FEATURE-ARTICLE
NATURE NEXT DOOR: A 64-ACRE CONSERVATION AREA
JIM TOVEY’S LEGACY
The late Councillor Jim Tovey was a dedicated champion of conservation and the preservation of our Great Lakes. His vision was for a revitalized and accessible waterfront, and he played a pivotal role in the ongoing transformation of Mississauga, including driving the following efforts:
- The demolition of the Lakeview Power Plant and the building of a conservation area in its place – now named in his honour
- The creation of the Lakeview Legacy Community Foundation (LLCF) which was successful at designating the Small Arms Inspection Building as heritage to avoid its demolition.
- Establishing the Small Arms Building as a hub for the community and local artists.
- Morphology: an annual photography exhibition documenting the changing landscape of Mississauga’s waterfront
- A continuous waterfront for use and enjoyment by all, realized through 67 acres of land conveyed back to the City of Mississauga.
Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area
A green oasis on the shoreline
Mississauga’s waterfront has been inaccessible for generations. Together, Credit Valley Conservation (CVC), the Region of Peel and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), are working to reconnect Mississauga to the lake through the creation of the Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area.
This greenspace, known as the Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area, will transform a waterfront once filled with smog and pollution into a green oasis on the waterfront by:
- Reinvigorating the waterfront with 64 acres (26 hectares) of brand new, publicly accessible coastal wetlands, streams, trails and naturalized areas for community enjoyment;
- Connecting to nearby parks, a restored Serson Creek, and a newly constructed Great Lakes Waterfront Trail that takes people from the west side of the lakefront to the Lakeview Pier and into the conversation area; and,
- Supporting wildlife migration and the restoration of native species through a protected natural habitat.
The decommissioning of the Lakeview site left thousands of tonnes of rubble that needed to be removed. To advance this ambitious plan, LCPL donated over 250,000 tonnes of concrete and over 5,000 tonnes of extracted rebar to help fill and construct its foundation and breakwater. This has helped to advance the completion timeline for this critical project.
The Conservation Timeline
The creation of the new Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area is a multi-year process that includes environmental assessment, engineering and design planning, permitting, landform construction, habitat restoration and placemaking, which is currently being led by Credit Valley Conservation. Lakeview Village is a supporter, and will connect future residents to this green oasis on the water.
2016
Construction and habitat creation begin.
CVC is rehabilitating the eastern Mississauga waterfront by replacing the existing shoreline with a more natural, diverse and ecologically functional shoreline. Construction and habitat restoration activities include:
- Building three offshore islands to protect the shoreline from wave action and to create underwater habitat for a variety of aquatic wildlife.
- Building three coastal wetlands to provide important fish, wildlife and bird habitat.
- Planting trees and shrubs to grow a forest and planting flowers and grasses to grow a meadow
- Re-connecting Serson Creek to Lake Ontario and restore the buried creek to allow fish to access the creek from the lake.
Source: Credit Valley Conservation
2021
CVC is working in close partnership with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation to ensure that the new conservation area reflects Indigenous traditional knowledge in environmental restoration and in the creation of a sense of place.
New Indigenous Placemaking features are being developed by the Brook McIlroy Indigenous Design Studio to help express this intention in the future public realm and visitor experience of the conservation area.
Source: Credit Valley Conservation
2022
Daylighting of Serson Creek and re-connecting it to Lake Ontario and the Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area.
2025
Credit Valley Conservation completes public realm and habitat restoration for the Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area.
2026
Credit Valley Conservation plans on opening the new Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area to the public in 2026.
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