Minutes Confirmed on September 25, 2012

The Board:

1.         Endorsed the following recommendations in the presentation report (September 5, 2012) on The Future of Toronto Zoo Governance by Mansfield Communications and Schultz & Williams:

a.         Create the Toronto Zoological Society to manage and operate the Toronto Zoo.

b.         Develop a Management Agreement with the City of Toronto to operate and manage the Toronto Zoo.

c.         Maintain labour agreement with CUPE 1600 (or their alternate). 

d.         Over time, reduce the City of Toronto's annual operating investment in the Zoo.

e.         Maintain annual funding for the State of Good Repair of City Assets.

f.          Create new partners and funding opportunities with the private sector.

g.         Develop a transition timeline to implement the shift in governance.

h.         Develop a plan to fulfill the Zoo's vision.

2.         Requested the City Manager, in consultation with the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Zoo and the City Solicitor, to make recommendations to the Executive Committee and City Council on a new governance model for the Toronto Zoo, with the request that the report entitled The Future of Toronto Zoo Governance provide a framework for the requested report.

3.         Requested the City Manager to recommend that City Council defer changes to the present composition of the Zoo Board of Management appointments pending a transition to the new Board in December, 2012.

4.         Referred the following motions to the City Manager for consideration and comment in his forthcoming report:

a.         Motion by Councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker

i.          That any new Board honour the City and Board's current commitments with respect to its animal collections.

ii.         That the Toronto Zoo invite the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) to be a member of the new Board of Directors.

iii.        That the new governance model include the appointment of three (3) City Councillors from the City of Toronto.

iv.        That all future documents, including meeting minutes, meeting agendas, briefing reports, annual reports, that would currently be considered public information continue to be public information under any new governance and operating model adopted by the Zoo Board of Management, to the extent permitted by law.

b.         Motion by Councillor Raymond Cho

i.          That the Toronto Zoo be audited by the City of Toronto's Auditor General every two years with full cooperation by the Toronto Zoo's Board of Management and staff.

ii.         That the City of Toronto retain the power to remove member(s) of the Board.

iii.        That the Board and its Committees determine the replacement of member(s) of the Board removed by City Council.

iv.        That any increases in admission fees to the Toronto Zoo be subject to approval by a two-thirds majority vote of the Board.

v.         That the composition of the new Board of Directors include federal and provincial representatives, past board member Dr. Ming Tat Cheung and some current citizen members with an automatic one year term limit, such appointments to be held no later than August 31, 2013.

5.         Directed the public release of the presentation report (September 5, 2012) on The Future of Toronto Zoo Governance by Mansfield Communications and Schultz & Williams in its entirety.