2006 Don Progress Report Released

Don Progress Report, 2006

Every three years for the past 10 years The Don Watershed Regeneration Council of the Toronto Region Conservation Authority has created a report card on the Don Watershed

• 1997: Forty Steps to a New Don
• 2000: A Time for Bold Steps
• 2003: Breathing New Life into the Don

At the Paddle the Don Day this weekend, they released the 2006 Progress report called "Forging a New Deal for the Don". It follows a different format than previous reports in that there appears to be no ongoing comparison with past experience.

Personally, I am disappointed with the new format. The original "40 steps" report described 40 different areas of the watershed that needed to be improved from water quality and natural habitat to community participation and education. In the report card format it is easy to compare past performance to the present situation. The 2003 report even graded 18 of the categories. The list included A = 0; B = 1; C = 6; D = 10; F = 1. The B was for public perception and the F was for water flow patterns.

The 2006 report has done away with that format and focuses on the successes. You have to look very hard for any talk of problem areas or challenges and there is no mention of any failures.

While all of the reports have been short on data, at least the previous reports had some summaries. The previous reports had up, sideways, or down arrows to indicate trends. The 2006 report has none. The new report lists all sorts of new and interesting programs such as road salt management, pesticide by-laws, the naturalization of the Don Mouth. What the report doesn't tell you is how effective they are. For example, the report lauds Toronto's new pesticide bylaw and mentions what Vaughan, Markham, and Richmond Hill are doing. While spraying in the municipalities to the north has been reduced on city property it says that they are only promoting voluntary efforts on residents. Given Toronto's experience with voluntary reduction we all know how effective that will be but you won't find that out from this report. There is also no mention of whether pesticide levels are changing in the river.

I discussed the new format with a member of the Don Council. The reason for the removal of the comparison is that they were not completely sure about the accuracy of the data. Thus they decided to remove that part. I would rather they make a best guess rather than remove that component of the report because it looks like they are trying to hide something.

While the report is an interesting read it is definitely a poor succession to the previous three reports. I only hope that the 2010 report will be better.

P.S. The TRCA has been placing copies of past report cards on their website. Currently the 2006 Progress Report is not available. When I see it, I'll let you know.

BeltLine Pond Gets Signage

New sign for Beltline Pond

I passed by the Beltline Pond the other day and noticed that a new sign has been placed beside the trail. This pond and the adjacent ravine was one of the first small wetland projects performed by the Task Force to Bring Back the Don.

The pond suffers from anoxic conditions in the summer and fall and there is still the threat of invasive species. Overall it's in pretty good shape compared to the rest of the Moore Park Ravine which is pretty degraded, mostly due to overuse by dog walkers who allow their dogs to run off leash which is not allowed.


Beltline Pond, Spring 2005

Paddle the Don Day

While I didn't actually paddle down the Don this year (I've done it twice), I went to a presentation that was held at the mouth of the Don next to the Keating Channel. The big hoopla this year was to announce the publication of the 2006 Don Progress Report (more on this later). There was also a free tour boat ride of the Portlands to look at the area that will be impacted by the mouth of the Don naturalization project.

Here's a few photos of the event.


A pair of paddlers entering the Keating Channel


Captain Bob Muran gives a welcome and safety speech before the ride


Looking west down the length of the Keating Channel


The lift bridge on Cherry Street opens for our egress to the harbour


The Eastern Gap


A view of Toronto's skyline

Old Primrose Lane Debacle Resolved

Hill of gravel, February 2006


Hill of gravel gone now, construction has resumed

In February 2006 I blogged about a problem on a building site in the Lower Don. A developer excavating a property on Bayview for a new car dealership dug too close to the foundations of an adjacent housing complex causing a retaining wall to, well, stop retaining. The city quickly stepped in and propped the wall up with a huge pile of gravel. Everything ground to a halt while all involved pointed fingers.

Fortunately cooler heads have prevailed. The developer and the homeowners have reached an agreement. It was agreed that the retaining wall would be rebuilt as part of the construction of the new building. In essence the new building will prop up the damaged retaining wall. The developer has also agreed to do structural and cosmetic repairs. Construction has resumed and everyone is happy. Local councillor Pam McConnell deserves some credit for mediating the dispute and helping to avoid litigation.


Old Primrose Lane. Presumably the temporary walkway will be removed once the wall is restored

Bikers Ride Roughshod Over Now Magazine

An article in last week's NOW Magazine by Kyla Dixon-Muir entitled "Riding roughshod: Chainsaw-toting trail bike high-flyers cutting valley into mucky ribbons" on mountain biking in the Crothers' Woods invoked quite a response from all affected.

When the article came out the mountain bikers (at least according to the chat forums) went ballistic. While they can be quite passionate about their sport, I think they crossed ethcial and moral lines when someone published a photograph of the writer as well as her home address and phone number. This is even more alarming considering the fact that the writer is female and the mountain biking community is overwhelmingly male. This opens the way to all sorts of unkind harassment. Now editor Enzo di Matteo said as much in an unusual online editorial. Understandably, Ms. Muir was upset about this and sent a letter demanding an apology or face litigation.

The discussion threads on Mtbr.com and Drop Machine are for the most part juvenile tripe although a minority do appear to be leading an informed discussion.

Now magazine must accept some blame for all this. Apparently they editted Muir's submitted text to such a point that what was published reinforced their own stilted editorial stance. Instead of a well balanced article it came out as overly one-sided.

Fortunately, the rhetoric has been toned down quite a bit as can be seen from letters to the editor that were published this week.

There are at least two lessons to be learned from all this. First, Now Magazine has a history of sensationalist journalism so anything they publish should be viewed with a jaundiced eye. Second, the mountain bikers as a group need to learn how to respond to such attacks with a more reasoned approach. The current situation only reinforces peoples' opinions of them.

Don Valley Events for May 5-6

Saturday May 5

Tree Planting, Taylor Creek Park, 10 AM - 12 Noon
Friends of the Don East

Meet at the parking lot on Haldon Avenue on the east side of Stan Wadlow Park in East York. Someone will be there to direct you to the planting site.

Tree Planting, Sun Valley site in Crothers' Woods, 10 AM - 12 Noon
City of Toronto

Meet at the bottom of Beechwood Drive next to the police dog training facility. Someone will be there to direct you to the planting site.

Sunday May 6

Tree Planting, Earl Bales Park, 10 AM - 12 Noon
City of Toronto

Look for signs at park entrance on east side of Bathurst St. just south of Wilson Ave.

Trail Build Day, Crothers' Woods, 10 AM - 4 PM
City of Toronto, IMBA

Work will continue to improve the trails running through this ecologically sensitive forest. Tools and gloves will be provided. Bring a lunch. Meet at the south corner of the Loblaws parking lot on Millwood Road.

Paddle the Don, 9 AM - 12 Noon
Toronto Region Conservation Authority

Rumour has it that the event is fully booked but you might be able to sneak a canoe into the water anyway if you arrive with your own. Wilket Creek Park, Leslie Avenue and Eglinton Ave. East.