Mississauga residents can get a photographic look at the creation of a new waterfront conservation area through a free exhibition opening May 23, a week before the greenspace is scheduled to welcome the public.
Morphology 2026: A Photography Exhibition will run at the Small Arms Inspection Building until June 3, according to Credit Valley Conservation. The exhibition brings together work by local photographic artists who have documented changes at the Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area over nine years.
The gallery will be closed May 29, and opening hours will differ from day to day. Credit Valley Conservation has posted visitor information on its Morphology event page.
Presented with CreativeHub 1352, the exhibition is the final instalment of the photography project. It follows the development of a 26-hectare stretch of Lake Ontario shoreline, showing how former industrial land has been transformed into restored habitat.
The conservation authority says the photographs examine people’s connections with water and the landscape, as well as the collective responsibility for protecting the Great Lakes. The exhibition offers a record of the site’s development ahead of its opening as a public waterfront destination.
Terri LeRoux, Credit Valley Conservation’s chief administrative officer, said the project documents both changes to the land and the contributions of artists, community members and partner organizations to restoring nature and improving waterfront connections.
Conservation area scheduled to open May 30
The Jim Tovey Lakeview Conservation Area is scheduled to open to the public May 30. Located along the Mississauga–Toronto boundary, it will provide 26 hectares of greenspace for passive waterfront recreation, wildlife habitat and community connection.
Peel Region, Credit Valley Conservation and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority are collaborating on the project. Other participants include the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the cities of Mississauga and Toronto, community advocates and funding partners.
The exhibition was inspired by the late Jim Tovey, a former Mississauga and Peel regional councillor whose environmental advocacy helped guide the renewal of the Lakeview shoreline. The conservation authority says his belief that art could connect people with nature, environmental science and Lake Ontario is reflected in the exhibition.
Exhibition partner CreativeHub 1352 works with community organizations to offer multidisciplinary creative programming in Mississauga throughout the year. It also collaborates with the City of Mississauga on the reuse and programming of the Small Arms Inspection Building as a creative space.
