Project Background

TRCA, in partnership with the Town of Ajax, is completing a Remedial Flood and Erosion Control Class Environmental Assessment to identify potential long-term solutions to the flood and erosion concerns along the Ajax waterfront.

For over 60 years, Ajax Waterfront Park has served as a public recreation space and natural buffer between Lake Ontario and the surrounding neighbourhoods. Once agricultural land, the waterfront space now exists as public space with the Waterfront Trail, playgrounds, gardens, and the Ajax Water Supply Plant.

However, high water levels in 2017 and 2019 and a high wind event in 2018, compounded by natural erosion rates has resulted in hazardous or potentially hazardous erosion in certain locations.. To ensure the safety of park amenities and visitors for the future, TRCA is undertaking a Conservation Class Environmental Assessment to develop potential solutions for the shoreline.

Explore the gallery

A stretch of Ajax shoreline showing rocky beach and eroded bluffs exposing two long drainage pipes.

Drone photo of the shoreline near Love Crescent and Lake Driveway W showing erosion damage near the parking lot and Waterfront Trail.

Drone photo of the shoreline showing erosion damage and land loss on the bluffs, close to the Waterfront Trail.

A close-up of a bluff face with multiple Bank swallow nest holes dug into its side.

An informal trail made by park users leading to the beach along the Ajax shoreline. There is heavy vegetation on either side of the narrow trail.

A map showing an aerial view of Ajax Waterfront Park. A red and blue line is running along the shoreline, with red areas denoting high priority areas and blue showing low priority areas. Each reach is labelled along the line.

Aerial view of part of Reach 3, showing eroding bluffs close to the Waterfront Trail and other infrastructure. There is an orange fence on the bottom left corner closing one area, and several large tree limbs on the beach. Two people are walking on the beach.

Aerial view of Paradise Beach taken from over Lake Ontario, with a parking lot and pond in the background. Two people are walking on the beach.

Aerial view of part of Reach 8, showing rocky/sandy shoreline and park area, with the Waterfront Trail running along the bluff and then around a treed area. There is an exposed pipe coming out of the eroded bluffs.

Aerial view of Reach 12 facing east, showing a large park space with a playground in the center, bordered by the Waterfront Trail. The shoreline is a narrow beach and has bluffs that gradually get higher further east. Audley Road S is in the background.

Actively eroding bluff face showing holes in the bank where Bank Swallows have previously nested.

An image of the Ajax shoreline, looking down a bluff face on to a rocky beach. There is evidence of erosion from runoff along the bluff face and overhanging vegetation.

Phase 1 - Gap Analysis

Starting in 2021, TRCA and the Town of Ajax began a Shoreline Assessment and identify any information gaps required to fulfill the requirements of an Environmental Assessment. This assisted with determining the areas of concern along the Ajax shoreline and scoped the remaining data and analysis required for the next phase.

Click here to review a summary of this report.

Phase 2 - Class Environmental Assessment (EA)

After the Shoreline Assessment and Gap Analysis, TRCA and the Town of Ajax initiated a Class Environmental Assessment under Conservation Ontario’s Remedial Flood and Erosion Control Class EA process.

Class EA Overview and Goals:

The goal of a Class EA is to understand the full scope of environmental and community impacts a project has in order for the team to design the most effective solutions.
Part of a Class EA framework is including the public in the design process through engagement and feedback.
Any options proposed through this EA process are preliminary and intended to facilitate discussion before any decisions are made

Class EA Scope:

A Class EA will include Ecological, Archaeological, Coastal and Geotechnical studies as part of Baseline Data Collection
After Baseline Data Collection, shoreline protection designs are created with several alternatives to help select the most preferred solution.

During the Environmental Assessment process, technical advice is combined with public feedback received during this open house and public meetings to ensure an effective and supported solution is chosen to address current and future erosion concerns.