The City of Toronto, Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), Waterfront Toronto and Cycling Infrastructure have completed some multi-use trails as part of the Baselands Trails Master Plan.
The Baselands is the area south of Unwin Avenue, bound on the west by the Outer Harbour Marina Road and on the east by the access road into Tommy Thompson Park. This area is City-owned and managed in coordination with TRCA as the Baselands is an extension of the TRCA owned and managed Tommy Thompson Park to the south.
Timelines are subject to change.
The new trail design will create a formal path system to protect the natural area, reduce wildlife disturbances, and improve user safety and accessibility, including improved access to key points of interest. The natural trails will be accessible with a stable surface and look similar to the existing trails with a base to improve drainage.
Download the Baselands Master Plan.
Read the Tommy Thompson Master Plan at TommyThompsonPark.ca.
Baselands ecological significance include:
The Baselands are a unique area within the City of Toronto, created by lake-filling activities when the Leslie Street Spit construction started in the 1950s.
The area is part of the North Shore Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) and is included within the Leslie Street Spit Important Bird Area.
The Baselands contain mature eastern cottonwood woodlands and a diversity of other plant communities, including early successional wet and dry meadow habitats, as well as regionally rare plant species.
It also represents some of the most significant migratory bird and nesting bird habitat on the Toronto waterfront, and provides habitat for a variety of other wildlife including snakes, amphibians and small mammals.
ESA Number | Name | Rare Species/Rare Communities | Significant Size, Levels of Diversity |
Significant Ecological Functions |
---|---|---|---|---|
2 | Base of Spit |
|
|
|
48 | Leslie Street Spit |
|
none |
|
Source: Environmentally Significant Areas in the City of Toronto.
In an upcoming phase, the nature trail(s) will undergo a detailed design.
Completion of the Tommy Thompson Park Entrance Revitalization Project.
A connection to the Martin Goodman Trail in alignment with Unwin Avenue is completed.
Construction of the multi-use trail to connect from Unwin to the Tommy Thompson Park Staff Booth begins and is completed.
This meeting presented the goal and principles to guide the Plan and the conceptual design for trails. Feedback was gathered.
Download the Baselands Trails Master Plan Public Meeting 2015.
Baselands Trails Subcommittee formation and consultation.