Love #TOravines
City’s first Ravine Strategy is all about conserving and celebrating
Toronto’s ravines cover 17 per cent of the city’s land area. They’re more than 300 kilometres long, home to myriad animal and plant species, and one of the defining characteristics of the city. As the city grows and changes, they’re increasingly under pressure, and they need to be protected.
A new comprehensive Ravine Strategy will do just that. Developed through a collaboration between City divisions and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, and passed at City Council in October, the strategy outlines how the City will manage the ravines, guided by five key principles: protect, invest, connect, partner, and celebrate.
“The ravines represent one of the most important, distinctive and valuable physical assets Toronto possesses. Most neighbourhoods in the city are touched by them or are proximate in some way,” said Andy Chisholm, Evergreen’s Don River Valley Park Campaign Chair and a passionate advocate for the ravines. “It’s time that the City, individuals, communities and the private sector alike combine efforts to seize this opportunity to work together to invest in this vital asset commensurate with its scale, importance and potential.”
“People told us they enjoy ravines for birdwatching, walking, and contemplation. They want to be in the ravines, but they don’t want the natural features to be loved to death. So part of this plan is about protection, and part is about building education and awareness of how to steward the incredible beauty we have,” said Jane Welsh, Project Manager at City Planning and co-lead on overseeing the strategy.
“Protection was the number one thing we heard from all the groups and people who contributed to this strategy,” said Garth Armour, the strategy co-lead from Parks, Forestry and Recreation.
The Strategy includes a tool that will help to pinpoint and prioritize areas that need the most immediate planning and investment. New wayfinding signage, the first phase of which was installed in the Lower Don earlier this year, will make it easier to learn about and navigate the ravine system. Supporting “Friends of” groups to steward and animate the ravines will also be a priority. A full implementation plan will come to Council in 2018.