateness of having the Government the Province of Ontario, and other invited of Canada, through the Canadian Broad- participants accepted willingly and worked casting Corporation (CBC) -a Crown co-operativelyfrom the start. Initially, how- corporation -involve itself in urban rede- ever, municipalities were wary, fearing that velopment in downtown Toronto. the existence of the Commission might be In the course of discussingthis an attempt by the federal government to project with representativesof the Province, extend its jurisdiction on the waterfront. Metropolitan Toronto, and the City of As it becameclear that this was not the Toronto, it became evident to Mr. Crombie case,and that the Commissionintended to that there were some common concerns, respect existingjurisdictions at all levels, particularly about waterfront issuesand a very high degree of intergovernmental about the jurisdictional gridlock that had co-operation was offered in every aspectof developed in dealing with them. This led the Royal Commission'swork. to a decision to set up the IWC, with then- It soon became evident to the Premier David Peterson in the chaip,and Commission, as it had been to some others, a membership comprising Dennis Flynn, that waterfront problems were both broader then chairman of the Municipality of and deeper than the list of issuesincluded Metropolitan Toronto; the then-mayor of in the Commission'sfederal mandate. They Toronto, Art Eggleton; and Mr. Crombie. stemmed from historical forces related The IWC met over the next several to the way societyand the economy had months to identify common concerns on evolved over the past 200 years,and to the which concerted action might be taken, impact each had on the waterfront and on work that proved to be the foundation for the local and regional environment of taskseventually assignedto the Royal which the waterfront is a part. Commission. The public, ahead of governments, The Commission began by organizing was aware of the nature of the problem. five work groups that would look at broad In the Commission's first setsof hearings, waterfront issues,and planned a series of dozens of deputants delivered the same public hearings for the spring of 1989. In message:by all means sort out the issues addition, Commission staff and experts of Harbourfront and the Harbour

? TorontoSkyline, view from the TorontoIslands

Commissioners,but help us find out howto During this first phase of its work, the makeour lake publiclyaccessible, fishable, Commissionpublished sevenmajor reports, drinkable,and swimmable.This cannot as background for the public hearings and happenwhile the rivers that emptyinto as the basisof its analysisof waterfront the lake are contaminated,the air that needs and opportunities: Environment connectsto it is dirty, the groundwaterspol- and Health: Issueson the TorontoWaterfront; luted, and the soilsthrough which theypass Housingand Neighbourhoods: The Liveable contaminated. Waterfront;Access and Movement;Parks,

.1 Pleasures,and Public Amenities;Jobs, mists of aboriginal time, the Toronto opportunities, and Economic Growth; Persistence Carrying Placewas a centre of trade, and Change: Waterfront Issuesand the Board stabilized by community and endowed of Toronto Harbour Commissioners;and The with spiritual significance. Future of the Toronto Island Airyort: The Issues. When Toronto embraced the Fortunately, the Commission had not RailwayEra in the 1850s,there were been given specific boundaries as part of its few hints of the City that would emerge, original mandate. Therefore, work groups the City the railwayswould help to cre- were encouraged to draw whatever bound- ate. And if the City wascut off from its aries they felt were necessary in considering waterfront by dozens of setsof tracks the issues placed before them. The limits flowing in and out of each other in the turned out to be broader (and vaguer) new lands south of Front Street-and in some instances (e.g., environment and it was -it is also clear that the City and health) and narrower and more specific in its people benefitted mightily. Having others (e.g., housing and neighbourhoods). secureda major share of a new technol- However, at this stage of the ogy, and establisheda formula for eco- Commission's existence, its principal nomic successthat remains potentto geographic focus was the waterfront of this day,Toronto drew hundreds of the Regional Municipality of Metropolitan industries to its shores over the years. Toronto, including the three local muni- And as energetic cities do, it began cipalities of Etobicoke, Toronto, and to attract people from other parts of Scarborough. In many instances, the word Canadaand from allover the world: Toronto came to be used as shorthand for all creative people, people with dreams the communities in the region, defining the and ideas, people seeking freedom and sense of place. In fact, a study conducted for better prospects,people whose children the Commission in 1991 reveals that, rather and their ensuing generations would than naming the individual municipalities keep Toronto vigorous. And the City in which they live, seven of every ten area prospered. residents think of themselves as coming But as railwaysand then express- from Toronto. wayscut people off from their water- By the end of the first year of opera- front, as people looked elsewhereto tions, the Commission had reached its first live, work, and play, and as our eco- set of conclusions, which it conveyed to the nomic drive brought greater prosperity federal government and the public through to more and more people, our perspec- its first interim report, in August 1989. It tive changed dramatically. The signifi- summarizes the first phase of the Commis- cance of waterfronts was lost and their sion's work, which had focused on the water- importance diminished; the great con- front in the context of Toronto's history, tributionof our river valleyswas no values, and contemporary issues: longer understood or taught and, save Toronto was born on the water- for a few hardy souls, the essentialrole front. Long before the Simcoes. Long of Nature in the City wasall but forgotten. before the Town of York. Deep in the Progressmeant industry and industry

