Toronto City Council Infrastructure and Environment Committee, 9 Sep 2019

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From YouTube: Infrastructure and Environment Committee - September 9, 2019

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Infrastructure and Environment Committee, meeting 7, September 9, 2019
Agenda and background materials:
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/decisionBodyProfile.do?function=doPrepare&meetingId=15446

Meeting Navigation:
0:09:32 - Call to order

Agenda Items:
0:11:40 - IE7.1 - Amendment of Blanket Contract No. 47021609 to Upper Canada Road Services Inc., for the Provision of Durable Pavement Markings (Ward All)
0:12:14 - IE7.2 - Contract Award for Tender Call 324-2018 for Liquid Train Upgrades at the Highland Creek Treatment Plant and Amendment to Purchase Order 6041201 for Professional Services during Construction (Ward 25)
0:12:52 - IE7.3 - Amendment of Contract No. 47017734 for the Supply and Delivery of Sodium Hypochlorite for Toronto Water, Wastewater Treatment Plants (Ward All)
0:13:17 - IE7.4 - Amendment to Expired Contract 47021093 - SUPCO Construction Ltd. for Backhoe Services with Operators (Ward All)
0:13:36 - IE7.5 - Amendment to Blanket Contract No. 47021220 for Hydraulic Flushing, Cleaning, and Closed Circuit Television Inspection of Both Service Lateral Drains and Main-line Sewers with Pipetek Infrastructure Services Inc. (Ward All)
0:14:13 - IE7.6 - Amendment to Contract 47020635 for the Installation of New Residential Water and Sewer Connections and Associated Works within Scarborough Districts with OJCR Construction Ltd. (Ward 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
0:14:41 - IE7.7 - Non-Competitive Contract with Lands and Forests Consulting for Prescribed Burn Services in 2020-2024 (Ward 3, 4)
0:18:54 - IE7.8 - Toronto Biodiversity Strategy (Ward All)
2:30:31 - IE7.9 - Number of Tickets Issued and Charges Laid Against Builders for Failure to Protect City Trees (Ward All)
2:40:37 - IE7.10 - Proposed Wastewater Energy Transfer Pilot Projects (Ward All)
2:57:16 - IE7.11 - 2020 Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health (Ward All)
2:57:53 - IE7.12 - Congestion Management Plan Status Report (Ward All)
2:58:20 - IE7.13 - E-Scooter Oversight and Management (Ward All)

A

A

Well, good morning, everybody.

A

A

Counselors members of the public welcome to meeting seven of the infrastructure environment committee, guys guys guys you had all summer to talk about that stuff.

A

Councilors committee members we're down to business all those summers technically not over here it is welcome to members of the committee, other members of the Council in attendance if they come and, of course, members of the public for those in the room with us. The screen at the back of the room provides real-time updates concerning where we are in the agenda. What's coming up next, of course, you can follow the agenda and debate on your computer tablet or smartphone at Toronto dot, CA, backslash Council.

A

We ignore the land we were meeting on is the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississauga of the credit, the ashwin obby, the Chippewa, the Honda shoji and the wind up people's is now home to many diverse First, Nations, Inuit and maytee people. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by treaty. Thirteen with the Mississauga of the credit.

A

Are there any declarations of interest into the municipal conflict of interest? Act none confirmation of the minutes from the June 27 2000 19 meeting with my counselor McCulloch V, all those in favor opposed that is carried.

A

So, let's, let's run through the agenda item, 7.1 amendment to blanket contract to Upper Canada Road services, provision of durable pavement markings just to bring to your attention. Some of these procurement issues are existing contracts in which we're adding, which always gets attention on. Why we're renegotiating these for extra money? If you want to hold any of them just to find out why we're where we have to top them up? That's fine! Someone.

A

Then that's not what's but I'm, just saying when we seven one actually does add an amount of 350,000.

A

You want to hold it. That's fine! If you want to move it, it's a small amount, moved by Councillor call all those in favor hmm you want to hold it pose those. It was a lot of money. When I was your age council leading 7.2 contract award for tender for liquid train upgrades to the high Creek Island Creek treatment.

A

Yeah we we, we did, move it and it carried it. It's been adopted a 7.2 contract award for tender call for liquid train upgrades at Highland Creek treatment plant, an amendment to purchase order, amendment moved by Councillor McKelvey, all those in favor opposed that is carried item number three, amendment of contract for supply and delivery of sodium hypochlorite for toronto, water wastewater treatment plants, adding an additional five hundred and fifty two thousand dollars to the contract.

A

What would you like to do.

A

Moved by Councillor call all those in favor pose that is carried item for amendment to expired contracts, up co, construction for backhoe services with operators.

A

Once again, an additional amount, councillor Cole, is holding number four amendment to blanket contract for hydraulic. This is item seven point: five amendments, a blanket contract, hydraulic flushing, cleaning and closed circuit television, inspection of both service, lateral drains and mainline sewers with pipe Tyco pipe tech infrastructure, Services Inc. Once again, an additional amount added to the existing contract.

A

Councillor McKelvey is moving it all. Those in favor opposed it's carried item, seven point six amendment to contract for the installation of new residential water and sewer connections with associated works within scarborough districts and OJC. Our construction limited additional amount of four hundred and thirty two thousand dollars moved by Councillor McKelvey. All those in favor pose that is carried item; seven, seven, non-competitive contract with lands and forests for consulting for prescribed, burn services, 2020 2024, I'll.

B

Move the staff recommendations, councilman.

A

Is moving seven point: seven, all those in favor pose that is carried so seven point. Eight is being held for presentation and speakers, so I will hold that and seven point nine.

A

It's a report for information, number of tickets issued and charges laid against builders for failures or to protect city trees, gonna hold it for discussion or just move it. That's some questions. Okay, counselor Layton is holding seven point. Nine seven ten is held for speakers.

A

And 7-eleven 2020 Canada Ontario agreement respecting Great Lakes, water quality and ecosystem health.

B

Maybe if we could just get staff to when the item comes up mentioned, some of the top line items lose here anyhow, so he could just give us a very quick.

A

7-Eleven in councillor Layton's name, thank you. We have a new item.

A

Okay, councillor minute, one has as emotion as everyone taking a look at it. I'll read it out and there's this scooters motion so councilman Wong is, is moving a new item onto the agenda that the infrastructure and planning committee aware the infrastructure and Environment Committee requests yeah.

A

Please stop okay and Environment Committee I'll make that amendment here requests the general manager, transportation services provided up to in the congestion management plan. The next meeting of the committee I would move to add that to the agenda I.

A

Will move that to add that to the agenda all those in favor opposed that is carried and I'm taking care of emotion, because it's rather urgent item, because of some timelines with the province to move a motion for discussion here on East gouta oversight and management to meet some deadlines with the province and some looking for some direction from committee, and it builds on an earlier motion that has been adopted by this committee from April 25th, 2019 I, believe that was councillor Layton's motion as well.

A

This is just introduced.

A

The reason this is coming and I'm just almost moving it on behalf of staff is a September 12th deadline to get feedback from municipalities on provincial changes to in the regulatory framework on e on e scooters.

A

Just to add it to the agenda, all those in favor posed and that is Kerry.

A

So we're already on item 7.8, I, believe staff have a presentation. So we can hear the presentation then we'll go to Deputy ents and then we'll go to committee.

A

Thank you very much for your report. Normally, we we allocate 10 minutes for presentations, I hope that will suffice.

C

Good morning, everybody, my name is Jane Welsh I'm project manager with City Planning I'm here with my colleague, Kim Statham she's, acting manager in parks, forestry and Recreation and I'm here also with colleagues from City, Planning, PFN, R, and also the Toronto and region Conservation Authority.

C

The forward at the Toronto biodiversity strategy, which was written by an indigenous member of the advisory group, she talks about the fact that Toronto was named for the mohawk word meeting, where there are trees in the water and that really describes a deep-rooted and meaningful relationship and natural stewardship between the people and this place.

C

Mister biodiversity loss is an issue, that's global wide and it's unprecedent the amount of biodiversity that we're losing on a daily basis throughout the world. So the biodiversity strategy really aligns itself and supports, and it's consistent with international policies such as United, Nations and also Canada and Ontario biodiversity strategies.

C

It implements the policies of the Toronto, Official Plan and also aligns and supports with supports the resilience strategy, the pollinator protection strategy and the ravine strategy, and importantly, it aligns with and addresses three issues that cross over both biodiversity and ravines, and that is management of invasive species, ecological integrity and the planting of native plants.

C

So InterVarsity refers simply put to the variety of species and among species in Toronto we're very fortunate. We have a very bio, diverse, rich region where were bordered by two major forest zones were on the fly away from migratory birds, and surprisingly, almost 14% of the city is actually provides habitat and interesting enough. There was a study that the conservation authority and the city did last year and that ravines provide 822 million dollars of ecosystem services every year on an annual basis and ecosystem services. We mean protection from erosion, stormwater management reduc.

C

You know, relief from heat, recreation opportunities and mental health. So it's quite amazing. So we've been thinking about biodiversity for a long time. The city we produced a series of biodiversity, booklets, we've just reprinted the birds of Toronto copy and councillor Layton, had suggested some time ago that we, the city, should prepare a biodiversity strategy, and we did that and that draft was before committee a year ago. Since then, we've undertaken substantive consultation with the public. We had four public meetings.

C

We constituted an expert advisory group which consists of members of the Rowland Terry museum, the Conservation, Authority Toronto, Field nationalist, protect nature, the Ontario invasive plant, Council flap and representatives from the University of Toronto, York and Ryerson. So it's quite substantive. We had four public open houses. We also had two workshops with the Toronto Bourbon revitalization Study Group, so we had great feedback and it made a lot of changes into the draft strategy to the product you have before you today strong support for the biodiversity strategy.

C

We need to consider ecological integrity, we need more opportunities for citizen stewardship. We need more awareness of biodiversity and also to promote native species to do better management of invasive species and that we have authentic, meaningful engagement with indigenous communities.

D

The biodiversity strategy is a coordinated effort providing a long term roadmap that identifies and aligns interdivisional and interagency policies, operations and actions into one document. The purpose of the biodiversity strategy is, to first and foremost, protect the health of our existing natural areas and, secondly, to restore the and enhance the quality and quantity of habitats across the city within and beyond natural areas.

D

It aims to increase public awareness, the enormous value of nature and biodiversity in the city, and, finally, it acknowledges the work that has been going on for decades related to protecting and enhancing our natural areas and identifies new opportunities and the gaps that we need to fill to improve our coordinated efforts.

D

We recognize that there are significant threats to Toronto's biodiversity. These include habitat loss through growth and development, invasive species that compromise the growth of native species, climate change, which is causing extreme weather events and longer growing seasons which may displace native species and allow non-native species to become more prolific and stresses from act, human activities which, of course happen on public, as well as on private land.

D

The city and partners like that Toronto and region Conservation Authority, have been leading work to improve conditions for biodiversity for decades. Toronto's official plan leads all work through strong parks and open space and natural heritage policies which allow city bylaws to regulate activities related to trees, ravines natural features and green roofs. Toronto Serban forestry branch engages the community in Toronto's parks, ravines and natural areas and in 2018 alone, hosted over 260 events engaging over 3,700 volunteers who planted close to 20,000 native trees, shrubs and wildflowers.

D

The City of Toronto actively manages invasive plant species in 72 sites across ravines and natural areas, and in an additional 46 of Toronto's environmentally significant areas. A request for proposals to develop a framework for best management practices for all of Toronto CSAs is anticipated to be awarded early next year.

D

Finally, Toronto supports biodiversity across the built form in the public realm through initiatives such as the Toronto green standard and Toronto's Green Streets I just want to take a minute to note that through the TRC A's watershed report card system in the past, Toronto has received a collective grade of D. I. Just wanted to highlight that this is an estimated average of all the watersheds and applies to four major of groundwater quality, surface water quality, forest conditions and land cover. But to be clear, this is not a measurement of biodiversity.

D

The biodiversity strategy is recommending that the city, TRCA and partners develop an ecological integrity monitoring framework, as there is an opportunity to better, monitor and evaluate Toronto's biodiversity, which can complement the citizen. Science monitoring and reporting efforts which we currently support within environmental and academic institutions like the Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto.

C

The biodiversity strategy consists of a vision, ten principles and 23 actions. The principles include that biters is fundamental to health. It's key to resilience. We need to use ecological integrity to assess that health and to guide the management, and we need to measure and report on results.

C

The 23 actions include developing an ecological integrity, monitoring framework, reviewing policies and bylaws for more opportunities to support by adversity, to identify priorities straight sites for restoration, to advance plans and programs for the management of invasives, to expand the urban biodiversity booklet series and to develop a guide on backyard biodiversity.

C

Most of the 23 actions can be accommodated within our existing work plans. The point of this document is really that it's an umbrella document is a coordinated across city divisions and between agency partners, so that all pieces around biodiversity are in one place and, of course, many of the actions tie directly with the ravine strategy. Implementation report has four recommendations. One is adopting the strategy.

C

Two is to develop an ecological integrity, monitoring and reporting framework through the ecosystem services working group, and this group had been established with the adoption of the ravine strategy by Council three to continue to work on implementing the management of invasives and to undertake a review of gaps and opportunities to improve that again through the ecosystem services working group and then finally, for to adopt a resolution for the City of Toronto to join the biophilic cities network.

C

Thank you and that concludes our presentation.

A

Great, thank you very much now. What we can do is move right to deputations and then answer questions of staff later or, if you have specific questions related to the presentation, we can ask them now we'll do deputations. Okay. Thank you very much for your presentation and your report and we'll come to questions for staff. A little later.

A

Laura Curran.

E

Hi so we're Laura, Curran and Lauren South we're presenting together, okay.

A

Great. Thank you very much.

A

I'm I'm waiting for the presentation, we're.

E

Just having a technical difficulty.

A

We have lots of others, but we will listen to this one.

E

A

A

E

We're ready now, okay,.

A

Great. Thank you very much. All.

E

Right I'm, Laura Curran, and this is Lauren South and we're both University of Toronto students studying forestry in our undergrads. So we're here today to talk to you guys about Japanese knotweed in Toronto's ravines, which highly affect biodiversity in the city as a whole.

E

So Laura and I here are here today, speaking with you about Japanese knotweed, because we spent all summer studying it in Moorpark, ravine and Park Drive reservation lands. Japanese knotweed is an invasive herbaceous species that is regulated by the Ontario invasive species act where it's designated as restricted. It can grow up to 3 metres tall metres tall in one growing season, and it spreads very easily which makes it a big problem.

E

The area that we studied was composed of two ESA s or environmentally significant areas of the 86 ESA is created by City Council many are found within ravine land. Yes, aids are considered priority areas for management. According to the Toronto ravine strategy.

E

From our experience this summer, we do not think that current management is sufficient, particularly when it comes to Japanese knotweed.

