We are a group of nature-loving Torontonians committed to rescuing this precious and unique corner of Toronto’s special ravine system. The Vale of Avoca has been in decline for years now and we have started this campaign to advocate for action, bringing together all stakeholders to create a sustainable program of restoration and repair.
News
City Guidelines for Ecological Management of Sensitive Ravine Areas
April 30, 2026
In late 2025 the City’s Urban Forestry Division issued an updated framework for the management of designated Environmentally Significant Areas, or ESAs. The ESA designation has been a feature of the City’s planning approach for decades. With the 2017 publication of Toronto’s Ravine Strategy, additional measures were introduced to safeguard these areas, which are closely
Avoca Clean-up Weekend Sees Record Turnout
April 30, 2026
On April 18th and 19th, as many as 50 members of the community headed into the Vale of Avoca to gather any trash and litter that could be found. This event coincided with the city-wide Earth Day park clean-ups that enjoy wide support from ravine and park supporters across all neighbourhoods. The Vale of Avoca
TRCA Initiates Repair Project for St. Clair Stairway
April 7, 2026
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) has started a project to rebuild the access route into the Vale of Avoca ravine starting at the west end of the St Clair Avenue bridge (see map). This access staircase has been closed since 2014, forcing users to access the ravine from below St. Clair at David
MRG Participates in City Council Ravine Discussion
March 1, 2026
On February 25, City Council’s Infrastructure & Environment Committee spent part of its meeting that day discussing Toronto’s Ravine Strategy, and hearing from a number of groups that are active in ravine advocacy. Midtown Ravines Group Chair John Bossons was among the deputants to appear at the committee. The ravine discussion was agenda item IE27.7,
Vale of Avoca Improvement Project – It’s Happening!
February 13, 2026
The Toronto and Regional Conservation Authority (TRCA) and the City of Toronto are developing a plan to address the erosion hazards and improve ravine access and creek trails in the Vale of Avoca, including pedestrian bridges and staircases. Increased flooding in Yellow Creek has resulted in greater slope instability and the loss or deterioration of
Extreme Weather Challenge for the Vale of Avoca
November 17, 2025
On July 16th 2024, Toronto was hit by a record-breaking rainstorm, with some areas getting up to 100 millimeters of rain in just four hours (CBC News). The city saw over half of its average amount of rainfall for July in just a couple of hours. Following a particularly wet spring, Toronto’s infrastructure was not
Volunteer Stewards Pitching in for Biodiversity
November 16, 2025
Congratulation to local teams of volunteer ecological stewards who are doing their part to promote biodiversity in the midtown area. The teams operate within an arrangement between Toronto Nature Stewards and the City of Toronto, in which trained lead stewards guide ecological restoration activities in designated parkland locations around the City. The local midtown sites
City approves funding for first stage of ravine rehab
July 25, 2025
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
Tracking the Health of Yellow Creek
July 24, 2025
Digital Waters is a Toronto-based non-profit developing affordable, made-in-Canada water monitoring technology to better understand and protect our local waterways. Since early fall of 2024, we’ve been monitoring Yellow Creek using a series of three devices spaced roughly 500 meters apart along the creek, beginning just south of Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Each device captures high-frequency
MRG comments on Vale of Avoca GMSP
May 30, 2025
The MRG believes that the release of the 2025 Yellow Creek GSMP represents an important element of progress towards the restoration of the Vale of Avoca, but we believe it is important to recognize that it takes an extremely narrow view of the problems that it addresses.
Events and walks
Discover Native Plants at Chorley Park
Date: Sunday, June 7, 2:00pm to 3:00pm Meeting Point: Top of the Chorley Park switchback Join acclaimed arborist Stephen Smith for a guided walk exploring the rich variety of native plant species along the Chorley Park switchback. This free, one-hour walk offers a chance to discover the beauty and ecological benefits of local plants, uncover
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Jane’s Walk – Exploring the Hidden Vale of Avoca Ravine
Date: Saturday, May 2, 2:00pm to 3:30pm Meeting Point: St. Clair TTC Station, Pleasant Blvd exit What to Expect Discover the hidden oasis of the Vale of Avoca Ravine in midtown Toronto. A stream runs through it! Learn about the birds, rare plants and human history of one of our city’s treasures. You’ll get a
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Vale of Avoca Ravine Cleanup Days
With the rapid disappearance of the snow, we hope you have enjoyed exploring the Vale of Avoca and other local ravines as they start to come back to life. For two weekends in April, we are continuing the tradition of an end-to-end cleanup of the Vale of Avoca, aiming to remove all the litter that
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Vale of Avoca Info Sessions
The Midtown Ravines Group is now in its ninth year of advocacy on behalf of ravines in the area. In our view, 2026 will be a particularly important and exciting year for the Vale of Avoca. The City is developing a master plan for the Vale of Avoca. This plan will chart a path for
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Library Talk: Protecting Nature in Our City
Date: Thursday, April 9, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm EDT Where: Toronto Public Library, Deer Park Branch, 40 St Clair Ave E Nature is threatened by population growth and by the spread of invasive species such as garlic mustard and European buckthorn, often planted by enthusiastic gardeners. As land is taken up by urban
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A Short Walking Tour of Invasive Plants in the Vale of Avoca
Date: Sunday, November 23, 10:30am to 12:00pm Meeting Point: Roxborough Parkette (30 Roxborough Drive), near traffic light at intersection of Mt. Pleasant Road and Roxborough Drive What to Expect Join us for a guided walk into the Vale of Avoca ravine to learn about the invasive plant species that are quietly transforming our local ecosystem.
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Ravine Days in David Balfour Park
Saturday, Oct 4, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Lost Rivers Midtown Ravines Group Vale Walk with Floyd Ruskin of Lost Rivers and MRG’s John Bossons and Rob Spindler
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The Beautiful Trees of David Balfour Park
Saturday, Oct, 18, 2025; 2–3:30 p.m.
Join Urban Forestry Associates’ (UFORA) arborist Stephen Smith for a guided walk through the park’s wonderful tree canopy.
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