36-632: Ookwemin Minising (pronounced Oh-kway-min Min-nih-sing) meaning “place of black cherry trees ” is a 39.6 hectares (98 acres) area in Toronto's Port Lands that has been converted to an island as part of Port Lands Flood Protection Project by Waterfront Toronto . To prevent flooding from the Don River , a channel was created to extend the river south and then west into Toronto Harbour providing another outlet and
72-528: A developed central area based on a grid. The developed central area will be primarily residential, with up to 9,000 units planned. The new river channel was modelled on other natural river mouths in the Toronto area and includes significant new natural space that provides habitat for migrating birds and wildlife. The new channel empties into Toronto Harbour at what is now the Polson slip. The island lies on former industrial land, first created through landfill in
108-591: A future expansion of the proposed East Bayfront LRT . All four bridges have the same esthetic design and each span have a curved steel dome (designed by CIG Architecture of the Netherlands) rising over the road surface. All bridge spans were pre-assembled in Dartmouth and shipped on a barge via the Saint Lawrence Seaway . The four bridges are as follows: There will be a provision for three additional bridges in
144-483: A height of 15–24 metres (49–79 feet). The leaves are 5–13 centimetres (2–5 inches) long, ovate-lanceolate in shape, with finely toothed margins. Fall leaf color is yellow to red. Flowers are small, white and 5-petalled, in racemes 10–15 cm (4–6 in) long which contain several dozen flowers. The flowers give rise to reddish-black "berries" ( drupes ) fed on by birds, 5–10 millimetres ( 1 ⁄ 4 – 3 ⁄ 8 in) in diameter. For about its first decade
180-487: A key street on the island named in the early 20th century after Villiers Sankey (1854-1905), a former City Surveyor for Toronto. Villiers Street will continue to be a prominent street on the island. In 2007, Waterfront Toronto held an urban design contest to establish a plan for what was then called the Lower Don Lands Precinct. The competition was won by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates’ (MMVA), which designed
216-684: A more natural mouth for the Don River. The new channel creates the island, which is also bounded by the Keating Channel and Toronto Harbour. Mixed-use residential development is planned for the Island. The area now called Ookwemin Minising has been known by several names since the Port Lands revitalization project began. In November 2024, to mark the creation of the new island, the City of Toronto officially adopted
252-466: A rich coastal wetland ecosystem comparable to other Great Lakes areas like Long Point on Lake Erie . The area now known as Ookwemin Minising was previously referred to by several names, including the Lower Don Lands, River Precinct, Cousins Quay, reflecting various phases of planning. From about 2014 to 2024, it was referred to as Villiers Island. The planning name originated from Villiers Street,
288-430: A storm. By 2000, the area around the mouth of the Don River had declined in usage and significant areas were vacant. These lands were not developable due to the cost of remediating the polluted lands, and the lack of flood protection. To "unlock" the area for development, Waterfront Toronto proposed to "naturalize" the mouth of the Don River. In conjunction with this, berms were built at Corktown Commons. The area between
324-486: A subgenus also including Eurasian bird cherry ( P. padus ) and chokecherry ( P. virginiana ). The species is widespread and common in North America and South America. Black cherry is closely related to the chokecherry ( P. virginiana ); chokecherry, however, tends to be shorter (a shrub or small tree) and has smaller, less glossy leaves. Prunus serotina is a medium-sized, fast-growing forest tree growing to
360-437: Is a deciduous tree or shrub in the rose family Rosaceae . Despite being called black cherry, it is not very closely related to the commonly cultivated cherries, such as sweet cherry ( P. avium ), sour cherry ( P. cerasus ) and Japanese flowering cherries ( P. serrulata , P. speciosa , P. sargentii , P. incisa , etc.), which belong to Prunus subg. Cerasus . Instead, P. serotina belongs to Prunus subg. Padus ,
396-417: Is around 560 kg/m (35 lb/cu ft ). Prunus serotina was widely introduced into Western and Central Europe as an ornamental tree in the mid-20th century, where it has become locally naturalized . It has acted as an invasive species there, negatively affecting forest community biodiversity and regeneration. Arup Group Limited Too Many Requests If you report this error to
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#1732858649860432-411: Is being funded by all three orders of government. The design for Port Lands Flood Protection was established through an Environmental Assessment, approved in 2015. The plan established design and development objectives for the area. The plan was developed by Urban Strategies Inc. of Toronto, with support from Arup and other firms, with the City of Toronto and Waterfront Toronto. In 2024, the precinct plan
468-457: Is opening in 2025 and people can expect to move into new housing on the island by 2031 as part of a first development phase. Four new bridges provide three access points to Ookwemin Minising. All bridges were built by Cherubini Bridges and Structures in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia , at a total cost of CA$ 100 million . All three locations will have provision for future streetcar service, which may be