4 meant railways.Railways required land who have been in Toronto for a while for track and cities agreed to separate begin to develop a feeling of what they themselvesfrom their waterfronts in want it to be, what of its many facets order to capture the opportunities the would benefit from change, what railwaysoffered. should staythe same. But in our time the railwayshave Tolerance has meant the near- become more interested in profit from total absenceof violent confrontation. the land than in service from the tracks; There are forums where people grapple ships have changed their technologies with ideas, interests, and beliefs. When and their trade routes; the economic compromise is possible, compromise is base of cities is being changed and there made, but even when it is not possible, has been a significant shift in human "losers" are left with the knowledge values.People are coming back to our that, next time, they could just as easily waterfronts for pleasure and solace in a be "winners": an idea has been rejected, way that their great-grandparentswould not the person who proposed it. This have understood. climate of tolerance has also meant that This is dramatic, powerful, and sooner or later, "NewTorontonians" far-reaching historical change. The peo- (new arrivals or new generations, or pIe of Toronto both) will have their understand this. () .ideas and aspirations Time and again, Toronto has been a place at the brought to the City's they have expressed cutting edge,a magnetfor new ideas, and the public's their belief that and a resource in realizing them. official attention Toronto's way of () and they will be given doing things, its respectful considera- values, its civic traditions could and tion. Tolerance means that everybody should be used to deal with the forces learns that everybodycounts. that affect the future of the waterfront Orderliness has been important in and the city. the building of Toronto. With all the Three words define the values of transformationsthe City has experienced Toronto at its best: opportunity, toler- and all the conflicts it has had to resolve, ance, and orderliness. With a few nothing has ever truly gotten out of pauses,Toronto has been a place at the hand. That discipline (a better word, cutting edge, a magnet for new ideas, maybe, than orderliness) has been and a resource in realizing them. In here from the beginning -a lingering Toronto, as in all vigorous cities, oppor- legacy,no doubt, of Governor Simcoe's tunities beget opportunities. garrison days.It is a value, or a virtue, Moreover, there has alwaysbeen that has been drawn upon by each suc- an ongoing opportunity to affect the ceeding wave of New Torontonians, course of the city itself -a sensethat reinterpreted on occasionand adapted Toronto is a work in progress and that to specific circumstances,but always its directions can be changed. People enriched along the way.

5 Toronto continues to recognize decided to make interim recommendations that freedom remains alive only in an that would facilitate the ongoing process atmosphere of order, that life here is of analysisand help forge a consensus played by a set of rules, and that the rules on required courses of action. It would are meant to work for everybody.From make final recommendations on issues this comes the assurancethat nothing it felt capable of dealing with as early as will everget out of hand or out of control; possible in its mandate, in hope of obtain- that the City will never grow beyond its ing early agreement and response from ability to solve its problems; that, when the community and from the governments things start to go wrong, order will be involved. restored and the right thing done. The Commissionmade more than Well, that's the faith. Easierto say 60 recommendations in this first interim than to do. Forging report, more than consensusrooted () half of which dealt in these core values In the first interim report the most with environmental is the dull, hard important recommendation was the issues.Most of these work of democracy proposal that a watershed approach be suggestionswere -an unrelenting, adopted to protect Toronto's ecosystem. directed in the never-ending task first instance to the that requires the federal government, energies, interests, and imaginations of but a number were generic and applicable many people over long periods of time. to two or more levels of government. True Sometimes their voices are not heard. to its mandate, the Commissionwas seeking Sometimesthe thread is lost -or their the concurrence of affected authorities. visions are blocked. And sometimesthe The single most important recommen- soul-numbing experiences of day-to-day dation of the interim report was the pro- battle create a tempting cynicism that posal that a watershed approach be adopted obscuresthe progress being achieved. to protect Toronto's vital ecosystem.The Indeed, the values that we call report said: opportunity, tolerance, and orderliness To begin, a broad evaluation is needed work best when people believe they to ensure that sufficient open spaceis themselvescan make a difference; when maintained and that its environmentally they feel that their dreams can expand significant features are preserved. their realities; and when they feel Across the entire watershed,a "green" that Toronto holds its own unique strategy[should] be devisedto preserve promise for them, a promise that can be the waterfront, river valley systems, fulfilled by their efforts, both individu- head-waters,wetlands, and other ally and in community with others. significant features in the public inter- Armed with this appreciation of est. Such a strategywould physically Toronto's core values, the Commission link the waterfront to the river valley turned its attention to a first set of recom- systems,which, in turn, would be linked mendations. The Commission had already by the preserved headwaterareas. A

