Item - 2024.IE14.15

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council direct the General Manager Toronto Water to report to the City Council meeting scheduled for June 26, 27, 28, 2024 on when detailed design for project 16-03 will be completed and when construction will be commenced; and as an alternative solution to address local basement flooding in the Winston Park Neighbourhood to advance the upgrade of the STM Underground Storage Tank at De Havilland (Mossie) Park as per the directive that was adopted by City Council in July 2013 and July 2019 under item - 2019.EX7.26.

This motion seeks a further update and information on the status, roadmap, outcome, and project start based on the Class Environmental Assessment Study for Basement Flooding Study Area 16 which was completed in 2012. It recommended project 16-03 to help mitigate flooding risks in the area that includes the subject property (107 Whitley Avenue). After the completion of the preliminary design in 2015, project 16-03 was found to be within the council-adopted cost per benefitting property threshold required for a project to proceed to detailed design and construction.

The local Councillor has been advised that the project does not have a planned construction start year and that construction timing is influenced by factors such as design and construction timelines, infrastructure coordination opportunities, available budget envelopes, and the number of Basement Flooding Protection Program (BFPP) projects in the infrastructure planning and design process. Toronto Water has installed a water level sensor in a sewer on Whitley Avenue but at least one owner has argued that this will not solve the type of flooding that has occurred in the area. As the Environmental Assessment was completed 12 years ago, there is a feeling in the neighbourhood that this work is long overdue and homeowners have incurred flooding, property damage and ongoing worry about the consequences of the next extreme weather event. 

On July 17, 2013, City Council directed the General Manager, Toronto Water to incorporate Project 16-03 in Toronto Water's forthcoming 2014 - 2018 update to the Basement Flooding Protection Program. In the same motion, City Council directed General Manager Toronto Water that if the cost per household threshold is exceeded, the underground storm storage tank planned for Anthony Park be separated out from "Project 16-03" and be considered for inclusion in the capital works 2014 budget for Toronto Water.

In July 2019, Council directed Toronto Water to upgrade the STM Underground Storage Tank at De Havilland (Mossie) Park to address issues with basement flooding in the Winston Park Neighbourhood, (as per item EX7.26).