Item - 2019.IE5.12

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee:

1.  Requested the General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation to meet with Sanofi Pasteur, and other necessary partners, to explore the feasibility of initiating future ravine stewardship programs, and report back to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee by September 9, 2019.

Several of Toronto's ravines contain invasive plant species, such as Norway Maples, common buckthorn and dog-strangling vine, which will, over time, turn the ravines into green “deserts”.

Given the vast ravines lands, the city is challenged to manage all the public lands let alone help address the issue of invasive species. As ravine stewards, there is a role for non-governmental organizations to help restore the natural balance of the ravines.    

Sanofi Pasteur is the vaccines division of Sanofi, one of the world’s leading healthcare companies. The Toronto location has been in operation for more than 100 years, manufacturing and distributing vaccines around the world. Located on a 22 hectare site near Steeles Avenue and Dufferin Street, the company is an important part of the Canadian public health system.

In 2010, Sanofi launched its corporate environmental program – Planet Mobilization – which includes Biodiversity. As a significant portion of Sanofi's campus borders along the West Don River valley, the company believes there is an opportunity to take a leading role in its sustainability and biodiversity.

Sanofi wishes to become an environmental steward of the West Don River valley adjacent to its property. The company is proposing to develop a stewardship plan to assess the current ravine health, identify problems and propose remediation with the goal of improving ravine quality. Stewardship to Sanofi means an ongoing commitment to proactively manage the ravine lands to ensure ecological integrity is introduced and maintained. As part of its stewardship program, Sanofi would commit to:

-  Develop a five-year minimum program,
-  Inventory and assess the state of the ravine lands under its care,
-  With the help of trained experts, develop invasive control and slope stability programs,
-  Undertake tree and understory vegetation replacement programs,
-  Engage key stakeholders such as community groups in invasive species control and re-  
   planting  campaigns, and
-  Proactively maintain the section of the West Don under Sanofi's care going forward.
 

Since Sanofi does not have the expertise in-house, it will seek help from external partners, such as the Forestry Faculty at the University of Toronto and similar organizations, to provide the scientific expertise to assess and help plan ravine remediation strategies.

Sanofi recognizes that to become a ravine steward, it will need to gain the approval of the City of Toronto and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA). Once Sanofi becomes a steward, it is expected there would be a monitoring role for the City and the TRCA. At the same time Sanofi hopes to set a precedent for similar entities to engage and develop alike stewardship programs.