I'm proud to bring the first library to our waterfront, on the fast-track, as part of the Quayside development, and excited to keep working with neighbours to ensure this library branch reflects community needs.
A new Toronto Public Library (TPL) branch is coming and it’s the first on Toronto’s waterfront.
I love libraries, and it was a goal of mine since becoming City Councillor to bring this much-needed neighbourhood hub to our growing waterfront communities. I'm proud to bring the first library to our waterfront, on the fast-track, as part of the Quayside development, and excited to keep working with neighbours to ensure this library branch reflects community needs.
Quayside is one of the city’s most significant housing developments. The first phase of the development will deliver 563 affordable rental homes and 1,170 market rental homes. About 57 per cent of the affordable homes will be family-sized, with two, three and four bedrooms.
Located within the rapidly growing eastern waterfront, which is already home to thousands of residents, this development reflects the area’s continued expansion along the Queens Quay East corridor and surrounding waterfront. This growth has long supported the need for expanded library access closer to where people live.
The Quayside branch is part of a broader plan to serve the waterfront. A second branch is planned for Ookwemin Minising, the new island community taking shape nearby. Together, the two branches will give residents across the eastern waterfront convenient access to the programs, spaces and services a modern library provides. Population growth and increasing density across Toronto’s eastern waterfront support the need for both library branches.
The Quayside development reflects the strength of collaboration between the City of Toronto, Toronto Public Library, Waterfront Toronto and development partner, Dream Unlimited Corp. It demonstrates what can be achieved when municipal leaders, staff and stakeholders work together toward a shared vision of complete communities. This coordinated approach is a powerful example of intentional city-building in action – delivering not only homes, but also the infrastructure, services and amenities that support vibrant, connected and thriving neighbourhoods.
By integrating the library into the first phase of development, the branch can be delivered without new tax-supported capital funding from the City.
I can’t wait to open this new, vital heart of the community in the years to come.
There will be a comprehensive community consultation process as part of planning and designing the new branch. Community members will have opportunities to share input on programming, services and collections as the project moves forward, ensuring the space reflects the needs, interests and aspirations of the residents it will serve. Consultation will launch once an architectural firm has been selected to lead the interior fit-out, with that process anticipated to begin in 2028.
Summer brings more people and activity to our downtown communities. With more people out and about, I’ve had many conversations about road safety and making sure we can all enjoy our neighbourhoods and get to where we need to go.
This morning, I announced the first-ever library branch on Toronto’s waterfront at Quayside! This was only made possible through incredible partnership between my office, City of Toronto staff, the Toronto Public Library, Waterfront Toronto, and the development partners, including $9 million in funds that I am proud to have allocated from our legacy community benefits tool, section 37, to make this opportunity a reality.
What we know about the potential impacts on housing and traffic of Island Airport expansion based on any publicly available information.