Inside the GTA – a look at development in and around Toronto in February 2022

Mattamy Homes founder makes largest donation to a hospital in Canadian history

Trillium Health Partners (THP) and Trillium Health Partners Foundation (THPF) have announced an historic $105-million donation from renowned philanthropist Peter Gilgan and The Peter Gilgan Foundation. Gilgan is chairman and CEO of Mattamy Asset Management and founder of Mattamy Homes. He has made several large donations to Canadian hospitals, including an unprecedented $100-million contribution to The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in 2019, and $10 million to St. Joseph’s Hospital in 2017.

As the biggest donation to a hospital in Canadian history, the money will support THP in building the largest and most advanced hospital in Canada, to be named The Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital. The funds will also help expand and redevelop Queensway Health Centre, which will be named The Gilgan Family Queensway Health Centre.

The new Mississauga hospital will replace the existing 62-year-old facility, and a new patient tower at Queensway Health Centre will be home to needed complex care and rehabilitation services at THP. These projects represent the largest capital build in Canada’s history and will add more than 600 beds across the organization, for a total of almost 2,000, to accommodate the significant growth in this community, and making THP the largest hospital in Canada. petergilganfoundation.org

Minto Communities GTA announces two new acquisitions

Minto Communities GTA announced the acquisition of two new development sites, including plans for a multi-tower, 1,300-unit highrise development steps from Mimico GO Station in Etobicoke, and a 27-acre lowrise community in Durham Region’s Brooklin neighbourhood.

These new acquisitions are the latest for Minto Communities GTA, which has been actively seeking new development sites. The company is also closing on a downtown highrise site in Toronto’s Parkdale community, and recently completed another in Clarington’s Courtice community in Durham Region.

These most recent site acquisitions are the latest of nine completed over the last four years, representing more than 4,000 units of development potential in prime urban and suburban locations. minto.com.

Dream Unlimited and Great Gulf Group selected to develop Quayside

Waterfront Toronto has announced it will begin negotiations with Dream Unlimited Corp. (Dream) and Great Gulf Group, known as Quayside Impact Ltd. Partnership, for developing the Quayside site in downtown Toronto.

The announcement comes after a competitive process, with four teams vying for the opportunity to transform the 12-acre (4.9 hectare) site into a community for residents and visitors to live, work and play.

The image shows the full view of proposed development’s building heights and densities, and are conceptual and subject to City of Toronto approvals, as well as review by the Design Review Panel and public consultation. Among the highlights of the winning submission from Dream and Great Gulf were proposals to create:

• More than 800 affordable housing units, more than doubling the affordable housing Waterfront Toronto has brought to the waterfront, with many delivered in earliest stages to address an urgent need.
• New public spaces, including a two-acre forested greenspace, plus a significant urban farm atop one of Canada’s largest residential mass timber buildings.
• A landmark cultural destination and multi-use arts venue that brings together space for the performing arts, Indigenous-centred cultural celebrations and flexible education spaces.
• Exemplary low-carbon development and innovations, making Quayside the first all-electric, zero-carbon community at this scale.
• Visionary world-class architecture that will raise the bar on design across the entire neighbourhood and create a visually striking focal point on Toronto’s waterfront.

waterfrontoronto.ca

Toronto’s ‘Rail Deck Reset’ holds public open house

To push the reset button on discussions about a new mixed-use, open space district above the rail corridor between Bathurst Street and Blue Jays Way, the team behind the project recently held a public meeting on the next phase of Toronto’s Rail Deck Corridor.

An important first step with what will be ongoing community engagement throughout 2022, the open house provided status updates for the project, introduced new project team members, and clarified next steps, including opportunities for public feedback.

Discussions on the future of this vital corridor have taken place over the last year between the City and the project team, including SvN Architects + Planners, Sweeny&Co, and McMillan Associates Architects, the original design architect of Rail Deck Park. The ongoing community engagement program for this project is titled “Rail Deck Reset,” to reflect how the project team, the City of Toronto, and the public together will explore the full potential of Toronto’s next district. raildeckreset.com.

Premier renames new transit line after legendary former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion

On Valentine’s Day, Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Transportation Caroline Mulroney, officially renamed the Hurontario LRT after the former mayor of Mississauga.

The Hazel McCallion Line will be a gamechanger for the growing areas of Brampton and Mississauga.

Once the 18-km LRT line is completed, it will link GO Transit’s Milton and Lakeshore West lines, the Mississauga Transitway, Brampton Transit, Züm and MiWay.

McCallion was mayor from 1978 to 2014. She celebrated her 101st birthday on the same day the line was renamed. metrolinx.com.