Item - 2021.IE19.8

The Infrastructure and Environment  Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council authorize the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to execute an amending and renewal agreement with Toronto Botanical Garden to extend the original 20-year term of the 2004 Management Agreement for another twenty years, to November 30, 2044, with an option to renew, at the General Manager's sole discretion after consultation with the Toronto Botanical Garden for an additional ten years after that, to November 30, 2054, all on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.

The purpose of this report is to seek authority from City Council to amend the 2004 Management Agreement with Toronto Botanical Garden, a registered charity, by extending its term for a second twenty year period, from December 1, 2024 to November 30, 2044, with an option to renew for an additional ten years after that, to November 30, 2054.

Under the Management Agreement with the City of Toronto, Toronto Botanical Garden manages 1.6 hectares of space, including indoor facilities and gardens collectively called the Toronto Botanical Garden, on behalf of the City at the approximately 14 hectare site of Edwards Gardens.

At its April 24, 25, 26, and 27, 2018, meeting, City Council passed PE26.2, Growing the Gardens, to facilitate the implementation of the Edwards Gardens and Toronto Botanical Garden Master Plan and Management Plan. Those plans outline long-term improvements for Edwards Gardens - Toronto Botanical Garden to create a world-class horticultural facility and cultural attraction in an ecologically and fiscally sustainable way. The Master Plan and Management Plan calls for Toronto Botanical Garden to raise approximately $50 million in private and public funds for capital improvements to Edwards Gardens - Toronto Botanical Garden over multiple years.

To secure donor confidence in its fundraising plan to facilitate significant gifts, Toronto Botanical Garden has requested that the current Management Agreement be extended for an additional twenty years starting in 2024, with an option to renew for an additional ten years after that. Section 3 of the 2004 Management Agreement requires City Council approval in order to extend the term.