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City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:
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News Release

November 1, 2024

New island in the Port Lands named Ookwemin Minising, place of black cherry trees

Today, Mayor Olivia Chow and Councillor Paula Fletcher (Toronto-Danforth) were joined by Elder Shelley Charles (Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation) and members of an Indigenous Advisory Circle to announce the name of the new island that is being created in the Port Lands and its new park.

The announcement comes after a year-long engagement and consultation process where the City of Toronto turned over naming power to the Indigenous community as part of its commitment to reconciliation. Now, the Circle is returning names for both the new island and the new park as a gift, sharing their symbolic meaning and significance to the history of the lands.

Ookwemin Minising

The Circle chose Ookwemin Minising (pronounced Oh-kway-min Min-nih-sing) as the island’s name meaning “place of the black cherry trees” in Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwemowin. Alongside the new island name, the Circle also chose a name for the surrounding park, determined as Biidaasige Park (pronounced Bee-daw-sih-geh) meaning “sunlight shining towards us” in Anishinaabemowin/Ojibwemowin.

The City collaborated with LURA Consulting and MinoKamik Collective led by Elder Shelley Charles on an Indigenous engagement process to discover, reflect on and determine place names for the island and park.

This process included an Indigenous Advisory Circle comprised of Elders, Knowledge Keepers, language speakers, youth and community members, as well as broader engagement with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. The Circle met seven times this year, walking the land to discuss the area’s history, cultural values and stories to determine the names.

Two hundred years ago, the area now called the Port Lands, was one of the largest freshwater marshes on Lake Ontario. Elders in the Indigenous Advisory Circle recalled that this area had an abundance of Ookwemin “black cherry” trees that grew throughout the waterfront area.

The island’s name honours the natural history of the land, is grounded in a vision of environmental restoration and highlights the future care of Indigenous plant communities, emphasized through the native planting palettes and ecological design of the Port Lands Flood Protection project, and guided by Elder Shelley Charles and the MinoKamik Collective.

The Port Lands Flood Protection project is renaturalizing the mouth of the Don River. As a result, this new island is forming in the area, bounded by Lake Ontario, the Keating Channel and the new river mouth. Toronto City Council directed City staff to further engage with First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous communities and report back on a permanent name for the island in April 2024 at the Executive Committee meeting.

Biidaasige Park

The park’s name relates to the hopeful light of a new day shining on waterway restoration and reconciliation, and acknowledges the relationship between the earth, water, sun and moon as relatives and teachers. The name recognizes water awareness as central to the Port Lands Flood Protection project and creation of the renaturalized Don River, valley and park. Additionally, the name honours the Indigenous water walker movement, an Anishinaabe initiative led by Josephine Mandamin, that highlights the significance of water as essential to life.

Community engagement process

As acknowledged at the April Executive Committee meeting, the decision to hand over the power to name this place to Indigenous communities was both a symbolic and concrete step in turning words into actions that contribute to truth, justice, and reconciliation. This process demonstrates ways of shifting power and priorities with respect for Indigenous worldviews, ways of knowing, cultural protocols, ceremonies, self-determination and leadership.

More information on the April Executive Committee decision is available on the City’s website: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/#/committees/2468/2439.

This initiative builds on the City's engagement with First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous communities during 2022-2023 on the Next Phase of Waterfront Revitalization and on Waterfront Toronto's relationship with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities engaged through the Port Lands Flood Protection project over the last five years.

More information on the Next Phase of Waterfront Revitalization is available on the City’s website: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/waterfront/current-projects/next-phase-of-waterfront-revitalization/.

Next steps

The names of the new island and surrounding park will be brought forward to Executive Committee on Tuesday, November 5, followed by Toronto City Council at its November meeting. The staff report on the names is available on the City’s website: https://secure.toronto.ca/council/#/committees/2468/24403.

A link to a video outlining the robust naming process in partnership with Indigenous communities is available on the City’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH4Pp13Ko7A.

The City is committed to advancing truth, reconciliation and justice. More information about the 2022-2032 Reconciliation Action Plan is available on the City’s website: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/accountability-operations-customer-service/long-term-vision-plans-and-strategies/reconciliation-action-plan/?t=1631109160.

Waterfront development and protection

The Port Lands is an area that extends southeast of Toronto's downtown core into Lake Ontario and includes more than 715 acres (290 hectares) of land along the waterfront.

Currently, 290 hectares of southeastern downtown – including parts of the Port Lands, South Riverdale, Leslieville and the East Harbour development site – are at risk of flooding from the Don River and can’t be revitalized until they are flood protected. 

The Port Lands Flood Protection project is revitalizing 240 hectares of these lands by building a new river valley through the Port Lands and renaturalizing the mouth of the river, creating a new island on Toronto’s waterfront.

This project is part of the City’s ongoing waterfront development endeavours, currently North America’s largest waterfront urban redevelopment initiative, in collaboration with Waterfront Toronto and many other public and private sector entities.

Ookwemin Minising, the new island, will include a climate-positive, mixed-use community designed to house approximately 16,000 residents and 3,000 jobs. In the last two months the City and its partners have completed and opened two new park spaces, Bathurst Quay Common and Leslie Lookout Park, in addition to the opening of community and childcare centres and Love Park in 2023.

Quotes:

“Guided by the insight and wisdom of the Indigenous Advisory Circle convened to suggest a name, Ookwemin Minising honours the natural history of the land, a vision of environmental restoration and highlights a path to First Nations, Inuit and Métis community engagement and collaboration. The decision to hand over that naming power to Indigenous communities was both a symbolic and concrete step in turning words into actions that contribute to truth, justice and reconciliation.”
– Mayor Olivia Chow

“Today, the City will receive a new name for the new island which honours the enduring presence of Indigenous peoples on our waterfront. This beautiful name is a gift given to us through the work of the Indigenous Advisory Circle. We are grateful and honoured to receive it. This naming recognizes Toronto’s waterfront as an important part of the lives of Indigenous nations for many thousands of years. “
- Councillor Paula Fletcher (Toronto-Danforth)

“I couldn’t understand when [my father] said these are third and fourth generation trees as all the old ones were cut down. I cried as I couldn’t understand how people could cut down these tree beings. How did all those animals above and below the soil react to having the trees cut down? They went away. The muskrat and sturgeon left. People used to come to this shoreline to rejuvenate themselves and this was a corridor to all the lakes. Our footprints of our ancestors are here. When we think of this tree and how everyone wants to restore Indigenous plants, I can just imagine the conversation from other-than-human beings from land, water, air, insects, animals: it will be like seeing a long-lost friend!”
– Elder Shelley Charles

Toronto is home to more than three million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture, innovation and climate action and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit www.toronto.ca or follow us on X at x.com/cityoftoronto, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cityofto.

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Media contact: Media Relations, media@toronto.ca

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