Current status

You can comment on the terms of reference until 5 p.m. on July 20, 2025.

Learn how to submit a comment to the ministry contact below.

Project summary

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the City of Toronto plan to conserve and enhance natural features and minimize hazards related to the Scarborough Bluffs while improving the public’s access to and experience of the waterfront.

The Scarborough Bluffs West Project consists of the following activities by the proponents at the location described below:

  • constructing or changing trails or changing existing roads to provide or enhance public access to or along the waterfront
  • constructing or changing works for shoreline protection, erosion or sedimentation control or slope stability
  • constructing, creating or changing works or spaces for recreational purposes or other public use
  • any activity related to an activity described in the preceding bullets, including conserving, creating or changing aquatic or terrestrial habitat

Learn more on the proponent’s website.

Proponents

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and City of Toronto

Location

The Scarborough Bluffs West Project is located along or near the Lake Ontario shoreline in Scarborough, extending 4.5 kilometres from Silver Birch Avenue to Bluffer’s Park.

Project type

Conservation authority

Reference number

23010

Contact

Stephen Deneault, Project Officer, Environmental Assessment Branch

Project history

Voluntary Agreement: June 10, 2025
Terms of reference: submitted
Date submitted: June 20, 2025
Expiry of public comment period: July 20, 2025

Voluntary Agreement

A proponent for a project that is not subject to the Environmental Assessment Act may still decide that it would be beneficial for the Act to apply to their project and to proceed through the comprehensive Environmental Assessment process.

The Environmental Assessment Act includes a provision that enables a person or entity to enter into an agreement with the minister to have the Act apply to the proponent’s project. These agreements are commonly referred to as “voluntary agreements.”

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the City of Toronto requested to complete the comprehensive Environmental Assessment process under the Environmental Assessment Act to fully assess and consult on a range of alternatives to their project and its potential impacts to the Lake Ontario shoreline in Scarborough.

On June 10, 2025, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks entered into an agreement with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the City of Toronto to make the Scarborough Bluffs West Project subject to the comprehensive Environmental Assessment requirements under the Environmental Assessment Act.

Entering into a voluntary agreement does not mean that the project is approved to proceed, only that the project has been made subject to the requirements of Ontario’s Environmental Assessment Act.

Terms of reference

The purpose of the environmental assessment (EA) is to identify alternatives and study the potential effects of the proposed project on the environment.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the City of Toronto have submitted their proposed terms of reference for the Scarborough Bluffs West Project for approval by the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

A terms of reference is a work plan that outlines how the environmental assessment will be completed, including studies and consultation. Members of the public, agencies, Indigenous communities and other interested persons will have an opportunity to provide comments on the proposed terms or reference. Comments will be considered prior to the minister making a decision.

Read the terms of reference notice of submission on the City of Toronto’s website to learn how to review the terms of reference and how to submit comments.