E

All right, Japanese knotweed, devastates both infrastructure and native ecology, although it is a large problem in the ravines Japanese knotweed is also prevalent in city alleyways and even in people's yards. Japanese knotweed causes structural damage to building foundations and two other great infrastructure. This is because it can grow through up to 8 centimeters thick of concrete in the UK. It has even become such a problem that it decreases home values and makes it difficult to obtain mortgages when knotweed is present. Japanese knotweed also poses a risk for local ecology.

E

This summer we have seen evidence of a destabilizing stream banks. It reduces native biodiversity, shades out other species effectively creating monocultures and increases the risk of erosion as compared to native vegetation.

E

So now that you understand how big of a problem Japanese knotweed can pose, these are the results from our study this summer. So the total amount of Japanese knotweed that we mapped in these two ravines was four thousand one hundred and seventy three point, five meters squared which is equivalent to about three and a half olympic-sized pools. This is the map that we produced here, which shows Japanese knotweed on public and private land. Public land is in blue and private land is in red in Moorpark and Park Drive reservation lands.

E

So we map Japanese knotweed in these areas to get a detailed view of the Japanese knotweed problem, so that we can find a better way to manage it. You can see that 62% of Japanese knotweed mapped is on city land, which makes this a city problem as well as a ravine resident problem. This is just a snapshot of two ravines in Toronto, but we can infer that this is an issue in Toronto's whole ravine system and the City of Toronto as a whole.

E

In your biodiversity strategy that was presented today, they outline a need for an invasive species management plan. We believe this plan should at minimum prioritize the four provincially regulated terrestrial invasive species, which includes includes Japanese, knotweed and Japanese. Knotweed invasions should be prioritized in Toronto's ravines before the problem becomes unmanageable.

E

Some in your recently released biodiversity strategy. We also noticed that you listed some of the most invasive species in Toronto. We think Japanese knotweed should be in this list, because it is also one of the most invasive species in Toronto and is provincially regulated.

E

This is one of the ravines that we studied this summer. It's Moorpark ravine. We need to look to the few look to the future of our ravines and decide how we want them to look. Do we want invasive monocultures of Japanese, knotweed, eroding slopes and infrastructure damage if we do not improve invasive species management in our city, this degradation will only increase in order to see improvements. We must all work together to protect our city's biodiversity. Let's do better Toronto. Thank you.

A

If you have any question queue, thank you very much. Councillor Leighton and then councillor.

B

Mcelveen, thank you very much. Could you put this slide up of the recommended change. I ran out of time. Copying it down and I want to write a motion for for us to do that and councillor McKelvey can can ask a question that might give me enough time, but thank you very much for for your work.

E

B

A

What you need yeah I, have thank you great account, sir McElveen Thank.

F

You mr. chair first I wanted to thank you for coming in, and I am supposed to ask things as questions.

F

So would you be able to go back to the Department of Forestry and tell other students about your experience here at City Hall and encourage them to also give deputations on important issues that, for sure yes, great and then my second question is I am not familiar with with Japanese knotweed I, don't know if it's I live in Scarborough if it's just not as pervasive out there, whereas many of the others that you've spoken about so given that this seems pretty unique in persistent like what is the? What is the way to control this like?

F

Is it just brute force? You have to go and dig it out, or you know we don't like herbicides. So how do? How do we deal with this? Okay.

E

So this document here that's on the screen, the the best management practices in Ontario has a bunch of guidelines on that. So there's three main eradication methods, there's digging, so you have to get to a certain depth, that's outlined in the best practices document. It's several meters, deep I, believe tarping as well.

E

So if you put a tarp over the species and block out the sunlight, that can get rid of it, but it also depends on the size of the patch of the species and whether or not it's a satellite, patch or or a central, large patch- and that's all outlined in this document- and we used this document organize our study as well. So there's good information in there and also it's it's still being discovered.

E

So the best management practices are guidelines for now, but there needs to be more study to to ensure that these practices are actually the best method. So it's a problem that is going to need continued research and.

F

Then, for for this, what is it like? What ultimately ours are its impacts? Is you mentioned the infrastructure, one infrastructure ones but like who is it out competing or what? What? What function is that replacing in these ravines that we are missing out on by having it there? Well.

E

Because it it creates these monocultures of just its own species. Basically underneath you just you, just have bare soil with a few like several different stocks of just this one species and it doesn't actually hold the soil very well, even though it has a vast root system, so it can lead to more erosion in the ravines. So if you could replace this knotweed with native species that actually hold soil better and have other benefits such as habitat and I mean we all know, biodiversity is a really good thing, so mono cultures are generally very bad.

E

F

You for coming in today. Thank you. Thank.

A

You thank you councillor, McCauley, any other questions, counter minnow on.

G

Japanese knotweed: this is the thing that trying to remove it from your soil or your garden. It just breaks off and then their little nubs at the bottom right.

H

G

Said you can dig down in the ways you could dig down and take it out, but you have to go down really deep right. Yep.

E

The root system is very, very deep. It's.

G

All over my garden, oh it's important. No, it's turning.

A

Japanese, it's not a gardening show. No.

G

I, don't know I I just want to ask you because I mean, if you want to do something about this is I mean I'm, just it's like this is a fairly invasive and.

I

G

He said you could put a tarp over it. Yeah.

E

G

Are the two other things so.

E

Digging so behind you I put up a slide where we have it's kind of pale there, but on the on the of those three images on the right, that's what the Japanese knotweed routing system looks like, so you can see that there isn't very many roots near the surface. It's a lot deeper down, so digging is a good way to eradicate it, but once you have the roots as soon as like, if you put them in the compost, for example, okay,.

G

E

G

My question: so what's your solution, so you said: herbicides work, yes, herbicides.

E

Do work yes, okay,.

G

E

Just not always the best option.

G

I want to say this: you want to do something about this, but it seems like the herbicides are the most. You can't put a tarp over the over all of them where Park, for example. That's not gonna work right. Well, they won't like it, but yeah dig. You can't dig down deep enough to pull everything out and you just need a little bit of so our herbicides. This option number three. You said there were four. What's the fourth one.

E

Maybe just three so.

G

Cuz cuz, this not weed is taking over. So would you advocate for the use of herbicides to clear this up? I think.

E

I'd advocate first for more study to figure out what the most effective way, but also for a combination of different of different removal methods. So, if you have, another method is also actually biological control, which they're studying right now, so that.

J

G

E

Means releasing these bugs called psyllids and they just eat Japanese knotweed. So it it's a good potential, but they're still also in the process of figuring out how best to or how effective they are. So it's good. Sometimes you can also cut the root or the stems, and it doesn't affect the root system so in. If you do that in combination with other management methods that can also help and.

G

Always gonna take over the entire city, isn't essentially.

E

What we're afraid of, if we don't.

A

Counter parousia and then counts your call.

I

E

Likes to grow in riparian areas, as that's a long stream banks as well as in open areas and in shade it likes to grow everywhere. Essentially, so we found it in the ravine near the water. We've also found it near the top on people's private property and along the slopes. So it seems to just be able to grow everywhere, which is a big problem. I guess.

I

That, because it's called Japanese it come came from Japan right. Yes,.

E

I

So is all of Japan, not no.

E

So an invasive species can be non invasive in its native country, so in Japan, for example, where there is other species that are good at competing with Japanese knotweed, it wouldn't be an invasive problem, but when it comes to Canada and there's no competing species that are naturally adapted to compete with it, it doesn't have any competitors, and so it can take over competitors.

I

In what sense like.

E

Other plants that can grow in those open areas better than it can, if that makes sense, yeah generally the nature of an invasive species, is it's invasive in it non-native habitat. So that's why Japanese knotweed is such a problem here and in the UK, where it's very established and doesn't have those natural competitors that maybe other plants, or they could be. Maybe those psyllids that are the like insects that are in the neighborhood have native habitat as well.

E

Does that answer your question? Well,.

I

In part, so, for example, in Japan they have, they don't have soil erosion, I mean I got, they have not weed, so they have erosion right so that would they have more erosion than we do. I'm.

E

Not sure to be honest but I don't think it's as it may just not create these big monocultures as much in Japan, I'm I'm. Just honestly, not sure.

I

Thank you, Thank.

A

You councillor, Persia I, think counts, are cool.

K

Most people don't even know what a Japanese knotweed looks like yeah.

E

I would say so like it, it also for everyone. Here we showed some pictures and it also looks kind of like bamboo. Well, it looks kind of like bamboo when it's died off so yeah. It would really help if people know what it looks like because I've seen it in people's gardens and they they think it looks very pretty so they don't know that it's invasive and actually can be spreading. So it's.

K

Just like the Norwegian maples people are still buying and planting Norwegian maples Council approves as the region maples in his backyard. He doesn't even know that they're an invasive species, so how? How can we really deal with it if nobody recognizes them or knows that these are dangerous? Invasive species I think.

E

That highlights a big issue that we need more awareness of invasive species, so.

K

You would think it'd be helpful for us to support a motion which asks for the City of Toronto to undertake a robust campaign of making the citizens of Toronto aware these major invasive species. You know through our blue box calendars all these things, so we have pictures of these species so that we know they're not good to have in your backyard counselor prove it says. So that's what I'm going to be moving.

E

K

Sure I'm going to check I know.

A

It's it's not a gardening call-in show, but thank you for all your observations, any other, quite any other questions for the deputes bring the proof. Thank you very much. Thank.

E

A

Ellen Schwartzel trying to field naturalist.

A

Thank you for coming in five minutes. Thank.

L

You thanks so much for having me and yes I'm, representing the Toronto field naturalist this morning, we've got a long record of experience and expertise with Toronto's ravines we've been essentially the eyes on Toronto's ravines for close to a hundred years and this September. We want to both applaud and urge action on the city's new strategies for biodiversity and for the ravines, and those two strategies of course are interlinked, but they urgently need to get rolling. Toronto is lucky in many ways. We have still a lot of natural heritage.

L

The city's experts have said about four percent of the city's area is, is still environmentally significant. So that's that's really important, but those areas face intense and growing pressures. We know that development pollution erosion, severe weather, high visitor numbers and, of course, invasive species all are putting pressure on on those ravines and and the degraded habitat and and the problems have been they've, been enumerated in multiple studies, the TRC a has done studies and now, of course, the whole world has been told by the McClain's, our magazine, article, that and in the end of August.

L

So the biodiversity strategy is a foundation document, no more, no less and our members hope and request that over the next one to five years, that strategy is going to host. It's gonna trigger a host of measures on the ground. Ultimately, the the people in Toronto want to see our city's most vulnerable natural habitats, the gems in Hyde Park, the Don Valley, the Humber Valley along the lakeshore. They want to see those prioritized, monitored and restored.

L

We know the biodiversity strategies had a long gestation. The city's planners had a divert biodiversity round table and in 2017 there was a lot of public consultation, so this strategy's been in the works for over two and a half years. So please, let's get the strategy finalized. Let's start the action and let's get the results happening and and the action steps that we emphasize are needed. We need funding and an action plan to support stewardship.

L

You know that dedicated volunteer groups such as the Toronto Field, Naturalist sand and many others have already spent years, weeding and and planting and mulching in our parks and ravines, often with city coordination, but the work needs stronger city coordination to triage the top priorities to scale up projects and, above all, when you've newly restored a natural area. You need to keep it healthy in the long term, so budget and staffing have got to be strengthened for the city's natural environment, community programs Department and most particularly for the community stewardship program.

L

We also need, as we've just heard, a stronger focus on fighting invasives, because, frankly, the aggressiveness of invasive weeds means our natural areas are being eaten alive. We aren't, by any stretch, keeping pace with the with the degradation and third, we need to see priority protection for the best bits of nature. They're, not all the same. The city has got to identify which I den, which environmentally significant areas most urgently need management plans and give teeth to those management. Lan's nice vision. Statements on paper aren't going to cut it.

L

We were pleased to hear earlier this year that the city's urban, a forestry staff, have been working to identify the most sensitive zones within the environmentally significant areas. Those evaluations have to be fast-tracked and we would like progress to be shared publicly. For example, a city led workshop on the status of environment least significant areas and their management plans would bring the community up to speed and would be a great project to do for the winter months to manage something effectively.

L

You also need two monitors, so we were delighted to learn that this city, that the city this year has established about 200 ecological monitoring sites and ravines and natural areas in partnership, partnership with the U of T, and we understand that the city's following the lead of several other southern Ontario municipalities by using a tool called vegetation sampling protocol again, our communities would love to learn more about that initiative, ideally through a public meeting or a workshop, to bring us all up into the loop and and exchange expertise.

L

So the city does not need to go it alone. On this, you can lean on your communities of volunteers and for ourselves we know that we can contribute experience and with with restoration projects the sites like the Glen Stewart ravine, where the city that did complete that in 2012 cottonwood flats, where we continue to lead a multi-year monitoring project and Todmorden Mills wildlife, preserve, have taught us a lot about setting priorities, perseverance and building capacities.

L

So we have dedicated volunteers ready to be deployed and we have active and well connected members who are working to spread the word. So thanks for this, this offered this opportunity to offer our input and we hope that November 7 we can be present to applaud the rollout of the ravine strategy implementation plan. So thanks for your time and I'm happy take some questions. Great.

A

Thank you very much any questions for the deputies.

A

Okay. Thank you very much very.

L

Good thanks Joan.

A

York, the Deer Park residents group.

A

Great. Thank you very much for coming in five minutes.

M

Let me check the mic. Can you hear me? Yes,.

M

Councillor James past narc and members of the infrastructure and environment committee, my name is Joan York and I'm a board member of the Deer Park residents group. Over many years, our family and friends walked and cross-country skiing and many of Toronto's ravines on moving in 2013 I became aware of the sad state of the surrounding ravines, where I met a group of people who shared my concern and had been involved in documenting and photographing this for many years.

M

Looking over past correspondence, we have been here many times before my involvement started in 2015 in 2016, the presidents of the five residence groups abutting the Midtown ravines route to Mayor John Tory, drawing his attention to the restate of the ravines and the urgent need to take action. We made deputations to the parks and Environment Committee in 2016 in several meetings with our local councillors, a walk through the ravine with city staff and councillor wong-tam on September the truth.

M

25Th 2017, the presidents of the five residence groups again wrote letters to the executive committee and in September 2016 made deputations to the executive committee on October, the 2nd to 17, to set the council about the ravine strategy and in November the 17th deputations to the parks and Environment Committee. Now on September the 9th we are here again deputing on behalf of the health and biodiversity of our ravines, in support of the biodiversity strategy to be considered at City Council on October, the 2nd. You must be drowning in paper with all this.

M

The biodiversity report is an important document recognizing it's important to a healthy City. It highlights the challenges to protect habitat that supports, divert biodiversity from further loss to restore and enhance degraded natural areas, including water and soils that are the foundation of healthy ecosystems and to raise awareness about diversity and why it's important. These are also the aims of the Midtown ravine group. A master plan for these ravines was approved by City Council in 2017.

