Advisory Boards and Committees

Established and approved by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) Board of Directors in 2017 as part of the TRCA Community Engagement Strategy 2017-2027 (RES.#A102/17), the Regional Watershed Alliance is an advisory committee to the Board.

The RWA comprises diverse community members from across the Greater Toronto Area who provide input on TRCA initiatives and advise the Board of Directors and TRCA staff, including providing input on TRCA and municipal partner programs and projects and matters of community interest.

RWA membership includes approximately 45 voting members, representing TRCA watershed residents, sector experts and organizations, municipal, provincial, and federal governments, and TRCA’s Board of Directors.

The RWA is primarily responsible for:

• Forging partnerships and collaborations that build our collective capacity to advance the goals of TRCA’s Strategic Plan: Building The Living City 2013-2022 and TRCA Strategic Plan – Five Year Update, and providing a platform for collective action on cross-jurisdictional and cross-sectoral priorities
• Sharing and advocating for TRCA initiatives in order to disseminate and engage the public in the good work that TRCA does, and build support for TRCA and its mandate
• Working with staff in setting regional and local priorities that help advance TRCA’s and its municipal partners’ objectives of sustainable communities, recommendations of TRCA’s 2017 Community Engagement Strategy, watershed plans, watershed report cards, and The Living City Report Card
• Providing input to TRCA-led and partner-led initiatives in order to apply a multi-stakeholder lens to work and projects within TRCA’s watersheds.

The TRCA Youth Council is also a part of Regional Watershed Alliance and is open to youth aged 16 to 30 who reside or go to school within TRCA’s jurisdiction.

The Youth Council engages young people in the environmental issues that are important to them and provides career development resources for those interested in the environmental field.

RWA Membership

RWA members are recruited from different sectors representing various network connections, based on a diverse skill set and demonstrated expertise and knowledge of the watersheds within TRCA’s jurisdiction.

The composition of the RWA is as follows:

• Up to two (2) TRCA Board of Directors Members
• Up to twelve (12) TRCA Watershed Residents
• Up to six (6) Sector Experts
• Up to five (5) Municipal Representatives
• Up to one (1) Provincial Representative
• Up to one (1) Federal Representative
• Up to two (2) Youth Representatives
• Up to one (1) Indigenous Representative

RWA Reference Materials

• RWA Terms of Reference
• TRCA Community Engagement Strategy
• TRCA Youth Council

Initiated in 2008 by Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) and Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) (RES.#A184/08, page 480), Partners in Project Green (PPG) supports a growing community of businesses working together to advance environmental action and economic prosperity across the Greater Toronto Area by fostering collaborations with businesses and municipalities, supporting the implementation of sustainable technologies and practices, and participating in projects that produce tangible environmental benefits.

Reporting to TRCA’s Board of Directors, the Partners in Project Green Executive Management Committee (PPG EMC) has a mandate to:

• Assist businesses to help improve their environmental performance while at the same time improving costs
• Attract and retain clean and more environmentally friendly investments in the Pearson Eco-Business Zone and beyond
• Act as a catalyst for new ideas, innovation, excellence, and improvement in employment lands, with a focus on reducing environmental impacts

The Executive Management Committee is primarily responsible for:

• Providing leadership and communication among Partners in Project Green members and supporters
• Acting as an ambassador for Partners in Project Green
• Reviewing and approving the Partners in Project Green strategy and programs as
  required
• Reviewing and approving the Partners in Project Green budget
• Monitoring overall Partners in Project Green priorities and performance
• Guidance relating to Partners in Project Green activities

PPG EMC Membership

The PPG EMC comprises:

• One (1) Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) member
• TRCA’s Chief Executive Officer
• Up to four (4) municipal representatives
• Up to eight (8) business representatives with an affiliation to TRCA’s jurisdiction
• Up to one (1) Ontario Chamber of Commerce or affiliate Local Board of Trade or Chamber of Commerce representative
• Up to one (1) community representative to be selected from TRCA’s Professional Access into Employment (PAIE) program and/or Newcomer Youth Green Economy Project (NYGEP)
• Up to one (1) youth representative attending a post-secondary institution in TRCA’s jurisdiction
• Up to three (3) members at large

Current PPG EMC Members

PPG EMC Reference Materials

• Terms of Reference
• Partners in Project Green Strategy (2008)
• Partners in Project Green: Strategy Update (2013)
• 2019-2023 Strategic Refresh

The Natural Science and Education Committee (NSEC) is an advisory board of Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s (TRCA) Board of Directors. Approved by the Board on May 28, 2021 (RES.#A107/21), the NSEC was formed as a result of recommendations from the Outdoor Education Task Force (OETF).

The objective of the NSEC is to advise the TRCA Board of Directors and partner agencies on the effective implementation and advancement of the recommendations of the Outdoor Education Task Force, specifically the following:

• Establish consistent access and curricular standards across TRCA and school boards
• Establish a unified performance measurement system
• Advance shared-ownership and access models that enhance and sustain an overall out-of-classroom learning system
• Develop a long-term equitable access financial plan

Currently, recruitment is expected to occur over the summer of 2021, and the NSEC is anticipated to begin meeting in November 2021.

NSEC Membership

Membership comprise representatives from the following:

• Up to ten (10) School Board Trustees from each of the area school boards
• Up to two (2) TRCA Board of Directors Members
• Up to two (2) Ministry of Education Representatives
• Up to two (2) Indigenous Representatives with a Treaty right or historical affiliation to TRCA’s jurisdiction
• Up to two (2) Youth Representatives attending an educational institution in TRCA’s jurisdiction

Current NSEC Members

NSEC Reference Materials

• Board of Directors Resolution on the Natural Science and Education Committee
• Toronto and Region Natural Science and Education Committee Terms of Reference