Item - 2019.EX10.3

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council adopt the Parkland Strategy as Toronto's parks planning framework, as presented in Attachment 6 to the report (October 29, 2019) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2.  City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to use the principles, Park Catchment Tool methodology and framework developed through the city-wide Parkland Strategy to direct and inform:

a. development of city-initiated local-level parks plans in Parkland Priority Areas;

b. prioritization of land acquisition for parks purposes;

c. review of development applications, and preparation of planning studies including new and under review Secondary Plans and Site and Area Specific Studies; and

d. strategic development of partnerships to leverage opportunities to support Toronto's parks system.
 

3.  City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to present the Parkland Strategy to school boards, other City Agencies including CreateTO, Toronto Region Conservation Authority, and other stakeholders, including the building and development industry, as appropriate for consideration in their facility and service planning and real estate strategies. 

4.  City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to report back to City Council on the advancement of the Parkland Strategy's objectives every five years.

5.  City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, to use the findings on parkland need through the city-wide Parkland Strategy to inform the future Community Benefits Strategy as required by Bill 108.

The City of Toronto's parks system is integral to its identity as a global, liveable city and contributes to health, quality of life, social cohesion and ecological sustainability. As the city continues to grow and intensify, the parks system will need to contend with the increased use of, and need for additional high-quality park space that is functional and accessible.

The Parkland Strategy is Toronto's new city-wide strategic parks planning framework, which will ensure that Toronto's parks system grows and evolves to support the needs of a liveable city. It replaces the current “LPAC” approach, which is outdated because that methodology was based on Toronto's 1996 population, and did not account for the impact of growth or development intensity. This report recommends adoption of the Parkland Strategy, which provides the City with a long-term vision and framework to inform future parks planning, decision-making, land acquisition, and park investment and development for the enhancement of Toronto's parks system. 

The Parkland Strategy is guided by four principles and strategic objectives:

- Expand - Ensure Toronto’s system of parks expands as the city grows and evolves.

- Improve - Invest in park improvements to support a range of functions and meet the changing needs of users.

- Connect - Extend the park experience by connecting parks to each other and between other open spaces, to create a seamless public realm.

- Include - The diversity of Toronto is reflected in its system of parks.
 

The Strategy was informed by extensive public and stakeholder consultation that occurred over two phases between spring 2017 and fall 2018.  An equity lens was applied throughout the planning and consultation process, so that under-served and equity-seeking communities were represented and issues understood.

The Parkland Strategy undertook a thorough examination of parkland need by considering six lenses appropriate to Toronto's mature and evolving urban environment:

- Parkland provision - a new methodology to measure total parkland supply available to residents within walkable access which will replace the current Local Parkland Assessment Cells (Official Plan Map 8A).

- Impact of growth - considering population growth and the impacts on the capacity of parks to support new and existing residents.

- Equity - improving use and activation in the parks system across the city to provide equitable access.

- Distribution and diversity - understanding the relationship between the range of parks and programming has a direct bearing on the capacity of the parks system to meet needs.

- Accessibility and connectivity - the ease of access to parks and the role of other open spaces to ensure a connected and versatile parks and open space network.

- Climate change - recognition that parks play a crucial role as green infrastructure to assist in adapting to and mitigating climate change.
 

The Parkland Strategy will provide direction for the City of Toronto to make informed decisions about how to expand, improve and connect the parks system so that it grows and evolves in an equitable manner. Twenty-five strategic actions have been identified through the Strategy’s principles.  Four strategic implementation tools will guide decision-making on parkland planning, acquisition and investment, they include:

- The Park Catchment Tool, a new parkland provision measurement methodology which measures the total amount of parkland available to residents within a 500 metre walking distance and accounts for the impact of growth so that future parkland pressures are considered (Figure 2);

- Updated city-wide and local parkland provision mapping (Attachment 2 and 3) that shows relative parkland need and defines low parkland provision as 12m2 and less per person;

- Parkland Study and Acquisition Priority Areas mapping (Attachment 5) that is determined by low parkland provision plus three additional criteria of low existing parkland supply, high growth and high percentage of low income households; and

- A Parkland Acquisition Assessment Tool that evaluates sites in a consistent, transparent manner and applies Parkland Strategy principles to guide investment decisions (Figure 5).
 

There is no internationally recognized standard of parkland provision per person. The new parkland provision measurement methodology determines that Toronto's city-wide average parkland provision is 28 square metres of parkland per person, including all parks within ravines and the City's Environmentally Significant Areas. When the parks within ravines and Environmentally Significant Areas are excluded from the analysis, Torontonians have on average, 8.7 square metres of locally-serving parkland per person. Toronto's parkland provision rates vary significantly across the city, with some areas seeing average parkland provision as low as 2m2 of parkland per person.

Toronto's parks are as diverse as the people who use them. There is not a one-size fits all solution to preserving, building and supporting Toronto's parks system across the city. Therefore, the Parkland Strategy provides a multi-faceted approach to addressing the range of parkland need, so that the City can ensure that the parks system remains sustainable in the face of increased development intensity and evolution of the urban environment.

The Parkland Strategy is the City's new, strategic park planning framework that provides:

- Park Catchment Tool - New methodology for measuring parkland provision and need that is responsive to growth and other factors, and replaces the current Local Planning Assessment Cells approach.

- Parks Planning Priorities - priorities for the development of city-initiated local-level parks plans in areas of need.

- Acquisition Prioritization - areas for parkland acquisition and shared-use agreements with other public agencies.

- Development Review - a framework to support the review of development applications and assist in the implementation of the City’s Official Plan.

- Planning Studies - framework to inform studies including new and under review Secondary Plans and Site and Area Specific Studies.

- Partnerships - Strategic development of partnerships to leverage opportunities to support Toronto's parks system.

- Community Benefits Strategy - Support future community benefit strategy work as required through Bill 108.
 

Amendments through the More Homes, More Choice Act (Bill 108), once proclaimed, will replace the mechanisms by which the City funds and acquires parkland, namely Sections 37 and 42 of the Planning Act and Development Charges. The implementation of the Parkland Strategy will evolve as the City begins to address these new legislative tools and requirements. As such, the Parkland Strategy does not make recommendations on an updated parkland dedication alternative rate given that the tool may no longer exist.  Rather, the Parkland Strategy will inform the future development of a Community Benefit Strategy, which will be required in order for the City to collect Community Benefits Charge from new development. The Community Benefits Charge will likely be a key funding mechanism for parkland acquisition and improvement.