M

We recognized this as a long term project and a cordon effort. Coordinated effort will be beneficial. However, as a designated environmentally sensitive area, many parts of the ravine continued to deteriorate and we would urge the city to take a more aggressive approach to eradicating invasive species, eating that Japanese, knotweed and dog strangling vine. The residents associations are working hard to raise awareness through newsletters letters to residents about the ravines and invasive species.

M

By providing an opportunity to engage young people, we initiated a pilot project called seeds to seedlings project, with four schools funded in part by the Faculty of Forestry in the U of T, five residents associations, the peacock foundation and private donors.

M

The schools are now embarking on to a two-year of three year project in which seeds from old-growth trees are planted and seed box nurtured to be transplanted into Gardens parks and ravines. When ready, this program has been enthusiastically received by both students and staff, who were incorporating the science stewardship and advocacy into their curricula.

M

The program has expanded with four more schools participating and approaches are being made to expand further. The young people are the environmentalism of the future. I believe that the biodiversity strategy is also a good fit with the principles of the ravine strategy to protect, invest, connect partner and celebrate I, just like to add one more thing to my submission here and that is to say until I, moved and joined the local ravine group and had walked in the ravines for many years, like the cancer I was totally unaware of Japanese.

M

Normally, as, however, I've been on a steep learning curve, you.

A

Could if you could wrap up that'd, be great Arden.

M

A

At your time limit, if you could wrap up, that would be great.

A

Okay, great, thank you very much. Questions for the deputy's.

A

Accounts, your call.

M

Since my children were run young nearly 60 years so.

K

For 60 years- and it wasn't until recently that you were made aware of because of your work- volunteer work. Let's the ravine protection I think.

M

I recognize this as something huge and growing, but I didn't know what it was. Yeah.

K

So I guess you're, probably typical of so many people in Toronto that they walked by these dangerous invasive species every day and they can't identify them because they've never had that awareness.

M

From our apartment we look over the ravine and most people say it: doesn't it look? Wonderful, doesn't.

K

M

K

You for your work. Thank you. Thank.

A

You councillor Cole any other questions for the deputies: no, okay! Thank you very much.

A

Julia michelle ski.

A

Great thank you for coming you five minutes. Hi.

N

My name is Julia Mikulski I'm, an environmental science student at the University of Guelph and I'm. Here to talk to you about the Norway maples in our Toronto ravines, the Norway, maple and extremely damaging and vase of tree species is spreading rapidly across our Toronto ravines. If it is not effectively managed, it will make it impossible for our other native species to survive and could turn our ravines and what is known as a green desert land with little to no biodiversity composed of only the same invasive species. So how did we get here?

N

Native to Europe and Asia? The Norway maple was introduced to Canada in the 1700s as an ornamental plan, but since then, it has spread rapidly in 1977 non-native tree cover was just 10% by 2016. This number had jumped to 40% and if no action is taken, this number is predicted to jump to 60% within the next two decades.

N

Here's what makes the Norway maple so destructive. It produces a large crop of seeds that can spread rapidly across our ravines and can germinate and almost all soil types. It has an extensive shallow root system that outcompetes native plants for water and nutrients and contributes to soil erosion and they produce a dense canopy cover that blocks light from ground level, making it impossible for most of our native species to grow under or near Norway maples. The result is an aggressive invader that creates an environment that only supports more life of other Norway maples.

N

So how can we fix this? We must treat the Norway maple as a top priority in order to prevent ongoing deterioration and to this and a few key steps should be taken proposed solution number one develop a management strategy that focuses directly on the Norway maple. All of our current strategies do address invasive species and they emphasize the importance of proper management. However, none of them have a management strategy, specifically for the Norway maple. This current Toronto biodiversity strategy presented today does have a small blurb on Norway maple.

N

However, it ends here, ideally in our upcoming or be an implementation plan, we can have a separate section dedicated to just Norway maple management. It is not enough to have general action plans towards all invasive species, because there are different levels of priority and the Norway maple is one species of top priority that requires its own action plan immediately proposed solution number to allow small, Norway maples on urban land to be easily and legally removed without a permit and here's why the Toronto biodiversity strategy states that the techniques to manage invasive species are resource intensive.

N

But here's where I disagree. There is a huge resource right under our noses that we're not taking advantage of, and those are Toronto citizens that are eager to help.

N

There are 30,000 private addresses on urban land, which poses a huge opportunity to get our homeowners involved at no cost, not to mention all of the other Toronto citizens that are constantly using our ravines on public property. However, the trees on urban land are protected under municipal code. Chapter 658 2a, which states that to remove a tree of any size on urban land is illegal. Unless you have a permit, the problem is the process to apply for and obtain a permit is costly.

N

It's complicated, it's time-consuming, and it's discouraging you can see here that just to apply to remove one tree requires extensive paperwork and costs a minimum of a hundred and seventeen dollars. These are all barriers that discourage environmental stewardship from our Toronto citizen. However, if we could revise this bylaw, we would actually encourage community involvement. For example, let's say I'm a private homeowner or a high school student. That's looking to get more community hours, I would be able to go into the ravines, identify a small Norway maple and remove it easily and quickly, without any consequences.

N

That way we get them out of small size before they do too much harm.

N

So the take-home messages are that we need to make the Norway maple a priority by developing its own management strategy in our upcoming ravine implementation plan that actually encourages environmental stewardship by our Toronto citizens, and in order to do this, we can revise chapter 658 to a of the municipal code and allow small Norway maples to be easily and legally removed on irvene land without a permit. Thank you.

A

Well, thank you. Questions for the deputy's councillor. Mckelvey, then counts are cool.

F

Thank you for coming in and giving this presentation today, similar to the questions I asked earlier. What what specifically are they competing or what ecological function is being hampered by having them present in our ravine systems? So.

N

They have lots of damaging impacts. Some of them are highlighted on this slide, but one of their main problems is that they create an environment, much like Japanese knotweed, that's all monoculture, so we're starting to see more and more Norway maples taking over, and it's not allowing our native species to grow near or under them. So if you see a place with lots of Norway, maple, sometimes you'll find that around the base of the tree, there are no other species that are able to grow. It's bare soil and much like Japanese knotweed.

N

With their extensive root system. It can contribute to soil erosion and just create an unhealthy ravine system overall and.

F

Do we have or do you have any information about like how pervasive they are like? What numbers are we looking at in the city right now, or is that data still gathered from.

N

The Toronto ravine study here we see just these stats. This was the non-native tree cover throughout the years and so they're predicting that in the years to come, we're going to have 60% non-native tree cover, so if they are spreading rapidly and they're becoming an increasing problem and.

F

The city has a an ambitious plan, I think and staff can correct me later. If I'm wrong, I think it's 40 percent canopy cover by 2040. What do you think we should be planting instead, what has the most likelihood of out competing Norway, maple and holding its ground? We.

N

Have lots of beneficial native species here in Toronto? I am no forest expert. However. I know that our native sugar maple tree does great in our ravines we're hoping to have more of that. People can sometimes confuse it for the Norway maple, which is part of the problem we were talking about. They look into the ravines and they think that we have a lush beautiful ravines when really they're all Norway maples. So sugar maple is one example of a native species here that is quite beneficial to our ravines. Thank you.

A

Accounts are cool. Thank.

K

You do you know whether you can still purchase Norway maple seedlings, that garden stores in Toronto I believe.

N

You cannot I'm not entirely sure, but last I knew there's a ban on selling and planting Norway maples I. Think one of the main problems is that, because of their seeds that can spread so rapidly, even if they're not being purchased and planted, the wind is bringing seeds all across the city and they're germinating in the soil and they're growing everywhere. Whether people realize it or not. So.

K

I guess the real conundrum in it and you're sort of making us aware of it is that, on the other hand, we've got these goals of canopy cover that we have to meet. On the other hand, we've got a lot of our canopy cover now being provided by the Norway maple. So what do we do to try and manage this very, very challenging?

K

You know issue yeah.

N

That's exactly right and we have this goal of canopy cover. However, it would be in our best interest to make sure that that can appear are the right species that are beneficial to our ravines. Okay,.

K

Thank you very much.

A

Thank you, Thank You councillor, Cole, counselor, Parisa,.

I

You mentioned that you have to get a permit.

I

Why do you think that's so I.

N

Think that there's been concern in the past of wanting to make sure our citizens do the right thing and that they are removing the right tree. So perhaps a permit process was used to ensure that the people are taking the time to make sure that they're pulling the right species. However, because it's extremely complicated most people either can't afford to apply one for one or they're just discouraged altogether.

N

There are actually my powerpoints gone now, but there are tons of online resources that are available to help you identify species online and so I think without a permit process. It's actually quite easy for our citizens to be able to identify them properly and do the right thing without having a permit process.

I

So, if you've thought about it, so how do you? How do you make sure that if you, if you allowed a non permit the type system to remove even know, if that's possible, but to remove one of these trees, how would you ensure that a sugar maple isn't cut down instead of a a Norway?

I

N

I think I think it's also mentioned in our most recent Toronto biodiversity strategy. The city prides itself on all of our monitoring systems that we have out there. So there are environmental stewards that are going out, monitoring our ravines, ensuring that the right species are there and if we didn't have a permit process, it poses huge opportunity to actually get this involved in so many different areas. So, for example, if this was allowed, we could have school groups that are going out to remove Norway maples.

N

That could be accompanied by a very experienced forest, ecologist or environmental steward. Who could be there to monitor the students, doing the right thing, for example, and then there could also be continuous monitoring from the city going through our ravines and making sure that so.

I

Your suggestion is, instead of a formal application, just kind of like informal oversight.

I

N

And I would also make the argument that the people that are eager to go out and practice environmental stewardship and who want to go into our ravines for the purpose of pulling the invasive Norway maple will take the time and effort to make sure that they are pulling the right species. So I think people will be able to do the right thing.

A

Thank you, Thank You, councillor Bruce. If I counts, your men and one yeah.

G

In the ravines right now, I actually was counting a story, one of the staff members here we planted 20 years ago, some I think butternut trees and then about 10 years later, when there was a path going down there, paving a path down the Charles toriel ravine, the TRC, a chopped down all the trees and used it as a staging area for their heavy equipment and then so I asked about.

G

How is it that they can chopped down all these trees and I was told that the TRC aid is not required to get permits to tear down trees in the ravine. Is that are you familiar with the bylaws? Are you I'm.

N

Not sure what the the TRC is on.

G

A regional conservation, if I'm.

N

Not sure what they're allowed to do with a permit or not or the city, but what we know is that Toronto citizens on high private or public land for ravine property aren't allowed to remove anything unless they have a permit. So.

G

My second questions is, you say just on on the ravine lands. Why not allow people just if norway's are invasive, and you know not not a tree that we like? Why? Wouldn't you just sort of writ large allow people to take down Norway maples if we don't like those trees, yeah.

N

That's the goal: that's the ultimate goal. Just because of the time constraints of this presentation, I was just highlighting the ravine land, which is protected as an ecologically significant area, but ideally across the whole city, we could have Norway maples allowed to be pulled without a permit, so that it's easy for everybody everywhere. Okay,.

G

A

Thank You Deputy, Merriman and Wang just very quickly on page 30, there is a reference to the Norway maple story and talks about many of the themes that that you've highlighted in the action plan. There's action number two which is developed action plans for regional species of concern, an action item, eight review policies and bylaws for opportunity to support biodiversity. Do you think those two action plans and staff will have to report back to committee cover what your recommend any recommending.

N

Yes, I think we further, though, for the upcoming ravine implementation plan, which I believe is coming out in November if we could have a Norway maple strategy in that document, because that will make action happen quicker. It's a great starting point: what we have in the Toronto biodiversity strategy. However, we want to stray away from making it too general and we need a specific Norway maple plan.

A

Okay, thank you very much.

A

Paul shriven er Toronto ravine revitalization study.

A

Thanks for coming Paul, your five minutes.

O

Good morning councillors I'm here today with Terry Lange, who is the coordinator for the Toronto ravines revitalization study I, should just tell you before I start the body of my presentation that back in 1977 there was a slide up from the previous presenter.

O

Dale Taylor and I commissioned a study of rosedale ravines to do exactly what we're talking about today to inventory and plots what the forest cover is the health of the forests and so on, and we did this in cooperation with the help of U of T, and then we found that 10% of the forest cover was invasive species.

O

Forty years later, we decided that the study need to be refreshed, so we commissioned U of T forestry, which is a very good partner, and we did the exact same plots three ravines and we found that the invasive species cover was a forty percent. So, as we talk now, the invasives are marching along the Norway maple trees are full of seeds, which will be released their week or so and that's the new generation, another generation of trees, the Toronto ravine revitalization study employ students every year.

O

We and we been doing this since 2015- we want to support students, they do good field work and we refreshed our study published in 2018 I. Think many of you seen this.

O

The report before you, the staff report before you was excellent and staffer, be to be commended for its production and I would say to you, counselors that believe it or not. In talking about this biodiversity strategy and then in November both the ravine strategy, you are making history 15-20 years ago. Nobody would have thought of talking about this, and you have the opportunity here to really change the history of Toronto's ravines and to save them from returning to the ecological deserts with a very few species and all the issues that go with that.

O

You have a letter that we sent you for you and in that letter we asked that recommendation to be tweaked, so it would read and include ecological integrity, monitoring, reporting and implementation and budgetary framework for Tron's natural areas ravines and that it report back this time next year. This working group and the reason for that is that these ravines, if they were on fire, our approach, be quite different.

O

You talked briefly and we'd get on with it and we had saved them well, the ravines are on fire, but it's a different kind of fire and every year as I said, the Japanese knotweed, the dog, strangling vine and so on. They advanced their range, they advanced their grip, and so we talked about this for another three or four years. The situation will just be worse and worse and harder and harder to deal with, and also we want to start seeing it, but some budget or a trigger put into this.

O

What's it going to cost to do the job.

O

And I think that everybody who's been deputy today is basically been giving you the same message, and so the other thing is that we find that the recommendations and so on and the discussion you have the biodiversity strategy. On one hand, you have the ravine strategy, on the other hand, and there's quite a bit of overlap there, and we would encourage you and staff to figure ways to try and simplify that and make it a little less confusing and the other thing is Japanese knotweed. There is a some discussion about that earlier.

O

I just want to say that it's my understanding that there's an English study called the Swansea report, which looked at a study, Japanese knotweed for five years and the ways to eradicate it, and it recommended a multi-pronged approach, digging cutting and use of herbicides. Thank you very much for your attention and we're happy to answer any questions. Thank.

A

You Paul questions for the deputies, No, okay. Thank you very much.

A

Terry home Toronto.

O

A

Sorry right, true, together.

A

Karen you chick.

A

Right, thank you for coming. You five minutes.

