Item - 2017.EX27.8

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council adopt the Draft Toronto Ravine Strategy in Attachment 1 of the report (September 12, 2017) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the Acting Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Toronto Water.

2.  City Council request the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to consider incorporating the following in the final Toronto Ravine Strategy:

a.  the internationally recognized concept of "Ecological Integrity" to measure the state and health of ravines;

b.  using science available at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Forestry or similar centers of research to develop baseline information and address the capacity of the City and its partners to get the work done;

c.  incorporate the Ontario Invasive Species Act into the Strategy.

3.  City Council adopt the Ravine Strategy Prioritization Framework in Attachment 2 of the report (September 12, 2017) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the Acting Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Toronto Water, and direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the Acting Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Toronto Water, in consultation with the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) to apply the Prioritization Framework in developing future capital plans for ravine-based projects, beginning with the 2019-2029 capital budget.

4.  City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the Acting Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Toronto Water, in consultation with the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) to coordinate their respective capital plans to establish an interdivisional 10-year implementation strategy and capital plan for the Ravine Strategy and report back to Executive Committee in 2018.

5.  City Council direct the Director, Toronto Office of Partnerships, the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the Acting Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Toronto Water, in consultation with the General Manager, Transportation Services and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) to convene a table of "Ravine Leaders" to develop a vision for philanthropic and public engagement and a framework to raise third-party investment for capital improvements within the Toronto ravine system.

6.  City Council direct the Director, Toronto Office of Partnerships to identify an appropriate Toronto-based charitable organization to provide administrative and fundraising support to the Ravine Leaders, and authorize the Toronto Office of Partnerships to enter into an agreement with the identified organization on terms and conditions acceptable to the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the General Manager, Toronto Water and the Acting Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

7.  City Council request the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to review the opportunity for the City of Toronto to implement a program to allow, within its Parks and Ravines, small group, leave-no-trace camping activities for not-for-profit youth serving organizations, and to report to the Executive Committee in the first quarter of 2018.

Toronto's ravine system is the city's greatest green asset. The scale and scope of this urban green space system - over 300 kilometres and 11,000 hectares - makes Toronto the envy of municipalities across the world. The Toronto Ravine Strategy is a new and inter-divisional framework for managing this precious asset as a natural, connected sanctuary essential for the health and well-being of the City.

This strategy provides, for the first time, an intentional and coordinated framework, vision and approach to management of this natural resource through a series of 20 actions under the five guiding principles: Protect, Invest, Connect, Partner, and Celebrate. These actions aim to guide the management of the ravines and ensure the protection of these irreplaceable lands is balanced with their use and enjoyment such that they continue to function and flourish for the next 100 years and beyond.

In a growing city, an increasing number of people rely on the ravines as their "backyards". There are also billions of dollars' worth of infrastructure - from roads to pipelines - in the ravines. The anticipated impacts of climate change, such as large scale storms, flooding and erosion will also put stress on the system. Increasing the resiliency of the ravines will, in turn, increase the resiliency of the City to face the challenges of the 21st century.

Through the application of the Ravine Strategy Prioritization Framework (Attachment 2), the City will be able to prioritize areas where protecting ecosystems, controlling erosion, managing recreational use, improving access, and meeting and maintaining accessibility standards is needed. The framework will also start to identify opportunities for collaboration with internal and external partners and will identify projects to be considered in the development of the coordinated implementation and capital plan.

The Ravine Strategy will also create a philanthropic leaders' table on ravines. The members of this table, the "Ravine Leaders" will develop a vision and framework to catalyze third party investments in the system, as well as support actions to celebrate this unique and precious asset.

During consultations on the strategy, we heard from thousands of residents, stakeholders and interest groups. The interest that the development of this strategy generated underscores how important and timely the Toronto Ravine Strategy is. Through the implementation of the actions in this strategy, the ravines will continue to support the high quality of life that the City has to offer to residents, visitors and businesses.

The next step will be to develop a comprehensive implementation framework to be presented for council approval in 2018. This plan will include work plans, timelines and deliverables for all 20 actions outlined in the strategy, as well as associated costs to fully implement the strategy.