Toronto Star

Everywhere but in Toronto, this city's waterfront has become the object of international attention. Far-flung architects and landscape architects are trying to figure out the best ways to transform a derelict, severely damaged area into a place Torontonians can live, play and be proud of. Here at home, the cynicism continues. The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corp. brings the best practitioners in the planet to suggest solutions and we complain that they're from away. Local people are hired and they're not good enough to do the job. If there were any doubt that Toronto is its own worst enemy, look no further than the shoreline of Lake Ontario. Fortunately the tireless and well-calloused souls at the TWRC are able to carry on regardless – and that's exactly what they're doing. Last week, they organized a day-long briefing for the four teams that made the short list to redesign the Lower Don Lands. The important 40-hectare site includes the mouth of the Don River as well as the entrance to the Port Lands. It connects the communities being planned for the West Don Lands, the east Bayfront and the Docklands, which will eventually be home for up to 100,000 residents.