According to the City of Toronto’s Ravine Strategy, a ravine is “a type of landform created over time by running water. They are larger than gullies and smaller than valleys. They may or may not contain streams.” (p. 6 – 7 of Ravine Strategy).

To determine if your park or publicly accessible space is eligible, please look at Toronto’s Interactive Map and search for your park or ravine. Select the filter for Administrative Boundary -> Ravine and Nature Feature Protection By-Law. Public ravines will be indicated on the map with a green base (vs grey) and the Ravine and Nature Feature Protection By-Law layer (stripes).

Ravines that are on private property and not open to the public are not eligible for the microgrant. If you have questions about your local ravine, please get in touch with us to confirm eligibility. If needed, we can provide suggestions for a location for your event.

An important objective of the InTO the Ravines program is to help more people connect to and engage with their ravines. However, given the ravines’ environmental sensitivity, this goal must be carefully balanced with the need to protect these spaces.

Take a look at these Tips for Ravine Engagement to learn more about balancing engagement with respect and care for nature.

We also invite you to check the following resources: 

• Reducing the Impact and Increasing Connection to Nature for Park and Ravine Events
• Planning a Zero-Waste Event in Your Park
• Host a Climate Change Workshop

In-person events:

Examples of simple yet creative events and activities include, but are not limited to:

• Meditative, interpretive and/or historic walks
• Art-based activities such as sketching or drawing, small-scale land art with twigs and leaves, and photography
• Play-based activities such as scavenger hunts or nature bingos
• Citizen science engagement activities or clean-up events

If you want some more inspiration, check out our webinar recording ‘Animating Toronto’s Ravines with Care and Respect’.

Remember, events should NOT include any form of direct stewardship, such as tree planting or invasive plant removal. These must be led by the Natural Environment and Community Programs unit of the City of Toronto’s Urban Forestry. You can learn more about their volunteer opportunities here: toronto.ca/greentoronto.

Virtual events:

Online events can take many forms, including fully virtual sessions (e.g., on Zoom) or hybrid formats where participants gather online and are encouraged to explore their local ravines independently, sharing reflections through digital platforms or conversation apps.

Here are some examples of online events: 

• Guided virtual ravine walks
• Storytelling or sharing circles
• Nature journaling sessions
• Ravine mapping workshops

These are real opportunities to put your creative muscles to work, and deepen the connection to ravines from wherever participants are.

For more ideas, check out our webinar recording Making Online Environmental Programming Meaningful. 

If you have 25 participants or fewer, you do not need a City permit to host your events. For more than 25 participants, and you would like to gather at a specific location in a park, you will need to get a one-time booking permit. We also recommend you let your city councillor and park supervisor know about your plans to host a ravine event in your community.

Decisions will be made by a team of reviewers composed of Park People staff in consultation with the City of Toronto and will be based on the following criteria:

• Alignment with the Ravine Strategy guiding principles: Protect, Connect, and Celebrate our ravines
• Intention to host events with minimal environmental impact
• Strength of the application, including experience organizing events
• Originality of the event – simple yet creative ideas
• Geographic diversity across Toronto neighbourhoods 
• Priority for groups engaging people who have not visited ravines before, face barriers to access, or are part of equity-deserving communities

While meeting any or all of these criteria will not guarantee that your group will be awarded a microgrant, we are looking for these qualities in each application.

If successful, your organization will receive $1,500 for your event. You are free to use these funds as needed to support your activities. Eligible expenses may include communications and marketing (e.g., printing posters and flyers), honoraria for volunteers or facilitators, TTC tokens, personal protective equipment, event equipment, permit costs and insurance (if applicable). Up to 75% of the budget can be allocated to human resources costs.

InTO the Ravines aims to reach people from equity-deserving communities, and/or who have not visited ravines before, to help address barriers such as lack of awareness or feeling uncomfortable in ravine spaces. 

We define equity-deserving communities as groups that, because of systemic discrimination, face barriers that limit equal access to resources and opportunities. This may include, but is not limited to, Black, Indigenous and people of colour communities, disabled people, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, newcomers, women and non-binary people, and people with low incomes.

When applying, think about who currently uses ravines—and who does not—compared to the communities you work with or are part of. We also encourage you to learn from community members about the barriers they face and how to overcome them.