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In 1788, Captain Gother Mann of the Royal Engineers, instructed by Lord Dorchester (Sir Guy Carleton, First Baron Dorchester) to conduct military surveys of the Great Lakes, prepared a survey and plan for “Torento Harbour.” The plan, dated at Quebec the 6th of December, 1788, covered a large area extending roughly from High Park to the Don Valley, and north of Eglinton Avenue. Mann’s layout for the area included a common area in the centre, residential lots around this area, and reserved government land along much of the shoreline. The ruins of Fort Rouillé can be seen on the survey.

Accompanying the plan was the report of Deputy Surveyor General John Collins, in which he advised that the shoreline was too shallow for wharves or quays to be practical, and that a prevalent west wind would make it difficult for ships to leave the harbour.