Work in West Don Lands Starting
Some Road Closures Required

Toronto, January 27, 2006 - On-site work to develop Toronto's first new waterfront community in the West Don Lands is starting and requires the closure of some area streets, John Campbell, Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation President and CEO announced today.

Effective February 10, 2006 to June 2008, the following city streets will be closed:

• Bayview Avenue from south of the River Street connection between the Queen and King Street overpass
• Front Street east of Cherry Street
• Eastern Avenue east of St. Lawrence Street
• Mill Street east of Cherry Street
• Overend Street
• Cypress Street

"It's a top priority to make sure the public is informed about our work and to minimize any inconvenience during construction," Campbell said.

Care has been taken to ensure that area residents and business owners continue to have access to their properties. And, TWRC has set up a dedicated telephone line so that the public can get easy access to information about the work going on in the West Don Lands and report any concerns. The number is 416-214-9990.

Parts of the Don River Trail will also be closed from Queen Street to the Martin Goodman Trail to allow for the widening of CN's Kingston rail bridge which, along with a wide, low-lying berm, will provide flood protection for the area. The trail closure will be in effect from the end of February 2006 until spring 2007. During this time, a pedestrian underpass will be constructed under GO Transit's Bala line and will connect the future 19-acre Don River Park to the existing Don River Trail.

In mid-February, hoarding will start going up around the site. Site preparation work will begin and includes building demolition, foundation removal, road construction and environmental remediation. CN bridge construction is scheduled to start in March and the construction of the berm and Don River Park will begin in the summer. Residential construction will be underway in late-2006.

The West Don Lands is a 32-hectare area that runs from Parliament Street east to the Don River and from King Street south to the rail corridor. The new community will be home to about 6000 new residences, including affordable housing, as well as nine hectares of parks and open spaces. High quality design and sustainable, green development will be key features of the new neighbourhood.

TWRC is carrying out the development of the West Don Lands in partnership with the Ontario Realty Corporation, Toronto and Region Conservation and Toronto Community Housing.

The Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto established TWRC in 2001 to lead and oversee the revitalization of Toronto's central waterfront.