Item - 2024.IE15.2

The General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation recommends that:  

1. City Council adopt the Toronto Island Master Plan in Attachment 1 to the report (June 18, 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 18, 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 18, 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 2029 with a progress report on the implementation of the Toronto Island Master Plan and recommendations 1-6 above.

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. 

There are no direct financial implications from the approval of the recommendations in this report. 

The 2024 - 2033 Capital Budget and Plan for Parks, Forestry and Recreation includes an investment of approximately $141.949 million for initiatives related to the Toronto Island Park, Ferry Terminal, and Ferry Fleet Replacement, with $29.800 million for State of Good Repair related work and $112.149 million for service improvement as identified in Table 1 below.  

Table 1 - Summary of Investment Over the 10-Year Capital Plan in Millions

*Includes $5.576 million for Shoreline and Flooding and mitigation Measures 

For Toronto Island Park, there is $50.663 million identified over the ten-year capital plan. Of that total, $26.425 million is allocated to state of good repair works, including $5.576 million for shoreline and flooding mitigation measures and $20.849 million for rehabilitation of various trails and buildings on Centre Island, Olympic Island, Ward’s Island and Hanlan's Point. These State of Good Repair projects are primarily funded by debt, with a portion of shoreline and flooding mitigation measure works jointly funded by the Federal Government through the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund.  

A further $24.238 million is identified for service improvement projects in Toronto Island Park over the same period. This includes $23.213 million for the Toronto Island Park Master Plan Implementation over 2024 - 2033. This funding is cash-flowed for implementation activities to span continuously over the ten years of the capital plan in the form of multiple discrete projects. The funding source for these works consists of Section 42 Cash-in-lieu  of Parkland Dedication Reserve Funds from both local and city-wide accounts. There is an additional $1.025 million in service improvement funding identified for various improvements to Hanlan's Point and Franklin Children's Garden Wetland Restoration over 2024 - 2025, with funding from Section 42 Cash-in-lieu of Parkland Dedication Reserve Funds. 

Parks, Forestry and Recreation's 10-Year Capital Plan also includes $5.848 million for the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, with $3.375 million in Debt funding for state of good repair works, and $2.473 million from debt and Section 42 Cash-in-lieu Reserve funds to advance near-term improvements to the terminal and the electronic ferry ticketing system. 

For replacement of the ferry fleet and related infrastructure improvements, the 2024 - 2033 Capital Plan includes $85.438 million over the next three years, funded from a combination of sources, including debt, development charges (XR2114) and the Ferry Replacement Reserve Fund (XQ1206).  

The 2024 Operating Budget for Parks, Forestry and Recreation identifies an annual operating cost of approximately $5.280 million for the Toronto Island Park offset by approximately $0.340 million in annual revenue (excluding ferry expenses / operations), which applies to the years 2024 - 2026. For the years 2027 - 2033, an estimated 3 percent annual inflation is assumed for both expenses and revenue resulting in an estimated annual operating cost of $6.680 million by 2033 estimated to be offset by approximately $0.415 million in revenue. These above amounts do not include any operating impacts related to future projects that may be advanced as a result of the approval of the Toronto Island Park Master Plan. Projects implemented as an outcome of the adoption of the Master Plan will be included in future year budget approvals; implemented projects may result in additional operating costs and revenue. 

The full implementation of the Toronto Island Master Plan, including Near-Term Priorities, will require further capital and operational planning and collaboration among City Divisions and other partners including further public, stakeholder, and working group engagement as well as exploring opportunities for intergovernmental funding. Where projects align with other divisional priorities, the appropriate City Divisions will include these projects, as well as associated operating impacts, in future budget processes, subject to the capital planning and prioritization process for infrastructure planning and investment. 

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer has reviewed this report and agrees with the information as presented in the Financial Impact Section.