Item - 2024.IE15.2

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council adopt the Toronto Island Master Plan in Attachment 1 to the report (June 20, 2024) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation as the general direction in which improvements to Toronto Island shall be undertaken over the next 25 years and to coordinate with other Divisions and agencies and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and intergovernmental partners as required to implement the Toronto Island Master Plan. 

2. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with other Divisions and agencies as needed, to advance the implementation of priorities identified in Attachment 3 to the report (June 20, 2024) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation as part of future Capital and Operating budget processes through studies, cost estimates, and / or detailed design exercises as needed, subject to the capital planning and prioritization process for infrastructure planning and investment. 

3. City Council request the Government of Canada and Government of Ontario to continue to fund and support the implementation of the improvements outlined in the Toronto Island Master Plan, as described in Attachments 1 and 3 to the report (June 20, 2024) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation. 

4. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, to continue to engage with Indigenous communities, in particular the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, on the implementation of the Toronto Island Master Plan, and with a focus on components related to the Reconciliation Action Plan and as described within the Plan.

5. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with other appropriate divisions and Hanlan's Point Beach Working Group, to continue to advance implementation of priorities and initiatives relating to Hanlan's Point Area and Beach endorsed by Council through 2023.MM6.22, 2023.MM7.15, and 2024.MM16.25 as part of the implementation of the Toronto Island Master Plan. 

6. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to establish through future Capital and Operating budget processes a dedicated capital-funded position to coordinate Toronto Island Master Plan implementation initiatives, physical improvements to the visitor experience and related community engagement, including oversight of working groups to ensure a coordinated approach to Island improvements. 

7. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to report back to City Council by the Second Quarter 2027 with a progress report on the implementation of the Toronto Island Master Plan and recommendations 1 - 6 above.

8. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in consultation with other Divisions and agencies as needed, to report back to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee on or before November 27, 2024 on a work program to develop management plans to protect and enhance the Islands’ wetlands and Environmentally Significant Areas, including a summary of ongoing work, incorporation of Indigenous ways of knowing and targets and metrics such as the 30 percent natural area protection target of the Montreal Biodiversity Framework, and identify capital and / or operating resources that would be required in the 2025 Budget to advance protection and naturalization efforts in the short term.

9. City Council direct the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to establish the Toronto Island Working Group identified in the report (June 18, 2024) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, develop terms of reference for the Toronto Island Working Group and convene regular meetings in order for stakeholders, including but not limited to environmental, educational, business, community, and user groups, to participate in and advise on ongoing project prioritization and implementation.   

The General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Howie Dayton, and the Interim Director, Capital Projects Design and Delivery, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, Paul Farish, gave a presentation on the Toronto Island Park Master Plan.

Toronto Island Park (the Island) is a 242 hectare (598 acre) public park formally established in 1956 and recognized as a sacred and significant place known by Indigenous communities as Mnissing ("on the islands") since long before colonial record. Toronto Island Park is comprised of 15 discrete islands and internal waterways, providing a habitat for a diversity of flora and fauna, a natural recreational amenity for millions of annual visitors, and a home to over 600 Island residents.  

This staff report summarizes, and seeks Council's endorsement of, the Toronto Island Master Plan, see Attachment 1 and 2, which was developed as a long-needed response to the complex needs and significant challenges facing the Island. These challenges include the increasing effects of climate change, population and tourism growth placing pressure on Toronto Island Park's amenities and natural environment, associated maintenance and state of good repair needs of aging infrastructure, and a desire to enhance access and the overall visitor experience of the Island. The Toronto Island Master Plan is a generational opportunity to establish a vision for what this treasured place can become with strategic investments, and chart a sustainable, celebratory, and equitable future for Toronto Island, its visitors, and its residents.  

The Toronto Island Master Plan is the result of a three-year long collaboration and engagement with and between Indigenous rights holders, urban Indigenous communities, Island residents, Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ communities, intergovernmental partners, advocacy organizations, vendors, businesses, and city residents and visitors. City staff heard stories and came to appreciate how special and personal this space is for so many and how invested the public is in sustaining its charm, meaning and environments for the future. Improvements to Toronto Island Park should be carefully considered to balance multiple overlapping objectives. These include a "light touch" approach that prioritizes the ecological integrity of the Island, a "play and explore" visitor experience that continues from the mainland to the islands and back, and a focus on equity that "honours and celebrates" the deep Indigenous significance of the Islands, their rich 2SLGBTQ+ history, and the contemporary diversity of the Islands' communities' stories.  

This staff report describes how the Toronto Island Master Plan's strategic enhancements, program ideas, and overall vision will advance. The recommendations will provide City staff and partners the authority and direction needed to implement the Toronto Island Master Plan over the next twenty-five years. The improvements proposed for Toronto Island Park include better access, information sharing and getting around, protecting the environment, visitor experience, interpretation, storytelling and programming, capital, and operational opportunities that will collectively transform the overall Island experience. Action is already underway on these improvements including enhancing the visitor experience at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, flood and erosion works, restoring Hanlan's Point beach and celebrating its 2SLGBTQ+ significance, procuring two new higher-capacity electric ferries in the near-term, and undertaking a review of the business opportunities for current and potential vendors and concession operators.  

Funding has been included in Parks, Forestry and Recreation’s 2024 - 2033 Capital Budget and Plan to ensure progressive implementation of the Toronto Island Master Plan. In the near term (see Attachment 3), there are several critical projects that should be achieved to further enhance the visitor experience and protect the Island’s ecosystem and infrastructure from flood risks. Over the long term, implementation will proceed incrementally as funding and opportunities arise, and as detailed design processes advance. Further engagement with Indigenous partners, Island stakeholders, and the public will be included in all projects as they proceed. Implementation will also require coordination with other projects and initiatives across the Central Waterfront, including the ongoing Marine Use Strategy and the Port Lands revitalization. Finally, opportunities to secure intergovernmental investment via grants and collaborations will be explored to accelerate implementation where feasible.  

Staff recommend advising Council on implementation progress with reports every five years over the course of the twenty-five-year horizon of the Toronto Island Master Plan.