Lakeshore East Trains

Exciting News for Small’s Creek and Williamson Ravines

After a delay of almost 18 months, re-construction of the culvert in Small’s Creek Ravine is finally underway.  It is decidedly disheartening to see the level of destruction caused by all the heavy machinery and equipment moving in and out of the ravine, not to mention the continued uncertainty around what the full environmental impact will be due to the loss of the existing tree canopy. Yet, amidst all of this, the community is now more hopeful thanks to a generous contribution towards the protection and preservation of this space.

In recent weeks, the production team for the Amazon Prime television series Cross Season 1 contributed $10,000 towards the restoration of Small’s Creek and Williamson Ravines.  With the intention of giving back to the neighbourhood they were partnering with in shooting the series, the production team was committed  to finding a cause that resonated in a very localized way.   Ultimately, they decided on Small’s Creek and Williamson Ravines.

The Friends of Small’s Creek team is incredibly grateful to our nearby neighbours who first mentioned Small’s Creek and Williamson Ravines to the Cross production crew and to Amazon Prime for their generous contribution to the eventual restoration of these beloved ravines that are the very heart of our community.  THANK YOU!

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Small’s Creek Ravine & Williamson Park Ravine

What’s happening?

Small’s Creek ravine and the north part of Williamson Park Ravine is currently being clear-cut by Metrolinx.

This devastation is occuring because Metrolinx - which owns the slope beneath the tracks - says it needs to build a retaining wall and a new culvert in the ravine before it adds a fourth track to the current Go/Via corridor. 

While Metrolinx has done some minimal community consultation, they have not been transparent about their plans to: 

• cut down 267 trees on both sides of the ravine, with 22 other trees impacted (as outlined in the Toronto Regional Conservation Authority Project Review, June, 2020)

• perform construction from 1am to 5am for 8-10 months with no protection from noise, lights and dust

• park their vehicles in Merrill Bridge Dog Park, building a nine meter corridor of the east side where Metrolinx will access the tracks (with a similar corridor off of Wildwood).

You may have noticed some loud construction already. It’s just the beginning. Work on the 4th rails will begin next and will continue until 2024 or 2025, creating lots of loud noise and substantial vibration. Train service will increase until there is one train every 3½ minutes from about 5am until 1am.

Metrolinx has notified some in the area about their plans, but not folks who frequently walk the trails or live on and around the ravine. Wildlife will be displaced and the removal of trees will have a significant impact on the habitat/ecosystem. On December 18, 2020 after lots of chasing for it, we finally received a map from Metrolinx detailing which trees will be removed - the devastation is extreme.

We all believe in a strong public transit system. We just believe there is a better way to build it that will protect our ravine for wildlife and for our community.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

We have been asking for these three things (to no avail): 

1. TECHNICAL REVIEW: We are asking Metrolinx to make available the resources necessary to undertake a re-evaluation of their plan to widen the rail corridor adjacent to the Small’s Creek and Williamson Ravines to be completed by an independent group of subject matter experts. The objective of this study would be to identify, develop, and recommend alternative designs that provide room for the fourth rail without destroying the ravine. The study would be done holistically and consider not only construction cost and schedule efficiency, but also the equally important need to preserve the existing recreational trails, the natural ecosystem, as many of the large native trees as possible, and the ability of the ravine to contribute to the fight against climate change.

2. CONNECTIVITY: As part of the widening of the rail corridor, Metrolinx has identified the need for a new 2m diameter culvert to be installed connecting Small’s Creek on the north and south sides of the railway line, and a large 400ft retaining wall to support the new electrification system of the line. As a once in a generation opportunity, we believe now is the time to reconnect the Small’s Creek ecosystem that has been separated for over 100 years. While the screened culvert will allow small animals and amphibians to cross, the design should include a safe pedestrian and wildlife underpass crossing for larger mammals such as coyotes and foxes, common to this area. This would better align with the Toronto Ravine Strategy’s goals of investing, connecting, partnering and protecting the city’s ravines, by reconnecting environmentally sensitive aquatic and terrestrial habitat. Improving the landscape connectivity by co-ordinating this restoration work with the railway line construction will maximize the positive impact of the project, and create an important ecological and pedestrian link for current and future generations of humans and All Our Relations.

3. PROACTIVE ECOLOGICAL PLANNING AND STEWARDSHIP PLAN: Given that transit improvement has a 15 year outlook, including funding for maintenance, similar funding and stewardship of the ravines is required to ensure their success too.

   Instead of a minimal retroactive restoration plan, we are advocating for a proactive ecological planting and stewardship plan. This is consistent with the priorities guiding the Toronto Ravine Strategy and the United Nations Nature Based Solutions approach. The current Metrolinx plan involves clear cutting the south bank of Small’s Creek and replacing it with a concrete barrier. This will lead to an immediate loss of shade on the creek and wetland, destruction of the natural habitat for local wild and aquatic life and create an environment that will allow for an even more aggressive infestation of invasive species including Norway and Manitoba maples.

   While the growth of public transit is essential to a vibrant city, so too are the shared natural spaces that are at risk.

Why should I care?

Small’s Creek and Williamson Park Ravines are one of the few greenspaces in our community. And Williamson Park Ravine has officially been designated an “Environmentally Significant Area” (“ESA”). As ProtectNatureTO has clearly put it, ESAs are “special spaces within Toronto’s natural heritage system that support the greatest richness of plant and animal life and are in most need of protection”.

These two ravines are used by neighbourhood schools and community groups for educational activities and are both home to significant wildlife (including foxes, coyotes, birds, salamanders and other delightful creatures). Displacement of these creatures has already begun - turning foxes and coyotes into predators of pets and forcing them to use neighbourhood streets as thoroughfares instead of the ravines on which they’ve come to rely.

If you haven’t seen them, you should! More information and multimedia of the beautiful ravines are available here

Who are we?

A group of concerned neighbours who live near Small’s Creek Ravine. We all know the importance of Toronto’s ravine system and the greenspace it provides our community. Our numbers are growing as more and more people who love the ravine join in the fight to protect it.

We’d love to have you. Send us an email at smallscreek@gmail.com to get involved!

What can you do?

Some examples of what we can use:

Engineers or civil engineers, lawyers, construction expertise, government employees, experience in city planning and/or working with or for Metrolinx, naturalists or ecology experts