Item - 2026.MM41.23

Councillor Chris Moise, seconded by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik, recommends that:

1. City Council increase the 2026-2035 Capital Budget and Plan for Parks and Recreation by $100,000.00 gross, $0 debt, fully funded by Section 37 community benefits obtained from 203 Jarvis Street  (Source Account: XR3026-3701111.), to be utilized for the implementation of the Council Approved Allan Gardens Master Plan, “Growing with the City”.

2. City Council direct that the $100,000.00 be forwarded to the Friends of Allan Gardens upon the signing of an Undertaking by the Friends of Allan Gardens to govern the use of the funds and the financial reporting requirements.

3. City Council direct that the use of Section 37 community benefits be prominently recognized in documents and promotional materials, including on any construction hoarding, in consultation with the Ward Councillor as a requirement within the Undertaking between the City and the Friends of Allan Gardens.

This motion requests the authorization to release Section 37 funds to the Friends of Allan Gardens for architectural drawings for the Greenhouse Link Building as proposed in the “Growing with the City: An Ecosystem of Initiatives for Allan Gardens” master plan.

Allan Gardens is one of Toronto's oldest and most beloved public green spaces, open to the public since 1860. It was here that the National Council of Women of Canada was founded in 1893, and here that Toronto's first mainland Pride march took place in 1974. As the crowning jewel of Toronto’s downtown, Allan Gardens represents something rare in a growing city: a green commons that has endured, evolved, and remained open and accessible to all.

The proposed Greenhouse Link Building would double the conservatory size from its current 16,000 square feet to over 32,000 square feet – one of the largest in North America, surpassing the 28,944 square feet of the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington D.C. As outlined in the Allan Gardens Refresh: A Vision Document for Allan Gardens (2017) and the Growing with the City: An Ecosystem of Initiatives for Allan Gardens (2023), new greenhouses and outdoor garden spaces will be added.

A petition organized by the Friends of Allan Gardens has gathered more than 7,000 signatures across Canada – 2,000 of them in the first week alone. In addition to the proposed municipal contributions, private philanthropy, corporate partnerships, and federal investment has also been committed. Private funders have pledged $10 million toward the expansion. However, this is contingent on public financial commitments to the Friends of Allan Gardens.

The Section 37 funds directed through this motion will be allocated to the Friends of Allan Gardens to commission architectural drawings for the Greenhouse Link Building. Further funding for Allan Gardens related to the expansion will be brought forward in a future motion.