Why hundreds of bricks are appearing along Toronto’s shorelines

On first glance, it might appear that Toronto’s beachfront parks have been turned into dumping grounds. But if you take a closer look, you’ll learn that the hundreds of bricks that are starting to appear along the waterfront are actually there for a reason – and they also give a glimpse into the city’s history.

Several of Toronto’s most popular waterfront destinations – including Humber Bay, Ashbridges Bay Park, Mimico Waterfront Park and the Leslie Street Spit – are actually man made. And they were formed using construction demolition materials like bricks and concrete blocks.

“They were put in the lake to build a land base that the public could enjoy as a park,” said Nancy Gaffney, Waterfront Specialist for the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.

“So while it’s become very natural and very wilderness-looking, it is in fact a lake-filled park that has been constructed and it takes years and years to build these parks.”

Gaffney says most of the used construction material was likely put in place when the parks were built in the 1970’s, but erosion caused by recent extreme weather is now revealing the bricks, concrete and rebar for the first time.

“The last high-lake level year that we had in 2017 and the big storm that we had in April moved so much of the material around. It has actually compromised and undermined the more formal shoreline protection we had.”

Gaffney says the construction material is completely safe and doesn’t pose an environmental threat to the lake.

Hundreds of the bricks now exposed along the waterfront date back to the early 1900’s. Some located in Humber Bay Park West are engraved with the word “DON.” It’s believed those historic bricks were created at the now-closed Don Valley Brick Works. Others contain the engraving “J PRICE.” These were likely manufactured at John Price Brick Maker, which was once located on Greenwood Avenue.

Several other bricks appear to have originated at Milton Bricks, which was created in 1877 when the Credit Valley Railway passed through the part of the GTA now known as Milton. The company closed down in 1974, right around the time Humber Bay Park West was being built.

Conservation officials are keeping a close eye on the erosion and are starting to form a plan to repair the parks.

“We’re trying to determine what’s going to impact the visitor experience, what’s impacting the infrastructure and we’re trying to set priorities so we can fix those things that are critical and a priority for public safety especially,” said Gaffney.

Last year, the city of Toronto approved several million dollars in funding, allowing the TRCA to perform many of those short-term fixes. Conservation authorities are now undertaking a comprehensive study aimed at fixing some of the more complicated underlying issues.

But Gaffney says that fix won’t come cheap.

“We’re talking many millions of dollars, so we have to figure out how we can balance the city’s pressures and fix the waterfront sooner than later because if we let the problem sit for any amount of time we might find that additional damage is done and the price tag becomes much, much bigger.”

Here’s a closer look at some of the bricks and their unique engravings:

Don Valley Brick Works was created in 1889 and operated for nearly 100 years 

John Price Brick Maker at 99 Greenwood Avenue in Scarborough operated from 1912 to 1962.

Milton Bricks was founded in 1877 and closed in 1974. 

More pics from Toronto’s shorelines: