Ontario Place construction could dump sewage in lake, creating a 'preventable public health crisis': doctor

Advocates, local politicians and a Toronto doctor are raising environmental concerns about the provincial government’s redevelopment of Ontario Place, with some warning the plans could involve dumping sewage in Lake Ontario.

Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, Ann Elisabeth Samson, co-chair of Ontario Place for All, a grassroots advocacy group for Ontario Place, said the province alerted the City of Toronto it would begin interim sewage work at the waterfront as early as this month, with plans to complete it by March.

Ontario Place is set to become a luxury spa —  a build led by Austrian firm Therme. The construction would include altering the existing combined sewer overflow system.

“We're here to talk about sewage and the possibility of raw sewage being discharged right into Lake Ontario — the water we swim in, row on and rely on,” Samson said.

The province's unpublicized plan was to alter a sewage pipe that empties into Lake Ontario so that it instead emptied behind an existing breakwater, directly into the West Channel. 

The sewage change would prevent the pollution of a future public beach on the western part of the Ontario Place redevelopment, where sewage currently empties, the province has previously said. But activists are concerned the move would instead pollute the West Channel.

According to Samson, the provincial government “quietly” posted a “vague” notice on its environmental registry last year. After the public voiced concerns, she said the province withdrew its application. Now, Samson alleges it's bringing it back.

“What exactly they are doing is a mystery, since they have not disclosed their full plans to the public or to the city,” she said. “But this isn't just about sewage. It's about democracy.”

Toronto family doctor Samantha Green, who was also present at the news conference Wednesday, said it’s actually about health.

“The rerouting of combined sewer overflows will allow raw sewage to enter Lake Ontario on a regular basis, causing a preventable public health crisis that will sicken our community,” she said.

Green added raw sewage includes a concentrated mixture of dangerous bacteria, viruses and parasites, including E. coli, salmonella, norovirus and giardia. 

“The science is clear and alarming,” she said. “These passive pathogens don't simply disappear, they accumulate in lake sediments, where they can persist for extended periods even after the sewage discharge stops.”

And it’s not just people swimming in contaminated recreational waters who can get sick, Green said. Those boating or walking along the lake can also experience diarrhea, vomiting, skin and eye infections. 

That’s concerning for Charles Rishor, a yachting director at The Boulevard Club.