P

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the biodiversity strategy for Toronto we're commenting on behalf of protect nature tío, a coalition of over 20 nature and stewardship based organizations advocating for the protection of wildlife and natural areas.

P

Excuse me across the City of Toronto, Leslie and I are both members of this group, and we are also co-chairs of the High Park Natural Environment Committee, where we have gained practical experience with many of the topics addressed by this strategy and also a lot to do with invasive species and restoration.

P

There is much to applaud in the Toronto biodiversity strategy. This document is the result of extensive consultation and many elements, elements reflect the feedback that was received, which is a tribute to the collaboration among staff, expert advisors and the public. This strategy recognizes our city's strengths and opportunities, as well as the challenges that threaten our natural places and the life they support. It underscores the intrinsic value of nature, as well as the many ways in which we benefit from biodiversity.

P

The strategy provides a vision of how much more can be done and needs to be done to protect, restore and enhance biodiversity in our city. It translates global concerns such as climate change into practical local actions.

P

One of the many important findings of the consultation process is the gaping divide between those who are tuned in to the natural world and those who have minimal contact with nature or are aware of it only as a backdrop and I would say that the discussion earlier about Japanese knotweed show some of this divide that where education is needed for Toronto's biodiversity to be protected and appreciated in the long term, this divide will need to be bridged through concerted effort.

P

Raising awareness within the city's own staff and related age he's, including awareness of existing legal protections and regulations, is a key step. Fostering more public programs, including participation and stewardship, and in guided nature walks, will also help broaden the appreciation of biodiversity in the city, educating staff and decision-makers engaging with the public removing invasive species. These and many other important steps are included in the proposed action plan.

P

Specific departments are identified as being responsible for a lead role in implementing these actions, while others are identified as partners. This is a sound approach. A great deal can be accomplished through cooperative efforts, but ultimately, these actions will only be effective if they are properly resourced, both with staff and with funding.

P

Another essential component is accountability for results. This infrastructure committee here can play a key role in requiring regular updates for each of the proposed actions.

P

We urge the relevant departments to include the necessary resources in their operating budget request, starting with 2020, and we urge council to support these requests, even in the face of difficult fiscal conditions and competing priorities when it comes to allocating resources and other decisions, such as finding space for different types of recreation or space for development. The conservation of our protected areas needs to be seen as essential as a legal and socially responsible commitment, not just one more nice, to have kind of thing to be traded off under pressure.

P

In fact, as recognized by the strategy, our natural areas need to be not only protected but expanded through connecting corridors and buffer zones. This action is particularly welcomed and it's consistent with the provincial policy statement 2014, which speaks to connectivity of natural features, which should be maintained, restored or improved.

P

This biodiversity sets strategy sets out a roadmap for Toronto to strengthen its position as a world leader in being a livable sustainable city. Please do your part to ensure that this strategy is adopted and implemented. Thank you.

A

Great. Thank you very much. Questions for the deputies, deputy Merriman and Wong.

G

So I was I was curious. You said that we need to spend the necessary money to get all these things done so I mean I'm, curious, I was learning to care to comment. It says that this won't cost anything in our report. It says there are no financial implications resulting from this report. So do you think this could all these things can be done without spending any money? I.

Q

Think one of the simple answers is that this is not a. This is a report that is built on a lot of other reports that have gone before so.

G

You said the simple answer: is this:.

Q

Is this report is built on a lot of other work that has gone before the Official Plan the ravine strategy, a lot of the things that we I compared this report to the ravine strategy and a lot of the things that we would have asked for particularly to implement the biodiversity strategy are already in the ravine strategy.

Q

And you may remember there was a motion in March on march, 9th I think of what March of early March this year requesting that you that, when the ravine strategy comes forward, the the the cost to implement the the factors of the ravine strategy be considered that at that time, so this. So so a lot of the things that we'll be looking to get done are coming to you in the in the ravine strategy. Is that how so.

G

Is it fair to say, then you know that this can't be done within existing resources is gonna require I, significant financial requirements? No.

Q

Significant financial requirements I think a lot of it can be done within existing and in fact the strategy goes out of its way to identify things that staff can do within existing within existing resources.

Q

What the big one is that we would we have that I. Look that seemed to me needed to be identified is sufficient resources to remove invasive species. Invasive species removal is labor-intensive, it is the it is relatively specialized and you have that expertise in urban forestry so.

G

Q

Just have five.

G

Q

G

I have one question for you for you, but the removal of that invasive species. Let's just take that as an example, that seems that's gonna, take a significant financial commitment that I don't see the existing resources within parks of Forestry staff or anywhere else in our organization.

Q

I'm a high park steward, one of the things that we do as high park steward is stewards, is remove those invasive species which can be done without it without mechanically machinery or or chemicals. Things like art mustard is something that we as hi park. Stewards Kenpo but hi Park is a very, very sensitive area, and we need to do that under the supervision of Forestry staff.

Q

You can leverage a lot of your of your volunteers, who are sort of raring to go by providing sufficient supervision for them to for us to pull a lot of invasive species within our parks. But you really, in my opinion, you really do not want to send the public in to just go and pull things because they're you, you need the we as volunteers need enough supervision to make sure that we pull the right plants. Ok,.

G

So just I wanted ask this your friend I think, because what I wanted to ask you man was when, when I said, this is going to be a cost, a lot of money. You know you kind of nodded your head. Yes, so I wanted you to I wanted to know what your thoughts were.

P

There's a lot of multiplying effect if you can have more staff to plan and organize and supervise the work, there's all that multiplying effect of getting the community involved as stewards but are in our involvement in High Park is limited by the availability of staff, which is finite and high Park is a somewhat special case. A lot of the environmental environmentally significant areas do not even have the degree of management plan that we have in high poverty. They don't have the resources working at it.

P

They don't have a local stewardship group that we have so there's much more to be done. Ok,.

G

A

Thank you, deputy mayor, I'm, Anna Wong, any other questions for the jeppeson yeah.

I

A

I

Just just to pick up on this, you agree, though, that we have a qualified staff that can figure all of that stuff far out for us what it would cost and what our priorities might ever be, and they could set down some some firm numbers and then we pick and we we should say yea or nay, to those numbers I.

Q

Think that it's councillors, then you you receive reports from staff and and you are and you pass them in council or you don't that's yes,.

I

So so you come here and you point something out to us and then we, through with them sort of figure out whether or not we were going to raise taxes to do it or not right well,.

P

I mean there's always difficult decisions to be made. We understand that, as as Paul Scribner said earlier, if it was on fire- and you could see it burning, you would react. This is a different kind of of destruction, but it's you know, and and also with the awareness of people like you can go through our ravines and say: oh, they were all green. You know you drive up the Don Valley, it looks all green. You don't know that.

P

That's all dog strangling vine, which is just choking it and and ruining your ruining it for habitat, and you know so it it will. It will cost resources and I think it's important for staff to know that they can ask for them.

I

Perfect. Thank you.

A

Thank You counsel presenting the questions for the No. Thank you very much.

A

Lesley Gooding.

A

Thank you, John Bonham's, Midtown, ravine screw.

A

Thank you. Thank you for coming back.

Q

I'd, like to we've, submitted a letter which is basically very much along the lines of what councillor minute-long was just saying. The this is a great strategy we applaud what's written in the report.

Q

It sets out excellent goals, but they're not going to be met if the city doesn't commit funds to support an action plan that will actually deliver. Let me just give you an example of Japanese knotweed in the ravine. That was on on the slide that you saw earlier there.

Q

The city sponsored a couple of community days which councillor coal strike me as one of the best ways in which to raise awareness and knowledge, because the city staff were there educated, the 25 or 30 people that came out to each day as to what the not wheat was, how to cut it, how to deal with it and then followed up after that education program, which had the effect of weakening the plants within herbicide, killed.

Q

The weakens plants successful successful in increasing awareness, successful in actually dealing with a large stand of Japanese, not we, but the only one that could be done in that year and this year. The result is that we have approximately forty five other patches in that in the part of the ravine. That extends from st. clair down to Mount Pleasant Road, just off young, and to say that that one patch eliminated is enough is nowhere near realistic.

Q

Biodiversity is a really important concept. The when we have our ravines taken over largely by one species like like Norway maples. What that opens us up to is a ravine that gets DeForest at some point when nature evolves, the Predators that will take that species out.

Q

That's what happened to our ash trees in the ravine, almost all the ash trees died, and the only thing that saves the ravine looking devastated is the fact that the ash trees were only a small number of the trees in the ravine have made all the trees in the region or a large chunk of them, a 60% of the trees, Norway maples, and then you know, when nature does evolve, that predator you're going to have ravines without trees.

Q

Biodiversity really is important and the only way the city is going to be able to implement a plan to affect a realistic strategy is by putting money on the table. To actually do that. So you know I applaud your question council in there and while the the problem with the city as we see it, is that we have a lot of strategies being produced, but very little council support for actually implementing, and it's you counselors that we hold responsible for this, not the staff.

Q

The staff are providing good advice to you, but they're not getting the funds that are required to deliver an effective action plan.

Q

That's it well,.

A

Okay, thank you very much. Questions for the deficits counts. Your call.

Q

K

It's in the ravines and that's going to take trained personnel from the city staff and then deploying other people to actually do the pulling and the replanting. So it's really going to costs quite a bit of money to have these boots in the ravines. Okay, the.

Q

Stage staff can be levered by bringing in and educating members of the public to help in this. You know it's a lot of free labor that we'd all like to provide to help, but we need the city staff to be able to direct it. I mean, let's face it. I mean I.

Q

I agreed that knowledgeable people can go in and pull out, normally the Maples, but most of my neighbors don't know the difference between in Norway, maple and sugar maple and if they just are poking out trees that are maple trees, they're going to be picking out a lot of native species as well as invasive species.

Q

We do need the involvement of the city staff that are knowledgeable and we do need programs between city staff and UT, Forestry and others, people that are knowledgeable to help leave her this, but that takes funds we need the staff has to be increased or we're not going to get anywhere on this. Okay.

K

Thank you, John.

A

Any other questions for the deputy okay. Thank you very much.

A

Susan Aaron.

R

I'm here to support the biodiversity strategy, which I have input to as a volunteer and I think it's related to other items you have in the agenda, which is the ecological integrity, monitoring and the bio philocan Network, but my background first very clearly, I have 20 years experience as a in the community stewardship program. I am probably the second and the only the longest of the sites, so we have made that an environmentally significant area and the other background that I have I done recently.

R

A graduate work in the department, the Faculty of Forestry at the U of T I've, looked at the city's policies that protect those ravines I've, looked at how they fail. The ravines and I've looked to add the ravine. Revitalization study in relationship to integrating community and what I found through all of those is that if the biodiversity strategy is passed as it stands, it will allow us to consider the overall most important placement of biodiversity as the basis of life in the city.

R

I think it has the potential to do that which we need in light of climate change and just all the health and etc that's mentioned in the biodiversity strategy.

R

But what I wanted to look at today also was that it's having seen firsthand and consider these I see some of the failings of our policies that they are not and do nique the monitoring very clearly.

R

We know the stored snow, the scientists know and the city doesn't know in what little efforts it can do, whatever they can do, that the invasive plants, including the knotweed which I deal with hands-on and scientifically through the processes that are allowed for, will destroy the ravines but I'm going to stick to what I'm reading here is that the the policies that we have need to be integrated fully, so the biodiversity strategy needs to be done. You need money for it.

R

You have to use the staff and the strategies that are in existence, but, as we've seen, these strategies are slow to come into practice. What has to happen is that all the departments, a variety of departments, have to be in discussion with each other using the relevant monitoring knowing what goes on on the ground. So you can't just integrate existent urban cultures such as the recreational amenities.

R

Even you know the existing bylaws. All of this has to be integrated so that the biodiversity strategy has the ability to protract, protect and engage across the ravines and into the city's green infrastructure. So what I'm asking you to look at today is that.

R

The biodiversity strategy be acknowledged, be funded and be integrated more closely, with an understanding of staff and community of what goes on the very example of the stewarding program, but also the example of what currently is being allowed for in the SAS it.

R

It's a understanding that, if undertaken by the strategy and then funded in pockets or I, am not in position at this point to speak to the funding, but just that our policies built upon the biodiversity strategy are going to give us the infrastructure that we need to respond to climate change and to create an underlying focus of biodiversity. In the city for our health. I.

R

Can speak to a lot more detail right.

A

Are you finished yeah? Okay? Great. Thank you very much questions for the deficit. No, okay. Thank you very much for your comments.

A

Okay, questions of staff, counselor McElveen Thank.

F

You mr. chair I have five questions, so I'll try and talk fast. The first is TRCA is listed as a partner in more than ten of the actions, but the provincial government has been saying that TRC a should and all our conservation authorities should only be acting within their legal mandate. So could you just maybe elaborate to invasive species fell under that? Are they limited to flood protection.

Q

Oh here we go Thank You counselor through the chair, we're still seeking clarification on what the provincial government has meant by our mandate. Letters. So we're going to continue to work with the province on receiving confirmation on that and.

F

Right now, though, you receive very little funding from the provincial government and work that you do in the city of Toronto is funded almost entirely by the city of Ontario. Sorry, if the work you do in Toronto is almost entirely funded by the City of Toronto, that is correct. So should they say that this is not within their mandate, even though we are footing the bill for that. Does that allow us to proceed in partnership with the TRC eh? It.

Q

Does if a program has been indicated as non core, then we are permitted to enter into a service level agreement with the municipality to undertake.

F

Those services, okay. Thank you. My second question line of questioning revolves around the ravine strategy, which I am extremely excited, is coming back to us in November I'm, just wondering I know through that you've done very extensive prioritization of our ravine systems and where we need to act first as they are the most pressing. Can you just speak to how invasive species was included in the development of that prioritization.

P

The with a framework that is in the ravine strategy, it is detailed in the strategy, but basically we.

H

Looked at high quality areas, areas.

D

That needed to be protected.

Q

That had species of concern, as well as our ESA s, so the invasive species wasn't in.

P

Particular included in that framework, but the things that are of threat.

Q

Or by invasive species was included in that framework, so we prioritized around what we.

P

Wanted to protect okay.

F

And then for that report back then will that also include funding requirements? Some of that that would be just designated to invasive species work.

H

Through the chair report, we'll be looking at a number of funding considerations right across the board, invasive species being part of that larger sort of funded funding overview and then.

F

Specifically to the biodiversity strategy that is in front of us- and people spoke to it earlier that it doesn't have necessarily new money attributed it, but it does have these actions. Is there a plan? Is the thought that we could have some sort of scorecard where we could be reporting back on this and on a regular basis on on the status of these actions?.

C

We certainly would be monitoring and we would update I think it's one of the actions that we would update the website and that keep people informed through that and also through the ecological integrity framework. We would set up a protocol for monitoring and.

F

So the ecological framework would that have, for example, like a schedule. It would break down some of these actions and things into you know timelines that we could maybe start to have some accountability around.