6 continuoustrail systemwould guaran- All these issuesand recommendations tee public accessto thesenatural and were to be more fully analysedand considered openspaces. in subsequentphases of the Commission's Major elementssupporting the green work. strategywere the Commission'sproposals In the same interim report, the that the RougeRiver Valley be protectedas Commission also made its final recommen- a natural heritagepark, Humber BayPark dations on the Toronto Island Airport and Eastbe protectedas significant regional on Harbourfront, as well as its fundamental urban space,and the LeslieStreet Spit be recommendations about the Board of recognizedas an urbanwilderness park. The Toronto Harbour Commissioners.They Commissiondefined "urban wilderness" as are summarized here and discussedin an extensivearea in whichnatural processes greater detail in Part III of this report. predominate;there is public accesswithout The Commission recommended that vehicles;and there are low-key,low-cost, the federal government terminate the unorganizedrecreation and contacts Harbourfront Corporation and create a with wildlife. new entity, the Harbourfront Foundation, The environmentalrecommendations giving it a mandate to continue providing madeby the Commissionin the report Harbourfront's wide variety of cultural, includedproposals for: recreational, and educational programs, which would be supported by an endow- .improving public accessto the entire ment from the Harbourfront assets.The waterfront and extending public Commission suggestedthat lands not ownership; needed to endow the foundation should be .imposing a moratorium on lakefilling disposedof, subject to negotiations with until a comprehensive lakefill policy the City of Toronto; furthermore, the is developed; Commission felt that urban design improve- .establishing a waterfront-wide heritage ments were also needed, to achieve the best policy; physical integration of the Harbourfront .protecting all natural areasand area with the surrounding city and the water. wildlife along the waterfront, and In considering the Toronto Island rehabilitating and maintaining river Airport, the Commissionconcluded that it valleys such as the Humber, the Don, should continue its d.ualrole as part of a and the Rouge; regional airport system.Within this system, .creating a watershedgreenbelt; it should serve general aviation and limited .strengthening and more closely air commuter operations, in accordance integrating the Ontario Planning Act with the terms and conditions of the 50-year and the Environmental AssessmentAct, Tripartite Agreement signed in 1983 among as well as strengthening the federal the City of Toronto, the Toronto Harbour environmental reviewprocess; and Commissioners,and the federal Minister .controlling over-development,includ- of Transport. inghigh-rises, on the waterfront to The Commission also recommended prevent visual or physical barriers. that a new airport plan be prepared, one

7 Blu"er's ParkMarina, Scarborough that would reflect that dual role and ensure The Commissionindicated it would that the airport would remain at its existing conductstudies during the next phaseof its scale,be cleaner and quieter, and become work, to evaluatehow muchland was more sensitiveto the needs of its users. It neededfor the port operationand which also found a need for managementimprove- landscould be transferredto anotherbody. ments, including a new financial and It alsorecommended that an environmental accounting base,and improved public audit of the entire EastBayfront/Port and user consultation processes. IndustrialArea be carried out before The Commission recommended therewas further actionto developlands that the mandate of the Toronto Harbour in thoseareas. Commissioners (THC) to operate the Port of Toronto be separated from planning or THE SECOND PHASE developing lands that do not serve the port On 30 August 1989, the same day the function. The THC should retain its author- Commission's report wasreleased, then- ity to operate the Port (and the airport) TreasuryBoard President Robert de Cotret on behalf of the City of Toronto but should responded on behalf of the Government be limited to that task. The Commission of Canada: suggestedthat, in addition to the proposed The government is in substantial agree- changesto the THC's mandate, greater mentwith the RoyalCommission's rec- local control of waterfront planning and a ommendations on Harbourfront, is gen- better systemof accountability were needed. erally supportive of the recommendation

