Presentation by Ryerson University Planning and Urban Design Students on Parks Classification and Public Involvement.

The Parks and Environment Committee recommends that City Council:

1.         Approve the revised Off-Leash Policy with amendments outlined in bold print, in Attachment 1 in the report (December 16, 2009) from the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, subject to any necessary minor substantive, or stylistic refinements as may be identified by the General Manager and with the following amendments:

a.         continue the provision for dog owners' associations in the policy for off-leash applications and appeal mechanism;

b.         if the Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division deems a site suitable where no dog owner association exists, the Parks and Environment Committee can waive the provision for a dog owner's association; and

c.         adding the words 'burial grounds' to the section on Off-Leash Area Exclusions in Attachment 1 in this report.

2.         Direct the City Solicitor to make the corresponding amendments to Municipal Code Chapter 608 - Parks to implement the revisions to the Off-Leash Policy, as outlined in Attachment 2 in this report, subject to any necessary minor substantive or stylistic refreshments as may be identified by the General Manager and the City Solicitor.

Andrew Koropeski, Director and Carol Cormier, Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation provided a presentation to the Committee and filed a copy of their submission.

The Parks and Environment Committee requested the General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation to provide an annual report to the Parks and Environment Committee on the off-leash incidents in off-leash parks that are existing and pending.

The “People, Dogs and Parks Strategy – Off-Leash Policy,” enacted by Council in 2007 after several years of research, assessment and extensive public debate, provides a framework to address the provision of dogs off-leash areas in City parks, greenspaces, and waterfront areas.  Since enactment, staff have completed reviews on 65 of 85 applications (grandparented and new sites).

On the basis of this experience with application of the policy, this report advances a number of refinements to provide greater clarity to the assessment criteria; streamline the decision-making process; and better link consideration of dogs off-leash requests to community need, overall park planning and development, and financial sustainability.  The proposed revised policy is contained as Attachment 1 to this report, with supporting amendments to Municipal Code Chapter 608 – Parks, set out in Attachment 2.

The Parks and Environment Committee recommends to City Council that:

1.         The Trillium Ferry Boat's 100th anniversary be recognized by proclamation.

2.         The General Manager, Parks, Forestry and Recreation, in partnership with the Chief of Protocol and Heritage Toronto, be requested to organize an official celebration of this important historic occasion.

3.         Staff work with interested parties to plan the celebration, including Mike Filey, Toronto's unofficial historian, the Polson Family and Gordon Champion, the engineer responsible for the restoration.

The Parks and Environment Committee:

1.         Requests City Council to convey to Metrolinx, in advance of the January 31, 2010 deadline for public comments, that a City of Toronto park is not a suitable location for an air monitoring station, and as such, Metrolinx select alternate locations for stations they had planned to install in City parks.

The Board of Health on November 16, 2009, amongst other things, forwarded for information the report (November 2, 2009) from the Medical Officer of Health, entitled “Update on the Metrolinx Georgetown South Service Expansion and Union-Pearson Rail Link” to the Parks and Environment Committee.