An event at Evergreen Brickworks on June 3rd ushered in the next phase for development of Toronto’s ambitious Loop Trail project. The gathering included Evergreen staff, City officials responsible for parks and ravines, community project sponsors, and an array of organizations and individuals (including MRG) engaged with different aspects of the project. Mayor Olivia Chow … Read more
Here’s some video footage of the Vale of Avoca’s Yellow Creek recorded on May 23, 2026. This elevated flow level was based on a fraction of the rainfall experienced in July 2024. Nature’s impressive display is leading to further erosion and decline of this midtown gem. The channel walls built in the 1800s eventually succumb … Read more
The development of an effective master plan for the Vale of Avoca depends on a vision broadly shared by the community and other stakeholders. We believe that a vision for the future of the ravine should be guided by two important sources. The first is the City’s Ravine Strategy, along with other relevant policy documents … Read more
The Midtown Ravines Group is pleased to announce that the City has given us permission to begin volunteer stewardship activities in the Vale of Avoca. City permission is needed because park and ravine by-laws generally prohibit the unauthorized removal of plants from these areas, even troublesome invasives. The Avoca stewardship project will be organized through … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
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, … Read more
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 … Read more
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 … Read more
