Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Plan - Exploring a Partnership with OCAD University to Animate the Canada Malting Silos in 2023 - by Councillor Joe Cressy, seconded by Mayor John Tory

Since that time, the City with our local partners including the local resident association and business community, Canada Ireland Foundation, Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre, Ports Toronto, and the TDSB, have been hard at work advancing this vision. In October 2019, construction on the first phase of public realm improvements got started, and a new waterfront promenade and additional improvements were formally opened in November 2021. The next phase of work on the Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Plan is now well underway including two major initiatives: repurposing a derelict office building on the site into "The Corleck" - a new waterfront hub for arts and culture to be operated by the non-profit Canada Ireland Foundation; and the structural rehabilitation and repair of the historically significant Canada Malting Company Silos - two of the oldest remaining maritime structures on Toronto's waterfront. Construction crews are presently working on improvements to the silos that include the creation of a new publicly accessible pedestrian "portal" between the south and north structures; and are delivering enabling investments to support the silo's future planned re-use and activation, including restoration of electrical connections, foundation repair and water-proofing, debris and contaminated water removal, and repairing the silo's damaged concrete roof and walls. And later this year, construction begins on a dynamic new public waterfront plaza with which to tie all of these improvements to each other and to the water's edge. Though the silo rehab work underway is approximately one year to completion, these investments are already beginning to make a difference. An exciting potential partnership with OCAD University has emerged that presents an opportunity to accelerate the re-use and activation of the north silo with a unique program in full alignment with the vision and objectives of the Bathurst Quay Neighbourhood Plan. OCAD University has a compelling vision to re-purpose this landmark structure as the home to a planned Global Centre for Climate Resilience through Art and Design on Toronto's waterfront. This Global Centre concept aims to facilitate critical dialogues and presentations on climate resilience, from the lens of art and design, via public arts programming and partnership collaboration. In a planned partnership with Trans Europe Halle - an international, social incubator that animates abandoned buildings around the globe - OCAD University will leverage the north silo's unique and soaring interior volumes and exterior walls to facilitate curatorial programming and year-round public engagement in the form of exhibitions, installations, symposiums, projections, film festivals, and other public-facing events. Critically, OCAD University's program would prioritize nurturing relationships with Indigenous communities, elders, students and faculty, and would invite and engage various local, national and international creative partners, to help realize the potential of this architectural landmark as a canvas and laboratory for contemporary art and design. This is an important opportunity to pursue because a nimble and creative partnership here will allow for piloting ideas, quick wins, and an ability to learn from curator and guest experiences in the north silo while continually exploring future possible opportunities for the adjacent south silo. This accelerated and incremental re-use approach is exciting, it is achievable, and it will maintain the heritage integrity of these structures while leveraging ongoing revitalization efforts, without precluding expanded and/or additional silo programming and partnership opportunities in the future. I am requesting that City Council authorize necessary City staff to advance detailed discussions and further due diligence analysis with OCAD University regarding a possible short-term (up to five years) nominal lease arrangement for the north silo and immediate environs, in order to bring cultural and artistic activities to the Canada Malting property, and to report back with a specific proposal and term sheet for Council's consideration by May 2022.

'Global Centre for Climate Resilience through Art and Design' proposal at the Canada Malting property in order to confirm various technical matters, including: compliance of the proposed program with relevant municipal policy; relative to the proposed program, ability of the proposed tenanted space to meet requirements of the Ontario Building Code and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and any necessary facility upgrades related thereto; and any additional regulatory, occupancy, liability and/or other statutory approval matters that must be addressed in order to permit the proposed short-term adaptive re-use program. 2. City Council request the Executive Director, Corporate Real Estate Management, in consultation with the Director, Waterfront Secretariat, the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning, and the General Manager, Economic Development and Culture to report back to the General Government and Licensing Committee meeting on June 7, 2022 on findings and recommendations of above-mentioned due diligence analysis; and additionally, should the proposal prove feasible, include: a. recommended terms for a short-term (up to five year) nominal lease of the interior of the north malting silo and adjacent exterior space as necessary to support OCAD University's proposed programming; and b. an update on the future open and transparent proposal call process for the adaptive re-use and animation of the Canada Malting Silos, including how that process will be informed by the experience of the short-term partnership with OCAD University.