8

qualityof life for people living in ment first and make it the central theme - the region. led the Commission to choose an ecosystem approach for analysingthe state of the envi- The Commissionwas asked to conclude ronment of the waterfront, the watershed, its inquiries and submit its recommenda- and the (bio}region, and for charting tinn~ tn thp Prnvincp ~t thp ~~mp timp th~t t.hpir hltllrp. T ,p;}rninp' ;}", it. wpnt.. ]p;}ninp' that the airport continue to serve gen- throughout the Greater Toronto eral aviation and limited commuter region; and (in a companion move) traffic, and is open to discussionswith .appointing Ron Kanter, then MPP for the City of Toronto regarding the St. Andrew-St.Patrick, to identify ways recommendation to transfer manage- of protecting forever the headwaters ment of lands no longer required for and river valleysfrom the Oak Ridges port purposesfrom the Toronto Harbour Moraine to Lake Ontario. Commissionersto anotherbody. Shortly thereafter, on 17 October Havingsaid on numerousoccasions 1989, the Province of Ontario also acted: that no one levelof governmentcan resolve then-Premier David Petersonannounced all the issuesrelated to the development broad provincial measuresto ensure that of the waterfrontin the public interest, Toronto's waterfront is preserved,protected, Mr. Crombiecalled the newprovincial and used prudently as an accessibleand mandate,added to that from the federal attractive place for people. government,"a very strongsignal of federal- These measuresincluded: provincialco-operation on thesematters". Indeed,it madethis Commissiononly .endorsing the Royal Commission's the secondin Canadianhistory to serve report; two levelsof government.(The fIrst had .providing an additional, complemen- beenthe one calledto investigatethe Ocean tary mandate to the Commission, Rangedisaster off Newfoundlandin 1976.) asking it to report to the Province on The mandatethe Provincegave the waterfront development issuesalong Commissionwas broad and comprehensive. the entire western basin of Lake Becauseof the waterfront'senvironmental Ontario, from the eastern boundary significance;the extensivesocio-economic of Durham Region to the western pressuresthat characterizewaterfront devel- boundary of Halton Region; opment;and the importanceof rational .agreeing to join the environmental planningand developmentof the water- audit of the East Bayfront/Port front to ensurefuture qualityof life and the Industrial Area, and issuing an invita- well-beingof hinterlandareas, the Province tion to Metropolitan Toronto and askedthe Commissionto inquire into and the City of Toronto to participate makerecommendations concerning: aswell; .declaring a Provincial Interest in that .appropriate allocationof waterfront area under the Planning Act, "to landsto varioususes -i.e., housing, prevent any major development. .. open-space,industrial, and commercial until it can be determined what is uses; appropriate for the people and the .waterfront transportationin the environment"; contextof the regionaltransportation .asking the Commission to recommend system; waysof linking and integrating the .housing and communitydevelopment waterfront to the upstream watersheds on the waterfront;

9 .employment andjob opportunities environment had to be the workbench on relatingto the waterfront;and which all other aspectsof the Commission's .initiatives to preserveand enhancethe operations and conclusions would be built. qualityof the environmentand the This need -to consider the environ- qualityof life for peopleliving in ment first and make it the central theme - the region. led the Commission to choose an ecosystem approach for analysingthe state of the envi- The Commissionwas asked to conclude ronment of the waterfront, the watershed, its inquiries and submit its recommenda- and the (bio)region, and for charting tions to the Province at the sametime that their future. Learning as it went, leaning it reported to the heavily on thinkers federal government. (JackVallentyne, In the second The environment had to be the Andy Hamilton, phase of its operations, workbench on which all other Henry Regier, Don the Commission used aspects of the Commission's operations Gamble, Peter Sly, the samemethods as in and conclusionswould be built. Katherine Davies, its first year: utilizing This conviction led to the and Trevor Hancock, work groups, indepen- ecosystemapproach. among others) who dent analysis,public had been and are still hearings, and consult- working out underly- ing with interested parties. NQw,however, it ing ecosystemconcepts, the Commission was working in a much more fully regional sought to understand the approach in the- context -looking at a region with a shore- ory and, in its audit of the East Bayfront/ line of some 250 kilometres (155 miles) Port Industrial Area, to apply it. covering 17 local municipalities, six conser- The emphasis on understanding vation authorities, four regional municipali- environmental conditions as a prelude to ties, and four counties on the waterfront. planning coursesof action brought the The Commission held three more Commission into contact with mapy parties, setsof public hearings in this second phase, among them: in Burlington, Toronto, and Oshawa,and published three more background reports: .the Internationaljoint Commission A GreenStrategy for the GreaterToronto (IjC), in connection with its work on Waterfront;Waterfront Transportation in the water quality and water levels in the Contextof RegionalTransportation; and the Great Lakes; results of the first phase of the environmen- .the four parties (i.e., environmental tal audit, EastBayfront/Port Industrial Area: agenciesof the U.S. and Canadian gov- Environmentin Transition. ernments, the State of New York, and The work ranged from theory to the Province of Ontario) responsible practice, policy to program, and from the for creating the Lake Ontario Toxics scale of the Great Lakes to that of the region Management Plan (LOTMP); and and its communities. Fundamental to all .locally, various stakeholdersassociated its efforts wasthe conviction that the with Remedial Action Plans (RAPs),

