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Home My WebLink AboutDon Watershed Regeneration Council 2014Conservation tbe0on for The Living City-' — MINUTES OF THE DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #1114 Page 1 January 23, 2014 The Don Watershed Regeneration Council met at the North York Civic Centre on Thursday, January 23, 2014. Peter Heinz, Chair, Don Watershed Regeneration Council, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PRESENT AndyWickens .................................................................................. ............................... Member ClareMitchell ........................................................... ............................... .....................Vice -Chair Councillor Valerie Burke ................................................................... ............................... Member HeatherWright ................................................................................. ............................... Member IrisTufa ............................................................................................ ............................... Member JakeSchabas ................................................................................... ............................... Member JohnRouth ....................................................................................... ............................... Member LaceyWilliams ................................................................................. ............................... Member LaudMatos ...................................................................................... ............................... Member LloydHelferty ................................................................................... ............................... Member Margaret Bream ............................................................................... ............................... Member Margaret Buchinger ......................................................................... ............................... Member MelYu .............................................................................................. ............................... Member MichelleLouli ................................................................................... ............................... Member PeterHeinz ........................................................................................... ............................... Chair ShishirHanda ................................................................................... ............................... Member StephanieThorson .......................................................................... ............................... Member TimHayward .................................................................................... ............................... Member VeraStraka ...................................................................................... ............................... Member GUESTS Nicole Swerhun ............................................................... ............................... Principal, Swerhun YuliaPak .......................................................................................... ............................... Member STAFF Adele Freeman ............................ ............................... Director, Watershed Management Division Arlen Leeming .............Project Manager, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Cass Stabler ...................... Coordinator, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Michael Charendoff........... Coordinator, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Pragati Tuladhar ................... Associate, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division F2 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #1/14 January 23, 2014 WELCOMING REMARKS P. Heinz welcomed guest factilitator Nicole Swerhun. Nicole is an experienced public meeting and strategic planning facilitator. RES. #F1114 1. MINUTES Moved by: M. Yu Seconded by: M. Bream That the Minutes of DWRC Meetings #7/13, held on December 12, 2013, be approved ...................................................................................................... ............................... CARRIED RES. #F2/14 3. INCOMING AND OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE Moved by: T. Hayward Seconded by: M. Louli THAT the following incoming correspondence be received .... ............................... CARRIED INCOMING 3.1.1. East Environmental Assessment: Comments of the Don Watershed Regeneration Council Acknowledgement of reception of comments submitted by the Don Watershed Regeneration Council on October 31, 2013 regarding the Gardiner Expressway / Lake Shore Boulevard East Reconfiguration Environmental Assessment and Integrated Urban Design Study — received January 14, 2014. 4. STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKING SESSION 4.1 Strategic Planning Purpose and Context • Peter Heinz, Chair, DWRC o The purpose of this strategic planning working session is to listen to the concerns and ideas of members of the DWRC. 4.2 Introductions and Agenda Review • Nicole Swerhun, Facilitator o Nicole has worked with TRCA on several projects over many years, including the Don Mouth Naturalization Project. 4.3 Facilitated Discussion • Why did you join the Don Watershed Regeneration Council? What did you hope to get out of the experience? • What works well with the Council now? What doesn't work as well, and why? • What ideas would you like to see considered for the future? January 23, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #1/14 F3 • What are the key elements of the Council's work plan going forward, and activities or deliverables to track? A summary of the facilitated discussion is attached as an appendix to these minutes. 8. SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS • The 2014 schedule of DWRC meetings is as follows: • DWRC #2/14 — North York Civic Centre February 20 — 6:30pm • DWRC #3/14 - North York Civic Centre March 27 — 6:30pm • DWRC #4/14 - North York Civic Centre April 24 — 6:30pm • DWRC #5/14 - North York Civic Centre May 22 — 6:30pm DWRC #6/14 - North York Civic Centre June 26 — 6:30pm • DWRC #7/14 - TBD July 24 — 6:30pm • DWRC #8/14 - North York Civic Centre September 18 — 6:30pm • DWRC #9/14 - TBD October 23 — 6:30pm • DWRC #10/14 -North York Civic Centre November 20 — 6:30pm • DWRC #11/14 -North York Civic Centre December 11 — 6:30pm TERMINATION On motion, the meeting terminated at 9:00p.m., January 23, 2013. Adele Freeman Director, Watershed Management /MC. Brian E. Denney Chief Administrative Officer Don Watershed Regeneration Council Strategic Planning Working Session 1 Thursday, January 23, 2014 North York Civic Centre 6:30 — 9:00 pm MEETING OVERVIEW On January 23, 2014, the Don Watershed Regeneration Council and the TRCA participated in a strategic planning working session for Don Watershed Regeneration Council. The purpose of the meeting was to listen to the members' concerns and ideas and to identify options for the future of the Council. This summary report is structured to reflect key feedback from the meeting discussions and is not intended to serve as verbatim transcript. The report is organized in six parts: I. Key Themes II. Why you are here and what you want to get out of your experience with the Don Watershed Regeneration Council? III. What works well at the Council? IV. What does not work well at the Council? V. Ideas for the Future VI. Next Steps It was written by Yulia Pak of Swerhun Facilitation & Decision Support and was subject to participant review before being finalized. Please note Appendix A. List of Participants and Appendix B. Meeting Agenda. Key Themes The following are the key high -level themes that emerged during the meeting. They are intended to be read in concert with the detailed feedback in the remainder of this report. 1. The Don Watershed Regeneration Council has great people, great skills, great ideas, and options for the future. 2. The Council should identify priorities that have tangible measurable outcomes and viable timeframes. 3. The Council should identify criteria to evaluate the outcomes of its work. 4. The Council should build on the existing momentum to move forward. Why you are here and what you want to get out of your experience with the Don Watershed Regeneration Council? • Passion for the Don • The Council is useful and important - The Council has played an important role in the Environmental Assessment for the Mouth of the Don and the Project for the Don to pick up all the CSOs possible. Now these projects need to be taken to the finish line. - Environment Canada heavily relies on the Council's feedback and educated insight. • Events/ Activity - Helping clean it up. - Contributing to cool things happening in the Don. - Paddle the Don and Plant the Don. • Brand & Identity - Creating a stronger brand for the Council to strengthen its mission to regenerate the Don River Watershed. - Finding the voice and the character of the river— how can we foster a new generation of people to care about the Don? - Creating a "river city" identity for Toronto because there are many rivers in Toronto, and not just the Don. Environment and Social Issues (create /inform policies) - A concern about an internal conflict of development and environment as the city grows, and how priorities for development tend to trump over the priorities for environment. - Respecting and protecting natural environment of the Don River watershed should be balanced with increasing access to the Don and raising awareness. - Protecting the watershed and natural environment. - Green space and urban agriculture. - The effect of the road salt. • Public Outreach - Increasing awareness of the Don for all Torontonians, especially city- dwellers, who are unaware of the Don River watershed. - Providing education, especially for the next generation and those new to Toronto. - Sharing and learning with the community at large. - City issues in connection with Don. - Appreciating history and beauty of the Don. - Art space and arts community engagement. - Engaging with First Nations. Chance to do something positive in the neighbourhood - A chance to learn and contribute to the Don and the neighbourhood. - A strong personal connection to the Don. • Professional and personal development - Learning new skills. - Professional networking. Networking with like- minded people. Staying informed, which helps with the day job. Applying lessons learned from the council to other projects /work. Working with a diverse team and diverse audiences — challenges and opportunities. II. What works well at the Council? • Everyone at the Council cares and is passionate about the Don. - Great people - Great attendance - Great skills - Lots of good ideas • A new website and blog are very user - friendly and have a lot of potential. • A good degree of independence from the TRCA to determine what we want to do as a group. III. What does not work well at the Council? • Organization and Structure of the Council — Lack of focus and priority for the group. — Good intentions, interests, and passion do not translate well into action. — Lack of knowledge on how to implement good ideas. — Lack of group participation — committees work in bubbles and only snippets of their work get translated into the whole group participation. • Communication — Lack of clarity on what everyone's role is in the Council and what the expectations are in terms of effort and contribution. — The online sharing and communication tools are not being used by the members. — The website and the blog lack content. — It is difficult to keep track of all the email threads. • Membership and Public Outreach — Lack of City councillors and political decision - makers at Council meetings. — Some parts of the meetings are inefficient and too formal (i.e. recapping the previous meeting's minutes takes a significant amount of time). — The group is very large and the minutes are too formal. As a result, not everyone gets to speak and it is difficult to engage during the meeting. IV. Ideas For the Future Council Organization & Structure: • Organize speakers and walks by themes, issues, or interests. It will be easier to create content on one theme for the website /blog. For example, a walk to observe the effects of development on the environment can be accompanied by a speaker presenting on the issues of development. Pick a topic and self- organize around it by creating a work plan. • Self- organize around multi- faceted projects and engage the existing multiple sub - committees around each project. This way, the Council can preserve its current structure but increase cooperation and communication among the sub - committees. For example, a project focusing on the effects of the road salt on the environment has a policy angle and an educational aspect. So, both committees can work on the same project from their angles, and later post information on the website and the blog. It also allows different projects to have different sets of expertise. • Organize projects by season to make it more relevant to the public. • Keep the existing structure and revisit the goals. Decide on the projects with tangible measurable outcomes that we want to achieve and identify the evaluation criteria. • Consider a possibility of rotation amongst the sub - committees or self- organized groups to create an opportunity for education. Council Priorities and Focus • Clarity will strengthen the identity of the Council, as it becomes easier to explain and to get the public engaged. • Understand what the Council's 10, 5, 3 year, and immediate priorities are; and focus on the ones with the most tangible outcomes and the ones that are achievable. • Go back to the existing documents and strategies to identify priority projects for the Council. • Set up goals that can be achieved in one term (3 years). • Identify metrics to evaluate the success of the projects. • One participant mentioned that all of the ideas had been discussed previously and asked to explain the need for the strategic planning exercise. Another participant replied to this comment that although all of these ideas had been discussed before, none of them got prioritized. This exercise would be helpful to find focus and priority for the Council. Public Outreach & Membership • The projects should have a'catch' for the public. One participant offered an