The new Etobicoke Civic Centre will mark Toronto’s first civic centre development in 50 years once its complete. The project broke ground on city-owned lands at Etobicoke’s Bloor-Kipling precinct last week.
The design features more than 508,000 square feet of accessible public-facing space and includes municipal office towers, a podium-level multi-purpose council chamber, a child care centre, a new Toronto Public Library branch, a public health clinic for dental services and breastfeeding, a fully equipped recreation centre, ceremonial rooms, public meeting rooms, an art gallery and retail spaces.
Connected to these spaces will be a civic square with a Sacred Fire Vessel and two-level parking built below grade. Enwave Energy Corporation will manage a district energy plant in the basement level, which will provide energy to the entire precinct, making it Toronto’s first near-zero emissions community.
Project partners include CreateTO, Adamson Associate Architects, Henning Larsen Architects and PMA Landscape Architects. MGAC Canada is the City’s project management consultant and Multiplex is the general contractor.
The structure is targeting Toronto Green Standard (TGS) Version 3, Tier 4 and is aligned with the City’s TransformTO Net Zero Strategy to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions in Toronto. The centre is located on the city’s block plan to reconfigure the former Six Points Interchange that decommissions the site and unlocks 18 acres of land. The land was parcelled into seven mixed-use redevelopment blocks.
Once built, the new civic centre will be near five Housing Now development blocks including 5207 Dundas Street West that broke ground in August 2023. These sites have been identified for more rental housing development for at least 2,781 residential homes, 904 of which will be affordable rental homes. Plans for the area also detail 10,000 square metres of parkland.
Etobicoke residents have long been waiting for a civic space. “With the Council Chamber and municipal offices co-located with many public facilities, the new Etobicoke Civic Centre will truly be a people-oriented development,” said Stephen Holyday, councillor of Etobicoke Centre and chair of the Etobicoke York Community Council.
