Details of settlement agreement on proposal for 11-storey building by Glen Stewart Ravine remain confidential for now
By MATTHEW STEPHENS
Mandated legal confidentiality has shrouded in secrecy the latest information regarding an 11-storey residential development proposal on land just north of the Glen Stewart Ravine on Kingston Road.
Toronto Council passed a settlement agreement between the city and the developer on the proposal at its Wednesday, Dec. 17, meeting, but its details included many undisclosed communications from the city solicitor which have yet to be made public.
Cherie Daly, with the environmental advocacy group Friends of the Glen Stewart Ravine, called the agreement “disappointing” in a Facebook post earlier today. She also expressed frustration with the confidentiality restrictions and lack of specific details regrading the agreement
“The outcome is disappointing: Toronto City Council voted to accept the negotiated settlement with the developer,” said Daly. “It still remains confidential but we will update you as soon as we have the details…We are grateful that members of the Indigenous community also spoke up and shared their deep connection to the Secret Ravine. We were heard, as many councillors told us. But, the threat of the OLT (Ontario Land Tribunal) was also strong.”
The most recent public proposal for 847-855 Kingston Rd., just west of Beech Avenue, calls for an 11-storey mixed-use residential building with 99 units. As proposed, the building would have a zero-metre setback from “long-term stable slope” at the ravine’s northern edge.
The developer, Gabriele Homes Ltd., has brought the proposal to the OLT and a hearing is planned for April of 2026. The city, the developer and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) held negotiation meetings on the proposal this summer in the hopes of reaching a settlement agreement prior to the OLT hearing.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Beaches-East York Councillor Bradford told council he had forwarded details of the Glen Stewart Ravine proposal to University-Rosedale Councillor Dianne Saxe for review. Saxe, who served as the last Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, was assigned to discuss the environmental issues in a private meeting with the city solicitor and the developer – not issues pertaining to height, density, etc…
“It is extremely unfortunate that the developer in this case refused to allow the terms of the proposed settlement to be disclosed. This has simply exacerbated an already severe conflict in the community,” said Saxe during the Dec. 17 council meeting.
“There’s been a lot of concern about the adverse effect of the development, and certainly as originally proposed, it would have.”
Saxe informed council that she had been permitted by the city solicitor to speak publicly about the environmental issues and the agreed-upon amendments to the original proposal.
“The city solicitor has agreed that I can say that I am not asking you to vote against this item on the grounds of the environmental issues, given the resolutions we’ve been able to reach through the settlement and through my amendment,” said Saxe.
Following an in camera (not open to the public) meeting to discuss the confidential recommendations prior to Wednesday’s council meeting, Saxe highlighted three key issues pertaining to the environmental impacts, including the TRCA’s required 10-metre setback from a ravine bank, the proposed building’s basement interfering with the ravine’s groundwater, and ensuring stormwater “goes into the ravine and not into the combined sewer.”
“I can tell you that I’ve addressed those three issues, and I am not taking any position on the remainder of the item,” said Saxe as she passed the discussion over to Bradford.
“I’ve been consulting with various stakeholders related to this item, and the use of the adjacent ravine as a ceremony site for the Indigenous community,” said Bradford at the council meeting.
As part of his amendment, Bradford directed city staff to “continue with those consultations” by directing the Deputy City Manager, Community Development and Social Services, and the Executive Director, Development Review, to consult with the local Indigenous community and Indigenous stakeholders on this proposal and its impact on the Glen Stewart Ravine.
During the November Toronto Council meeting, Bradford was made aware of “new information” about Glen Stewart Ravine’s potential use as a ceremonial site by Indigenous community members, and called for the item to be deferred until the December council meeting.
“On the advice of city legal staff, I moved to defer the item to the December Council meeting so staff would have more time to look into this,” said Bradford in an Nov. 14 newsletter.
With few updates to any accessible public information regarding the settlement agreement, due to confidentiality rules, Bradford said he’s “not satisfied” with the answers that have been provided to the stakeholders, including the Indigenous community and the Friends of the Glen Stewart Ravine.
“I hope that by moving this motion, those conversations can continue and better address the concerns with clearer answers and a commitment to the relationship building that we heard about,” he said at the yesterday’s council meeting.
Prior to discussion of the proposal at the November council meeting, the city’s Indigenous Affairs Office received an email pertaining to the development plan from a member of the Indigenous community, detailing the “ceremonial significance” of the ravine.
Since then, Bradford said “new letters and concerns” have been brought forward “just over the past month,” which have been reviewed by city staff and the city’s legal department.
Both Bradford and Saxe asked council to adopt several confidential instructions and recommendations made to the original item, and asked that the recommendations be made public after yesterday’s approval by council.
During the meeting, Bradford empathized with members of the East Toronto community who have seen the discussion on the issue shrouded in confidentiality rules.
“Second motion, it must remain confidential until after the vote. I think that speaks to part of the frustration of this process,” said Bradford.
“I think with any confidential mediation process that we’re prescribed by the province means that there’s a lot of things that we can’t share right now with folks who are very interested in this application, which is frustrating.”
According to the city clerk’s office, staff are currently “prioritizing working on releasing the confidential attachments over the coming business days.”
Daly said the Friends of the Glen Stewart Ravine will be looking for continued support for Indigenous claims in and around the “Secret Ravine” to be part of the settlement agreement.
“If development proceeds, formation of a construction/oversight committee that meaningfully brings the developer to the table and provides ongoing accountability. Clear leadership from our elected officials and the city to protect the rest of this ravine before it becomes the next target,” she wrote on Facebook.
Beach Metro Community News will continue to provide updates as they are made available.
Friends of the Glen Stewart Ravine also said they would post details of the settlement agreement (as it became public) at https://www.protect-our-ravines.ca/home
