Item - 2021.IE21.15

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council request the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to assess whether there is an appropriate weight and emphasis on Indigenous and local knowledge in Toronto's Ravine Strategy and Stewardship Manual, and that any further work or review of the stewardship manual include the Indigenous Land Stewardship Circle and any other Indigenous groups or stakeholders who wish to be consulted in the process.

2. City Council request the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with the Director, Indigenous Affairs Office, and other appropriate City staff, to consult with the broader Indigenous community on the implementation of the Toronto Ravine Strategy.

Toronto’s ravine system is one of the many unique jewels of our city, a series of distinct urban forests and river systems that play a vital role in sequestering carbon, managing wildlife, mitigating floods, as well as an important resource for passive recreational activities. While we are fortunate to have this incredible asset, the ecosystem and biodiversity of Toronto's ravine system has been in decline, subject to such stresses as land development, climate change, and land misuse. Ensuring the viability of these spaces will be critical not only for the overall health of our environment, but for all Torontonians as well. The Toronto Ravines Strategy and the associated Stewardship Manual review chart a path for the protection of our ravines, and the principles outlined in these documents will determine our success in this important endeavor. 

As it is noted in the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 2019 Special Report, key to our ability to combat the degradation of land and climate change is the role that indigenous peoples and local knowledge play in the frameworks we create. While the stewardship manual sets out to provide a guiding document for Torontonians to become stewards of their ravines, a greater incorporation of indigenous perspectives will ensure protection of these lands are guided by indigenous and local knowledge.

Wendy Strickland, Project Manager, Ravine Strategy, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, and Jeff D'Hondt, Consultant, Indigenous Affairs Office, gave a presentation, on April 16, 2021, to the Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Committee on the implementation of the Toronto Ravine Strategy, including the exploration of the feasibility of developing economic opportunities for Indigenous businesses that contribute to the goals of the Toronto Ravine Strategy and Indigenous place-making in the City of Toronto's parklands.