example of urban canopy taking a hit from the storm. The issue is high on public profile and it provides an opportunity to engage various ecology groups on this matter. • In order to increase awareness, education, and get the message out, actively (i.e. not just via website) reach out to the representatives of different communities. Connect with them and send out news, releases, and updates without burdening the Council. • Consider an option of the Council members going to the communities instead of the community representatives coming to the Council. This way the Council can stay focused but also establish connections and build relationships with other communities. • Consider having City councillors on the Don Council in an advisory role. • To make the Council membership more attractive, consider pushing different incentives for different organizations. For example, sitting on the Council would be beneficial to people in certain professional industries and lines of work. Internal Communication • It is important for a transitional council to know the history of the previous Council to move forward. • Create opportunities for better self- education about the Don. Share more stories from the history of the Don within the Council. Dedicate a part of each meeting to the history of the Don, where a member would share a story about the Don he or she researched prior to the meeting. • Eliminate the need to recap the minutes of the previous meeting by reading these minutes prior to the meeting. • Establish a process where experienced members can help new members plug in quickly and efficiently to start applying their new skills. • Change the format of the meetings to make the meetings more frequent, more informal, and in smaller groups. • Use the website as a means of more efficient communication and for decentralizing information. Posting all the letters and work done on the website will make it easier to keep track of what is going on at the Council. V. Next Steps Meeting participants decided that it would be beneficial for the group to meet again in two weeks to continue with the strategic planning exercise. Seven members, including Clare Mitchell, Lloyd Helferty, Margaret Bream, Stephanie Thorson, Tim Hayward, and Vera Straka, volunteered to help Nicole Swerhun, an independent facilitator, determine the best approach to the next meeting. Nicole Swerhun, the volunteers, and staff would connect in a week for further discussions. Appendix A. List of Participants DWRC members: Andy Wickens Clare Mitchell Councillor Valerie Burke Heather Wright Iris Tufa Jake Schabas John Routh Lacey Williams Laud Matos Lloyd Helferty Margaret Bream Margaret Buchinger Melanie Yu Michell Louli Peter Heinz Shishir Handa Stephanie Thorson Tim Hayward Vera Straka Staff: Adele Freeman Arlen Leeming Cass Stabler Michael Charendoff Pragati Tuladhar Facilitation Team: Nicole Swerhun Yulia Pak 3 Appendix B. Meeting Agenda Don Watershed Regeneration Council Strategic Planning Working Session Thursday, January 23, 2014 North York Civic Centre 6:30 -9:00 pm PROPOSED AGENDA 6:30 pm Light Dinner 7:00 Welcome & Meeting Purpose /Context Peter Heinz, Don Watershed Regeneration Council Chair 7:05 Introductions & Agenda Review Nicole Swerhun, Facilitator 7:10 Facilitated Discussion 1. Why did you join the Don Watershed Regeneration Council? What did you hope to get out of the experience? 2. What works well with the Council now? What doesn't work as well, and why? 3. What ideas would you like to see considered for the future? 4. What are the key elements of the Council's work plan going forward, and activities or deliverables to track? 8:55 Wrap Up 9:00 Adjourn Conservation tbeDon for The Living City - °- MINUTES OF THE DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #2/14 Page 4 February 6, 2014 The Don Watershed Regeneration Council met at the North York Civic Centre on Thursday, February 6, 2014. Peter Heinz, Chair, Don Watershed Regeneration Council, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PRESENT AshleyWallis .................................................................................... ............................... Member ClareMitchell ........................................................... ............................... .....................Vice -Chair Councillor Brenda Hogg ................................................................... ............................... Member HeatherWright ................................................................................. ............................... Member IrisTufa ............................................................................................ ............................... Member JakeSchabas ................................................................................... ............................... Member Katheryne Daradal ........................................................................... ............................... Member LaceyWilliams ................................................................................. ............................... Member MargaretBream ............................................................................... ............................... Member NaadiaAhsan ................................................................................... ............................... Member NicoleCzorny ................................................................................... ............................... Member PeterHeinz ........................................................................................... ............................... Chair TimHayward .................................................................................... ............................... Member GUESTS Nicole Swerhun ............................................................... ............................... Principal, Swerhun YuliaPak .......................................................................................... ............................... Member STAFF Adele Freeman ............................ ............................... Director, Watershed Management Division Arlen Leeming .............Project Manager, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Michael Charendoff........... Coordinator, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division February 6, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #2/14 F5 WELCOMING REMARKS P. Heinz provided an update regarding membership of the DWRC, noting that Ashley Wallis will be replacing Mel Yu as the Evergreen representative. 2. INFORMATION ITEMS 2.1. Extreme Weather Events: Assessing the 2013 Ice Storm Communication from Brian Denney, Chief Executive Officer, to Chair and Members of the Authority, Meeting #11/13, January 31, 2014. 2.2. Urban River Valley Designation for the Don, Humber and Etobicoke Creek Valley Systems Correspondence dated January 30 from Mr. Franz Hartmann, Executive Director, Toronto Environmental Alliance, to Chair and Members of the Authority Meeting #12/13, February 7. 2014. 3. STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKING SESSION 3.1 Meeting Purpose and Context • Peter Heinz, Chair, DWRC o The purpose of this strategic planning working session is to continue the process of listening to the concerns and ideas of members of the DWRC and to establish priorities. 3.2 Introductions and Agenda Review • Nicole Swerhun, Facilitator 3.3 Presentation to Inform Discussion • Peter Heinz Chair, DWRC & TRCA Staff • Highlights of previous work • Proposed approach to current Council • Questions of clarification 3.4 Facilitated Discussion Are you comfortable with the proposed approach? Are there any refinements you would like the Council to consider? If so, what are they? Select which of the two Core Issues you're interested in contributing to, and meet with the others also interested in the issue to begin developing: • A list of 3 -5 things that the Council wants to accomplish related to the issue over 2014 and 2015 • An explanation of how the Council members will organize to achieve the accomplishments • A draft work plan for the issue, including rough timeline and key activities (e.g. briefings from experts to understand more about the issues, as necessary), and key deliverables Any other comments or advice? F6 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #2/14 February 6, 2014 A summary of the facilitated strategic planning working session is attached as an appendix to these minutes. 8. SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS • The 2014 schedule of DWRC meetings is as follows: • DWRC #3/14 - North York Civic Centre February 20 — 6:30pm • DWRC #4/14 - North York Civic Centre March 27 — 6:30pm • DWRC #5/14 - North York Civic Centre April 24 — 6:30pm • DWRC #6/14 - North York Civic Centre May 22 — 6:30pm • DWRC #7/14 - North York Civic Centre June 26 — 6:30pm • DWRC #8/14 - TBD July 24 — 6:30pm • DWRC #9/14 - North York Civic Centre September 18 — 6:30pm • DWRC #10/14 - TBD October 23 — 6:30pm • DWRC #11/14 -North York Civic Centre November 20 — 6:30pm • DWRC #12/14 -North York Civic Centre December 11 — 6:30pm TERMINATION On motion, the meeting terminated at 9:00p.m., Februrary 6, 2013. Adele Freeman Director, Watershed Management /MC. Brian E. Denney Chief Administrative Officer Don Watershed Regeneration Council Strategic Planning Working Session 2 Thursday, February 6, 2014 North York Civic Centre 6:30 -9:00 pm MEETING SUMMARY On February 6, 2014, the Don Watershed Regeneration Council (Council or DWRC) held a follow -up strategic planning session to build on the results of their January 23, 2014 discussions and develop a plan to guide the work of the Council for the remainder of their term. This summary report was written by meeting facilitators Yulia Pak and Nicole Swerhun, and is structured to reflect key feedback from the meeting, including: I. Highlights of opening remarks from the Chair and the TRCA; II. Proposed Approach to the Don Council's Work; III. Summary of Group Discussions — Urban Canopy and Stormwater Management; and IV. Next Steps. This summary report reflects key feedback received at the meeting. It was subject to participant review before being finalized. Appendices include the Participant List (Appendix A), the Meeting Agenda (Appendix B), the Draft Proposed Approach to Organizing the Don Council (Appendix C), Flipchart Notes from Urban Canopy Work Planning (Appendix D), and Flipchart Notes from Stormwater Work Planning (Appendix E). I. Highlights of Opening Remarks Peter Heinz, Chair of the Don Watershed Regeneration Council, welcomed members of the Council and provided a brief overview of the Council's success to date. The highlights include: • This is the 7`h Don Watershed Regeneration Council. Some of the previous Councils were focused entirely on one project. For example, in 2007 the Council was working on "Beyond 40 Steps ". Other times the Council concentrated on several small projects, including Paddle the Don and Mill Pond Splash. • This Council has done a lot, in particular, in the areas of engagement and education — guided walk series, the website and the blog, and downloadable self - guides. Council members sit on the Joint Planning and Policy Subcomittee with Humber Watershed Alliance and Etobicoke - Mimico Coalition members. • We also have Google + and Google Drive. We need to ensure that we are accessing the materials on the drive and the communication using these tools is not one -way. • Through this exercise, we will be able to establish our priorities. When you came to the Council all of us had expectations, so this process ensures that all of us come out of this experience happy — it is time to focus. Adele Freeman, Director of Watershed Management at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, provided an overview of the TRCA resources available to the Council. The highlights include: The TRCA staff supporting the Don Council (Arlen Leeming and Michael Charendoff are here to help focus and deliver projects. The staff also have other parts to their jobs, which occupy a good portion of their time (for example, the Mill Pond Splash and Paddle the Don events). They also represent the Authority on different projects. The Council members can get access to other TRCA staff as well — hydrologists, planners, urban canopy specialists, etc. The Council has several financial resources available, including: Budgets to help you organize Paddle the Don and Mill Pond Splash. Part of these budgets can be directed somewhere else at the Council's discretion. Funds generated from Paddle the Don. Grants from various institutions and municipalities, such as Walmart- Evergreen Green Grants, TD Canada Trust grants, Town of Richmond Hill support for Mill Pond Splash, etc. In terms of how the Council is organized, a few suggestions to consider include: Consider a more regular schedule of meetings that fall on the same day of each month. (which will require less time to coordinate meeting dates among all members). Consider creating a steering committee or Executive Committee of the Council —this could be made up of the Chair and a Vice -Chair as well as 2 -3 Council members to deal with critical issues. This group could ensure that the Council operates efficiently and smoothly. We would really like to hear from you tonight. Although many people are away, we are confident that the proposed approach you will hear tonight represents the thoughts of other members. II. Proposed Approach to Organizing the Work of the Don Council Nicole Swerhun, an independent facilitator, was asked by Council members to present a draft proposed approach for the Council to move forward. This draft proposed approach was based directly on discussions held at the previous Don Council meeting (January 23, 2014) and further developed by a small group of Don Council members (Tim Hayword, Vera Straka, Margaret Bream, Stephanie Thorson) who volunteered to help prepare for this February 6 follow -up meeting as well as TRCA staff (Arlen Leeming, Michael Charendoff, and Adele Freedman), DWRC Chair (Peter Heinz), DWRC Vice -Chair (Clare Mitchell), and the facilitation team (Nicole Swerhun and Yulia Pak). The approach (described in one page as Appendix C) proposes that all the work of the Don Watershed Regeneration Council be driven by two key issues: 1. Urban Canopy; and 2. Stormwater Management /Flooding. In addition to helping address these two issues, Council members would continue to have important opportunities to