Item - 2021.EC26.15

The Economic and Community Development Committee recommends that:

1.  City Council request the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture, in consultation with the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation and the Executive Director, Municipal Licensing and Standards, to report back in the second quarter of 2022 on the establishment of supports and guidelines for Toronto's Business Improvement Areas to follow the Toronto Pollinator Protection Strategy.

In 2018, Toronto City Council unanimously adopted the Toronto Pollinator Protection Strategy. With the goal of protecting the more than 360 species of bees and more than 100 species of butterflies and other pollinators in the city, this comprehensive strategy laid out the guiding principles, priorities and actions that the city must take to protect our diverse native pollinator community.

Since adopting the strategy, our city's parks have become a thriving home for pollinators, with new additions being added each year. Unfortunately, our community's main streets have not followed this lead, as our Business Improvement Areas have been left to their own devices, without an established guide for landscaping or plant life on our city's right-of-ways. By creating a support system for our BIAs to help enhance the existing Toronto Pollinator Protection Strategy, we can ensure the strategy continues to expand its impact across Toronto.