Event: Lake Ontario Evening
– October 2023

Consuming Fish in the Toronto and Region Area of Concern

Date: Thursday October 12, 2023
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Online (webinar)

*This event is taking place via Zoom. After registration, you will be emailed a link to join the webinar.


Most resident Toronto and Region fish are safe to eat!

Levels of contaminants like mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have substantially declined in the Toronto and Region Area of Concern. These improvements to water and sediment quality have made both catching and eating fish in Toronto a reality.

Join us for this Lake Ontario Evening as we hear about some of the angler engagement surveys taking place in Lake Ontario. Find out how you can provide feedback on a recent assessment of the Restrictions on Fish Consumption Beneficial Use Impairment.

Following this event, we will raffle off a $150 Bass Pro/Cabela’s gift card. View the contest terms and conditions.

Presenters:

  • Jeanne Coffin-Schmitt, PhD Candidate, Cornell University
  • Ken Drouillard, Professor, University of Windsor

Lake Ontario Evenings is a free speaker series presented by the Toronto and Region Remedial Action Plan. Each event covers a different Lake Ontario and/or Toronto waterfront related topic. Lake Ontario Evenings events are free and open to the public.

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is committed to creating an accessible experience for all participants. If you require an accessibility accommodation, please email tisha.tan@trca.ca at least seven days prior to the event.

 

Event: Lake Ontario Evening
– March 2023

Following Toronto and Region’s Largest Waterfront Projects from East to West – Part Two

Date: Thursday March 23, 2023
Time: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Location: Online (webinar)

*This event is taking place via Zoom. After registration, you will be emailed a link to join the webinar.


The face of Toronto’s waterfront is transforming and providing huge benefits to visitors, residents, and the natural environment.

Many large-scale projects are currently underway to upgrade infrastructure, control erosion, and reduce elevated nutrient levels. Not only do these undertakings increase the functionality of the waterfront – they also provide habitat for aquatic and terrestrial species, create recreational opportunities, and impart a more aesthetic and enjoyable user experience.

This two-part Lake Ontario Evening series highlights some of these large projects, from east to west, and showcases the incredible feats of engineering and design being implemented to help move Toronto closer to delisting as an Area of Concern.

In Part Two of our series, we will discuss projects in the western side of the Toronto and Region Area of Concern.

Presentations will highlight the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project, Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area, and various major maintenance projects.

Presenters:

  • Ken Dion (Project Director, Port Lands Integration, Waterfront Toronto)
  • Ralph Toninger (Associate Director, Restoration and Resource Management, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority)
  • Bryana McLaughlin (Coordinator, Restoration and Management, Credit Valley Conservation)
  • Jet Taylor (Manager, Capital and Special Projects, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority)

In Part One of this series, on February 23, 2023, we discussed projects in the eastern side of the Area of Concern. If you missed this event, a recording is now available HERE.


Lake Ontario Evenings is a free speaker series presented by the Toronto and Region Remedial Action Plan. Each event covers a different Lake Ontario and/or Toronto waterfront related topic. Lake Ontario Evenings events are free and open to the public.

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is committed to creating an accessible experience for all participants. If you require an accessibility accommodation, please email tisha.tan@trca.ca at least seven days prior to the event.

 

Toronto AOC Study Now Available

Harbor Cleanup Drives Toronto’s Waterfront Revitalization

ANN ARBOR, MI — After a long history of underuse and neglect, Toronto’s waterfront has emerged as a vibrant gathering space that draws people to the shores of Lake Ontario. Decades of cleanup efforts and collaborative planning are behind this turnaround, which has resulted in significant ecological and economic benefits, according to a study released today by the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR).

Designated as one of the Great Lakes’ most polluted spots, the harbor has been the target of restoration efforts under the Toronto and Region Remedial Action Plan since 1985. Pollution control efforts, including stormwater and combined sewer overflow management and habitat restoration, have been key priorities.

These efforts are making a positive difference, including improvements in water and sediment quality, as well as the amount and condition of terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

“The RAP and its partners have been working in a complementary and reinforcing fashion to restore and sustain a vibrant ecosystem that provides numerous environmental, social, and economic benefits to local communities and visitors alike,” notes Valerie Francella, RAP Project Manager for Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).

“Without the cleanup of Toronto Harbour, the revitalization of the waterfront would not have been possible.”

In 2000, when efforts began in earnest to revitalize the Toronto waterfront, those involved quickly realized the need to incorporate environmental restoration and health into development decisions. This coordinated approach has led to significant economic benefits, including $4.1 billion CAD in output to the Canadian economy, approximately $848 million CAD in tax revenues, and about 14,100 years of employment.

Such economic data, along with environmental and ecological data, demonstrate the importance of sustaining efforts to clean up Great Lakes Areas of Concern.

The Toronto & Region AOC case study is part of a larger project to evaluate achievements and lessons learned from 32 years of efforts to clean up Great Lakes AOCs. Available online HERE, this case study will become part of a user-friendly publication prepared for a broad range of stakeholders to help sustain support for cleaning up AOCs and to inspire and motivate others to restore other degraded aquatic ecosystems.

Funding was provided by the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Family Foundation to IAGLR. The Erb Family Foundation is a philanthropic organization that nurtures environmentally healthy and culturally vibrant communities in metro Detroit and supports initiatives to restore the Great Lakes ecosystem.


The International Association for Great Lakes Research is a scientific organization made up of researchers studying the Laurentian Great Lakes, other large lakes of the world, and their watersheds, as well as those with an interest in such research. With its mission to promote all aspects of large lakes research and communicate research findings, IAGLR is uniquely positioned to foster the connection between science and policy, a connection vital for effective management and protection of the world’s large lakes.