10 which are designedto clean up contiIn- rivers leading into Lake Ontario from ination "hot spots" in areasaround the the GTA. Anything that happens within GreatLakes, Toronto being one of them. this area is tied ecologicallyto the health of the waterfront. The Commission's second interim Therefore in order to truly under- report, Watershed(1990), was submitted stand the waterfront itself, we must gain to the federal and provincial governments an understanding of the biological in September 1990; it begins with a defi. region, or bioregion in which it lies. nition of "ecosystem"and an explanation Watershedthen goes on to assessthe of the significance of the ecosystem state of the waterfront and of the Greater approach: Toronto bioregion, defined by the Commis- Simply put, an ecosystemis sion as the area bounded by the Niagara composed of air, land, water, and living Escarpmentto the west, the Oak Ridges organisms, including humans, and the Moraine to the north and east,and Lake interactions among them. The concept Ontario to the south. In the words of the has been applied to many types of report: interacting systems,including lakes, The assessmentconcluded that watersheds,cities, and the biosphere. this is an ecosystemunder considerable Traditionally, human activitieshave stress;one that is, to a large degree, "dis- beenmanaged on a piecemealbasis, treat- integrated", in which the carrying capac- ing the economy separatelyfrom social ity -the ability of air, land, and water issuesor the environment. But the to absorbthe impact of human use -is ecosystemconcept clearly strained, and holds that theseare cannot be sustained interrelated, that The ecosystemconcept holds that over the longer term decisionsmade in economy, social issues,and environment unless fundamental one area affectall are interrelated -decisions made in changesare made. the others.To deal one area affect all the others. There is an urgent effectivelywith the - need for regenera- environmental tion of the entire problems in any ecosystemrequires a Greater Toronto Bioregion to reme- holistic or "ecosystem'!approach to diate environmental problems caused managing human activities. ... by pastactivities, to prevent further The environmental audit is degradation, and to ensure that all demonstrating the inextricable links future activities result in a net improve- among the EastBayfront/Port Industrial ment in environmental health. Area, other parts of Toronto, the Don The Commissionrecognizes that River Watershed,and the Great Lakes. governments, working alone, cannot solve Similarly, the Greater Toronto Area our environmental problems, and that the waterfront being investigated by the bioregion's six thousand industries and Royal Commission is part of a region four million residentshave responsibilities that includes the watershedsof the they must meet.

11 Becausethe ecosystemapproach high- interestin or influenceover the water- lights interactions among ecological, social, front shouldadopt the ecosystem economic, and political systemsin the bio- approachand principlesoutlined in region, the Commission emphasizedthe this report asa basisfor planning. importance of developing new administra- tive mechanisms that bringjurisdictions The Province should declare the water- together to solveproblems co-operatively front from Burlington to Newcastlea and that help establish environmentally Provincial Resource,and it should pro- sound waysof living. vide leadership, resources,and opportu- Watershed'ssecond chapter focuses on nities for collaboration amongstvarious the needs of the Greater Toronto waterfront parties, in order to integrate planning in the context of its bioregion and offers a and programs as part of efforts to set of nine principles for planning, develop- regenerate the waterfront. ing, and managing a healthy, integrated waterfront. The Province should establishWaterfront The Commission said the waterfront Partnership Agreementswith municipal should be clean, green, ities, along the lines useable,diverse, open, recommended in this accessible,connected, Watershed"- -- offers recommendations [Watershed]report. affordable, and attrac- for imPlementing an ecosystemapproach tive. (There is a more and develoPing the administrative Over the next year, detailed explanation of mechanismsto bring jurisdictions the Province should the interpretation, ori- together to solve problems co-operatively work with the gins, and possible appli- and to establish environmentally sound Commission to review cations of these princi- ways'- -. of living. waysin which the pIes, both in Watershed -~ philosophy and prin- and in this report.) ciples of the eco- Watershedcontains some 80 recommen- systemapproach could best be inte- dations for implementing an ecosystem grated into the Planning Act and other approach that will restore the health and relevant provincial legislation, as it usefulnessof the waterfront. As in the first affectsthe GreaterToronto bioregion. ... interim report, some suggestionsare generic, involving the entire waterfront or The Province should plan, co-ordinate, region, while others are specific to particu- and impleI:nenta Waterfront Trail from lar areas or jurisdictions. Although many Burlington to Newcastle,to be com- recommendations were directed to the fed- pleted by 1993 to celebrate both the eral government, most flowed from bicentennial of the founding of York the Commission's provincial mandate. and the centennial of the Ontario Among the most important generic, provincial parks system.... region-wide recommendations were: All federal, provincial, and municipal The Province should take immediate governments and agencieswith an stepsto preservethe ecological,scenic,

