Item - 2021.IE22.4

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee:

1. Directed the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to increase engagement with the City's residents associations and Indigenous organizations interested in ravine stewardship in the next steps of the development of the City's unsupervised volunteer framework and the launch of the Toronto Nature Stewards' pilot program, and to report back on progress in the fourth quarter of 2021 Ravine Strategy Implementation Status Update report.

The Director, Urban Forestry, gave a presentation on Increasing Engagement in Ravines through Partnerships.

In October 2017, City Council adopted the Toronto Ravine Strategy which provides an intentional and coordinated vision and approach to managing this natural resource on an ongoing basis. In 2020, City Council adopted the 10-year implementation plan and directed the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with other divisions, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and other stakeholders, to report back on a number of initiatives that advance engagement in ravines through partnerships. This report responds to that direction with an update on new initiatives since January 2020 that advance partnerships with residents, community groups and other levels of government.  Further, a Ravine Strategy Implementation Status Update report is scheduled for the Fourth Quarter 2021.

Parks, Forestry and Recreation and partner divisions were able to take significant steps to increase engagement in ravines and advance Ravine Strategy goals and priorities since adoption of the implementation plan in January 2020, including:

- Expansion of the student internship program in 2021, building off a successful pilot in 2020

- Piloting the 'Manual for Stewardship in Public Ravines and Natural Areas' with Toronto Nature Stewards

- Collaborating across divisions to advance Indigenous businesses opportunities that contribute to ravines and placemaking

- Awaiting confirmation of $6.2 million in funding from other levels of government for eight projects that will improve access and active use of ravine trail system
 

Partnership is a guiding principle of the Ravine Strategy and critical to the on-going health of the ravines, the connection of residents to these special spaces and the success of the Strategy. Through student internships, economic opportunities for Indigenous businesses, new stewardship programs and fostering key partnerships to invest in the ravines, implementation of the Ravine Strategy is creating additional and more diverse opportunities for individuals and organizations to contribute to Toronto's ravines in meaningful and sustainable ways.

It is important for youth to be connected to nature and have access to opportunities to explore careers in this field. In 2020, Parks, Forestry and Recreation partnered with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority to develop and deliver the pilot Ravine Youth Team, a paid summer internship program to develop job-related and professional skills and learn about career opportunities in ravines.  Additional funding in 2021 will allow the expansion of the Ravine Youth Team in the number and length of positions, as well as to pilot a free ravine-focussed mentorship and training program with LEAF, based on the successful Young Urban Forest Leaders program.

Indigenous placemaking and placekeeping, including the Indigenous component of the Ravine Strategy, are important steps towards Indigenous self-determination, improved health and community well-being, access to ceremonial space and connection to economic opportunities.  Parks, Forestry and Recreation and the Indigenous Affairs Office have begun to explore the development of economic opportunities for Indigenous businesses that contribute to the goals of Toronto's Ravine Strategy and Indigenous placemaking in Toronto's parklands, in consultation with Economic Development and Culture and Indigenous organizations and communities. A number of potential opportunities have been identified and the Aboriginal Affairs Advisory Committee has provided advice on the organizations to consult with as the City continues to explore these opportunities.

Every year, City programs engage over 3,500 volunteers in ravine stewardship. Yet these programs do not meet the demand and interest for alternative model delivery, and Parks, Forestry and Recreation has been requested to consider additional opportunities for volunteer stewardship that cannot be met through existing programs and staff resources. A comprehensive, coordinated approach and system-wide lens is needed to manage unsupervised volunteer stewardship in a way that is equitable, effective, and safe for the City, volunteers and community groups, and the natural environment. A framework that will provide legal and policy direction, as well as the avenues for communications, the City resources available to support these type of volunteer programs, and mechanisms to track overall impacts to ravine health is under development and will be informed by a 2021 pilot of the Toronto Nature Stewards' Manual for Stewardship in Public Ravines and Natural Areas.

Multiple City Divisions, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, other partner organizations, along with other levels of government, invest millions annually to address the challenges facing Toronto's ravines. This year the City is investing $82.5 million in Toronto's Ravine Strategy through $12.4 million in the 2021 Council Approved Operating Budget for Parks, Forestry and Recreation and $70.1 million in the 2021 Council Approved Capital Budget across a variety of City divisions as well as the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. The City of Toronto is also awaiting confirmation of $6.2 million from COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure funding stream under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program for various projects which advance the implementation of Toronto's Ravine Strategy.