contribute to ongoing TRCA activities and events, including: • Representing the Don Council in various forums (e.g. Gardiner East EA, Don Mouth Naturalization & Flood Protection Project, Beltline, etc.); • Providing responses /feedback regarding proposed policies; • Mill Pond Splash; • Paddle the Don; • Baker's Woods Garlic Mustard Pull; and • Other activities and events. Peter Heinz added that nothing is wasted by focusing on these two themes because they tie well into the existing activities and the bigger watershed picture. In addition, the first item going forward would be to increase the level of knowledge on these topics among all Council members, so everyone can participate and apply their skills to the theme that interests them the most. After presenting the proposed approach, Nicole Swerhun asked everyone in the room if there were any objections or questions regarding the proposed approach. No questions or objections were raised. III. Summary of Group Discussions With no objections to the proposed organizational approach for DWRC, Nicole Swerhun asked meeting participants to select which of the two core issues they want to work on -- urban canopy or stormwater management, and break into two groups accordingly to do the following: • Identify what they want to accomplish around their core theme in 2014 and 2015; • Identify how they want to accomplish it; and • Decide how they want to further self- organize to do the work (which could include any or all of the following: policy activities and /or education /outreach activities and /or ecology activities. Six meeting participants organized in a group to work on the issues related to Urban Canopy and nine meeting participants organized in a group to work on the issues related to Stormwater Management. Below is the summary of feedback from the two group discussions. The group started brainstorming potential activities related to the theme of urban canopy. By the end of the session the group came up with a plan of having one main programme accompanied by several other events and activities. Main Programme: Urban Canopy Tour is a main programme that will be launched in May with Paddle the Don and end in October with a guided train ride. The Urban Canopy tour will consist of various components, including: 1. Guided Walks. Group members commented that guided walks should be one of the core activities for the Urban Canopy Tour. Participants shared the following comments: — Guided walks can use existing materials. — Guided walks can increase public education and raise public awareness. — Guided walks can make the Council's work and the core issue more relevant to the public (e.g. have a guided walk with an urban canopy expert after the ice storm. — Guided walks tie into a bigger watershed picture and incorporate other relevant topics. — Guided walks cultivate and strengthen partnerships with organizations with similar interests /mandate (i.e. guided walks in partnership with Toronto Field Naturalists (TFN), LEAF, Evergreen, arts communities, etc.) Group members emphasized the importance of partnerships during the discussion, as working together with other organization would increase the Council's profile and help incorporate and implement more activities as part of the Urban Canopy Tour. — Guided walks should happen 4 -5 times a year, at least 2 of which would be organized by the Council (Walk the Don, Mill Pond Splash) and the rest by the partners. — One group member suggested that the guided walks are held on the third Sunday of each month at 10:00 am. 2. Speaker Series (Talks). Group members thought that having talks on the issues related to urban canopy would nicely complement guided walks throughout a calendar year, including the Urban Canopy Tour period. Participants shared the following comments: — There can be 3 talks in a calendar year. — Two of the talks could be held during colder months, when it is not convenient to go on the guided walks. Group members identified January and March as the time to hold these talks. The first talk in the Urban Canopy Tour can be held in March, 2014. — There should be one big speaker event in the middle of the Urban Canopy Tour in July. Participants suggested it could be a night talk in an observatory. — The talks should be open to the public to help the Council raise its profile, increase awareness of the core issue and the Don, and engage more people with the Council's work. — The Council could use speaker series events to introduce the Council and the Council's work. 3. Train Tour. Group members thought that it would be great if the Urban Canopy Tour could end with the train tour. Participants made the following comments: — It is possible to arrange a train tour with Metrolinx, but not very likely for October of 2014. The Council should aim at arranging a train tour for early October, 2015. — The train tour could be guided and have a celebrity on board to attract media attention and raise the event profile. — The train tour could be a fundraising event with train tickets for sale. Other discussed events /activities included: 4. Tree planting event. Group members thought that it would be a good idea to have an annual tree planting event since the core theme of this group is urban canopy. Participants made the following comments: — It would be a good idea to have the tree planting event in the middle of October right after the Urban Canopy tour finishes with the train tour. It is a good time to plant the trees and it will serve as an activity to keep people engaged with the Council's work after a well - programmed Urban Canopy Tour and before the next event in January (the first talk). S. Work with the policy team. Group members thought it was important to work with the Council's policy team. Participants shared the following ideas: — Learn about relevant policies, including policies on watersheds and forests, in different municipalities. — Collaborate with policy team on various events, such as a tree planting event. 6. Website, Blog, Social Media. Group members said it was important to use the website and the blog, and continue incorporating social media tools, such as Twitter and Facebook, to promote the Councils' work. Participants shared the following ideas: — Use crowdsourcing tools, including hashtags, to generate content for the website and the blog from each event, in particular for event photographs. — Create the calendar of the Council events. Do online cross - promotions with the guided walk partners. Create a public wiki to start a repository of all walks along the Don. Later on, the repository could increase its scope to include walks related to other watersheds as well 7. Marketing. The group also brainstormed marketing ideas. Discussed ideas include: — The gamification approach — participate in 3 walks to get a special badge. — Introduce prizes by getting corporate sponsorship. — Create the Don Mascot. Incorporate the mascot into the Council events. For example, put the mascot on the front of the canoe at the Paddle the Don event. — Branded t- shirts. — The Don figurine made of the materials found along the Don. — Tweet/ Instagram the attribute(s) of the DWRC brand to win. S. Next Steps. Group members identified next steps in developing the group work plan as the following: — Identify quantifiable outcomes and measurable goals the group would like to achieve with the plan outlined above. — Each group member will select a month(s) he or she would like to lead, so that the responsibility for implementing the work plan is shared among all members of the group. — Coordinate the timing of the proposed walks with potential Council partners. — Share the work plan with the rest of the Council members and modify as necessary. A timeline of events and activities proposed for the Urban Canopy work plan is illustrated on the following page. Timeline of Events and Activities Proposed by Urban Canopy Group: 2014 Jane's Walk February April I January Majch M2 2015 Urban Canopy Tour June Augusl Millpond Talk #1 Splash Walk the DoN Paddle the Dan Green Living Show Jane's Walk END Spetetnber November Tree Planting Big Talk (night talk) Partner Walk Partner Walk with TFN ( ?) with LEAF (?) ,.. Partner Walk with Evergreen ( ?) Urban Canopy Tour February April June August Trent Tour END octber January Majch May July: November Millpond Splash Talk I7 FTO* an Tree Planting ; BigTa6c LAUNCH (night talk) Walk the DoN Partner Walk Paddle the Don Partner Walk wah TFN ( ?) with LEAF ( ?) Green Living Show Partner Walk with Evergreen ( ?) 6 December December Don Council members started by identifying what they wanted to achieve related to stormwater management, including: • Increasing public awareness of stormwater issues; • Influencing behaviour change — encouraging the public to take action and to continue "spreading the word" (this includes documenting what's already being done and what can be done); • Increasing the visibility of the connection between action and reaction (i.e. collecting the technical /science evidence that shows how changes in behaviour influence changes in the Don Watershed); and • Policy change — for example (but not limited to), stormwater utility charges. A question remained regarding whether the focus of the Council would be residential only, or whether they would also focus on the industrial /commercial /institutional sectors (ICI). A number of different actions were identified to help achieve the objectives identified above. The actions included (these are numbered for ease of reference only): 1. Bringing speakers to the Don Council 2. Conducting site visits 3. Doing walks 4. Completing a summary of relevant policy and identifying key readings /research that are available 5. Identifying who's already involved (government departments, groups, etc.) in the issue AND Finding innovative things that are happening in the Don already and doing an inventory (e.g. Sherbourne Common, rain gardens, green roofs, rain barrels, etc.) Don Council members working on Stormwater decided that February through May 2014 would be used to develop the Don Council's internal knowledge on stormwater issues, and from May onward a work plan would be developed for the remainder of the Council's term. The schedule drafted by the team is included below, followed by work plans developed for each of the 5 stormwater work streams. Timeline for 2014: Feb Mar I Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Feb 20 • Have speakers Develop Action may be Council • Do site visit(s) and workplan for required on Meeting walk(s) remainder stormwater • Complete summary of 2014 & 2015 utility charges policy related to stormwater • Complete innovation inventory Internal info sharing with Urban Canopy Key Tasks in each of the 5 Stormwater Work Streams The following key tasks were identified in each of the 5 stormwater work streams: 1. Bringing speakers to the Don Council • Each Don Council meeting should have speakers from both the Stormwater and Urban Canopy issue areas • The speakers would have 15 minutes each, should be fun and engaging • Speakers could sometimes be videos (e.g. TeD talk style, could have "Don Talks ") • First three speakers would be internal, and in the Fall would move toward community /public speaking events • First three topics could include: - Green infrastructure ( "From Grey to Green ") Feb 22 - Water in the Don (Stormwater 101) March - Retrofitting ( "sexy", innovations, action) April - Evaluation of speakers May 2. Conducting site visits • First site visit would be to Evergreen Brick Works • Go in March /April during the spring melt (chance to see innovation in action — stormwater ponds, cisterns, permeable paving, water /flood channels, plants /tree species, etc.) • Question — Do we want to look at building design to minimize flood damage? 3. Doing walks • Walks should happen in three locations — north (Vaughan /Markham), central (North Toronto), and south (Lower Don) areas of the watershed • First walk could happen to coincide with Evergreen Brick Works site visit • Aim to hold a total of 6 walks /year, with 3 in April /May (one in each location) and 3 in Oct /Nov (one in each location) • Can also offer on- demand walks • Important opportunity to integrate walks with education on the issue, potentially speakers, sharing information about policy issues, etc. 4. Summary of policy related to Stormwater • Policies will be identified and a list of the documents will be summarized • Policies would include: Official Plans, Living City Policies (TRCA), Provincial Policies /Plans including: - Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) - Greenbelt Plan - Oak Ridges Moraine Plan Places to Grow - Local Food Act - Planning Act - Conservation Authority Act - Etc. • Draft format for the policy summary is shown below: S. Innovation Inventory • Innovation relates both to innovative behaviours and specific projects • The idea is to document what's already happening— locating examples within the Don Catchment, as well as outside the Don • With each example, document the impact /benefit • The team will crystalize /summarize data for each example (detailed, site, regional) Flipchart notes are included as Appendix E. IV. Next Steps Adele Freeman and Peter Heinz thanked everyone for their participation in the second strategic planning working session. Nicole Swerhun said that the facilitation team would write a draft summary report and distribute it to meeting participants for their review. She further suggested that the next Council meetings could include the following items for further discussion /work: A detailed work plan, priorities, outcomes, and a timeline. Identifying overlaps between the two work plans and timelines; Self- organization of members around the core issues, including commitments and responsibilities; and Time for small and full group work /discussion to continue to advance the Council's activities related to the Core Issues. Relationship to Document Name of Policy Components Stormwater in Opportunity to the Don influence (date) Document A Document B Etc. S. Innovation Inventory • Innovation relates both to innovative behaviours and specific projects • The idea is to document what's already happening— locating examples within the Don Catchment, as well as outside the Don • With each example, document the impact /benefit • The team will crystalize /summarize data for each example (detailed, site, regional) Flipchart notes are included as Appendix E. IV. Next Steps Adele Freeman and Peter Heinz thanked everyone for their participation in the second strategic