HomeMy WebLinkAboutFeb 22 2019 _Trevor_Presentation_TRCA FinalUpdate on Rouge National Urban Park
Trevor Swerdfager, Senior Vice President Operations
February 22, 2019
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Since 2011, the TRCA has been a central partner to Parks Canada & the Government of Canada in the creation of Rouge National Urban Park
Parks Canada has also engaged over 20,000 people & worked closely with Indigenous Peoples, all levels of government, conservationists, farmers, the Toronto Zoo, & others to create RNUP
Rouge National Urban Park
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At 79km2 in size spanning Toronto, Markham, Pickering and Uxbridge, RNUP will be the largest urban park in North America
RNUP protects natural, cultural & agricultural heritage, & features over 10,000 years of human history
RNUP has its own unique legislation and a recently released park management plan
Park Overview
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Guides the next 10 years of park management
Enshrines ecological integrity as RNUP’s 1st priority in parks management & focuses efforts in this regard on species-at-risk & habitat restoration
Commits to reconciliation and working with the RNUP First Nations Advisory Circle on all aspects of park management and operations
Provides long-term certainty for park farmers and protection of some of the last farms in the GTA
The Management Plan:
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Connects Lake Ontario to the Oak Ridges Moraine with dozens of kilometres of new trails
Provides new education & visitor facilities, in Toronto, York & Durham
Establishes RNUP as a premier “Learn-to” park where GTA residents, newcomers & visitors can learn to camp, paddle and hike
The Management Plan:
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Parks Canada wishes to see the TRCA play a key role in achieving management plan objectives through partnerships & service delivery agreements
TRCA is uniquely positioned to help implement key aspects of the plan, as proven national leaders in:
Restoration services
Urban camping
Trail maintenance
Watershed management
To move ahead with service agreements & implementing the management plan, land assembly needs to be concluded
Service Agreements
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Major land contributions by jurisdiction:
Transport Canada (56%) – Lands transferred in 2015 & 2017
Ontario (9.3%) – Lands transferred in 2017
TRCA (32.1%) – 2.7% (Bob Hunter area) transferred in 2018
While 2.7% of TRCA lands transferred in late 2018, most TRCA lands (20.6 km2 , mainly south of Steeles Avenue, shown in green) have yet to transfer, impacting the scope, scale and pace
of restoration and partnerships
Following the TRCA transfer, Parks Canada will manage nearly 98% of Rouge National Urban Park lands
Land Assembly
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Parks Canada recently completed a feasibility study of 9 location options for a flagship park visitor centre in Toronto
Parks Canada’s preferred option is east of Meadowvale Road
This location is part of the Zoo’s leasehold and is used for overflow parking, and is home to three small breeding facilities
Parks Canada has begun positive discussions with the Zoo to look at mutually beneficial outcomes
TRCA and Parks Canada have already agreed to provide the Zoo with 41 acres of parkland where these species could be bred, as well as parkland to grow browse to feed Zoo animals
Visitor & Education Centre
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Parks Canada appreciates the TRCA’s expertise, support & partnership
We look forward to working with the TRCA on completing land transfers in a timely fashion and implementing RNUP’s management plan
Thank you
Moving Forward
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