C

Yes, through the chair, potentially we could do that.

F

And then my last questions are a little bit more specific, so the first is about tree permits, building on the deputation that we received by miss makowsky m't. What is the process for updating our tree permit system, and when could we feed a request for study like that into the into the process.

H

Through the chair, I can ask for Suri staff to answer specifically around the specifics of the the tree, bylaw keeping in mind, there's actually two different bylaws, there's the private change bylaw and then there's the ravine and natural features protections bylaw, each of which have different specifications around how an the criteria around tree removal so I think given the the deputed. We can certainly look at that within the bylaws.

H

For the next time we bring the bylaws back for review, which wouldn't be immediately, but it's something we can consider and Daniel can take you through the specifications in that in that right now,.

S

So the the fees that were quoted in one of the presentations relate back to the city's private tree bylaws and city tree protection. Bylaws, the ravine and natural feature. Protection by law does not currently have any fee associated with it. It's necessary that the public go through a pruning process for some of the reasons also mentioned during the presentations, mainly being the the identification and proper removal of the correct species, as opposed to more desirable native species. Thank.

F

You and then my final question is about green roofs and and similarly, what is the the process for updating that and I asked in the context of how does it overlay with what's proposed in this biodiversity strategy, on the one hand and- and secondly, I just did a tour of an a rooftop garden and they were saying that there's requirements for overwintering that doesn't necessarily fit for agriculture, so it looks like it needs multiple updates. So what would be the timeframe or mechanism for updating against the biodiversity strategy? For example? Yes,.

C

Through the chair we are on our work program is a review of the green roof bylaw in 2020, and we would address issues like making sure that urban agriculture is permitted as part of the process and also that we look for more additional ways to encourage biodiversity on green roof. Plantings. Okay,.

F

Thank you very much.

A

Thank You councillor McKelvey questions for staff. Councillor call.

K

On your private property.

K

What's the fee.

K

S

The chair, the fee, is one hundred and seventeen dollars and change for a privately owned tree. That's greater than 30 centimetres in diameter, so.

K

Whether it's a silver maple or whether it's a swindler, maple or spruce tree, the same fee exists for the invasive species. As the native species.

S

Yes, that's correct the only addition to that would be four trees located within ravine, a natural feature, protection areas, it's a defined limit that that does not have a fee associated with it. So.

K

It would it be feasible to consider perhaps a discount or some encouragement and not or some way of not treating the invasive species. The same way you treat the native species.

H

K

Too complicated in terms of threw.

H

The chair: that's it's a very complicated revision to the bylaw. That would require some extensive research and thought around how that could be presented just because the types of you know such as a Norway maple. There are many many Norway maples in the city that are many of them are quite big and, as the deputies did illustrate, are actually contributing to the tree canopy and and provide some substantial coverage. So it's certainly something we could look at if directed. But again it would be a very complicated.

H

In that way, yes.

K

Just in terms of people talked about the need for resources. I know. Recently we received quite a substantial amount of money from the federal government, along with their own money, to invest in our sewer infrastructure. Now we're doing the midtown sewer infrastructure program, I think that's a hundred and fifty million dollars, one hundred forty million, and then we did the one in Black Creek. How many million is that, so to two hundred and twenty million dollars has been invested in a very needed upgrade of our sewer system?

K

That's relieve contamination of our lake water and also to really basement flooding. So that's been, you know almost four hundred million dollars invested in that just recently and it's very needed and, as you know, our sue, our ravines are are also natural sewers that if it wasn't for the ravines, you can imagine the flooding problems we would have in this city, because I think they cover 20 percent of our landmass. Has there ever been any infrastructure money invested in maintaining the integrity of our natural sewer system? That is, our ravines?

K

Has there ever been an allocation of capital dollars into the parks budget to enhance, protect and continue the working of our natural sewers? Our ravines.

Q

Through the chair, through Toronto water, for already more than a decade, we have received several million dollars annually toward planting in areas that are that have a lot of pavement and asphalt and roof coverage such as industrial areas and slopes. Where there's a lot of runoff and so forestry has, for years, been planting on slopes and in industrial areas, particularly or high pavement and rooftop areas with funds from water through.

T

The chair just a few more things, so yes, there's a contribution annually of two million dollars for tree planting in in ravine and and insights that help deal with storm water management and help restore the ravines. In addition to that, there are some programs that the Toronto region, Conservation Authority, has been running that deal with erosion control that did receive also some disaster mitigation assistance, funding relief from the federal government, so those programs were announced as well, so that will be happening in the Humber River shed, in particular some of the Mimico areas.

T

In addition, trauma water has money that it puts in every year to protect ravines to protect the infrastructure that it operates, but we have a lot of our infrastructure within the ravines. So we always whenever we're doing work, we go in fix their infrastructure, but it also in prove the aquatic habitat in the and the area that we're dealing with so.

K

Again just mentioned these two investments this year of almost four hundred million dollars, how many millions that we received for natural sewer infrastructure that our ravines are undertaking? How many are they five, ten million? What what kind of investment last.

A

Last question: we're five and a half minutes.

H

Through the chair, if you're asking counselor around external funding around yes.

K

H

There hasn't been any external funding directly to parks, forestry and recreation towards the item that you're speaking of there has been funding to Toronto water.

K

Water two part.

H

Certainly assisted in what you're speaking okay.

K

Thank you thank.

A

You councillor Cole other questions for staff, deputy measurement and Wang.

G

Alluded to this and the question so I was surprised that this is all these all these things, this whole report isn't going to cost. There are no financial implications. Can you confirm that.

G

Somebody through.

H

The through the chair financial occasions, 2pf NRA's noted we will be coming back with the ravine strategy implementation in November, which will have some costs associated with some of those recommendations. So what we have done, our best to do is incorporate the existing work. We have and left this strategy guide and put and help us prioritize the work that we do within the existing budgets that we have.

G

So I'm going to translate that so there are financial implications.

H

Through the chair, we're not we're not requesting any additional funding through the adoption of this report. There.

G

H

Very specific things we're looking at that connects specifically to the ravine strategy that will be incorporated into the ravine strategy implementation, so.

G

There are no financial implications to adopting this report I'm going to work. This answer, mr. chairman, because I think it's important because I'm because I don't think anybody can read through this report, mr. chairman, and not believe that there aren't going to be substantial costs to the city and it comes for free, so there are downstream sorry for the apologize for the pun, but downstream there. If we were to actually implement these strategies, there will be significant costs. Or are you saying this can all be done within existing budgets?.

G

It I don't think it's an unfair question, because when you adopt the strategy you adopt the whole pack, yeah I mean you are by implication mr. chairman, adopting a whole bunch of consequences. Afterward, if you want to follow everything through.

T

Through the chair from.

C

City planning's perspective.

Q

I would say that the initial adoption of the strategy will have no impacts, because most of the work is being captured.

C

Within our existing work program and work, that's being undertaken as.

D

J

Detailed work perhaps evolves. We will report out on that and if there's any individual impacts from a financial perspective,.

L

We would be reporting that to Council sorry.

G

Mr. chairman I'm sorry I have to take a crowbar out, but I do I underst, you know I understood both answers the and they said, there's no initial cost like a hundred percent, get that, but but I'm talking downstream, and- and maybe this because you know the staff behind me- maybe aren't understanding. My question, maybe I'll ask this question of the deputy city manager downstream. If we were to adopt the strategy, because when you adopt a strategy unless you're just adopting it, you're, not gonna fall through with it. Why do you?

G

Why do you do it at all downstream if we adopt and and actually execute the strategy to get all these things down to remove these invasive species to get rid of the trees to improve our ravines? That's good, there's gonna be a significant price tag to that. Is there not mr.

T

Cherry yes, there will be in the in the follow-up implementation plans. There will be costs associated with being able to undertake some of the strategic actions that are identified in this strategy. This is just adopting the strategy subsequent to that. The implementation plan will have costing associated with it. So.

G

My next question, mr. chairman, do you think that, for the purposes of this report and I know one deputy an older gentleman said this, is you know you got to put your money where your mouth is I'm, I'm kind of paraphrasing what I thought his one of his main themes was? Do you think that we should be saying in this in this report? There's no financial implications. Do you think that's responsible? Do you think that's reasonable?

G

Do you think we should say he's saying you know, while we adopt the strategy that they're gonna be significant, do you think that that is actually a more let's say, truthful, transparent, accountable thing to say, rather than saying you know what this is a freebie? It's not you know what it's not gonna cost anything.

T

It's really mr. chair, I think that what our financial implications section of our staff report does is talk about the specific report. That's in front of you, so by adopting the specific recommendations that are in front and they're very specific, that's just to endorse the strategy and and say you, then don't implement any future plans or actions. Then there are no costs. So that's, unfortunately, the way we typically write a report.

T

This one in front of you has no specific financial implications or extra monies asked for by Council are not seeking additional authorities or monies now that could happen later, as we were four-pack, but we need some direction from committee and council that they accept the strategy. They like the direction that we're heading and then we could go back and cost those those specific programs or any amendments that are made by counts, a costing.

G

Of implementing, like these strategies could actually run in the tens of millions of millions of dollars easily. Is that fair to say mr.

T

Chair, that's correct. There could be in the tens of millions of dollars. Okay,.

G

I think I can I think your points, something else so most of these strategies, like you, know, I reviewed most of them so I, so I put them in buckets. So most of the recommendations, I I can look at their policy, changes their training initiatives and their legislative changes. But within the capture of the strategy there aren't any actually really any hard decisions. That actually is you know in terms of the city going in and let's say, digging up the weeds or pulling out the trees or going into the ravines and actually doing something.

G

That's going to make it better. There's nothing in here and this report. Is that unreasonable to say, and maybe if there is, maybe you can kind of point one of them. One thing up for me:.

H

The chair I mean there are a number of recommendations in the report specific to parks, forestry and recreation, keeping in mind that this report is a citywide report. It's not just around parks, forestry and recreation. There's been a lot of discussion around you know, but there are larger recommendations that have to do with the Official Plan as an example and others that will be implemented, as the report goes forward.

H

I'm, not sure. If that's answering your question.

G

A

G

Policy, training and legislative if anyone recommendations outside of those one ask for a second round: okay, fair enough: no you're, good I'll, save it for Council, okay,.

A

Great any other questions for staff. I have a few. So just following up on on deputy mayor minute, Wong's comments about funding. I am going through sort of divisions of forestry or TRCA, and some federal resiliency money that we've gotten in recent times and then look at the ravine strategy and this strategy. And could an argument be made that a fair amount of this is already funded.

H

Through the chair, I'm speaking, just specifically to the parks, forestry and recreation items, and this, as the report illustrates, it coincides with a lot of the strategic work that we're already doing on ravine management on invasive species management on a number of other areas. But as the deputy, the acting deputy city manager has indicated to implement this report, it would require us to as an example in the ravine strategy, advance some of those investments.

H

Beyond the point that we to where we are currently, we can continue on the work that we're already doing and can continue in the successes of the investment of that work, but to fully implement the strategy over time it will likely will cost some some additional funding and, as I've indicated in the ravine strategy, implementation coming forward in November specific to PFN are, and this report will be illustrating what those funding impacts are.

A

So is that, yes, it's partially funded now through other line items, that's correct, okay! So, as.

H

An example PFN our currently has approximately ten million dollars around operating funds in the ravines annually, and the strategies in this report will also connect with all of that work. That's being done in it and to the.

Q

Chair from city planning's perspective, the actions outlined in the strategy are incorporated into our existing work program.

A

Okay, thank you on more technical aspects of the report. I didn't see and correct me if I'm wrong any kind of recommendations or references to the feeding of wildlife animal. My life, which is an increasing problem in our city and any kind of response to that or bylaw response.

C

We certainly did through the chair we did through the chair. We did. We certainly did consult with the wildlife center and we do have under our communication action around addressing the issue of human and Wildlife conflicts. So.

A

It's an educational piece: it's not an enforcement feast and that that's a segue into my next question. There is a reference to bylaws. I will say that, but not a lot of enforcement of any kind of of the recommendations and making bringing in consequences. If, if some of these are not, if they're violated in some way like draining a swimming pool into into a sensitive biodiverse area,.

H

Through the chair, you know in many of the recommendations: they're, not the actions are not so much in enforcement actions. Many of them are communication actions, education, actions, volunteerism and you know advancing volunteerism in a number of areas and a number of the recommendations already are included in some existing bylaws that are enforceable. So, on our end, that's where many of the enforcement items would come into the existing bylaws. Okay.

A

Thank you finally, there's um there's a reference I guess on page 18, about parks and other open spaces and a reference to providing opportunities for biodiversity. I see down to Park in there I see this report is co-signed by planning.

A

I represent the down zoo, Park area and right now my desk is a planning proposal for 6,500 residential units, 1.6 million square feet of commercial space and 200,000 square feet of retail, and that's both in the William Baker nellen district areas. Yet I see here are references to downs. You park being an opportunity for biodiversity, so I'm trying to reconcile what planning is doing in intensification and the philosophy of this report and I see them well, to put it mildly, on two different planets.

C

It's something we've been doing through the charity is substantively in our recent secondary plans. We've included policies specific to biodiversity, to encouraging them, and the theme for Downsview.

A

Alright, we'll leave we'll leave the rest of it for Council. Sorry.

A

Thank you for your assurances counts. Aphorism you do. Is it an important one? Okay, counselor firoozeh.

I

I just want a councillor Cole touched on this I just want to go back to this whole notion of permits and better understanding how how someone is able to remove a tree in the ravine, so you need a permit for even even removing like a little twig of a tree.

S

Through the chair, there's no DBH size limits in the ravine and natural feature: protection bylaw that differs from the private tree bylaw, where there's a 30 centimeter size limit, could.

I

You just explain that in a way that I could understand so.

S

Any wood under the current ravine, a natural feature, protection by law; chapter six: five: eight: all woody species are protected. I.

I

Got a four year old, he says to me dad don't say maybe just say yes or no right.

I

So can you pull out a little twig of a tree in a ravine without a permit.

S

Technically, under the bylaw, a permit is required to remove any woody vegetation from the ravine and natural future protection system.

I

So if I'm going to pull out a twig of a tree, I need to go and get a permit correct. Yes, okay, thank you and that's in all cases, without exception. No.

S

There are exceptions associated with permitting a tree that is dead, for example, or a tree that's hazardous or a tree that is diseased in some way. They do not require a permit.

I

Who makes that determination? The.

S

Determination is made by urban forestry when the request is made through our section.

I

Okay, so so in that case you go out, you inspect it and if you determine the tree can be removed, you can just simply with a wink, say: I. Take it down.

S

Well, no, there's there's a form. That's that's, given that officially exempts the tree from the bylaw okay, so.

I

If you have a school group, let's say just hypothetically wanting to go into the ravine and doing some you know sort of going after removing some of these. What we would call what we have determined to be invasive species that are damaging our ravine system. They wouldn't would they be able to, with a wink from you or a nod from forestry, remove those those trees without a permit. So.