planning working session. Nicole Swerhun said that the facilitation team would write a draft summary report and distribute it to meeting participants for their review. She further suggested that the next Council meetings could include the following items for further discussion /work: A detailed work plan, priorities, outcomes, and a timeline. Identifying overlaps between the two work plans and timelines; Self- organization of members around the core issues, including commitments and responsibilities; and Time for small and full group work /discussion to continue to advance the Council's activities related to the Core Issues. Appendix A. List of Participants DWRC members: Ashley Wallis Brenda Hogg Clare Mitchell Heather Wright Jake Schabas Katheryne Daradal Lacey Williams Margaret Bream Naadia Ahsan Nicole Czorny Peter Heinz Tim Hayward Staff: Adele Freeman Arlen Leeming Michael Charendoff Facilitation Team: Nicole Swerhun Yulia Pak 10 Appendix B. Meeting Agenda Don Watershed Regeneration Council Strategic Planning Working Session 2 Thursday, February 6, 2014 North York Civic Centre 6:30 -9:00 pm PROPOSED AGENDA 6:30 pm Light Dinner 7:00 Welcome & Meeting Purpose /Context Peter Heinz, Don Watershed Regeneration Council Chair 7:05 Introductions & Agenda Review Nicole Swerhun, Facilitator 7:10 Presentations to Inform Discussions Peter Heinz & Adele Freeman 1. Highlights of previous work (e.g. Implementation Guide, achievements of previous two Councils, work of Current Council) 2. Proposed approach to Current Council (see reverse) Questions of clarification 7:45 Facilitated Discussion 1. Are you comfortable with the proposed approach? Are there any refinements you would like the Council to consider? If so, what are they? 2. Select which of the two Core Issues you're interested in contributing to, and meet with the others also interested in the issue to begin developing: • A list of 3 -5 things that the Council wants to accomplish related to the issue over 2014 and 2015 • An explanation of how the Council members will organize to achieve the accomplishments • A draft work plan for the issue, including rough timeline and key activities (e.g. briefings from experts to understand more about the issues, as necessary), and key deliverables 3. Any other comments or advice? 8:55 Wrap Up 9:00 Adjourn 11 Appendix C. DRAFT Proposed Approach to Organizing the Don Council Based on discussions held at Jan 23'' Don Council Working Session, the following approach is suggested to organizing the Don Watershed Regeneration Council for the remainder of the current term of Council: CORE ISSUES All the work of the Don Watershed Regeneration Council will be driven by two key issues, including: 1. Urban Canopy 2. Stormwater Management /Flooding COMPLEMENTARY/ SUPPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES In addition to helping address these two issues, Don Council members also have important opportunities to contribute to ongoing TRCA activities and events, including: • Representing the Don Council in various forums (e.g. Dismantling of the Gardiner, Don Mouth Naturalization & Flood Protection Project, Beltline, Ontario Place Park, etc.) • Providing responses /feedback regarding proposed policies • Mill Pond Splash • Paddle the Don • Garlic Mustard Pull • Etc. All members of the Council will be asked to select which of the two Core Issues they want to work on. The people working on each issue will: • Identify what they want to accomplish on the issue in 2014 and 2015 • Identify how they want to accomplish it • Decide how they want to further self- organize to do the work (which could include any or all of the following: policy activities and /or education /outreach activities and /or ecology activities Future Don Council meetings could include: • Talks from experts with knowledge about the two Core Issues • Updates from the members working on the Core Issues • Time for small and full group work /discussion to continue to advance the Council's activities related to the Core Issues • Other? 12 Appendix D. Flipchart notes from Urban Canopy Work Planning 4� �ti p 1 PSI �rto�kies ( cQ �l�`ded wa�k51 4X y� J m lem n o�out �4 rb ; �' �v �Sptalc�fs cl pu es+ Q Qu C pilld \ o �i vi Tie n J,m 0,A D6 13 ,jr TIME 1A Appendix E. 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L.vn� (� wela�pr) Ctp(b\ -+PPS � Plan IAeiN..,+e grow Lv l.w.i Rod �a (`low I(e�.+w{SIPKI �0n.�nP N I" Ti UN� I.Y.`lN.e(. i )NVENTap -,4 �w,a,t S ac • loca�ie eyal \pleS wAA-k) DDYN Ca%d.w�t [wrh,, each Pr�m� piw�pac�t U Ou3siofu bon Tj d2k o l e Suv\%cw 3E Lp Si 1 e d�vt�c LV re" • 4�, I�\ UU �Jerc�C�.n�riC� In�a�s S�e \164. p HAR/R4hk OM4 CA — ►dµrinc( spc��+nck( (�De 4 s �M wow p "CK t-o.-Ww"w. �I[J wakx (Xt -OA) NAMI, L1�^"'•' IAm S;¢qeS Ckc we w64 15 VAVCNAN OkA-K AM w� � ND0.TV1 IDRDNT •yYf [lJ /Yr >Cl /Cv S'Y LOWe�2 Doi URA FIwSM:a w'�TMC ow N�OI h /Y• Pa Iw.�� t oM pCMYNO MMl[S Toronto and Region tv1�► ✓ e D o n Conservation for The Living City1 MINUTES OF THE DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #3/14 Page 7 The Don Watershed Regeneration Council met at the North York Civic Centre on Thursday, February 20, 2014. Peter Heinz, Chair, Don Watershed Regeneration Council, called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. PRESENT Andy Wickens ................... Ashley Wallis ..................... Clare Mitchell .................... Gerald Sigal ....................... John Routh ........................ Lloyd Helferty ................... Margaret Bream ............... Margaret Buchinger ......... Margaret Casey ................. Naadia Ahasan .................. Peter Heinz ....................... Shishir Handa .................... STAFF Adele Freeman ................. Adriana Gomez ................. Arlen Leeming ................... Michael Charendoff.......... ...................... ............................... Director, Watershed Management Division .....Project Manager, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division .....Project Manager, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division ........... Coordinator, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division F8 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #3/14 February 20, 2014 RES. #F3/14 1. MINUTES Moved by: Shishir Handa Seconded by: Naadia Ahsan That the meeting summaries of DWRC Meetings #1/14, and #2/14, held on January 20, and February 6, 2014, respectively, be approved ..................................... ............................... ........................CARRIED 4. PRESENTATION 4.1. Adriana Gomez, Project Manager, TRCA • Stormwater management and Low Impact Development (LID) A. Gomez provided the DWRC with an overview of the evolution of TRCA's approach to stormwater management, including recent innovations in low impact development. A. Gomez noted that in a natural setting, approximately 40% of stormwater is evapotranspired, and only 10% of stormwater runs off. In a traditional urban context, by contrast, only 30% of stormwater is evapotranspired, and 55% of stormwater flows as runoff. In an urban context, stormwater runoff picks up pollutants, warms up, and speeds up as it enters creeks and rivers. This can result in stream bank erosion, bed degradation, increased peak flows, flooding, and pollutant and sediment loads entering Lake Ontario. In the early 1980's concrete channels were employed to move water quickly out of a given area. This could result in flooding downstream. In the 1990s, stormwater management ponds were constructed, however they are expensive. The contemporary approach to stormwater management includes replicating the natural hydrologic cycle and encouraging stormwater to infiltrate into the ground when and where it rains. A treatment train approach implements source, conveyance, and end -of -pipe controls. The implications of stormwater management are being considered throughout the planning process, resulting in increased attention to runoff prevention, minimizing impervious cover, harvesting rainwater, treating stormwater close to the source, and creating multifunctional landscapes. A. Gomez also introduced TRCA's SNAP (Sustainabale Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan) projects. Although there have been significant advances in the implementation of LID, in existing urban areas, implementation has not been occurring rapidly. SNAPs are pilot projects designed to expedite the implementation of LID technologies on the ground. SNAPS involve in- depth analysis of project areas. The Bayview Glen SNAP in the Don watershed includes 700 homes, a mature tree canopy with many ash trees, and flooding issues. Technical analysis is ongoing. This presentation is available on Drive. S. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION 5.1. Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard Reconfiguration Environmental Assessment & Urban Design Study Verbal update from, Margaret Buchinger, Member, DWRC February 20, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #3/14 F9 • Four alternatives have been considered: 1) Maintain; 2) Improve; 3) Replace; 4) Remove. • Opinions were split at the previous public meeting between Remove and Maintain. Those most concerned with travel time preferred the Maintain option because traffic times would be least impacted. • The DWRC has submitted comments in support of the Remove option. • Toronto City Council will be considering the results of the EA and will be selecting their Preferred Alternative in April. 5.2. Port Lands Planning Framework & Transportation and Servicing Master Plan Verbal update from, Margaret Buchinger, Member, DWRC • M. Buchinger introduced the DWRC to three land use categories (Live -Work Communities; Creative Industry District; and Port / Employment District) and four land use options representing variations on the locations of these land uses. • The deadline to submit comments on the discussion questions is February 28. Comments can be submitted here: http: / /cityoftoronto.fl u idsurveys.com /s /port -I a nds- ccm -2- discussion - questions/ • A workshop for the public will be held on March 5, 2014 and details will be circulated as soon as they become available. • For more information, see: http: / /www.portlandsconsultation.ca/ 5.3. Lower Don Master Plan Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • The Lower Don Master Plan is now available, and can be found online, here: http: / /wwwl. toronto .ca /wps /portallcontentonly? vgnextoid= b339cd2e50l92410VgnVCM 1 0000071d60f89RCRD &vgnextch a n net= 53f9dada600f04lOVgnVCM 1000007ld60f89RCRD • The document is also available on Drive. 5.4. Hydro Corridor Revitalization Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • The overview of the Hydro Corridor Revitalization project was presented to the Joint Planning and Policy Sub - Committee at their previous meeting on January 29, 2014. • There is support for this project from the other watershed groups. 6. Don Watershed Events Discussion 6.1. Paddle the Don • A volunteer orientation session will be held in advance of Paddle the Don 2014. • An additional 35 volunteer opportunities have been created. A coordinated volunteer recruitment drive will shortly begin. 6.2. Mill Pond Splash • Mill Pond Splash is made possible by the contribution of dozens of volunteers. There are ample and varied volunteer opportunities for DWRC members. F10 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #3/14 February 20, 2014 • Those interested in volunteering in advance and /or on the day of Mill Pond Splash can contact Michael Charendoff for further information and to get more involved. 7. Summary of Meeting #2/13 Overview • The goal of the previous two strategic planning meetings was to narrow the focus of the work of the DWRC. Through two facilitated sessions, the focus of DWRC project work is now 1) stormwater management, and 2) urban tree canopy. • The summaries of these sessions are available on Drive. • It was also decided that the structure of the DWRC meetings would change slightly, to provide the DWRC with 30 minutes each meeting to work on specific projects. • It was further decided that there will be two meetings per month: 1 DWRC meeting, and 1 Team meeting. These meetings will usually be two weeks apart, with DWRC meetings typically on the third Thursday of the month, and team meetings typically on the first Tuesday of the month. Immediately following presentations at Council meetings, teams will breakout into the half -hour work session. • Team meeting #1/14 will be held on Tuesday, March 11, in Committee Room #3 of the North York Civic Centre. This meeting will be focused on crystallizing focus even further, setting timelines and specific goals, and defining roles and responsibilities. • The Policy and Advocacy Team will continue to work on projects in the traditional manner in which they have functioned. Discussion • A. Wickens pointed out that it might be advantageous, in order to better connect with the public, to change the language associated with the two focus areas. Instead of referring to work on stormwater management and urban tree canopy, perhaps, these subjects can be referred to as 'floods and trees', or 'droughts and floods and trees' ACTION: DWRC members will help recruit speakers at DWRC meetings. C. Mitchell will find a speaker on urban tree canopy for DWRC meeting #4113. 