On Saturday November 15, several members of Y4W participated in a bus and walking tour of the Toronto beaches that was organized by Riversides and Lost Rivers in order to commemorate World Toilet Day (November 19). Over the course of the tour, Helen Mills from Lost Rivers, Emily Alfred from Riversides and Wayne Reeves, editor of HTO, provided a fascinating commentary about the transformation of this area of Toronto’s waterfront.
Ashbridge’s Bay was the starting point for our tour and it proved an excellent example of the kind of changes that have occurred as the city has grown. At one point, Ashbridge’s Bay included the largest fresh water marsh in North America. It covered 1300 acres and extended from Eastern Avenue to Kew Gardens Park, reaching as far up as Queen Street at some points. Over time however, the bay was filled in first with garbage and later with sand and today, the area is almost entirely built up and houses the Ashbridge’s Bay Sewage Treatment Park.
After driving around Ashbridge’s Bay, we travelled around The Beaches to learn about how, as the city expanded, rivers and creeks were buried to make way for construction. Essentially, creeks that used to feed into Lake Ontario have been confined to concrete pipes and reduced to storm sewers.
Finishing up the bus portion of the tour, we disembarked at WC Harris Filtration Plant and explored the Art Deco complex before making our way along the beach to St Aidan’s Church where a presentation and discussion period had been organized. Andrew Hellebust, an engineer who specializes in constructing wetlands spoke about alternative ways to treat and fulfill our need for nonpotable water and explained the work that his company does in creating wetlands which filter water to be used in flushing toilets, operating washing machines and watering plants. Next, Jae and Shire made a presentation about Youth4Water and youth engagement. They did a fantastic job and were well received - everyone was encouraged to see that youth are informed about and engaged in issues surrounding water! Finally, Wayne Reeves spoke about HTO, the book he recently edited that brings together a collection of essays and explores Toronto’s relationship with water as it was in the past, as it is in the present and as it may be in the future.
For me, the day was a great opportunity to learn more about water in Toronto and see what water other initiatives are active in the city. Many thanks to everyone who was involved in the event!
Emily
-Emily Macrae is one of seven new members to Youth4Water. Welcome Emily and thanks for the contribution!
