Government of Canada awards a $9.47 million contract to revitalize Rouge Beach and Marsh in Rouge National Urban Park
Press Release
From: Parks Canada
January 12, 2026
Project will restore habitats, enhance visitor facilities, connect trails, and strengthen climate resilience
Today, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety, and the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, announced the awarding of a $9.47 million contract to improve Rouge Beach and Marsh in Canada’s first national urban park. This investment will help restore habitats, improve visitor facilities and enhance accessibility in one of the park’s most popular and ecologically significant areas, marking a key milestone in Rouge National Urban Park’s 10th anniversary year.
Rouge National Urban Park is located within one hour’s drive of 20 percent of Canada’s population and accessible by public transit. It provides unparalleled opportunities to explore a diverse landscape of forests, rivers, working farms, trails, marshes, a Lake Ontario beach and 10,000 years of rich human history.
Together with the recent start of construction on the park’s new visitor, learning and community centre, the Rouge Beach Improvements Project reflects Parks Canada’s commitment to protecting nature, strengthening connections with communities, and enhancing visitor experiences across Rouge National Urban Park.
The project will focus on:
- a new, accessible 2.3-kilometre formalized trail linking Rouge Beach to Mast Trail;
- ecological restoration throughout Rouge Marsh;
- improvements to the upper beach parking area, including a new permanent washroom facility;
- an improved entrance with an accessible ramp to the new trailhead, beach and marsh; and,
- the decommissioning and re-naturalizing of the lower beach parking lot.
Shaped through extensive Indigenous, public and stakeholder engagement led by Parks Canada, the Rouge Beach Improvements Project will feature elevated boardwalks and bridges to protect sensitive wetlands while providing safer access to the marsh and beach. It will restore degraded wetland and forest habitat, enhancing conditions for native species and species at risk and include measures to address shoreline erosion and flooding, all of which will support the long-term resilience and sustainability of this popular area for wildlife and visitors.
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Quotes
“Our government is committed to bringing nature closer to people, and Rouge National Urban Park is a perfect example of how nature can thrive right next to our cities. This federal investment in the park’s Beach Improvements Project will restore vital habitats, enhance the visitor experience and accessibility, and ensure the long-term sustainability of Canada’s first national urban park – keeping it a vibrant, healthy space for both wildlife and people alike.”
The Honourable Julie Dabrusin
Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature
“Rouge National Urban Park is a jewel of the Greater Toronto Area, and our government is committed to preserving its natural beauty and deep-rooted cultural heritage. Led by Parks Canada, this project will strengthen the park’s ecological integrity and offer visitors and local communities a new trail linking the Lake Ontario shoreline to the popular Mast Trail. With renewed facilities, this project will create welcoming spaces for all while safeguarding this treasured landscape for generations to come.”
The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree,
Minister of Public Safety
Quick facts
- Rouge National Urban Park spans over 79 square kilometres in the Greater Toronto Area and is one of the largest urban parks in North America.
- The park is home to over 2,000 species of plants and animals, working farms, Indigenous heritage sites and some of the region’s most important watersheds and wetlands, and lies at the northern edge of the Carolinian Life Zone, a type of forest ecosystem that supports a rich diversity of life.
- Since the establishment of Rouge National Urban Park in 2015, several key milestones have been achieved including major land assembly and legislation, its first management and multi-species action plans, 137 restoration projects, 23 km of new trails, over 300,000 native plants added and a $21 million investment in a future visitor, learning and community centre.
- The Rouge Beach Improvements Project construction contract was recently awarded to Greenspace Construction Inc. – a Greater Toronto Area–based environmental construction firm with extensive experience delivering major infrastructure projects.
- To ensure visitor and worker safety, Rouge Beach and Marsh is currently closed for construction. Visitors are encouraged to plan ahead by checking the Important Bulletins page of the Rouge National Urban Park website.
Associated links
Contacts
Keean Nembhard
Press Secretary
Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature
343-292-6096
keean.nembhard@ec.gc.ca
Media Relations
Parks Canada
855-862-1812
pc.media@pc.gc.ca
Sarah Simpson
Public Relations and Communications Officer
Rouge National Urban Park
289-776-8489
sarah.simpson@pc.gc.ca
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