The City is carrying out wet weather management infrastructure work in the East Don Parkland (at the northwest corner of Sheppard Avenue East and Leslie Street) which includes the following phases of construction:
| Phase | Description | Approximate Schedule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sewer replacement for an undersized existing sewer between Sheppard Avenue East and Leslie Street, removal of an existing concrete weir and river channel improvements. | Completed in 2025 |
| 2 | Installation of a large underground storage tank and related sewer connections beneath the parking lot and demolition of the existing washroom building. | Fall 2026 to Spring 2029 |
| 3 | Construction of above-ground pump station and public washroom buildings. | 2029 to 2031 |
Construction is being carried out in phases and is expected to be completed by December 2031. The existing washroom and parking lot in East Don Parkland will be closed to the public during the construction period and will be replaced after the work is completed.
This project was developed as part of the City’s 2003 Wet Weather Flow Management Master Plan and is funded in part by the Government of Canada. This project is also one of seven planned offline storage tank projects which are all part of the City’s 2012 Don River and Central Waterfront Class Environment Assessment. Please refer to the Don River and Central Waterfront & Connected Projects page for additional background information on both of these undertakings.
Phase 2 works are anticipated to begin this Fall. Please view the construction update for further details.
Phase 2 of the new infrastructure works involves the construction of a large underground storage facility and associated sewer connections to the East Don sanitary trunk sewer. This infrastructure will provide essential wet weather flow management improvements helping to reduce sewer surcharges and overflows and improve system capacity and reliability.
The existing public washroom building will be demolished and the parking lot lighting and access paths will be removed to accommodate construction. Temporary facilities, fencing, erosion controls and environmental protection measures will be maintained throughout the construction period. During construction, the parking lot, existing washroom building and the construction site will remain closed to the public. Temporary portable (port-a-potty) washroom units will be located at the site entrance off of Old Leslie Street for public use during construction. The multi-use trail along the east side of the East Don River will remain open for public use (with the exception of occasional short-duration closures) while the footbridge leading to the construction area will be closed to public use for the duration of construction.
A new underground storage tank will be constructed with a storage capacity of approximately 4,500 cubic metres. The tank will be located beneath the existing parking lot and will have inlet and outlet connections to the East Don sanitary trunk sewer. During wet weather conditions, the tank will temporarily store and detain excess flows which will then be returned to the trunk sewer during dry weather conditions. An underground access stairwell structure will also be constructed on the west side of the storage tank. This structure will form the foundation for the future above-ground pumping station building to be constructed as part of Phase 3.
Extensive excavation will be undertaken to construct the storage tank. To enable this, an excavation perimeter wall (referred to as a secant pile wall) will be built around the excavation. A well-point system will also be installed around the excavation to allow for groundwater dewatering to facilitate safe construction. Groundwater will be collected, treated and passed through filter bag pads before being returned to the East Don River.
New electrical, water service, and sanitary sewer connections will be constructed. Interim stormwater drainage, retention and management features will also be constructed.
Upon completion of Phase 2, the site will be temporarily restored on an interim basis. Final site restoration works will be completed after the construction of the two above-ground buildings is completed at the end of Phase 3.
Phase 2 construction is anticipated to occur from Fall 2026 through Spring 2029.
All trails have been reopened. Please refer to the map on the Trail Impacts tab.
Please refer to map on Trail Impacts tab for temporary closures from August 20 to August 27, 2025, due to trail improvements. The southbound curb lane on Leslie Street, near the trail entrance at Maris Shepway may be temporarily closed periodically to accommodate the ongoing works.
The City of Toronto shared information about the ongoing stages and progress of construction, in addition to upcoming works, and provided an opportunity for the public to ask questions. View the event presentation.
The multi-use asphalt path along the east side of the river has been reopened for public access.
Please note: there is no snow clearing and trail maintenance during winter months – all park trails are closed during the winter.
The Old Leslie Street entrance gate, the public washroom building and the parking lot will remain closed to the public until December 2029. A portable washroom unit will be kept at the Old Leslie Street site entrance for public use until the new washroom building is operational.