12 and recreational significance of the .examining the possibility of reducing Oak Ridges Moraine, and to ensure that the barrier effects of the Gardiner/ future land use in the moraine does not Lakeshore Corridor, by ~ng down result in cumulative impairment of the the elevated portion of the expressway ecological quality of downstreamrivers in phasesand improving public transit or the waterfront. ... and road systemsin the area; .creating a Waterfront Regeneration The federal and provincial governments Trust, to co-ordinate the regeneration should modify the RAP processby ele- of the waterfront; vating each municipality from being .defining and proposing the transfer of one of many stakeholders,to being ~ THC's non-port lands: to the City of joint partner in developing and imple- Toronto for parkland and a wildlife menting the RAP. Using the watershed corridor; to the Toronto Economic approach, all municipalities within a Development Corporation (TEDCO) given watershed should be asked to for. industrial purposes; and to the collaborate on the RAP.... proposed Waterfront Trust for decontamination and redevelopment The Province should bring forward com- for mixed uses; prehensive lakefill policies for public .creQting a Centre for Green Enterprise review as soon as possible.The policies and Industry; and should require thorough environmental .drafting waterfront plans and appraisalof all individuallakefill projects, projects in Halton Region, and of their cumulative effects, across Mississauga,Etobicoke, Scarborough, the Greater Toronto Waterfront. Until and Durham Region. such policies are in place, there should be a moratorium on new lakefilling. ... When Watershedwas released, Mr. Crombie said he was "encouraged over The waterfront,the OakRidges Moraine, the pastyear by the continuing strong and rivervalleys of the GreaterToronto public interest in the waterfront and by Area shouldbe recognizedas Provincial signs of an emerging consensusamong all Resourcesin the public debateand levels of government concerning waterfront decisionsmade by all levelsof govern- policies and priorities. The aim of this ment on the urban form and structure report", he continued, "is to provide the of the region.... basisfor governmentsto act now on the fun- In additionto the recommendations damental decisions that have to be taken to dealingwith environmentalregeneration at ensure th.atthe people of Toronto have the the regionalscale, Watershed considered a waterfront they want and deserve", wide rangeof specificmatters, including: There waswidespread and positive community and government re"actionto .devising a conceptfor the route of a the Commission'sprinciples, and to its continuousWaterfront Trail from recommended approach for regenerating Burlingtonto Newcastle; the waterfront and watershed.

