Item - 2018.EX34.5

The Executive Committee recommends that:  

1.  City Council endorse the submission of the Scarborough Waterfront Project Environmental Assessment and Preferred Alternative to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change for formal review.

2.  City Council authorize the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to submit the Scarborough Waterfront Project Environmental Assessment to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, in accordance with the requirements of the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act.

3.  City Council authorize the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, in consultation with the City Manager, to pursue eligible funding program opportunities from the provincial and federal government for the Scarborough Waterfront Project that would not compromise funding opportunities for other City Council identified infrastructure priorities.

4.  City Council authorize the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to advance to Stage 2 Work Plan, and request the Interim Chief Financial Officer and the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to report to the Executive Committee with preliminary costing for Segment design and implementation, subject to a favourable decision from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change.

5.  City Council request that the cost estimates for the erosion control components, multi-use trail, and the waterfront access, along with any funding eligibility criteria be provided by Toronto and Region Conservation Authority as part of the completed stage-gate 3 class 3 costing and detailed design of each of the three Segments.

6.  City Council request the Toronto Region Conservation Authority, in consultation with appropriate City staff, to:

a.  maximize, maintain and/or create new sandy shorelines, including a further review of key sand shorelines such as Grey Abbey;

b.  explore ways to protect existing wave conditions; 

c.  include public amenities such accessible washroom facilities, through continued engagement of interested stakeholders during the detailed design process,

in accordance with the commitments made within the Environmental Assessment (EA), as part of the next stage of design and in keeping with the key Objectives and commitments of the Environmental Assessment.

 
7. City Council direct the Interim Chief Financial Officer and the City Manager to work with Toronto Region Conservation Authority to explore partnership funding opportunities, such as federal and provincial contributions to the Project, to accomplish the objectives as outlined in Recommendation 6 above.

8.  City Council request Toronto Region Conservation Authority as part of the City's budget process to make its first funding priority the West Segment of the Project, in particular the public safety issues related to the necessity for Brimley Road South to be reconstructed, subject to a favourable decision from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC).

The Chief Executive Officer and the Waterfront Specialist, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority gave a presentation on Scarborough Waterfront Environmental Assessment.

This report provides the results of the Scarborough Waterfront Project Environmental Assessment (EA) completed by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), in partnership with the City of Toronto; and seeks Council authority for Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to submit the Scarborough Waterfront Project Environmental Assessment to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) for approval, in accordance with the requirements of the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act.

The Scarborough Waterfront Project Environmental Assessment was initiated to study the feasibility of creating a system of publicly accessible and safe greenspaces along the Lake Ontario shoreline, between Bluffer’s Park and East Point Park which respects and protects the significant natural and cultural features of the Scarborough Bluffs (see Attachment 1). 

The Scarborough Waterfront Project is an Individual Environmental Assessment pursuant to the Environmental Assessment Act and Ontario Regulation 334. Through consultation with City of Toronto staff, a Terms of Reference for the Scarborough Waterfront Project Individual Environmental Assessment was developed for review and approval by Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change. The Terms of Reference was approved by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change on December 15, 2015.  The resultant Draft Environmental Assessment was available for public and agency comment from August 17 to October 2 2017.  Toronto and Region Conservation Authority is now seeking authorization to submit the final Environmental Assessment to Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change for review and approval.

The Scarborough Waterfront Project is an opportunity to comprehensively plan for improvements to and management of this area of the Scarborough waterfront, given the pressures on the recreational use of the area, the limited access to and along the waterfront and risks to public safety, while also providing an opportunity to manage and, where possible, enhance habitat integrity. Some of these issues could be solved on a piecemeal or ad hoc basis through current or future City Divisional projects, but this would not permit a holistic and integrated solution and would likely result in inefficiencies. The Scarborough Waterfront Project is a City-wide Project that allows for a coordinated approach across multiple City Divisions, in partnership with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, to collaboratively manage these issues with an integrated solution.

The planned scope of this Project includes shoreline erosion control and shoreline treatments for habitat creation, infrastructure protection, water quality improvements as well as nature-based recreation and a multi-use trail for pedestrians and cyclists along an 11 kilometre-long stretch of shoreline. Due to the size of the Project Study Area and long length of shoreline considered, the Project Study Area was divided into three shoreline Segments (West, Central and East) to facilitate the 'Alternative Methods' development and evaluation process. This allowed for the selection of Segment-based Preferred Alternatives, and ultimately an overall Preferred Alternative, that meet the Project Vision and Objectives.    

Consultation was a core principle of the Scarborough Waterfront Project, with consultation activities initiated early in the process that engaged with a range of interested stakeholders through a variety of forums and avenues. In response to public, agency and stakeholder consultation, the Preferred Alternative was refined to reduce the overall footprint of the proposed shoreline protection, with further enhancements to the aquatic habitat; increase the length of sand shoreline maintained; and minimize the size of cobble required along the proposed cobble beaches.

This report provides preliminary costs based solely on the work completed through the Environmental Assessment process to complete each Segment to support discussions regarding the cost allocation to each Segment of work. This Project will follow a longer capital planning and approval process and further costing analysis to be undertaken through the detailed design will support development of a Class 3 cost estimate (i.e., based on 30 percent or greater design at stage gate 3). As the Preferred Alternative presented in the Environmental Assessment is at a conceptual level of detail, detailed design is required before Project costs can be refined further. Any cost figures used prior to the completion of this due diligence work are for the purposes of addressing the scope and magnitude of work to be undertaken.

The Chief Financial Officer and Chief Executive Officer, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority will report back to City Council on an updated cost estimate and a financing strategy according to funding eligibility as part of stage gate 3, after the final decision from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change is received.