11. New Business • J. Routh notified the DWRC that Councillor Mary Fragedakis put forward a motion to undertake an Environmental Assessment of the proposed reconfiguration of the Bayview Avenue Extension. More information on this motion can be found here: http: / /www.toronto. ca /legdocs /mm is /2014 /m m /bgrd /backgroundfi le- 66903. pdf February 20, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #3/14 F11 12. SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS DWRC Meeting # Date and Time Location 3/14 Thursday, February 20, 7:00 - 9:00pm *NYCC, Committee Room #3 4/14 Thursday, March 27, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 5/14 Thursday, April 24, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 6/14 Thursday, May 22, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 7/14 Thursday, June 26, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 8/14 Thursday, July 24, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 9/14 Thursday, September 18, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 10/14 Thursday, October 23, 7:00 - 9:00pm TBD 11/14 Thursday, November 20, 7:00 - 9:00 m NYCC, Members Lounge 12/14 Thursday, December 11, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge DWRC Team Meeting # Date and Time Location 1/14 Tuesday, March 11, 7:00 -9:00 m NYCC, Committee Room #3 2/14 Tuesday, April 8, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 3/14 Tuesday, May 6, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 4/14 Tuesday, June 10, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 5/14 Tuesday, July 8, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 6/14 Tuesday, September 2, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 7/14 Tuesday, October 7, 7:00 - 9:00pm TBD 8/14 Tuesday, November 4, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 *NYCC = North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street TERMINATION On motion, the meeting terminated at 9:00p.m., February 20, 2014. Adele Freeman Brian E. Denney Director, Watershed Management Chief Executive Officer /MC Conservation the D o n for The Living City- MINUTES OF THE DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #4/14 Page 12 The Don Watershed Regeneration Council met at the North York Civic Centre on Thursday, March 27, 2014. Peter Heinz, Chair, Don Watershed Regeneration Council, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 9:J4740Y1 AshleyWallis ...................................................................................................... ............................... Member CelesteLonghurst .............................................................................................. ............................... Member ClareMitchell ................................................................................................... ............................... Vice -Chair HeatherWright .......................................................................... ............................... .........................Member JohnRouth ................................................................................. ............................... .........................Member LloydHelferty ............................................................................ ............................... .........................Member MargaretBream ........................................................................ ............................... .........................Member Margaret Buchinger .................................................................. ............................... .........................Member MargaretCasey .......................................................................... ............................... .........................Member MichelleLouli ..................................................................................................... ............................... Member NicoleCzorny ..................................................................................................... ............................... Member PeterHeinz .............................................................................................................. ............................... Chair TimHayward ...................................................................................................... ............................... Member VeraStraka ................................................................................ ............................... .........................Member STAFF Adele Freeman ........................................... ............................... Director, Watershed Management Division Arlen Leeming .... ........................Project Manager, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Michael Charendoff............ Project Coordinator, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Meaghan Eastwood ... ............................... Project Manager, Research and Development, Ecology Division March 27, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #4/14 F13 RES. #F4/14 1.1 DWRC MEETING MINUTES Moved by: Michelle Louli Seconded by: Margaret Casey That the minutes from DWRC Meeting #3/14, held on February 20, 2014, be approved ...........CARRIED RES. #FS /14 1.2 ACTION ITEMS FROM STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AND TREE CANOPY TEAMS Moved by: Margaret Buchinger Seconded by: Michelle Louli That the action items from the Stormwater Management and Tree Canopy Teams Meeting #1/14, held on March 11, 2014, be approved ...................................... ............................... ........................CARRIED 3. Incoming Correspondence 3.1. Community Stewardship Program — Call for Volunteers A call for volunteers from the Natural Environment Trails Program — received March 19, 2014. 3.2. Report on Watercourse Identification on Highway 401 A summary report containing recommendations for the Don Watershed Regeneration Council based on the completion of Phase One of the Watercourse Identification project. 3.3. Proposed Letter to Minister of Transportation, Glen Murray A draft letter to The Honourable Glen Murray, Minister of Transportation, regarding the Don Watershed Regeneration Councils request to install watercourse identification signage along the 401 corridor in the Don River Watershed. E,=a0 *14:Id -AIW01 4.1. Meaghan Eastwood, Project Manager, Research and Development, Ecology Division, TRCA • Urban Forest Management in the Toronto Region M. Eastwood provided the DWRC with an overview of urban forest management in the Toronto Region. TRCA's approach to urban forest management has evolved and is now focused on a natural heritage systems strategy which views the entire land base as an integrated whole. The benefits of an urban forest can be defined by contribution to human well- being. Although an ecosystem services approach can quantify services using standardized tools, valuation is subjective. There are numerous and diverse benefits offered by a healthy urban forest, including: • Air pollution mitigation • Emission reduction through reduced energy use F14 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #4/14 March 27, 2014 • Greenhouse gas sequestration (and storage) • Microclimate amelioration and urban heat island reduction • Water quality protection and improvement, erosion protection, and storm water attenuation and flood mitigation • Biodiversity and wildlife habitat provision • Maintenance of local soil quality • Noise reduction • Recreation and associated health benefits • Aesthetics • Community innovation hubs • Food production and security • Educational opportunities to foster a stewardship ethic • Stress reduction, recovery from illness, and general mental health • 'The Human Condition' An ecosystem can also provide disservices; for example, damage from an ice storm. There are several challenges and threats facing the urban forest, including climate change, pests and disease, lack of biodiversity, and urbanization. GTA municipalities are leaders in research and analysis on the urban forest. TRCA has the opportunity to coordinate research between different municipalities; however, it is challenging to compare across municipalities due to contextual variation. Research in the GTA has shown that: • There is significant opportunity for increasing tree cover in residential areas and that many private residents are managing their urban forest. • There are social justice concerns, as some areas with the highest population densities have the lowest tree cover. • A healthy urban forest is not overly reliant on any one genus. • There is a trend towards many small trees, despite the fact that large trees provide much greater ecosystem services. • The urban tree canopy can play a significant role in climate change mitigation, and can reduce dependence on heating and cooling buildings. Action is required at many scales. Homeowners require tools that help with tree selection and planting. Proper tree maintenance, during the first five years in particular, can enable trees to reach their full potential. Communities can monitor, plan, and advocate for a more robust urban forest. Action is needed at the provincial and federal levels as well. This presentation is available on Drive. S. DWRC TEAM BREAKOUT SESSIONS 5.1. Stormwater Management Team • Review of previous team meeting on March 11, 2014 Report on action items March 27, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #4/14 F15 • Set new tasks and goals for established projects 5.2. Tree Canopy Team • Review of previous team meeting on March 11, 2014 • Report on action items • Set new tasks and goals for established projects 7. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION 7.1. Methods of Communication for the Don Council Discussion on traditional and digital communication models Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • Staff will continue to communicate through all communication mediums, including personal email addresses. • If DWRC members would like to solely receive communications through Gmail, please indicate this preference to staff. 7.2. Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard Reconfiguration Environmental Assessment & Urban Design Study Verbal update from, Margaret Buchinger, Member, DWRC • Further decisions on this project have been postponed until the next term of Toronto City Council. 7.3. Updates Relating to Discover the Don Blog Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • Anyone can now upload to the blog by clicking the submit button in the top -right corner of the blog page. Once someone uploads their potential post, it will be reviewed and then published shortly thereafter. 7.4. Walk the Don Guides Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • Anyone can now access the guides through the blog. • Additional guides will be added to the blog once they are finalized. • An external consultant will be hired to expedite the finalization of outstanding guides. 7.5. Parkland Wayfinding Strategy Verbal update from, Peter Heinz, Chair, DWRC • Members of the public were asked at a recent meeting what information they wanted to know when in the valleys and parklands of Toronto. 7.6. Watercourse Signage Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA F16 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #4/14 March 27, 2014 • Previous terms of the DWRC have worked on this project. The current focus of this project is installing river crossing signs along Highway 401. • A letter to Minister Murray has been drafted. This letter requests the support of the Minister for this initiative. Council was asked to submit their comments on the draft letter. 7.7. Don Mouth Naturalization Project Verbal update from, Margaret Buchinger, Member, DWRC • Margaret has drafted comments on the Environmental Assessment. These comments are largely supportive and include a few questions. RES. #F6/14 Moved by: Margaret Casey Seconded by: Lloyd Helferty That the DWRC support Margaret's comments in principal, subject to further comments by the DWRC ............................................................................................................... ............................... CARRIED 8. DON WATERSHED EVENTS DISCUSSION 8.1. Paddle the Don Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • Paddle the Don 2014 is now sold out. • Volunteer opportunities have now been announced. 8.2. Mill Pond Splash Verbal update from, Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA • The Mill Pond Splash corporate sponsorship brochure has now been finalized and is available on Drive. • DWRC members are encouraged to contact their connections and present the opportunity to become a corporate sponsor. 9. UPDATES FROM COMMUNITY WATERSHED GROUPS 9.1. Joint Planning and Policy Subcommittee Verbal update from, Margaret Buchinger, Member, DWRC • The Province is considering an urban river valley designation. The DWRC submitted comments on this proposal in the past. o TRCA is reviewing this proposal. March 27, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #4/14 F17 o The Joint Planning and Policy Subcommittee is waiting to see what TRCA's position will be. • The Province is considering growth indicators as part of the Places to Grow Plan. The Joint Subcomittee is concerned with the degree to which protection and conservation of the natural environment are included in these indicators. 10. New Business • Margaret Bream suggested that some of the Walk the Don Trail Guides should be printed and made available to people on the trail. The guides could be sold. • Sabina Ali was recently announced as a Jane Jacobs award winner. 12. SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS DWRC Meeting # Date and Time Location 5/14 Thursday, April 24, 7:00 - 9:00 pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 6/14 Thursday, May 22, 7:00 - 9:00 pm Evergreen Brick Works 7/14 Thursday, June 26, 7:00 - 9:00 pm NYCC, Members Lounge 8/14 Thursday, July 24, 7:00 - 9:00 pm NYCC, Members Lounge 9/14 Thursday, September 18, 7:00 - 9:00 pm NYCC, Members Lounge 10/14 Thursday, October 23, 7:00 - 9:00 m TBD 11/14 Thursday, November 20, 7:00 - 9:00 m NYCC, Members Lounge 12/14 Thursday, December 11, 7:00 - 9:00 pm NYCC, Members Lounge DWRC Team Meeting # Date and Time Location 3/14 Tuesday, May 6, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 4/14 Tuesday, June 10, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 5/14 Tuesday, July 8, 7:00 - 9:00 m NYCC, Members Lounge 6/14 Tuesday, September 2, 7:00 - 9:00 pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 7/14 Tuesday, October 7, 7:00 - 9:00 m TBD 8/14 Tuesday, November 4, 7:00 - 9:00pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 *NYCC = North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street TERMINATION On motion, the meeting terminated at 9:00p.m., March 27, 2014. Adele Freeman Brian E. Denney Director, Watershed Management Chief Executive Officer /MC Toronto and Region tv1�► ✓ e D o n Conservation for The Living City1 MINUTES OF THE DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #5/14 Page 18 The Don Watershed Regeneration Council met at the North York Civic Centre on Thursday, April 24, 2014. Peter Heinz, Chair, Don Watershed Regeneration Council, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. UR*14L,Y1 AshleyWallis ...................................................................................................... ............................... Member ClareMitchell ................................................................................................... ............................... Vice -Chair Councillor Paul Ainslie ............................................................... ............................... .........................Member HeatherWray ............................................................................ ............................... .........................Member HeatherWright .......................................................................... ............................... .........................Member IrisTufa .............................................................................................................. ............................... Member JohnRouth ................................................................................. ............................... .........................Member LloydHelferty ............................................................................ ............................... .........................Member MargaretBream ........................................................................ ............................... .........................Member Margaret Buchinger .................................................................. ............................... .........................Member MargaretCasey .......................................................................... ............................... .........................Member PeterHeinz .............................................................................................................. ............................... Chair TimHayward ...................................................................................................... ............................... Member STAFF Adele Freeman ........................................... ............................... Director, Watershed Management Division Arlen Leeming .... ........................Project Manager, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Michael Charendoff............ Project Coordinator, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Pragati Tuladhar ...................... Project Associate, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division GUEST Jen Hill ...................................................................... ............................... PhD Student, University of Toronto April 24, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #5/14 F19 2. Information Items 2.1. 2013 Ice Storm Debris Removal and 2014 Spring Flood Potential Communication from Nick Saccone, Director, Restoration Services, to Chair and Members of the Authority, Meeting #2/14, March 28, 2014. 2.2. Sea Lamprey Control Project Communication from Nick Saccone, Director, Restoration Services, to Chair and Members of the Authority, Meeting #2/14, March 28, 2014. 2.3. Sustainable Neighbourhood Retrofit Action Plan Communication from Adele Freeman, Director, Watershed Management to Chair and members of the Authority, Meeting #3/14, April 25, 2014. 2.4. Forest Health and Emerald Ash Borer Communication from Nick Saccone, Director, Restoration Services to Chair and members of the Authority, Meeting #3/14, April 25, 2014. 2.5. West Nile Virus Update Communication from Nick Saccone, Director, Restoration Services to Chair and members of the Authority, Meeting #3/14, April 25, 2014. 2.6. Good News Stories Communication from Brian Denney, Chief Executive Officer, to Chair and members of the Authority, Meeting #3/14, April 25, 2014. RES. #F7/14 2. Information Items Moved by: Margaret Buchinger Seconded by: Lloyd Helferty THAT the Information Items for DWRC Meeting #5/14, held on April 24, 2014, be approved .... CARRIED RES. #F8/14 3. DWRC MEETING MINUTES and ACTION ITEMS FROM STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AND TREE CANOPY TEAMS Moved by: Margaret Casey Seconded by: Tim Hayward THAT the minutes from DWRC Meeting #4/14, held on March 27, 2014, and that the action items from Teams Meeting #2/14, held on April 8, 2014, be approved ....................... ............................... CARRIED RES. #F9/14 4. DWRC INCOMING AND OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE Moved by: Councillor Paul Ainslie Seconded by: Clare Mitchell F20 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #5/14 April 24, 2014 THAT the following incoming and outgoing correspondence be received ......... ........................CARRIED 4.1 Incoming Correspondence 4.1.1. Greening Your Grounds Workshop at Toronto Botanical Garden Notification of a Greening your Grounds: Get Started workshop on Thursday, April 10`n at Toronto Botanical Garden — received March 31, 2014. 4.1.2. Funding Decisions — Walmart- Evergreen Green Grant Notification that the Mill Pond Splash Invasive Species Removal and Wildflower Planting project was awarded $3,750 — received April 8, 2014. 4.1.3. Background Information on Presentation to the DWRC at Meeting #5/14 Communication providing background information on guest speaker and topic addressed during presentation portion of DWRC Meeting #5114 — received April 17, 2014. 4.2 Outgoing Correspondence 4.2.1 Comments of the Don Watershed Regeneration Council on the Don Mouth Naturalization Project Comments of the DWRC on the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project, Monday, April 21, 2014 —Sent April 21, 2014. S. PRESENTATION 5.1. Jen Hill, PhD Student, University of Toronto • Green Roofs and Stormwater Management J. Hill provided background information on green roofs in the City of Toronto. In a highly urban context, like downtown Toronto, roofs represent one of the last and best opportunities to catch and treat stormwater. In the City of Toronto, green roofs are concentrated in the downtown core. The City of Toronto has adopted a green roof bylaw which came into effect in January of 2010. Several municipal departments, including City Planning, Toronto Water, and the Environment & Energy Office, are involved and have an interest in Green Roofs. J. Hill provided an overview of some of the green roofs found in the Don watershed: • The oldest green roof in Toronto is ten years old and can be found at Toronto Botanical Garden. There is no public access to this green roof— it is predominantly for aesthetic and stormwater management purposes. There are a variety of plants growing on the roof, including sedums, fungi, and mosses and it is one of the steepest green roofs in the City. • The ESRI building, visible from the DVP, has a green roof which is approximately 50% larger than the green roof at TBG. This green roof is accessible by the public and is comprised of a series of trays filled with granular material which allow water to drain freely. This roof also features a bee nesting box. This roof emphasizes the point that not April 24, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #5/14 F21 all green roofs have stormwater retention as a primary goal. Some green roofs are primarily for aesthetic or energy efficiency purposes. • The green roof at Access Point on Danforth enables community members to grow food and features a solar hot water system. This green roof has deeper soil and uses straw as mulch. The primary objective with this green roof is to grow food. • The green roof at Evergreen Brick Works is approximately 600 square meters in size and is comprised of native plants. No irrigation is installed on this green roof, which provides insulation for the building. • The green roof at the Regent Park Aquatics Centre, located at Dundas and Sumac, provides an important green space for the community. The green roof is over 1500 square meters and is comprised of compost and a mix of sedums. J. Hill provided an overview of her research, currently based out of the GRIT Lab. The lab is located on the roof of the architecture building at the University of Totonto. 33 green roof beds, of differing designs, provide a large amount of data for analysis. This presentation is available on Drive. 6. DWRC TEAM BREAKOUT SESSIONS 6.1. Stormwater Management Team • Review of previous team meeting on March 11, 2014 • Report on action items • Set new tasks and goals for established projects 6.2. Tree Canopy Team • Review of previous team meeting on March 11, 2014 • Report on action items • Set new tasks and goals for established projects Y i� i �i F' rdiT: t 7 L' Z• P bd :' 7 [i I 7.1. Walk the Don Guides Verbal update from, Peter Heinz, Chair, DWRC • Progress is being made on the remaining guides. They will be published and made available online shortly. 7.2. Lower Don Trail — Access, Environment + Art Master Plan Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • Key groups, including the DWRC, are currently being brought into the consultation process. DWRC representatives include S. Thorson, P. Heinz, J. Routh, M. Buchinger, and A. Wickens. 7.3. Watercourse Signage Verbal update from, Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA F22 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #5/14 April 24, 2014 • The Ministry of Transportation has investigated potential sites to install river identification signs on Highway 401. Signs could be installed directly over the river, or, on the approaches to the valley. Action: M. Charendoff to request that signs be placed directly over the river and include the full names of the rivers. 8. DON WATERSHED EVENTS DISCUSSION 8.1. Paddle the Don Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • 11 DWRC members are volunteering at Paddle the Don. • One canoe will be reserved for DWRC members. A draw will be held to determine who can paddle. • Many media outlets will be covering the event this year. • 100 people will be able to register for a Walk the Don event which will begin at the Brick Works and end at the Manulife Take -Out Party. 8.2. Garlic Mustard Removal at Baker's Woods Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • Registration is now open for the May 10 garlic mustard removal event at Baker's Woods. To register, visit: www .donbiodiversity.eventbrite.ca 8.3. Mill Pond Splash Verbal update from, Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA Mill Pond Splash 2014 is much larger than in previous years. The organizing committee is therefore seeking more volunteers. If DWRC members are interested in volunteering on the day, please contact Michael Charendoff. 8.4. Interfaith Walk the Don Verbal update from, Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA • An interfaith walk of the Don River will be occurring on July 20, with July 27 as a cancellation date. The walk will feature interfaith perspectives on water and trees. The organizing committee is requesting DWRC members to speak about the watershed management and urban tree challenges and solutions in the Don watershed. DWRC members are encouraged to contact Michael Charendoff if they are interested in participating. 9. UPDATES FROM COMMUNITY WATERSHED GROUPS April 24, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #5/14 F23 9.1. Pomona Mills Park Conservationists are having clean up and planting events over the next two weeks. A poster will be placed on the Discover the Don blog. 12. SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS DWRC Meeting # Date and Time Location 6/14 Thursday, May 22, 7:00 — 9:00pm Evergreen Brick Works 7/14 Thursday, June 26, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 8/14 Thursday, July 24, 7:00 — 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 9/14 Thursday, September 18, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 10/14 Thursday, October 23, 7:00 — 9:00pm TED 11/14 Thursday, November 20, 7:00— 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 12/14 Thursday, December 11, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge DWRC Team Meeting # Date and Time Location 3/14 Tuesday, May 6, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 4/14 Tuesday, June 10, 7:00 — 9:00pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 5/14 Tuesday, July 8, 7:00 — 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 6/14 Tuesday, September 2, 7:00 — 9:00pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 7/14 Tuesday, October 7, 7:00 — 9:00pm TED 8/14 Tuesday, November 4, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 *NYCC = North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street TERMINATION On motion, the meeting terminated at 8:57p.m., April 24, 2014. Adele Freeman Brian E. Denney Director, Watershed Management Chief Executive Officer /MC Toronto and Region tv1�► ✓ e D o n Conservation for The Living City1 MINUTES OF THE DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #6/14 Page 24 The Don Watershed Regeneration Council met at Evergreen Brick Works on Thursday May 22, 2014. Following a guided tour of the stormwater management features on site, Peter Heinz, Chair, Don Watershed Regeneration Council, called the meeting to order at 7:45 p.m. PRESENT AndyWickens .................................................................................................... ............................... Member AshleyWallis ...................................................................................................... ............................... Member ClareMitchell ................................................................................................... ............................... Vice -Chair HeatherWright .......................................................................... ............................... .........................Member JohnRouth ................................................................................. ............................... .........................Member LloydHelferty ............................................................................ ............................... .........................Member Margaret Buchinger .................................................................. ............................... .........................Member MargaretCasey .......................................................................... ............................... .........................Member NicoleCzorny ............................................................................. ............................... .........................Member PeterHeinz .............................................................................................................. ............................... Chair TimHayward ...................................................................................................... ............................... Member VeraStraka ........................................................................................................ ............................... Member STAFF Adele Freeman ........................................... ............................... Director, Watershed Management Division Arlen Leeming .... ........................Project Manager, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Michael Charendoff ..............Project Coordinator, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Erin Bullis ..... ............................... ...................Coordinator, Stewardship, Watershed Management Division May 22, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #6/14 F25 1. Brick Works Site Visit A. Wallis lead members of the DWRC on a guided tour of the stormwater management features at Evergreen Brick Works. RES. #F10/14 2. DWRC MEETING MINUTES and ACTION ITEMS FROM STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AND TREE CANOPY TEAMS Moved by: Vera Straka Seconded by: Margaret Buchinger THAT the minutes from DWRC Meeting #5/14, held on April 24, 2014, and that the action items from Teams Meeting #3/14, held on May 6, 2014, be approved ............................... ........................CARRIED RES. #F11 /14 4. DWRC INCOMING AND OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE Moved by: Lloyd Helferty Seconded by: Margaret Casey THAT the following incoming and outgoing correspondence be received .. ............................... CARRIED 4. Incoming Correspondence 4.1. Dufferin Organics Processing Facility Expansion Public Notice regarding Dufferin Organics Processing Facility Expansion — received April 29, 2014. 4.2. Crothers Woods Trail Maintenance Day Invitation to join the City of Toronto and the Toronto Off Road Bicycling Association for a trail maintenance event in Crother's Woods — received April 30, 2014. 4.3. Port Lands: Cousins Quay Precinct Plan Notification of a public meeting for the Cousins Quay Precinct Plan — received May 8, 2014. 4.4. Public Open House for the Natural Heritage Network Study Phases 2 — 4 Notification of a public meeting for the Natural Heritage Network Study Phases 2 — 4 — received May 8, 2014. 5. Outgoing Correspondence 5.1. Provincial Growth Plan — Places to Grow Submission of comments on the Provincial Growth Plan — Places to Grow —Sent April30, 2014. 6. PRESENTATION 6.1. Erin Bullis, Public Programs Coordinator, Stewardship and Outreach Education, TRCA • Greening Your Grounds F26 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #6/14 May 22, 2014 E. Bullis shared her experience engaging communities about low impact development (LID). Community engagement can be a powerful tool for increasing uptake of LID technology. Educating watershed residents about LID can lead to increases in: value placed on stormwater management (SWM) systems, uptake of LID programs, and overall watershed function. E. Bullis also introduced Greening Your Grounds: A Homeowners Guide to Stormwater Landscaping Projects. This guide provides DYI instructions, material lists, and resource lists. All DWRC members in attendance received a copy of the guide. This presentation is available on Drive. ► L l l l iI Pi Fi r• 17 F-1 fl 111.1 1561 E 7.1. Update on Discover the Don Blog Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • A. Leeming noted that for the blog to thrive, all DWRC members must contribute content. To submit a proposed blog post, simply click the "Submit' button in the top right corner of the home page at http: / /www.discoverthedon.com /. • Potential blog post topics include: • Activities and events • Public meetings and public consultation opportunities • Flora and fauna of the Don watershed 7.2. Review of Paddle the Don Funding Opportunities Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • Over $105,000 was raised in 2014. These funds reside in a charitable account of The Living City Foundation. • 2014 event expenses are between $40- 45,000. This does not include staff time. • The Paddle the Don account in the Living City Foundation has over $400,000 in it. • There is potential to fund projects proposed by the DWRC. Proposed projects can be brought forward for consideration at DWRC meetings. • A. Freeman proposed that the Weston Family Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow Program may be a good candidate for match funding. 9. Don Watershed Events Discussion 9.1. Paddle the Don Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • A. Leeming thanked DWRC members for volunteering on the day and for helping to make Paddle the Don 2014 such a success. • Over 750 people paddled down the Don River and over 1000 people participated in some aspect of the event, including those that enjoyed a guided walk along the paddle route. • Over $105,000 was raised for projects in the Don watershed. May 22, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #6/14 F27 9.2. Garlic Mustard Removal at Baker's Woods Verbal update from, Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • The third (of five) annual garlic mustard removal activities took place on May 10. • Members of York Region Environmental Alliance participated, in addition to approximately 15 members of the public. • Garlic mustard removed from the forest floor filled approximately six garbage bags. 9.3. Mill Pond Splash Verbal update from, Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA • Mill Pond Splash is shaping up to be much bigger than ever —with 45 vendors, exhibitors, and performers, a wide range of hands -on educational activities, and over 60 volunteers registered. DWRC members are encouraged to volunteer at and /or attend the festivities. 9.4. Interfaith Walk the Don Verbal update from, Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA • The event date has been changed to Sunday, August 17. • The event will run from 2 -5:00 pm in Taylor Creek Park and will include a guided walk along Taylor Massey Creek with perspectives from: Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim leaders. The Don Council is also invited to present information on the historical / geomorphological / ecological context of the sub - watershed. • The walk will be followed with a hands -on stewardship component, including litter clean -up and tree mulching. 10. UPDATES FROM COMMUNITY WATERSHED GROUPS • Evergreen is seeking volunteers for their Uncover your Creeks program on June 14, from loam -noon at Pioneer Park in Richmond Hill. 11. SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS DWRC Meeting # Date and Time Location 7/14 Thursday, June 26, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 8/14 Thursday, July 24, 7:00 — 9:OOpm NYCC, Members Lounge 9/14 Thursday, September 18, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 10/14 Thursday, October 23, 7:00 — 9:OOpm TBD 11/14 Thursday, November 20, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 12/14 Thursday, December 11, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge F28 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #6/14 22, 2014 DWRC Team Meeting # Date and Time Location 4/14 Tuesday, July 8, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 5/14 Tuesday, September 2, 7:00 — 9:OOpm NYCC, Committee Room #3 6/14 Tuesday, October 7, 7:00 — 9:OOpm TBD 7/14 Tuesday, November 4, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 *NYCC = North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street 12. NEW BUSINESS • On Saturday June 24 a litter clean -up will be held in ET Seton Park. • On Tuesday May 27 the City of Toronto will be hosting a public workshop at St. Simon the Apostle church regarding the Lower Don Trail Improvement Project. TERMINATION On motion, the meeting terminated at 9:11pm, May 22, 2014. Adele Freeman Brian E. Denney Director, Watershed Management Chief Executive Officer /MC Toronto and Region tv1�► ✓ e D o n Conservation for The Living City1 MINUTES OF THE DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #7/14 Page 29 The Don Watershed Regeneration Council met at the North York Civic Centre on Thursday June 26, 2014. Peter Heinz, Chair, Don Watershed Regeneration Council, called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. ]:t *9AL' Y1 AndyWickens .................................................................................................... ............................... Member AshleyWallis ...................................................................................................... ............................... Member ClareMitchell ................................................................................................... ............................... Vice -Chair JohnRouth ................................................................................. ............................... .........................Member LloydHelferty ............................................................................ ............................... .........................Member MargaretBream ........................................................................ ............................... .........................Member PeterHeinz .............................................................................................................. ............................... Chair TimHayward ...................................................................................................... ............................... Member VeraStraka ........................................................................................................ ............................... Member STAFF Adele Freeman ........................................... ............................... Director, Watershed Management Division Arlen Leeming .... ........................Project Manager, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Michael Charendoff ..............Project Coordinator, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division GUEST Melissa Williams ............................................................ ............................... Acting Program Manager, LEAF F30 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #7/14 June 26, 2014 RES. #F12/14 2. DWRC MEETING MINUTES Moved by: Andy Wickens Seconded by: Ashley Wallis THAT the minutes from DWRC Meeting #6/14, held on May 22, 2014 be approved....... RES. #F13/14 3. DWRC INCOMING AND OUTGOING CORRESPONDENCE Moved by: Lloyd Helferty Seconded by: John Routh THAT the following incoming and outgoing correspondence be received ..... 3. Incoming Correspondence ....CARRIED 3.1. Investigation of Flooding and Stormwater Runoff — Quality Control Study Areas 21 & 23 Notification of Public Information Centre #1, to be held June 24, from 6:30 — 8:30 pm at Northmount School, 26 Mallard Rd. — received June 4, 2014. 3.2. Taylor Massey Creek Geomorphic Systems — Restoration Master Plan Notification of Public Information Centre #2, to be held June 19, from 6:30 — 8:30 pm at Warden Hilltop Community Centre, 25 Mendelssohn St. — received June 4, 2014. 3.3. Natural Heritage Network Study Notification of a public meeting to receive comment on the Natural Heritage Network Study and on the resulting amendments proposed to the policies of Chapter 3 (Environment) and Schedule 2 (Natural Heritage Network) of the Vaughan Official Plan 2010 to be held June 17, at 7.00 pm at Vaughan City Hall, Council Chamber, 2141 Major Mackenzie Drive — received June 5, 2014. 3.4. Investigation of Basement Flooding — Study Area 2 Notification of Public Information Centre #2 far the Investigation of Basement Flooding — Study Area 2, to be held June 25, from 6:30 — to 8:30 pm at Leaside Memorial Gardens, 1073 Millwood Rd — received June 6, 2014. 3.5. East Don Trail Notification of Public Event #3 for the East Don Trail Study, to be held June 24, from 5:30 — to 8:30 pm at the Victoria Park Hub, 1537 Victoria Park Avenue — received June 10, 2014. 3.6. Comments of the Don Watershed Regeneration Council on the Don Mouth Naturalization and Port Lands Flood Protection Project Environmental Assessment Acknowledgement of receipt of letterfrom the Don Watershed Regeneration Council dated April 21, 2014 —received June 11, 2014. 3.7. David Dunlap Observatory Park Master Plan — Visioning Workshop Notification of a visioning workshop on the future enhancement management and programming of the David Dunlap Observatory Park, to be held June 24, from 7.00 - 9:00 pm at Elgin Barrow Arena, 43 Church St. S in the Richmond Hill Room — received June 11, 2014. June 26, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #7/14 F31 4. PRESENTATION 4.1. LEAF Programs and Opportunities for DWRC Involvement • Melissa Williams, Acting Program Manager, LEAF M. Williams provided an overview of LEAF's programs, highlighting challenges, successes, and opportunities for DWRC collaboration. LEAF was founded in 1996 as a non - profit organization dedicated to the protection and improvement of the urban forest. LEAF now offers the following programs: • Backyard Tree Planting Program o Municipalities focus on public property. LEAF's Backyard Tree Planting Program, by contrast, focuses on private property. o By offering a subsidized planting program to establish the appropriate native tree and /or shrub in the appropriate location, the program aims to capitalize on the significant opportunities for enhancing the urban tree canopy on private property. o This program enjoys high participant satisfaction and tree survival rates. Approximately 1000 trees are planted each year. o The challenge is spreading the word, especially in York Region. The DWRC can help in this regard, by distributing brochures and information via social media. • Tree Tenders Training o The Tree Tenders Training program offers basic education around tree biology, identification, and management. It's a multi -day course, with a combination of indoor and outdoor sessions • The program enjoys a high satisfaction rate amongst participants. • LEAF is working on opportunities for integrating more advanced learning opportunities and to keep participants more active and engaged. • Although courses in Toronto sell out, LEAF is seeking greater enrolment in York Region. The DWRC can again help to share this program opportunity widely. • Tree Tours • Tree Tour events are held throughout spring and fall. • Although there is high participation in Toronto, awareness of this program is not as high in York Region. o LEAF is open to partnership opportunities with the DWRC. • EAB Ambassador Program o Started in 2012, the EAB Ambassador Program aims to mitigate the damage inflicted by the Emerald Ash Borer on the tree canopy of Toronto and York Region. F32 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #7/14 June 26, 2014 • The program is wrapping up in Toronto with attention now shifting to York Region, where there still may be time enough to treat and save ash trees. • It is challenging to support ambassadors as they often work independently to raise awareness of the issues. o The DWRC can help spread the word about the program and DWRC members can become EAB ambassadors. This presentation is available on Google Drive. 