13 THE THIRD PHASE representativesof business,labour, and Once more, the Government environmental and community groups. of Canada responded promptly. On Shortly after the release of Watershed, 12 September 1990, Robert de Cotret, the Commissionorganized another work then Treasury Board president and group, to review how the philosophy and Environment minister, said: principles of the ecosystemapproach might I fully support the comprehensive eco- best be integrated into the Planning Act systemapproach that the Commission and into other legislation that affects the has adopted and which is integral to the Greater Toronto bioregion. The group;s GreatLakes Water Quality Agreement. The conclusions and recommendations were federal government has an important published in Planningfor Sustainability: role to play in responding to Watershed TowardsIntegrating Environmental Protection and we will do our full share within into Land-UsePlanning. ourjurisdiction. The Province of Ontario responded He also commented favourably on the more fully three months after Watershedwas proposed Centre for Green Enterprise, and released. On 17 December 1991, Ruth Grier, promised that the government would look Minister of the Environment.and minister closely at recommendations to increase responsible for the Greater Toronto Area, public accessto the waterfront, and to trans- commended the previous government and fer federal lands along the waterfront to John Sweeneyin particular, for giving the other levels of government. Mr. de Cotret Commissiona broad mandate and for sup- added, "Mr. Crombie has presented a useful porting the Commission; she continued: framework for discussingthe future of the We endorse fully the principles Toronto Harbour Commissioners.The gov- put forward for the future direction of ernment will be discussingthese recommen- the waterfront area; a waterfront that is dations with the City of Toronto, the Province, clean, green and attractive; a waterfront the Royal Commission, and other interests". that is useable,diverse and open; and a That sameafternoon, Bob Rae, then waterfront that is connected, affordable premier-elect, welcomed Watershed,saying: and accessible. The Government of Ontario will We intend to use these nine prin- provide the strong provincial leadership ciples as a guide, not only for the needed to maintain the ecological waterfront, but to move beyond the integrity of the waterfront. We fully waterfront -to the GTA urban structure agree with the ecosystemapproach to process.We will provide a framework to waterfront policies and priorities, and ensure that greenlands and watersheds we are prepared to work closelywith become an integral part of future plans local governments and existing agencies for the Greater Toronto Area. to protect the ecology of the watershed Today, I would like to outline how and to create a diverse, integrated, and we intend to implement key recommen- healthy waterfront. dations of the report. Almost all municipalities acrossthe Firstly, we will establisha con- waterfront also endorsed the report, as did tinuous Waterfront Trail which will

14 WatersedgePark, Mississauga

become the Green-Waythat ties the mechanismsfor the waterfront consis- GTA together from Burlington to tent with the Crombie principles. Newcastle.It will link to the Bruce and Thirdly, we will establishby legis- GanaraskaTrail systemsat either end. lation a Waterfront Regeneration Trust We seethe waterfront trail as the high- to co-ordinate regeneration activities. est land use for all public lands along Finally, we will move to halt the the water's edge. The trail will be much unnecessaryprivatization of the public more than a four foot strip of asphalt. shoreline and Crown resources such as This trail will connect the waterfront water lots. with river valleysand source areasand Mrs. Grier turned her attention to link up areas of natural and historic the remaining period of the Commission's importance along Lake Ontario. It will be mandate: a place for people, for families and chil- In the final year of the Royal Commis- dren to enjoy the out of doors and the sion's work, we will askMr. Crombie to natural environment on foot or bicycle. address: Secondly,we accept the idea of The feasibility of relocating the Waterfront Partnership Agreementsas a Gardiner Expresswayin consultation valid implementation vehicle for water- with Metropolitan Toronto and the front plans.We will negotiate agreements Ministry of Transportation; betweenlocal, regional and federal governments, along with conservation the pooling of lands and the authorities, to prepare responsible integration of future plans for development plans and implementation the CanadianNational Exhibition,

15 Ontario Place, Fort York and The Commissioncontinued to com- HMCS York in consultation with the municate with a wide range of groups and Ministry of Tourism and Recreation individuals, using the Newsletter,speeches, and the other authorities involved; presentations, consultations, and meetings. and In the summer of 1991, it surveyedpublic opinion on waterfront issues,having the policies, practices, technology and polling firm, Environics, add a number of methods available to regenerate questions to its regular survey of residents shoreline areas. living in the Greater Toronto region. The Commission soon realized that Environics found that issuesrelating to these additions to its mandate could not the environment and the waterfront ranked be explored in the time still available. As a high among elementsidentified as contri- result, both the federal and provincial gov- buting to the quality of life in the region, ernments extended the Commission's life and that people in the region view environ- by six months, to December 1991. mental protection as an economic issue. In addition to publishing Planningfor Sustainability,in the third phase of its work, THE FINAL REPORT the Commission completed the environ- This final report summarizes all that mental audit of the East Bayfront/Port has come before in the work and experience Industrial Area (Pathways:Towards an of the Royal Commission on the Future of EcosystemApproach) and the three tasks the Toronto Waterfront. Throughout the given it by the Province. The results of these Commission's existence, all those involved efforts were published in three major in it thought hard and listened carefully to reports: Shoreline&generation; Garrison the views and advice of people -thousands Common:Preliminary Master Plan; and of people. Therefore, this is the work of TheToronto Central Waterfront Transportation many hands and minds; it embodies the CorridorStudy. values, aspirations, concerns, and hopes Adopting the ecosystemapproach of these thousands of citizens. made the environment the key to the In looking at our collective experi- Commission's thinking. But that approach ence, those who were involved with the demands an understanding of the dynamic Commission in the course of its existence interaction among environmental, econo- have come to the end of their work with a mic, and community issues.Therefore, in sense of optimism: the core values -order- addition to work associatedwith the new liness, tolerance, and the seizing of opportu- elements of its mandate, the Commission nities -held by Torontonians are starting carried out further researchand mounted to be applied to the regeneration of the seminarsto consider the broader implica- waterfront and the watersheds across tions of the ecosystemapproach. the entire bioregion. In addition, working papers were pub- This final report treats waterfront lished on cumulative effects, soil decontami- regeneration as an opportunity that brings nation, the regional economy, community with it the long-term promise of a healthy profiles, and the waterfront in winter. environment, economic recovery and

