The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) is a
conservation authority in
southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a primary region of the province of Ontario, Canada, the other primary region being Northern Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada. The exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is disp ...
, Canada. It owns about of land in the
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
region, and it employs more than 400 full-time employees and coordinates more than 3,000 volunteers each year. TRCA's area of jurisdiction is watershed-based and includes 3,467 square kilometers – 2,506 on land and 961 water-based in
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...
. This area comprises nine watersheds from west to east –
Etobicoke Creek
Etobicoke Creek is a river in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. It is a tributary of Lake Ontario and runs from Caledon to southern Etobicoke, part of the City of Toronto. The creek is within the jurisdiction of the Toronto and Regio ...
,
Mimico Creek
Mimico Creek is a stream that flows through Brampton, Mississauga and Toronto in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. It is long, is in the Great Lakes Basin, and is a tributary of Lake Ontario.
The creek's name is derived from the comm ...
,
Humber River,
Don River
The Don ( rus, Дон, p=don) is the fifth-longest river in Europe. Flowing from Central Russia to the Sea of Azov in Southern Russia, it is one of Russia's largest rivers and played an important role for traders from the Byzantine Empire.
Its ...
,
Highland Creek,
Petticoat Creek
Petticoat Creek is a stream in the cities of Pickering, Ontario, Pickering, Toronto and Markham, Ontario, Markham in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. The creek is in the Great Lakes Basin, is a tributary of Lake Ontario, and falls unde ...
,
Rouge River,
Duffins Creek
Duffins Creek is a waterway in the eastern end of the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada. The watershed of the Duffins Creek is part of the Durham Region (Uxbridge, Pickering and Ajax) and the York Region ( Markham and Whitchurch-Stouffville) ...
and
Carruthers Creek Carruthers Creek may refer to:
* Carruthers Creek (Australia), a tributary of Blue Lake Creek, itself a tributary of Snowy River
* Carruthers Creek (Canada), a tributary of Lake Ontario
{{geodis ...
.
The lands that TRCA administers are used for
flood control
Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...
, recreation, education and watershed preservation activities, including drinking water source protection. On several sites, TRCA operates conservation areas open to the public for recreational use. TRCA also operates the
Black Creek Pioneer Village
Black Creek Pioneer Village, previously Dalziel Pioneer Park, is an open-air heritage museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The village is located in the North York district of Toronto, just west of York University and southeast of the Jane and ...
, which preserves several 1800s-era buildings in a pioneer setting. Several municipal parks inside and outside Toronto are located on TRCA lands, such as the
Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Encompassing , the Toronto Zoo is the largest zoo in Canada. It is divided into seven zoogeographic regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, Americas, Tundra Trek, Australasia, Eurasia, and the ...
, Humber Bay Park and Milne Park. TRCA operates five dams for flood control.
TRCA assists its partners in contributing to a healthy city region. This includes ecology and the study of water quality, natural habitats, plants, animals and more. It helps identify environmental needs, set targets and restores natural areas. It advises partners about land use, development proposals and construction, and environmental education to help students and community members appreciate their local environment and learn to look after it. This work is focused in and around Toronto, including portions of the Regions of Peel, York and Durham.
History
In 1946, a number of conservation authorities were established by the Province to administer the numerous watersheds of the Toronto region (Don Valley CA, Etobicoke-Mimico CA, Humber Valley CA, Rouge CA, Duffin Creek CA, Highland Creek CA and Petticoat Creek CA) under the ''
Conservation Authorities Act
The ''Conservation Authorities Act'' (french: Loi sur les offices de protection de la nature) was created by the Ontario Provincial Legislature in 1946 to ensure the conservation, restoration and responsible management of hydrological features t ...
''. These early conservation authorities were funded by the municipalities that bordered on their valleys, and any land purchases had to be proposed and funded from either the Province of Ontario grants, local municipal levies or grants on a project-by-project basis. For example, in 1951, the Don Valley CA proposed a conservation area at the point where Lawrence Avenue today crosses the East Don River in Toronto. The DVCA also proposed a halt on transportation uses in the valley. Funding was not approved for the project and the land was eventually used for the
Don Valley Parkway
The Don Valley Parkway (DVP) is a municipal expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which connects the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto with Highway 401. North of Highway 401, it continues as Highway 404. The parkway run ...
project.
In conjunction with the formation of the conservation authorities, volunteer organizations sprang up to assist the conservation authorities in their missions. In Toronto, the Don Valley Conservation Association was established in 1946 by Roy Cadwell, Rand Freeland and
Charles Sauriol
Charles Joseph Sauriol, (May 3, 1904 – December 16, 1995) was a Canadian naturalist who was responsible for the preservation of many natural areas in Ontario and across Canada. He owned property in the Don River valley and was an advocate fo ...
to protect the lands of the Don River valley from a proposed development. The Association went on to other activities, including tree plantings, wild flower and tree preservation and advocacy. The Association organized popular 'conservation special' train outings from the Don Station north along the CNR line to
Richmond Hill and other destinations to promote the conservation of the Don Valley. Sauriol would later become a director of the MTRCA.
Watershed management also included promoting activities such as recreation and public education on authority lands. The Humber Valley CA opened Albion Hills Conservation Area in Caledon as well as Dalziel Pioneer Park, around a historic 1809 barn located on farmland in the Humber River valley. The designated conservation areas charged daily use fees for the general public to use their facilities, unlike typical public parks.
After the deaths and damage of
Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest, second costliest, and most intense hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed at least 469 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and Sout ...
in 1954, governments recognized the need for improved regulation of river floodplains. In 1957, the four Toronto-area authorities were merged into the single Metro Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and given full legal authority to purchase and expropriate lands for conservation. In conjunction with this, the Province of Ontario passed legislation that made building on floodplains illegal. The authority retained the name until 1997, when Metro Toronto was abolished.
