Item - 2022.IE31.11

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council endorse the recommended preferred trail alignment concept for the Mid Humber Gap to include the in-valley Concept 1A as per Attachment 1 to the report (June 23, 2022) from the General Manager, Transportation Services and the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation.

2. City Council request the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and General Manager, Transportation Services and General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to prepare the Final Report, issue the Notice of Completion, and put the Final Report in the public record in accordance with the requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment.

The Mid Humber Gap is located within Wards 1 (Etobicoke North) and Ward 5 (York-South Weston).  It refers to an 800 metre (m) gap in the Humber River Trail between Crawford-Jones Memorial Park to the north, and the Mallaby Park to the south.

The Mid Humber Gap constitutes a significant barrier to a continuous Humber River Trail system from Toronto’s northwest boundary to Lake Ontario and is also a barrier to delivering the future Loop Trail. The Loop Trail will be a continuous 65 kilometre off-road, multi-use ring trail that will connect multiple ravines, neighbourhoods, and trail systems throughout Toronto.

In 2019, a preliminary feasibility study was undertaken to evaluate trail alignment concepts that would close this gap in the Humber River Trail. The preliminary findings of this analysis provided strong rationale for undertaking a more rigorous evaluation framework.  This lead to the City of Toronto, together with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, initiating a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment study in 2021 to identify the preferred multi-use trail alignment for the Mid Humber Gap. Public input was incorporated through two rounds of public consultation which included virtual public meetings, Stakeholder Advisory Group sessions, online questionnaires and individual meetings with property owners.

Among the emerging directions, this report recommends the preferred trail alignment, an in-valley option, for endorsement by City Council. The recommended preferred design consists of an asphalt 4 m wide multi-use trail, including two pedestrian-cycle bridges and an elevated boardwalk.  From Crawford-Jones Memorial Park, the trail would cross the Humber River via a new pedestrian-cycle bridge. A paved multi-use trail would be built along the west bank of the Humber River through land owned by the Weston Golf and Country Club. A second pedestrian-cycle bridge would connect to the east bank of the Humber River on land owned through a private trust. A new paved multi-use trail through the land trust property would connect to the existing Humber River Trail at Mallaby Park.