Item - 2018.GM29.20

The Government Management Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council approve an increase of $250,000 gross and $0 net to the 2018 Approved Operating Budget of the Economic Development and Culture Division, funded entirely by the Major Special Events Reserve Fund, for expenses related to an October 2018 event including costs related to planning, consultation and programming for the Indian Residential School Survivors Legacy Project.

2.  City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to include for consideration in its 2019 Operating Budget submission a request for $250,000 to fund costs related to planning, consultation and programming for the Indian Residential School Survivors Legacy Project.

3.  City Council direct the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture and the General Manager, Facilities Management, to submit costs related to the installation of the Indian Residential School Survivors Legacy Project for consideration as part of the 2019 budget process.

The Government Management Committee:

1.  Viewed a video submitted by the Toronto Council Fire Native Culture Centre and proposes that City Council, as part of its consideration of this item on July 23, 2018, view the video presented to the Government Management Committee on July 3, 2018.

In December 2015, City Council endorsed all of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's (TRC) Calls to Action and directed City staff to develop concrete actions to fully implement all calls to action that explicitly recognise the role of municipalities. Call to Action 82 was identified as one that recognised the role of municipalities. Call to Action 82 calls for the commission and installation of a publicly accessible and highly visible monument in each provincial or territorial capital to recognize Indian residential school survivors. City Council directed City staff to work in partnership with the Province of Ontario and local Indigenous communities to pursue the monument project.

In 2017, the City was approached by Toronto Council Fire (TCF) to partner in the installation of a large structure at Nathan Phillips Square (NPS) to recognize the experience of Indian residential school survivors, in fulfilment of Call to Action 82.

On November 7, 2017, Council adopted a motion directing the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture (EDC) and the Deputy City Manager, Internal Corporate Services, to work with TCF to determine the feasibility of the project and report back to Council in the first quarter of 2018. An initial update was provided to the Government Management Committee on April 3, 2018. Planning has accelerated since that time. This report provides a further update on the state of design, engineering, budget, programming and stakeholder engagement as of June 2018. While some risks to the project remain, and are detailed below, the project is considered generally feasible.  

The anticipated start of construction, pending completion of design work, for the project is April 2020. In the interim, a major event related to the project is being planned for October 2018 on Nathan Phillips Square in order to advance the project and the broader cause of reconciliation.