Port Lands gas plant emissions seven times too high for some building heights in new development: report

Portlands Energy Centre seen from CTV News chopper on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (CTV News chopper)

The proposed height of some buildings that are part of a new residential development on Toronto's east waterfront have been called into question after a newly released report found that a nearby gas plant is producing emissions seven times higher than the legal limit.

The report, an air quality assessment prepared in March for a proposed development at 309 Cherry St., found that emissions of nitrous oxides produced by the nearby Portlands Energy Centre (PEC) would need to be reduced by just over 50 grams a second to avoid exposing the towers upper-most floors to dangerous levels of pollution.

It found that if the plant does not reduce its output, all dwellings above 118 metres or about 35 storeys would need to be built without windows, balconies, or any sources of fresh air intake.

According to the redevelopment proposal submitted to the city, two of the four towers planned for the site are above the 118-metre mark. The two proposed towers are 49 and 39 storeys high (156 metres and 126 metres, respectively).

The findings come less than a year after Ontario Power Generation announced plans to expand the PEC, located just east of Toronto's Lower Don Lands, where tens of thousands of residential units are being constructed. That expansion, which saw opposition from city council, will increase the plant's emissions by nine per cent.

In a statement to CTV News Toronto on Wednesday, Atura, a subsidiary of the Ontario Power Generation that oversees PEC, said it regularly works with its current and future neighbours in relation to compatibility with other nearby land uses.

"The Portlands Energy Centre plays a key role keeping the lights on for Torontonians and ensuring Ontario's electricity system remains stable, affordable, and reliable," the statement read.

"It operates within all provincial public health and environmental emissions limits and when the Independent Electricity System Operator determines its power is needed."

Speaking at an unrelated news conference on Wednesday, Ontario Minister of Energy Stephen Lecce did not directly respond when asked if high emissions could deter residents from wanting to move to the area. Instead, Lecce told reporters the province would continue to work with the city on the project and reiterated a commitment by the Ford government to move towards a cleaner energy grid in Ontario.

"Look, what's going to put in peril our ability to build homes is a lack of power. The single greatest deterrent to building new homes will be the [lack of] ability to generate the power [needed] to build our economy, build our infrastructure, and build the homes that our families need," Lecce said.

The Port Lands is undergoing a redevelopment as part of the nearly $1.2 billion flood protection project, which reached a significant milestone in July when a newly created stretch of the Don River finally touched waters with Lake Ontario.