Item - 2017.PE21.2

The Parks and Environment Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council authorize the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to accept an in-kind donation of a monument valued up to $0.25 million from Organization for Toronto International Mother Language Day Monument Inc., in compliance with the City's Policy on Donations for Community Benefits. 

2.  City Council authorize the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to negotiate and sign donation and construction agreements with Organization for Toronto International Mother Language Day Monument Inc., subject to the City receiving satisfactory evidence that Organization for Toronto International Mother Language Day Monument Inc. has sufficient funds to complete the upgrades, and subject to the work physically commencing within two years, on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

The purpose of this report is to seek approval from City Council to accept a donation and enter into donor and construction agreements with International Mother Language Day Monument Implementation Committee, Inc. to establish an International Mother Language Day monument in Taylor Creek Park.

International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is an important annual event for the Bangladeshi diaspora. It commemorates an event on February 21, 1952 when four students died in a fight to have Bengali recognized as an official language in what was then East Pakistan and later became Bangladesh. The 30th General Conference of UNESCO held on November 17, 1999, unanimously proclaimed February 21st as International Mother Language Day to protect and promote linguistic diversity and multilingual education in the 6,700 languages of the world. This has become an important celebration in Bengali communities in Toronto, and around the world.