Ookwemin Minising

Ookwemin Minising (Oh-kway-min Min-nih-sing), meaning 'place of black cherry trees',[1] is a 39.6 hectares (98 acres) area in Toronto's Port Lands that has been converted to an island as part of Port Lands Flood Protection Project by Waterfront Toronto.

[9] The naming involved an Indigenous Advisory Circle, which included Elders, Knowledge Keepers, language speakers, youth, and cultural leaders.

The initiative focused on honoring the historical and cultural significance of Indigenous peoples, particularly the traditional caretakers of the land, through the selection of a new name.

[12] The area now known as Ookwemin Minising was previously referred to by several names, including the Lower Don Lands, River Precinct, Cousins Quay, reflecting various phases of planning.

[9] In 2007, Waterfront Toronto held an urban design contest to establish a plan for what was then called the Lower Don Lands Precinct.

The competition was won by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates’ (MMVA), which designed the precinct around a re-naturalized Don River.

[13] A preferred design for the Don Mouth was adopted by the City of Toronto in 2014, and options presented for the Villiers Island/Cousins Quay Precinct Plan.

[20] Plans for Ookwemin Minising show a greenbelt, and parkland, surrounding a developed central area based on a grid.

South of Lake Shore Boulevard East, Cherry Street was relocated slightly to the west with new bridges crossing the Keating Channel.

[23][24][25] The new parkland, named Biidaasige Park is opening in 2025 and people can expect to move into new housing on the island by 2031 as part of a first development phase.

The industrial enterprises were also polluting, including acres of petroleum tank farms and berms of road salt.

[31] This right-hand turn caused a significant build-up of silt and debris that had to be removed by the port authorities regularly to minimize flooding of the surrounding area after a storm.

The area between the Keating Channel and the new naturalized mouth would become a new island, Ookwemin Minising, to be redeveloped for a mix of residential and open space uses.

The image on the left, 2019, shows a fence with scrub behind it. Some towers are visible in the distance. The image on right shows a broad river valley filled with water, with the same towers visible.
The view north from Commissioners Street in 2019 before excavation for the new river valley and creation of Ookwemin Minising, and in 2024 as the Don River was about to flow into the new river valley for the first time. The Gardiner Expressway ramps to the Don Valley Expressway can be seen to the north.
A view of the Commissioners Street Bridge in 2022 before the river valley was flooded.
The site of Ookwemin Minising and the rest of the Port Lands were originally a marsh which was dredged and filled with landfill around the turn of the 20th century.