The fence near the Woodbine Beach end of Ashbridges Bay Park has been there since winter. When does it come down? According to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority's construction notice, the answer is spring 2028. At the other end of the bay, a new stretch of public shoreline beside Tommy Thompson Park is scheduled to open in spring 2027, so the park gains new ground before it gets its old ground back.
Until then, getting around this park means knowing two construction schedules.
Why The East Shore Is Fenced
Ashbridges Bay Park is built land. It was made from lakefill east of Coatsworth Cut after the wastewater treatment plant went in, and it opened to the public in 1977. Waves and ice have been hitting its stone edges ever since. The damage piled up in 2017, when Lake Ontario reached record high water levels, and again on April 14 and 15, 2018, when an ice storm drove heavy waves into the shoreline structures. When TRCA inspected them in 2019, it found the rubble revetment between the two headlands failing and both headlands at risk. The revetment went to the top of the repair list because the erosion behind it was getting close to the park trail.
Crews mobilized in February 2026. As of TRCA's October 6 update, Phase 1 was still going on the south headland, with armourstone being placed along it. Work had also started on aquatic habitat shoals along that headland's north side, built from rip rap stone 400 to 800 millimetres across.
The project also cleared what used to grow along the rocks. In the Beach Metro Community News report from August 2025, Clyde Robinson of Toronto Nature Stewards said TRCA would remove all vegetation four to five metres back from the existing boulders at park level. He said all the new plantings would be native, and that his group had permission to transplant native plants, mostly goldenrod and asters, before the clearing. The same report quoted Robinson welcoming the removal of invasive species along the shoreline, including ailanthus, the tree of heaven.
Getting Across It This Month
Most of the park is still open. On its project page, TRCA lays out what stays open during construction:
- Everything outside the work zone stays open.
- A segment of trail is closed because construction vehicles use it to reach the site.
- Dedicated crossing points keep the east–west route open, though flaggers may ask you to wait while trucks pass.
- Ashbridges Bay Park Road and Parking Lot 194 stay open, but construction vehicles share them.
The trouble is the distance between crossings. TRCA told Beach Metro that pass-throughs in the fence would make the site less secure and create safety risks, and that crossing points would be open "at key locations." Robinson's reading of the plan in that article was that the crossings sit near either end of the park. If you're in the middle, near the washrooms, you'd walk back toward the parking lot or down toward the lake to get around. If you bring a dog or small kids, that changes the walk. Decide which side of the fence you want to be on before you leave the parking lot, not halfway along the trail.
The Land Opening First
The second project is a lakefill landform beside Tommy Thompson Park. TRCA says all of its major structures were finished by May 2025. Its shoreline already looks very different from the east headlands. The landform has 14,527 square metres of cobble shoreline between its headlands, 6,170 square metres of underwater habitat shoals, a 3,142-square-metre submerged tree field along the Central Breakwater, and 5,036 square metres of naturalized shoreline with aquatic plantings at the breakwater's north end.
Both projects run on the dates below. The landform dates come from the Ashbridges Bay Landform project page, the east shoreline dates from the construction notice:
| Milestone | Project | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Major structures complete | Landform | May 2025 |
| East shoreline work begins | East headlands | February 2026 |
| Minor Central Breakwater reinforcement done | Landform | Expected end of 2026 |
| Public trails and site restoration done | Landform | Scheduled spring 2027 |
| Tommy Thompson Park expansion lands open | Landform | Anticipated spring 2027 |
| East shoreline work complete | East headlands | Spring 2028 |
TRCA says the spring 2027 opening is "based on current timelines," and a few compensation plantings are still to go in that spring. If those dates hold, the new trails beside Tommy Thompson Park will be walkable for about a year while the east headlands near Woodbine Beach are still fenced.
What Changes Underwater By New Year's
The work you can't see is also nearly finished. The City of Toronto's project list for the Don River and Central Waterfront program says the new Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant outfall was complete as of summer 2026. It's a shaft about 85 metres deep feeding a 3.5-kilometre tunnel mined through rock under the lakebed, with 50 riser pipes that spread treated effluent into Lake Ontario.
The outfall goes into service once the plant's ultraviolet disinfection system is finished. The City expects that system running by the end of 2026, about eight weeks after this post goes up. It replaces chlorine disinfection, though sodium hypochlorite will still be used when heavy rain sends extra flow to the plant. The landform has a longer job too. The City's High Rate Treatment Facility for combined sewer overflows will be built on it. That facility is still in design, with completion expected by the end of 2038.
There's one more thing to watch if you cycle. A City notice for Integrated Pumping Station construction, which is expected to run from mid-March 2026 to December 2029, warns that the work may temporarily restrict the Martin Goodman Trail sidewalk south of Lake Shore Boulevard East. Pedestrian access is to be generally maintained and cyclist access maintained.
November Is When The Birds Arrive
All of this shoreline work is happening in one of Toronto's best-known birding spots, and the birds don't follow the fencing schedule. The City's Birds of Toronto guide lists Ashbridge's Bay Park as a migration stop and a place to watch waterfowl, loons and grebes on the lake. It also names Coatsworth Cut for gull-watching in winter. The same guide says Long-tailed Ducks routinely winter on Lake Ontario from mid-October to mid-May, and it describes their flock calls as a characteristic winter sound on the waterfront. The park's eBird hotspot page lists 282 species across 11,982 checklists.
Coatsworth Cut is also where the boats come and go. TRCA describes it as the lake access for several boat clubs and a public boat launch, with sheltered water for sailing, kayaking and canoeing. The Ashbridge's Bay Yacht Club clubhouse is at 30 Ashbridge's Bay Park Road. Next spring, the trail on the new landform should give you another angle on the same water.
Back Up To Queen
Woodbine Beach Park has its boardwalk, bathing station, volleyball courts and picnic shelters, but the Donald D. Summerville Olympic Pools beside it are outdoor pools, and the City's drop-in swimming page lists outdoor pools as closed for the season. So once you're past the fence, you'll warm up on Queen Street East. Beach Metro's August 2026 coffee roundup lists these stops, west to east:
- Bud's Coffee, 1966½ Queen St. E. It's been in the Beach for 12 years.
- ESPRO Coffee Bar, 2102 Queen St. E.
- Judy's Beach Café, 2188 Queen St. E. It's a non-profit that offers job training and employment to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Remarkable Bean, 2242 Queen St. E. It's been open since 1994.
- The Willow Cafe, 2256 Queen St. E. It took over The Haven's space this summer and added desserts, home goods, events and seminars.
From the park, the walk up to Queen goes through the most rebuilt part of the Beach waterfront. The east headlands will be armoured and replanted with native species, the landform will have new trails, and the treated water from the plant will leave through a tunnel under the lake. TRCA has the east headlands finishing in spring 2028.
If you're planning to list a home within walking distance of Ashbridges Bay, the timing of these projects affects how your listing looks. A spring 2027 listing could include photos and a virtual tour route showing the new trails beside Tommy Thompson Park. Derek Ladouceur can walk the waterfront with you and plan the presentation around it. Book a showing or request a free home valuation.
