Item 3620 - Ataratiri: Planning a New Community

In 1987, the city of Toronto proposed creating a new community of 14,000 called Ataratiri in the West Don Lands area to solve its pressing subsidized housing crisis.

There have been significant and ongoing consultation activities conducted in relation to the Lower Don River and its environs in Toronto, Ontario. In 1991, an Ataratiri Neighbourhood Advisory Council (NAC) was established that included a variety of public interests related to the area of West Don Lands. The role of NAC was to provide advice to City staff. An NAC environmental sub-committee was also created that examined flood risk issues. The Ataratiri project was to have consisted of a mix of subsidized and market-priced housing, like the development of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood further west. The name for the project was taken from the Wyandot word for "supported by clay" in reference to the clay soil of the area. After investing a considerable amount of money in purchasing and clearing the site, the project eventually failed to attract private investors. The industrial history meant the soil was highly polluted and needed expensive cleanup before any residents could live there. The risk of flooding from the Don River also required a flood barrier to be erected. By 1992, the city and province had already invested some $350 million, and new estimates put the final cost at more than a billion dollars more. The real estate market had also collapsed, making any private investment unlikely. The new Ontario government of Bob Rae thus decided to cancel the project in 1992.