Item - 2020.EX14.3

The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council approve the request of the Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo, made at its meeting of May 25, 2020, that the City of Toronto enter into an agreement with the Rouge Valley Foundation that vests ownership of Pearse House to the Rouge Valley Foundation for nominal consideration and releases the City of Toronto and the Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo from all future associated obligations and liabilities, in a form satisfactory to the City Manager, the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management and City Solicitor, and to provide the Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo with a fully executed copy of the agreement.

This report recommends City Council approve the request of the Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo, made at its May 25, 2020 meeting (Item ZB9.3), to enter into an agreement with the Rouge Valley Foundation to transfer ownership of James Pearse House ("Pearse House") to the Foundation. 

Pearse House is located at 1749 Meadowvale Road, on land that is currently licensed by the Toronto Zoo from Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. In the course of negotiating the new Tripartite Agreement amongst Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the Zoo Board and the City, the Zoo Board confirmed that this land was surplus to the Zoo's operations and was available to be transferred by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to Parks Canada for inclusion in the Rouge National Urban Park. Once ownership of Pearse House is vested in the Foundation and the new Tripartite Agreement is signed, the City of Toronto and the Zoo Board will have no future obligation or liability in respect of Pearse House or the subject land. The Foundation will be responsible for securing a new ground lease from Parks Canada, for which negotiations are already underway.

Determining responsibility for Pearse House is the final issue to be resolved before the new Tripartite Agreement can be signed between the City, the Zoo Board and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, which permits the Zoo to continue to operate on Toronto and Region Conservation Authority land with revised boundaries. In 2013, City Council recommended a review of the existing Tripartite Agreement, and in 2014 authorized the City to enter into a new Tripartite Agreement as part of the conditions related to the establishment of the Rouge National Urban Park.  Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo have also authorized execution of the amended Tripartite Agreement. 

The execution of the Tripartite Agreement allows the transfer of Toronto and Region Conservation Authority-owned lands in the vicinity of the Toronto Zoo to Parks Canada for inclusion in the Rouge National Urban Park to proceed. This is in accordance with a 2014 Memorandum of Agreement between Parks Canada, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, the cities of Toronto, Markham and Pickering and regional municipalities of York and Durham to assemble and transfer lands required to create the Rouge National Urban Park. Under the same Memorandum of Agreement, the City can proceed with final steps required to transfer designated City lands to Parks Canada for the Rouge National Urban Park.