Please see the Construction Notice Update.
Phase 1 – Construction work on the east side of the East Don River is expected to be completed around the end of 2024. Public access to the multi-use asphalt path along the east side of the river will be restored at that time. The public washroom building, parking lot and site entrance will remain closed to the public until December 2029. A portable washroom unit will be kept at the Old Leslie Street site entrance for public use until the new washroom building is operational.
From Monday, October 30, to Friday, November 3, westbound travel on Sheppard Avenue will be reduced to a single lane from Leslie Street to Old Leslie Street for sewer work.
Please see the Construction Update Notice for work that will temporarily reduce traffic lanes on Sheppard Avenue for two weeks in early April.
Please see the revised Construction Notice to include work hours on Saturdays.
Please see the notice.
Please see the notice.
Please see the notice.
This segment of the Don River is a “non-scheduled” waterway following Transport Canada’s Canadian Navigable Waterways Act which requires a 30-day public notification and consultation on the sewer crossings, weir removal and channel improvements related to navigation. To learn about these plans, please see:
The connection sewer between Sheppard Avenue and the Trunk sewer on Leslie Street needs to be replaced and increased in size to service the growing neighbourhoods.
The location and scope of the sewer replacement was combined with a similar project to construct an underground storage tank to improve the capacity in the sewer network. The removal of the concrete weir was also required and integrated into the plans. The benefit of combining these projects into a single construction program avoids future construction impacts to the park and river.
The new sewer will replace the existing undersized sewer connection located closer to the Leslie Street and Sheppard Avenue intersection. This sewer replacement will extend from Sheppard Avenue through the East Don Parkland parking lot, across the East Don River to the location of the Trunk Sewer near the park trail next to Leslie Street.
The river has moved around the existing concrete weir located just east of the parking lot. The weir no longer serves its purpose to help control flows and the river has created an erosion scar along the east bank of the river. This erosion scar needs to be addressed and repaired to protect City infrastructure.
A 250 metre segment (approximate) of the river from the north-west corner of Leslie Street and Sheppard Avenue East has been impacted by erosion due to high/fluctuating flows and severe storms. Improvements to this segment of the river will address erosion, reduce the risk of exposing the four new sewers and existing trunk sewer, and provide enhanced river stabilization. River stabilization will include additional trees and native plantings, vegetated boulder revetments along the river banks, and construction of alternating riffles, ribs, and shallow pools along the river bed following natural channelization design guidelines and principles.
The future underground storage tank will be located below the park parking lot. To move the flows between the tank and the trunk sewer, a pumping station, two forcemain connections and a sewer connection will be built. The location of the future pumping station will require the existing washroom to be demolished. The future washroom building will be constructed on the south side of the parking lot towards the end of the project.
Construction is anticipated to start in late 2021 and require eight to nine years to complete. It will be carried out in phases which will be provided in a construction notice to the community and will also include additional information and dates.
An open-cut construction method will expose sections of the river bed to allow the sewer lines to be installed across the river. This is a common practice used internationally and locally.
The river will continue to flow and be diverted around the open-cut sections. Both upstream and downstream of the work site, pea gravel bags will direct the water flows around temporary cofferdams. These temporary cofferdams will be built with sheet piles inserted about four metres deep and extend two metres above the river bed. The temporary cofferdams and pea gravel bags will be removed after the sewer connections are installed.
| Symbol | Description |
|
|
Completed Phase 1 Works:
Sewer Replacement Forcemains and Sewer Connections Weir Removal Channel Improvements along East Don River |
 |
Trail closed during construction (including footbridge) |
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Trail entrance closed |
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Multi-use trail open to public access |
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Portable washroom units open for public use |
The Multi-Use Trail along the east side of the East Don River will be open for public use at all times. Only occasional short-duration closures of the trail may be required. This map will be updated in advance if and when such closures are required.
**PLEASE NOTE: There is no snow clearing or trail maintenance during winter months. All park trails are closed during the winter.