D

Through you, chair, urban forestry currently has a very active volunteer program where we take volunteers into the ravines to do a variety of restoration work from planting to invasive species management.

D

We also have a community stewardship program, and some of the volunteers are here today that come on a regular basis, those this type of activity, invasive species management- needs to be done under the supervision and direction of staff because of the other implications that could have such as making sure that they're pulling the right species and not trampling native sensitive habitat in that area. So we don't currently allow groups to go in on their own, but they are done through our programs under supervision of staff. So.

I

With your staff can go into the ravine and with staff approval remove trees that are determined to be invasive to to the rigging. That's.

D

Correct so with staff approval and supervision.

I

Staff approval and supervision, okay, I guess, because I don't understand this very well, would which staff be okay with bringing forward a report that explains this to us and for us to take a look at how we might be able to make it easier for people who want to help us do this work? Do it without you know. Without you know the hindrances of expensive permits and time delays and all those other things. Would you be okay with that, so.

H

Through the chair, I mean the bylaws are very specific, around the allowances and and and who can do what?

H

So, what you're really talking about as a review of the bylaws, and in that case which stuff we wouldn't be supportive of a review of the bylaw specific to volunteerism and the community stewardship groups, I think as as we've indicated, there is a lot of activities that currently happen with stewardship groups and the ravines and in other areas of the city and we're very supportive of that group and and are really thankful for the help that we get from the community in implementing some of those programs.

H

If you want to report back on what those programs are and how we manage them, I think we'd be happy to do that. If that's okay, I wish I.

A

Was your last question yeah.

I

Essentially, that's that would be my request. Yeah thanks.

A

Speakers, councillor McElveen.

F

Thank You mr. chair I just wanted to start by thanking staff for their hard work on this biodiversity strategy and I was speaking with them last week, and I really just want to highlight everybody that I don't think they're doing this just just for work, but they actually truly are committed to the principles that are involved in this biodiversity strategy. So I thank them for that, as well as the very useful explanations about what ecological integrity means in an urban versus a rural or you know, northern setting. So that was very helpful.

F

Something I just want to point out very clearly to everybody. Is that hidden within this document there is a valuation of what our ecosystem functions are for our ravines, so the ecosystem services that they provide is 822 million annually, and that is a huge number and it basically represents you know what is the amount of money we would have to spend for these functions if these ravines weren't there, and so while I, am mindful that these sorts of strategies and actions do require money.

F

The money that we invest will have a huge return on investment if it means that we can maintain those ecosystem services to the best of their ability and finally, I just want to say that there is huge public interest around an invasive species right now, and it's certainly something that I've received the most engagement with on social media as a topic, as we put out information to the community, they're always interested to hear about actions that are being taken in the neighborhood about dog, strangling vine or any of the other species, and it's receiving huge uptake so I think the communities are interested.

F

They want this sort of activity to happen. They want to fight invasive species and, as many of the deputies pointed out, they'd also like to be part of the solution, and they are looking for ways that they can engage and they can participate in removal of invasive species from their communities. I really look forward to the ravine strategy in November and in particular, how it will address.

F

Not just you know, flood protection and all those others, services that are provided, but also, as we go into our ravines, to upgrade and invest in them that we are also, at the same time strategically targeting invasive species. So I really look forward to that report and I hope. Those of you, especially the young students that came out to give deputations today, will come back in November to give us important feedback on those subjects then as well. Thank you.

A

Thank You councillor McKelvey councillor.

B

Leighton, yes, thank you very much. I have several motions motion. One. The infrastructure environment can request the general manager parks, forestry, recreation, the chief planner executive director, City Planning and general manager Toronto our water report back to the infrastructure, Environment Committee through the ravine strategy, implementation report in November, 2009 teen regarding the review of opportunities and priority sites for restoration in the ravine and other associated project requests to request the general manager parks, forestry and Recreation chief planner executive director, City Planning, in consultation with the TRC.

B

A and relevant city divisions, identify opportunities for restoration outside of ravine areas and in the public realm through the 2021 budget process.

B

Number two: what's up with number two: that the infrastructure, Environment Committee, request the appropriate staff to consider prioritizing as part of the invasive management plan, the four provincially regulated terrestrial invasive species, including Japanese knotweed, and finally, that recommendation to be amended as follows: City Council, direct, the general manager and you'll see that there that's just this adds the highlighted portion, including an implementation and budgetary framework, and include a reporting deadline by the fourth quarter of 2020.

B

That I'd like to to thank staff for the report and and highlight there are there, are three things that I really love about this about this policy in front of us one and I'll get to. It is a neat story. A neat personal story, too, is that it involves something that all of us care about, and that is the health of our city, the physical health, the ecosystem, health and the infrastructure health of our city.

B

And finally, it gives us an opportunity, as councillors, to show our commitment for something and I'll get to that in a second. So first I want to tell you a story.

B

So this the biodiversity strategy came from a letter that I wrote in 2015 and put on the agenda, and it was only on this agenda for two reasons: I had a meeting with an old friend Leslie Adams from power, which someone will remember the acronym it's like people for our water people, for our water and environmental resources that have been doing fights in the province for years, and she told me that 2011 and 2020 was the UN decade of biodiversity.

B

Big un declaration, the previous provincial governor, did some work on it, but cities hadn't done anything, and yet we have a lot of echo logical resources in our city. We have a lot of biodiversity, but cities in in the province and across the country, weren't, developing planets and I thought that was a little silly and then later on that week, actually I had a conversation with with my partner and she is an avid birder and she told me about a a chimney coming down actually across town, but that was home.

B

They knew to an endangered species and she asked me what would the city do? I said well, who there's? No, no, no division that checks for this thing, so we would issue a demolition permit, but we have no one that actually checks that box, saying no you're, not destroying invasives and you're, not destroying endangered species habitat, and it struck me that someone along the way at the city could actually serve that purpose. To check that box. That says this is on a hundred-year-old chimney.

B

It is very likely endangered species habitat, so you have to provide documentation. We do that for a lot of other things. It just seemed like something we could do at the same point in time. The piping plovers were we're reestablishing on Toronto Islands and then more recently, I had I got to learn from some of those speakers here about some of the invasives in our ravine system.

B

So this is a really exciting strategy, because it does touch on on on something that I think a lot of us hold do, and we heard from councillor Minh and Wong. It's something that he has just in his own backyard, that this is about the the health of our city, our physical health, because of invasives the the impact that some invasive species can have on our physical health, our ecosystem, health, because those invasive species and that habitat that that species biodiversity adds to the the complexity of and and therefore health of, the environment around us.

B

And, finally, our in because our infrastructure, health I got the privilege of a tour with the folks from Moorpark in the ravine group in Ward 11. Just to see the devastation that is is happening within our ravine system as a result of some of these invasives, and it is going to cost us money and councillor. Minh and Wong is quite right to say that the implementation of this report, if we do it, is going to cost money.

B

It's unfortunately not presented here, because those those money asks would be under the ravine strategy would be under strategies for invasive species. Specifically. So how do we address the the knotweed in a coordinated fashion? How do we address the on the the invasive Norway maple in an appropriate fashion? It is gonna cost my it's just the money. The dollar values aren't here in front of us. Yet that's why most of my item, my anims, don't say, spend more money on.

B

It is, as the process of the ravine strategy and budgets come in, come with proposals because, like I agree with council, ermine and Wang in that there are costs associated with this, where we might disagree is I actually think we should fund programs that that really do address the recommendations in this report so that we see advancement in protection of our of our of our ravines and biodiversity. We need to put resources into this. Unfortunately, the only example we have of the last time Toronto City Council, had an opportunity to demonstrate.

B

Our commitment to this was for a tiny 1/2 million dollar asked to clean up garbage and and and litter in our ravines as part of a pilot program in advance of the ravine strategy. This was came forward in our 2019 budget process and it went unfunded.

B

We had a motion in front of Council that said fund it with a point: zero: two to increase to the property tax rate, to fund this half half million dollar Oh to two percent and unfortunately, that that would cost roughly speaking under a dollar a person well under a dollar person, and so we will get a number. We will have an opportunity to hold to account the elected officials in it, City Council, to say, if you're serious, about protecting biodiversity and saving our ravines, you got to vote for an increased resources. Thank you very much.

A

Well, that's a warm-up for budget season, sir person.

K

A

K

I have three motions I'd like to move the first one is that the infrastructure, Environment Committee, requests that the general manager, Toronto water and general manager parks, forestry, recreation in collaboration with the Toronto region, Conservation Authority, to report on the vital role Toronto ravines play in stormwater management and in dealing with the impacts of severe weather events caused by climate change.

K

The second motion that requested M structure, merit committee, requested general manager, parks parks, forestry, recreation to undertake a public awareness campaign through its existing public outreach to include information about invasive species, threatening our ravines and private and public open spaces, and my my third motion is recommend that direct the general manager parks, forestry, recreation in consultation with the chief planner executive director, City Planning and chief executive officer, Toronto and region Conservation, Authority and external experts to a develop an ecological integrity, monitoring and reporting framework for Toronto's natural areas and ravines through the ecosystem services working group and be report back by September 20 20 on their progress on the ecologically ecological integrity monitoring a reporting framework, including implementation and budgetary requirements.

K

This work will build on metrics from existing City and TRCA programs and data for monitoring change in the condition of natural areas and ravines. Just to speak to my emotions, briefly, the one about the sewers I just think that we take for granted the fact that our ravines, which cover 20% of Toronto's landmass, are playing a critical role in absorbing and managing our water outfalls. Our extreme weather events are so without these, the natural sewers. You can imagine what would happen to our existing hard sewers and our roads, etc.

K

So our ravines are taken for granted and that's why, by doing this report, we might be able to get some resources.

K

Significant resources invested in our ravines to ensure they continue to play the critical role in stormwater management and perhaps expand their role as these extreme weather events will continue to come one after another, as we've seen in recent years.

K

Secondly, in terms of the public awareness campaign, I think we've got a lot of vehicles within the City of Toronto, whereby we could use all kinds of communications to identify these invasive species, so that Torontonians would become more familiar with what they look like and being able to identify them and being able to ask questions and be able to move to eventually replacing the invasive species and also is couldn't agree more.

K

This is going to cost a great deal of resources to do it right and so I think it's very, very fruitful that we're talking about the reality of the cost of these motions and the cost of this biodiversity report and that it's going to mean a commitment of dollars to do this going forward. I do want to say that we're asking the parks, recreation frustrated do so much they're already doing a great deal so with the existing resources.

K

They're not going to be able to undertake everything we're asking of them in terms of dealing with our biodiversity file, so I think we're going to have to commit to some more capital dollars for sure and going forward and operating dollars.

K

Just I do want to mention that I am a jogger and I go through many ravines and I've go through many streets and so forth. I have never seen our parks looking so clean and so green as I have this year. I don't know.

K

Whatever it is, but I know they're green, there could be some evasive species in there, but I just want to commend our parks, recreation, forestry, people I have really. You know been amazed by the the absence of plastic and the absent of foreign garbage elements that come in and the the control of our natural grass areas as juxtaposed to our mowed lawns, and so I just want to commend staff because I know I'm and my staff. We are like I'm sure, all of our counselors. We you.

A

K

Yeah wrap up I know we have to say something good for a change. Sometime.

A

No I like positive stuff.

K

A

Five minutes we like anyways.

K

So I just want to put that on the record that again I think staff is to be commended by the incredible commitment they've made to keeping our parks clean and green and safe and I want to put that on the record too Thank.

A

You councillor Cole, no clarity, Council approves. Are you moving this item? Are you withdrawing it.

I

Mr. Chairman I, as you know, I was gonna move a motion on this whole. You know permitting ravines, can you pull out a twig without a you know? Without a permit? You know one person says no. You can't, because you got bylaws that don't do that. That I mean by laws that prohibit you from doing that. Another person says well, you know. Actually we can organize school groups and go down and remove them, providing the app supervision. So I wanted to get some clarity on all of that.

I

But I have been somewhat moved by our very knowledgeable staff that it is a very complex issue that would require some by law, reviews and another thing. So I will take that offline with them and if, at the end of the day, I'm not convinced and I will move my motion at a later date, mr. John, but while I do have the microphone I'll just take another 15 seconds to say that this is a very good report and it's very good direction for us to be moving in and I'm very, very supportive of it.

A

Thank You councillor pros: are there any other speakers? No we're good. So we can start voting on these motions unless you want to take. We just take them as a package or a package. Okay,.

A

So emotions a B and C from councillor Layton, all those in favor pose that is carry and motions a B and C from councillor Cole, all those in favor opposed that is carried all those in favor opposed that is carry thank you very much. A.

A

Next item on the agenda is item 9, it's held by counsel, Layton.

A

Counseling questions for staff. No! Thank you very much any item. Nine number of tickets issued and charges laid against builders or failure to protect city trees. Any questions for staff.

A

You have questions in this very minute, one when.

G

Someone's building an infill house and there's a tree, that's getting in the way of their infill house. Do we usually let them chop down the tree.

I

S

The chair, the requirement for a permit, remains for removing a tree. That's within the footprint of allowable zoning. It depends on where the tree is located in the context of the of the site and what what variances or Severinsen smight be required. All.

G

Right so maybe I'll be a little bit more specific specific if an infill house, if there is a an existing tree and the plan for the infill house, can directly conflicts like the is exactly where, for example, then, on the footprint where the new property is the new house is, do we allow that cheap tree to be removed? Yes, and that's all the time right.

S

All all the time it depends upon the variances on the site, but if.

G

The variance is not approved, that's clear or if it's not in the existing footprint of the house, I think you know there could be a discussion, but if it actually conflicts the variances are approved and- and you can't build the house because there's a tree there, we all doesn't matter how old the tree is or what the tree is. We have a policy of letting them allowing the permit correct. It's.

S

It's not a policy it's built into the bile, always it built into the bylaw. It's called as of right. Construction has.

G

A very construction, okay, and if and and usually I mean, I should probably ask you this off line, and if it's outside that footprint, then we have there's a there's a little bit more discretion involved. Correct. That's correct, Thanks,.

A

Thank You deputy minute counts, aletan.

B

Thank you very much and they're just a couple very quick questions on the chart on page 3. This had to do with the contraventions inspected and the orders to comply. Then the part three summonses. Can you tell me what the response time is for because these are all done based on complaint, correct, most.

S

Most calls received come in through three one, one. That's.

B

Correct I'm in through three on one I think I'm a good percentage of those calls for these ones, in particular the. How long is the period that it takes for you to inspect the.

S

Time period for response can fluctuate throughout the year, depending upon the number of calls and seasons the season so currently in 2019 we're at about five days and our service standard is seven days for response service.

B

Standard is seven days, so you get a call that a tree is being on. A construction site is being injured potentially, and it takes five to seven days to respond. It's.

