Item - 2026.IE28.7

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:  

1. City Council delegate standing authority to the General Manager, Parks and Recreation, to negotiate, enter into and execute on behalf of the City any crossing agreement, crossing permit, or related document required to give effect to an agreement or permit necessary to permit the construction, installation, maintenance, repair, alteration, replacement and expansion of City parks, multi-use trails, roads, park bridges, recreational infrastructure or utility purposes, across, over, under or along lands or infrastructure owned by third parties, including, without limitation, any renewals, extensions or subsequent amendments to a crossing agreement or permit (a "Crossing Agreement"), on terms and conditions satisfactory to the General Manager, Parks and Recreation, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor, and to make payments of amounts owing under the crossing agreements or crossing permits, subject to the following conditions:

a. the General Manager, Parks and Recreation, is satisfied that the crossing work is part of an Approved capital or operating budget;

b. the General Manager, Parks and Recreation, is satisfied that the City infrastructure cannot be reasonably constructed without crossing the lands or infrastructure of third-party; and 

c. the General Manager, Parks and Recreation, in consultation with the City Solicitor on legal matters, is of the opinion that the terms and conditions of the Crossing Agreement are commercially reasonable in the circumstances.

2. City Council delegate standing authority to the General Manager, Parks and Recreation, to file any Crossing Agreement with any relevant regulatory or governmental authority (e.g., the Canadian Transportation Agency) if the General Manager, Parks and Recreation, determines that such filing is appropriate or necessary.

This report seeks standing delegated authority for the General Manager, Parks and Recreation, to enter into crossing agreements, or permits for construction of a crossing, necessary to allow City infrastructure to cross a third party's lands or infrastructure. This would include parks, multi-use trails, roads, park bridges, recreation infrastructure, and construction access routes, which are required to cross another organization's lands or infrastructure (e.g., railway corridors or oil and gas pipelines) in the course of implementing an approved City capital project. Delegating this standing authority would streamline existing authorities and provide a consistent approach aligned with other Divisions (Engineering and Construction Services, Toronto Water and Transportation Services) that have similar delegated Authority for crossing agreements granted through Item - 2013.PW20.4 for their respective infrastructure work.