THE IMPACT OF EXTREME WATER LEVELS ON TORONTO ISLAND PARK AND INCREASING RESILIENCE AGAINST FUTURE FLOOD EVENTS

Abstract

Toronto Island Park is a chain of fifteen low-lying islands in Lake Ontario located just south of the Toronto shoreline in Ontario, Canada. The Park serves as a popular year-round urban attraction of significant economic importance, and showcases unique natural features, cultural heritage, and sensitive ecosystems. The Park is home to Billy Bishop Airport, Centreville Amusement Park, numerous small businesses, and over 250 residential homes. In recent years, the Toronto Islands have suffered significant physical and economic impacts due to flooding caused by extreme wet weather and record high water levels on Lake Ontario. In 2021, Baird was retained by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) to develop long-term flood and erosion mitigation concept alternatives to replace temporary and emergency measures and to increase the functionality and resilience of the flood control infrastructure on the islands. This abstract outlines the various concept alternatives that were considered, the public engagement process and resulting preferred concepts for flood mitigation.