504-707: The Midwest , it is seen growing mostly in old fields with other sunlight-loving species, such as black walnut , black locust , and hackberry . Gleason and Cronquist (1991) describe P. serotina as "[f]ormerly a forest tree, now abundant as a weed-tree of roadsides, waste land, and forest-margins". It is a moderately long-lived tree, with ages of up to 258 years known, though it is prone to storm damage, with branches breaking easily; any decay resulting, however, only progresses slowly. Fruit production begins around 10 years of age, but does not become heavy until 30 years and continues up to 100 years or more. Germination rates are high, and
540-448: The bark of a black cherry tree is thin, smooth, and banded, resembling a birch . A mature tree has very broken, dark gray to black bark. The leaves are long and shiny, resembling a sourwood 's. An almond-like odour is released when a young twig is scratched and held close to the nose, revealing minute amounts of cyanide compounds produced and stored by the plant as a defense mechanism against herbivores . Like apricots and apples,
576-755: The Credit First Nation , Williams Treaty First Nations (including the Mississaugas of Curve Lake , Alderville , Hiawatha , and Scugog Island ), Chippewas of Lake Simcoe ( Beausoleil , Georgina Island , and Rama ), Six Nations of the Grand River , and the Métis Nation of Ontario . This name reflects the Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) tradition of naming places after local flora and landscape features, as seen in other local names like " Adoobigok " (the place of
612-510: The Island. The Don Greenway is a spillway and wetland situated between where the new Don River channel bends from south to west and the Ship Channel. Normally, water in the Don Greenway will only come from the Ship Channel. However, if the new Don River channel cannot handle high water volumes, then that water would be allowed to flood the Don Greenway and flow into the Ship Channel. The island
648-474: The Keating Channel and the new naturalized mouth would become a new island, Ookwemin Minising, to be redeveloped for a mix of residential and open space uses. 43°38′46″N 79°21′06″W / 43.6462°N 79.3516°W / 43.6462; -79.3516 Prunus serotina Prunus serotina , commonly called black cherry , wild black cherry , rum cherry , or mountain black cherry ,
684-467: The alders) near the Etobicoke Creek . Black cherry trees historically grew along the waterfront, connecting Toronto’s new island to its natural past and restoring these trees was seen to symbolize the revitalization of native ecosystems. Many black cherry trees are being planted on the island. The initiative focused on honoring the historical and cultural significance of Indigenous peoples, particularly
720-639: The caterpillars of more than 450 species of butterflies and moths, including those of the eastern tiger swallowtail ( Papilio glaucus ) , cherry gall azure ( Celastrina serotina ) , viceroy ( Limenitis archippus ) , and red-spotted purple/white admiral ( Limenitis arthemis ) butterflies and the cecropia ( Hyalophora cecropia ) , promethea ( Callosamia promethea ) , polyphemus ( Antheraea polyphemus ) , small-eyed sphinx ( Paonias myops ) , wild cherry sphinx ( Sphinx drupiferarum ) , banded tussock ( Halysidota tessellaris ) , spotted apatelodes ( Apatelodes torrefacta ) , and band-edged prominent moths. Deer browse
756-416: The channel forming the new mouth of the river and the island, Ookwemin Minising. Before this milestone water from the Don River made a 90-degree turn into the Keating Channel, creating a bottleneck for water and a risk of flooding. The new channel is the primary outlet for the Don River; the Keating Channel is a secondary outlet if the need arises; and the Don Greenway is a third outlet, located south-east of
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#1732858649860792-437: The early 20th century. Several buildings were demolished or moved during construction to build the new river and parks. Buildings considered to have heritage value will be preserved. Some existing industrial uses were moved to the main shipping channel to the south. South of Lake Shore Boulevard East , Cherry Street was relocated slightly to the west with new bridges crossing the Keating Channel. The Cherry Street lift bridge
828-473: The enzymes needed to convert them to cyanide, so the flesh is safe to eat. The foliage, particularly when wilted, also contains cyanogenic glycosides, which convert to hydrogen cyanide if eaten by animals. Farmers are recommended to remove any trees that fall in a field containing livestock, because the wilted leaves could poison the animals. Removal is not always practical, though, because these trees often grow in very large numbers on farms, taking advantage of
864-558: The foliage. Hyphantria cunea can inhibit the impact of cyanide within the plants' leaves due to its alkaline stomach acid. The eastern tent caterpillar defoliates entire groves some springs. Prunus serotina subsp. capuli was cultivated in Central and South America well before European contact. Known as capolcuahuitl in Nahuatl (the source of the capuli epithet), it was an important food in pre-Columbian Mexico. Native Americans ate
