Its been decades since the mighty Don River fed into Lake Ontario through Torontos Inner Harbor. A levee, aptly called the north plug, stood in the way, that is until last week when the stop was removed, and the water sources were reunited at last. The north plug was taken out on November 8 at a ribbon cutting ceremony, eliminating the barrier between Keating Channel and the Don River, south of Lake Shore Bridge. The occasion marked a major milestone for federal, provincial, and city leaders looking to transform the Port Lands, an area on the eastern shoreline ravaged by settler-colonial industrialization.A crane removes the last remnants of the north plug (Waterfront Toronto/Vid Ingelevics/Ryan Walker)The project to rectify Torontos eastern shoreline, the Port Lands Flood Protection and Enabling Infrastructure Project, constitutes the largest public works project in Canadian history. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) is leading the $1.4 billion program. MVVAs master plan also extends public transit and cycling options along Queens Quay East, opening up the eastern shoreline to development. Now that the north plug has been removed, and with new transit options underway, the city has its sight set on a new island, Ookwemin Minising, where it hopes to build homes for over 100,000 people and createnew parkland.The restoration project is sited near a new bridge. (Waterfront Toronto/Vid Ingelevics/Ryan Walker)Today, much of Torontos eastern shoreline is infill land. But for thousands of years, before industrialization, the area was First Nations territory, and home to countless wildlife species.That all changed in the 19th century, when the city of Toronto was established, and the eastern shoreline saw its coast dotted with petroleum factories, and other industrial uses. The Don River quickly became one of the most polluted water sources in the world. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel flooded much of Toronto, revealing the downsides of infilling marshland to make buildings. Three decades later, in 1989, federal, provincial, and city government leaders got serious about fixing the problem, put their heads together, and began ideating solutions.The restoration also includes new playgrounds for children (Waterfront Toronto/Vid Ingelevics/Ryan Walker)MVVA first joined the project in 2007, after beating out two other firms in a competition for the commission. Its master plan will deliver new public parks, restored habitats, and mixed-use development informed by leading-edge sustainability and smart growth principles, designers said.Ookwemin Minisings planning is part of Toronto Mayor Olivia Chows Reconciliation Action Plan, which centers First Nations peoples in development processes.