However, shipping declined in the 1970's and industries with drew from the central waterfront as business sought cheaper, greenfield sites in the suburbs more closely connected to the provincial highway system. Railways, following their customers, also vacated much of their land.
By the late 1980's the Harbour Commissioners could no longer sustain their mandate. They had sold off about half of their land, thereby diversifying ownership of the waters edge, and were having difficulty maintaining their remaining operations.
Origins and Mandate of the Waterfront Regeneration Trust.
Responding to these and other circumstances in 1988 and 1989 the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario established a Royal Commission to inquire into and recommend policy with respect to the future of the Toronto waterfront.
The Commission gave careful consideration to public input and the views of the private sector as expressed in public hearings, roundtables and work-groups etc.
Citizens told the Commission that they wanted to regain public access to the waterfront and they wanted it to be clean and green, not just usable. This required, they said, a watershed approach. And citizens from outside Toronto's central waterfront wanted to be involved too. They wished to maintain the character and diversity of their local communities. Business looked for the reduction of government involvement and more flexible land use planning and regulation to allow them to pursue market opportunities.
The Commission completed its work in 1992. Its recommendations to reduce the Harbour Commissioners' mandate and transfer most of their remaining land to the City of Toronto's economic development corporation (TEDCO) were acted upon by the Government of Canada and the City.
More broadly across the Central Toronto waterfront the Commission recommended reconnecting the downtown to the waters edge, and expanding the mix of uses including tourism, entertainment, commercial, residential and open space.
To solve the access question the Commission recommended a trail and open space system along the entire Lake Ontario waterfront.
Overall the Commission recommended that all stakeholders should adopt an ecosystem approach, integrating environmental, economic and community considerations. A set of nine principles were suggested to guide waterfront regeneration.
Following receipt of the Commission report the Province established the Waterfront Regeneration Trust as the body to coordinate implementation of the recommendations.