16 sustainability,and maintaining a liveable as on practical methods for ecosystem-based community. planning now being used or proposed by The likelihood that these opportu- experts in the field. nities will be realized is strengthened by an Part II, "Environmental Imperatives", emerging senseof order as governments, deals with a range of environmental impera- working with business,labour, community tives that must be considered by each level leaders, and ordinary citizens, recognize the of government if it is to help restore and degree of discipline and tolerance that is maintain ecosystemhealth. needed: discipline to perform one's role This second section includes: a critical without blocking or ignoring that played review of the state of the Great Lakes ecosys- by others, and tolerance of their needs and tern and efforts at regenerating it; measures functions as all work together to deal with for regenerating the Lake Ontario shoreline the waterfront or watersheds. in the Greater Toronto bioregion; an expla- The title of this final report, nation of the environmental, social, and Regeneration:Toronto's Waterfront and the economic importance of a greenwayand SustainableCity, reflects trail systemfor the the Commission's () waterfront and the beliefs about what has Regeneration exPlores the bioregion; and to be done and what opportunities to realize the promise the advantagesof can be accomplished. of a healthy environment, economic considering winter The report itself recovery and sustainability, and a conditions on the consistsof four parts. liveable community. waterfront. It con- Part I, "Planning ()," cludes with an analy- for Sustainability", sis of the Don River describeswhat the Commission found watershed: its past, present, and future, about the need for regional planning treating the problems and opportunities of and co-operation, based on the ecosystem this watershedas typical of those through- approach, and including concepts of out the bioregion. sustainability,health, equity, stewardship, Part III, "Places",surveys the various responsibility, and the bioregion as "home", places along the waterfront, from Burlington Mter an updated assessmentof the environ- in the westto Port Hope in the east. It mental state of the bioregion, the report includes summaries of responsesto the articulates die Commission's philosophy Commission'sprevious area-specificrecom- and principles. The Commission's own mendations, as well as encapsulating new efforts as an "agent of change" -applying researchand recommendations for places the ecosystemapproach -are described, acrossthe waterfront, including the need and their value is assessed. for the integration of environment, land Part I concludes with a discussionof use, and transportation on the Central the Commission's ideas for ecosystem- Waterfront. based planning practice. This is based on This section reviewsthe Commission's the Planningfor Sustainabilityreport and the own efforts to apply the ecosystemapproach working paper on cumulative effects, as well in its own work, in such projects as the

17 environmental audit of the East Bayfrontj Port Industrial Area, the Garrison Common Preliminary Master Plan, and the Toronto Central Waterfront Transportation Corridor Study. As well, it includes comments on the initiatives undertaken by other bodies -

municipalities, conservation authorities, federal and provincial ministries, and private- sector oWners and developers -now using the ecosystem philosophy and approach. The final section of the report, "Regeneration and Recovery", discusses issues related to implementation of the Royal Commission's recommendations. It includes the Commission's ideas about the nature and structure of public administra- tion needed to manage the waterfront: no single level of government can or should be in total control of the waterfront; each should perform its role in its own jurisdic- tion, in partnership with others. The section also offers the Commis- sion's views on partnership agreements, the issue of financing waterfront regeneration, and a practical program of co-ordinated action across the waterfront, including consolidated capital budgets for the next

five-year period. Sir Winston Churchill once said that people create buildings and then buildings create people. The same is true of the cities and regions in which we live and their water- fronts. As a small element of two govern- ments in a democracy, the Commission offers a possible map to a better, healthier, sustainable city. In a democracy, however, the ultimate decisions -what maps to use, whether to use a particular map, whether to use any map at all- rest with and are made real by the behaviour, attitudes, and actions of its citizens.

18

linked to --0 their water-

tional amenities, such -()-

as boating, shoreline front, so the health

parks, fishing, swimming, and nature appre- and life of the waterfront depend on the

ciation, depend directly on the waterfront region. Ecologically, the waterfront is tied

location. to its watersheds by the many rivers and