Trails, boardwalks and lookout points all part of new waterfront conservation area in Mississauga

A 64-acre conservation area being developed along Mississauga’s waterfront that’s expected to be an environmental “gem” when it opens to the public two years from now will feature an accessible network of trails, boardwalks, lookouts and scenic gathering spaces.

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) officials said in an online project update today (July 20) that those features to be enjoyed by visitors to the Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area are the focus now that “landform creation and initial restoration efforts are nearly complete.”

CVC, which is working in partnership with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and Region of Peel to dramatically transform that area of the city’s shoreline at a cost of $37 million, said efforts are now being directed at “creating a unique space for the public to enjoy.”

Officials say restoration crews have, to date, planted 76,321 wetland plants and 36,260 trees and shrubs by hand to provide food and habitat for wildlife and enhance the appearance of the shoreline area.

Now, they say, the focus turns to making the area relaxing and enjoyable for visitors once the conservation area opens in July 2025.

Construction of the new trails and other park infrastructure is to begin this fall, CVC officials say.

“Through consultation with our Indigenous partners, community advisory members and partner organizations, we‘re planning to build an accessible network of trails, boardwalks, lookouts and gathering spaces,” CVC said in its online update. “These new amenities will provide scenic connections to the lake, wetlands, grasslands and forest environments at the conservation area, showcasing the diverse cultural and ecological history of the site.”

One of the main features will be a 3.77-kilometre network of new trails. Included in that is the Waterfront Trail, a 5.5-metre-wide multi-use lane to span the conservation area from Marie Curtis Park in the east to the future Lakeview Village community in the west.

“It will bring the Waterfront Trail back to the waterfront, rather than its current path along Lakeshore Rd. E.,” CVC officials said.

Another new feature officials are eagerly anticipating is a promontory that will be situated 14 metres above lake level at the highest point in the conservation area.

They say it will “boast a breathtaking 360-degree view of the surrounding greenspace, city skyline and Lake Ontario. This feature will be visible across (the conservation area) and will offer unique views along the shoreline.”

Other new features include:

• a teaching amphitheatre
• a 170-metre wooden boardwalk and viewing platform
• public access to a historic 123-year-old barge

Rendering of one of the new lookouts planned for the conservation area. (All images: CVC)

CVC officials say that in efforts to date, they have reused more than 262,000 cubic metres of construction rubble and 1,483,600 cubic metres of fill to build the new landform and enhanced shoreline.

Work on the Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area has not gone unnoticed in industry circles.

The ongoing project was the winner late last year of one of 2022’s Brownie Awards, which each year recognize and celebrate organizations, people and projects across Canada that are dedicated to rehabilitating brownfield sites that were once contaminated, under-utilized and underdeveloped.

The Jim Tovey conservation project won the “Reach Out” award for excellence in communications, marketing and public engagement.

Beyond the project partners, the cities of Mississauga and Toronto in addition to other organizations that include Lakeview Community Partners, builders of the nearby massive Lakeview Village community, also support the project that will create a new conservation area along the Lake Ontario shoreline in east Mississauga.

Built on a previously degraded section of shoreline and named for the late Mississauga councillor who worked to bring the project to fruition, the Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area reuses construction rubble and fill as a sustainable resource to create a greenspace that will connect the community back to Lake Ontario, project leaders say.

The new waterfront park/conservation area will provide 64 acres of greenspace featuring large coastal wetlands, meadows, beachfront and forested habitats as well as an enhanced shoreline for residents and wildlife, including migratory species and fish, project officials say.

Lakeview Village and the Jim Tovey conservation area are being developed on the site that was once home to the Lakeview Generating Station. It was shut down in 2005 complete with the controlled demolition of the iconic smokestacks known for decades as “The Four Sisters.”