Toronto just opened the first phase of its largest park in a generation. Local dignitaries were on hand for the grand opening of Biidaasige Park on Saturday July 19, 2025. This event marked the beginning of a weekend filled with exploration and celebration as people of all ages are invited to experience the newly transformed Don River, and Biidaasige Park on Toronto’s newest island, Ookwemin Minising.
The Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Member of Parliament for Toronto-Danforth, Jennifer McKelvie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Federal Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, Amarjot Sandhu, Parliamentary Assistant to the Ontario Minister of Infrastructure, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, and Councillor Paula Fletcher (Toronto-Danforth) on Saturday, welcomed hundreds of visitors to the new park, pronounced “bee-daw-sih-geh”. The word means “sunlight shining toward us” in Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwemowin.
Array of features for all ages and interests
Visitors to Biidaasige Park will discover an array of features designed for all ages and interests. Highlights of the 2025 opening include picnic areas, a vibrant playground featuring larger-than-life animal sculptures representing Anishinaabe, Ongwehonwe, and Huron dodems, Toronto’s first ziplines, and a recreation waterplay feature, the Badlands Scramble. The park also boasts recreational trails and cycling paths, including step-downs to the river for fishing and birdwatching, slips for non-motorized boats, and the Don Greenway wetland for birdwatching. Two dog off-leash areas and a pebble landing area for watercraft further enhance the visitor experience.
Features at the Dog off-leash areas
There are two dogs off-leash areas, and each has:
- seating
- K-9 rated artificial turf
- accessible pathways and gates
- water fountains
- waste bins
Since Biidaasige Park is a new park, the asphalt is fresh, and paw protection is recommended for dogs.
One off-leash area is 800 square metres and is west of Cableway Canyon (Adventure Playground). Get to the off-leash area directly from Commissioners Street or the main path of Biidaasige Park.
One off-leash area is 1,200 square metres and is located east of Fire Hall 30 Community Recreation Centre. Get to the off-leash area directly from Commissioners Street or the east side of the Fire Hall 30 Community Recreation Centre Plaza.
Learn more about this park and the community activities on the City’s website: toronto.ca/BiidaasigePark.Celebrations all weekend
Celebrate Biidaasige Park’s grand opening with free family (dogs included) activities all weekend long.
Visit “Biidaasige Bark” and take a selfie with your pup, check out the Play Mobile to get sporty and spark creativity at the arts and crafts station. If all the activities make you hungry, stop by one of the food trucks or stalls to re-fuel. Browse the schedule below and be entertained while you explore new ground with live and interactive performances.
Free Shuttle
Parkbus shuttle buses will run in a continuous loop, starting at 9:30 a.m. and continuing till 5 p.m. Pick-up/drop-off locations:
- Toronto City Hall, corner of Bay Street and Hagerman Street
- Biidaasige Park, 51 Commissioners St.
The shuttle is first-come/first-served and is not wheelchair accessible. Dogs are not allowed on shuttle buses. Explore other options for getting to the park.
Accessibility
If booked, the TTC Wheel-trans suggested pick up and drop off is located at 51 Commissioners St.
Park paths are paved and multi-use trails run the full length of the park along Commissioners Street. There are rolling hills within the park.
Accessible portable washrooms units are available throughout the park.
All Day Activities for Sunday July 20, 2025
- Gathering Place: All are welcome around the Sacred Fire with stories from Fire Keeper Al King and others. The fire will stay lit for 24 hours a day through the weekend.
- Tours: Toronto Region Conservation Authority offers park tours from their engagement tent.
- Information and Engagement Tents: Connect with the Toronto Zoo, Ontario Science Centre, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and Live Green to learn and win prizes.
- East Lawn: Get active and play at the Play Mobile.
- West Lawn: Arts and crafts with Shadowland Theatre and East End Arts.
- Hala on Stilts Insect Characters: From noon to 5 p.m. you may have a chance encounter with an insect character on stilts for some fun and folly while roaming the park pathways.
- Off-Leash Area: Take a selfie with your four-legged friend at Biidaasige Bark. Since Biidaasige Park is a new park, the asphalt is fresh, and paw protection is recommended for dogs.
- Picnic Areas and Pathways: A variety of food trucks and stalls with food and beverages available for purchase. Vendors include Cherry Street Bar-B-Que, Keating Channel Pub, Caffeine Cruiser, Nabulu Coffee and Happy Pops Gourmet Popsicles.
