At the Table: 4 City Projects TFN is Fighting for Right Now

Most of our members know Toronto Field Naturalists for our wonderful guided walks, photography and education programs. But there is a lot of work happening behind the scenes. Our Advocacy Committee works tirelessly to encourage environmental change in four key ways:

  1. Stewarding Tips: Encouraging behavioral changes that protect our local ecosystems.
  2. Mobilizating: Asking members to take direct action, such as signing petitions or writing to representatives.
  3. Amplifying: Boosting the “Take Action” initiatives of like-minded environmental organizations.
  4. Voices at the Table: Sitting on city committees to advocate for nature-based solutions in urban planning.

While the first three points are visible in our newsletters, today I want to pull back the curtain on point number four. Because of our long history with city-run programs, TFN is a trusted voice often consulted on major municipal projects.

Here are four critical projects where TFN is currently at the table:

  • Toronto Island Master Plan: The Island holds 6 of the city’s 89  Environmentally Significant Areas (ESAs). We have been at the City’s Master Plan tables, speaking up for the Island’s amazing, fragile habitats since the fall of 2020, and have kept our members engaged through blogs such as this one.
  • Scarborough Bluffs West Project: In partnership with the City and the TRCA, we are engaged in the Environmental Assessment for the western bluffs. Our goal is to ensure that the sensitive shoreline and the two ESAs (Scarborough Bluffs Sequence and Bellamy Ravine/Sylvan Park) are properly protected as waterfront access is improved.
  • Queens Park North Revitaliation: As the city’s oldest park undergoes a $50 million revitalization, TFN is working to ensure its most important features—the old-growth trees—are maintained. We are advocating for new native species and the protection of the critical forest understory.
  • Tommy Thompson Park Visitor Experience Plan: As visitor numbers grow, we are working with the city to manage the “human footprint.” We want to reduce user conflicts and improve the experience while ensuring the natural habitats remain the priority.

Advocacy of this type is about playing the long game—sitting through many meetings and raising concerns to influence the final direction of a project. It can be frustrating, so it is important to keep a positive attitude.

Spending time in nature is the best source of energy, but I also rely on two other sources that share positive environmental news to show what is possible: Your Monthly Dose of Good News (which covers environmental and medical wins) and the Reasons to be Cheerfulwebsite, which highlights positive change around the world.

Advocacy isn’t always fast, but it is essential. We are proud to be the voice for the trees, the bluffs, and the ESAs that make Toronto a ‘City within a Park.

-Pete Smith

Toronto Field Naturalists wishes to acknowledge this Land through which we walk. For thousands of years, the Land has been shared by the Wendat, the Haudenosaunee, and the Anishinaabe. Toronto is situated on the Land within the Toronto Purchase, Treaty 13, the traditional and treaty Lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. This territory is also part of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum, a covenant agreement between Anishinaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Wendat peoples and allied nations to peaceably share the land and all its resources. Today, the Land is home to peoples of numerous nations. We are all grateful to have the opportunity to continue to care for and share the beauty of this Land.