S

Averaging right now, five days, however, certain calls are prioritized by the others.

B

Okay and then the orders to comply, or when you see something that is in contravention of the bylaw.

S

Yes, orders complier, issued when there is work that can be accomplished to correct the contravention that was that was observed on.

B

The site, so when there's not work that can be done, for instance, they injured the tree as a result of something what happens in that case. So.

S

In a case of injury, there is some work that can be done, corrective measures can be put up, hoarding can be reinstalled, ultimately, mulch can be applied within the tree protection zone. Those are all pieces of work that the city can enforce on in order.

B

To comply, but we wouldn't issue a fine right off the bat. A fine.

S

No, there would be an inspection fee associate revention, but not fine. Even.

B

If, even if damage was done to the tree, even.

S

If damage was done to institute a fine requires further legal action through prosecution, so.

B

Then you then, the orders to comply or when you issue orders to do some kind of remedy. Now the number of orders to comply- and the part 3 summons, is, is rather dramatic. The the reduction I'm wondering, if can we ensure that all of those issues or orders to comply were investigated to ensure that they were in fact complied to so.

S

We prioritize which infractions sites proceed to prosecution and we do that in consultation with legal with the evidence and with the significance of the impact on site.

S

So that's why there's a far fewer number of actual part, 3 summons that are issued.

B

Okay, I might figure out a way to put a motion together for counsel on this one I'm, just because I think that that droppeth we need to be out. You know what I'll speak to this in this Thank.

A

You counsel, Aten accounts of parisa I.

I

Just I want to know: when do you so the odds of right construction? When do you issue the permit to remove the tree I'll tell you I'll tell you why I ask this question. You know a rezoning application was applied for in my areas. Some years ago it went through the process all the way to the Ontario Municipal Board.

I

They got their zoning and they proceeded to remove a whole bunch of trees like two hundred and fifty trees or something, and they haven't built a single thing here. Right I mean they may one day build the thing, but you could have had a whole bunch of trees. You know continue on until they were actually ready to construct right to build. So so at what point is someone because of as a right construction permitted to remove a tree? The.

S

The allowances based so a permit can be applied for at any point in time, but the the actual permit would not be approved until the building permit has been cleared. So you may have. It depends upon the you know the developer themselves and how they proceed with their construction timelines, but they could apply for permits early or they could apply for after zoning. But generally urban forestry holds those permits until a building permit has been issued.

I

So the as of right construction, issuance of a permit. So technically you could have a situation where somebody removes trees because they're in the way of construction and never actually build anything.

G

A

Done Thank, You counsel, any other questions for staff.

A

Any speakers on this item councillor.

B

Lady, yes, just very quickly Thanks. Thank you to staff for reporting back I, just find that the discrepancy in the number of I first I think this problem is so frustrating you walk by a site. These are. These are contractors that work in our city that know what the bylaws are and then they're certain they're there they're piling stuff from from digging out of basement right up next to a city tree like that's, destroying our property. Those trees are ours not to not to too much ownership over nature, but they belong to the city.

B

We pay for them we're responsible for pruning them. They die, we got to replace them, and these trees can be there for 20, 30, 40 50 100 years plus, and yet these contractors that work on our city are just some of them. Not all some of them are just flagrantly disregarding our bylaw and the fact that it takes some a someone to report it to have the wherewithal to say that might be hurting that tree and in contravention of the City of Toronto bylaw fir.

B

It take to take seven days to get someone out there and then trust it not actually immediately levy, something some significant, fine or say you know what next time you go for a building permit you're gonna have a you're, not gonna. Go fast-track you're gonna go a slow track like it's. It just seems to me like there are some times when there's honest mistakes that are made.

B

Maybe if it's someone trying to do their own work around their house, but when these are contractors that do a lot of work in our city, they damn well know better and I'm. Tired of making these calls in and seeing these trees get destroyed by negligent work. I guess the adage it's hard to find a good contractor actually applies to those that will protect our trees as well.

B

I just think we need to figure out a better way of pushing back and getting in getting compliance because clearly, with with almost over 2000 contraventions that were inspected. So that's the ones that were called in last year that that's that's too many and so I think there's something better. We can do. I just haven't thought of it, yet so maybe I'll get do it by council or maybe I won't. Thank you.

G

B

Slow track, thank you. Wait for the tree to get to revive itself at a regrow. Thank.

A

You counseling any other speakers on this item.

B

A

Receipt, okay, receipts being moved all those all those in favor opposed. That's carried.

G

20 minutes.

A

Item 10 proposed wastewater energy transfer pilot projects dennis photino I.

B

Have a motion from staff but okay.

A

Wishes for staff we're not on speaker so questions for staff.

G

A

Deputy mayor minimum.

G

With this vendor, because there's some sort of proprietary thing and I'm just wondering like what is it that so proprietary? That means that suggest that we should.

G

T

Chair, so it's not necessarily proprietary, as opposed to the the vendor approached us and that he had a couple of viable locations with some interested parties to explore it. So we do recognize that there are other competitors that may be interested in in doing something similar in today or in future.

T

We do know of another company that has come forward with a different part of the city, and so we wanted to do the pilot, so we could develop a framework document which will then allow other entities so to do an RFP would be us identifying the various locations and putting together the other users would take the waste heat like, for example, the hospital or a college, we're not proposing that the city get into that business. We want. We want private businesses to work out those third party arrangements.

T

All we would look at is whether it makes sense from a operational technical perspective to allow them to access the sewer in that particular location. And what is the framework for making those requests for companies to approach us or our entities? So that's why we're proposing the pilot and why it was not run as an RFP.

G

If the pile is successful, then.

G

T

Is chair on these two specific locations, we're.

G

Giving yes we're soul sourcing on these two specific locations.

T

Again through mr. chair, we we did not put out a call hana water would did not have an RFP out, so we were we're not following a procurement type process.

T

We are following the council approved plan to look at different ways to use energy and, and and and taking waste heat from sewage was identified in in one of our transform Tio's policy strategies that was open-ended to allow entities to approach us with proposals, as opposed to us, making the respective calls and so we're responding to a company coming forward and saying we have interested parties that want to explore it.

G

T

You use that I'm saying we did not have a tender call, and so we we are not issuing what.

G

Do you call it when you don't have a tender calling you give a contractor? It's.

T

An unsolicited proposal- oh.

G

T

Essentially, it's an unsolicited proposal. However, we do have a framework to consider it. That council asked us to look at in general, look at waste heat recovery and other energy measures.

G

Are there any two sites? What are the two sites? The.

T

Two sites that were specifically identified in the recommendations- one is the Sunnybrook Hospital site. The second one is Humber College and the associated nearby is the tobiko William Osler Etobicoke a general hospital site. So those two are really close to one and you're.

G

Comfortable with doing the sole source again.

T

This unsolicited proposal, I, have no proposal, call out there so I'm, not so sure.

G

When someone comes with an idea, what's it called it? Was the partnership office used it? The name escapes me? No! No. When someone comes with an unsolicited proposal, this challenge was challenged. How come we didn't do a Swiss challenge on this one, because.

T

Because the end of the day, you can only have one proponent, engaging the outside party, so, for example, this company's already already has in place agreements in principle with Sunnybrook Hospital Oh to work together. So it was based on the fact that they are. There already made progress. Okay with these outside parties that that we said all right, we would look at it. There are other companies that are looking at this beyond this particular company and if they had proposals, we would look at them as well. We we do need to develop a policy framework.

T

The city of Vancouver did develop one, and we've looked at that. However, we do need to look at how we would do it in Toronto and.

G

So you're you and the procurement officer satisfied with this arrangement. Three.

T

We're working with the energy office and and legal, not procurement, because again we did not have a tender call out there. We would make money on this, in fact, so there's a potential for trial water to earn revenue off of off of this proposal.

G

T

Again, because we are not procuring any anything's, not like Toronto water put out a tender, call we're not buying the equipment. There's, we are not purchasing anything. There is no investment on our part. All of the investment will be handled by the third parties.

T

Through you, yes, they would get access in return. There would be some revenue that we would expect for for using the waste heat and and the lease agreement. So that is the basis of the agreement that we're going to look at putting in place with the pilot, but first we need to make sure that implementing something like this does not cause us operational problems with our sewers. So that is really the key operational concern the trial water has, and we need to go a bit further to explore those those issues.

G

T

G

T

Could send it to them, but again we're not procuring anything well.

G

You're you're actually giving them access to a site. Others don't have access to again.

T

We did so under money under city council policy.

M

R

You, mr. chair again, the council has already established and approved a policy of the green market acceleration program whereby these types of projects can be undertaken if there's no cost to the city. So and it's exactly that where you are giving access to city resources, so the city can try out new technologies as well as.

E

Having a look at new and innovative technologies in.

P

Helping at some of our local.

G

There are a lot of circumstances where we're not paying for the infrastructure. For example, I, don't know I let a food truck go on the square I'm, not making any money, but there's a process for that. Yes,.

T

And that's what we're saying: there's a process for this as well right that councils approved then we're following that that.

A

Okay, council person, I.

I

Guess I guess I'll ask the question for Councilman and wrong. Then how do we figure out at the end of the day, whether we're getting best value so we're going to make some money? How do we? How are we able to determine that that this particular outfit is giving us the best value for the access to our giving.

T

Through you, mr. chair, that is the reason why we're asking to do the pilot we're going to develop some of the criteria that would inform a broader policy.

T

We have to start somewhere and we've been approached by this particular company to look at doing sewer recovery work. We do know that you need external party arrangements with people that will buy that waste heat and they've got letters from Sunnybrook, initially and now also a Humber, so that is part of the work that we would do is figuring out. What is the value of the waste heat?

T

Try to develop a market valuation number for that, compare it to other things that have been done in other jurisdictions, as well as what we've done on the opposite side. Deep lake water cooling is a form of energy transfer, so we would look at that agreement that we have in place with anyway. Okay.

I

So these two particular sites at the end of the day may not give us best value, but they would give us some benchmarks by which to achieve best value going forward. That's.

T

Correct it's: do you have to start new programs and, and the the council policy was trying to give us the ability to do some innovative work. That's first time we're trying it in the city, so we need to take it a bit further and we need Council's authority to do that. Work to try to figure out some of these details. Thank you. Thank.

A

You councillor firs have any other questions for staff on this item.

K

Just in terms of I think there was a need to include the reference to the hospital next door to the Humber College, that is, the William Osler Hospital site should be Etobicoke site.

T

3 mr. chair, that's correct, I believe Kathy Layton has a motion Oh make that okay, specific amendment.

A

All right, Thank You, councillor Cole.

A

Deputations you're over.

A

Speakers, council.

B

A is I have a motion that was given to me by staff that we add to recommendation one and or William Osler Etobicoke General Hospital to the list of proposed pilot sites.

B

So we've got a program at the city called the green market accelerator program. Someone came to us and said we know you're, not looking sure. That's no problem.

A

Well, you could ask.

B

Questions in the mover, I'm, not gonna, know the answer, but I'll try I.

A

Don't know why these are on the list and on others, but that would be my question.

I

The other question is I, just want to better understand our our sewer system, because what this seems to suggest is and I don't know what the sewer network is at at Humber College, for example, where it comes out on to the city and how big that sewer is and how much heat that would generate. But now adding this other place, it might be going into the same sewer, but now you're sort of that's. You know saying what what councilman in Wong was alluding to is.

I

Maybe we should allow the pilot to go forward on the the two sites, see what the values are establish those and we might be in a better negotiating position on the third side right and so, instead of just kind of like slipping it in I. Think the two is just.

T

So we had clarity that was an error on staffs part and that we did not include that name in the recommendation when the discussions that we've been having with the proponent that that, because it is in the same sewer and beside Humber, it was always intended to be there. So this is to clarify discussions that we've had with the company. So it was our error, not including it in the original recommendation. Otherwise we would have had it in the staff report. So.

I

The site that you're talking about that you're picking both sewers, both the the the sewer from Humber, the main sewer from Humber I'm assuming and the and the sewer from Etobicoke General Hospital, but they're both going into the same.

T

Pipe, it would be coming off of the same sewer segment. Yes,.

I

T

Wouldn't be able to you.

I

Wouldn't be able to separate it anyway, they would need an agreement with the double going in any case.

T

Mr. chary, yes, this, this only works. If you have someone that wants to buy the waste heat off of the company, that's going to make the investment, so you need an interested third party. If that deal falls through, there will be no sewer heat recovery project because there is, there is no third party transaction that will occur.

A

Okay, thank you. Cancer person, just some clerical, a clinical item. Lunch is enjoyment. You want to move.

B

A

Continue to finish, I'll.

B

Move to complete the agenda, move.

A

To complete the agenda is, on the table closed a favor hose that is carried.

A

We're back to speakers for item 10 if.

B

I could just live tabled. A motion I'll be very brief. This is precisely the type of project that the Green Market acceleration program that the city developed is intended to support.

B

Someone came to us and said you're losing a bunch of heat on your sewage line, as you take it back to get to get treated, I'd like to I'd like to pay to install something that will that will take some of that heat off and and and heat a local, the building with it, thereby reducing the the in all likelihood requirement for Nashville in that natural gas heating. It's a technology, that's used elsewhere, but not in Toronto, and so we need to develop a framework when people come to it when people.

B

If someone came to you and said, I want to buy a little bit of the heat from your sewage pipe that you're not using and pay you for it. I'm gonna pay for everything that goes into it and then pay you for it like. There might be a lot of complicated things we aren't factoring in, so we shouldn't just open it all up to everyone.

B

Things like agreements around the right-of-way, the the impact that how much heat is being taken off the system or unanticipated things that that happened in Toronto sewer system that they might not have experienced elsewhere. So we we want some time to beta-test this. It just so happens that someone came to us saying we have these agreements with these other institutions. We would like to set set up a pilot in this way. If we want to see movement and innovation coming out the city, this is kind of the kind of thing we should look at it.

B

It passes the smell test because if it's demonstrated it's being used on sewers elsewhere it there, there is money, changing hands and it brings in revenue to the city and it's an established policy goal that we have from our transform, transform tío. So I think that this is a good step forward. I'm there was one other site that I would have loved to see on that list. That's actually in my ward.

B

Unfortunately, it's not it's okay, but we'll I'm glad to see that this is taking the next step forward and I hope that it works out and if it doesn't well, we tried.

A

Thank You councillor Lane any other speakers. Okay, we have the one motion on the screen, all those in favor opposed that is carried the item as amended all those in favor opposed that is carried item number 11 held by councillor Layton 2020, Canada, Ontario agreement, respecting Great Lakes, water quality and ecosystem health. Mr.

B

Chair in the interest of time, unless there's questions of staff, I'm happy to move receipt of the program, thank staff and apologize for if they stayed longer than they had to. Just just in the interest of us finishing the agenda in the rough time frame that we had.

A

Okay, all those all those in favor of motion to adopt all those in favor opposed that is carried item number 12 congestion management plan status report.