900-433: The fruit. Edible raw, the fruit is also made into jelly, and the juice can be used as a drink mixer, hence the common name 'rum cherry'. Prunus serotina timber is valuable; perhaps the premier cabinetry timber of the U.S., traded as "cherry". High quality cherry timber is known for its strong orange hues, tight grain and high price. Low-quality wood, as well as the sap wood, can be more tan. Its density when dried
936-468: The future: On May 6, 2024, it was announced that another bridge called the Equinox Bridge will be constructed to connected the island to mainland Toronto. It will be in the shape of an "S" and have an array of fanning cables. The island is a product of Waterfront Toronto's Port Lands Flood Protection Project. In November 2024, after six years of construction Waterfront Toronto connected the Don River to
972-407: The light brought about by mowing and grazing. Entire fencerows can be lined with this poisonous tree, making it difficult to monitor all the branches falling into the grazing area. Black cherry is a leading cause of livestock illness, and grazing animals' access to it should be limited. Prunus serotina has the following subspecies and varieties : Prunus serotina is a pioneer species . In
1008-425: The lower reach of the Don River, so it flowed straight for 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Bloor / Danforth to what is now Lake Shore Boulevard , where it made a right hand turn and ran 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) west into the Keating Channel. This right-hand turn caused a significant build-up of silt and debris that had to be removed by the port authorities regularly to minimize flooding of the surrounding area after
1044-506: The name Ookwemin Minising as part of the Port Lands Indigenous Place Naming Initiative. The naming involved an Indigenous Advisory Circle, which included Elders, Knowledge Keepers, language speakers, youth, and cultural leaders. The Advisory Circle brought together representatives from Anishinaabe , Haudenosaunee , and Métis backgrounds. Participants represented several nations, such as the Mississaugas of
1080-680: The precinct around a re-naturalized Don River. A preferred design for the Don Mouth was adopted by the City of Toronto in 2014, and options presented for the Villiers Island/Cousins Quay Precinct Plan. In October 2017, the Port Lands Planning Framework and Villiers Island Precinct Plan (now Ookwemin Minising Precinct Plan) were adopted by Toronto City Council. The Port Lands Flood Protection project
1116-449: The seeds are widely dispersed by birds and bears who eat the fruit and then excrete them. Some seeds however may remain in the soil bank and not germinate for as long as three years. All Prunus species have hard seeds that benefit from scarification to germinate (which in nature is produced by passing through an animal's digestive tract). The tree is hardy and can tolerate poor soils and oceanic salt sprays [1] . P. serotina hosts
Ookwemin Minising - Misplaced Pages Continue
1152-476: The seeds of black cherries contain cyanogenic glycosides (compounds that can be converted into cyanide ), such as amygdalin . These compounds release hydrogen cyanide when the seed is ground or minced, which releases enzymes that break down the compounds. These enzymes include amygdalin beta-glucosidase , prunasin beta-glucosidase and mandelonitrile lyase . In contrast, although the flesh of black cherries also contains these glycosides, it does not contain
1188-506: The traditional caretakers of the land, through the selection of a new name. According to the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project – Archeological Assessment of Existing Conditions , black cherry trees were among the species found in the complex ecosystem surrounding the lower Don River. This region supported a patchwork of diverse plant communities, including dry uplands and wet lowlands, which fostered
1224-451: Was demolished to widen the Keating Channel to improve flood conveyance during large flood events. The Don Greenway, a new river valley, was constructed south from the Don River, crossing Commissioners Street under a new bridge, and continuing south into the Ship Channel. This new channel allows high water from the Don River to flow move easily south by avoiding the 90-degree turn into the Keating Channel. The new parkland, named Biidaasige Park
1260-621: Was first part of the " Ashbridge's Bay " wetlands around the original mouth of the Don River , connected to a sandbar that is now the Toronto Islands . By the turn of the 20th century, the marsh had become polluted, and the city filled it with landfill, and devoted it to industrial purposes. Some of the early twentieth century landfill was polluted, contaminated with heavy metals or toxic chemicals. The industrial enterprises were also polluting, including acres of petroleum tank farms and berms of road salt. The city had also canalized and straightened
1296-412: Was updated to update the vision from a predominantly mid-rise community to a dense, urban neighbourhood to increase the amount of affordable housing. In November 2024, Waterfront Toronto announced it had completed the new mouth for the Don River and the City of Toronto announced the new island would formally be named Ookwemin Minising. Plans for Ookwemin Minising show a greenbelt, and parkland, surrounding
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