New Rees wave deck makes a splash

By Kimberly Spice —

Under sunny skies, clowns, jugglers, magicians and the band The Tynes Family Funk helped celebrate the opening of the third wavedeck along Toronto’s waterfront.

The Rees WaveDeck, the third in a series of four, officially opened Aug. 8 at Rees and Queens Quay.

“We started late fall last year and finished it about three weeks ago,” John Campbell, president and CEO of Waterfront Toronto told The Bulletin. “These are what we call pinch points where it’s crowded and narrow and there isn’t a lot of public room so these are designed to open them up.”

The eye-catching wooden structures features include LED lights mounted underneath resulting in an alternating blue, red and green reflection along the water, extensive seating areas and a boarding dock for small watercraft.

Newcomer to the neighbourhood Ruby Day said she enjoys the expanded walkway.  “I think they are great for kids,” commented Day. “I’ve noticed kids always playing on them. I just moved into the area a couple of weeks ago. I think it’s wonderful.”

The $4 million waterfront wavedeck project will conclude with the fourth installment in approximately two years at Parliament and Queen’s Quay.

“It will be Parliament St. in a couple of years,” Campbell stated. “It’s part of the development at east Bayfront. It’s under development now from Jarvis going to Parliament and that will be finished in two to three years.”

Along with locals and visitors enjoying the deck marine life has received a helping hand with newly designed underwater habitats. The Ministry of Natural Resources Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Toronto and Region Conservation and the city have carefully designed fish-friendly and other aquatic life environments.