A

Questions for staff I held it I, think I held on someone's behalf.

A

Right, oh it's counselor minute. Once, okay, let's, let's write okay, it was a walk on item counselor, men and Wang. All those in favor pose. That is carried final item, also walk on item East, scooter oversight and management.

A

A

Questions for staff.

A

B

For Sal, just just very quickly, absolutely staff are working on a regulatory framework for the City of Toronto. That is consistent with the provincial, the provincial framework, but it's just they hadn't developed it yet correct. That's.

J

Correct there was a previous motion that came through this committee that staff should work on a regulatory framework for a scooter, kicky scooters, as well as other similar types of micro mobility. So we've been working on that the province is now announced that they will be doing a pilot project, and so we will be feeding into that pilot project and we need some regulations in the meantime. So.

B

Currently, is it legal to, according to the provincial framework, is it legal to ride any scooter on the road? No.

J

B

Is not and therefore it wouldn't be legal to ride an e scooter on the sidewalk with it. The.

J

Sidewalk definition is a little bit more more vague, and so that's why there's a motion within your package today that explicitly makes it illegal to ride an e scooter on the sidewalk and.

B

For parking the vehicles on the sidewalk, what would our current? What would our current regulations say about locking it up for or just leaving it on, the sidewalk blocking the right-of-way? There.

J

Are currently situations in our bylaws that, if a a scooter or other devices or items are left in the right-of-way that obstruct sidewalk traveled and they would they could be confiscated and removed the language and the motions that you have in front of you makes that explicitly clear for East scooters that they can't be left on the sidewalk as an obstruction.

B

And how long do we think it'll take for for staff to come for the province to determine the regulatory framework and then for staff to come back with with something through.

J

The chair, the province, seems to be moving quite quickly on this, as they only a couple of weeks ago announced a pilot that will undertaken for five years and they had only a two-day comment period they've since revised that to a common period until next later this week. So we will be commenting, they may move very quickly on that and we want to make sure that our bylaws allow us some a bit of a reprieve until we have a framework in place that has permitting systems.

J

B

A

Deputy mayor minam, Wong.

G

Recommendation number two says: you're not allowed to you know, have to park these scooters on a street sidewalk or pedestrian. Wait where exactly I supposed to park them.

J

The language in this recommendation would allow an individual who wants to use an e scooter to use it on the road once the province makes the changes to the Highway Traffic Act, but when you would take it with you into your destination, your home, your workplace, that kind of thing a nice scooter is quite a small device. It would not allow commercial proliferation of e scooters on our sidewalks until we have a permit system in place to allow where they can park and cannot, is.

G

So I mean I'm, not I may not be opposed to regulation. The addition of number one and number three, my other concern is because, because when we talk about East scooters and these type of sort of vehicles, it's not whether a certain level of controversy- and there seems to be a certain level of people who want a number of people that wish to come here and make their views known, and this was just dropped on us.

G

I I, just don't want to run afoul of people saying you know we didn't have any notice of this arrangement. You know people, usually the cyclists of the scooter community usually likes to know about these things in here we just dropped it, and no one really knows and I'm just wondering whether you know well there'd be some people who use these scooters or would there be some stakeholders or what-have-you? You might not agree with recommendation number two.

G

If that's the case, they should be able to voice their concerns. That's my point.

J

Through the chair, we are just working around the timelines that the province announced this pilot and we want to make sure our bylaws are clear that they work that the sidewalks and streets would not be obstructed by e scooters left there, which we've seen happen in other cities. So what we're proposing here would allow people to use these scooters, but would protect us from having them being strewn about the sidewalks and creating accessibility and pedestrian hazards. Some.

G

Folks might have some problem with that right. This recommendation we.

J

Would seek some people may have concerns, and- and this recommendation also allows us- it says that we would be coming back before the end of the year with a framework with a permitting system that would allow larger use of these scooters and where they would park.

G

A

I'm finished, thank you deputy mayor. Any other questions for staff. I have a couple, but so when it comes to a scooters parking illegally on places, we've mentioned a scooters are used by individual residents and citizens in a private contract with Annie scooter company. How would we ever be able to enforce any kind of violation of leaving East scooters in the public right-of-way.

J

With the provisions of the bylaw as written here, we would be able to confiscate East scooters that were improperly left on the right-of-way, an individual who wants to use an e scooter that they own could could bring that into their their property or where they're going, because they are quite small and they fold up. This allows us to protect the city against having mass commercial use of e scooters on our sidewalks until such time as we have a permitting system that would allow them to park in particular places. So.

A

The the penalty is confiscation, there's no warning, there's no fines, it's confiscation, we take, we take the product and we impound it in.

J

The manner that we're trying to enact something quickly to protect ourselves from this change, we anticipate to happen from the province. It would allow us to just confiscate them I in practice, what we have for bicycles that are left in the right-of-way if they're as long as they're parked, but they're they're, not writable, we do put warnings so I expect we'll work with staff to create something similar if it's not obstructing travel, if it's obstructing travel confiscation needs to happen so that that can be out of the way.

A

What about private property I understand the distillery district has proceeded with a pilot. Do we have any authority or enforcement ability on private property? No.

J

A

Do not what about federal lands, I'm thinking under the Downs, your secondary plan or you park? Would they govern it to themselves.

J

Within federal lands, if there are roads that are city operated, that would be that would be under the city's authority.

A

Okay, I count Sara person.

I

And yes, I consider my questions important too. Just sorry before you ask the question: okay,.

I

As I think about this, so so we now allow people to willy-nilly park their bicycles, their pedal bicycle all over the sidewalk everywhere I mean you know both where you we have designated bike whatever you call them the Rings or there's a like a little tree. They lock it against the tree or the corner post and nobody really like parks, their bike across the sidewalk obstructing pedestrians, correct, more or less.

J

As long as the bike is not obstructing pedestrians and it is legally parked there, there are some stipulations around not parking on trees because of damage to trees. Okay,.

I

But but in most cases you allow people providing they haven't, parked their bike across the sidewalk to basically leave their bicycles and in places where they're not bugging anybody along the along sidewalks and boulevards, and things like that correct right, okay, so.

I

So why are you and you don't go out and confiscate any of those bikes not really right unless they've been left over for, like they're like derelict over the winter or something? And then you you clean them up as part of a cleaning program, but not because they're you're collecting the bikes right, correct?

I

Okay, so why wouldn't we as part of a pilot, allow I allow a scooters that look like a lot of them? Look like bicycles to be able to do the same thing as a bicycle like on the on like. Why do we need to kind of like regulate the hell out of those the.

J

The regulation pieces around mass commercial supply of these for a scooter sharing is what we've seen in other cities, and so the city would be reported reporting on a permitting program for those kind of a scooter uses and that's. We would be reporting before.

I

They, let me ask the question in another way: let's say we approve your recommendation today, and that goes to the province and the province, adopts our recommendation and and basically makes it illegal for anybody to to leave their de bikes along any sidewalks or like park them like bicycles, right. The.

J

Province wouldn't identify where ebike a scooters can park that would be up to the city. The province is allowing these to be legal for use on roads and some stipulations around. You have to be 16. You have to use a helmet if you're under 18. That's what the province is proposing right now, they're asking for feedback on right.

I

And we're saying no on boulevards or along sidewalks and places where there might be space for you to park your ebike. But we're going to say no just because we would allow a bicycle. A petabyte circle park there. But we won't allow your ebike that it's the same size as the bike. But you're can't park that this.

J

Issue came up that it would be legalized last week or the week prior and so as something that council can decide now to ensure we don't have hundreds. Thousands of East scooters proliferate the sidewalks between now and the end of the year. It allows some clarity that they, they cannot be parked on the sidewalk obstructing pedestrians, but we would come back also before the end of the year, with a permit program.

I

In relation to in relation to bicycles and bicycle use, how many people out there in percentage terms, are using e bikes? Is it hundreds of thousands? Are.

J

You talking about a scooters, a subject.

I

Right now, yeah, we.

J

I've seen only handfuls of people, but what happens is that a company comes in and leaves these on the sidewalk in cities in in thousands in a bulk and they get left and they become a problem from a safety and accessibility perspective. So and until the end of the year, really literally like two months from three months from now at the most, we would come back with a report stipulating what a permit system for these programs would look like. Staff are already.

I

J

I

Why wouldn't we take that approach if it becomes a problem and- and then companies are just dropping hundreds of thousands of ebikes all over our sidewalks that we would regulate them? Then we're.

J

Trying to be proactive because the province is changing the rules now, so we want to make sure that our city can be somewhat prepared. While we get the permit system in place. So.

I

We're basically moving coming to deal with a problem that hasn't occurred, but we are anticipating that that problem for sure will happen. We.

J

Know that this has been a problem in many other cities and we are looking to support the provinces, recommendations and making easy scooters legal, but the issue of parking them has been a problem leaving them on the sidewalk. This protects us from problems until we have a permit system, so.

A

You're well over five minutes, but those were good questions. Iii.

I

Want to separate those recommendations out because I want to vote against Alan and I'd like ya.

A

Know if you want to vote at Syria, and we can arrange that.

F

Mixing and matching different issues here. So there's the one issue: you know a personal use, but the one that's actually a little bit more of concern is when it's like a company, that's renting them out and you have like a it got. Drop-Off that's out base. You can pick it up wherever and drop it wherever. Is that more? What the problem is? Yes,.

J

That's that's the problem that we're trying to address until we have a permit system to regulate those companies and.

F

You had mentioned that other places have had this problem, so somebody had written in to me a former colleague who's at Western University and that they're finding them all over campus they're tripping hazards, there's not really regulation, so is that the sort of problem that you are trying to avoid here, that's correct. Thank you.

A

Speakers calculatin.

B

Yes, thank you very much. I have a motion. Yes, you do, and this is to amend the yeah. It looks a lot longer than it is, but it does two things in recommendation: 1. It adds the Toronto parking authority, the list of city divisions to be consulted, and then it includes the language, including the possibility of adding electric scooters to the bike share fleet as a way of managing East scooters in the public, right-of-way and then the second.

B

My second Amendment is to recommendation 2 to delete the word standing from the list so that it includes parking, storing and leaving an e scooter on any sidewalk, but that was just what I came up with quickly. The first one. First of all, I should go back and say this is this is actually a very complex but a pressing issue that the city needs to deal with all around North, America and I can anticipate in other countries as well. They're managing this issue of Dhokla spikes and Dhokla see scooters and cities are struggling like that.

B

Some had instituted pilots and have one or two of these operating in their city, but they they didn't, have the opportunity of time to address this issue of where these things get stored. There's also been reports that they are not all on an environmental they're, not all that environmental, because how you recharge them and how you actually move them around. The city is a large producer of greenhouse gases, so that there needs to be some some, some careful thought. We have the opportunity of careful thought here in Toronto. It's unfortunate.

B

The province is giving us like 48 hours, to review a set of regulations on this, but that doesn't mean that it ends there because there's two distinct, distinct things: the province are talking about the personal use on the roads and then there's the sharing. That is really where the city will have most of its domain and where it should, because we're regulating what happens in the public right-of-way, which is what the other cities are struggling with, because these vehicles they're not they're, not stationary, they move around, they can move around in the right wing.

B

So, even if a rider puts it in the right place, it can end up in the middle of the right-of-way or tossed on someone's lawn or in the middle of the street pretty easily. And then it's the city's problem and it's gonna that the enforcement around that is gonna, be enormous, ly expensive, going up and picking these things up and then administering they giving them back to the companies. It's gonna be expensive, so we need to do it right.

B

My first motion is I think we have a way of doing it right and that's because our bike share system has Docs and they're put in places that, where it, where stuff fits, they're difficult to cite these Docs, but we've managed to put a lot of them out, and if we confuse the two technologies we might actually have a really great way of avoiding the problem that every other municipality is now struggling with.

B

So I've added that in just for consideration, I'm not saying do it and talk to the TPA, maybe they can be a partner here and then the elimination of standing was if, if someone's standing next to their a scooter, that's probably okay on the sidewalk. It's when they leave it that the problem is initiated, but I want to make sure we we make right clear as a committee we're we're in a time crunch here.

B

So we haven't had a lot of time to think this through org or consult with the public, which is problematic because we might not be seeing what the final solution should be. So I would encourage everyone here would encourage the media and all other councillors not to start sharpening their their their their spikes on their scooters.

B

Quite yet, we have another opportunity to look at this to see if we we get it right going into Council that we could address this issue of not opening up the sidewalks to all sharing technologies right away depending on the regulations but but but address this issue of personal use, because there are individuals who have these electric scooters, who are already it's just not clear, they could actually use them anywhere, so I I just think. We've got some time between now and council.

B

If we all keep an open mind, listen to our constituents, listen the city staff. We may we may land on a different point than we are at this second, but I. Thank the chair for bringing and stop for bringing it for it. Province is being a little unfair in the way they're treating us Thank.

A

You councillor Leighton any other speakers.

A

I would just simply say that I was in Denver this past summer, which is an avid location for East scooters and I saw many of the benefits of East scooters, of getting people around in an in an economical and environmentally friendly way, and yet I also saw some of the downside where people were leaving scooters tipped over blocking the sidewalk blocking the public right away, but I must admit as a city with lots of bike paths and trails and and commitment to that kind of mobility. It was actually very excited.

A

We were actually staying near a university campus. It was very exciting to see all these people on scooters and it created a vibrancy in in the city. It was certainly for many, the last mile to either destination of work or home and and I thought it was. It was quite neat actually but I have I have no doubt that the personal injuries that I have read about on these I took one for a test drive and they they do go fast and, and you really have to know how to control the braking system.

A

As well as the gas and- and you also have to be aware of where you're leaving it and that's going to become a major issue, if these these motions are going well, they carried sit if one's mine, they're, really just a carriage of it from staff. I.

A

Think of these motions pass work on a regular, hyper, regulated I, don't know how these companies could ever function here and you'll see it in small pockets, maybe maybe in private property, like the distillery district may be on federal lands like down to park and and maybe have another few other locations, but I can't see any private sector operating or green to these conditions and having it feasible and in any way.

A

But these are the recommendations, and maybe we can I spoke to a counselor, late and offline, and we can certainly work on these as we go forward. So.

A

The one motion I have is, is councillor Layton and then the main item. So if we can put that on the screen, all those in favor.

I

A

We could we could.

I

A

Yes, it's a so recommendation. One will take first.

A

Councilperson, are you ready to vote yeah, okay, so recommendation? One is obviously an amendment to to what we had in the in the original motion. All those in favor opposed that is carried a recommendation to is, is a slight amendment to what was originally proposed, deleting the word standing all those in favor.

A

Opposed that is carried, and the item is amended- all those in favor opposed.

A

Could you that vote again, all those in favor, okay posed that is carried well? Thank you very much. Everybody enjoy the rest of the day and the rest of the summer.