Taylor-Massey Creek is a tributary 16 kilometres long with a watershed that exists entirely within an urban setting. TMC was not zoned properly so adjacent industrial properties are literally inches away from its flow channels. Further, it is sensitive to pollutants from storm water outfalls, waste and garbage, and vehicle debris in the urban zone, where roadways are only a few feet from its natural boundary.

This project is inspired by Mari Luz Canaquiri Murayar and the work of the Federación Indígena Kukama Kukamiria for the Marañón River, for the first time in the Peru's history, a river was granted legal personhood—with the right to be free-flowing and free of contamination. Also, the Magpie River in Quebec became the first river in Canada to be granted legal personhood.

In the System of Environmental‐Economic Accounting (SEEA), we can confer personhood on a river by formally registering it as a natural asset unit with its own balance sheet of water stocks, biodiversity capital, nutrient flows and ecosystem service values. Under this model, the river “entity” holds enforceable rights—such as minimum flow thresholds, water-quality standards and habitat integrity—overseen by appointed guardians or a custodial board.

Every inflow (like rainfall or upstream discharge) and outflow (such as abstraction or pollutant loads) can be recorded as credits and debits on its asset account, and any development project that alters those flows automatically triggers a liability entry, as well as historical liabilities from poor zoning and planning. In this case of TMC, there is a history of liability from decades of poor land use planning that results in the toxicity and debris from industry lands literally on top of the watershed.

In the asset account, annual environmental‐economic reports will treat the river like a corporate body, quantifying benefits it provides (flood mitigation, carbon sequestration) alongside ecological costs imposed upon it.

By embedding legal personhood in a SEEA ledger, the river’s health becomes a quantifiable obligation, ensuring that its rights to restoration and protection are upheld just as rigorously as those of any human stakeholder.

By formally recognizing Taylor-Massey Creek as a legal person, Toronto can transform an ecological liability into a public asset. This approach not only honors the city’s historical and environmental obligations but also delivers measurable economic and social returns.

Collaborate for Taylor-Massey Creek Personhood on GitHub