Authorization to Release Section 37 Funds for the Gardiner Public Realm Plan Strachan Gate Connection Design - by Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik, seconded by Councillor Paula Fletcher

The Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan identified a range of site-specific projects for future study, including the "Strachan Gate Connection", which is a key junction between the upcoming Ontario Line Exhibition Place Station and major trip-generating destinations such as the Fort York Historic Site, The Bentway and the broader Exhibition Place campus. This is aligned with recommendations from the Master Plan Phase 1 Proposals Report for Exhibition Place from May 2020 ( https://secure.toronto.ca/council/agenda-item.do?item=2020.te18.42 ) that identifies under-Gardiner enhancements at Strachan Avenue as an extension of the Bentway for public use and a new important gateway to Exhibition Place from the broader surroundings. This phase will guide the transformation of public realm beneath and adjacent to the Gardiner Expressway between Strachan Avenue and Manitoba Drive. Funding in this motion will support advancement to 30 percent design, allowing this planning to keep pace with the planned rehabilitation of the Gardiner and Metrolinx work in the area. City staff, including Transportation Services, Economic Development and Culture, Waterfront Secretariat, Parks and Recreation, and other divisions, will continue to work with The Bentway, Exhibition Place, Metrolinx, Fort York, Toronto Transit Commission, and other stakeholders to advance this work.

Funds were collected for community benefits as per the by-law. 2. City Council authorize the Director, Waterfront Secretariat, to execute, on behalf of the City, a Delivery Agreement with the Bentway Conservancy for the Strachan Gate Connection, to a maximum of $273,000, on terms and conditions acceptable to the Director, Waterfront Secretariat, and in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor.