Evergreen Brick Works (located at 550 Bayview Ave, Toronto) is closed for flood clean up. Site access is restricted while we focus on getting our site ready. Picnic Café is closed and on-site events and activities have been cancelled. Please check back regularly for further updates. Thank you.
Published on September 4, 2026
After Evergreen Brick Works faces its second so-called “100-year” flood in two years, Evergreen calls for investment in sponge landscapes, green public spaces and climate-resilient infrastructure.
TORONTO, Sept. 4, 2026 – The extreme weather event that swept through the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) on September 2 brought almost a month’s worth of rain (100 mm) in a single day. The storm marks the second so-called “100-year” flood to affect Toronto in just two years, underscoring the need to rethink how cities define and prepare for extreme weather risk.
Like many other places in Toronto, Evergreen Brick Works flooded. But here, the site is designed with flooding in mind, and the aftermath of the storm is proving more manageable than it might have otherwise been. It holds important lessons for public infrastructure across the country.
“We were better prepared this time,” said Jen Angel, CEO of Evergreen. “And our site performed the way it was designed to: it let water in and then quickly let it out — much faster than in 2024. Just as importantly, our community responded with urgency and care. That is true climate resilience: it shows up in the way we build places and infrastructure, and the way community comes together to support each other.
The site was evacuated quickly and no one was harmed, aided by good flood protocols and monitoring, and a team trained to take it seriously.
Key programs were relocated quickly owing to supportive partners across community, ready to help. Camp went to Riverdale Park. The Saturday Farmers Market will temporarily move to the Distillery District on September 5, while cleanup is underway.
Evergreen Brick Works is located in the Don Valley and was designed with “wet floodproofing” features, meaning it works with nature, not against it. Its greenways, bioswales, gardens, raised foundations, permeable surfacing, and sponge grounds work with more traditional flood mitigation measures to help water pass through and quickly absorb back into waterways.
Following the July 2024 flood, Evergreen made improvements across the site, allowing it to respond more effectively. This included improvements to site drainage and monitoring, through both climate technology and nature-based solutions, enhanced waterproofing in buildings and finishes, and the elevation of critical systems.
Infrastructure needs to be designed for a new reality
Scientists have warned for decades that a warming climate, driven by the burning of oil, natural gas and coal, would make extreme weather more frequent and intense. Canada is warming at nearly twice the global rate, and even faster in the Arctic.
A new UN Environment Programme report, released September 2, says the world is widely expected to exceed 1.5 C of warming in the near term and stresses that mitigation and adaptation must advance together.
Evergreen works with communities across Canada to create climate-resilient public spaces and to protect the natural infrastructure cities already have, including Toronto’s globally unique ravine system. Working with private sector, community, all orders of government and First Nations, Evergreen aims to influence a different approach to infrastructure, challenging it to deliver high performance across multiple outcomes: for climate readiness, local economic development, and community health and wellbeing at the same time.
They are currently supporting projects from Vancouver to Halifax, that absorb stormwater, cool neighbourhoods, support biodiversity and reduce flood risk. Evergreen’s climate-ready work helps communities replace hard surfaces with living landscapes that can better withstand extreme weather and build community resilience through social connection.
These interventions are proven, including this week at Evergreen Brick Works, and they need much broader adoption across public spaces in Canada.
How you can help
Evergreen is grateful for the support of staff, partners, neighbours and the broader community following the September 2 flood. Their support has helped the organization respond quickly, relocate activities and keep community programming moving during recovery and cleanup.
Donations to Evergreen support their work to create climate-ready public spaces and stronger, more resilient communities across Canada.
Donate today to support Evergreen’s climate-ready work.
Evergreen is a national charity that has transformed public spaces in cities into green, climate-ready public spaces for over 30 years. Evergreen Brick Works, Evergreen’s headquarters in Toronto’s ravine system, is a year-round green community hub where people can connect, explore and play.
289-904-2636
tdavine@evergreen.ca