In 1959, MTRCA developed its ''Plan for Flood Control and Water Conservation,'' which outlined a CDN $22 million plan of dam construction, flood channel construction and floodplain acquisition. In total, 15 dams, four channels were to be built and of land to be acquired. The MTRCA constructed three of the 15 dams: Clairville, Milne and G. Ross Lord dam, plus others in Stouffville and on the Black Creek. The Authority constructed twelve flood control channels and two flood control dykes. Over 280 erosion control works were also constructed.
The MTRCA continued to operate the Dalziel Pioneer Park. In 1960, the MTRCA opened
Black Creek Pioneer Village
Black Creek Pioneer Village, previously Dalziel Pioneer Park, is an open-air heritage museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The village is located in the North York district of Toronto, just west of York University and southeast of the Jane and ...
on the Stong Farm, at the corner of Jane and Steeles on the Black Creek, which expanded on the Dalziel lands. It subsequently added other pioneer buildings relocated from around the Toronto area. The village became a popular tourist destination in its own right.
In 1982, the MTRCA opened the Kortright Centre for Conservation in
Woodbridge, Ontario
Woodbridge is a very large suburban community in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, along the city's border with Toronto. It occupies the city's entire southwest quadrant, west of Ontario Highway 400, Highway 400, east of Ontario Highway 50, Highway 50, n ...
. Its mission is to be "a center of excellence in the field of sustainable technology".
The 325 hectare property hosts educational programs for students, workshops for industry and the general public, technology demonstrations in a park-like setting.
Properties
A list of parks and conservation areas under the TRCA:
* Altona Forest -
Pickering, Ontario
Pickering (2021 population 99,186) is a city located in Southern Ontario, Canada, immediately east of Toronto in Durham Region.
Beginning in the 1770s, the area was settled by primarily ethnic British colonists. An increase in population occurre ...
*
Albion Hills Conservation Area and Campground -
Caledon
*
Boyd Conservation Area
Boyd Conservation Area is a suburban land preserve owned and operated by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority in the city of Vaughan, Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. It also overlaps a life science Area of Natural and Sci ...
-
Vaughan
Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...
*
Bruce's Mill Conservation Area -
Whitchurch–Stouffville
Whitchurch-Stouffville ( 2021 population 49,864) is a town in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada, approximately north of downtown Toronto, and north-east of Toronto Pearson International Airport. It is in area, and located in the ...
* Bathurst Glen Golf Course -
King City
*
Black Creek Pioneer Village
Black Creek Pioneer Village, previously Dalziel Pioneer Park, is an open-air heritage museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The village is located in the North York district of Toronto, just west of York University and southeast of the Jane and ...
-
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
* Charles Sauriol Conservation Reserve -
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
*
Claireville Conservation Area -
Brampton
Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipalit ...
*
Cold Creek Conservation Area
Cold Creek Conservation Area, usually Cold Creek, is an ecologically diverse protected Area of Natural and Scientific Interest in south-central Ontario, Canada. The conservation area was opened on 20 June 1962 by Wilf Spooner and the Toronto and R ...
-
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
* East Duffins Headwaters - Uxbridge
*
Glen Haffy Conservation Area -
Caledon
* Glen Rouge Campground -
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
*
Heart Lake Conservation Area
Heart Lake Conservation Area (HLCA) occupies 169 hectares (418 acres) in the Etobicoke Creek watershed, within the City of Brampton, Ontario. It is owned and managed by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA).
HLCA’s diverse ecosys ...
-
Brampton
Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipalit ...
* Indian Line Campground -
Brampton
Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipalit ...
*
Kortright Centre for Conservation -
Vaughan
Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...
*
Lake Saint George --
Richmond Hill
* Langstaff Ecopark -
Vaughan
Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...
*
Petticoat Creek Conservation Area -
Pickering
*
Tommy Thompson Park
The Leslie Street Spit, or officially the Outer Harbour East Headland, is a human-made headland in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, extending from the city's east end in a roughly southwesterly direction into Lake Ontario. It is about long. The Spit i ...
-
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
Associated properties
* Humber Bay Shores Waterfront Park -
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
*
Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Encompassing , the Toronto Zoo is the largest zoo in Canada. It is divided into seven zoogeographic regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, Americas, Tundra Trek, Australasia, Eurasia, and the ...
sits on land mostly controlled by the TRCA.
See also
*
Conservation Authorities Act
The ''Conservation Authorities Act'' (french: Loi sur les offices de protection de la nature) was created by the Ontario Provincial Legislature in 1946 to ensure the conservation, restoration and responsible management of hydrological features t ...
*
Rouge Park
Rouge National Urban Park is a national urban park in Ontario, Canada. The park is centred around the Rouge River and its tributaries in the Greater Toronto Area. The southern portion of the park is situated around the mouth of river in ...
- previously managed by TRCA separately from their conservation areas
*
Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division
Toronto Parks, Forestry & Recreation (PFR) is the division of Toronto's municipal government responsible for maintaining the municipal park system and natural spaces, regulation of and provision of urban forestry services, and the delivery of rec ...
*
Toronto ravine system
The Toronto ravine system is a distinctive feature of the city's geography, consisting of a network of deep ravines, which forms a large urban forest that runs through most of Toronto. The ravine system is the largest in any city in the world, w ...
References
;Bibliography
*
;Notes
External links
*
* https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2022.2079587
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toronto And Region Conservation Authority
1957 establishments in Ontario
Conservation authorities in Ontario
Don River (Ontario)
Regional Municipality of Durham
Organizations based in Toronto
Regional Municipality of Peel
Protected areas of the Regional Municipality of York