The intended beneficiaries of a project unveiled Wednesday aren’t even taxpayers. Politicians including Mayor John Tory presented Cell 2, the second, 9.3-hectare phase of a coastal wetland created in Tommy Thompson Park. It provides a marshy home for endangered species like the Blanding’s turtle, above, rare birds, and more. Senior restoration manager Ralph Toninger said each log and rock was placed by hand: “It’s been 10 years in the making.”

Going to the birds

On Mayor John Tory’s watch, Toronto is going to the birds … and the frogs, turtles, butterflies, and rabbits.

On Wednesday a flock of wild politicians unveiled Cell 2, the second phase of a constructed coastal wetland project on the Leslie Street Spit.

Wetland home

The area spans 9.3 hectares on the spit, providing marshy home for rare birds, endangered turtles, fish, rabbits, insects and other animals in the shadow of the CN Tower.

Built by hand

As senior restoration manager Ralph Toninger explained, the whole area was carefully designed and purpose-built for the animals. Every log and rock in the wetland’s ponds was placed by hand.

“A project like this doesn’t arise easily,” Toninger said. “It’s been 10 years in the making.”

Reused rubble

The Leslie Street Spit is itself a man-made landscape. When major projects like Toronto’s subway tunnels were dug, the city needed somewhere to dump the dirt so it started building the spit. The earth beneath Mayor Tory’s feet during Wednesday’s unveiling came from what is now the basement of Scotia Plaza.

Artwork in landscaping

“I didn’t foresee myself doing wetland work under the shadow of the CN Tower,” Toninger said. “It’s the world’s only globally-recognized human-built coastal wetland.”

He said design crews worked with local fishermen to help create ponds that would suit the kind of fishing they’d want to see on the spit.

“That’s the real artwork,” he said.

Partnering for the project

Toninger said the wetland project is a partnership between the all levels of government, PortsToronto and Coca-Cola Canada.

The wetland cells were built with muddy sediment dredged up from the mouth of the Don River, said PortsToronto CEO Geoffrey Wilson, creating an ideal habitat for a wide variety of migratory and local birds.

Secret urban wilderness

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“When we look at why Toronto is repeatedly named one of the most livable cities in the world, it’s because of places like this,” Tory said.

“I would venture to say that most people who live in Toronto don’t even know this exists,” he said.

Building back to history

The Leslie Street Spit area was once the Ashbridges Bay marsh, one of the largest coastal wetlands on the great lakes. It was an important home for many species, and a vital stopping point on many avian migration routes, Toninger said.

“It’s important that they know there are people with the farsightedness … to make sure places like this are preserved,” Tory said.

“They can come down here and bird watch or just chill out. It’s all part of living in a big city – there must be places for people to do that,” he said.

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