[1][2][3][4] The islands would have diverted water flowing from the Humber that, at certain times of the year makes it unsafe to swim on beaches east of the mouth.
[3] The Globe and Mail reported the proposal was "dusted off" again in 2012, when the city was renewing efforts make sure it was consistently safe to swim at all of Toronto's eleven beaches.
The Islands would be connected by an underwater berm and would have formed a chain that extended about one kilometre into the lake.
[1][2] Toronto is building a 19 kilometres (12 mi) light rail line, with an 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) segment, and in 2012, planners suggested the waste soil from the tunnels and stations could supply close to half the soil needed for the islands.
Some commentators were concerned the soil shouldn't be used as landfill in Lake Ontario due to fears of contamination.