Off-Leash Area
Fur Colouring
11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visit the off-leash area with your dog and get them show ready with for Opawz fur colouring by Scooby Groomz.
Since Biidaasige Park is a new park, the asphalt is fresh, and paw protection is recommended for dogs.
Snowy Owl Theatre
Fay and Fluffy Storytime
11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Gather around as drag stars Fay and Fluffy host a special storytime with books, songs and lots of laughs for all ages, because reading is FUN-damental.
The Crossroads
Samba Squad
2:30, 3:30 and 4:30 p.m.
Feel like dancing? Join the Samba Squad , an innovative group that forges new directions by mixing world rhythms with the sound-power and street-feel of the drums of the Afro-Brazilian Samba tradition. Samba Squad embodies the joy of embracing different cultures, and celebrating our unity through the spirit of the drum.
Old Fire Hall 30 Plaza
DJ Dynamic
2 to 5 p.m.
DJ Dynamic spins tracks for your listening pleasure.
This is a landmark achievement in the $1.4-billion tri-government investment in flood protection and waterfront revitalization, including more than $465 million by the Government of Canada, more than $471 million by the Government of Ontario and more than $471 million by the City of Toronto.
This island, renaturalized Don River and park add to the host of waterfront destinations made possible by 20 years of tri-government investment in Toronto’s waterfront renewal. They offer immersive and adventurous areas to explore, joining the already iconic red, yellow, and orange bridges that make the new island a must-see destination.
This brand-new island and future waterfront community will offer visitors from across the city, region, and world an unparalleled new way to experience Toronto’s waterfront.
Next Step: New Housing and Destinations
A $1.4-billion tri-government investment has enabled the flood protection and naturalization necessary to unlock the Port Lands for revitalization and development. By building a new, naturalized mouth for the Don River, this has unlocked vital space for future mixed-use neighbourhoods on Ookwemin Minising. As flood protection nears completion, the new island is ready to launch.
In January 2025, the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and the City of Toronto agreed to contribute an additional $975 million ($325 million each under the tri-government model), to accelerate the development of new housing and destinations on Ookwemin Minising and along the waterfront at Quayside.
At full buildout, it is estimated that Ookwemin Minising will be home to more than 15,000 residents, nearly 3,000 jobs, and an additional 15 acres of parkland to be developed in later phases. The island also offers new exciting places to explore and discover, all surrounded by water and verdant green space.
About the City of Toronto’s newest Park
Biidaasige Park (pronounced “bee-daw-sih-geh” and meaning “sunlight shining toward us” in Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwemowin) is a sweeping greenspace that lines the new mouth of the Don River. This is the largest park to open in Toronto in a generation and the first public space to open on Ookwemin Minising. The park was built as part of an innovative approach to flood protection. Through tri-government investment, Port Lands Flood Protection project protects 174 hectares of land in the Port Lands and eastern waterfront from flooding.
Two phase opening
The park is opening in two phases. Approximately 50 acres/20 hectares of parkland opened today, with an additional 10 acres/4 hectares set to open in 2026, along with the first-in-Canada Lassonde Art Trail.
Key Facts about Biidaasige Park:
- 50+ acres/20 hectares of park with an additional 10 acres/4 hectares opening in 2026
- Picnic areas, playground with ziplines, Badlands Scramble, two dog off-leash areas and a pebble landing to launch non-motorized personal watercraft
- 5,000+ trees, 77,000+ shrubs and two-million herbaceous plants
- Accessible trails and facilities
Key Facts about Ookwemin Minising:
- A new island where the Don River meets the lake, formed by a newly created river valley that incorporates flood protection features that blend into natural landscape
- Named Ookwemin Minising (pronounced “oh-kway-min min-nih-sing” —meaning “place of the black cherry trees”)
- 98 acres/39 hectares in size, future home to over 15,000 residents through at least 9,000 housing units and nearly 3,000 jobs
- Planned to be a new community advancing best-in-Canada sustainable development practices
Key Facts about the next phase of waterfront revitalization:
- Toronto’s Eastern Waterfront will ultimately be home to 100,000 people
- Next steps will accelerate the creation of over 14,000 new homes on public and private lands at Ookwemin Minising and Quayside, including affordable rental housing.
- Taken together, the development of Ookwemin Minising and Quayside is expected to create an estimated 100,000 skilled trades jobs and add $13.2 billion to the economy.
SOURCE City of Toronto
IMAGES City of Toronto
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