Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo
The full agenda, as filed
All 10 items in the clerk’s order. Each carries the city’s own words: the staff recommendation, what the body decided, and its status. Nothing below is written by us.
ZB14.1received
Toronto Zoo Collective Bargaining - Update
Valerie Peticca, Director, Human Resources, Toronto Zoo, will provide a verbal update on the status of bargaining negotiations.
The Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo received the item for information.
ZB14.2received
Toronto Zoo and COVID-19 Update
Dolf DeJong, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Zoo, will provide an update on the Toronto Zoo and COVID-19 pandemic.
The Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo received the item for information.
ZB14.3received
Wildlife Conservancy 2020 Wildlife Conservation Awareness Survey
Beth Gilhespy, Executive Director, Wildlife Conservancy, Toronto Zoo, will give a presentation on the Wildlife Conservancy 2020 Wildlife Conservation Awareness Survey.
The Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo received the item for information.
ZB14.4adopted
Toronto Zoo Network Re-Build Project
This report discusses the recommendation on Phase II of the Network Re-build project. The Network Re-build project will establish a new network at the Toronto Zoo providing internet access to staff for operations and Wi-Fi services to guests across 80% of Zoo site as shown in Appendix A. This network upgrade will significantly improve operating efficiency and guest experiences. Internet access is especially important during the current COVID-19 pandemic situation when staff rely heavily on communications through digital platforms and when the Zoo engages guests through virtual experiences. The existing network, built in 1999 with a speed of 80 megabits per second, is insufficient to support efficient operations for all staff and guests. Furthermore, the existing network has many points of failures causing frequent outages. Without internet access at animal exhibits, animal care staff are using paper records for animal care data. The network is the foundation for many critical Zoo technologies. Many existing software applications at the Zoo are at the end of life and at risk of losing vendor support. Technology improvements will not be able to proceed without this network as the foundation. Professional services were engaged in Phase I of this project to discover the set up of the existing network and redesign a new network with best practices. The recommendation for Phase II is based on a network discovery and redesign report completed by Bell Canada (Bell) in Phase I. The solution would include a complete network build with Cisco hardware, firewalls, routers, switches and access points. The plan also includes utilizing the Bell fiber connection currently in place for Lumina and a 5G mobile provider for back up internet connection. This will give the Toronto Zoo full redundancy in our network and internet connections.
The Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo: 1. Authorized the Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Zoo to purchase the equipment, professional services and supporting licenses for the Phase II of the Network Re-build project within a budget of $1.95 million dollars (including a contingency of $0.1 million dollars) from OnX, which is the vendor of record at the City of Toronto. 2. Authorized the Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Zoo to apply up to $0.85 million dollars of designated funds from the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy to this project.
Staff recommendation as filed
The Director, Finance and Technology, Toronto Zoo recommends that: 1. The Board of Management authorize the Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Zoo to purchase the equipment, professional services and supporting licenses for the Phase II of the Network Re-build project within a budget of $1.95 million dollars (including a contingency of $0.1 million dollars) from OnX, which is the vendor of record at the City of Toronto. 2. The Board of Management authorize the Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Zoo to apply up to $0.85 million dollars of designated funds from the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy to this project.
ZB14.5adopted
2020 Strategic Communications Report
This report focuses on the primary activities and achievements of the Strategic Communications Branch at the Toronto Zoo for the year 2020. The Strategic Communications team oversees all of the public facing communications outlets to connect our audiences to our animals, messages, events and activities. 2020 presented a great challenge as online engagement was often the only point-of-contact we had to connect the public to our Zoo, but also a great opportunity to shift our communications efforts and try some new tactics and approaches. Our purpose is to support the Toronto Zoo Mission of connecting people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction, and we are constantly striving to employ new tactics and opportunities that align with the strategic plan. Included in this report is an overview of the achievements and opportunities we explored as we continually adapted to new circumstances, in what was truly an extraordinary year.
The Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo received the report (February 2, 2021) from the Manager, Strategic Communications, Toronto Zoo for information.
Staff recommendation as filed
It is recommended that this report be received for information.
ZB14.6adopted
2020 Health and Safety Year-End Report
This report informs the Board on the employee accidents and related Occupational Health and Safety Programs carried out in 2020.
The Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo received the report (February 7, 2021) from the Manager, Safety and Security, Toronto Zoo for information.
Staff recommendation as filed
It is recommended that this report be received for information.
ZB14.7adopted
2020 Guest Safety Year-End Report
This report informs the Board on the guest accidents and related public safety initiatives for the year 2020.
The Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo received the report (February 7, 2021) from the Manager, Safety and Security, Toronto Zoo for information.
Staff recommendation as filed
It is recommended that this report be received for information.
ZB14.8adopted
2020 Learning and Engagement Programs Report
This report focuses on the primary activities and achievements of the Learning and Engagement Branch at the Toronto Zoo for the year 2020. Learning and Engagement oversees a wide variety of different programs throughout the year that support key components of the Strategic Plan and further educational goals. These include school program offerings and teacher resources, as well as a roster of public programs for a variety of audiences/ages and, in a typical year, summer camps. In 2020, our programs were heavily impacted by the COVID pandemic, yet through creativity and a dedicated effort, we were able to deliver new programs that were consistent with the needs and interests of our guests, while also adhering to COVID guidelines. Leading up to the pandemic restrictions, the Learning & Engagement Branch was anticipating another record breaking year and while we were unable to deliver programs as planned, we were able to pivot and develop new programs and experiences that have received many accolades. Through our revised programs and experiences (combined onsite and virtual) we were able to reach an estimated 39,202 participants and generate $196,063 in revenue. Also, included is a summary of curatorial outreach programs which are administered by the Wildlife and Science Division.
The Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo received the report (January 29, 2021) from the Manager, Learning and Engagement, Toronto Zoo for information.
Staff recommendation as filed
It is recommended that this report be received for information.
ZB14.9adopted
2020 Volunteering and Engagement Services Report
The purpose of this report is to review and update the Board of Management on the activities of the Volunteering and Engagement Unit for the year 2020. The volunteer team regularly consists of Year-Round Volunteers, Summer Volunteers, Volunteer Hosts, Wildlife Health Centre Volunteers, and Zoo Ambassador Student Volunteers. In 2020 however, our Volunteer roster consisted of Year-Round Volunteers only, due to reduced volunteer opportunities and safety concerns as a result of pandemic restrictions. All volunteers support the Zoo's educational programs by interacting with guests, helping to raise public awareness and involvement in conservation, interpreting the zoogeographic and ecological relationships of the animal and plant kingdoms, and enhancing the experience of each Toronto Zoo guest with whom they come in contact. In 2020, a team of 277 Year-Round Volunteers donated 17,856 hours of their time to the Toronto Zoo reaching an estimated 395,331 people.
The Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo received the report (January 27, 2021) from the Manager, Learning and Engagement, Toronto Zoo for information.
Staff recommendation as filed
It is recommended that this report be received for information.
ZB14.10adopted
Attendance and Revenue Report - January 2021
This report will update the Board of Management on the visitor statistics and revenue results for the period ending January 31, 2021. Included in this report is a dashboard highlighting some of the key metrics for 2021.
The Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo received the report (February 15, 2021) from the Director, Finance and Technology, Toronto Zoo for information.
Staff recommendation as filed
It is recommended that the report be received for information.