Century-old Toronto trail to get $35M rehab funded mostly by neighbourhood groups

A deteriorated ravine path, which some call "the missing link" in Toronto's recreational trail system, may soon be coming back to life with the help from a midtown residents' group.

Funding for the first steps toward rehabilitating the long-neglected trail through the Vale of Avoca, a steep valley near Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue E., was approved by council Thursday.

Coun. Josh Matlow, who represents Toronto-St. Paul's, has been championing the century-old trail's comeback along with Coun. Dianne Saxe, who represents neighbouring University-Rosedale.

"The Vale of Avoca is one of the most beautiful ravines we have in the city, which is full of ravines," said Matlow. "But for far too many years we've seen erosion, invasive species and structural damage that needs to be addressed."

The rehabilitation plan isn't cheap though. 

While council only approved a preliminary $1.5-million outlay to get the work started, the final bill is expected to top $35 million, according to John Bossons, co-chair of the Midtown Ravines Group, a coalition of local ratepayers associations which has pledged to raise the money privately.

"Given the city's very difficult financial situation, there is no reasonable prospect of this ravine being restored without an innovative approach to financing," motions from both councillors read.

"[The Midtown Ravines Group] have volunteered to fundraise the $35-40 million that they estimate would be required to restore the Vale to a safe, stable and beautiful condition."

The Vale of Avoca is part of an elaborate trail system that allows walkers and cyclists to travel from Allen Road in the west all the way to the Don Valley Parkway in the east.

The ravine itself runs from Mount Pleasant Cemetery alongside Yellow Creek to Mount Pleasant Road. Across Mount Pleasant, another well-maintained trail leads to the Evergreen Brick Works, which connects to other walking trails in the Don Valley.

But in recent years the Vale of Avoca main trail and its entry points have become a muddy, slippery mess, Bossons and Matlow told CBC Toronto, thanks to erosion and a lack of maintenance.

In some cases pathways and staircases that lead to the main trail have been completely washed away by storms, leading some people, including Matlow, to refer to the Vale of Avoca as "the missing link" in the city's crosstown trail system.

"There hasn't been, over many decades, enough investment in the infrastructure," Matlow said.

The city's $1.5 million will be used to pay for a new design of the ravine's main trail and its offshoot pathways, as well as ongoing maintenance. Bossons says it's too soon to say exactly what the finished product will look like. But he envisions waterfalls, levelled gravel pathways, sturdy staircases, bridges, and erosion barriers alongside Yellow Creek.

The ravine is within both Matlow's Toronto-St. Pauls ward and Saxe's University-Rosedale. 

The two councillors presented almost identical motions to council this week, calling for the release of $500,000 in city funds earmarked for each of their wards. Combined with another $1 million from the city, the money will be used to start consultations on the rebuild and come up with some initial blueprints. Both motions passed.

Bossons said the $35-40 million the group says it will cost to rebuild the Vale of Avoca trail system is "a back of the envelope" estimate.

A final tally will come from the initial consultation work expected to happen in the coming months, paid for by the city's $1.5-million contribution.

Bossons said he's expecting donations will come from a variety of sources: "Partly from residents of the area, partly from developers who are building buildings, whose residents will use the ravine, partly from people who are just civic-minded [and] who are in a position to donate."

He said he's hoping to see shovels in the ground in about two years. The neighbourhood is growing rapidly and parkland is limited, he said.

"We need more green space, just for the mental health of all the people who are going to be living here," he said.

Saxe told CBC Toronto the city is expecting accelerated growth with dozens of new condo towers and "tens of thousands of new residents" coming to the Yonge-St. Clair area in the coming years.

Both Matlow and Saxe said the use of private funding to rebuild the ravine's trail and pathways should not be cause for concern in other, less affluent parts of the city.

"Public spaces and public services serve everybody," Saxe said. "It's true we can't depend on local communities raising money everywhere ... but this ravine will serve everybody."

Both Saxe and Matlow said they'd like to see the provincial and federal governments provide funding to help rehabilitate other city ravines.

Since 2020 the city has had the Toronto Ravine Strategy in place, a longer-term plan that targets and funds improvements to the city's 300 kilometres of ravines that need upgrades or expansion.

The 10-year plan mentions the Vale of Avoca as a priority site. But it's one of 10 such sites, and the strategy is only funded to the tune of about $2 million annually — not nearly enough, Saxe said.

"If we were serious about the strategy, it would be hundreds of millions a year," she said. 

Both the federal and provincial governments have provided funding to the city's ravine strategy, according to city documents.