Community and Stakeholder Engagement

PortsToronto takes great pride in being part of the Toronto waterfront community, and is committed to being a good neighbour by engaging with those who live, work and operate in the area. In doing so, we build and maintain positive relationships and a strong connection with our neighbours and stakeholders through open dialogue, transparency and public participation.

In addition to providing ongoing updates through public notices, email and social media, our formal community engagement initiatives include:

Indigenous Consultation and Engagement

We take our duty to consult seriously, and acknowledge the urban indigenous people who are directly impacted by our operations on a regular basis. Identifying potential adverse impacts or established aboriginal or treaty rights is a key step in our development efforts, and is supplemented with regular two-way dialogue, incorporation of feedback and ongoing relationship-building efforts. Their consultation protocol agreement with the federal government guides our efforts to engage and consult with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, to whom we formally present our capital program on an annual basis. PortsToronto has also initiated engagement with the Six Nations of the Grand River, a relationship we hope to strengthen in the years to come.

Community Liaison Committee

We conduct quarterly meetings with community residents and stakeholders to understand and respond to the needs of our neighbours. Learn more about the Community Liaison Committee.

Stakeholder Engagement

PortsToronto is a federal agency that works with other organizations to manage the harbour, drive progress on sustainability goals, and works collaboratively to ensure a vibrant waterfront. Its management and staff members are therefore engaged with all levels of government to collaborate and coordinate on current operational works and future projects along the waterfront.

PortsToronto has regular meetings with the City of Toronto, Transport Canada, Waterfront Toronto and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and is a member of several landowner and stakeholder advisory committees for projects including the Bathurst Quay Waterfront Revitalization Plan, Waterfront Transit Reset, the Waterfront School Playground Master Plan, Toronto Island Master Plan and the Port Lands Planning Framework.

PortsToronto staff also provide technical support to several agencies and committees on projects including the Port Lands Flood Protection and Enabling Infrastructure Project, Port Lands Public Realm and River Project, and the Gibraltar Point Erosion Control Project. Additionally, we have been supporting the work of Aquatic Habitat Toronto (AHT), which represents a consensus-based partnership among agencies with a vested interest in the improvement of aquatic habitat on the Toronto Waterfront, since the coalition’s inception in 2003.