5. DWRC Team Breakout Sessions 5.1, Stormwater Management Team • Review of previous team meeting on May 6, 2014 o Report on action items • Set new tasks and goals for established projects 5.2. Tree Canopy Team • Review of previous team meeting on May 6, 2014 o Report on action items • set new tasks and goals for established projects 6. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION 6.1. Update Regarding Hydro Corridor Revitalization Project Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • The Hydro Corridor Revitalization Project encompasses 17 km of land between the Don and Rouge watersheds and represents a significant urban ecological restoration opportunity. • The new East Don Trail will connect into the hydro corridor. 6.2. Manulife Paddle the Don Images and Video Summary Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • Photos from Manulife Paddle the Don 2014 are now available on Flickr, here: https: / /www.fl ickr.com /photos /don -h ighla nd/sets/72157645329273364/ • A video is coming soon. 6.3. Mill Pond Splash Images and Video Summary Verbal update from Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA • Thank you to all DWRC members who volunteered on June 1" to make Mill Pond Splash such a success this year. • Over 3000 members of the public participated in a wide range of hands -on educational activities. • Photos, as well as a video from the 16th annual Mill Pond Splash Eco Festival, will soon be available. June 26, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #7/14 F33 6.4. Todmorden Eco Art Festival and The Don Was Here Project Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • The Don Was Here Project launched this past week. The engine behind the online platform can be adapted to grow this project beyond its current focus on solely the Lower Don. • There is an opportunity for a DWRC member to sit on the steering committee of this project. 6.5. Charley Park Switch Back Project Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • A busy public meeting was held recently with some residents displeased with the cutting of trees to make way for an asphalt path. Although some residents were supportive of the project, the City of Toronto will not be proceeding with the plan as it was previously presented. 6.6. Ongoing Don Council Projects 6.6.1. Walk the Don Trail Guides Verbal update from Peter Heinz, Chair, DWRC • The Taylor Massey Creek guided walk needs to be shortened. • The rest of the guides will be published soon. 6.6.2. Watercourse Signage Verbal update from Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA • Don River identification signs will be installed on the 401 in the coming months. 6.6.3. Discover the Don Blog Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • Many more people have visited the blog since the launch of The Don Was Here project. 6.7. Ontario BioBlitz Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • The Ontario BioBlitz will take place in the Don River watershed in 2015. • There is an opportunity for at least one Don Council member to sit on the steering / planning committee. 7. Don Watershed Events Discussion 7.1. Litter Clean Up at Yonge & Wilson Verbal update from, Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA • TRCA staff were contemplating organizing a community litter clean up near Yonge Street and Wilson Avenue following a report by a member of the public about excessive litter in F34 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #7/14 June 26, 2014 the area. The litter has subsequently been cleaned up. As a result, an event in this location is not necessary at this juncture. 7.2. Eco Race in Sunnybrook Park Verbal update from, Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA • On August 16, 2014, TRCA will be partnering with the Toronto Orienteering Club to deliver an orienteering and litter clean up event in E.T. Seton Park. • An event poster will be circulated shortly. 7.3. Interfaith Walk the Don Verbal update from, Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA • An interfaith walk and stewardship event will be occurring on August 17, 2014, along Taylor Massey Creek. 7.4. Rain Gardens of Riverdale Verbal update from, Tim Hayward, Member, DWRC • Details of this walk are still being worked out, but it will likely occur in September and be 1 -2 hours in length. 10. UPDATES FROM COMMUNITY WATERSHED GROUPS • Evergreen is hosting a Toronto Flood Flashback Talk and Tour event on Wednesday, July 9, from 7:00 — 8:30 pm. 11. SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS DWRC Meeting # Date and Time Location 8/14 Thursday, July 24, 7:00 — 9:OOpm NYCC, Members Lounge 9/14 Thursday, September 18, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 10/14 Thursday, October 23, 7:00 — 9:OOpm TBD 11/14 Thursday, November 20, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 12/14 Thursday, December 11, 7:00- 9:OOpm NYCC, Members Lounge DWRCTeam Meeting # Date and Time Location 4/14 Tuesday, July 8, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 5/14 Tuesday, September 2, 7:00— 9:OOpm NYCC, Committee Room #3 6/14 Tuesday, October 7, 7:00 — 9:OOpm TBD 7/14 Tuesday, November 4, 7:00 — 9:OOpm NYCC, Committee Room #3 *NYCC = North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street June 26, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #7/14 F35 TERMINATION On motion, the meeting terminated at 9:22 pm, June 26, 2014. Adele Freeman Brian E. Denney Director, Watershed Management Chief Executive Officer /MC Toronto and Region t✓ e D o n Conservation for The Living City1 MINUTES OF THE DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #8/14 Page 36 The Don Watershed Regeneration Council met at A. Freeman's residence on Thursday July 24, 2014. Peter Heinz, Chair, Don Watershed Regeneration Council, called the meeting to order at 7:20 p.m. PRESENT Andy Wickens ................... Clare Mitchell .................... Councillor Valerie Burke... John Routh ........................ Lloyd Helferty ................... Naadia Ahsan .................... Peter Heinz ....................... Shishir Handa .................... Tim Hayward ..................... STAFF Adele Freeman ................. Arlen Leeming ................... Michael Charendoff.......... Pragati Tuladhar ............... GUEST Janice Palmer ... . ........... . ........ I .............. I ........ I.... Director, Watershed Management Division .....Project Manager, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Project Coordinator, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division ... Project Associate, Watershed Planning, Watershed Management Division Former Member July 24, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #8/14 F37 2. Information Items 2.1. Good News Stories Communication from Brian Denney, Chief Executive Officer, to Chair and Members of the Authority, Meeting #6114, July 25, 2014. 2.2. In the News Communication from Catherine MacEwen, Director, Human Resources, Marketing and Communications to Chair and Members of the Authority, Meeting #6114, July 25, 2014. 3. DWRC Meeting Minutes RES. #F14/14 Due to lack of quorum, receiving the minutes from DWRC Meeting #7/14, held on June 26, 2014, was deferred until meeting #9/14, scheduled for September 18, 2014. 4. DWRC Incoming and Outgoing Correspondence RES. #F15/14 Due to lack of quorum, receiving incoming and outgoing correspondence was deferred until meeting #9/14, scheduled for September 18, 2014. 4. Incoming Correspondence 4.1. Taylor- Massey Creek Geomorphic Systems Master Plan Class EA Study Comments from Andrew McCammon, on behalf of the Board of The Taylor Massey Project, regarding the Taylor- Massey Creek Geomorphic Systems Master Plan Class EA Study — received July 4, 2014. 4.2. Gardiner East PIC #3 — Don Watershed Regeneration Council Comments Response from the Gardiner East — Facilitator's Office to comments submitted by the Don Watershed Regeneration Council on February 20, 2014 — received July 11, 2014. 4.3. Parkland Wayfinding Strategy Notice of Public Consultation Forum on the City of Toronto Parkland Wayfinding Strategy — received July 16, 2014. 5. Outgoing Correspondence 5.1. Congratulations to Minister Murray on Recent Appointment Congratulatory comments from the Don Watershed Regeneration Council to the Honourable Glen Murray, Minister of Environment and Climate Change — to be sent on July 25, 2014. F38 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #8/14 July 24, 2014 6. DWRC Team Breakout Sessions • Review of previous team meeting on July 8, 2014 o Speaker Series • The plan is to organize two talks, one on urban tree canopy on October 23, 2014, and another to be held the first quarter of 2015 on stormwater management. • The Tree Canopy talk can touch on economic, ecological, and engagement components of the urban tree canopy. Although one speaker has been secured, we are still looking for two additional speakers o It was suggested that Dr. Sandy Smith, Faculty of Forestry at the University of Toronto, would be an ideal speaker at this talk. o Walks • There are several upcoming events in the Don which represent opportunities to outreach with the community, including: • August 16: The ET Seton Park EcoRace and Orienteering event • August 17: The Interfaith Environmental Walk in Taylor Massey Creek • September 27: YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) Festival • September 28: The Rain Gardens of Riverdale Guided Walk • September 28: Highland Creek Walk to See the Salmon Run 7. Items for Discussion 7.1. Discover the Don Speaker Series Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • Event Location o There was general agreement that the most ideal location would be Daniel Spectrum in Regent Park. • M. Charendoff stated that a request for availability had been submitted for Daniel Spectrum and that an associated response would be forthcoming. • Todmorden Mills was suggested as a possible location. • It was agreed that it would be ideal to have a room that featured an amphitheatre seating arrangement. 7.2. Discover the Don Blog Statistics Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • The Discover the Don blog is enjoying a growing audience and an increased diversity of blog posts from more Don Council members as well as outside organizations. July 24, 2014 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #8/14 F39 7.3. Todmorden Eco Art Festival and The Don Was Here Project Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • TRCA has partnered with Andrew Davies and No.9 Art and Environment to produce an art installation in the Lower Don that outlines the historic meander belt of the Don River. In addition, TRCA has sponsored the development of a companion website called The Don Was Here. This site allows users to upload photos of the Don River, from both present day and historic perspectives. Upon completion of the Todmorden Eco -Art Festival, it is our goal to grow the foundation of The Don Was Here to utilize it's effectiveness as an engagement tool throughout the watershed. 7.4. Introduction to Hillside Dr. "Green Street" Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • The City of Toronto in partnership with the community around Don Valley Drive are looking at options to establish a small eco -zone in this area. The goal is to develop and showcase new and exciting LID opportunities in the community. TRCA has initiated discussions with The City to potentially identify this area as a "concept site" as outlined in The Don Watershed Plan. 7.5. Pan Am Path Partnership Opportunities Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • TRCA has recently met with the executive team of the PanAm Path project to discuss opportunities to partner with their initiatives in The Region. Currently, we are discussing opportunities that relate to the East Don Trail and the connection with the Gatineau Hydro Corridor. 7.6. YIMBY Toronto Verbal update from Arlen Leeming, Project Manager, TRCA • There is an opportunity for the DWRC to table a booth at the 2014 YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) Festival, scheduled for September 27, 2014. S. Don Watershed Events Discussion 8.1. Eco Race in Sunnybrook Park Verbal update from, Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA • The Eco Race, in partnership with Toronto Orienteering Club, is scheduled for August 16, 2014 and will occur in Sunnybrook and E.T. Seton Parks. F40 DON WATERSHED REGENERATION COUNCIL #8/14 July 24, 2014 8.2. Interfaith Walk the Don Verbal update from, Michael Charendoff, Project Coordinator, TRCA • The Interfaith Walk the Don event in Taylor- Massey Creek is scheduled for August 17, 2014. 10. Schedule of Meetings DWRC Meeting # Date and Time Location 9/14 Thursday, September 18, 7:00 — 9:OOpm NYCC, Members Lounge 10/14 — Speaker Series session #1 Thursday, October 23, 7:00— 9:OOpm North York Central Library, Auditorium 11/14 Thursday, November 20, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge 12/14 Thursday, December 11, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Members Lounge DWRC Team Meeting # Date and Time Location 5/14 Tuesday, September 9, 7:00— 9:OOpm NYCC, Committee Room #3 6/14 Tuesday, October 7, 7:00 — 9:OOpm TBD 7/14 Tuesday, November 4, 7:00- 9:00pm NYCC, Committee Room #3 *NYCC = North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street 11. New Business RES. #F16/14 Funding for the Weston Family Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow Program Due to lack of quorum, this motion was deferred until meeting #9/14, scheduled for September 18, 2014. THAT the DWRC recommends that the Living City Foundation provide $25,000 to the Weston Family Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow Program ...................................... ............................... DEFERRED TERMINATION On motion, the meeting terminated at 8:30 pm, July 24 2014. Adele Freeman Director, Watershed Management /MC Brian E. Denney Chief Executive Officer